In his forty-year career, Allen MacInnis worked across Canada directing contemporary and classical theatre, new plays, opera and musicals, aboriginal theatre, and theatre for young audiences. Vancouver Opera, Shaw Festival, Centaur Theatre and Neptune Theatre are a just a few of the theatres at which he worked. He was Artistic Associate of Alberta Theatre Projects helping to found playRites, a national festival of new plays that ran for 27 years. Prior to becoming Artistic Director of Young People’s Theatre (YPT) in 2002, he was Artistic Director of Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg where he worked to revitalize PTE’s national reputation for contemporary theatre. Allen recently retired from YPT after 19 successful seasons focussed on deepening the vital link between innovative, professional theatre and young people’s education and development. In retirement, Allen is keen to volunteer and advocate for affordable housing.

Mexican of Yoeme/Basque heritage, performer, choreographer, and instructor living in Toronto, Norma works in different modalities within the arts blending dance, physical theatre, vocals, percussion, and text with cultural and traditional themes in a contemporary context.Norma has studied with international artists such as Jerzy Grotowski, Eugenio Barba, Natsu Nakajima, Tascabile di Bergamo, Kei Takei, Pol Pelletier, Charles Koroneho, among others. Norma is the co-artistic director of Vanguardia Dance Projects, a collective promoting Latin American and Indigenous dance artists. She holds a master’s degree in Dance Ethnology from York University and she graduated from the Expressive Arts Therapy Program at CREATE Institute. She has a private practice as an Expressive Arts Therapist. Her work has been presented at different venues in Toronto, throughout Ontario, Montreal, Hungary, California, Rochester, NY, New York City, Colombia and throughout Mexico.

Born and raised in Hong Kong and lived in the UK for 4 years, I moved to Toronto at the age of 18 with my family and have been lucky to call it home since. I studied Accounting at University of Toronto, pursued my CPA designation and have been working in the banking industry. I am very excited to join the Board for Moonhorse and learn about the performance art world, something that is completely new to me

Claudia’s dance as well as MOonhORsE’s productions have long been an inspiration to Sandi who dances for fun. She was an eager participant in Claudia’s ‘Dance for All’ community project in 2014-2015, which gave non-professional dancers an opportunity to take to the stage prior to some amazing Older and Reckless performers.

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For more than a decade Sandi has consulted to organizations in various non-profit sectors. She brings the board extensive knowledge of non-profit governance, strategic planning and stakeholder engagement. She recently completed a M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies at York University, and also holds a B. Ed. (University of Toronto) and B.Comm. (University of Guelph).
 
“I am looking forward to helping others discover and experience MOonhORsE’s marvellous, engaging performances. And to celebrating 20 years with all those who’ve been part of this welcoming dance community Claudia has nurtured and cultivated.”

Traversing both dance and theatre, Susie Burpee is a choreographer, performer and teacher. She has been profoundly influenced by the many unbridled dance-theatre artists with whom she has worked over the past 25 years, and she is grateful for the opportunities to continue to work in community. Susie is passionate about teaching dance at a post-secondary level, and in 2020, she furthered her own studies, completing a MA in Theatre, Drama, and Performance Studies (University of Toronto). Susie is currently Artistic Producer of Theatre Direct's Balancing Act, a national initiative to support parents, caregivers, and care needs in the performing arts. 

Amanda’s performance career as a dancer and an actor in theatre, film and television spanned over 30 years. From 2006 – 2019, she was the Executive Director of the Dancer Transition Resource Centre (DTRC), a national, not-for-profit arts service organization with a mandate to help dancers make necessary transitions into, within and from professional performance careers. Throughout her tenure at the DTRC, she contributed her expertise to many major national and international conferences and was a member of the Board of the International Organization for the Transition of Professional Dancers (IOTPD). Amanda acts as an arts consultant, a career transition consultant within and outside the arts community, and is a facilitator/trainer for the Cultural Human Resources Council’s Maintaining Respectful Workplaces in the Arts workshops. She is Chair of the Dance Committee for the Toronto Arts Council and Past Chair of the Board of WorkInCulture.

NICOLA PANTIN is a native of Waterloo, Ontario. She is an independent choreographer, dancer
and instructor based in Toronto. She has worked with numerous choreographers and
companies. Selected: Corpus, Jenn Goodwin, Robert Desrosiers, Hanna Kiel, PBJ Dance, Bill
T. Jones, Gabby Kamino, Siona Jackson, Neesa Kenemy, Mitch Kirsch, Sharon Wong. Selected
choreography credits: Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Young People’s Theatre, the Hogtown
Experience, Kaeja d’Dance, Charlottetown Festival, Shanghai Theatre Academy, George Brown
Dance, La Jolla Playhouse, Harbourfront World Stage, Nuit Blanche, Summerworks,
Springworks, Stratford Summer Music, Theatre New Brunswick, Citadel Theatre, Second City,
Spark/Expect Theatre, Red Barn Theatre, Humber River Shakespeare, Shakespeare in the
Rough, Ffida, Toronto Fringe Festival, Jamii. Awards include two Doras and several nominations
(Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang, RJ Remixed) Nicola currently sits on the board for
Expect Theatre and the Advisory Board for Moonhorse Theatre. Nicola is co artistic director
with husband Adam Nashman for 3degrees. Upcoming: Jesus Christ Superstar at Sheridan
College and The Christie Pitts Riot with the Hogtown Experience. Ongoing: on faculty at George
Brown Dance, Pegasus Studios and Creative Children’s Dance Centre.

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Aria Evans is a queer, Toronto based, West Coast born award winning interdisciplinary artist who’s practice spans dance, theatre and film. As a public speaker, activist and creative leader Aria draws on their experiences of being mixed race. Aria is a certified Intimacy Coordinator and with a large-scale vision, collaboration is the departure point to the choreographic work that Aria creates under their company POLITICAL MOVEMENT. Advocating for inclusion and the representation of diversity, Aria uses their artistic practice to question the ways we can coexist together. www.politicalmovement.ca

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