Light and Motion

2011 Instructors

Brandon Tyson

Brandon was first introduced to the manipulative arts in fall of 2005. Poi began his passionate journey and relentless obsession with the movement arts. He soon branched into many other art forms such as staff and contact juggling. He also brought back a new art form to his community from Costa Rica known as Buugeng. Brandon has many creative dreams to achieve new levels of movement arts that can be shared and taught to the world including the creation of music through movement. Upon joining the group Vibe Tribe he was introduced to whole new perspective of learning through separation of ego. This catapulted his creative capabilities and motivated him see past his own skills and focus on the communities skills. From this new perspective the Design Your Flow concept was born. Now his primary focus is to create a global profiling and teaching system, including the most comprehensive resource for all movement artists.

Schuyler Snowdon

A multi-disciplinary circus artist. He currently works independently and with the National Stiltwalkers of Canada, the group with whom he trained. He has walked in the sun, the rain, the wind and even over mud, snow and ice and works to push his balance and abilities on the stilts as far as they will go. He can be found at SnowCircus.ca

Jams from Orbital Flame

Jams first was inspired to hoop after a watching a friends homemade hooping video on youtube. She created her very first hoop, played in the yard for hours on end, and found a healthy addiction that eventually wore out a hole in the grass. Along with this passion, she fell into a community of fire spinners in Southern Alberta and her passion for fire, hoops, and performance grew very quickly. She has performed with ‘Orbital Flame’ at music festivals, summer camps, and other celebrations and events around Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC. She also recently had the opportunity to fire hoop in the fire conclave at Burning Man 2010. Being self-taught, she focuses on unique parts of hoop dance which individualize herself as a hoop teacher.

Daniel Musashi

Fascinated by the martial arts from a young age, Daniel Tamagi discovered their merit as a form of dance and self expression rather than a fighting style soon after being introduced to the flow arts in 2005. Immediately addicted to not only the practice of prop manipulation, but the culture surrounding it, Daniel quickly sought out others who shared his passion of spinning.

He is an active member of the prop spinning community, and is the founder of Sound & Motion, a fire and prop performers club at the University of Alberta.Specializing in staff and sabres, he now performs under the stage name FloWarrior as he works to establish himself as one of Edmonton's top fire performers.

Ryan Pilling

Starting in magic and improvisation both over a decade ago, the two skills have been intertwined in Ryan's performances to create a comedy magic show that never quite comes out the same way twice. He creates a highly interactive show that relies as much on audience volunteers as on the rehearsed tricks. He also performs weekly with the Improv Guild in Calgary, creating a brand new show from scratch every night

Chantal

Obsessed with hooping since the summer of 2009, Chantal has created a style based on funky breaks and trick after trick. She loves to teach and spread the hoop love.

Tedward

Tedward is a founder of the North American Fire Arts Association. He's spent the last 10 years interfacing with Fire Safety Officers, the NFPA, and performers in an attempt to gather safety concerns and to squash the various myths and blunders in the fire spinning world. Some of his qualifications include: volunteer fireman, 10-years making fire performance tools, 8-year member of the SAFFE council, Hollywood stuntman, 9-year veteran shin of the Burningman fire conclave, and owner of one of the largest talent management companies for fire performers and circus arts.

Tyler Doucette

Tyler is a self-developed motion artist currently working within the realm of sphere manipulation and dance. He is inspired to integrate Somatic embodiment techniques with these disciplines to create a holistic practice on the principles of flow and self exploration. Sourced from a variety of elemental experiences from his expeditions domestically and internationally, Tyler´s performance is an expression of and meditation on the subtle geometry of nature. This year Tyler will be working with the more advanced contact jugglers at light and motion.

Zan and Aurora

Together they have a total of 16 years of poi between them. They have given shows all over the world, taught workshops and retreats, and even organized their own 24,000km stage-show tours. The duo is well know for their partner poi routines. Zan is the creator of "The Encyclo-Poi-dia" DVD series. The west coast festival "Pacific Fire Gathering" is their offspring. They love to play and to create community. Their vibrant energy is contagious, and it's coming your way.

Nina Infinity Eve

Nina Infinity has been has been dancing for most of her life. Dancing is her way of stilling the mind and connecting with her inner artist. She discovered prop dance 4 years ago and has been hooping ever since! Nina believes in the power of movement to boost energy and feelings of bliss. Her passion for dance ignites classes and workshops with inspiration and positivity.

Jeffrey Olynek

A Light and Motion favorite, for over a decade Jeff Olynek has lived and breathed fire performance. He has taken on the world performing in places such as Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Key West. Trained with Barbara Kozicki and the Canadian Fire, Flag and Poi Association as well as many Cirque do Soleil performers.

Jeff is known for breathing new style into poi with movements inspired by both club swinging and modern dance, making his act is highly theatrical. His classes are always packed with smiling faces, this will be Jeff's 3rd year teaching at the Light and Motion Festival.

Check him out his IMDB
or on facebook

Cary Lam

Her passion for circus arts started when she was working and traveling around the world for about 4 years. She studied aerial arts and poi in Australia, London and Edinburgh. When she returned to Canada in 2009, she continued her pursuits and passion in circus arts. Recently, she just learned how to juggle, play with diabolo and hula hoop. She currently teaches aerial classes in the evenings at Calgary Circus Studio.

Carisa Hendrix

Miss Hendrix has spent years building hers skill in the art of fire eating, creating new trick combinations and grander more innovative fire stunts. With her background in education and entertainment as well as her work researching and producing North America's first instructional DVD on Fire Eating she is the currently one of the leading instructors in her field.

Jessie Q

World traveler, dedicated movement artist and beautiful spirit. Jessie Quon is on the world stage of contact juggling and she is bringing all that talent home to Calgary for her 3rd year at the Light and Motion Festival.

Miss Quon began her education in yoga and traditional Asian massage modalities in 1997. Everything from Breema and Traditional Thai Massage, to the completion of two diplomas of Acupressure in the Shiatsu and Jin Shin Do. Her interest in movement arts and prop manipulation have always added an element of playfulness to her work. The result is a deep understanding of the human body-mind energy system and a set of tools that she integrates seamlessly with the ease and grace of a dancer.

Check her out at the Creative Body Temple

Our Festival

Light and Motion is a unique, once a year, experience. Your chance to learn new prop manipulation and circus skills from the best and be surrounded by an amazing, warm and inspiring community of like minded individuals.