Pro Series II: Just Breathe, Okâwîmâwaskiy

Director and Performer

Sandra Lamouche (she/her; MA) is a Nehiyaw Iskwew (Cree Woman) from the Bigstone Cree Nation in Northern Alberta. She married into the Piikani Nation in Southern Alberta and is now a proud mother to two boys with braids. In 2007, she completed her BA in Native American Studies from the University of Lethbridge, and in 2021, she successfully defended her MA Thesis at Trent University, titled “Nitona Miyo Pimadisiwin (Seeking a Good Life) Through Indigenous Dance” which examines Indigenous Dance as a Social Determinant of Health and Well Being. Sandra is a multidisciplinary creator, artist, writer and storyteller, a Champion Hoop Dancer, an award winning Indigenous Educational Leader, and a two-time TEDx Speaker. She has over fifteen years of experience in ten international styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, hip hop and powwow styles, and the hoop dance. She has performed, collaborated with, studied and trained with Indigenous Dance Companies such as "Daystar Modern Dance Creations" with Rosalie Jones, founder of Modern Native Dance (Rochester, NY); "Dancing Earth: Contemporary Indigenous Dance Creations" with Rulan Tangen; "Compaigni V'ni Dansi" Metis and Contemporary dance with Yvonne Chartrand (Vancouver, BC); "Kahawi Dance Theatre" with Santee Smith (Toronto, ON); Jack Gray of "Atamira Dance Company" (New Zealand), O. Dela Arts (Ontario), and Raven Spirit Dance (Vancouver). 

Director

Melanie Kloetzel (she/her; MFA, PhD) is a settler performance maker, scholar and educator based in Treaty 7 territory (Moh’kinsstis/Calgary). Director of the dance theatre company kloetzel&co. and co-director of the art intervention collective TRAction (which produces the Climate Art Web), Kloetzel has developed events, workshops and encounters in theatre spaces, alternative venues, spaces of public assembly, and online environments across four continents. Her award-winning films have garnered such accolades as Best of Fest (Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, USA), Best Documentary (Mabig Film Festival, Germany; DC After Dark, USA), Best Female Short (Freedom Festival International, USA) and Best Experimental Film (GO Independent International Film Festival, USA). Her publications can be found in Dance Research Journal, Contemporary Theatre Review, Choreographic Practices, New Theatre Quarterly, Performance Matters, and Performance Research, among others, and her books –  the co-edited anthology Site Dance: Choreographers and the Lure of Alternative Spaces (2009), the co-authored (Re)Positioning Site Dance: Local Acts, Global Perspectives (2019), and the co-authored Covert: A Handbook (2021) – are currently available from University Press of Florida, Intellect, and Triarchy Press, respectively.

Performer

Jocelyn Hoover Leiver (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary settler artist from Moh’kinsstis (Calgary, AB). She is an alumnus of both the Dance and Music programs at the University of Calgary, and has been a company member of kloetzel&co. since 2015: Just Breathe, Okâwîmâwaskiy (2023); Faust, the Anatomy of a Disease; MEN in Charge (film); It Began with Watching (stage/site/tour); Dance of the Puppets (short film); Rooms; and Tragedy, a sequel. Her background in theatre, musical theatre, film, dance, choreography, and as a collaborative pianist has created many opportunities to share her unique voice abroad, including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, California, Ireland, Austria, and India. Upcoming: Rule of Thumb (Workshop Theatre), Little Women the Musical (Rosebud Theatre), and a new work with kloetzel&co. @Hoovey 

Performer

Taylor MacLeod (she/her) is a performer, dance educator and arts enthusiast from Mohkinstsis (Calgary, Alberta). She received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance, with a concentration in choreography and performance with distinction from the University of Calgary. Since emerging in the local arts scene, she has performed with kloetzel&co., WM2, and Corps Bara Dance Theatre. Taylor has had the opportunity to perform across Canada in Regina’s Stream of Dance, Calgary’s Fluid Festival, Annual Alberta Dance Festival, and Skylines Dance & Film Series, as well as Edmonton’s The Works Festival and Prairie Dance Circuit.

Performer

Shondra Cromwell-Krywulak (she/her) is a dance artist based out of Mohkinstsis (Calgary) Alberta and is a graduate of the University of Calgary’s BFA Dance Program (2019). After graduation she has continued her training with YYC Contemporary Training and recently completed a residency with Dancer’s Studio West. Shondra has performed for established artists including Melanie Kloetzel, Michèle Moss, Marie France Forcier, and Heather Ware. Her work has been presented in university performances, and most recently her film French Vanilla with Chocolate Sprinkles was presented in Dancer’s Studio West Quick and Dirty Festival (2021).

Performer

Alèn Martel (he/him/his) is a Canadian-born South / West Asian 'contemporary' dancer, university researcher and educator, and performing arts centre (PAC) professional working in Moh-kíns-tsis | Wincheesh-pah | Kootsisáw, Treaty 7 Territory (Calgary, AB). His main research areas include creative process, global dance history and dance studies (with emphasis on pre-20th century), and dance and computer science.  He has his Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Calgary (2012) and his Master of Arts in Ethnochoreology (2014) from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick.

Katriona Dunn, BFA'22, is a theatre designer, technician, and creator. She recently graduated from the University of Calgary Drama program with distinction. During her time at the university, she worked as costume designer on Horse Girls, designer for Wagonstage, and assistant designer on Formations and We the Same. Other work includes assistant set and props design Casey and Diana and Women of the Fur Trade (Stratford Festival) and assistant costume designer for Murder on the Orient Express (Vertigo Theatre). She was recognized with the Macdonell Award in Performing Arts and the Marilyn Perkins Award in performing arts. 

Calum Maunier (He/Him) is a technical director, theatrical designer, technician and creator. He recently graduated from the University of Calgary Drama program with distinction. His most recent design work was for Date Night at Calgary Fringe 2023. He is currently working at Wordfest and just finished the Imaginairium 2023 festival as the technical director, and as well as providing technical and design support at cSpace. He plans to continue supporting and growing within the theatre industry. Other recent credits include: Cantata with Sage Theatre (Light/Costume Design), Just Breathe 2023 (Set/Lighting Design), Frankenstein with Jupiter theatre (Technical director/Production manager), Wagonstage 2023 (Set/Costume Design), and MoRF (Lighting Design). Upcoming projects include: Cantata 2024