The Disability Collective at Luminato in the Square
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[Image Description: The Disability Collective at Luminato in the Square graphic, featuring an image of the main stage at David Pecaut Square with an audience member holding up their phone taking a video of the performance on stage. There is a purple gradient overtop of the image, which is fully opaque at the bottom and gets more transparent as it travels upward. At the top right of the graphic is The Disability Collective logo, featuring the company name in black font inside of a black rectangular box against a coral swatch of water colour paint. At the bottom of the image are the words “The Disability Collective at Luminato in the Square” in white capital letters. Underneath are the words “June 16” and “David Pecaut Square, 215 King Street West, Toronto” in white with a thin white line separating the text. To the right are the words “Pop-Up Market | Street Art, 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Performance Showcase, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM” in white. In the bottom right corner is the TD logo in green and the Luminato Festival Toronto logo in white]
The Disability Collective is thrilled to be taking over Luminato in the Square on Sunday, June 16 to showcase and celebrate the best of Toronto’s disability arts community! This multidisciplinary event will consist of a variety show featuring disabled artists in a variety of art forms, including music, dance, drag, and more, a pop-up artisan market highlighting handmade goods made by disabled artisans, and a disabled street artist creating a brand-new canvas work live! Don’t miss this one-day event celebrating crip joy!
1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Pop-Up Market
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Street Art
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Performance Showcase
Check out the incredible lineup of artists and vendors featured at this event below!
ASL Vlog
Accessibility:
ASL interpretation will be available.
An Access Tent will be onsite with staff and volunteers to assist, along with access kits. Sighted Guides and ASL Volunteers will also be available throughout the festival. Please review our Access Guide for more information.
A Relaxed Tent will be available every day for anyone who needs a quieter space.
There will be an AODA viewing platform in front of the main stage.
Although Luminato in the Square is being held fully outdoors, we encourage and support those who continue to wear masks to protect themselves and their community from COVID-19.
Pop-Up Market | 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
BE WELL BY
MJBOUEY
[Image Description: A light grey background with centred uppercase bold font “BE WELL”. Directly centred below in small font is “BY MJBOUEY”]
GOOD LOOKS
ARTISTRY
[Image Description: On a clean white background, thin black letters spell out 'GLA', A single black line extends through the middle of each letter, connecting them seamlessly, followed by three equally spaced black dots arranged horizontally in a row beneath the letters]
NEON BIRCH
WORKS
[Image Description: The Neon Birch Works logo is rectangular in pink, black and purple featuring the words 'Neon Birch Works' in a beaded pattern created digitally]
RAD HABITS
CRAFTS
[Image Description: The Rad Habits Crafts Logo. An illustrated pink skull wearing thick rimmed white sunglasses on a black background. White text underneath the skull reads “Rad Habits”]
SEYMOUR'S
PRINT SHOP
[Image Description: Logo for Seymour’s Print Shop. Features an illustration of a black and white tuxedo cat with green eyes, laying next to a framed photo of a purple fish. “Seymour’s” is written in large curly font, and “print shop” is written in a basic smaller font style below. A light purple circle is in the background behind everything, creating a base for the logo]
THE
BIFECTA
[Image Description: A white background with text that reads, "The BiFecta" in a cursive font in the bisexual flag colours and a black underline]
Street Art | 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
[Image Description: A headshot of Danielle Hyde, an Indigenous woman with light skin, shoulder length dark hair, and brown eyes]
DANIELLE HYDE
Danielle is an Indigenous multi-disciplinary artist with a disability. Weaving at intersections of place-making, place-keeping and futurisms, their work explores dialogues between disability arts and Indigenous identity.
Their work spans multiple mediums: murals, installation, painting, mixed-media, photography and performance. Anchoring this complex range is a practice that centers Art’s fundamental generosity and agency. Within collaborative approaches, interconnection between all beings; seen and unseen, is honoured together in co-creative chorus.
Situated by reciprocity, we ‘re-member’ ourselves as 4-dimensional beings and convene in greater ethical relationality with all to humanize understandings of wellness, re-story value, and imagine decolonized, inclusive communities with Art.
Performance Showcase | 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
[Image Description: A photo of Gaitrie Persaud-Killings with her daughter, Aria Persaud]
GAITRIE PERSAUD-KILLINGS
& ARIA PERSAUD
Gaitrie is the founder of Phoenix the Fire, a theatre & film hub that supports Deaf artists to discover their talents and to provide ASL theatre & film interpretation services. She has been strongly active in the Tkaronto theatre community for almost 13 years.
Over the years, her solo performances and collaborations have toured nationally and internationally. Gaitrie has been involved in Nickelodeon Jr. show Blue’s Clues and You (the Deaf librarian Camila) and CBC kid show Silly Paws (Simmi). Her new show, which was recently released, is called Canada: The Squeaky Wheel, and Gaitrie plays the character Arianna, the lead anchor.
Aria is a 7 years old actress and she has bright green eyes. She follows in her mother Gaitrie’s footsteps.
Aria looks forward to getting involved in more theatre shows. Her favourite hobby is dancing and reading books. Aria dreams big to have her own TV show like her mama and to be dancer.
[Image Description: A photo of Jaideep Goray, who is smiling at the camera and wearing a black shirt against a white background]
JAIDEEP GORAY
As an artist, Jaideep has worked with some hearing performers creating accessible performances. Most recently, he worked alongside Christopher Corsini of MDL CHLD and has performed with Deaf Spectrum and Buddies in Bad Time Theatre. He performed in Indian Folk Tales as the ASL narrator and performed at the Indian Folk Dance Culture Festival with Mona Jean of ASL Carabert, LA, and has been involved with different theatres for 3 years including performing as Monsieur Richard Firmin in Phantom of the Opera, directed by well-known Deaf director Jules Dameron from LA. He joined the artist Gaitrie Persaud’s experimental project “Splitting the Lens” with two Deaf actors and three hearing actors, was a Deaf Interpreter for Lillies, and was an ASL drag performer at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. He has worked as a Deaf Interpreter for Soulpepper Theatre, SKETCH Working Arts, The Bentway, and the AGO, and was the Deaf Consultant for “Faith of Act” at Factory Theatre. He interpreted for the main hearing role in “Ladies and Gentlemen and Boys and Girls” with Roseneath Theatre. Recently, he narrated the ASL story of the life of Lord Ganesh as part of the Hindu Culture Festival with Luminato Festival. He has joined a team with Gaitrie Persaud, the founder of Phoenix the Fire, a theatre hub for QTIBPOC Deaf artists. Jaideep has joined Gaitrie to advocate for the QTIBPOC Deaf community and bridge the gap between Deaf actors and hearing actors in the artistic world.
[Image Description: A woman photographed from the chest up, with wet blonde hair and blue eyes with water on her skin, has her arms lifted beside her head as she runs her hands through her hair. She is wearing a black sports bra in a dark blue setting with water reflections on the wall]
SADIE CAHILL
Sadie Cahill is a queer Toronto-based dance artist, possessing a versatile performance and creation background both on stage and for film. Sadie holds a BFA degree in Dance from York University, where she was a 2-year member of the York Dance Ensemble. Throughout her performance and choreographic career, Sadie has had the privilege of working with MillO Dance Projects, Let the Elephants Dance, Theatre Oculous, Meaningful Movement, SomethingCreative, The Disability Collective, Garage, Spy Films, and Keoni & Mari Madrid. Between creative projects, Sadie shares her passion and knowledge of movement as a faculty member at City Dance Corps in Toronto teaching contemporary, ballet, and modern-based classes to a wide range of levels and abilities.
TAVIA CHRISTINA
Tavia Christina is a multi-hyphenate artist who embraces their ethereal nature as a driving force in artistic expression and research. Their work seamlessly blends genres across dance, theatre, and performance art. Their practice is rooted in somatic movement and spiritual endurance. With a background spanning Western contemporary dance, street dance, and classical ballet, Tavia also holds interests in various other art forms, including curation, acting, poetry, film, and death work.
[Image Description: A dancer with long brown hair, black tattoos on their arms, and closed eyes poses in a beam of sunlight in a white sundress, with their right arm lifted and bent so their right hand is hovering a few inches above their head and their left arms rests on their lap]
[Image Description: A dancer with bright red curly long hair poses in a black dress with a sunflower pattern, standing in front of a red brick building and a blue sky full of clouds. Their left arm is raised at hip level and bent upwards while their right arms extends towards the side, and they look up to the right corner]
CAILEIGH SULINE
Caileigh has spent most of her life in a dance studio, finding a deep love for performing from a young age. Some highlights include representing Canada at the World Hip Hop Championships in Bremen, Germany, being on the Jr. Raptors Dance Pack, being a company member at Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, and discovering the breadth of modern dance at Etobicoke School of the Arts. She was fortunate to complete an Undergraduate degree at London Contemporary Dance School in the U.K. and credits many of the techniques she learned there at helping develop her own personal movement style. She’s passionate about teaching dance to people with disabilities and values joy, community and inclusion.
[Image Description: A dancer with curly brown long hair wearing white pants and an orange shirt poses outside in front of a textured grey wall. They are facing the right side while they bend backwards towards the left, their arms are raised to chest height, bending towards their face with the right arm slightly higher than the left]
MELISSA MACTAVISH
Melissa MacTavish is a Toronto based dance artist who graduated from George Brown Dance's Certificate and Diploma Programs back in 2019. Melissa has a deep appreciation for contemporary dance and acrobatics. She has participated in numerous dance intensives including b12, The Fifth's Summer Intensive, Toes For Dance, Metamorphosis Dance, and Alias Dance Project. She has performed for Legends of Horror, Nuit Blanche with Beats and Intentions, “We Lost You A Long Time Ago” with Nicole Decsey’s Dance Projects and most recently performed “Listen, this will be fun” by Teagan Ariss for The Garage’s 2023 Showing.
GRACE KINGSTON
Grace Kingston is a Toronto Based, movement artist and educator. Grace has a range of experience in creative, and therapeutic movement techniques, but has always found herself specifically drawn to the freedom, and creativity that contemporary dance has to offer. Grace is currently interested in further exploring inclusivity, accessibility, and human connection through her creative process.
[Image Description: A dancer with long red hair dressed in a long sleeve green bodysuit poses close to the floor in a patio setting outside, with cream walls and green trees in the distance. They are kneeling against a wall as their arms are raised above their head with hands clasped, tilting their upper body away from the wall as they look to the floor]
[Image Description: A curvy, caramel skinned woman in a black sequined mermaid dress smiles at the camera. Her brown hair is softly curled with a blonde streak on one side. She wears a pop of bright red lipstick, and holds white and black ostrich feather fans fanned out behind her back]
IVORY FEATURING GAL FRIDAY
Ivory is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist. A graduate of Randolph College for the Performing Arts, she leads a storied career as a singer, actor, dancer, model, and body positive advocate. An archer, axe thrower, and firebreather, Ivory boasts a bag of tricks which is sure to wow any crowd! Since being crowned Miss Canada Plus 2007, Ivory has continued her activism as a Plus Sized Entertainer and advocate for over 15 years, pushing for change with her intersectional feminism, body positivity, queer advocacy, and outspoken message of love at all costs.
A founding member of the Succulent Six, Canada's team of Curvy Super SHEroes, and a proud member of Les Femmes Fatales, Canada's premiere burlesque troupe for Women of Colour, you can follow her antics on Instagram and Twitter @pureivorydotca and online at www.pureivory.ca.
Guitarist Tom Bellman and bassist Steve Conover make up Gal Friday. Bellman is the creator of “Sparrow Songs”, a touring folk/jazz song cycle that recently toured Toronto stages. Bassist Conover is a graduate of the York jazz program and is a 30 year veteran of Toronto’s jazz clubs.
[Image Description: El Experimento, a fair skinned Latinx drag king, stands still in an all white and bedazzled cowboy suit and hat. He has dark features and is looking directly into the camera]
EL EXPERIMENTO
El Experimento (He/They) A trans non-binary drag king, thing, and everything in between. Born and raised in Southern Ontario, El Experimento has been gracing the stages of Toronto and the East Coast since winter of 2022. An amalgamation and reclamation of nostalgic heart throbs, heart breakers and hell raisers. His Latin flare and hunky charm transcend time and space, leaving you aching with desire. El Experimento is autistic with adhd, and hopes to continue learning to be an advocate for accessibility in drag as well as shed light on invisible illnesses like CPTSD, addiction, and depression.
Hosted by:
[Image Description: Headshot of a young woman with dark black curly hair, green eyes, red lipstick, and white skin, wearing black lace collar]
COURTNEY GILMOUR
Courtney Gilmour is a JUNO nominated stand up comedian, television writer, and finalist on Canada’s Got Talent. She has written for and made appearances on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, CBC’s The Debaters, CBC’S Humour Resources alongside Jon Dore and Sarah Silverman, and is featured on two episodes of CTV’s Roast Battle Canada. Her debut stand up album “Let Me Hold Your Baby” was released under Comedy Records in 2022 and was nominated for a JUNO award in 2023 for Comedy Album Of The Year. She is a frequent performer at Just For Laughs and can be heard regularly on SiriusXM.
Deaf Performance by:
[Image Description: The Phoenix the Fire logo, featuring a golden phoenix with the words "Phoenix the Fire" underneath in gold]
Supported by:
