SQx Dance Company

Tidal Wave (2024) is a 52-minute contemporary dance exploring humanity’s evolving relationship with nature, industrialization, and resilience. Inspired by BC’s hydro-shaped landscapes and Iceland’s Kárahnjúkar Hydroelectric Station (the country’s largest hydro project), Tidal Wave offers a visceral reflection on ecological transformation. The performance features 500 lbs of sustainably sourced, fully recyclable paper sculptures evoking the movement of water. Audiences are encouraged to engage in conversation during 4 choreographed scene changes, transforming transitional moments into spaces for reflection and dialogue.

Tidal Wave has been presented more than 30 times from Haida Gwaii to Norway House, MB.

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Choreographer: Carmen Moreira

 I began my training at the McKay School of Dance in Trail, BC and furthered my studies at the School of Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers and the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. I earned a BA (Hons) from Mount Allison University in 2008 and a BA (Hons) in Contemporary Dance from London Contemporary Dance School in 2011. I am a Portuguese‐Canadian with dual citizenship: my dad’s Portuguese, and my mom’s Doukhobor.

My work explores my complex heritage through collaborative partnerships that generate impactful artistic projects that empower vulnerable populations. Doukhobors—“Spirit Wrestlers”—immigrated from present‐day Ukraine to Canada from 1899-1914 to escape state persecution for rejecting militarism. The Doukhobors sought religious freedom, but their distinctive values (pacifism, communal land ownership, vegetarianism, illiteracy, and nudity) made them a target for the Canadian Government. Funded by Leo Tolstoy, who donated proceeds from the sales of his novels to support their resettlement in Canada, the Doukhobors were famously described by Tolstoy as “a people of the 25th century.” In Canada, the Doukhobors resisted registering marriages, deaths, and births and refused to send their children to school. As a protest against forced assimilation, they staged naked marches and burned and bombed schools, churches, and RCMP stations. In response, the government established a special prison on Piers Island (67 KM from Vancouver), tortured and imprisoned Doukhobors, confiscated their property, and interned their children in a former WWII camp for Japanese-Canadians in New Denver. My parents opposed enrolling my sister and I in Doukhobor school, so they legally transferred our custody to our grandparents, so we could -attend a more mainstream school -learn French -better assimilate into Canadian society.

As a disability artist living with a congenital heart defect — a 3 cm hole in my heart discovered at age 32 — my personal experience with physical vulnerability, resilience, and systemic barriers profoundly shapes my creative practice, inspiring work that prioritizes accessibility, empathy, and the visibility of marginalized voices. I am the Executive Director and Choreographer of SQx Dance Company, a registered Canadian charity I founded in 2012. I also serve as the EU Cooperation Projects Manager for Município de Vila do Porto on Santa Maria Island in the Açores, Portugal. Santa Maria Island, located in the mid-Atlantic halfway between Newfoundland and mainland Portugal, is home to 5,000 people and 10,000 cows. It’s also where my father was born. My contemporary dance performances and program designs foster positive social change and support vulnerable communities. My work has received support from the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia, Columbia Basin Trust, Canadian Tire - Jumpstart, Vancouver Foundation, Hamber Foundation, Leon & Thea Koerner Foundation, Telus, Shaw, Governo dos Açores, and the European Commission and has been presented internationally.

In 2017, I received the BC Social Innovation Award as Shaw Canada’s 150 Award. In 2020, I participated in Voices of Culture | Structured Dialogue between the European Commission and the cultural sector, where I wrote Chapter 2 of the policy paper, “The Role of Culture in Non-Urban Areas of the European Union,” which was presented to the European Parliament in 2021. I have presented at conferences in North America and Europe, such as “Social Innovation in Interactive Performance Programming” in Liverpool, England, and “Dance Performance Programming to Disrupt Discrimination, Intolerance, Racism and Hate” at TransCultural Exchange’s International Conference in Boston, USA.

SQx Dance Company

Our mission is to use dance to promote kinship, collaboration, and teamwork through contemporary dance performances and education programs that blend art, culture, and social change. We’re a social enterprise (since 2012) based on the unceded, traditional territories of the Sinixt, Sylix, and Ktunaxa peoples in BC’s Slocan Valley (8 hours from Vancouver). Our work targets vulnerable populations, engaging those systemically underserved or facing inequities.

Performer/Rehearsal Director: Kaitlyn Bass

Kaitlyn received her BFA (Hons) in Performance Dance from the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).

Kaitlyn’s interactive performance and outreach programming work has been presented across North America, Europe, and Africa. She has led arts-based community development programs with vulnerable youth in Mexico, Portugal, Morocco, and throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the Yukon. Her work centers on engaging youth in remote and rural regions, including Indigenous communities, minoritized ethnic groups, and multi-barriered populations.

Kaitlyn’s passion for serving vulnerable populations is deeply personal. Growing up in a home affected by substance abuse, Kaitlyn developed an understanding of the challenges faced by youth navigating difficult circumstances. These experiences continue to shape her artistic approach and fuel her commitment to nurturing support, mentorship, resilience, and belonging through dance.

Since 2018, Kaitlyn has toured extensively with SQx Dance Company across Western and Northern Canada. Career highlights include being a featured artist at the 2019 Festival International du Conte à Zagora in Morocco; presenting the workshop “Digital Choreographic Solutions for the COVID Era” at TransCultural Exchange’s 2022 International Conference on Opportunities in the Arts in Boston; and performing in the full-length work “Cecilia” at Santa Maria’s Annual Dance Festival in the Azores, Portugal (2023), where she also led a workshop on socially conscious choreography.

Most recently, Kaitlyn participated in a 2024 SQx residency at The Institute of Gunnar Gunnarsson in Egilsstaðir, Iceland, where she collaboratively developed the dance film and live performance “Tidal Wave”. Since then, she has performed Tidal Wave in venues across British Columbia, Northern Manitoba, and Portugal continuing her commitment to arts outreach and community engagement in vulnerable communities.

Kaitlyn currently serves as the Associate Director of SQx Dance Company, where she also acts as both the Rehearsal Director and Financial Planner for forthcoming Canadian and international projects.

Performer: Yi-Chen Tsai (Selina)

Selina is a dance artist based in Toronto and is originally from Taiwan. She graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) in 2023. While at TMU, Selina performed and collaborated with multiple choreographers, including Aria Evans, Rock Bottom Movement, Louis Laberge-Côté, Hanna Kiel, Jesse Obremski and Stephanie Lake Company. After graduating, she had the chance to perform with Rock Bottom Movement, Frog in Hand, DaCo Lab, FFDN and Little Pear Garden Dance Company.

Performer: Anja Faslau

Anja grew up in Squamish, British Columbia where she began dancing at a very young age. She trained at Pro Arte Center’s pre-professional program in North Vancouver and went on to complete her post graduate studies at l'École Supérieure du Ballet de Québec (ESBQ). During her time at ESBQ, Anja had the opportunity to learn and perform numerous classical variations as well as neoclassical and contemporary works- including pieces by George Balanchine, Andrew Skeels and Edgar Zendejas. During their 2023/2024 season, Anja was part of the Johan Inger Youth Project, Take Off dance in Seville, Spain. She has attended various intensives, including Springboard danse Montreal 2022, Arts Umbrella’s summer intensive, Transformation Danse Montreal and Palucca’s ballet summer school in Dresden.

Anja has been freelancing in and around Montreal for several years and has performed for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, compagnie Cas Public, Ballet Ouest de Montréal and Jobel Art for earth. She has been performing with Adrian Batt’s Gargoyle dance club since 2019 as well as collaborating and performing with the Bulbe Collective since 2021.

Performer: Claire Campbell

Hailing from Nova Scotia, Canada, Claire began her dance journey at East Coast Dance Academy before earning classical dance diplomas from the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts (2016) and L’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec (2019). As a freelance dance artist, Claire has performed with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Ezdanza, Zemmour Ballet, Vias Danza, Kolarova Dance, Véronique Giasson, Festival Saint-Sauveur, and Festival Quartiers Danses. In 2022-2023, she participated in the Johan Inger Youth Project in Seville, Spain, followed by the 2023-2024 season with ICK-Next Dans Amsterdam, under the direction of Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten. During her time there, she toured across the Netherlands with the production We the Eyes. Claire is the co-founder of the Bulbe Collective, a group of emerging female choreographers in Montreal, Quebec. As an artistic director, her dance films include INterLOck, Entr’dEux, She(d), and the feature-length docu-art film Resilience, which premiered at FIFA 2025.

Performer: Payton Kennedy

Payton is a dance artist based in Vancouver. She started dancing at a competitive studio in Ottawa before moving to Vancouver when she was 15 to pursue contemporary dance. Payton graduated from Arts Umbrella and continued her post-secondary training at Lamondance. After graduating, she joined the company of Lamondance, before joining SQx Dance Company for their 2025 Season. 

Composer: HUMBLE ROCKSTARS (Miles Jones)

Miles Jones is an established composer, producer and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. His first full-length studio album “Runaway Jones,” released in 2009, has enjoyed immense success throughout its Canadian release. The single he produced, “Coast to Coast” was featured on both Canadian and American broadcast television, being heard during CTV’s Olympic coverage and CBS’s CSI Las Vegas respectively.

He has collaborated with super producers Boi 1da (of Drake, Eminem, Kanye and Lil Wayne fame) and Black Milk as well as lyricists Percee P and Shad K. His productions have won critical acclaim as the winner of the 2009 IMA Hip Hop song of the year and a 2010 Billboard Song Contest winner.

Miles’ work as a composer has brought him recent attention as the scoring composer and theme songwriter for CBC’s hit show Kim’s Convenience through its 5 seasons. He has also landed commercials with Visa, Freedom Mobile, S’Well and Paralympic Games.

Miles also has a passion for bringing his music to life and has produced songs for up-and-coming Canadian talent, including Ghanian born, Kae Sun, whose song “On the Lookout” saw rotation on Much and Much More Music, including charting on college radio stations across the country. He has also been a part of developing young and upcoming queer rapper Lillian Blue Makin who’s first release has seen over 500k plays streaming and SlowMo based out of Montreal whose music blends Latin and urban sounds with a Canadian francophone background.

His passion for live performance led to the creation of the Runaway Band with jazz drummer Trevor Falls and Toronto's legendary Dj Serious who continues to blend the poetics of hip-hop with live music. He has also worked with and produced/remixed songs for Canadian icon Dan Hill and home-grown singer/songwriter Mike Ford.

With influences coming from his Jamaican roots and his early memories of his father’s DJing days, Miles continues to push the envelope for Canadian music, always having an eye and ear for new talent and always ready to turn artists’ musical ideas and visions into reality.

Composer: Adroc Sol

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Adroc relocated to Toronto at a young age, where his musical journey truly began. Immersed in a diverse sonic environment, he grew up surrounded by his father’s love for soul, jazz, and deep Southern hip-hop, and his mother’s passion for classic rock and pop. This early exposure laid the foundation for a lifelong curiosity in music.

After receiving his first computer, Adroc’s musical universe expanded exponentially. He delved into film and gaming scores, electronic music, dubstep, drum and bass, garage, trance, deep house, and experimental underground sounds. At age 11, he began crafting tracks using pre-programmed loops, developing an early understanding of song structure and the raw creativity involved in music-making. By 14, he received his first full production suite, FL Studio, and realized he had found his true path.

Now with over a decade of experience, Adroc has honed his skills as a songwriter, sound engineer, and DJ. Refusing to be confined to a single genre, his experimental sound draws influences from jazz, hip-hop/808, deep/detroit/chicago house, lo-fi, ambient, indie, folk, garage, juke, and R&B. His work embodies a fearless exploration of sound and a dedication to innovation across musical styles.

Lighting Designer: Jack Shipman | Urban Lighting Design

Jack (he/him) is a Vancouver-based projection/lighting designer and technologist. His work integrates digital elements into physical spaces through the use of cameras, digital props, and image filtering. He is excited by the merging of different mediums to create an immersive experience. Jack’s past credits include Romeo and Juliet (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Precursor Lab), An Undeveloped Sound (Electric Company Theatre), Dance Craft (Joe Ink), and Ghost Forest (Simon Fraser University).

Lighting Designer: Bryce Moreira | Non-Urban Lighting Design

Bryce Moreira works in aviation preparedness for the Ministry of Forests, Province of British Columbia. With professional expertise in logistics, operations, and remote environment planning, he brings a strong technical skillset to projects requiring adaptability and resilience. He holds a BA in Physics from the University of Guelph and an MA in Leadership from Royal Roads University.

Bryce collaborated with SQx to support the technical adaptation of Tidal Wave for rural and remote touring. He helped design a portable lighting system using 20 transportable LED lights and a mobile sound setup, enabling the production to be presented in non-traditional spaces across British Columbia and beyond.

Set Design: Molo Design

Based in Vancouver and led by Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen, Molo is a design and production studio balancing design, art, and architecture. Molo's design philosophy reflects extensive material research and consideration for continual improvement. Products are intended to create space, whether physical or experiential. The design process and materials used are evidence of a philosophy "that products should not only be sustainable themselves, but they should also aid in more sustainable practices in the spaces around them".

Their works have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. They have also been featured in exhibitions at the Centre of Arts Caja de Burgos, the Museum of Vancouver, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Gardiner Museum. In 2005, their work was also honoured with an INDEX: Design to Improve Life award for the Home Category. Many Molo design products are protected by a series of international patents and design registrations.

Costumes: Lunya

Lunya specializes in sustainable, luxury loungewear and performance-driven natural fabrics. Committed to minimizing environmental impact, Lunya designs with eco-conscious materials such as washable mulberry silk, organic pima cotton, and recycled fibres. Their supply chain emphasizes low-waste production, longevity, and environmental stewardship. For Tidal Wave, Lunya provided sustainably sourced mulberry silk garments, supporting the production’s emphasis on ecological themes and material integrity. The breathable, naturally thermoregulating silk aligns with the performance’s exploration of water, nature, and resilience, while offering dancers unrestricted movement and comfort during live presentations. Through their commitment to sustainability, transparency, and innovation, Lunya helps set a new standard for responsible fashion and functional design in the performing arts.