This practice explores Queer, Trans, and Gender Non-Conforming embodiment through curiosity, creativity, and community. Rooted in Dreamwalker Dance’s Conscious Bodies Practice (Andrea Nann, Artistic Director), we invite participants into a shared space of connection and resilience.Through movement, sound, writing, image-making, and relational activities, we foster agency, presence, and celebration. The approach is person- and community-centered, with a strong focus on collective exploration and co-creation. Participants leave with a deeper sense of the dancing artist within, and a strengthened relationship to their body and community. Produced in partnership with Dreamwalker Dance Company with generous support from Canada Council for the Arts.
Workshop Facilitators:
Sid Ryan Eilers (they/them) - @eilers.dance.theatre
Chase Lo (they/them) – @yeschaselo
Kelsi James (she/they) – @kelsilindajames
Shannon Kitchings (she/they) – @shannonkitchings
Danielle Denichaud – @lightonhealth
Andrea Nann (she/her/they) -@dreamwalkerdance
When: Sundays, June 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd
Where: Main Studio at 366 Adelaide East
Time: 3:30pm-4:45pm
Investment: Sliding Scale - $5, $10 or $15
About Sid
Sid Ryan Eilers (they/them) is an award winning dance artist, choreographer, mentor, and educator with a 25-year career spanning Canada, Europe, and New York. Their work is driven by a curiosity about choreography’s role in social change, exploring themes of identity, land-based practice, and community connection through movement.
Eilers studied at York University’s dance program, graduating in 2004, and toured extensively with Motus O Dance Theatre from 2002 to 2006. They co-founded Lightning Strike Art Productions, performing and teaching in Brooklyn and Dresden. In 2014, they established Aeris Körper Contemporary Dance, creating over 18 immersive site-specific works and founding PROSPECTS and HERE&NOW, an annual dance festival in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2024, they transitioned out of Aeris Körper to focus on their independent artistic practice.
As the founder of EILERS Dance Theatre, Eilers creates performances that center Trans and Queer identity, spirituality, and land-based practices. Their solo dance theatre work, Kiss The Stormy Sky, will tour Ontario and British Columbia in 2025. They are also the creator of TRANScendARTS, a dance and arts program supporting gender-nonconforming children.
Eilers has trained at ImPulsTanz and COLOURS International Dance Festival, held residencies at Banff Centre and Crow’s Theatre. A dedicated educator, they teach at Canada’s National Ballet School and mentor emerging artists. Their teaching approach is rooted in technical excellence, creativity, and inclusivity, empowering dancers to explore movement as a form of expression, activism, and transformation.