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 Lua Shayenne (co-founder) is an actor, dancer and choreographer. Graduate of RAPA and apprentice with COBA, she frequently travels to Africa to research and learn traditional and contemporary African dance. She trained with Debbie Wilson, Ms Kwakwa and Ben Onduro in Ghana, M’ba Coulibaly, Issa Cissoko, and Mamadou Kante in Mali; Ousmane Ndiaye, Bertrand Saky (Ivory Coast) in Senegal. She has worked with master drummers Amadou Kienou (Burkina Faso), Mohamed Diaby (Guinea); choreographers Kevin Ormsby (Kashedance), De-Napoli Clarke (RJC Dance, UK), Eleo Pomare (NYC); theatre directors Erika Batdorf, Rhoma Spencer and Weyni Mengesha. She was awarded one of 12 spots reserved for outstanding dancers in the 2008 Choreographers Lab/ Community Arts Practice at the school of Jacob’s Pillow. In 2009, Shayenne was invited to be judge in the 2009 Ultimate Dance War competition in Ottawa. She regularly choreographs for Aya Dance Collective and has been commissioned by Dusk Dances in 2007 and 2010. Shayenne teaches dance workshops in schools and various communities across the GTA, is board member of Dusk Dances and actor with Toronto Playback Theatre.
Roshanak Jaberi (co-founder) is an Iranian-Canadian artist, who aspires to explore and create work that is emotionally moving and thought-provoking. She holds a BFA in music from York University, and has trained with celebrated artists and companies in Toronto and abroad, namely Debbie Wilson, COBA, Eleo Pomare, Ousmane N’Diaye, M’Ba Coulibaly, Issa Coulibaly and master drummers Mohamed Diaby and Amadou Kienou. In 2009, she spent three months in Africa for dance research and development, and will be returning in 2010 to continue her work. She has been featured in Dance Current Magazine and was recently invited as a guest panel artist for the on the MOVE Dance Conference in Toronto. Roshanak’s performance credits include the Canadian Urban Music Awards, Dance Immersion Showcase Presentation and Dance Ontario Dance Weekend at the Premiere Dance Theatre in 2007. She has performed with Ire-Omo Afro-Cuban Drum and Dance Ensemble and The Dance Migration, was a commissioned choreographer for Dusk Dances and has also choreographed a music video for the Juno nominated rock band, The Neverending White Lights. Roshanak is co-founder of Aya Dance Collective, specializing in the folkloric and contemporary dances of West Africa and is interested in examining social issues through the art of storytelling.
COLLABORATORS  Debbie Wilson (mentor) is choreographer and dance and social activist. She has created a repertoire of critically acclaimed productions, including Aphrodite Unveiled, Raphael is whispering and Homo Office Sapiensis that in 2002 received a Dora Mavor Moore nomination for "Outstanding New Choreography". Through her international collaborative works like Planetarium (with Macedonia) and Diary of an Exile (with Trinidad and Tobago) she has introduced outstanding foreign artists in dance, music and art to Toronto while representing Toronto and Canada on the world stage. In October 2005, Wilson was honored to be invited to present Planetarium at the United Nations' Assembly Hall in Geneva, Switzerland for one of the events celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations.Wilson has established links with and she continues to work with an expanding list of local and international community social groups that provide aid in the health and social sectors. For the past six years, she was a Board Member of the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation, serving on the Fundraising, Communications, Strategic Planning and Bike Rally Committees. Wilson began her professional career with the Cincinnati Ballet Company at the age of 12 where she was promoted to soloist and rehearsal assistant. She has worked as dancer/rehearsal mistress for The American Dance Machine, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Howard Richard & Dancers and Ballet Jorgen. She has also worked for the Judith Marcuse Repertory Dance Company, the Randy Glynn Dance Project as well as many independent choreographers across Canada and the US. Ms. Wilson's rich background as dancer, teacher and rehearsal director reflects a lifetime of work with some to the greatest artists of our time, a lifetime reflected in her resonant choreographic voice.
Mafa Makhubalo (dancer) started dancing at the age of five and continued his training with Toni Campbell, founder and director of ZAPAC (Zamdela Performing Arts Centre). Mafa completed a three year program in dance at the Tshwane University of Technology and apprenticed with the Tshwane Dance Theatre. He is the recipient of numerous awards which include: the FNB Vita Dance Umbrella Award in the “Stepping Stone Category” and “The Best Community Builder of the Year” by the Premiere Youth League Awards. Mafa has collaborated with the Alvin Alley Dance Company in South Africa, toured in Amsterdam with Vuyane Dance Theater and performed at events such as the FIFA Soccer World Cup Conference in Morocco and Grahams-town Arts Festival. After moving to Toronto, he completed a two year training program at Ballet Creole and performed with the company. In 2008, he was invited to the Choreographers Lab program at the school of Jacob’s Pillow. Mafa has performed with OMO Dance Company, COBA (Collective of Black artists) and Event Horizon dance. Mafa is actively involved in community outreach programs that help youth realize their potential through the arts and is presently teaching at the Dance Immersion YAP Program and the Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre.
Miranda Liverpool (dancer) is a graduate of the Ryerson Dance Program, she has had the opportunity to work with many exemplary teachers, such as Karen Duplisea, Kenny Pearl, Nadia Potts, and Vicki St. Denys. After becoming a professional in the industry, Miranda began training in new styles of dance including Afro-Brazilian, Samba, Latin Cabaret, Afro-Cuban, and African. Miranda has performed works by talented choreographers, namely Sylvie Bouchard, Julia Sasso, Heidi Strauss, Kevin A. Ormsby, Kay-Ann Ward, Adrianna Yanuziello and Lua Shayenne. Her career has taken her from the Toronto Argonaut Dance Team, to the stages of Carnival Cruise Lines, to television commercials and stage shows. She is also currently dancing with The Dance Migration, and the Afro-Latino Dance Company, as well as doing free-lance dance and vocal work throughout the city.
 Walter Mac Lean (drummer) has studied percussion, congas and bongos, traditional hand drums and fusion-drum kit with renown musicians Nippy Noya in Holland, Adja Addy in Ghana and Rick Gratton in Toronto. He toured and recorded throughout Europe with such groups as Black Gospel Pearls, Oloye, Tony Hurdle Septet, and more while he was living in Berlin. In 1995 Walter came to Canada where he was able to perform, record and tour with a variety of artists from different genre's such as jazz, blues, reggae, funk and traditional African music. He has performed at the African Guitar Summit, the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the Hillside Festival to name a few.Walter is currently a member of the Creole Drummatix – the musical ensemble of Ballet Creole and can regularly performs with Donne Robert and Tikisa. Walter teaches percussion workshops in schools and drumkit at the "Awesome Academy of Music” in Toronto.
 Derek Thorne (drummer) was born and raised in Trinidad. In a twist of irony, however, he was introduced to Caribbean and African percussion only when he moved to Montreal at age 20. While studying English at McGill he became a founding member of Keteke, and learned Cuban drumming from Glen Clark and Vôvô, founder of Montreal Jazz Festival regulars Saroumbon. After graduating he came to Toronto, joining Ballet Creole in 1999 and Canboulay Dance Theatre in 2000. In 2001 he joined gospel/jazz fusion band ZOMA, where he sees his role as "rooting the band's New York/L.A. sound in the dirt of the tropics, where it originated in the first place". He regularly with Kobo Town, Moka, Ballet Creole, and various other jazz and Black diasporic artists.
Aya Dance Collective. 647.968.9828 or 416.889.8939. info@ayadancecollective.com
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