Tentacle Tribe, Ghost: Six dancers are in white and pastel clothing that has ruffles in various places. They are in various positions, all touching each other in one way or another. In the middle, a man has wide legs and another person is perched on his thigh.

Our Team

Photo Credit: Vanessa Fortin

Who We Are

Live Art Dance has been recognized as Atlantic Canada’s premier dance presenter! We present thrilling, contemporary, movement-based art in Halifax at an affordable price. We are committed to furthering both Canada’s role in the world of dance as well as developing Halifax’s artistic scene. We also strive to ensure that these world-renowned productions remain accessible to all.

AboutUs Liliona

Liliona Quarmyne

Artistic Director

Liliona Quarmyne (she/her) has an eclectic background that has taken her through many performance styles on four different continents. From Ghana and the Philippines and now based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), on the unceded and unsurrendered land of the Mi’kmaq people, Liliona is an experienced Artistic Director, curator, dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, and organizer. For the past several years she has concurrently served as the Artistic Director of Kinetic (kineticstudio.ca), and performed and created both as a solo artist and with various companies including the Arrivals Legacy Project, dance Immersion, Kinetic, the International Association of Blacks in Dance, FODAR, Mayworks Kjipuktuk, Prismatic, Festival Antigonish, Zuppa Theatre, Votive Dance, and more. Liliona also has extensive teaching experience and facilitates social justice community programming. The scope of her work is broad, but is particularly focused on the relationship between art and social justice, on the body’s ability to carry ancestral memory, and on the role the performing arts can play in creating change. Liliona loves to work in collaboration and community, and is mom to two wonderful kids.

Megan Blanchard is a white woman with both dark and light highlights in her hair. Her hair is up with her bangs falling down around her face. She looks slightly up at the camera and wears a floral spaghetti strap top. Her office hair is blurred out in the background. The picture is a black and white selfie.

Megan Blanchard

General Manager

Megan Blanchard is a self described creative-analytical person. Holding a Bachelors in Fine Arts  from Guelph University and a Bachelors in Environmental Design from Dalhousie University, Megan went on to complete her Masters in Architecture at the former Technical University of Nova Scotia, now Dalhousie University. Her thesis won the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Gold Medal and she taught in the Department of Architecture as a Masters Student and upon completion of her degree.

She has a passion for communications and digital marketing, with a Diploma in Digital Media from Isabel Hoffman and Associates. Megan has run her independent marketing and communications firm, Work Room, for the past ten years. She has worked as the Production Manager at both Optimize and Soar Magazine, as an Interface Designer for Cyberplex, a Print Designer for Salter Street Films, and was the Creative Director of Multi-media Services at Vantage Communications. She worked as Fred Connor’s brand manager during the height of his popularity. She is an avid tennis player, ranked in Canada at the Masters Level. She has worked at Live Art Dance as the General Manager since 2019, where she is incredibly happy as a jack of all trades and a master of none.

AboutUs Becca

Rebecca Wolfe

Administrator: Communications & Sponsorship

Rebecca Wolfe (she/her) is an emerging theatre maker in Kjipuktuk. She is an actor, freelance producer, arts educator and occasional director. Specializing in physical and devised theatre, she graduated from Humber College’s Theatre Performance Program in 2019. Recently, she participated in the Media Arts Scholarship at The Centre for Arts Tapes where she produced her first art film, Hands. She is the Artistic Producer of her company Alinea Theatre, which premiered her one act play, Penny. You can find her teaching across the HRM at places such as the MacPhee Centre for Learning, Leica Hardy School of Dance and Halifax Regional Arts. Rebecca is the Director of Marketing & Development at Eastern Front Theatre. She has worked as a Producer and Administrator at Shakespeare by the Sea, The Villains Theatre, HomeFirst Theatre, Kick at the Dark Theatre and Live Art Dance. She has received the NSTT Lieutenant Governor Award, Theatre Nova Scotia Award and won the Eastern Front Theatre’s Ten-Minute Play Writing Contest (2013).

Acting: 4.48 Psychosis (Caravan Theatre), Young Company 2020 (Theatre New Brunswick), Penny (Alinea Theatre), PEACE Project (Transitus), Four Hours (Alumnae Theatre),The Nutcracker (Symphony Nova Scotia). Film: Diggstown, Trailer Park Boys, Mr. D. Direction & Choreography: Elf The Musical (Chrysalis Choreo, Neptune Theatre) The Movements (Asst. Director & Choreo, Zuppa Theatre), Shakespeare’s Time Machine (Co-Director, The Villains Theatre), Observatory Mansions & Zomblet (Asst. Director & Movement, The Villains Theatre), High School Musical on Stage & Elf The Musical Jr. (Direction & Choreographer, Halifax Regional Arts).

Board of Directors

Live Art Dance wishes to thank the volunteer work and the ongoing input from our Board of Directors.

The Board’s role in setting the culture and values of our company relating to matters of sponsorship, fundraising, governance, performance, ethics, integrity, legal compliance, transparency and responsiveness is invaluable to our day to day operations.

Executive

Kevin Schwenker – Chair
Antonios Diab – Vice Chair
Sheila Strong – Past Chair
Sonia Afroz – Treasurer
Jacob Huffman – Secretary

Board Members

Soumya Markandeya
Ranjit Singh
Valerie Bachynsky
Anne Pryde
Angela Bishop