Artistic Staff

Alan Shain - Co-Founder, Program Developer

Alan Shain’s performance disciplines include performance creation, solo-performance, storytelling, theatre, dance, and stand-up comedy – all specific to the representation of the lived experience of disability. Alan has taken on several leadership roles within the area of disability and performance. He founded his own company, Smashing Stereotypes Productions, in 1999 to support the dissemination of his solo show, Still Waiting for That Special Bus. In 2002, Alan co-founded DanceAbility with dance artist Shara Weaver – an outreach program of The School of Dance which serves disabled people within the Ottawa region. Due to the overwhelming interest and demand for dance and disability workshops, performance and training, Alan, Shara, and Renata Soutter, have founded and incorporated a non-profit organization - Propeller Dance.

Musicians

Mark Rehder is a multi-dimensional percussionist and in-demand player  on the Ottawa scene.  He plays regular drum set, various African and  Middle eastern drums, and also some wind instruments and keyboards.  He performs, writes, and records regularly with groups such as The  Jivewires, the Impressions In Jazz Orchestra, the Steve Berndt  Quartet, the Just Voices Choir, Amanda Bon, and others. Mark provides  musical accompaniment for Propeller Dance, and also for the  Grasshoppa Dance Exchange.

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Jason Sonier: bio coming soon. 

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Mike Essoudry is known as a sensitive yet active and responsive drummer, with strong musical intuition. He received a Master of Music degree (Jazz Drumset Performance) from McGill University in 2003. Mike studied drums with Chris McCann, Dave Laing and Michel Lambert. He composes and arranges contemporary jazz for a quartet and an octet, performing with both in Ottawa and Montreal. In Ottawa Mike performs regularly in avant-garde free jazz and improv settings with Parade and with Linsey Wellman. Mike is an active teacher as well as a dance accompianist for many different groups including Propeller Dance.

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Dominique Saint-Pierre bio coming soon.

Volunteer Teaching Assistants

Ximena Puente has extensive working experience with children, teenagers and young adults. She started her career as a modern dancer in Venezuela where she danced in numerous venues.  She went on to get her Masters of Psychology from the Central University of Venezuela.  She volunteers with Propeller Dance as an assistant teacher.

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Jessie Huggett is a dancer and choreographer with both the Propeller Dance Performing Group and Dandelion Dance Company. She is an advocate for people with disabilites.  Jessie has been a “Top 20 Under 20” National Youth Award Finalist, and received the Jane Cameron Award, a national award for an artist with Down Syndrome (2005). She has performed all over Ontario, including Parliament Hill, Ottawa City Hall, Carleton and Ottawa University, Youth Conferences and at CODE.  Jessie Huggett volunteers as a teaching assistant for the Propeller kids' program.

Mentors

Jennifer Cayley
Julie Cezer

Guest Artists

Spirit Synott (Toronto)
Steve Wint (Ottawa)