training & certifications
Mary-Dora (they/them) is queer, neurodivergent, non-binary femme, multi-disciplinary artist, careworker and settler based Tkaronto. They show up in their communities as a dance artist, birth & postpartum birthworker, somatic movement educator, organizer, peer supporter and writer. Through their own experiences of trauma and disability, they explore the intersections of individual and collective healing as a means towards mutual liberation.
Their work as a dance artist has been presented at Lake Studio Berlin (2022), New Blue Dance Festival (Toronto 2016), Berlin Film Festival (2016), Dock11 (Berlin 2017), FAWN Chamber Creative (Toronto 2017/18), PULP (Toronto 2019) and The Toronto Love-In. They have had residency opportunities at Dance Makers (Toronto), Lake Studio (Berlin), Toronto Love-In (Toronto) and at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Other collaborations include performances for ImpulsTanz (Vienna & Brazil), Springboard Danse Montreal, Dancetheatre David Earle (Guelph/Toronto), The Box (NYC), Nuit Blanche (Toronto), Amanda Acorn Dance (Toronto), Will Kwan (AGO), Summerworks (Toronto) and Rhubarb Festival (Toronto). MD's has worked as a company dancer with Rock Bottom Movement for over 10+ years with tours and presentation opportunities in Toronto, Montreal, Louisiana, Banff and Ottawa. With the company, MD received a Dora Mavor Moore Award Nomination for Best Ensemble for the performance of MANICPIXIEDREAMGIRLS. In addition to their performance and choreographic pursuits, MD has taught dance, choreography and provided movement direction for music videos, high-schools and post-secondary institutions throughout Toronto, the GTA and London. MD is currently working on their first solo "work-in-progress" which as been graciously supported and funded by the Canadian Council for the Arts.
As a birthworker, MD's has certified with DONA International, Whole Body Pregnancy (Erika Davis) for childbirth education training and they are continually engaging in CE courses with Birth Advocacy Doula Training (BADT). MD currently works as both an independent birthworker and a full spectrum doula with Birth Mark.. MD centres queer & transgender affirmative reproductive support and carework.
For the last 4 years, MD has been working towards certification as Somatic Movement Practitioner of Body-Mind Centering®, under the mentorship of Mariko Tanabe (Montreal). Since 2014, MD has worked as a youth mentor for the tdsbCREATES board wide arts festival in partnership with the Toronto District School Board and Prologue To The Performing Arts.
MD has been teaching dance/movement for 16 years. They completed their YTT at Downward Dog Yoga Centre in 2014, with a focus on ashtanga vinyasa. They have facilitated yoga classes/privates for the last 8 years and they are currently apart of the Good Space Toronto community of educators. MD often weaves various holistic modalities into their movement classes, such as the power of sound healing, somatic movement, self-touch and breath work.
MD graduated with a BFA in Performance Dance from TMU in 2013 and completed their BA in Psychology (Honors) at Laurentian University in 2022, where they were awarded with the Canadian Psychological Association Certificate of Academic Excellence for their honours thesis that examined the health experiences of 2S-LGBTQ+ individuals living in Northern Ontario. MD was also recently awarded the Canadian Graduate Scholarship-Masters award for their on-going research contributions. MD is currently working towards the completion of their MSW at the University of Toronto (expected 2024).