CHOREOGRAPHER & DANCER

RALPH ESCAMILLAN IS A QUEER, CANADIAN-FILIPINX PERFORMANCE ARTIST, CHOREOGRAPHER AND TEACHER BASED IN VANCOUVER, BC. HIS WORK QUESTIONS NOTIONS OF IDENTITY, TRADITION AND CLOTHING, AND THE INFLUENCE OF POP CULTURE IN A GLOBALISING WORLD. AS THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF FAKEKNOT, HE DEVELOPS INCLUSIVE AND COLLABORATIVE PERFORMANCE WORKS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. HAVING ANCESTRAL ROOTS IN THE PHILIPPINES, HE’S FASCINATED BY INQUIRIES INTO WHAT IT MEANS TO BE NORTH AMERICAN, ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF CULTURAL TRADITIONS, DANCE, MUSIC AND COSTUME IN AN INCREASINGLY INTERCONNECTED GLOBAL COMMUNITY. THE EXPLORATION OF HOW CULTURE IS CREATED THROUGH THE ACCUMULATION OF IDEAS AND CONCEPTS IS AT THE CENTER OF HIS WORK. HE HAS FOUND THE BODY TO BE A POWERFUL VESSEL THROUGH WHICH THESE IDEAS CAN BE INVESTIGATED—INCORPORATING MUSIC, COSTUME AND NEW MEDIA DESIGN. RALPH STARTED HIS TRAINING IN STREET DANCE STYLES, AND IS A GRADUATE OF MODUS OPERANDI—A VANCOUVER-BASED CONTEMPORARY DANCE PROGRAM.

NEW MEDIA PROJECTIONS & LIGHTING DESIGNER

SAMMY CHIEN 簡上翔 IS A TAIWANESE-CANADIAN IMMIGRANT AND QUEER ARTIST-OF-COLOUR, WHO’S AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTIST, DIRECTOR, PERFORMER, RESEARCHER AND MENTOR IN FILM, SOUND ART, NEW MEDIA, PERFORMANCE, MOVEMENT AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICE. WITH OVER 400 COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS, HIS WORK HAS BEEN EXHIBITED ACROSS CANADA, WESTERN EUROPE, AND ASIA INCLUDING CENTRE POMPIDOU (PARIS) AND THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS (BEIJING), WORKED WITH PIONEERS OF DIGITAL PERFORMANCE: TROIKA RANCH AND WONG KAR WAI’S CINEMATOGRAPHER CHRISTOPHER DOYLE, AND ACTIVE IN PROJECTS ENGAGING VARIOUS UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES. SAMMY HAS BEEN FEATURED ON TV AND IN COMMERCIALS SUCH AS DISCORDER, KEEDAN, CBC ARTS AND BENQ. SAMMY IS CURRENTLY LEADING A DANCE RESEARCH PROJECT “WE WERE ONE” AND MEDIA ARTS PROJECT “RITUAL-SPECTIVE 迴融”, BOTH FUNDED BY CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS AND BC ARTS COUNCIL. SAMMY IS THE OFFICIAL INSTRUCTOR OF ISADORA AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF CHIMERIK 似不像 COLLECTIVE. WWW.SAMMYCHIEN.COM

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR & OPERATOR

ANDIE LLOYD [SHE/HE/THEY] IS A QUEER [ASEXUAL/PAN-ROMANTIC] + DISABLED [EDS & CPS] INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTIST AND COMMUNITY ADVOCATE. HER ARTISTIC PRACTICE REVOLVES AROUND DECOLONIAL LEFTIST IDEOLOGY AND THEREFORE THE PRINCIPLES OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH, SELF-DETERMINATION, SOVEREIGNTY AND DEMOCRACY. SHE ENCOURAGES HER COMMUNITY TO INVESTIGATE AND FIND UNDERSTANDING OF THE SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION AND EXPLOITATION IN A HOLISTIC AND INTEGRATED WAY AND RECOGNISE THAT OUR FIGHTS, AGAINST COLONISATION, NEOLIBERALISM, MASS SURVEILLANCE, POLICE BRUTALITY ARE UNIVERSAL. WHILE HER PRIMARY MEDIUM IS LIGHT [WHETHER FROM A PROJECTOR OR THE SUN] — ANDIE WORKS IN A MYRIAD OF CAPACITIES, INCLUDING AS A TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION MANAGER, DIGITAL PLATFORM CONSULTANT, LIGHTING TECHNICIAN, VISUAL ARTIST, WRITER AND NEW MEDIA ARTIST. SHE WAS TRAINED BY SAMMY CHIEN, WITH THE HELPFUL INFLUENCES OF REMY SIU, MILTON LIM AND THE TROIKATRONIX COMMUNITY, AND STUDIED THEATRE PRODUCTION AT STUDIO 58 IN VANCOUVER.

SOUND DESIGNER

STEFAN SESLIJA STUDIED MUSIC WITH A CONCENTRATION IN JAZZ AT WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY IN DETROIT.  AFTER WHICH HE WORKED AS A FREELANCE MUSICIAN IN THE WINDSOR/DETROIT AREA. SINCE THEN, HE MOVED ON TO STUDY SOUND DESIGN AND AUDIO POST PRODUCTION AT VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL AND HAS BEEN WORKING AS A SOUND DESIGNER IN THE FILM AND TELEVISION INDUSTRY FOR THE PAST 9 YEARS.