Compagnie de la Citadelle is the professional dance company within Citadel + Compagnie. Founded in 2000, the Compagnie is known for its creative processes and intimate performances of classic works and new creations. Through remount initiatives, the Compagnie also dedicates itself to the preservation of important Canadian dance work, making available iconic repertoire to a new generation of dance artists.

James Kudelka is among todays’ most versatile and innovative dance artists. He has choreographed for many of the world’s leading ballet companies and for smaller contemporary troupes. His creative range reflects his eclectic musical interests, command of diverse movement idioms, and commitment to working collaboratively with artists from other disciplines. Kudelka is renowned for distinctive versions of such classics as The Nutcracker and Cinderella –signature works of The National Ballet of Canada where he served as artistic director (1996-2005). Equally, Kudelka excels in making smaller-scaled dances that are rich in psychological implication and human drama. Born in Newmarket, Ontario and trained at Canada’s National Ballet School, Kudelka began choreographing as a student and continued throughout his dancing years with the National Ballet (1972-1981) and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (1981-1990). He began an affiliation with Toronto’s Citadel + Cie in 2006 and as resident choreographer from 2008-2020 has experimented with cross-disciplinary collaborations. As a teacher, Kudelka has worked with Vancouver Arts Umbrella and Canada’s National Ballet School. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005 and is among the 2020 Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame inductees. In 2023 Kudelka was honored at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards with a Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award.

Laurence Lemieux is a dancer, choreographer, and Artistic Director of Citadel + Compagnie. Born in Québec City, Laurence studied dance at L’École Supérieure de Danse du Québec, and at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT).She danced for TDT from 1986 to 1998, winning a Dora Mavor Moore award in 1998 for her interpretation of Christopher House’s Cryptoversa. Lemieux has choreographed over thirty original works and has danced for some of Canada’s most prominent choreographers, including Margie Gillis, James Kudelka, and Jean-Pierre Perreault. A passionate advocate for Lemieux created The Citadel Dance Program in 2012, bringing high quality, free dance education to children and youth living in Regent Park.

Zhenya Cerneacov was born in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. In 2006 Zhenya moved to Canada where he quickly broadened his horizons performing with companies including Danny Grossman Dance Company, Corpus Dance Projects, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, BoucharDanse, Menaka Thakkar Dance Company, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, and Kaeja d’Dance, among others. Zhenya is co-founder and co-choreographer for the Throwdown Collective with which he received the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Original Choreography. In 2011 Zhenya co-founded The School of Cadence Ballet, an International Ballet School with partner Courtnae Bowman with whom he shares artistic direction.

Christopher Dennis is currently the Director of Production for the National Ballet of Canada (NBOC), after spending 14 seasons as the Director of Production with the San Francisco Ballet (SFB). He also served as NBOC resident lighting designer and lighting coordinator from 1995 – 2009. Chris’ lighting designs are in the repertoires of ballet companies across the globe, including American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and West Australia Ballet. Christopher was appointed Executive Producer for SFB’s digital content during COVID which included films, Mrs. Robinson (Short) By Cathy Marston, Wooden Dimes by Dani Rowe, and COLORFORMS by Myles Thatcher. In addition to his work in dance, Christopher has designed lighting for the Shaw and Stratford Festivals as well as other

regional opera, theatre, and film productions throughout Canada. Christopher served as lighting director for Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project and was assistant resident lighting designer for the Metropolitan Opera. He holds a B.F.A. from Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, and Executive Leadership Certificate from eCornell, Ithaca New York.

Hoax Couture was founded in 1985 by lawyer Chris Tyrell and architect Jim Searle. Within a year their first fashion collection was available exclusively through Holt Renfrew, and soon after in more than 40 stores across the globe. They now run a bespoke tailoring fashion design business in Toronto, creating clothing for clients’ special events – helping them realize their unique ideas for more than 30 years. In addition to their custom tailoring business, they are also actively designing costumes for several major dance companies. Significant works have been created with many choreographers, especially at Citadel + Compagnie.

Danielle Baskerville works with many of Canada’s leading contemporary dance companies and creators. She is Artistic Associate of D.A. Hoskins’ The Dietrich Group and a senior member of Dancetheatre David Earle, and her upcoming independent projects include work with James Kudelka, Jonathan Osborn and Allison Cummings/Deborah Pearson. A Dora Award winner and recipient of the 2014 K.M. Hunter Award in Dance, Danielle recently completed an SSHRC-funded MA in Dance Studies at York University with an eye toward contributing to insightful discourse on Canadian contemporary dance.