Residency
Cross Play
Apr 16, 2026 | 7:00PM
Youngplace
CURATOR
Guest Curator Model
“The best way to know each other is to be together. The only way for art to flourish is to do it.” – Curator Maxine Heppner
Thursday April 16
7pm & 9pm
180 Shaw Street
In gaming, CrossPlay refers to the ability for players on different systems to come together and play simultaneously, expanding possibilities and creating new shared worlds.
In that spirit…
Curator Maxine Heppner created CrossPlay as a 2 month exploratory residency for dance and live music artists to be in the game of creating shared worlds.
Maxine has facilitated, from an open call, dance-music partnerships of artists curious about the infinite possibilities within their chosen collaborations.
The artists are a cohort who are curious about how sound and movement live in their forms and influence each other, excited to connect with other artists across disciplines, across generations, across backgrounds, and open to open to experimentation, dialogue and discovery.
In a culminating event, the artists will share their discoveries.
From Curator Maxine Heppner:
”It’s a pleasure to be in the studios with these 30 gifted artists and their curiosities and approaches. The 9 groups have each found convergences, each group following its own course, some digging into expressiveness, some expanding ways of interacting, some riffing on themes, images. Working from knowledge, experience, sensation, inspiration, each partnering is original.”
7pm sharing in Intergalactic Studio:
– Alicia Grant, Aisha Sasha John, George Stamos + Ali Massoudi
– Chantelle Mostacho, Ori Chacon + Fedor Bondar
– Rachana Joshi + Luis Anselmi
– Mafa Makhubalo + Honey Paw
– Oriah Wiersma + Grace Scheele
9pm sharing in Small World Music:
– David Norsworthy-Shibatani, Rakeem Hardy, Patrick O’Reiley + Just Prince
– Rumi Jeraj, DIVKA + Ooldouz Pouri
– Pulga Muchochoma, Newton Moraes, Andrea Kuzmich + Shalva-Lucas Makharashvili
– Brianna Maltais, Tarek Ghriri + Gandhaar Amin
Sign up for one (or both!) events to experience CrossPlay!
cUratOr & Artists
Maxine Heppner
Curator Maxine Heppner is a dance & inter-medial artist & educator known for her dedication to collaboration and community building since the 1970’s.
Alicia Grant
Alicia Grant is a dance, performance, video and installation artist.
Aisha Sasha John
Aisha Sasha John is a performer, choreographer and poet.
George Stamos
George Stamos is a celebrated Montreal-based transdisciplinary dance artist and filmmaker, acclaimed for genre-crossing works.
Ali Massoudi
Ali Massoudi is an Iranian-born percussionist, composer, and educator based in Canada
Chantelle Mostacho
Chantelle Mostacho (she/her) is a Filipino-Canadian multidisciplinary dance artist bridging street dance and contemporary concert forms
Ori Chacon
Ori Chacón is a singer, songwriter and healing arts facilitator, co-creator of Sonic Breath
Fedor Bondar
Fedor Bondar is a multi-instrumentalist and live-looping artist, co-creator of Sonic Breath
Rachana Joshi
Rachana Josh i is an independent dance artist based in Tkaronto. She completed her Bharatanatyam arangetram under the tutelage of Lata Pada in 2017 and is currently a company dancer and teacher at Sampradaya Dance Centre.
Luis Anselmi
Luis Anselmi blends Venezuelan roots and world music, performing with GRATITUD to create vibrant, rhythmic, uplifting Latin-World sounds
Mafa Makhubalo
Mafa Makhubalo is a Movement Poet trained in folk forms from the Regions of African tradition, Southern African contemporary, and Western-Contemporary.
Honey Paw
Honeypaw’s vision is to explore the connection between Finnic and Baltic cultures to create rich and enchanting soundscapes.
Oriah Wiersma
Oriah Wiersma is a multidisciplinary dance artist and actor based in Tkaronto.
Grace Scheele
Grace Scheele is an unconventional electroacoustic harpist and composer noted for her innovative take on experimental and ambient forms.
David Norsworthy-Shibatani
David Norsworthy-Shibatani is a dance artist, choreographer, and artistic director. His work deals with improvisation, co-creation, dialogue, and transformation.
Rakeem Hardy
Rakeem Hardy is a dance artist, creator, and educator. They received their BFA from Purchase College, SUNY, and currently dance with Kidd Pivot.
Patrick O’Reiley
Patrick O’Reilly is a composer, artist, and community-driven fixture in the Toronto creative music scene.
Just Prince
Toronto-based singer-songwriter Just Prince blends Western and Eastern traditions through genre-defying, soulful songwriting and experimental expression.
Rumi Jeraj
Rumi Jeraj is an Ismailli muslim hailing from Sherwood Park Alberta.
DIVKA
DIVKA uses folk songs from Ukrainian and global women’s music-making traditions
Ooldouz Pouri
Ooldouz Pouri is a Toronto based Iranian singer who has implemented her voice in Azeri, Persian folklore songs.
Pulga Muchochoma
Pulga Muchochoma, Dance artist born and raised in Mozambique and founder of Pulga Dance based in Toronto.
Newton Moraes
Newton Moraes is a Brazilian/Canadian choreographer and movement director blending contemporary dance, storytelling, and cultural rhythms for stage and screen.
Andrea Kuzmich
Singer/guitarist Andrea Kuzmich’s signature style is to tickle the listeners’ senses into an irresistible, groove-driven experience.
Shalva-Lucas Makharashvili
Shalva-Lucas Makharashvili is a Toronto-based vocalist specializing in Georgian polyphony, performer, workshop leader, and cultural ambassador blending tradition with jazz.
Brianna Maltais
Brianna is a tap dance-based artist whose work explores textural soundscapes, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and fosters opportunities for youth in her hometown of Barrie.
Tarek Ghriri
An awards nominee for Canadian and Ontario Folk Music Awards.
Flamenco and fretless guitarist with over 22 years of experience in the music industry
Gandhaar Amin
Gandhaar Amin is a music composer and producer, known for his innovative reimagining of the Indian fusion music genre.
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Youngplace is a fully accessible building and both studios are wheelchair accessible.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
Please contact us about audio description.
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