New Works Cohort Program
The New Works Cohort Program is a 5-month long program offering both mentorship and coaching about the business aspect of dance. It aims to provide learning and guided experience towards independent artists' knowledge and stability within the dance art sector.
Since 1993 New Works has operated as a vibrant dance management + performance organization. We have provided stable, affordable management services to some of Vancouver’s most innovative dance artists. And this program aims to spread this knowledge into the new generations' art leaders.
Participants will expand their networks while gaining insights from leading performing arts professionals with expertise in fundraising, producing, organizational management, communications, career planning, and finance. Through peer learning sessions, the participants will gain sustainable skills and knowledge over the course of 5 months (from January to May 2024).
New Works Cohort 2025
Announcing the 2024 Cohort. Meet the Artists!
Lillian Wallman
Bio
Lillian Wallman (She/her) is an artist from Metis and mixed settler descent. She grew up in Port Alberni BC which lies within the traditional territories of the Hupacasath and Tseshaht First Nations. She now begins her career as an emerging dance artist on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She is a Simon Fraser University graduate with a BFA honours degree in contemporary dance. While at SFU Lily was a practicum student with Nova Dance (2023) and performed in their pre-show invocation, “Body Choir”. Post graduation Lily was a recipient of the Edam training scholarship (spring 2024) and worked with Justine Chambers on her production team for her work “The Brutal Joy”. Lily joined in on Dance Novella’s creation process of “Night is the Mother” (2024) as an emerging artist and had the opportunity to apprentice with Company 605 while they remounted "Lossy" (2024). Lily’s most recent apprenticeship was with Co. ERASGA on their newest project, “What On EARTH”, where she learned work from Naishi Wang, Alvin Tolentino and performed with the company in Alvin Collantes’ piece “Bulkan” (2024). Currently she is in a new process with Rob Kitsos, traveling to teach dance on Vancouver Island and has joined the 2025 New Works cohort.
Ysadora Dias
Bio
Ysadora Dias is an emerging artist based in so-called Vancouver, whose creative spark lies in improvisation, deeply inspired by her Brazilian roots and culture. Since moving to Vancouver, she has collaborated with numerous artists and toured with MascallDance across Canada and New Zealand. Ysa has also performed with Coastal City Ballet, Amok Project, Co. Erasga, Inverso Productions, and Raven Spirit Dance. Recently, Ysa presented her solo work Raiz with the support of the Re-Centering Margins Residency 2024.
As she continues to explore her artistic voice, Ysa has developed a strong interest in interdisciplinary work, driven by her passion for music and curiosity about the relationship between movement and sound. She is fascinated by how improvisation can bring both dance and music to life in the moment, fostering a profound sense of presence and connection. This exploration allows her to merge her love for performance with a desire to create meaningful, spontaneous work that resonates deeply with audiences.
Grace Richter
Bio
Grace Richter (She/Her) is a Canadian born emerging dancer/performer, and budding choreographer and teacher currently represented by Premiere Talent Management in Vancouver, BC. Grace grew up studying Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre and Improvisation in Red Deer, AB. Training anywhere she could, Grace was also a student online in Teddy Forance’s CLI Studios Program, as well as many notable conventions and workshops. She seizes every opportunity to learn, grow and perform – notably and gratefully including Harbour Dance Centres’ Intensive Training Program, and as a choreographer for Carlo Atienza’s Quill Collective. Grace’s learning continues with assorted classes and workshops – paired with acting training which has elevated her as a performer/choreographer. Early on she performed at Canada Winter Games Ceremonies, Harlem Globetrotter Halftime Shows, and at the CARNIVAL Choreographer’s ball in Los Angeles. Since moving to Vancouver, Grace has been involved in multiple Innovate Dance Showcases, stretching her artistic eye for creating dance on film through conceptual videos. She was a part of the YVR “Lumiere Festival” as a dancer performing at installations all over the city as well as performances with PRP Productions inc. This past three seasons, Grace was also an assistant at Triple Threat Dance Conventions. Grace has now been a part of the teaching staff at Harbour Dance Centre in Vancouver for 2 years, teaching Improvisation and Contemporary classes sharing her love of dance with the Vancouver Community. Inspired by a varied background of training in multiple movement styles, her love of performing and her early achievements, Grace is actively working to fulfill her calling in Vancouver – as a performer, creator, and teacher. Her passion and inspiration is to be authentic in her voice as an artist, and to help others do the same.
As she continues to explore her artistic voice, Ysa has developed a strong interest in interdisciplinary work, driven by her passion for music and curiosity about the relationship between movement and sound. She is fascinated by how improvisation can bring both dance and music to life in the moment, fostering a profound sense of presence and connection. This exploration allows her to merge her love for performance with a desire to create meaningful, spontaneous work that resonates deeply with audiences.
Jay Gignac & Jaqueline Ritter
Bio
Jay Gignac (he/him) and Jaqueline Ritter (she/her) are an emerging artistic partnership that live and work on the unceded ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations. Together they create offbeat, entertaining, and subversive dance-theater works by blending their formal dance training with storytelling, theatricality, and humor. Beyond their creative pursuits, they are also passionate about establishing platforms that support other artists by providing low-barrier-of-entry opportunities to develop and share work. Over the course of 2024 - their first year operating as artistic partners - Jay and Jaqueline created their first collaborative piece FOREVITAL, as well as independently produced their first performing arts showcase, The Lo-Fi Revue. As individual artists, their works have previously been selected for presentation by The Scotiabank Dance Centre, IGNITE! Youth Festival, Collingwood Neighbourhood House, and CollabArt Creations.As she continues to explore her artistic voice, Ysa has developed a strong interest in interdisciplinary work, driven by her passion for music and curiosity about the relationship between movement and sound. She is fascinated by how improvisation can bring both dance and music to life in the moment, fostering a profound sense of presence and connection. This exploration allows her to merge her love for performance with a desire to create meaningful, spontaneous work that resonates deeply with audiences.
Ome Dance Collective
Bio
Ome Dance Collective is an emerging contemporary dance duet based in Vancouver, formed by Mexican dancers Silene Razo and Judith Colibrí in 2024. Ome arises from the need to create new works from the perspective of two mexican female artists and how they sense the world through their own cultural baggage. As independent artists they have participated in festivals such as Dancing on the Edge, Fringe Festival, Vines Art Festival and 2 Rivers Remix.
Isaac Gasangwa
Bio
Isaac Gasangwa, known as Izo Dreamchaser, is a key figure in Vancouver’s dance scene and the Founder and Artistic Director of Afrobeats Van. Originally from Rwanda, his lifelong passion for dance led him to form a notable group and initiatives for underprivileged children back home. Since moving to Vancouver in 2014, Isaac has honed his skills in areas such as Hip-hop, martial arts, and gymnastics. Prompted by the lack of African dance representation in the local arts sphere, he established Afrobeats Van to celebrate African music and dance through classes, performances, and events, fostering cultural inclusivity and artistic expression. Isaac also leads E-Squad, an AfroDance collective renowned for productions like *The African Dream* (2023) and *Unity Rhythm* (2024). Through his dedication to diversity and African cultural heritage, Isaac continues shaping Vancouver's arts landscape.
Arno Kamolika
Bio
Arno is a BC based Bharatanatyam dance artist and instructor. Born and raised in Bangladesh, she has studied Bharatanatyam and Manipuri in Bangladesh, India and Canada under C.V. Chandrasekhar, Jai Govinda, Bragha Bessel, Sharmila Banerjee and Belayet Hossain. A graduate in architecture, she draws from her training of various disciplines like music, mime, theatre, and other dance forms to add layers to her practice. Over the past few years, Arno has been an integral part of Mandala Arts as an instructor and as a solo performer. Her rich repertoires have taken her at various festivals in USA, Germany, India and Bangladesh. In recent years she has performed for Institute of Asian Research at UBC, Simon Fraser University, The Cultch, World Rhythm Festival in Seattle, Dance All Sorts by New Works, Dancer’s Transition Resource Centre, Vancouver Moving Theatre and The Chan Centre among many. Some of her recent productions are Shyama (2015-2018) and Parasakti (2021), and she was a cast member of Svaha (2023) by Nova Dance and Skydancers (2024) by Anusha Fernando. Arno is supported by BC Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts. Arno’s journey is fuelled by a desire to learn and create artistic narratives through collaborating with artists across discipline and to seek non-traditional storytelling.
Paper Rabbits
Bio
Established in 2023, Paper Rabbits is an experimental dance collective based in Vancouver, Canada. Founded by Elle Derkitt, Nathan Coburn and Sophia Makarenko, the work of the collective attests to the portrayal of temporality, feminism and surrealism and how it is investigated through dance theater. Invested in contributing to the Canadian art scene, Paper Rabbits is determined to expand and redefine how dance is perceived. Nathan, Elle and Sophia met through the Arts Umbrella Post-Secondary Dance Diploma Program and have been dancing and working together since 2021. In 2022, they were participants of Arts Umbrella's Young Choreographer Mentorship Showcase led by Crystal Pite which instigated their development in creation process. Since then, they have spent time developing their own individual work in the form of solos, duets, group pieces, and video projects. Now working together as a collective, these artists are pushing the range of physicality and artistry through interdisciplinary work. Paper Rabbits aims to foster community while striving to make a lasting impact.
Vidya Kotamraju
Bio
Vidya Kotamraju is a Vancouver-based dance artist, choreographer, and art educator. She has performed in productions such as The Temptation of Buddha and The Monk and The Courtesan by Mandala Arts And Culture, North Shore Women's Centre's Crimson Cabaret, and the Dance Centre's Silk Route Festival. Her performances have also been featured in festivals like Namaste Canada, Diwali in BC (Shyama), PNE's Spirit Of India, the Vancouver International Dance Festival ("Longing..."), Echo Her Series and Thousand Faces Festival (Maktub: Ashes to Alchemy) amongst others. Trained in Bharata Natyam by Jai Govinda, Bragha Bessell and Sheila Jagadish Kumar, Vidya founded the House of Indian Dance to train both adults and kids in Bharata Natyam. Off stage, she has served on the boards of New Works and Mandala Arts and Culture and works in the tech industry. Vidya is the recipient of the 2017 Shade of Hope award.
Josh Cameron
Bio
For the majority of his 15 year artistic practice, Josh “Jammin’” Cameron has primarily focused on researching and developing his proficiency and immersion in Street, Club and Cultural Dance with emphasis on Breaking, Hip Hop, and House as well as Hustle, Dancehall, Vogue, Locking, Popping, Litefeet and Waacking. He has a deep and long standing practice of immersing himself in the complex and diverse facets of cultural gatherings including but not limited to battles, clubbing, Ballroom events, and traditional knowledge transfer from the expertise of Pioneers and Innovators worldwide. Josh’s unique approach to dance stems from his synthesis of these Street Dance foundations with extensive training in Martial Arts as well as a wide variety of Contemporary and experimental movement modalities. These crossovers have culminated in his involvement in disseminating work that utilizes the strengths of multiple methodologies of Street and Contemporary Dance to create work for stage and film.
Josh has been teaching dance since September 2012. He is passionate about delivering dance programming to the community that bridges gaps between artforms and educative schematics, methodologies and languages by teaching collaborative multidisciplinary classes intersecting multiple dance genres with music theory education, voice and speech, and creative writing.
Josh has aligned his long-standing teaching practice with the grassroots, non-profit organization, Barangay Project Society where he is acting Vice President. The organization highly prioritizes BIPOC communities of all ages in Western Canada with nurturing connections for safe and accessible art programs for youth and emerging artists to pursue careers in the arts.
Through this cohort program I am excited to learn about more resources and structures available for local artists and artistic communities to flourish within their passionate crafts.
Check out the Cohort Program from past seasons
2024 Cohort Program
2023 New Works Cohort Program:
Liat Har Lev/ Lili Flamenco
Isak Enquist and Eowynn Enquist
Just Donsan
Clarence Tang - Konichiwaack
Training Society of Vancouver - Antonio Jr. Somera
Lance Lim, Pigeon Den Art Collective
Fiana Kawane
Clala Dance Project
Sarah Hutton & Aiden Cass, Company generous mess
Kevin Shazam Li
2024 Cohort Program Facilitators:
Michelle Kneale,
& Jason Dubois, New Works Executive Director.
Read full bios
Liat Har Lev/ Lili Flamenco
Isak Enquist and Eowynn Enquist
Just Donsan
Clarence Tang - Konichiwaack
Training Society of Vancouver - Antonio Jr. Somera
Lance Lim, Pigeon Den Art Collective
Fiana Kawane
Clala Dance Project
Sarah Hutton & Aiden Cass, Company generous mess
Kevin Shazam Li
2024 Cohort Program Facilitators:
Michelle Kneale,
& Jason Dubois, New Works Executive Director.
Read full bios
2023 Cohort Program
2023 New Works Cohort Program:
Alexis Fletcher
Carol Mendes | AMOK
Alexandra Clancy | Soleful Dance Collective
Carla Alcántara
Kami Reed Schuyler
Kaili Che
Kiera Shaw
Luciana Freire D’Anunciacao
Melissa Sorge | The Body Project
Punit Singh
Subscura | hushhush
2023 Cohort Program Coordinators:
Michelle Kneale,
& Jason Dubois, New Works Executive Director.
Alexis Fletcher
Carol Mendes | AMOK
Alexandra Clancy | Soleful Dance Collective
Carla Alcántara
Kami Reed Schuyler
Kaili Che
Kiera Shaw
Luciana Freire D’Anunciacao
Melissa Sorge | The Body Project
Punit Singh
Subscura | hushhush
2023 Cohort Program Coordinators:
Michelle Kneale,
& Jason Dubois, New Works Executive Director.
2022 Cohort Program
2022 Cohort Program Participants:
Jade A. Hails
Sarah Hin Ching U
COME EMOTE WITH ME, Rita Sheena
Shanny Rann, International Tristar Taiji Association
Paige McConnell and Kenzie Skoglund, Counterbalance Projects
Kaia Shukin
Rachel Helten
Elizabeth Ferns
Anya Saugstad
Sierra Megas
2022 Cohort Program Coordinators:
Michelle Kneale is an arts administrator, and dramaturg with over 10 years experience in professional theatre; She has worked for companies such as Boca del Lupo, Pi Theatre, Alberta Playwrights Network, Pumphouse Theatre, Handsome Alice Theatre, African Friendship Society, and Ne. Sans Opera and Dance. Michelle is currently Board Past President of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and Board Vice President of Playwrights Canada Press. Michelle has experience with producing, governance, operations, administration, communications & outreach, grant writing, planning, leadership transitions, artist support, programming, as well as physical and digital organizing. & Julie Mamias, Former New Works Executive Director.
Jade A. Hails
Sarah Hin Ching U
COME EMOTE WITH ME, Rita Sheena
Shanny Rann, International Tristar Taiji Association
Paige McConnell and Kenzie Skoglund, Counterbalance Projects
Kaia Shukin
Rachel Helten
Elizabeth Ferns
Anya Saugstad
Sierra Megas
2022 Cohort Program Coordinators:
Michelle Kneale is an arts administrator, and dramaturg with over 10 years experience in professional theatre; She has worked for companies such as Boca del Lupo, Pi Theatre, Alberta Playwrights Network, Pumphouse Theatre, Handsome Alice Theatre, African Friendship Society, and Ne. Sans Opera and Dance. Michelle is currently Board Past President of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and Board Vice President of Playwrights Canada Press. Michelle has experience with producing, governance, operations, administration, communications & outreach, grant writing, planning, leadership transitions, artist support, programming, as well as physical and digital organizing. & Julie Mamias, Former New Works Executive Director.
2021 Cohort Program
2021 Cohort Program Participants:
Jhoely Triana
Ne.Sans Opera and Dance (Idan Cohen)
Tamar Zehava Tabori
Stephanie Cyr
Joshua Ongcol
Kayla De Vos
Kelly McInnes
Lily Cryan
CAMP (Brenna Metzmeier, Sarah Formosa, Ted Littlemore, Isak Enquist, Eowynn Enquist) VD/CM Productions (Kay Huang Crossmaneuver & Virginia Duivenvoorden) 2021 Cohort Program Coordinators: Kristina Lemieux, arts manager with more than 20 years of professional experience. She is also a contemporary dancer. Raised in Treaty 6 territory (rural Alberta), Kristina lived in Edmonton, attending the University of Alberta, for 10 years before heading to Vancouver where her passion for the arts has driven collaboration, creation, and innovation in the Vancouver arts scene for over a decade. After working with Generator in a freelance capacity for several years, Kristina made the move to Toronto in January 2017 to take on the role of Lead Producer of Generator. She is also the proud co-founder and Creative Producer of F-O-R-M. Kristina is passionate about generating dialogue in the arts and, to this end, earned a certificate in Dialogue and Civic Engagement from Simon Fraser University. In all that she does she works to support independent artists across performing disciplines in finding ways to make art outside of the currently prescribed modes. & Julie Mamias, Former New Works Executive Director.
Jhoely Triana
Ne.Sans Opera and Dance (Idan Cohen)
Tamar Zehava Tabori
Stephanie Cyr
Joshua Ongcol
Kayla De Vos
Kelly McInnes
Lily Cryan
CAMP (Brenna Metzmeier, Sarah Formosa, Ted Littlemore, Isak Enquist, Eowynn Enquist) VD/CM Productions (Kay Huang Crossmaneuver & Virginia Duivenvoorden) 2021 Cohort Program Coordinators: Kristina Lemieux, arts manager with more than 20 years of professional experience. She is also a contemporary dancer. Raised in Treaty 6 territory (rural Alberta), Kristina lived in Edmonton, attending the University of Alberta, for 10 years before heading to Vancouver where her passion for the arts has driven collaboration, creation, and innovation in the Vancouver arts scene for over a decade. After working with Generator in a freelance capacity for several years, Kristina made the move to Toronto in January 2017 to take on the role of Lead Producer of Generator. She is also the proud co-founder and Creative Producer of F-O-R-M. Kristina is passionate about generating dialogue in the arts and, to this end, earned a certificate in Dialogue and Civic Engagement from Simon Fraser University. In all that she does she works to support independent artists across performing disciplines in finding ways to make art outside of the currently prescribed modes. & Julie Mamias, Former New Works Executive Director.
Upcoming Intake November 2025.
If you're a dance artist looking for support regarding dance projects, check out our Help Desk & Consultation Program.
Can’t commit to a long term program? No problem! Check out NW for Artists resources below: