Brandy the Deaf Dancer
(Zoom dance teacher)

Brandy "Unique the Deaf Dancer" Mimms was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and lives in Bryant, Arkansas. She is a Deaf dancer, choreographer, teacher, motivational speaker, and the founder and director of Listen With Your Eyes Dance Troupe. Brandy's passion for dance started as a young child, but her parents did not believe that she could handle herself in a dance class because of her hearing loss. She never gave up or allowed anyone to stop her from following her dream. Her journey as a dancer started in the Fall semester of 2013 at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance degree. Brandy's first choreographic work "Category 4" was presented at the American College Dance Association 2017 in Auburn, Alabama.

She had the opportunity to perform at the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival in 2017, 2018, 2019 in San Francisco, California. She started her own professional dance company "Listen With Your Dance Troupe "because she wants to share her passion and stories with Deaf and Hearing Communities. She also wanted to build a platform for adult trained dancers and choreographers opportunities to have a place where they can gain some experiences in their dance career. Her company recently had the opportunity to perform at the 2020 Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival virtually. Since the pandemic, Brandy has been appearing all over social media such as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, and motivational speaker, Brandy's number one dream is to become a well known Deaf Choreographer/Dancer.

Harmanie Rose
(Zoom contemporary teacher)

Harmanie Rose is a facilitator, choreographer, and performer. She has been actively involved in integrated dance since 2006. Harmanie has worked with All Bodies Dance Project (ABDP), Alice Sheppard, CRIPSiE (AB), and Real Wheels Theatre (BC) and has created works for the Vines Art Festival since 2017. She facilitates Ready Dance Youth classes for ABDP and has guest facilitated online classes for Momo Movement, Propeller Dance, Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture, and more. In Addition to studying somatic dance with Donna Redlick, she has studied with several companies around the world such as AXIS Dance (USA) and Candoco (UK), as well as holding a BA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Lethbridge and an Arts and Cultural Management certificate from MacEwan University. Harmanie believes that everyone has a unique movement style. When embraced and combined diverse bodies create beautiful breathtaking dance.

Sarina Egan-Sitinjak
(hip-hop teacher)

Sarina has been dancing since she can remember. She studied contemporary dance at Simon Fraser University, and has trained with Vancouver-based hip-hop dance companies. Sarina loves music, rhythm, and finding new ways to express what she hears through her body. She is very athletic, she loves the outdoors, she finds joy in singing, and she enjoys baking. She now works professionally as a contemporary dancer in Berlin, Germany. Sarina had a wonderful time with the team at Blissful Dance, and she’s looking forward to sharing her passion with the community at Blissful Dance!

Sara-Maya
(Bhangra Teacher)

@saramayakaba

I have been dancing since the age of 4, in styles including Salsa, Bharatanatyum, Bollywood and Contemporary. Dance has become a part of me so much so that I don’t even realize I’m doing it. Dance brings people together, even if they speak different languages, come from different places, and dance in different styles – and that is why I love it so much. When I can’t explain my feelings in words, I explain them through dance. As a part of Blissful Dance, I hope that the joy that dance brings me is also felt by everyone else engaging with the videos!

Silvia Temis
(Flamenco Teacher)

Silvia Temis is a Flamenco Artist based in Calgary Alberta, she is also the lead singer of the award winning musical ensemble Notas de 4. In this project she fuses latin jazz, cuban and Flamenco rhythms. Currently Silvia and her band are working on their 2nd album to be released in 2022 thanks to the support of Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Silvia is also an active member of the flamenco community as a teacher (Song & Dance) and organizer of flamenco dance and song workshops in the city. Currently she is in the process of getting a master degree program in Flamencology from the prestigious ESMUC in Barcelona Spain.

Cindy Ansah
(African Dance Teacher)

@cindy.ansah

Cindy Ansah is a Toronto-born dance artist and emerging choreographer based in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). Cindy is in her final year of study for her BFA in Dance at the University of Calgary where artistic collaboration and connection fuel her pursuits. Cindy's curiosity for the arts also encompasses reading, writing, photography and music as sources of joy. She has also begun experimenting with short films as another form of storytelling. Cindy is passionate about her role as Dance Artist for Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre as she is endlessly inspired by the ambition within the Black-led organization. Cindy believes movement lives in all people and she continues to approach dance as a holistic practice in order to celebrate diverse ways of moving. Coming into the Blissful Dance community, Cindy is excited to be in a space of constant learning through inclusive dance practices that allow all bodies and abilities to move and be moved.

Brigid Ovelia Catjoa
(Dance Demonstrator)

“Brigid was born and raised in the Mohkinstsis area, also known as Calgary, Alberta, and to this day continues to live, work, play, dance, feel, garden, and magic with gratitude on these lands. Her primary background is in music, having trained privately since she could sit up and beyond. Later studying at the University of Calgary, majoring in a variety of woodwind instruments, along with enjoying the magic of voice! Her first professional foray into dance, was as a part of the youth musical theatre company, Summerstock Calgary, where she trained and performed in a variety of dance styles and live musical theatre productions. In the past decade, she dove into the wild and wonderful world of music festivals, hip-hop, sacred circle dance, and conscious dance, learning to love to move, feel, express, transform, magic, and create, through fun, freestyle, solo, communal, and authentic movement.

She has also been involved in a variety of mental health programs, social and environmental justice movements, and has pursued many spiritual paths such as reclaiming witchcraft, druidry, and many eastern practices and philosophies. One experience with trance dance in particular, sent her into another time to meet ancient ancestors, who adamantly communicated with her that “Dance is Everyone’s Birth Right”. We all have the magic in us to move and to groove, no matter our body, mind, age, race, gender, abilities, culture, or backgrounds of any type. As someone who has lived and breathed a life of C-PTSD, Autism, and Fibromyalgia, she also believes deeply in the incredible power and magic of dance to heal, move, and transform, anything that ails or challenges us. And that these health and ability experiences, can be deep creative and spiritual gifts for beautiful unique self-expression, even to help shift hearts and minds.

And it’s just FUN! Let’s dance~ 😀 ♥

Ashley Johnston
(Dance Demonstrator)

@ ashley_maej

Ashley has been dancing for 21 years with most of her training taking place in her hometown of Calgary, Alberta. Ashley first jumped into dance at the age of three after her long-time best friend inspired her to join a weekly ballet class. Since then, Ashley has completed two summer intensives at Toronto Dance Theatre, received a minor in dance at the University of Calgary and is enjoying her current training practice with YYC Contemporary Technique. Blissful Dance has perfectly captured her desire to fuse dance with the principles she learned in her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology degree. Ashley strongly believes in dance as a healing practice, for the soul, heart, mind and body for anyone and everyone. Ashley is excited to celebrate this important message through Blissful Dance.

Christahh
(Dance Demonstrator)

Born in Calgary, Christahh became captivated by the art of dance at a young age. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Dance Program at the University of Calgary with a focus on choreography and performance. In the summer of 2015, she was an intern with OYO (Ombetja Yehinga Organisation) dance troupe in Windhoek, Namibia where she contributed to the creation of Ania. She has completed two years of the professional training program at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks and dances with a local hip-hop crew, The Tomorrows, under the direction of Lenny Len. Christahh is also the Executive Director and Founder of Dance YYC Community Outreach and Engagement Initiative (www.danceyyc.ca), an online platform providing free organized promotion for the Calgary dance community. Through this initiative she put on the Dance YYC Showcase, a fundraiser, developed the Dance YYC Mobile app.

Reese Wilson
(Dance Demonstrator)

@reesewilsoon

Reese Wilson is an emerging dance artist based out of Calgary, Alberta. Beginning her love of dance and training at age four, this journey carried her through adulthood and into the University of Calgary as a Dance major where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in the Spring of 2020. Reese primarily practices Contemporary dance, and is passionate about teaching and working with youth that are interested in dance.

Infinitely inspired by the beauty in the mundane of everyday life, Reese hopes to delve into the delightful, the bewildering and the inspiring characteristics of human interaction, and how movement can help us communicate. Reese seeks to be a student of life always, finding new ways to transfer these ideas and experiences into the physical body, and is beyond excited to be a part of Blissful Dance!

Elysha Rea
(Dance Demonstrator)

Elysha Rea is a multi-disciplinary artist currently based out of Calgary, AB. Starting out at age 4 as a tap dancer, she grew up exploring a vast range of styles and spent most of her free time choreographing her own pieces to perform at school functions. After graduating from Central Memorial High School’s PVA Dance program in 2013, she decided to branch off from her path as a dancer, in favour of pursuing a career as a visual artist.

She moved to Kelowna to study Fine Arts at UBCO, and in 2014 she dropped out of school to take time to work, explore, and travel; all the while still keeping up a personal movement practice. During this time she trained and performed with Inner Journey’s Dance Troupe, started her own business as a clothing designer, as well as started doing freelance work in photography. Currently she is studying Fine Arts at Alberta University of the Arts, as she continues to dance and maintain her growing business on the side.

Jocelyn Mah
(Dance Demonstrator)

@jocelyn_rocha

Born and raised in Calgary, Jocelyn first studied classical piano, which led to her interest in the relationship between music and movement. Jocelyn is a graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and has recently completed her Master of Arts in Contemporary Dance at The London Contemporary Dance School (London, UK). Jocelyn was a dancer and composer with EDge Dance Company (London, UK) for their 2018/2019 season, touring throughout Europe and the UK. In 2017, she was honoured to receive the inaugural Winchester Prize for Choreography. Her lively choreography has been presented at numerous Canadian festivals, as well as internationally.

Tasha Bamhare
(Dance Demonstrator)

Tasha loves movement, she trained in the Inner Journeys Dance Company and is certified Inner Journey’s ecstatic dance teacher. She participates in dance community events and loves to groove to music. Tasha is a Dance Demonstrator for the African Dance series.

Chawna Exner
(Zoom dance teacher)

With a background largely in the styles of contemporary, jazz, and hip hop, Chawna has had a life-long passionate relationship with dance! After pursuing professional training in the University of Calgary Dance Program, Chawna crossed paths with the art of Burlesque, and has since established herself as a prominent Burlesque artist under the stage name Eva Angel. In 2018, Chawna began work with accessible dance company, Momo Movement (now National accessArts Centre), and has sought to discover ways to bring equity and accessibility into dance ever since.

Shannon Parker
(Dance Demonstrator)

Dance is a way of life; to connect with the self, others, and the universe. A graduate of Grant MacEwan University in Dance, a student of Dance around the world and currently finishing a BA at Athabasca University. Enjoying life in Calgary by celebrating 22 years of marriage with my husband, surrounded by the love of my 6 pets.