Choreographer, Director, Writer: Alireza Keymanesh
(b. 1985, Iran) is an independent artist living in Toronto, Canada. He adventures into the world of art as a filmmaker, actor and choreographer. Alireza earned a BA in acting from Tehran University of Arts in 2009 and likewise carried out a dance theater research project, entitled “The Society’s Influence on the Human Body” while participating in dance, choreography, and DAI (Dutch Art Institute) courses at ArtEZ University in the Netherlands in 2013. Currently, he studies in York University's MFA in Film Program.
Alireza was a main member of “84 Theater Group” from 2007 to 2017. Furthermore, he is the founder of “33School”, an underground dance and somatic school, located in Tehran. Additionally, he has introduced and developed the Ideokinesis method in Iran by holding numerous workshops, and lectures as well as translating the Ideokinesis book written by André Bernard, Wolfgang Steinmuller and Ursula Stricker into Persian.
Keymanesh, as a filmmaker, has received several international awards at various festivals around the world. As an actor, he has been recognized twice as one of the Best Actors of the Year at the Annual Iranian Theater Ceremony (2011 & 2017). He also received the International Jury's Laudatory Acting Prize at the 35th Fajr International Theater Festival.
Dancer: Clara Chemtov
Clara Chemtov is an emerging artist from Montreal. A graduate in Dance at Cégep de Saint-Laurent, they are now completing a bachelor’s degree in Dance at York University. Clara has been fortunate to work with several notable choreographers including Kyra Jean Green, Virginie Brunelle, and Simon Ampleman. They also danced in the official “Finally Home” music video for Arcade Fire’s Richard Parry. Passionate about multimedia collaboration, Clara is the co-artistic director of Projet Ambidanse. Through dance, music, and film, their collective aims to address social issues in their community. They also love to write and frequently contribute articles about eating disorders and mental health to print and online magazines. Throughout university, Clara looks forward to further developing their creative identity. They embrace challenges and welcome opportunities to collaborate and grow as an artist.
Projection: Haoran Chang
Haoran Chang is a Ph.D. student at York University Cinema and Media Studies. He is also a multimedia artist and researcher focusing on the liminal relationship between the virtual and reality. He has exhibited works in various locations virtually and physically, including the CICA museum in South Korea, Walter Otero Contemporary Art in Puerto Rico, Vox Populi in Philadelphia, Hunan Museum of Art in China, and many more. He published papers in peer-reviewed journals like Refract and Virtual Creativity. He is also the founder of the Mixed Reality collective Chameleon
First Assistant: Jianna Neufeld
Jianna Neufeld (she/her) is a Tkaronto-based dance and theatre artist who was born and raised at Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway. She is a graduate of the Victoria Academy of Ballet (2017) and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre (2020), where she was honored co-valedictorian and the two-time recipient of the Walker Wood Bursary. She is currently completing her BFA Hons. in Choreography/Performance at York University. Neufeld has had the joy of performing works by several acclaimed choreographers, including Peggy Baker, Marc Boivin, Newton Moraes, David Norsworthy, and María Isabel Salgado. Curious, growth-oriented, and fueled by her passion of all things creative, collaborative and beautiful, Neufeld has also worked in several other avenues of the professional arts sector, including lighting design, textile arts, choreography, and education. She is the founder of the Dawson Creek Art Gallery’s “Young Northern Artists’ Collective” (Dawson Creek, BC), which provides subsidized interdisciplinary artistic experiences for youth in the North, and is an apprentice community arts facilitator with tiger princess dance projects.
Second Assistant: Shamim Besharat
Shamim Besharat was born in Yazd, Iran, began her journey in music during high school, where she showcased her musical prowess with the daff and santour, traditional Iranian instruments. Her academic pursuits led her to industrial engineering, but the melody of the santoor continued to resonate in her life.
Following university, she ventured into the realm of engineering in a factory, yet artistic inclinations beckoned. Shamim embarked on a remarkable journey, immersing herself in contemporary dance for a year and later embracing the elegance and challenge of high heels dancing for two more. Today, she harmonizes engineering precision with the artistry of dance, a testament to her passion and dedication.
Consultant: Erika Batdorf
Erika Batdorf is an international artist lives in Toronto and has been performing, directing, animating art openings and creating award-winning performance work for over 30 years shared in 14 countries and 14 US states. She works in a number of mediums, mostly performance... though for many years primarily a
solo performer and theatre director/devisor, lately she has been developing large site specific immersive projects. She also created the performance training technique called The Batdorf Technique, and runs the Batdorf Spring Intensive annually in Toronto. Batdorf teaches at York University in Toronto where she received the Faculty of Fine Arts Dean’s Senior Teaching Award (2010) and in 1996 was voted Most
Outstanding Faculty at The Boston Conservatory where she taught for 12 years. She has been a guest teacher at universities internationally and is listed in the Who’s Who of American Teachers. She ran The Batdorf School for Movement Theatre in Boston for several years and currently runs the Batdorf Intensive annually in Toronto.
OTHER COLLABORATORS
Our sincere appreciation goes to all the people who made this project come to life with their support and artistic help.
Nava Messas-Waxman
Visual Artist
SUPPORTERS
We acknowledge and appreciate York University's initial funding contribution to this project.