Cory Bowles has an identity crisis.  It's nothing to be ashamed or afraid of.  He likes to make dance.  He likes to have people take something he's proud of and tear it apart so he can do it better next  time.  He has a dance company called Verve Mwendo.  Jacinte took it over because Cory's bad knee has revoked his self proclaimed authority and artistic final word.  He makes music and acts on really cool TV shows and tells people on the radio to buy their food at Superstore.  He likes Performance Group so much he has done things with them for six years in a row.  Wow, that is really something.  He is thinking of starting an animal shelter for large dangerous creatures that shouldn't mingle with mankind at all, then he wants to be president of the whole world, or at least a figurehead, and he will name his new single country Artsland, and artists will live for free, unlike him.

Choreographers

Jacinte Armstrong trained at Halifax Dance, and went on to study at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL. In 2002 she co-founded Verve Mwendo Dance Company, currently in-residence at Halifax Dance. She has worked with Veronique MacKenzie, Ruth-Ellen Kroll Jackson, Barbara Mavro Thalassitis (Belgium), and works regularly with Cory Bowles (of Verve Mwendo), and SINS (Sometimes In Nova Scotia) dance collective. With SINS, Jacinte performed Individia by Susanne Chui in Halifax, and How Much is TOO Much?  by Sara Coffin in Vancouver, in April and May 2008. She has also studied choreography with Susie Burpee, and voice with Fides Krucker.  Jacinte is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists.

Susanne Chui is a professional dancer and choreographer, and alumnus of Maritime Dance Academy.  She is a co-founder of SINS (Sometimes in Nova Scotia) dance collective and dances for Verve Mwendo Dance Company.  From 1999-2006 Susanne lived in Toronto where she studied at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and worked for a variety of choreographers and companies including Yvonne Ng and TILT:sound +motion.  With TILT Susanne performed works by many renowned Canadian choreographers including Robert Abubo, Marie-Julie Asselin, Bill Coleman, Debora Dunn, Lesandra Dodson, Sasha Ivanochko, Sharon Moore & Heidi Strauss.  As a choreographer Susanne has created several works and has been commissioned by Canadian Children's Dance Theatre and Maritime Dance Performance Group.

Rachel Franco has a B.A.Honours in Dance from the University of Winnipeg, and has been a professional choreographer and performer for the past ten years.  Her work has been shown across Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Colombia.  She has received grants from the Manitoba Arts Council and Canada Council to create and perform.  Besides being an avid “artiste”, Rachel also enjoys watching television, holding hands with her husband, and sitting quietly. “Rachel has a real keen sense of something... you know, twirling... And uh, stepping.  Yeah, she’s a pro stepper.  She’s got some stellar moves, and I like the way she makes a dance out of nothing... she’s like a magician.  A dance magician.” - Jeremiah, Rachel’s brother.

Kitchen-dancing with her dad, an unhealthy obsession with the movie "Stayin' Alive,"  and performing in high-school musicals were formative experiences for Kate Hayter, a self-confessed dance-junkie. Dance took a back seat to Real Life while she got her M.A. at Dalhousie University and  then graduated top of her class from the photography/digital imaging program at NSCC.  Kate runs her own wedding photography studio, based in Halifax and is Artistic Director of ThirtySomething dance. She has most recently choreographed and performed in years TSDC¹s production "Viva Less Vegas". Kate would like to thank her MDPG dancers for always bringing lots of energy, humour and attention to detail to the rehearsal studio.

Ruth-Ellen Kroll Jackson is originally from Nova Scotia.  She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from The North Carolina School of the Arts under the Anthony Bliss Scholarship. Ms. Jackson’s professional career took place in New York where she danced for The Martha Graham Dance Ensemble, New York City Opera, Cortez and Company, Patricia Kenny Dance Collection, Robert Battle and most extensively with the Parsons Dance Company.  During her  years with Parsons, Ruth-Ellen performed signature works of Parsons including the solo Caught.  She has taught and choreographed at various colleges and festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada. Ruth-Ellen is an independent choreographer whose work can been seen on the Performance Project, the Young Company of Halifax Dance, Coastal Dance Theatre, The Maritime Dance Performance Group, Verve Mwendo and on Kinetic Studio’s Mainstage.  Along with teaching dance and pilates at Halifax Dance and Maritime Dance Academy, Ms. Jackson has performed with Verve Mwendo, Veronique MacKenzie, Mocean Dance and Henry Jackson.

 

Kendra Armstrong began her jazz obsession at the age of 8 when she started dancing here in Nova Scotia. She has recently returned from Calgary where she was studying Jazz at the University of Calgary as well as through a scholarship at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks. While in Calgary she performed in Footprints, Calgary Dance Explosions, Dance Montage, Mainstage, and Eco Dance Projects. As well as teaching for the school of Decidedly Jazz. While engaging in a new chapter of her life, love and a little baby girl, she has been teaching jazz at Maritime Dance Academy and is welcoming the opportunity to test out her choreographic abilities... gulp....

Kathleen Doherty moved to Calgary in September 2009 to dance in the Professional Training Program at Decidedly Jazz Dancewords (DJD) (2009-2010), and is participating in the program again this year (2010-2011). Since dancing at DJD Kathleen has performed in the annual school tour, “Live & In Sync”, in the annual Professional Training Program’s showcase, “Footprints” and has also trained and taken class with some of DJD’s best as: Vicki Adams Willis, Michele Moss, Hannah Stilwell, Kimberley Cooper, Joanne Baker & Jamie Freeman-Cormack. Before moving to Calgary, Kathleen danced with Maritime Dance Performance Group (MDPG), and was also Assistant Director during her last three years with the company. She was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award from MDPG in 2008 & 2009. While living in Halifax Kathleen also choreographed for MDPG, Thiirty-Something Dance Co-op, and Kinetic Studio.

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