Spring Owl Choreographic Lab

​SPRING OWL — April 12, Winchester Street Theatre, 7pm

​Join us for the first edition of Spring Owl, an evening in two parts dedicated to emerging choreographic work in a casual, convivial atmosphere.

​The program begins with a choreographic lab featuring short works by Wai Liu and Alex St-Onge; Osvaldo Barreda, Noémie Périvier, and Ranganathan Rajan; Christopher Petersen; and Alison Viegas and Maya Gale-Buncel.

​The evening concludes with Some Women Are Woman-Birds, a longer featured piece co-created by Noémie Périvier and the dancers [Osvaldo Barreda, Christopher Petersen, Ranganathan Rajan, Rohee Uberoi].

​Come discover new works in progress, meet the artists, and join the conversation.

​Pay what you wish · Suggested donation: $10

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​Artist Bios:

​OSVALDO BARREDA

​Osvaldo “Ova” Barreda Buschmann (he/him) is a Toronto-based dance artist and educator originally from Santiago, Chile. His practice moves between street dance, folkloric traditions, and contemporary forms, exploring their intersections and creating spaces for exchange, collaboration, and community. Over the past three years in Toronto, Ova has performed in festivals and productions including Paprika Festival, SummerWorks, Rhubarb Festival, and with 2.0 Dance Company, as well as with the Melodía de Bolivia group. He is currently a student at the Dance Arts Institute and works as a dance instructor across community centres and organizations throughout the city.

​WAI LIU 

​Wai Liu is a Hong Kong born movement artist based in Tkaronto. Wai’s practice mixes imagery, sensation, and a knack for turning little stumbles into choreography. Drawing from contact improvisation and contemporary, modern, and Asian movement forms, they create work that’s joyful, grounded, and deeply responsive to the environment. Proud York Dance Ensemble member, she’s collaborated with Syreeta Hector and Jessica Runge. As community builder, performer, or curiosity rambler, Wai creates magic where bodies and tales meet. She’s all about sharing connections through spontaneous dances or chats. Choreographed and performed at Edinburgh Fringe; performed at Toronto Fringe and PorchView Dances.

​NOÉMIE PÉRIVIER

​Born into a family of musicians and circus performers, Noémie Périvier first explored dance, music, and writing before turning to science and philosophy. A graduate of École Polytechnique, France, she holds a Ph.D. in operations research from Columbia University, U.S., and is currently pursuing professional training in contemporary dance at Dance Arts (Toronto). At its core, her work values emotional honesty and personal vulnerability, while exploring human psychology and questioning social dynamics through a critical yet tender gaze.

​CHRISTOPHER PETERSEN

​Christopher is a dancer and performance artist. Their work focuses on the physical body in space and attempts to allow an audience to stare into bones and flesh, the exertion of bodies, and the bodies of stillness.

​Christopher is unsure of most things but cannot stop.

​ALEX ST-ONGE 

​Alex St-Onge (she/they) is a movement artist passionate about arts-based community outreach and genderless, partnered dance. Originally from Northeast TX, they now reside in Toronto, ON but continue to do work in the U.S., entering their second year of collaboration with NYC-based dance company Lawton Dance Collective. This semester, they are investing in various choreographic interests including prop-focused, mutli-disciplinary work and partnering rooted in contact improvisation (CI). This school year as a whole, she is prioritizing immersing herself in the CI community, recently completing a beginner CI teacher-training course with REAson d’etre dance.