Jessica is one of Canada's celebrated dance artists. She was instrumental in the earliest
research of Maxine's Cycles practice with the piece "Gold Wall" in 1999
and continues to be a principle contributor in all of Maxine's development and performance. Ms.Runge began dancing at the age of five and
completed her professional training as a scholarship student at The
School of Toronto Dance Theatre. A member of Toronto Dance Theatre from
1998 through 2006, Ms. Runge now enjoys a successful career as a
freelance dance interpreter, choreographer, and teacher. She has toured
nationally and internationally performing works of such acclaimed
Canadian choreographers as Peggy Baker, Peter Chin, Kim Frank, Maxine
Heppner and Christopher House. Her own works have been presented in
many venues in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada, including the outdoor
stage at the Canada Dance Festival. She has been commissioned to create
dances that have toured internationally, as well as site-specific works
for such spectacular settings as a twelve metre high outdoor waterfall
in downtown Toronto. Ms. Runge is a co-winner of the 2005 K.M. Hunter
Artists Award for Dance, and she has been nominated for three Dora
Mavor Moore awards for her outstanding performances of, and
choreography for new dance premieres. From 1994 - 2004, Ms. Runge was a
co-artistic director of Series 8:08, a Toronto-based producer of
innovative dance workshops and performances.
