Echoes of Manyatta

Safiyah Brito is an 18-year-old first-year SFU/SCA dance major from Toronto, Ontario. She has been dancing since the age of two and began focusing on modern and ballet training at the age of 12 with Durham School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Through them, she joined a pre-professional program called “the Blue institute”. And in 2024, she has gone on with this company to perform a piece for Dance Ontario entitled "She of Ten Thousand Names." She has also attended Atlanta Ballet’s pre-professional intensive. She has also received acceptances for numerous other intensive programs. Safiyah has aspirations of becoming a professional dancer. She specifically aspires to dance with Lines Ballet and Alvin Ailey.

Ellen Harris is a first-year student studying dance at SFU. She grew up in Vancouver and has been dancing since she was three, training at Arts Umbrella’s professional training program in mostly ballet and contemporary techniques. She has been working with Edward since September 2024 and is excited to share the work. Ellen aspires to develop her own artistic voice and identity through dancing professionally and creating original choreography.

Liam Hurley is a 19-year-old student at Simon Fraser University. He started dancing at the age of 4, training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Gabriola Dance and Kirkwood Academy. He was a member of Dancestreams for three seasons and performed in over 15 productions. For Liam, dance has always been a source of joy and self-expression. “When I was younger, I wasn’t into sports. So, I decided to dance instead. It has allowed me to express my creativity.

Jessica Kwon (She/Her) is a Korean Canadian, born and raised in Vancouver. Jessica has an interest for stage management and recently started to develop a liking for lighting design. She is currently in her 3rd year expanding her knowlegde in the Production & Design program at SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts. 

Soleil Mousseau is a third-year dance major at Simon Fraser University, residing and working on the traditional and unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations. Having collaborated with Edward Sembatya during her first year; she is delighted to be part of his latest project. As a dance educator and sister, Soleil is committed to both her personal development and the exploration of her artistic expression through choreographic frameworks and score-based movement. She expresses gratitude for the opportunity to further her journey as a dancer and student at Simon Fraser University.

Keith Mugenyi is a multitalented artist and storyteller who uses art to educate, promote, and preserve cultures. He is a dance choreographer and creative director at Afrique Arts Troupe, a producer and CEO at Afro Arts Studios, and a multi-instrumentalist who has performed with several organizations and artists around and outside Uganda. He is also a drummer for Wava Theatre, which Mr. Philip Luswata spearheads.

Vania Ngok (she/her) was born in Hong Kong, China. She has a strong interest in stage management and is eager to further explore the industry. Currently, she is a 2nd year student majoring in Production & Design at Simon Fraser University's School for the Contemporary Arts.

Ashley Sankaran-Wee (she/her) is a Singaporean Canadian dancer in her third year of a double Degree in Dance and Communication. She dances to fulfill the vivid scenes in her mind, to realize a given or innate soundtrack through movement. Through dance and media, she wishes to explore her past, present, and future, to interpret, learn, and appreciate our mercurial world.

Edward Sembatya is a versatile Ugandan dance practitioner, choreographer, educator, aspiring researcher, and drummer (Ugandan drums). He is currently pursuing his practice-based Ph.D. at Simon Fraser University, School for the Contemporary Arts (dance). His artistic works and research draw inspiration from contemporary everyday life and the rich knowledge and skills embedded in indigenous East African dances (Ugandan in particular), music, and narratives. Additionally, he has received training in jazz and western contemporary movement languages. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Norwegian College of Dance and a Master of Arts degree in Dance Knowledge, Practice, and Heritage from Choreomundus, an international program collaboratively administered by four universities: NTNU (Norway), Roehampton (UK), Szeged (Hungary), and Clermont Auvergne (France).

Daniel Steele is a first-year dance minor and computing science major at SFU. He began dancing at age 11, starting out with tap and ballet at Perform Art Studios in North Vancouver. He has since had opportunities to perform with the Moscow Ballet and Coastal City Ballet. By continuing with dance, Daniel is finding ways to combine his passion for science and computers with his love for movement and art. He has been working with Edward since September 2024.

Claire Whitelaw is an up-and-coming dance artist based in Vancouver. She is currently in her first year of SFU's contemporary dance program and has been dancing since she was two years old. Claire has mostly trained in ballet and some modern dance styles. She started out at Ballet Virginia Academy for nine years, training in ballet and Horton, then moved to Texas, where she continued her dance training at El Paso Ballet Theatre for three years. She then moved to Salt Spring Island, where she trained for four years in a high school contemporary dance and choreography program. She has been learning from and working with Edward Sembatya since this past September.

Wenwei "Coco" Zhou (She/Her), born in Anhui, China, is interested in environmental theatre, live performance production and interactive design. She has been continuously developing skills in stage management and lighting design, working on creating boundaries. She is currently in her 4th year in the Production & Design major at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts.