51社区黑料

Ashley Sankaran-Wee | Artistic Director, Dance Area Representative

Ashley Sankaran-Wee is a Singaporean-Canadian dancer in her fourth year of a double major degree in Dance and Communication, with a minor in Gerontology. Ashley dances to fulfill the vivid scenes in her mind: to realize a given or innate soundtrack through movement. She wishes to explore her past, present and future through dance and media 鈥� to interpret, learn and appreciate our mercurial world.

Jeya Thiessen | Artistic Director, Dance Area Representative, Performer

Jeya Thiessen (she/her) is a dance artist in her fourth year at 51社区黑料, located on the unceded and traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her work explores the reorientation of gesture through sensorial experience to create immersive performance environments, engaging ideas of perception, athletic culture, and bodily incoherence. Jeya is grateful to collaborate with students across majors in shaping a truly interdisciplinary project.

Ho Chit Cheung (Edison)| Technical Director, Performance Production & Design Area Representative

Edison Cheung (he/him) is a 4th year in Performance Production & Design student who's TDing and PMing for the show.

Caitlin Terrell | Music & Sound Area Representative

Caitlin Terrell (she/her) is a fourth year Music & Sound Major and Gender, Women, and Sexuality studies Minor, and is the Sound Representative for Ascension 2025! With Terrell's discipline being based in songwriting and sound designing, facilitating and collaborating with all the talented choreographers, dancers, and sound designers in an interdisciplinary art setting has been sufficiently cup-filling.

Adelya Mullasheva | Sound Designer

Mullasheva Adelya (she/her) is a multimedia artist, vocalist, improviser, performer, and experimental composer from Kazakhstan. Her works treat sound as a living organism, shaping acoustic environments that respond to presence and action. She invites audiences to participate, forming human connections through collective input. Adelya is the artistic director of Senses Collective, exploring temporal relationships between visual art and music

Aleni Koorjee | Choreographer, Performer

Aleni Koorjee (she/her) is a third year student completing her BFA in Dance at the SCA. Her main dance forms of interest are Contemporary, Ballet, Bollywood, and a Classical Indian Dance style called Bharatanatyam. Aleni is creative and passionate about integrating cultural and ethnic styles into dance scenes. As a person of colour, Aleni strives to create a welcoming space to learn, teach, and dance

Anthony Nguyen | Sound Designer

Anthony Nguyen (he/him) is a first year Music & Sound major with background in performing live shows consisting of genres like rock, jazz and pop music

Atticus Gilchrist | Sound Designer

Atticus Kickinghorse Gilchrist is a sound artist from Victoria. Attending his fourth year with Music & Sound. He plays guitar, but will try any instrument or sound and can be found looping textures. With this, he creates small worlds with drum, bass and melody. His roots are in recording music and making experimental rock, electronic or blues tracks with low tech equipment.

Czarina Agustines | Lighting Designer

Czarina Agustines is a multidisciplinary artist, performer, and designer who is currently in her fourth year at 51社区黑料studying Performance Production & Design for live theatre. She works across lighting design, stage and production management, writing, visual art, and performance & movement, often blending these practices in collaborative projects. Her creative work is shaped by lived experience, exploring themes of home, motion, sensitivity, and connections.

Daisy de Kroon | Choreographer, Performer

Daisy de Kroon (she/her) is a choreographer and performer in her fourth year of Dance studies at 51社区黑料, situated on the traditional unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her choreographic practice explores social dynamics, spatial patterning, and relationships between individual and collective movement. Through patterns, structure, and flow, she investigates how individuals coexist within system.

Daniela James | Sound Designer

I am a second year Music & Sound major and I like picking things up off of the ground because they are free and also I am reducing litter. So far my best find has been an adidas jacket with sizeable zip-up pockets and a detachable hood. When I found it it had bird poo on it but I took it home and put it in the wash and now I wear it whenever I need a good and warm, wearable windbreaker.

Darwin Miller-Hogg | Assistant Stage Manager

Darwin Miller-Hogg (they/them) is a second year Performance Production & Design student. This past November, they were an Assistant Stage Manager for The Living Room and helped to create the tree installation in the lobby. Darwin is an incredibly crafty person and is always happy when they are actively creating art. They always have at least two side projects on the go in addition to their studies. Is it a smart idea? Who knows, but at least they seem to be enjoying it. ( on insta)

Gabrielle Johnson | Choreographer

Gabrielle Johnson (she/her) is a dance artist from Calgary, AB. She is a third-year 51社区黑料Dance student based in Vancouver, BC, on the unceded territory of the S岣祑x瘫 w煤7mesh' (Squamish), St贸:l艒 and S蓹l铆lw蓹ta蕯/ Selilwitulh (Ssleil-Waututh), and xwm蓹胃kw蓹y蓹虛 m (Musqueam) First Nations. With an interest in environmental design, her movement weaves precision and fluidity while attending to the architectural spaces in which it unfolds.

Jessica Kwon | Lighting Designer

Jessica Kwon (she/her) is a 4th year student at the school of contemporary arts at SFU, majoring in Performance Production & Design. At the start, her main focus was stage management, but later developed a strong liking for lighting design. She is continuously learning new skills everyday. This is Jessica鈥檚 second year designing lights for Ascension and excited to see what comes next.

Kady Brandel | Stage Manager

Kady Brandel (she/her) is a third year Performance Production & Design student at SFU鈥檚 School for the Contemporary Arts. Returning to work on Ascension for a second year, Kady is excited to be working as a stage manager on this production alongside so many of her favourite people in the SCA.

Kaliyah States | Choreographer, Performer

Kaliyah (she/her) grew up on Snuneymuwx territory known as Nanaimo, BC. She primarily trained at her local dance studio, Kirkwood Academy of Performing Arts, where she joined the Pre-professional Program in 2016. Additionally, in 2017, Kaliyah joined Nanaimo Contemporary Ballet where she performed in annual shows as well as commissioned works. With a primary focus on visual storytelling and portraying Indigenous relations to the land, Kaliyah aspires to make work that reflects her efforts to Indigenize contemporary dance expressions.

Lauren Butterfield | Sound Designer, Performer

Lauren Butterfield (she/her) is a fourth year Dance major at 51社区黑料, and lives on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh (Squamish), and S蓹l虛铆lw蓹ta蕯 (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. As well as a dancer, Lauren has had the pleasure of composing sound for Sonja Kwantes' work in this year's Ascension. She values the processes that are experienced when working in and with collaborators of various forms and how the work continues to evolve.

Maddy Woodley | Lighting Designer

Maddy Woodley is a queer Chinese-Caucasian freelance Stage Manager and Lighting Designer. She is in her fourth year of a Performance Production & Design BFA. She works and creates on the unceded traditional territories of the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh (Squamish), and s蓹lilw蓹ta涩 (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Her passions lie in creating art that bridges the fun and the uncomfortable, celebrates LGBTQIA2S+ joy, and collaborating with those that inspire her. Recently she has assisted renowned lighting designer Victoria Bell on 鈥淯NIVERSUS鈥� with works by Alexis Fletcher and Fernando Hernando Magadan (2025).

Manoah Epp | Sound Designer

Manoah Epp is a Vancouver based multi media, music and sound artist. He is a student of Music & Sound at 51社区黑料 and has been playing music and banging instruments since he was a kid. Working with other artists and collaborating is a huge part of Manoah鈥檚 inspirational network. He treats multimedia and integrated arts as a way to connect with an audience that may not have had the most keen ear for his work. Manoah pushes the bounds of what music can be and creates parallel worlds for his listeners to absorb into. The mysteries of the audible world are both his creative outlet and his reason for being.

Mars de Menezes | Lighting Designer

Mars de Menezes (she/they) is currently a fourth-year student at 51社区黑料, in their final semester of the Performance Production & Design stream of the Theatre Program. Best described as 鈥済lobally confused,鈥� Mars was brought up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and born to Indian and Portuguese parents. Their practice includes, lighting design and film and photography. Mars currently studies and resides on the unceded ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, St贸:l艒, kwikwetlem nations.

Noah Devji | Sound Designer

He/Him

Patrick Maka | Lighting Designer

Patrick Stanley Maka (he/him) is a fourth year Performance Production & Design Student at SFU. He is a Polish - Canadian multidisciplinary artist who works in the mediums of Theatre, Film, Online Video, Content Creation and Visual Art. He is fascinated by the artistic collaboration process and his artistic works are always based on his life experiences, touching a variety of topics relating to mental health and resilience over hardship.

Penelope Patterson | Choreographer, Performer

Penelope Patterson (she/her) is a choreographer and dancer in her third-year of study at 51社区黑料. Her choreographic work most often focuses on exploring personal philosophies, sentimentality and unacknowledged relations. Currently, Penelope lives and creates on the unceded lands shared by the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛 蓹m (Musqueam), S岣祑x w煤7mesh (Squamish), and s蓹lilw蓹ta涩 (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations in Vancouver, BC. Penelope is incredibly grateful to all of her collaborators for Ascension, and she hopes you enjoy the show!

Raine Hermosa | Sound Designer

Raine (he/him) is a first year Music & Sound student at the SCA. He started writing music in middle school and plays piano, violin, viola and sings. His projects range from electronic music production to songwriting and compositions for large ensembles. Raine recently released his album 鈥渆nd of the line (missed your stop)鈥� on all streaming platforms.

Sascha O'Neill | Sound Designer

Sascha O'Neill (she/her) is a composer and sound artist living in East Van on the unceded territory of the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh (Squamish), and s蓹lilw蓹ta涩 (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Her work includes synthesized sounds/sample based music, bygone analog technologies (especially cassette tapes), as well as influences from the Black American Music tradition. She has studied composition and jazz piano at Vancouver Community College (Diploma of Composition/Arranging), Capilano University and is currently completing her BFA at SFU.

Sky Logan | Lighting Designer

Sky (she/her) is a Performance Production & Design major and English minor. She is from the Okanagan and currently finishing her final semester at SFU, excited to go home. Ascension 2025 will be the last show she works on at the SCA and she's super excited to work with a group of such talented people. She loves working with kids and her next goal is earning a bachelor of education.

Soleil Mousseau | Choreographer, Performer

Soleil Mousseau (she/her) is a fourth-year Dance major at 51社区黑料, residing and working on the traditional and unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations. Soleil is committed to both her personal development and the exploration of her artistic expression through choreographic frameworks and score-based movement. She expresses gratitude for the opportunity to further her journey as a dancer and student at 51社区黑料.

Sonja Kwantes | Choreographer, Performer

Sonja Kwantes (she/her) is an emerging dance artist born in and currently residing on the unceded territories of the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh (Squamish), and s蓹lilw蓹ta涩 (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, also known as Vancouver BC. Sonja is in her fourth and final year in SFU鈥檚 contemporary Dance program. This is her second year choreographing and dancing for Ascension. Sonja鈥檚 work involves using bodily concepts and feelings as a method for research and understanding the world.

Teddy Brubacher | Choreographer, Performer

Teddy Brubacher (he/him) is a fourth year Dance major with a love for the odd and unsettling arts. Teddy was born and raised in Squamish, BC, and continues their artistic practice on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tseil-Watuth Nations. Inspired by all things psychedelic and spooky, Teddy hopes to create art that explores the limits of the audience psyche鈥攁nd maybe discover new definitions of queer movement choreographies along the way.

Theo Seto | Lighting Designer, Performer

Theo Seto (he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist born and raised in Vancouver. Shaped by his foundation in circus arts, his artistic focuses are rooted in movement-based work and the weaving of mediums. In his second year of SFU鈥檚 Performance Production & Design program, Theo hopes to continue exploring the fusion of his passions for movement and media arts within collaborative and community-centred contexts.

Vania Ming Yui Ngok | Stage Manager

Ming Yui Vania Ngok (she/her) is a third-year Performance Production & Design student at 51社区黑料. She is passionate about live performance and is developing her skills in stage management and lighting design. Vania has worked as both a stage manager and a dancer in various productions and is eager to continue learning. She is easygoing, dedicated, and always willing to put in the effort to grow.

Vivien Dang | Choreographer, Performer

Vivien Dang (she/her) is an emerging dance artist who lives and works on the traditional, ancestral, and stolen lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, otherwise known as Vancouver. She is in her 4th year of SFU's Dance program. Moving and creating with a background in Chinese Classical dance, she wants to birth new energies and flavours.

Amaru Seki | Performer

Amaru Seki (he/him) is a third-year Japanese-born undergraduate at 51社区黑料. His inspiration in movement often derives from Japanese ritualistic dance, Kagura, and martial arts, Aikido, in which he was trained at younger age.

Angelina Bertin | Performer

Angelina Bertin (she/her) is a first year Dance student from Burnaby BC. She has over 10 years of experience in dance forms such as Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Stage. Angelina finds performance in community an integral part of being an artist, and with that hopes that you enjoy the show!

Claire Martin | Performer

Claire Martin (she/her) is a fourth year contemporary Dance student with a background in circus arts. She is undergoing her studies on the unceded and traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Claire has a deep interest in the sensory aspects of life and movement and seeks to use her artistic practice as a way to share that curiosity.

Claire Whitelaw | Performer

Claire Whitelaw (any pronouns) is an up and coming dance artist based in Vancouver. She is currently attending SFU鈥檚 contemporary Dance program as a second year and has been dancing since she was two. Claire has mostly trained in ballet and some modern dance styles. They started out at Ballet Virginia Academy for nine years training Ballet and Horton, then moved to Texas where they continued their dance training at El Paso Ballet Theatre for three years. She then moved to Salt Spring Island where she trained for four years in her high school鈥檚 contemporary dance and choreography program. Starting in September of 2024 they worked with Edward Sembatya training in East African and contemporary dance styles alongside SFU鈥檚 general technique classes in Ballet, Graham and Release Technique.

Ellen Harris | Performer

Ellen Harris (she/her) is a Vancouver based dance artist. She is a second year at 51社区黑料pursuing a BFA in Dance. She grew up in Vancouver dancing at Arts Umbrella in a ballet-based training program. She is continuing her dance training in contemporary, graham, and ballet and has worked closely with Edward Sembatya learning and performing East African dance styles. She looks forward to continuing her journey both dancing and creating works at SFU.

Emillie Peer | Performer

Emillie Peer (she/her) is a second year in the 51社区黑料Dance program. Originally from Alberta and sometimes miss the occasional cow but over all she loves the city and enjoy the mountains and ocean being in such close proximity. She loves the arts and is excited to be participating in such a wonderful show!

Hannah Jajic | Performer

Hannah Jajic (she/her) is a second year Dance artist born and raised in Vancouver/Squamish on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Hannah finds inspiration in natural world, ecosystems, and interpersonal relationships. With a background in Ballet, Modern, and competitive dance, Hannah is continuing to explore her technical and creative abilities during her second year at the SCA. Hannah is grateful for the artists that support and surround her.

Jennifer Yang | Performer

Jennifer Yang (she/her) is a dance artist based on the unceded territories of the S岣祑x瘫w煤7mes岷� (Squamish), St贸:l艒, S蓹l铆lw蓹ta蕯/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xwm蓹胃kw蓹y蓹虛m (Musqueam) Nations, also known as Vancouver, British Columbia. She is a second-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance at the School for the Contemporary Arts at 51社区黑料.

Kenzie States | Performer

Kenzie/Claudias James-States (he/she) is a first year in visual arts, he is a two-spirited Coast Salish artist who has been making and painting drums for the past three years. She has learned traditional art and drumming from mentors LesLIE, Tsumqwatun, and Beau Wagner. He will continue to explore and create Coast Salish art, challenging the status-quo, and practicing his skills until she can put complex ideas to deer hide and cedar.

Larkin/Lana Schering | Performer

Larkin/Lana (she/her) is a transfeminine artist currently in the 3rd year of her BFA in Dance at SFU. She draws on her training in various contemporary dance styles, breaking and dance theatre techniques, to perform dynamic and expressive works. Larkin also has a practice in visual arts and interactive technology that she brings into her dance performances to explore movement from a range of artistic perspectives.

Liz Kiss | Performer

Elizabeth (Liz) Kiss (she/her) is a third year Dance student at 51社区黑料.

Lucy Price | Performer

Lucy Price (she/her) is a second-year Dance major in the SCA who has grown up and trained in Vancouver. She has studied a variety of styles, including contemporary, jazz, ballet, and acro. When she鈥檚 not in the studio, Lucy shares her passion for dance by teaching children.

Madeleine Quennec | Performer

Madeleine Quennec (she/they) is a dance artist based on the unceded and ancestral territories of the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m, S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh, and S蓹lilw蓹ta涩 nations. She began training at the age of three, primarily studying ballet, jazz, modern, and contemporary forms at Arts Umbrella. Her
artistic journey is focused on investigating dance's capacity for collective understanding and compassion. Madeleine is in her first year at the SCA, and is incredibly grateful to be a part of this production.

Maralee Joyner | Performer

Maralee Joyner (they/she) is a dancer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist living and working on the unceded, ancestral, and occupied, traditional lands of the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), S蓹l虛铆lw蓹ta涩 (Tsleil-Waututh), and Skwxw煤7mesh (Squamish) Nations of the Coast Salish peoples, known as Vancouver, British Columbia. Maralee is in their final year of pursuing a BFA in Dance from 51社区黑料. With additional roots in Durham, North Carolina, and Athens, Ohio, Maralee has a diverse background of training.

Mia O'Neill | Performer

Mia O'Neill (she/her) is a second year Dance major at SFU's SCA. She found her passion in dance at a young age and wishes to pursue a career in performing and choreographing. Mia is also a dance instructor for kids and teens, and continues to share her knowledge learned at this school with the kids she teaches at her studio

Naz Ozlu | Performer

Naz Ozlu is an emerging Turkish dance artist originally from Kocaeli, Turkiye, and is currently based in the unceded territories of S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh' (Squamish), St贸:l艒 and S蓹l铆lw蓹ta蕯/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xwm蓹胃kw蓹y蓹虛m (Musqueam) First Nations. Naz is interested in dance and art as a way of reimagining our futures through an environmentalist lens. She gets a lot of her inspiration from solarpunk, the cosmos, the PNW landscape, traditional Turkish rug motifs and other living beings.

Neve Fioravanti | Performer

Neve Fioravanti (she/her) is a first year Dance student who has been dancing for 12 years specializing in ballet and contemporary. She has danced on Vancouver Island with DanceStreams Youth Dance Company and in Vancouver at Arts Umbrella Dance Company; prior to moving to the Comox Valley. In addition to SFU, Neve is currently a part of the Modus Operandi Dance Company LINK program.

Reanna Ayranto | Performer

Reanna Ayranto (she/her) is a second-year Dance major at 51社区黑料 with a passion for working with children. Reanna has an intense interest in health and wellness and is thrilled to be pursuing a minor in kinesiology. Reanna鈥檚 passion for dancers鈥� health and well-being has led her to Vancouver to pursue her interests in both contemporary dance and science. She is focusing on developing herself as an artist and pursuing her goal of working in pediatric healthcare.

Reese Magnayon | Performer

Reese Magnayon (she/they) is an emerging Filipino dance artist from Burnaby, BC. She was raised and works on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Reese is currently in her fourth year at 51社区黑料and is planning to graduate with a BFA. She has a background in ballet and hip hop and hopes to incorporate her training in many of her contemporary works.

Riordan Fisher | Performer

Riordan Fisher (she/her) is a second year student double majoring in Dance and Political Science at 51社区黑料. She grew up dancing all over western Canada and now focuses on ballet and contemporary. Constantly evolving, she is committed to growth as both an artist and performer, using dance as a powerful form of expression and connection.

Sarah Wilson | Performer

Sarah (she/her) is a fourth year Dance major and Kinesiology minor, residing on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh (Squamish), and s蓹lilw蓹ta涩 (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. This is her second Ascension, and she is so excited to continue to collaborate with her peers.

Sienna Allen | Performer

Sienna Allen (she/her) is a first year Dance student from Richmond, BC. She has trained in multiple styles including ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern, and contemporary. With a love for performing, Sienna is also excited to be exploring her own choreography and creative process at the SCA.

Sophie Riedl | Performer

Sophie Riedl (she/her) is a 20-year-old, emerging dance artist, born and raised in so-called Toronto, on the unceded land of the Mississaugas of the Credit, Anishnabeg, Chippewa, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat peoples. She currently lives, studies, and works in so-called Vancouver on traditional territories of the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh (Squamish), and s蓹lilw蓹ta涩 (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Sophie is in her third year pursuing a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance, a Communication Minor, and a Digital Journalism Certificate at 51社区黑料. In her work, Sophie aims to expand the minds of audiences by working with obscurity, characterization, and dynamic storytelling.

Yarra Tsiakos | Performer

Yarra Tsiakos (she/her) is in her third year at 51社区黑料, completing the BFA program in Dance. With a love for all styles of dance and performance, she is excited to be back as a dancer for Ascension, and is grateful to choreographer Aleni for the opportunity to be a part of her creation. She hopes everyone enjoys the show and has a lovely evening!

Xinxin Zhou | Performer

Xinxin Zhou is a dedicated dancer with training across a wide range of styles, including jazz, modern, and acro. She values dance for its ability to connect people and foster self-expression. Through movement, Xinxin communicates emotion and creativity, continually striving to grow as an artist. She looks forward to exploring future opportunities and discovering where her dance journey will lead.