Nathan Coburn (he/him) is a dance artist from Vancouver, BC, and received his education from Arts Umbrella under the direction of Artemis Gordon. In his third year at Arts Umbrella, Nathan had the opportunity to dance for the Ballet BC Annex under the direction of Medhi Walerski. As a freelance performer, Nathan has worked with Cristina Bucci, Shay Kuebler, Alexis Fletcher, Sylvian Senez, Fernando Hernando Magadan, and Jera Wolfe, among others. His individual and collective co-creations have been presented by Vines Art Society, Belle Spirale’s Dance Deck, and Kokoro Dance. He is a Spring 2026 EDAM scholarship recipient, training under the direction of Olivia Shaffer, Anne Cooper, Arash Khakpour, Hayley Gawthrop, and Francesca Frewer. Nathan is a co-founder of Paper Rabbits alongside Elle Derkitt and Sophia Makarenko.

Sophia Makarenko (she/her) is Vancouver based artist, originally from Bowen Island, BC. In 2023, she graduated from Arts Umbrella’s Post Secondary Dance Diploma Program under the artistic direction of Artemis Gordon. Sophia was a part of Ballet BC’s 2023 Annex under the direction of Medhi Walerski. She has performed with companies such as Blackout Art Society, Crossmanuever and Belle Spirale Dance Projects. Sophia is a founding member of Paper Rabbits alongside Nathan Coburn and Elle Derkitt. She co-creates and performs original work which has been presented by Kits Neighbourhood House, The Vancouver Foundation, Crossmanuever, Belle Spirale’s Dance Deck and Dance Screen. Since 2020, Sophia has been a resident dance artist and filmmaker with Petrichor North Records where she has created both local and international short films. Sophia was a participant of the 2025 New Works Mentorship Cohort under the mentorship of Jason Dubois, as well as a Winter 2026 EDAM Scholarship recipient where she trained with Anne Cooper, Arash Khakpour, Hayley Gawthrop, and Francesca Frewer, under the artistic direction of Olivia Shaffer.

From Regina, Saskatchewan, Elle Derkitt (she/her) began her early professional training at the Alberta Ballet School in Calgary, Alberta. In 2020, she continued her studies at Arts Umbrella in Vancouver under the direction of Artemis Gordon. Elle had the opportunity in her third year at Arts Umbrella to dance in Ballet BC’s Annex, under the direction of Medhi Walerski. Elle has been fortunate to work with incredible artists such as Yvan Dubreuil, Alexis Fletcher, Sylvain Senez, Racheal Prince, Brandon Lee Alley, Marissa Wong, and Crystal Pite among others. Based as a freelance dance artist in Vancouver, BC, Elle has been a part of Dance//Novella’s Emerging Artist Program and learned to dance tango for Phoenix Chamber Choir. She is a Fall 2025 EDAM scholarship recipient, training in contact improvisation under Peter Bingham, Anne Cooper, and Olivia Shaffer. Elle is a co-founder of dance-theatre collective, Paper Rabbits, with Nathan Coburn and Sophia Makarenko.

Taryn Plater (she/her) is a versatile singer and creator, recognized for her “dramatic and vocal thrust” (Opera Canada). Driven by an interest in opera’s relationship to different genres and mediums, her portfolio includes new works, Ukrainian art song, and the intersection of jazz and classical music. Taryn was a 2024 emerging artist with Manitoba Opera and a 2021-2022 Artist Fellow with the Association for Opera in Canada, and took part in Against the Grain’s 2021 National Opera Intensive. As a founding member of Opera Unbound, she commissioned Floating Island, a new work for music and dance, which premiered last summer at Belle Spirale’s Dance Deck Onze.