W&M Physical Theatre


		BASIA CZAJKOWSKA Basia Czajkowska is a Warsaw Ballet School graduate. She was awarded a professional dancer's diploma from ZASP, the Polish Stage Artists' Association, and an ongoing scholarship from MODEM, the Italian Contemporary Dance Perfecting Program conducted by Scenario Pubblico and Compagnia Zappala Danza. In addition, she holds a Masters' Degree in Philosophy and a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication Studies. Her professional experience as a dancer includes four years with the Polish Dance Theater, where she performed in most of the repertory choreographed by artistic director Ewa Wycichowska and guest artists. Czajkowska has performed in Poland and abroad, working with such companies as Nomade Fabrik, Teatro del Silenzio and Serge Ricci. Recently, she has begun a continuing association with Italian choreographer Roberto Zappala and his Compagnia Zappala Danza. She has also worked with The Whirls Dance Theater and Stara Prochownia Theater in Warsaw, Poland, where she helped to choreograph several pieces, worked as an assistant choreographer and dance instructor for the local studio for young dancers, and co-organized International Dance Theater Festivals. . Czajkowska has also worked as a private tutor and teacher of dance, yoga and Pilates with diverse levels and age groups, all over Poland. She is a guest artist with Lublin Dance Theatre in Poland. This is her third season with W&M Physical Theatre.

		LISA HERING Growing up in Edmonton, Lisa Hering began her training in classical ballet and modern graham technique at West Edmonton Ballet Academy. She also participated in training programs at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Arts Umbrella in Vancouver, and Springboard Danse Montreal, which is run in conjunction with Julliard. Through her extensive training, Ms. Hering has had the opportunity to work with many renowned choreographers and dance artists, including: Margie Gillis, Jean Grande-Maitre, Grant Strate, Wen Wei Wang, Sabrina Matthews, and Emily Molnar. Hering performed briefly with the Ontario Ballet Theatre before spending a year as a soloist with the Bat Dor Dance Company in Israel and then joining the dancers of the New Israeli Opera Company. Upon moving back to Canada, she was asked to join the Urban Dance Company in Poland for their tour of Wojciech Mochniej’s work “Porcelain Thoughts”. In 2006 she joined W&M Physical Theatre and has performed in their works “Secret Moments”, “Just Po Prostu”, “Painted Bird” and “Journey”. She has also toured with W&M in France, Finland, and Poland over the last two summers. Hering has received numerous scholarships and awards including being honored with the 2006 Hnatyshyn Foundation developing artist grant in contemporary dance. The Hnatyshyn Foundation contemporary dance jury, composed of Brian Webb, Tony Chong and Sylvie Pinard, praised Lisa's strong technique, her versatility in movement styles and her stage presence. In making the award, they said: "Her sense of maturity and potential to be an artist/interpreter rather than just being a 'dancer' is striking." In June 2009, Hering was awarded her BA with distinction from the University of Calgary, where she graduated with a major in Dance and a minor in Architecture. This will be Hering’s fourth season as a member of the W&M Physical Theatre company.

		KELLY MCCANN McCann holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Drama, specializing in contemporary dance performance and choreography, from the University of Calgary; a Bachelor of Arts in Dance (Ballet) from the University of Calgary; and a BA graduate diploma from the School of Alberta Ballet. On a project-to-project basis, McCann is a dance artist for W&M Physical Theatre, under the artistic direction of Melissa Monteros and Wojciech Mochniej, has interpreted for the company for the past three seasons, and has performed their works in Poland, France, Finland, and Calgary. She appears in Just Po Prostu, Painted Bird, and Journey. She is beginning her third season as the coordinator and instructor for the SURGE Company; a youth contemporary dance ensemble under the artistic direction of W&M Physical Theatre. McCann is also a dance artist for m-body: Mind + Music in Motion, under the artistic direction of Davida Monk, and is currently interpreting for Monk in a three-year multi-media dance project. She is an instructor at the University of Calgary, as well as for Freehouse Dance Plus and eko Dance projects. McCann’s choreographic works have been presented in Dance Explosions, the Fluid Movement Arts Festival, Nextfest, Dance Montage, The Art Gallery of Calgary, The University of Calgary’s Dance @ Night and the Urban Dance Project MFA Dance Concert. McCann has received Alberta Foundation for the Arts Dance Grants, a University of Calgary Performance Studies Graduate Award, a Vancouver Foundation for the Arts Award, a Banff Arts Centre Dance Scholarship and the Nordan Fine Arts Award in Forth Worth, Texas. In 2008 McCann was awarded a grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts to study in Vienna, Austria, at the ImPulsTanz International Dance Festival.



		HILARY MAXWELL Hilary Maxwell began her formal dance training at the University of Calgary where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance (2002) and a Master of Fine Arts in Drama with a specialization in Performance and Choreography (2007). Maxwell has trained in Austria, Finland, France, and Poland where she toured with W&M Physical Theatre in 2001. She received support from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts to attend ImPulsTanz in Vienna where she studied with David Zambrano, Andrew Harwood, DD Dorvillier and Marion Ballester. Maxwell’s training and work with Davida Monk, Melissa Monteros and Wojciech Mochniej have had a notable influence on her development as a dance artist. Her choreography has been presented in the University of Calgary’s Dance @ Night, The Art Gallery of Calgary’s First Thursdays, the Urban Dance Project MFA Concert, the HiFi Club, Alberta Dance Explosions Festival and SURGE Company performance. Maxwell is a guest choreographer and teacher for Alberta Dance Theatre for Young People and the SURGE Company. She has danced in the works of Jason Stroh, Neah Kalcounis, Michèle Moss, Sharon Moore, Melissa Monteros and Wojciech Mochniej (W&M Physical Theatre), and Davida Monk (M-Body). Maxwell is a sessional instructor at the Universtiy of Calgary and is in her third season with Dancers’ Studio West as the Artistic Associate.

		DAVIDA MONK Davida Monk began her dance career with Le Groupe de la Place Royale of Ottawa. In addition to dancing and making work for the company, Monk served as Assistant Artistic Director and, with Artistic Director Peter Boneham, helped to develop Le Groupe Dance Lab. Since 1985, Monk’s works have been seen in Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, Vancouver, and at the Canada Dance Festival. Her work has been presented in Gdansk, Warsaw, and Helsinki. She has danced the works of more than 20 choreographers, including those of Tonya Lockyer, Rachel Browne, Louise Bedard, Serge Bennathan, Tedd Robinson, Benoit LaChambre, Harold Rheaume, Tassy Teekman, Ruth Cansﬁeld and Peter Boneham. Monk’s training began with Peter Boneham. The Mitzvah Technique, a dynamic development of the Alexander Technique, under the direction of Amelia Itcush has had a profound inﬂuence on Monk. Training with Richard Bull, Maggie Black, Zena Rommett, Irene Dowd, Min Tanaka, Tonya Lockyer, and Richard Armstrong, as well as the Pilates Method and Shauno Romano of Love2Move athletic coaching have also inﬂuenced Monk’s development as a dance artist. Monk has taught most notably at Le Groupe Dance Lab, the Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers, The Dance Collective, School of the Alberta Ballet, Grant MacEwan College, York University, University of Regina, New Dance Horizons, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, and at the Dance Centre and MainDance in Vancouver. In 1996 Monk began teaching in the Faculty of Fine Arts, Program of Dance, at the University of Calgary. Monk has been the recipient of awards for choreographic development and touring from the Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Calgary Regional Arts Foundation, and The Banff Centre. In 2004 Monk founded M-body: mind and music in motion, the organizational vehicle for her creative works. In 2008 Monk was appointed Artistic Director of Calgary's Dancers' Studio West.

		ALANNA K. JONES Ms. Jones received her early dance training from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, where she studied with master teachers Viola Robertson and David Moroni. She moved to Calgary in 1992 and has since enjoyed five seasons as a company member with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, undertaken extensive work and training with Davida Monk Dance (now M-Body), worked for two seasons with Winnipeg’s TRIP dance, and completed numerous independent projects with various talented choreographers, including: Michele Moss; Kim Cooper; Jason Stroh and Tara Wilson. She was part of the original cast of ‘Painted Bird,’ in 1995, and toured the work throughout Poland, Lithuania and Finland as a guest artist with Gdanski Teatr Tanca, now W&M Physical Theatre. Ms Jones returned to perform the new full length work in 2008. She also appeared in W&M’s Collision, Journey, and Fields of Lost Souls. In 2009, she again appeared in W&M Physical Theatre’s work, The Return, at Dance Explosions. Ms. Jones has enjoyed many touring opportunities throughout her career, including: Japan, Chicago, and numerous trans-Canada tours. In 2002, she was the recipient of a $10,000 Canada Council grant to commission solo works from Davida Monk and Ruth Cansfield. ‘Desire and the First Law of Motion’ (choreography: Davida Monk) premiered in 2003. Among the many teachers Jones has had the honor of training with are included master teachers Risa Steinberg, Ruth Cansfield, Arnold Spohr, Pierre-Paul Savoie, Andrew Harwood and Suzanne Linke.