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H O L L A J A Z Z

@hollajazz

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Canadian award-winning dance company.
Soulful, cool, contemporary.
Artistic Director @tashapowellto
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Thank you Holla Jazz and performers for a riveting performance at YENSA Festival 2026! This year’s festival theme, AS I AM, invited us to honour the fullness of who we are. ⭐️ @hollajazz #LuaShayenneDanceCompany #YENSA #LetsDance #BlackWomenInDance #Dance
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Two years in the making. Four days of movement, rhythm, connection, and celebration. YENSA Festival 2026 AS I AM. We gathered. We moved. We witnessed. We celebrated Black women in dance in all our brilliance, complexity, power, and joy. Thank you to every artist, collaborator, partner, volunteer, audience member, and community member who made this third edition possible. Thank you for vibrating with us. 💙 Until the next rhythm and gathering. Artists and works: No Matter What by Liyah Simbulan, April 7, 2020 by E.R.N in Motion, Beauty and The Beat : Masked and Beauty and the Beat : A Warrior Reborn by Ayodele Drum & Dance, The Room Upstairs by Holla jazz, YENSA workshops. YENSA Festival was made possible through the generous support of @canada.council @td_canada @cdn.heritage @torontoartscouncil @ontarioartscouncil. #YENSAFestival #LuaShayenneDanceCompany #BlackWomenInDance #BlackFlames #CanadianDance
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YENSA Festival WEEK IS HERE. 💙 You don’t need to be a dancer. You don’t need to know the artists. You don’t need to have the “right” words to describe what you see. Come curious. Come open. Come as you are. YENSA is a space to experience Black women in dance, to encounter new rhythms and perspectives, and to share in the energy of being together in the room. And our incredible volunteers are ready to welcome you. ✨ YENSA Festival 2026: AS I AM August 20–23 | Toronto ❤️‍🔥 Awaken to Rhythm. Ready to experience YENSA? 🎟️ Tickets → link in bio YENSA offers a community-access rate for those who need it. DM us for the access code. 🎫 Group bookings and community partners are warmly welcomed. YENSA Festival is made possible through the generous support of @canada.council @td_canada @cdn.heritage @torontoartscouncil @ontarioartscouncil. #YENSAFestival #ASIam #LuaShayenneDanceCompany #BlackWomenInDance #BlackFlames CanadianDance
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❤️‍🔥 Five Black women choreographers. Five distinct artistic voices. One unforgettable evening. This year, BLACK FLAMES brings together works that move across rhythm, memory, resistance, spirituality, and community.🖤🔥 🥁 Ayodele Drum & Dance A vibrant celebration of traditional African dance and live drumming, carrying the stories and rhythms of Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Ivory Coast. ✨ E.R.N In Motion *April 7, 2020* is an in-progress dance theatre work exploring intimacy as a relationship with self, spirit, and community. Rooted in Dancehall and guided by cultural memory, the work asks what it looks like when Black bodies across the diaspora meet through movement while honouring the folklore and traditions that continue to shape Dancehall today. 🌿 Liyah Simbulan *NO MATTER WHAT* is a three-part exploration of patriarchy, vulnerability, and the ways men, women, and community can hold one another through healing. 🎷 Holla Jazz An adapted excerpt from the Dora-nominated *The Room Upstairs*, inspired by the life and music of John Coltrane, exploring devotion, artistic practice, and doubt. 🔥 Lua Shayenne Dance Company LSDC makes a special guest appearance alongside Ayodele Drum & Dance, celebrating the power of collective rhythm and shared movement and premieres its new dance film WAVES! Under the theme *AS I AM*, YENSA Festival 2026 celebrates Black women claiming space through bold imagination and artistic excellence. ❤️‍🔥 Awaken to Rhythm. 📅 Friday August 21st & Saturday August 22nd, 2026 🚪 Doors open: 7:15 PM 💬 Pre-show conversations: 7:30 PM 🎭 Film & Performances: 8:00 PM 📍 Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y 2G6 🎟️ Tickets: 🔗 in bio $30 — Community rate $35 — Standard rate $45 — Pay-it-forward / Supporter rate YENSA offers a community-access rate for those who need it. DM us for the access code. 🎫 Group bookings and community partners are warmly welcomed. YENSA Festival is made possible through the generous support of @canada.council @td_canada @cdn.heritage @torontoartscouncil @ontarioartscouncil. #YENSAFestival #LuaShayenneDanceCompany #BlackWomenInDance #BlackFlames #CanadianDance
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✨Streaming now: Visit TUЯИOUT Radio for our featured interview with Natasha Powell, Artistic Director of Holla Jazz. Tune in for the episode as Powell reflects upon The Room Upstairs. Nominated for three 2026 Dora Mavor Moore awards, the work is inspired by, and set to the music of John Coltrane. The ensemble work is accompanied by live music that uses the dancing language of jazz, lindy hop, and black vernacular dances. The Room Upstairs is a world that holds space for devotion, camaraderie, and grief. 🎙️ Visit the full interview with host Nicole Inica Hamilton, at www.turnoutradio.com. 📸Natasha Powell. Photo by Kevin Jones ✨ The 46th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards presented by the Romano D’Andrea Foundation occurs June 29, 2026. Learn more @tapa_to. #HollaJazz #TheRoomUpstairs #TorontoDanceTheatre #DanceWorksTO
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Superstar Sundays with Hollywood Jade… as a dancer and performer…..tonight! we celebrate 3! Dora Mavor Moore Award Nominations for The Room Upstairs in the dance division. Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Outstanding Original Choreography. Outstanding Production.
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The Dora Nominations are in! Congratulations to the team involved in The Room Upstairs for the three nominations in this year’s 26th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards: * Outstanding Production for The Room Upstairs Presented by DanceWorks and Toronto Dance Theatre + co-produced by DanceWorks and Holla Jazz in collaboration with Toronto Dance Theatre * Outstanding Original Choreography by Natasha Powell for The Room Upstairs * Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble by The Ensemble of: Caroline “Lady C” Fraser Hollywood Jade, Miha Matevzic, Raoul Wilke in The Room Upstairs  Congratulations! #Doras2026 #DanceWorksTO #danceTO Photo Credit: Kendra Epik
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Each year PVD commissions choreographers to create dances that are brought to life by "everyday people" (some who have never danced before) and set to the scene of three Seaton Village porches! Meet NATASHA POWELL - Her soulful approach to movement that transcends genre can be seen and felt in her dancing, choreography, and teachings. 🔶 @tashapowellto is a Toronto native who has been working in the dance industry for 20 years. In 2016 she founded the award-winning company, @hollajazz , a home and a meeting place for practitioners in jazz and street dance forms to create works in collaboration with designers and musicians. 🔶 Her choreographic language has lead her to collaborate with the National Ballet of Canada, and on theatre projects with Canadian Stage and Tarragon Theatre. Natasha is a 2023 recipient of the Johanna Metcalf Prize in the Performing Arts, presented by the Metcalf Foundation. ✨ Come experience her creation and JOIN THE MOVEMENT! 🗓️ JULY 1 - 4 @ 7PM 🗓️🦽 SUNDAY JULY 5 @ 2pm (Accessibility Day - wheelchairs will be available) 📍 Starting at Porch View Dances Lane, Seaton Village ✨ PAY WHAT YOU WANT ⁉️ More info on our website - link in bio Description: Sitting in front of a blue and light purple ombré backdrop, Natasha looks to the camera smiling. She is wearing a black shirt and wide brimmed hat. Her locks cascade over her shoulders revealing hints of silver hoop earrings.
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🔥 YENSA FESTIVAL 2026 🔥 Under the theme AS I AM, YENSA Festival 2026 returns this August 20-23, 2026 for its third edition. An invitation to awaken to rhythm. ❤️‍🔥 Born from a vision to hold space for Black women’s artistry, inventiveness, and bold imagination, YENSA Festival produced by @luashayennedancecompany continues to grow as a living platform shaped by community, exchange, and creative practice. ✨ This year’s festival is a culmination of two years of programming, workshops, and gatherings led by Black women dance artists. We move through: 💬 YENSA YENKA Choreographers’ Lab A space for process, exchange, and new creation 🔥 BLACK FLAMES Two nights of performance + pre-show conversations with Black women choreographers 🌍 AFRICA VIBES workshops + 🥁 ATSIA dance + live drum circle 🤝 YENKA Social We close as we begin: in connection 🎟 Tickets on sale June 17. Visit our website for more information. 🔗 in Bio. 📸 : @dahliakatz #YENSAFestival #LuaShayenneDanceCompany #BlackWomenInDance #Toronto #Canada
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👀 7 days until the reveal… YENSA Festival returns August 20–23, 2026 for its third edition under the theme AS I AM. A gathering shaped by rhythm, movement, exchange, and the bold imagination of Black women dance artists. 🔥 Full festival announcement drops May 27. ❤️‍🔥 Awaken to Rhythm. #yensafestival #luashayennedancecompany #toronto #canada #blackwomenindance
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It’s the last performance of this run 🎺 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘜𝘱𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 has opened to full houses every night and met with standing ovations — the outpouring of love is truly meaningful. To the artists, creators, collaborators, audiences, and supporters: thank you for showing up so fully. This work is a powerful example of our time together, and we’re deeply moved by the response it’s received. Presented by DanceWorks and Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT) Co-produced by DanceWorks and Holla Jazz in partnership with TDT Choreography: Natasha Powell @tashapowellto Music Direction: Jacob Gorzhaltsan Associate Music Director: Tom Richards @tom.insoundmusic Dancers: Caroline “Lady C” Fraser @carolineladyc , Hollywood Jade @hollywoodjade , Miha Matevzic @mihamatevzic , Raoul Wilke @raoulwilke Musicians: Colleen Allen @colleenallenmusic , Thompson Egbo-Egbo @egbo.music , Rebecca Hennessy @rebeccahennessymusic , Scott Hunter @scotthuntermusic , Tom Richards, Eric West @e.west.drums Lighting Design by Emerson Kafarowski Scenic Design by James Kendal Costume Design by Valerie Calam Photo by Kendra Epik @kendraepikphotography #TheRoomUpstairs #TorontoDance #DanceWorks #TDT #HollaJazz
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2 down, 2 to go ❤️‍🔥 The Room Upstairs is in full swing, and we’re thrilled to have the audience join us for tonight’s talkback with choreographer Natasha Powell (@tashapowell) and all the incredible artists — dancers and musicians, in conversation with facilitator Seika Boye (@seikalab). Presented by DanceWorks (@danceworkstoronto) and TDT Co-produced by Holla Jazz (@hollajazz), DanceWorks and TDT 📸 Photo of dancers Caroline “Lady C” Fraser (@carolineladyc), Hollywood Jade (@hollywoodjade), Miha Matevzic (@mihamatevzic), Raoul Wilke (@raoulwilke). Lighting Design by Emerson Kafarowski. Scenic Design by James Kendal. Costume Design by Valerie Calam Photo by Kendra Epik (@kendraepikphotography) #TheRoomUpstairs #TDT #LivePerformance #Talkback #HollaJazz
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