Members

Jackie Latendresse

Artistic Director, Choreographer, Instructor, General Manager.

Growing up in the small rural town Kincardine did not deter Jackie from discovering and cultivating her love of Dance and Art. From a young age, she showed the promise of a career in Dance or at least on Stage. Her wonderfully supportive parents Jack and Dorothy were the first ones to send out a supporting hand to push her in the right direction and they have been looking on in wonder ever since.

Jackie Latendresse is an alumnus of the University of Waterloo where she obtained her H.B.A. in Dance with a minor in Fine Arts. She founded the Free Flow Dance Company and its adjoining studio in 1995, in Kitchener Ontario. The Company relocated to Toronto in the winter of 1996 and has since found a home base in Saskatoon. Jackie has been choreographing and producing her own shows since 1993 when she presented her first full evening of dance works at Abstract Machines that Recognise Certain Languages.

Rachel Saufert

Rachel Saufert started dance at the age of 4 taking tap, jazz and ballet at Kristy’s Dance Fusion in Saskatoon. There she continued her dance training taking ADAPT tap and jazz exams along with her RAD ballet exams. Rachel trained in other dance styles such as lyrical, modern, contemporary and hip hop as she progressed as a dancer. She became competitive in these styles of dance and was competing until she was 19 years old. She also trained in Ukrainian dancing. Rachel was able to take a dance academy class that they offered at her high school. There she had the opportunity to learn many different styles of dance from different teachers. She joined the Free Flow Dance Theatre company in 2017.

Aiyana Ruel

Aiyana Ruel is a dynamic dance artist and performer from Vancouver, BC. Aiyana began professional training in ballet, modern, and contemporary under Artemis Gordon at Arts Umbrella. She furthered her training in Toronto, where she obtained a BFA in Dance from York University. Under the direction of Susan Lee, Aiyana was a member of the York Dance Ensemble, where she worked collaboratively with peers and choreographers. Through various opportunities, Aiyana has worked with international artists including Peggy Baker, Ohad Naharin, and Lali Ayguadé. While on an academic exchange at the University of Chichester, she had the opportunity to work and train with various UK-based artists. She has also participated in choreographic workshops with Social Growl Dance, the Gaga Intensive Summer Course in Israel, and the Catch8 workshop series in Ireland. Aiyana is passionate about movement experimentation and creative process, and is eager to explore that further with Free Flow Dance Theatre Company.

Shannon Pybus

Shannon Pybus is an emerging dance artist originally from Markham, Ontario. She graduated from York University in 2020 with a BFA in Dance specializing in choreography and performance. During her time at York University, she was a company member with the York Dance Ensemble for two seasons where she worked with prominent artists including Susan Lee, Nina Milanovski, Raine Madison, Emilio Colalillo, Darcey Callison and Suzanne Liska.  Shannon has studied ballet, modern (Limon and Graham), jazz, and contemporary dance forms. As an emerging creator, she is interested in interactive media as an element of live performance. She is excited to join Free Flow Dance Theatre and get to know Saskatoon as she visits the Prairies for the first time.

Taylor Zeller

Dancer – Administrative Assistant

Taylor Zeller is an emerging dance artist and choreographer, who began her dance training in her hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta. She is a graduate of the York University dance program specializing in choreography and performance. During her time at York she performed in several iterations of York Dances, Dance Innovations and Bloom. Zeller performed in an art installation for Nuit Blanche 2017 entitled The Forest, under the direction of Media Artist Will Kwan. In collaboration with York University film students, Zeller choreographed work in 2017 for two short films entitled Happiness Does Not Wait and Synergy. Zeller had the privilege of debuting her new choreographic work entitled Undiscovered in the York showcase entitled The Near Distance (2019). She was a member of the York Dance Ensemble for two years which gave her the opportunity to learn and collaborate with established artists including Susan Lee, Suzanne Liska, Darcey Callison, Lisa Brkich, Christine Brkich, Raine Kearns and Emilio Colalillo. Zeller is excited to continue her growth as a dance artist with Free Flow Dance Theatre Company. 

Laura Turnbull

Laura began dancing at the age of 10 at Studio One. It instantly became her passion. She trained in a variety of styles and danced competitively until she was 18. After high school, she attained her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at the U of S, while continuing to dance with local groups. Since 2012, she has danced professionally in Singapore, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and India. Laura has worked with many world-renowned choreographers and danced alongside huge Bollywood stars such as Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar and Jacqueline Fernandez to name a few. 

Maggie Lucas

Originally from Smiths Falls, Ontario dynamic contemporary performer Maggie Lucas is driven by her desire to communicate with people through movement. A graduate of the BFA Dance Program at York University, Maggie has furthered her technique and artistry under the guidance of Tracey Norman, Helen Jones, John Ottman, and Julia Sasso and worked with established choreographers Freya Björg Olafson, Michael Caldwell, Susan Lee, and Maxine Heppner . She was a member of the York Dance Ensemble for their 2018-2019 season and has performed in choreographic works at the 2020 London Dance Festival as well as improvisation-based performances with Coexisdance in Toronto. Most recently she was involved in an Ontario Arts Council funded dance film Making Sense of Something that Doesn’t Make Sense under the artistic direction of Morgan Stasiewicz.

Philip McDermott

Philip McDermott is from St.John’s, Newfoundland. He attended the School of Toronto Dance Theatre from 2014 – 2017, receiving both The Walker Wood Foundation Bursary and The Special Graduating Student Award – The Sharon B. Moore Solo Project. In 2018, he continued his education in the form of mentorship with Paul André Fortier in Montreal, and as a guest student at Nederlands Dans Theater. He has danced in repertory works by Massimo Agostinelli, Kate Alton, Paul -André Fortier, Peggy Baker, Marc Boivin, Danny Grossman, Allen Kaeja, James Kudelka, Sharon B. Moore, Julia Sasso, Darryl Tracy, David Earle, Patricia Beatty, Laurence Lemieux, Christopher House, and Peter Randazzo. Philip’s artistic practice contains elements from all of the disciplines he has trained in: Dance, musical theatre, acting, singing, visual arts, Taekwondo and figure skating.

Derek Souvannavong

Derek Souvannavong is a Toronto-based emerging artist, originating in Ottawa. A graduate of the BFA. Honours Dance Program at York University, with a specialization in choreography and performance, he has formed a love for contemporary dance through his studies and was a company member of the York Dance Ensemble. He has trained under notable artists such as: Tracey Norman, Helen Jones, Syreeta Hector, Susan Lee and Julia Sasso. Derek has performed in productions of York Dances (2018-2022) as well as Bloom (2018) where he worked with Connie Oreamuno. Derek has also trained with ProArteDanza through the EstateDanza Summer Intensive (2021) under direction of Roberto Campanella, Sasha Ludavicious and Robert Glumbeck. He has also choreographed in York Dances (2019-2021) and received the Spedding Memorial Scholarship in Dance for choreography, as well as the Menaka Thakkar Award in World Dance. Also intrigued by traditional Lao dance forms, he wishes to continue exploring relations between Lao dance forms and the western diaspora of contemporary dance.