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| Aliah Schwartz, dancer, choreographer |
It gives me great pleasure to see three NSTT dance scholarship and award winners in the same program, plus Kinetic Studio's Artistic Director Jacinte Armstrong is a former NSTT scholarship recipient herself.
From Kinetic Studio's press release:
"Kinetic Studio brings a selection of fresh choreographic works to Halifax audiences in their annual Open Studio series. The January edition of Open Studio presents four works by Molly Johnson, Chloe Hart and Aliah Schwartz, Michèle Slattery, and Don Rieder.
With the Open Studio Series, Kinetic Studio reaches out to distinct communities and brings together a strong selection of invigorating, thoughtful, and imaginative work from dance artists and makers.
Artistic Director Jacinte Armstrong speaks to the intent of the event: “I find it exciting that all of the featured artists share ties to the Maritimes. For some this showcase is a homecoming, a chance to share what they’ve gathered on their travels. For others the Open Studio series offers a space for reinvention, expansion, and experimentation. Seasoned dance makers appreciate this chance to break with tradition and push boundaries.”
- Works Featured in Open Studio January 30th and 31st -
Originally hailing from Cape Breton, Toronto-based Molly Johnson (2002/2003 NSTT Pat Richards Award) brings unapologetic solitude to the stage and investigates the lost art of just being in what other people think of me...
Inspired by the rich landscape of Labrador, Michèle Slattery, manifests in movement the undulating temperament of the Churchill River in No Catch.
In Cornstarch and Other Dilemmmas, Aliah Schwartz (2013 Robert G.Jackson Award, 2014 Canada Games for Young Artist of Excellence Award, 2015 Lieutenant Governor's Award) and Chloe Hart (2014 Robert George Jackson Award) return to Halifax from Montreal and explore the spectrum of anger using household kitchen appliances.
Don Rieder brings the third instalment of his trilogy Heartbreak Pajamas. The work Burnt I finds love, hope, and community in a time of hardship.
Date - January 30 & 31st 8pm
Tickets - $10 | Students & Seniors $8
Location - DANSpace, 1531 Grafton St, Hfx
About Kinetic Studio
Kinetic Studio is a Halifax-based non-profit organization dedicated to the development and presentation of contemporary dance choreography and performance. Kinetic supports professional dance by offering workshops and presenting a seasonal program of performances for finished and unfinished works.
Created to support the career of contralto Portia White 71 years ago, the NSTT has continued to support emerging Nova Scotian artists as they pursue their studies toward establishing professional careers in the arts.
The two $10,000 awards in 2015 will be received by Amherst ballet dancer Erin Atkinson and visual artist Isaac Fresia from Oxford. 
Isaac Fresia (Oxford), who recently graduated with his BFA from NSCAD, is in his first year at Dalhousie University, studying for his Bachelors of Environmental Design, followed by his Masters in Architecture.
Visual artist Sarah MacLeod (New Minas) is the recipient of the $1,000 Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award and just finished her BFA degree (Interdisciplinary) at NSCAD, and is currently participating in the NSCAD Community Studio Residency Program at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design in Sydney. (Award supported by Charlotte Wilson-Hammond and Visual Arts Nova Scotia.)
Singer Lindsay Connolly (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,500 Portia White Award for voice. She studied voice this past summer at the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy and is in her final year at Dalhousie University (Fountain School of Performing Arts) studying for her BMus in Vocal Performance. (Award supported by the Music-in-Medicine and Humanities-HEALS Program, Dalhousie University.)
Ballet dancer Niamh Perrins (Wolfville) is the recipient of the $1,500 Robert George Jackson Award for dance and studied ballet at the National Ballet School in Toronto this past summer. (Award supported by the Jackson family.)
Writer Holly Rice (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,500 RBC Emerging Artist Award for literary arts and is studying fiction in her first year of a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at The New School in New York City. (Award supported by RBC Emerging Artist Program.)
Theatre director Laura Vingoe-Cram (Dartmouth) is the recipient of the $1,000 Theatre Nova Scotia Award for theatre and recently completed her MA in Classical and Contemporary Text (Directing) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. (Award supported by Theatre Nova Scotia.)
Flautist Emery Van de Wiel (Antigonish) is the recipient of the $1,000 Raymond Simpson Award for music and is in his third year studying for his Bachelor of Music in flute at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland. (Award supported by the Simpson family.)
Classical guitarist and composer Adam Clarke (Kingston) is the recipient of the $750 Kenneth Elloway Award for classical performance. He has recently finished his Bachelor of Music degree in Contemporary Music Composition and Classical Guitar at Acadia University, and this past summer took part in the Iserlohn Guitar Symposium/Festival in Germany. (Award supported by the Elloway family.) 
Ballet dancer Erin Atkinson (Amherst) is the recipient of the $1000 Janice Merritt Flemming Award and is currently in her seventh year studying ballet at the Royal Winnipeg School of Ballet. (Award supported by the Flemming family.)
Singer and songwriter Andrew Machum (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Chico Berardi Award and is currently in his second year studying Vocal Performance, Music Engineering and Production at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. (Award supported by Music Nova Scotia.)
Classical pianist LaLa Lee (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Tietje Zonneveld Award and is studying privately with Professor Lynn Stodola in Halifax. (Award supported by Tietje Zonneveld.)