Katya is a co-founder the festival. Originally from the Russian Far East, Katya moved to Anchorage, Alaska in 1996 and enjoyed an active career as a performer, choreographer and educator while on faculty at the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Alaska Anchorage. In 2007, she co-produced the first Dance Together Alaska Festival to help build an active network between dance communities state-wide. Since moving to Toronto, Canada in 2009 and earning a Master of Fine Arts in Dance Dramaturgy and Choreography, she has worked as an independent artist, educator and cultural producer. She has developed and facilitated mixed abilities dance programs for Wheel Dance, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Sarah Elizabeth Centre and various retirement communities in the GTA. As the founder of Dance Together Project, she creates positive dance experiences for adult learners. katyakuznetsova.com

Shakkoi aka Need Some Koi is a dancer, author and spoken word poetry artist. Her business Floetry Fitness focuses on creating spaces for movement and poetry and has been seen on Breakfast Television's Movin in the Mornings, as well as at the Nia Centre, Black Women in Motion and the City of Pickering. Shakkoi's unique, raw, inviting and powerful presence encourages many to "Release their Doubts & Step Out!". With plenty of experiences to share, there is no doubt that everyone needs some Koi in their lives! Shakkoi has been with the Dance Together Festival since 2021 both as a dance artist and Master of Ceremonies. https://www.needsomekoi.com/about-koi

Natalie Very B. is a Polish-Canadian illustrator, muralist, and Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying). She is currently concluding her studies at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute (TATI) in pursuit of a graduate diploma in Art Therapy. Having grown up in a country with a strong patriarchal regime and an obvious system of inequality, she strives to use her art to educate people about the importance of anti-oppressive practices. Her bold and bright murals depicting the themes of nature and modern female empowerment can be found all across Ontario. She makes public art with the goal of changing preconceived notions of feminism by promoting self-love and body neutrality in the world. She painted her first mural at the OCAD building in 2015 and has fallen in love with working large scale ever since. natalieveryb.com

Kate Nankervis is a co-founder of the festival. Dancing is a constant source of inspiration for Kate - Through performance, installation, exhibition and research-led collaborations, she works towards making uplifting dance experiences essential and transformative to physical and mental health, community care and placemaking. She has worked at City of Toronto’s Nuit Blanche and ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art, transforming civic spaces into artistic spaces, and DoorTODoor Dances, delivering dances to various LongTerm care residents and senior groups often living in isolation. She continues to perform, teach and collaborate with other artists and choreographers from across Canada and internationally for more than 15 years. Kate lives in Etobicoke/ Tkaranto. @kate_nankervis

Mirna Chacín is a Venezuelan-born Canadian visual artist passionate about people and telling their stories through photography. Her artwork reflects on concepts around loss and grief, uprooting, belonging and people's traditions through the engagement of communities from a perspective of diversity and inclusion. Mirna has received grants from Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Art Council, and the RBC access found by Toronto Art Foundation. She is also very proud of being awarded the Community Impact award by the Mennonite New Life Centre of Toronto for her outstanding volunteering contributions and telling the stories of newcomer inclusion through photography. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Mirna has been working on a poetic Memorial devoted to loss and grief in pandemic times called Elegy for Souls on Hold with the support of ArtworxTO, the year of the city's public art 2021-2022 of Toronto; exhibited once as part of the collective "Homeland, Bodies of Water." She is a member of CARFAC Ontario, Bereavement Ontario Networking, Arts Etobicoke and gallery 44. mirnachacin.com

Jahmal Nugent (AKA Ninjahmal) is a self-taught photographer and creative. Ninjahmal’s passion lies in capturing profound, overlooked moments. After receiving his first camera several years ago, he felt empowered to fully pursue his artistic dreams. Ninjahmal experiments with diverse types of photography; however, he primarily draws joy and motivation from capturing the ephemeral moments that seldom get noticed. Ninjahmal’s creative process varies based on the project or whatever creative idea he is envisioning. This innovative process can range from having every aspect planned out with a team supporting project creation, or it may require visiting particular spaces and places multiple times to capture the perfect shot. Other than his camera, Ninjahmal primarily depends on found objects and affordable materials to realize his artistic vision. ninjahmal.com