Night Shift

A groundbreaking and award-winning dancer, choreographer and cultural leader, Nova crafts vivid images that invite the viewer on a journey of heart and mind. Her creative inspiration is found in her Bengali culture, Bharatnatyam practice, Scarborough rock’n’roll roots, painting, photography, literature, film, nature, rituals and the unending cycles of life and death. Her critically-acclaimed works have toured Canada, Germany, India, Japan, and more. Her choreography has been commissioned by several dance and theatre companies and she is the recipient of multiple awards and nominations for artistic achievement and contributions, including the 2012 Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement. Photo by Dahlia Katz.

Jon Drops Reid has mobilized the dance community throughout his professional dance and administrative career. Jon Drops is a member of the Supernaturalz Crew, Marketing & Communications Manager at the Dancer Transition Resource Centre (DTRC), co-founder of Making Moves Creative and co-curator of Nightshift presented by Citadel + Compagnie. He has previously worked as Dance Outreach Consultant for Canadian Actors Equity Association, Dance Director at Manifesto Festival of Arts and Culture, Marketing Director of Back to the Underground, co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Break It Down Dance Initiatives and collaboratively produced urban dance events including World of Dance Canada, Keep on Dancing Canada and more.

Santee Smith is a multidisciplinary artist from the Kahnyen’kehàka Nation, Six Nations. She trained at Canada’s National Ballet School, completed Physical Education and Psychology degrees from McMaster University and a Dance MA from York University. Santee premiered her inaugural work Kaha:wi in 2004 and later founded Kaha:wi Dance Theatre which has grown into an internationally renowned company. Her body of work includes 14 productions and numerous short works and collaborations. She is a sought after teacher and speaker on Indigenous performance and culture. Through embodied storytelling and performance her work speaks to Indigenous identity and continuance. Smith is the Chancellor of McMaster University.