Brenda Diabo is a multi discipline artist based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her practice includes sewing/costume design, one of a kind jewellery creation, and Ikebana. She has had her work shown at NSCCD, and at a variety of galleries locally and in Toronto.
Barbara is a member of the Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk) nation of Kahnawake. She now resides in Montreal, where she is the artistic director and choreographer for A’nó:wara Dance Theatre. Recipient of the Clifford E. Lee Choreographic Award 2025 from the Banff Centre, she has been a choreographer and performer for over 30 years, creating shows that bring Indigenous themes, stories, and perspectives to light. Her dance show, Sky Dancers, won Outstanding Touring Production (Dora Mavor Moore Awards 2022) and she was the recipient of the prestigious Prix de la danse de Montréal 2021 for most notable dancer of the year. Diabo takes pride in sharing her culture and performs across Canada and internationally. Her work has been seen at the National Arts Centre, Festival Quartiers Danse, Prismatic Arts Festival, Native Earth Performing Arts, Matriarchs Uprising, FODAR, Le Diamant, Waterproof Festival (France), and beyond.
Barbara also collaborates with several organizations with whom she helps educate populations, create “safe spaces” and support Indigenous artists around the world. Diabo performs and creates for generations to come, to honour, for her ancestors, for a sense of community, for those who cannot dance, to inspire, to communicate, to encourage cultural pride, and to uplift spirits.
Simik Komaksiutiksak is an Inuk artist from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut and now resides in Montreal. Their passion for dance emerged at an early age, later gravitating towards dance and circus arts. Simik learned most of their dance training in Ottawa, and began performing arts during their teen years. Simik is a contemporary dancer, circus artist, and a choreographer. Simik has appeared on the APTN documentary-series “Pulse”, modelled at the Indigenous Fashion Arts festival in Toronto, and tours with Anowara Dance Theatre. Simik is the artistic director of the "Anxiety", a contemporary dance production that explores generational trauma and healing through dance. Simik now works for The Arctic Rose Foundation as the Guest Artist Lead, where they teach dance, creative movement and expressive arts to youth all over Inuit Nunangat as apart of the Messy Book Program. Simik also teaches indigenous youth in the city through the Watershed Dance program and Tupic Act.
Marshall is an award-winning Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk)/mixed-heritage competitive dancer/choreographer who performs with dance troupes and as a soloist. He has been dancing powwow and urban dance styles for over 10 years, on stage and in film. Marshall also teaches dance regularly and coaches a competitive dance team. He has been seen dancing at Battery Dance Festival (New York, NY), Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, the Olympic Stadium, on television, Montreal Pride, and various other festivals. He was invited to perform as a dancer with renowned Indigenous cellist, Cris Derksen. He was the subject of a documentary on TV about inspiring young First Nation’s children; danced in the new documentary series on Aboriginal People’s Television Network (APTN), PULSE; and has danced in Radio Canada’s Le Grand Solstice. He is also an instructor, mentor, and choreographer in the Indigenous teen dance program Watershed, as he believes it is important to pass on knowledge to the next generations. He takes pride in being 2-spirited and queer and hopes to inspire other youth to be proud of who they are and to go for their dreams.
Gregg toured extensively as an onstage performer before turning his focus to production. Since then, Gregg has significant experience managing, directing and producing for a variety of cultural organisations. Whether establishing a still flourishing annual performing arts festival or participating in the planning and production of international museum projects or creating award-winning performing arts productions, Gregg has accumulated a wealth of experience.
Among the notable accomplishments are international Museum projects in Portugal, Belgium, Canada and the USA; Directing the operations of Montreal’s les 7 Doigts during their first 5 years; working with Berlin’s Chamaleon Theater producing original shows under their banner; and Creative Producing, then Producing on tour, LEO, awarded the BEST of EDINBURGH Award from among 2,600 productions and which has gone on to be presented in over 40 countries around the world.
Currently, Gregg directs the operations of Y2D Productions Inc., a Montreal based production company, working with a variety of artists to develop original shows and tour them internationally. Gregg has had the honour, and pleasure, of collaborating with Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, and A’nó:wara Dance Theatre, since 2020.
Charlotte is a projection designer and animator who works in theatre, dance, and live events. Some credits include; Sakura (Centaur Theatre), Soutensions (TCM), Extra/Beautiful/You (Infinithéâtre) and Assistant Video Design for Hamlet 911 (Stratford Festival). Charlotte was nominated for both Outstanding Emerging Artist and Outstanding Video Design at the 2025 META awards.
Charlotte does not include AI-generated content in this production.
Beatriz Pantojo is a Montreal-based producer, coordinator, and multidisciplinary circus artist with over a decade of experience in the performing arts. She has collaborated with internationally recognized companies such as Cirque du Soleil, The 7 Fingers, Circus Cirkör, and Cirk La Putyka, gaining strong insight into large-scale artistic production environments.
Her management experience spans Canada and Brazil, including projects with the École nationale de cirque, 100lux, Y2D Productions, and the Rojo Nova exhibition. She has led logistics, budgeting, scheduling, and administrative coordination for festivals, tours, and exhibitions. Beatriz currently works as a producer coordinator with Anowara Dance Theatre, bringing a structured, efficient, and detail-oriented approach to production and artist coordination.
Kim Wheeler is a Mohawk/Anishinaabe kwe who has brought positive Indigenous stories to the mainstream and Indigenous media since 1993. She is the executive producer of Words and Culture, a national Indigenous language radio/podcast series with an all-Indigenous team of hosts and producers. She is also the host/producer or writer of several audio and TV shows including The Juno Awards, Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and
Reconciliation, The Kim Wheeler Show, Turtle Island Talks, Auntie Up!, and The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund’s A Day to Listen. She is currently part of the Pimootayowin Creators Circle and is writing a play with her husband Jordan Wheeler.
From the George Gordon First Nation in southern Saskatchewan, Canada, Jordan Wheeler’s been writing professionally since 1982 and working in film and television since 1984. Among his numerous credits are the books Digital Ogichida, Brothers In Arms and Just A Walk and as a scriptwriter and story editor the series North of 60 and as a scriptwriter/producer the series renegadepress.com and Arctic Air. Wheeler’s been nominated for and won numerous awards including a scriptwriting Gemini for an episode of renegadepress.com. Of late Wheeler is contributing to a number of projects in various stages of development. He also remains active in the literary community through spoken word appearances, instructing and participating as a cohort in this year’s Pimootayowin Creator’s Circle with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. When not writing he edits books, tells stories and plays golf. He lives in Winnipeg with his wife Kim.
