Co-presented by New Works and Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre

Leadership In Practice

Symposium 2026

March 22, 2026 | 10am–4:00pm
Doors Open: 9:30am
The Roundhouse Performance Centre, Vancouver

Limited to 30 participants

Register

The In Practice Symposium is a one-day gathering for dance artists, educators, and community leaders who are curious about how leadership can be more sustainable, inclusive, and responsive to the dance world we’re shaping together.

This event invites reflection, conversation, and relationship-building. It’s a space to ask:

  • What kind of leadership do I want to create?
  • How do I influence the next generation with care and integrity?
  • What ways of thinking and collaborating are possible in dance today?

Who This Is For

This Symposium is for anyone involved in the ecology of dance with interest in leadership:

  • Choreographers exploring new ways to lead creative processes
  • Teachers seeking more equitable and compassionate pedagogy
  • Dancers navigating transitions into leadership roles
  • Studio directors, producers, and facilitators reimagining how they hold space for others

Whether you lead from the front, the middle, or beside others—this is a space for you.

Register

Registration cost: $55 
*If the cost of the registration is a barrier, we are offering scholarships and discounts to create more financial accessibility, please send an email to: marco@newworks.ca

What to Expect

Program will include Industry Thought Leaders sharing better practices in leading from multiple perspectives.

The day will begin with Starr Muranko sharing perspectives of Land Acknowledgement in the studio, and will later unfold through three sessions, each pairing an Industry Thought Leaders with a conversation host. Together, they’ll explore leadership from different perspectives:

  • Leading from Beside: Naomi Brand (All Bodies Dance) in conversation with Kevin Jesuino
  • Leading from the Middle: Kate Franklin in conversation with Arno Kamolika
  • Leading from the Front: Vanessa Lalonde (Luminesque Dance) in conversation with Amber Barton (New Works Program Director)

Each session will include:

  • Ideas, struggles, insights, and reflections by Industry Thought Leaders (≈15 minutes)
  • A conversation and audience Q&A (≈20 minutes)
  • Small-group reflection circles to integrate the ideas shared (≈25 minutes)

Event Host and Debrief Facilitator Marco Esccer will guide participants through embodied conversations, encouraging deeper integration of themes and ideas.

Land Acknowledgement & Welcome
with Starr Muranko

Starr Muranko will open our time together while setting the tone and context for the day and the conversations to follow. Starr will speak to the relevance of land acknowledgement in dance spaces, not as a scripted statement, but as an ongoing practice of awareness, relationship, and responsibility. She will share why this important work belongs to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and how acknowledging our relationship to the land both in studio, rehearsal, and teaching environments can reshape the way in which we hold space, collaborate, and lead with greater intention.

Event Host and Debrief Facilitator
with Marco Esccer

"Where does the purpose of teaching reappear? As educators, are we focused only on the technique and the product, or on cultivate resilient beings, living beings, vibrant beings, who know how to validate themselves as emotional, thinking, and unique individuals, and the importance of finding their relationship with the community." - Marco Esccer

About Starr Muranko
Starr Muranko is a dancer, choreographer, Mother, and Co-Artistic Director with Raven Spirit Dance. Her work explores the stories carried within our bodies and the deep connections between land, ancestry, and memory and emphasizes the importance of creative collaboration. Featured works over the past 20 years include Tracing Bones, Chapter 21, Spine of the Mother, before7after, dance films and collaborative work Confluence which have collectively been shared across Canada and internationally. Since 2005, Starr has been honoured to dance with the Dancers of Damelahamid where she was mentored by the late Elder Margaret Harris and is currently Artist-in-Residence with Ballet BC alongside longtime collaborator Margaret Grenier. An experienced facilitator, Starr offers powerful workshops that invite community into personal story and movement as pathways of connection and remembering. She honours her Omushkegowuk Cree (Moose Cree First Nation – Treaty 9), French, and German ancestry in all that she creates. // Photo by Melanie Orr.
About Marco Esccer
Marco Esccer (he/him) is a queer Mexican dance artist, choreographer, emerging writer, and Dance Movement Therapist based in Vancouver, on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. His artistic work explores themes of migration, resilience, and belonging through a rich blend of movement, poetry, and community-based practice. With a Bachelor’s degree in Ballet from Mexico City’s National Ballet and Contemporary School, Marco’s foundation in classical and contemporary dance has evolved into an interdisciplinary practice rooted in collaboration, healing, and storytelling. // Photo by Julian Pintor

Session 1:
Leading from Beside
Naomi Brand (All Bodies Dance Project) in conversation with Kevin Jesuino (Theatre Terrific)

"For my session, I will share insights, questions, and ideas that have guided my practice in community-engaged dance over the past fifteen years. Drawing on my experience as a dancer, choreographer, educator, and Artistic Director of All Bodies Dance Project, I will reflect on what it means to lead with values of access, inclusion, and connection, and how this kind of leadership can ripple out to support broader dance communities. My goal is to offer perspectives participants can carry forward into their own teaching, leadership, and creative work.” - Naomi Brand

 

About Naomi Brand
Naomi Brand (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, facilitator, and educator living and working on unceded Coast Salish Territory (Vancouver, BC). Originally from Tkaronto (Toronto), Naomi spent ten years dancing on Treaty 7 territory (Calgary) where she earned both a BA and MFA from the University of Calgary. Over the past twenty years, she has cultivated a unique artistic practice that straddles between professional and community-engaged art making. In 2014, she co-founded All Bodies Dance Project (ABDP). In recent years her work has been focused on values of access and inclusion as she strives to make dance within a context that both creates and speaks to community connection. In addition to her role as Artistic Director of ABDP, Naomi is also a faculty member at Langara College, a Community Arts Programmer with the Vancouver Park Board, and most importantly a mother. // Photo by Luciana Freire D’Anunciação
About Kevin Jesuino
An interdisciplinary artist of Portuguese heritage, Kevin's practice spans performance, public art, and community engagement. He integrates Community Cultural Development methods and social innovation principles, emphasizing collaboration and the co-creation of knowledge and expression.

Session 2:
Leading from the Middle
Kate Franklin in conversation with Arno Kamolika 

"I will be talking about the skills and strategies I have developed over the past decade in my position as Associate Artistic Director of Modus Operandi (MO). An important part of what I do is listen to students, Artistic Directors and teachers, then communicate the information I receive in a way that I think will be best received by all parties, with the goal of making our organization stronger and more effective, and to create a better experience for all of us." - Kate Franklin

 

About Kate Franklin
Kate Franklin spent the first ten years of her career in Toronto/Tkaronto working as a dancer, choreographer and educator, and co-directing three female-led collectives, all with different missions/mandates. She also walked dogs, babysat children, taught Yoga, cleaned a woodwinds repair shop, and won a Dora Mavor Moore award for her work on Gotta Go Church, choreographed by Valerie Calam. Based in "Vancouver" on the unceded territories of the The Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations since 2012, she works as a dancer/collaborator for Company 605, Justine A. Chambers, Tara Cheyenne Performance and Jeanette Kotowich/Movement Healing, amongst others. Since 2016 she has been Associate Artistic Director of Modus Operandi, where she teaches and mentors a group of exceptionally talented emerging dance artists. Kate's own choreographic work has been shown most recently at Boombox, Dancing on the Edge and the EDAM Choreographic Series. // Photo by Luciana Freire D’Anunciação
About Arno Kamolika
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.

Session 3:
Leading from the Front:
Vanessa Lalonde (Luminesque Dance) in conversation with Amber Barton (New Works Program Director) 

"In Leading from the Front, we examine the role of community-centered leadership and value alignment in building organizations that are resilient, ethical, and deeply connected to the people they serve. Through the story of how Luminesque grew into a strong, equity-driven company, Vanessa will share practical ways artists and emerging leaders can develop the often-overlooked skills needed to lead with clarity, compassion, and integrity. We will also explore how community leadership not only strengthens internal culture but also creates a ripple effect of positive change across the wider industry." - Vanessa Lalonde

About Vanessa Lalonde
Vanessa is the Founder of Luminesque Dance and a trauma-informed holistic Embodiment coach, dance educator, breathwork facilitator, and visionary community leader. Her greatest passion is helping people feel alive and powerful through creative expression. A lifelong learner, Vanessa is committed to continual education for herself and her team. She holds multiple certifications and has completed thousands of hours of professional development in business management, creativity coaching, embodiment, equitable leadership, and holistic healing. As an artist, she has trained and performed around the world and worked as a Choreographer and Movement Coach for celebrated performers and international productions. As a producer and show writer, she has created nearly 100 stage shows and continues to craft new work each year as the Founder and Artistic Director at Glow Studios. Above all, Vanessa is devoted to mentoring leaders to build inclusive, empowered communities through dance and shared artistic expression.
About Amber Barton
Amber Barton was born and raised on the unceded and ancestral lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Currently living on the shíshálh Nation of the Sunshine Coast, Amber is a professional contemporary dance artist with 20+ years of experience in performing, choreographing, producing and teaching dance. She received her professional training with Goh Ballet Academy, Arts Umbrella, Ballet BC’s Mentor Programme and the Banff Centre for the Arts. In addition to working with several choreographers and companies, Amber was also the artistic and managing director of her own contemporary dance company, the response. from 2008-2021. As a choreographer, her work has been presented in various venues in Vancouver, across Canada, and internationally and has also extended into the theatre community, choreographing with companies such as Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Search Party Productions, Studio 58, Neworld Theatre and Electric Company. Amber is also a certified C-IAYT yoga therapist and has been the Interim Program Director at New Works since 2022. // Photo by Richie Lubaton

Why Join

The In Practice Symposium is more than a professional development day—it’s an invitation to co-create the future of dance leadership.

Together, we’ll plant seeds for sustainable change, build bridges across disciplines and generations, and through examples of leadership grounded in humanity, equity, and care, we will continue to co-create the future of dance leadership

Beyond the Symposium - Hybrid Open Studios
(Optional invitation for Symposium attendees and guests)

Dates: April 1 & 8
Time: 1–3pm
In Person Location: Q7 Studios (77 East 7th Ave Vancouver, BC)
Hybrid option Online Zoom. 


Integration takes time.

After the event, participants will be invited to two Open Studios—casual spaces to reconnect, continue conversations, and explore how new insights translate into practice.

Throughout the Symposium, three community witnesses (Kay Huang, Harmanie Rose, and Vidya Kotamraju) will listen closely, notice interconnections, and help weave reflections that will be brought into the Open Studios, they will act as ambassadors and facilitators for the conversations held in that space.

About Kay Huang
Kay Huang (she/her) is choreographer, educator, and dance artist living in the traditional unceded territory of the Salish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations known as Vancouver. She danced professionally with Karen Jamieson from 1987-1996. Her own choreography has been featured in Vancouver BC, San Jose, California, and Barcelona, Spain. She is a faculty member at Arts Umbrella for over twenty-five years. She founded ­Crossmaneuver in 2011 as a vehicle for young artists to be trained and to participate in interdisciplinary works of art. In 2020, she formed a collective with Virginia Duivenvoorden named VDCM to pursue performance and digital collaborative works. It marks a return to performing and choreographing for herself after leaving the performance world in 2000. Since then, she has been part of numerous dance residencies, have created multiple new works and have been involved as a mentor in different dance projects. www.crossmaneuver.com
About Harmanie Rose
Harmanie Rose is a performance artist, choreographer, and facilitator dedicated to uplifting disabled, MAD, and marginalized artists.

Harmanie utilizes her lived experience with Spina Bifida to inform a practice centred on inclusive movement and authentic representation. Her creative work has been featured in major Canadian festivals, including the Vines Art Festival, Dancing on the Edge, and the Edmonton Fringe Festival. Harmanie is excited to be a resident at Vancouver's Scotiabank Dance Centre for the 2025/2026 season. She is also featured in "Pedestrian Protest: A Public Art Project" by Evann Siebens and Keith Doyle. A versatile creator, she has lent her choreographic skills to projects such as All Bodies Dance Projects' short film, Sanctuary, and Theatre Terrific's Dance Floor Memoirs.

Committed to education, Harmanie runs disability-led online dance classes and workshops. She facilitates programs for organizations such as All Bodies Dance, Propeller Dance, and New Works' Share Dance Program. She consults with companies, including Odd Meridian, Foolish Operations, and Western Gold Theatre, on creating accessible spaces. Her commitment to collaboration extends internationally through her participation in the Pan-Canadian Propeller's Digital Disability Dance project and UCLA’s Dancing Disability Lab.
About Vidya Kotamraju
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.

In Partnership with

Top Photo: Isak Enquist facilitating for In Practice 2023, photo by Carla Alcantara