“I want to thank the Board of Directors who have been tremendously supportive over the years,” says Rosslyn Jacob Edwards. “The Dance Ontario community and its wonderfully talented artists have been a constant inspiration making my time here a gratifying experience. While I will miss working across this sector, I am excited to see what lies ahead for Dance Ontario!”
Amy Hampton will take over as Executive Director in April 2020. She is a graduate of L’École Supérieure de Danse du Québec and was a member of Le Jeune Ballet du Québec, performing works by international choreographers in both Quebec and France. She has performed nationally and internationally with CORPUS and has danced with many Toronto companies including The Chimera Project, Kaeja d’Dance, tiger princess dance projects, Anandam Dance Theatre and Larchaud Dance Project. Independently, she has originated roles in works by Kathleen Rea, William Yong, Lydia Wagerer, Keiko Ninomiya, Meagan O’Shea, Lincoln Shand, Avinoam Silverman and Michael Caldwell and participated in a three-year collaboration between choreographer Robert Desrosiers and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
In 2007, Hampton founded AKA Dance with Keiko Ninomiya. The company has since performed at Tokyo’s Dance Ga Mitai International Series, Vancouver’s Dancing on the Edge, the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, LuminaTO and Dusk Dances and its work for young audiences toured throughout Ontario reaching over 20,000 students.
She is a certified Pilates instructor and is active in the community as a teacher, rehearsal director and administrator. She has worked for a variety of independent artists in dance, music and visuals arts as well as arts organizations including CAPIC and DNA Theatre. Hampton has been Program Manager at Dance Ontario since 2010.
“Dance Ontario has been integral to my evolution as an artist. The commissions my young company received and Rosslyn’s support launched us into almost a decade of touring and performing those works. I am thrilled to be taking on this exciting and challenging role and am looking forward to supporting the amazing dance community in Ontario” says Hampton
Board Chair Samara Thompson offers her heartfelt thanks to Rosslyn for the nearly three decades of commitment and leadership she gave to Dance Ontario. “Rosslyn’s clear commitment to dance is evident in the work she did with Dance Ontario. Under her leadership, the organization grew in size, strength, and impact. Dance Ontario now serves in all areas of dance and throughout our vast province. Her impact is far reaching and will be long lived.”
Thompson went on to comment on Hampton’s new role. “The Board of Directors enthusiastically welcomes Amy to the position of Executive Director of Dance Ontario. Her extensive work as a dance professional, as well as her prior understanding of the workings of Dance Ontario, brings a wealth of expertise to the appointment. We look forward to having her assume this new position.”
For further information, contact [email protected]
Image: Amy Hampton by Cylla von Tiedemann