Tia Kushniruk

Artist

Tia Ashley Kushniruk (亚 女弟) is a Chinese-Ukrainian Queer dance/theatre artist based in ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Amiskwacîwâskahikan) Treaty 6/Métis Territory of Edmonton AB. Since completing the conservatory program at The New Dance Arts Institute (Formerly the School of Toronto Dance Theatre), she has had the pleasure of performing works of Jake W. Hastey (Toy Guns Dance Theatre), Antony Hamilton (CHUNKY MOVE), Benjamin Kamino, Heidi Strauss (adelheid), Christopher House (Toronto Dance Theatre), Shay Kuebler (SK/Radical System Art), Rock Bottom Movement, and Christianne Ullmark touring Nationally from coast to coast and Internationally to China, Colombia, Germany, Austria, Iceland and France.

Kushniruk creates performative fantasies grounded in theories of interculturalism, new-materialism, digital futures and individual myths. She integrates these themes by weaving dance, performance art, physical theatre, and text with collaborative engagements based in devised methodologies. Her work has been presented by Festival Internacional Nomada, the Beijing International Dance Festival, Dancing on the Edge, Fluid Festival, commonGround Arts Festival, Found Festival, Expanse Festival, Mile Zero’s Dance Crush, the New Dance Arts Institute, with upcoming presentations at Tangente Danse and OFFTA in 2026.

She has participated in the One Clown North workshop under John Turner and Naked Empire Buffoon under ‘Natty’ Justanio. She is the first recipient of the Catalyst Theatre Confluence Fellowship, a 2023 EATF recipient and completed a mentorship with Toronto-based Performance Artist Bridget Moser. She holds an MA in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Toronto (2025).