training & certifications
Mary-Dora is queer, non-monogamous, neurodivergent, non-binary femme, multi-disciplinary artist, careworker and settler based Tkaronto. They work as a dance artist, full spectrum birthworker, somatic movement educator, youth mentor and childcare educator. 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 for 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. 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.
As a birthworker, MD's has certified with DONA International, Whole Body Pregnancy (Erika Davis) for childbirth education training and they are currently working towards completing Birth Advocacy Doula Training (BADT): Queer & Trans Reproductive Support (CE) training. MD currently works as both an independent birthworker and a full spectrum doula with Birth Mark.. MD centres queer & transgender affirmative reproductive support. .
For the last 3 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 completed their YTT at Downward Dog Yoga Centre and has been teaching yoga/asana for the last 6 years. They bring a somatic approach to all of their offerings.
MD's higher education includes a BFA in Performance Dance from X University and they are working towards completing their BA in Psychology at Laurentian University.
Other noteworthy trainings include; Movement for Trauma Level 1 (Jane Clapp), Mental Health First Aid (Mental Health Commission of Canada), Trauma Therapy Certificate (Level 1- SickKids), Trauma-Informed Therapy with Transgender Individuals (International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation), Anti-Oppression & Wellness (Sanj Takhar), Understanding Microaggressions (Nadia Bello) and Raising Anti-Racist Kids (Rania El Mugammar).
Mary-Dora offers accessible, trauma-informed and anti-oppressive services, with a client-centred approach. Mary-Dora offers sliding scale and PWYC rates to 2SLGBTQQII+ BIPOC.