The 'D' Word

Shannon Litzenberger on change making through arts practice

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What can leaders learn from dancers? A project working with a team of bankers sparks Shannon Litzenberger’s research into applying artistic structures in non-artistic spaces. Shannon speaks to the important processes of failing that build our capacity – capacity to think and dream anew.

Shannon Litzenberger (she/her, Tkaronto) is an award-winning choreographer, director and embodiment facilitator. Inspired by the borderless landscapes of her prairie homeland, she creates sensory-rich multi-disciplinary performance experiences that animate our relationship to land, community and the forgotten wisdom of the body. Her imaginative collaborations connect art forms and communities, centring participatory experiences in artistic processes. Throughout her 25+ year career, her work has been presented across Canada and the US, in collaboration with many of Canada’s leading artists across disciplines.

The creative principles and embodied practices she works with regularly in the studio are also central to her work in leadership development, organizational culture development and systems change. Her approach to personal and collective transformation focuses on recovering our capacity to feel and sense ourselves and the world around us as a way of knowing, being and co-creating. She works frequently across corporate, academic and non-profit spaces in support of creating a healthier, more interconnected, equitable and resilient society.

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Photo by: Aria Evans

The 'D' Word

Cassa Pancho on dismantling ballet norms

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Cassa Pancho, MBE and Founder and Artistic Director of Ballet Black, speaks to how her company has been changing the face of ballet. She shares the gutting and thrilling comments the company receives, calling forward the need for major change across the industry. Her efforts, such as the creation of two new tones for pointe shoes, have had ripple effects across the world that you’ll want to hear first hand from this great leader.

Of Trinidadian and British parents, Cassa founded Ballet Black in 2001 after graduating from professional dance training and was one of the first dancers and choreographers in the Company. Her initial goal was to provide role models to young, aspiring Black and Asian dancers. A year later, she opened the BB Junior School in Shepherd’s Bush. Cassa is a graduate of the 2009 National Theatre cultural leadership programme, Step Change. Since starting the Company, she has commissioned work from a wide range of choreographers, including Liam Scarlett, Richard Alston, Sophie Laplane, Javier de Frutos, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Shobana Jeyasingh, Henri Oguike, Arthur Pita, Will Tuckett and Mthuthuzeli November. Ballet Black has won both the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Company in 2009, Best Independent Company in 2012 and Best Mid-Scale Company in 2022. Cassa was awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Years’ Honours List for Services to Classical Ballet and has served as a judge on the panels of both the Kenneth Macmillan Choreographic and BBC Young Dancer competitions and the Arts Foundation Futures Dance Jury in 2022. She is a Patron of Central School of Ballet and a vice president of The London Ballet Circle. In 2017, Cassa and former BB dancer, Cira Robinson, collaborated with renowned British ballet shoe manufacturer, Freed of London, to create two brand new pointe shoe colours to enable dancers of Black and Asian descent to buy skin-tone pointe shoes ready-made. In 2018, Cassa was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. In 2020, she authored a guide for improving equity and access in ballet for dance schools and companies that has been widely shared in the arts world. She is a Board Member of Scottish Ballet, and serves on their Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee. Cassa also works as a consultant in EDI for several British dance organisations, including National Youth Ballet and the Elmhurst School of Ballet. In 2022, Cassa collaborated with the Ballet Black Company artists to create Say It Loud, a ballet to commemorate the Company’s 20th anniversary. This production won Best Dance Production at the 2022 Black British Theatre Awards and Say It Loud was short-listed for Best Dance Production at the 2023 South Bank Sky Arts Awards. She created choreography for the Company for the 2023 Eurovision opening film, United By Music. To date, she has commissioned over 40 choreographers, to create over 60 new ballets for the Company. She teaches regularly for the BB Junior School in Shepherd’s Bush, West London and has a degree from Durham University.

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Photo by: Holly McGlynn

The 'D' Word

Aurora Matrix on the transformative power of drag

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As runner up of season 4 of Canada’s Drag Race, Aurora Matrix knows how to hold our attention. She spills the tea on her experiences as a drag queen in one of the top competitions and her hopes in pushing the industry forward in representation of queer asian drag queens. An ultimate form of transformation, she shares how Aurora Matrix came to be and how she continues to delight and surprise herself on stage.

A pop princess and dancing diva, Aurora Matrix is the Aries Fire of the Toronto drag scene. This queen stands out among the crowd with her bold makeup and electrifying dance numbers. Aurora’s drag is heavily influenced by her Chinese culture and strives to be a role model for queer Asian youth. Serving plenty of turns, drops, and stunts, you can always expect a full theatrical production from Aurora Matrix!

Welcome to the Matrix!

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Photo by: Enzo Romero

The 'D' Word

Robin Lacambra on transforming our inner and outer spaces

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Robin Lacambra shares her experiences of unease in Western wellness spaces, the power in affinity movement spaces and guidance on how to be a better leader within them. She blends psychotherapy and somatic movement in her practices in spaces such as GOODBODYFEEL and SACHA in Hamilton, Ontario.

Robin Lacambra (she/they) is a queer Filipinx creative, speaker, and facilitator. Drawing from somatic relational psychotherapy, mindful movement, and conflict mediation, Robin’s work aims to demonstrate how interconnected we are, highlighting our shared responsibility to co-create a just and liberated world.

Alongside their roles as the creator of GOODBODYFEEL Movement & Therapy, the director of the Safer Spaces Project, and a counsellor at SACHA (Sexual Assault Center of Hamilton Area), Robin works with individuals, groups, and organizations to foster self-awareness, resilience, and healthier relationships.

They also navigate the challenges of living with chronic pain and persistently feeling “not enough.” Robin’s personal journey empowers her to facilitate spaces where tender areas can transform into sources of strength. Their approach celebrates vulnerability and encourages others to challenge their beliefs and boundaries, fostering a deep sense of belonging that begins within and radiates outward.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Robin is a mother and embraces their playful-sh*t-disturber persona. Robin also loves ube tiramisu.
www.royolaroyola.com
www.goodbodyfeel.com
www.saferspacesproject.com

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Photo credit: Ian Pettigrew

The 'D' Word

The ‘D’ Word Season 4 Trailer

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Hosted by Aria Evans, Season 4 of The ‘D’ Word is focused on transformation – transforming the self, our relationships, our way of thinking and the social hierarchies we live within. We’ll be speaking with Robin Lacambra, Aurora Matrix, Cassa Pancho and Shannon Litzenberger about transformational experiences and how they are creating change locally, nationally and internationally through dance.

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