MDo

Teachers

Joanna de Souza

Artistic Director

Joanna de Souza is perhaps the only Canadian born artist to achieve a Master’s Degree in Kathak dance through Prayag Sangit Samiti, Allahabad, India. Her study of Kathak, which began in 1978, continues under Pt. Chitresh Das.

"Toronto-based Kathak performer, de Souza is one of the leading Indian classical dancers in Canada, as well as an integral member of the Toronto Tabla Ensemble". INDIA TODAY - March 2005

In 1987 she and Ritesh Das co-founded the M-DO and Toronto Tabla Ensemble Centre for World Music and Dance. The centre, dedicated to greater cultural understanding through the performing arts, is home to world music and dance classes, master classes and workshops, at the highest artistic level. Joanna, a recipient of numerous grants and awards, is a respected dancer, teacher and choreographer.

Some of her work with traditional and cross-cultural choreographies includes: First Nations singer Sadie Buck and actors Jack Burning and Madeline Bergeron; Suwa Daiko Japanese Taiko drum ensemble, The Tea Party, Bharatanatyam dancer Hari Krishnan, Afrian dancer Zelma Badu-Younge, actor Anita Majumdar, Butoh dancer Denise Fujiwara and Flamenco dance artist Esmeralda Enrique, Their work together was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award Best Choreography and has been the subject of an award winning documentary for CBC television and a three-time award winning music and dance video funded by BRAVOFACT. Joanna has been a musician and dancer with the internationally acclaimed Toronto Tabla Ensemble since 1993. She teaches and tours throughout Canada, and India.

As a dedicated member of Toronto’s dance community, Joanna is President of the CanAsian Dance Festival board, and the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company.

 

Chad Walasek

Beginner Adult/Teen classes - Toronto studio

Chad first encountered kathak while working in Pakistan in 1998 and subsequently began studying kathak with Joanna de Souza in Toronto. A member of Chhandam Dance Company, he has performed across Canada, at events ranging from Kalanidhi International Dance Festival to FunkAsia. He is Chair of the M-DO Board of Directors, and is a strong proponent of developing the Canadian voice in classical south Asian dance through exploring contemporary applications for kathak and examining the links between world art forms, community development and social issues. Outside the dance world, Chad works for Canada World Youth, an organization dedicated to developing cross-cultural understanding and leadership skills in youth, and is president of its employees union.

 

 

 

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