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CrossPlay
ACROSS OCEANS ARTS: PROGRAMS
crossplay
Across Oceans Arts in partnership with Small World Music
February to April 2026 / Toronto, Ontario, Canada
“The best way to know each other is to be together. The only way for art to flourish is to do it.”
Maxine Heppner
about CrossPlay
about CrossPlay
In gaming, CrossPlay refers to the ability for players on different systems to come together and play simultaneously, expanding possibilities and creating new shared worlds.
In that spirit…
Curator Maxine Heppner created CrossPlay as a 2 month exploratory residency for dance and live music artists to be in the game of creating shared worlds.
Maxine facilitated, from an open call, dance-music partnerships of artists curious about the infinite possibilities within their chosen collaborations.
The artists are a cohort who are curious about how sound and movement live in their forms and influence each other, excited to connect with other artists across disciplines, across generations, across backgrounds, and open to open to experimentation, dialogue and discovery.
In a culminating event, the artists shared their discoveries.
”It’s a pleasure to be in the studios with these 30 gifted artists and their curiosities and approaches. The 9 groups have each found convergences, each group following its own course, some digging into expressiveness, some expanding ways of interacting, some riffing on themes, images. Working from knowledge, experience, sensation, inspiration, each partnering is original.”
Maxine Heppner
CrossPlay Participants
CrossPlay Participants
Maxine Heppner
Curator Maxine Heppner, life-long independent dance & inter-medial artist & educator, is known for community building & bold ensemble & intimate chamber-works honoured by awards, commissions, citations from companies, festivals, organisations, communities & the precious trust of colleagues in Canada, Far East Asia & Europe. Her multi-heritage & international career has led to her dedication to somatic intelligence & collaboration as fundamental sources of human expression & i
Gitanjali Kolanad
Artist Gitanjali Kolanad, Artistic Associate for Across Oceans Arts, is researching creative processes of dance & performance-making. as writer, dramaturg & a AOA choreographic marathon mentor. Concurrently, she is an associate at Anandam & CanAsian Dance, and co-founder of IMPACT – Indian Martial & Performance Arts Collective of Toronto, which teaches the Indian martial art form of kalaripayat to at-risk youth in underserved neighbourhoods in Toronto. Her distinguished stage
Tarek Ghriri
Artist An award nominee at the Canadian Folk Music Awards and Ontario Folk Music Awards, and a selected artist on the Transglobal World Music Chart. Tarek Ghriri is a Syrian-Canadian flamenco and fretless guitarist of Palestinian origin with over 22 years of experience. He began his musical journey in Syria, developing a unique fusion of Arabic and flamenco traditions. His debut album, Refugee in the Sea (2023), reflects personal and collective stories of displacement and res
Shalva-Lucas Makharashvili
Artist Shalva-Lucas Makharashvili is a Toronto-based vocalist and bassist specializing in traditional Georgian polyphony. Raised in a musical household, he has performed professionally since age eight, appearing at the Small World Music Festival, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall, and on the TV series The Borgias. He has co-lead workshops in Georgian polyphony, and recently completed the Small World Music Incubator program. He is a founding member of the
Rumi Jeraj
Artist Rumi Jeraj is an Ismailli muslim hailing from Sherwood Park Alberta (the world’s largest hamlet). A Graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University Rumi has worked for dance artists including Hannah Kiel, Daryl Tracy, Heidi Strauss, Maxine Hepner and Eilish Shin-Culhane. His creative projects include Space and Spectra; a collaboration with Aidan McConnell which aims to create collaboration between contemporary dancers and musicians, Nature Boy; a collaboration with Bharata
Rakeem Hardy
Artist Rakeem Hardy (they/them) is a Toronto-based dance artist, creator, and educator. They received their BFA from the State University of New York at Purchase College, and in 2020, were the recipient of the Thayer Fellowship Award. They have performed works by Doug Varone, Sidra Bell, Norbert De La Cruz III, and Roderick George. Rakeem has performed on stages across Canada and internationally, working with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Coté Danse, Loni Landon Dance Projects, LA T
Rachana Joshi
Artist Rachana Joshi is an independent dance artist based in Tkaronto. She completed her Bharatanatyam arangetram under the tutelage of Lata Pada in 2017 and is currently a company dancer and teacher at Sampradaya Dance Centre. She has performed in several of the company’s productions, including Nirvana by Parshwanath Upadhye and, most recently, Sankhya . Rachana graduated with honours from York University’s BFA program in Dance in 2019, where she trained in Western contempor
Pulga Muchochoma
Artist Pulga Muchochoma is a dancer, choreographer, musician, actor, and director born in Quelimane, Mozambique. Pulga moved to Toronto to study at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. He worked with Toronto Dance Theatre under Artistic Director Christopher House from 2009-2020. During his time with TDT, he had the pleasure of working and collaborating with local and international choreographers such as Christopher House, Veronica Tennant, Danny Grossman, Patricia Beaty, Heid
Patrick O'Reiley
Artist Patrick is a composer, artist and a community-driven fixture in the Toronto creative music scene. He runs the W/DRWN record label, the Furniture Music composition workshop, is a contributor to Musicworks Magazine, and co-curates the Second Fridays concert series in partnership with the Canadian Music Centre. He can be found on record and on tour internationally but is most at home at the Tranzac playing with his friends. He is also a lecturer at the University of Toron
Ori Chacón
Artist Ori Chacón, is a Venezuelan singer-songwriter, whose music explores the emotional intersections of Latin roots, contemporary pop, and ambient soul. Ori’s background in dance, yoga and somatic breathwork allow her to dive deep into the energetics of singing as a tool for healing. Ori’s intention is to co-create a safe space for heart connection and coherence. For this current project, Ori will be collaborating with Bondar F.M, a singer, songwriter and live-looping artis
Oriah Wiersma
Artist Oriah Wiersma is a multidisciplinary dance artist and actor based in Tkaronto. With a BFA in Performance from York University, Oriah’s practice spans dance, circus, music, film, and writing. Her creative process is rooted in embodiment and somatic awareness. Described as “highly visceral” and “beautifully haunting” her work explores the dissonant beauty of the human condition. Oriah thrives in collaborative, interdisciplinary environments, often orbiting closely with m
Ooldouz Pouri
Artist Singing has always been how I express my deepest emotions. In 2018, I released my first solo album in Norway, produced by the renowned label KKV. Between 2018 and 2020, I performed across Europe with musicians from different cultures, weaving together old songs with new arrangements. Azeri folk music has always felt full of mystery to me—layers of emotion, memory, and cultural codes. That’s what draws me in so deeply. Through these songs, I can express something raw an
Newton Moraes
Artist Newton Moraes is a Brazilian/Canadian choreographer, dancer, and movement director known for expressive, research-driven contemporary work. His choreography explores identity, memory, and social narratives, combining technical precision with emotional intensity. Trained across diverse movement practices, he collaborates with dancers, musicians, filmmakers, and theater artists. Newton’s work has appeared in festivals, theaters, and interdisciplinary projects, emphasizin
Mafa Makhubalo
Artist Mafa Makhubalo is a Movement Poet trained in folk forms from the Regions of African tradition, Southern African contemporary, and Western-Contemporary. “I am influenced by my understanding of dance as an accumulation of memories and my culture’s history. I believe dance is an invisible evolution that becomes visible through movement, music and singing.” Mafa’s work is informed by cultural practices that remain underrepresented in the Canadian dance mainstream. He cente
Luis Anselmi
Artist Luis Anselmi, a scholar and mentor of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation, skillfully merges his Venezuelan roots with diverse world music influences. Proficient in playing the Venezuelan Cuatro, piano, and lending his voice to both singing and songwriting, he performs with his band ‘GRATITUD’. Together, they create a vibrant Latin-World sound that seamlessly blends each member’s unique cultural background. With intricate rhythms and uplifting lyrics, their music is a
Lucy Rupert
Artist Lucy is a dancer, choreographer, art-science researcher, and writer. She has performed with Fujiwara Dance Inventions, Theatre Rusticle, Nova Dance, Anandam Dance, Sashar Zarif Dance, Puppetmongers Theatre, Circus Orange, and Chartier Danse, among others. In 2004 Lucy founded Blue Ceiling dance, an umbrella for her choreography and commissions, performing throughout Ontario, in New York, Montreal and Stuttgart, Germany. Her creations are inspired by cosmology, biology
Just Prince
Artist Toronto-based singer-songwriter Just Prince blends Western and Eastern musical traditions, weaving folk, blues, rock, jazz, and Hindustani classical elements into a genre-defying sound. Known for rich improvisation and emotional depth, his music brings together melodic and rhythmic traditions in an intimate, exploratory live experience.
Honey Paw
Artist Honeypaw’s vision is to explore the connection between Finnic and Baltic cultures to create rich and enchanting soundscapes. Since 2019, Interdisciplinary artists Jurgita Zvinklyte and Matti Palonen have been blending ancient Nordic instruments with modern sound synthesis. They have studied early wax cylinder recordings in order to maintain archaic tunings which aimed to produce effects lost to Western music.They have made four tours of Finland and the Baltics, centred
Grace Scheele
Artist Grace Scheele's music hones minimalistic textures within noise landscapes – creating a sound that is “ pliable, fluid, continuum…thats as beautiful as it is unconventional” (Canadian Music Centre). She masterfully interweaves harp rumblings, cinematic drones, textural extended technique and candid tape confessions into music that celebrates that liminal in-between; a place of question, blank existence, or wonder. An award-winning interdisciplinary performing artist, el
Gandhaar Amin
Artist Born in Pune, the cultural capital of India, Gandhaar started learning Indian Classical music on the Bansuri (Indian Bamboo Flute) at the age of 4, from his father Nitin Amin. He believes it is this almost subconscious learning that happened at an early age, that helped him develop an impeccable ear, which in turn is his biggest strength as a musician and a composer. Gandhaar started performing with his father at the age of 8. He did numerous classical concerts accompa
George Stamos
Artist George Stamos is a prolific Montréal-based dance artist whose poetic, transdisciplinary works bring the subconscious into view. George is currently touring his solo Sister Nightlight, which earned acclaim at The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance (Toronto) in 2025. He has held residencies at Baryshnikov Arts Center (NYC) and Agora de la Danse (Montréal), and received the 2014 McKnight Fellowship for International Choreographers. With expertise in postmodern and contemporar
Fedor Bondar
Artist Fedor Bondar is a Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and live-looping artist who crafts immersive, story-driven performances using voice, guitar, flute, jaw harps, melodica, harmonica, and hand percussion. Singing in English, Russian, and Ukrainian, his work bridges ancient acoustic textures with modern looping tools, creating music rooted in presence and connection. For his current project, Fedor collaborates with Venezuelan multidisciplinary sing
DIVKA
Artist DIVKA is a sonic experience using bygone folk songs from Ukrainian and global women’s music-making traditions, weaving a sonic constellation of delicate arpeggios on bandura (esoteric Ukrainian harp), ethereal vocals, and guttural ancient invocations on the viola. As a sonic rebel reckoning, DIVKA’s music is charged with mythology, traditional village singing, and generations of femme power, mystic whimsy, and a dash of vengeance. Their debut album was released April 2
David Norsworthy-Shibatani
Artist David Norsworthy-Shibatani (he/him) is a Tkarón:to/Toronto-based dance artist, choreographer, and artistic director of mixed Japanese immigrant/British settler descent who delights in asking questions. A graduate of The Juilliard School, he is fascinated by the transformative power of dancing. David has performed with dance companies and collaborated with dance creators in Canada, USA, Sweden and Australia. His choreographic work centres collaboration, and often explor
Chantelle Mostacho
Artist Chantelle Mostacho (she/ her) is a Filipino-Canadian multidisciplinary dance artist, choreographer, and educator. She has a foundation spanning classical and contemporary dance forms alongside a decade of experience in street dance, with a heavy focus in Punking/Whacking/Waacking. Known for her powerful artistic voice across choreography and freestyle, her work extends through theatre, film, and commercial platforms, where she pushes creative boundaries and crafts comp
Brianna Maltais
Artist Brianna is a tap dance-based artist whose work explores textural soundscapes, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and fosters opportunities for youth in her hometown of Barrie. Rooted in the historical relationship between tap dance and jazz, her practice celebrates Canadian history, leading her to co-produce a Culture Days event and organize a community visit with tap dance elder Joey Hollingsworth. Her artistic approach is shaped by the vibrant music and dance communit
Andrea Kuzmich
Artist Andrea first made her mark in the music scene as a versatile Toronto singer with performance, leadership and/or composition/arranging roles in classical choral, Congolese gospel, South Indian singing and drumming, vocal jazz (both big band and small ensembles), as well as contemporary improvised new music. Yet, perhaps drawn by a musical thread from her Ukrainian heritage, her professional development got sidetracked early on by the mystique of traditional vocal polyph
Ali Massoudi
Artist Ali Massoudi is an Iranian-born percussionist, composer, and educator based in Canada, with over 30 years of professional experience. He is the co-founder of Navasaz Music Academy and the artistic leader of the Navaye Kimia Ensemble. Ali has toured internationally, collaborated with renowned orchestras and ensembles, and authored five educational books on Persian percussion. His artistic work bridges tradition and innovation, including projects blending Persian music w
Alicia Grant
Artist Alicia Grant received a BFA in Dance from York University. Her work in performance, video and installation has been presented in Canada, the USA and Europe from stages to swimming pools to gardens to abandoned factories to galleries. She is one part of WITCHTITS, a witch power duo, with Zinzi Buchanan and works in various constellations with other makers in Toronto, Berlin and Zagreb. She is interested in power dynamics, transformation, fear and intimacy. She works o
Aisha Sasha John
Artist Aisha Sasha John is a performer, choreographer and poet. She’s interested in performance as a site of rehearsing being and in the power of reception as creative methodology. John was the 2023-2025 Affiliate Artist at Toronto Dance Theatre with whom she created her most recent choreographic work, The Pool (March 2025). Other choreographic works include the duet DIANA ROSS DREAM with Devon Snell (Danse-Cité 2022), the aisha of is which premiered at The Whitney Museum in
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