2019 Spring Talks

January 18, 2019 | 12:30 – 2:20 p.m.
Room 4525 – SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
149 W. Hastings St. Vancouver

Panel Discussion

Natalie Tin Yin Gan, Marion Landers, Starr Muranko, Antonio Somera, and Juan Villegas.

Please join us for the first in a series of free talks over the spring semester at the SCA, organized by the school's Diversity and Equity Committee. An objective of the series is to turn a necessary reflexive look back onto the school and the university at large, as well as across the arts more generally, in an effort to critically address enduring structures and patterns of privilege and disadvantage.

Bios

Natalie Tin Yin Gan is a contemporary dance artist specializing in improvisation and interdisciplinary collaboration. She lives and works on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, land still referred to as Vancouver, British Columbia. Natalie has a double degree in Contemporary Dance and International Studies from Simon Fraser University. She continued her training with Modus Operandi for two seasons under Artistic Directors Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond. Her current practice is deeply influenced by mentor, Lee Su-Feh of battery opera performance. She is also a member of the interdisciplinary arts company Hong Kong Exile.  

Trained in ballet, contemporary dance, and African dance, Marion Landers teaches a variety of African and African-rooted dance styles, including West African, Afro-Brazilian, Central African, Afro-Contemporary, and Hip-Hop, situating them theoretically, historically, and culturally. She's danced with Ballet Tropicalia/Laura Monteiro, Afro-Jazz Ensemble/Thelma Gibson, Zab Maboungou/Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata, and UMOJA/Thembi Nyandani. She has a BFA (dance) from SFU’s School for Contemporary Arts and a MFA (theatre) from the University of British Columbia.

Starr Muranko is dancer/choreographer & Artistic Associate with Raven Spirit Dance. Her work has been presented at the Dance Centre/Dance in Vancouver, Dancing on the Edge, Talking Stick Festival, Crimson Coast Dance and the Weesageechak Festival. She is a proud member of the Dancers of Damelahamid touring across Canada and internationally to New Zealand, Peru and Ecuador. She holds a BFA in Dance/Cultural Studies (SFU’s School for Contemporary Arts) and has presented her research at the World Indigenous People’s Conference in Education (WIPCE), Dance Alliance of the Americas and serves as a board member of the Dance Centre and CADA/WEST.

Based out of Vancouver, Canada, Antonio Somera is a member of emerging collectives: MAYCE, Konichiwaack, and OURO. Graduated with a BFA from the SFU’s School for Contemporary Arts' Contemporary Dance Program, he had the privilege of interpreting works by: 605 Collective, The Response Dance Company, Dancers Dancing, Katie DeVries, Noam Gagnon, Rob Kitsos and Julie Chapple. Antonio has performed on various stages around Vancouver such as 12 Minutes Max, Vancouver International Dance Festival, OnTheBoards and Dancing on the Edge. Antonio recently worked in Seattle, WA alongside choreographer, KT Niehoff, in her remount of A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light in 2015.

Juan Villegas has a Post Bac. Diploma in Contemporary Dance from SFU’s School for Contemporary Arts and has worked professionally as an independent Dance Artist. He also holds a degree in Industrial Design from Emily Carr University and has completed additional certifications in Restorative, Yin, Pilates, and Aerial forms of Yoga. He is currently completing Georg Feuerstein’s Traditional Yoga Studies ~ 800HRS, a program in History, Literature, and Philosophy of Yoga, and Leslie Kaminoff’s intensive program in Yoga Anatomy Principles. With Mark Atherton, he is part of AnyBody Movement.