qigong Alison Stark
Alison has been studying and practicing Chow Qigong for seven years, training under world-renowned Grandmaster Dr. Effie Poy Yew Chow and certified to teach Intensive Level 1 by the East West Academy of Healing Arts in 2005. Suffering from migraines, digestive issues and sleep problems for most of her life, Alison found much needed relief in the healing practice of Qigong. After just a few weeks of daily practice she noticed a dramatic difference in her health, energy levels and sense of well-being. She became fascinated with alternative practices and improving her Qigong skills and passionate about passing on these healing practices to others. Alison has been teaching part-time with Chow Qigong weekly group classes since she moved back to Toronto from Montreal in 2006 as well as working in a health store providing advice on supplements, nutrition and alternative health care and practices.
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Apollo Tang tai ji quan
Apollo Tang studies Chen style TaiJiQuan with Master Li LaiRen, a disciple of the well respected Martial Art Grandmaster Feng ZhiQiang and Taoist Grandmaster QingYaun. With guidance from his teacher, Apollo understands and experiences the benefits of TaiJiQuan. Through his practice, he has noticed changes and healing in his own body. His decade old back pain has disappeared and he has been able to recover from a knee injury. Energy that was previously locked up in tension is now available for him to experience more in life. As an instructor, Apollo is innovative and creative. His explanations and demonstrations are insightful and easily understood. He is dedicated and committed to making benefits of TaiJiQuan accessible to everyone.
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boxing Aziam Howes
Aziam is a talented amateur boxer from Toronto as well as a boxing coach certified by the National Coaching Association of Canada. As a competitive boxer he is undefeated since 2003 and has won numerous honours including the 2007 Ontario Golden Gloves Boxing Championship in the Heavyweight division. Aziam has extensive experience coaching athletes ringside and teaching recreational boxing. He takes a traditional approach to coaching, emphasizing discipline and technique, while keeping workouts varied and fun. A passionate boxer, Aziam shares his expertise with clients to help them improve self-confidence, learn self-defense and to achieve their fitness goals.
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Cristina González yoga / director of MC
Cristina’s love of yoga is rooted in dance. She studied classical ballet through her childhood and later went on to study such diverse dance techniques as Afro-Cuban, flamenco, Graham, Limón and salsa as well as other movement disciplines such as Feldenkrais, Pilates and yoga in several styles. Introduction to yoga led her to reevaluate dance technique and in 1995 she began to learn the ashtanga vinyasa system from Diane Bruni and Ron Reid. Drawn to teaching, Cristina pursued studies in pedagogy at the University of Toronto from 1996 - 1999. She completed the ashtanga teacher training at Downward Dog Yoga Centre in 2004. In the tradition of her teachers, Cristina tailors the demands of the practice to the needs of her students.
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Dawne Carleton contact improv
Dawne Carleton is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and creative facilitator who specialises in improvisation. Her approach to Contact Improvisation is informed by her 20-year exploration of the form as well as studies with teachers Nina Martin, Pam Johnson, Andrew Harwood, Nancy Stark Smith, Steve Paxton and Lisa Nelson. She also draws upon developmental movement, experiential anatomy and Movement-Listening, her core improvisational practice for the past decade. Dawne is a regular participant at the Sunday Contact Improvisation Jam in Toronto, and continues to be delighted and inspired by her dances there. Dawne trained at the University of Waterloo, the University of Nantes, France, the School of Le Groupe de la Place Royale in Ottawa, the New York Dance Intensive and the European Dance Development Centre in Arhem, the Netherlands. She has been described a choreographer who is “in the studio examining what the art form is… enhanc[ing] our understanding of who and what we are as embodied creatures” (The Dance Current). A long-time friend of the Movement Centre space, she performed at Shine with percussionist D.Alex Meeks in April, 2010.
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yoga Elliot Spears
Elliot came to ashtanga yoga with an extensive background in classical ballet and contemporary dance and after having done Pilates for over 12 years. She was not instantly enamoured with ashtanga yoga; it took about a year to reach that state. But having come to appreciate the joys and benefits of ashtanga yoga (and its pains and sorrows), she is thankful that her first instructor, with his quietly forceful personality and sense of humour, unwittingly pushed her to keep practising. In Fall 2008, Elliot completed her year long teacher training in ashtanga yoga with Diane Bruni and Ron Reid at Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto. Since then, she has completed teacher training intensives with Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty and with Eddie Modestini and Nicki Doane. In Spring 2009, Elliot travelled to the United States to begin teacher training in restorative yoga with Judith Hanson Lasater. Since then, she has been certified by Ms Lasater as a Relax and Renew® Trainer and has been invited to assist Ms Lasater in basic restorative yoga teacher training.
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Leslie Kriekle yoga
Leslie was invited into yoga by a friend in need of a guinea pig Ashtanga student. A very happy guinea pig, Leslie has been exploring yoga ever since. Since 1999, Leslie has practiced under the extraordinary guidance of Ron Reid and Diane Bruni at Downward Dog Yoga Centre. She completed her full teacher certification at Downward Dog, and a shorter teacher training intensive with Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty in 2007. Leslie endeavours to create a safe and healthy atmosphere where students can challenge, nurture and better understand themselves through the practice of yoga.
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Marvin McPherson dance
Marvin is a raw Bboy who has been dancing to channel energy and express himself for the last nine years. He has performed alongside artists such as Neil Young at the Air Canada Centre and competed in competitions including Pro Am Breakdancing Competition (NYC, Miami) and the Mark Ecko Bboy Battle. Born and raised in Toronto, Marvin mixes the many styles that reflect his Canadian-Jamaican heritage. His dance has been described by many as explosive and expressive of society’s repressed energy with a street style. A true fan of hip hop, he appreciates the culture’s ability to bring people together no matter their status or colour of their skin. Marvin is inspired by Bob Marley, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali for their ability to bring a unique style to their craft and their determination to always deliver in high pressure situations. Bboy Marvin is also an arts educator, mentoring youth and training aspiring dancers. Under Marvin’s training and choreography, break dance crew Cypher Iconz debuted at Masia One’s CD release party (2008) to a standing ovation and went on to various media appearances in the following year. He teaches dance regularly at St Alban’s Boys & Girls Club, as well as in schools and recreation centers across the GTA. Focused on encouraging young people to turn life struggles and misfortune into positive activities, Marvin teaches under the belief that one can “Alter your life by altering your attitude.” The outcome is students that are expressive in their dance and conscious of a healthy lifestyle.
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Melissa Tung yoga
Melissa first discovered yoga six years ago, beginning in Bikram yoga, then moving to Moksha yoga and touching on Anusara, Yin, Hatha and finally, Ashtanga. The physicality of the Ashtanga practice captured her attention. Yoga introduced Melissa to an active, healthy lifestyle and gave her the confidence to pursue other athletic endeavours. Because yoga practice is both challenging and therapeutic, the perspective and discipline required to practice affects life outside of the studio. This is what makes it Melissa's lifelong commitment. Melissa's classes have a fun, passionate energy that encourages students to open themselves to push their limits.
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dance Miko Sobreira
Miko Sobreira has been a performer, director and teacher of dance within the Toronto dance and theatre communities since his arrival here from Venezuela in 1994. He has performed with artists from various stylistic backgrounds including Corpus, DaDa Kamera, Denise Fujiwara, Maxine Heppner, Pam Johnson, Allen & Karen Kaeja, Learie McNichols, Claudia Moore, JoAnna Powell, Victor Quijada, Mariko Tanabe and Katherine Tardif. Since 1996, he has taught popular salsa classes at locations around Toronto including Harbourfront Centre, Lula Lounge, Pulse Ontario Youth Dance Conference and the YMCA. Miko’s teaching embodies the true sense of the word salsa: it is spontaneous, improvisational and draws from his various movement influences.
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yoga Michael Decorte
Michael has a history of being physically active. For many years, he was an avid bodybuilder as well as a marathon runner, he studied dance and, in 2002, was certified as a personal trainer. Michael’s passion has also led him to study various spiritual traditions. When he first discovered Bikram yoga in 2002, Michael realized that he had tapped into something both physical and spiritual, and he continued his workout regimen alongside an increasing yoga practice. With a desire to deepen his yoga practice, Michael began studies in ashtanga yoga, with Ron Reid, Diane Bruni and Marla Meenakshi Joy as his principal teachers. Gradually he let go of his strict workout regimen and began a daily ashtanga practice. In the summer of 2008, Michael was certified as a yoga teacher in the ashtanga tradition through Downward Dog Yoga Centre. He has also studied with renowned teachers Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty and has attended workshops with Danny Paradise. In yoga, Michael has found his purpose and is devoted to making it an ever-evolving, lifelong practice. He is committed to guiding others into the experience of a strong, healthy body and a much more peaceful mind.
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gyrokinesis® Sarah Doucet
Sarah Doucet began her dance training with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. At 19 she moved to Montréal and began a torrent and on going love affair with contemporary dance. After training with L’ADMMNI and Concordia University, she started her professional career in the mid 90’s with Tammy Forsythe/Tusket. In 1999, she joined Lynda Gaudreau/Companie De Brune for four years of creation and international touring. Since then, Sarah has had the privilege of working with many noted choreographers: Jenn Goodwin, Karen KG Gutman, Ame Henderson, Thomas Hauert, Vera Mantero, Noam Gagnon and Noemie Lafrance, Isabelle Van Grimde (Corps Secrets),Corpus, among others. In 2003, she joined The Holy Body Tattoo for the creation and touring of monumental and to date continues to work with Dana Gingras (the Holy Body Tattoo) and Animals Of Distinction for the creation of Smash Up and Heart as Arena. Sarah also works as an independent choreographer and rehearsal director and has been presented in Belgium, New York, Vancouver, Montréal and Toronto. Sarah continues to work collaboratively and independently between Toronto, Montréal and Vanc For the last six years, Sarah has been studying gyrokinesis and gyrotonic and recently completed her level 1 certification in New York City.
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Sensei Shane Walters karate
Sensei Shane is a martial artist from Toronto who has been teaching in the GTA for the past five years. As a martial arts student, Sensei Shane continues to train and compete in karate and sanshou tournaments around the province. He has won numerous awards in competition for kata (forms), self defense, and kumite. As an instructor, he also judges at various karate tournaments. While holding on to the traditional teachings of karate, Sensei Shane incorporates principles from other martial arts like muay thai, kung fu, ju jitsu, chin-na, and weapons. Classes focus on self development and having fun, while Sensei Shane works to help the students reach their goals.
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