ILLUSION DANCE ARTS TEAM
Meet Our Team!
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GUEST CHOREOGRAPHERS
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AMEY RAHEY
Amey began her dance training in Cape Breton, NS at Dance Sync, and currently resides in Halifax, NS. She has trained extensively in numerous styles and has always sought out additional dance education. Having graduated in 2015 with a B.Comm. degree and a major in accounting, Amey is now a freelance choreographer, instructor, and the Creative Director of both Elite Dance Productions: a touring competition and convention company; and DFRNT Dance: an intimate artist development program. Amey has been chosen to take part in many renowned training programs, such as The Gypsy Project LA, the Dana Foglia Dance Training Program, the SoulEscape Company Intensive, and the RUBBERBANDance Winter Workshop. She has also participated in The Galen Hooks Method Artist Development session, under the direction of Galen Hooks. Additionally, she has performed in multiple shows as a company member of Justin Giles’ SoulEscape in Dallas and Los Angeles, at the 2018 Raptor’s home opener, at Toronto’s Original Choreographer’s Ball 2020, and has taught at Arizona’s DancePlex and Toronto’s Underground Dance Centre. She is also a proud member of the Professional Adjudicator’s Alliance.
ANASTASIA WIEBE
Anastasia Wiebe is a Halifax based dancer-choreographer. She began her dance career at home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia training at the Leica Hardy School of Dance and the Dartmouth Dance Academy. She was a member of KiDanCo from 2011-2013. She performed in Symphony Nova Scotia’s The Nutcracker for four seasons and Gen-Y for Mocean Dance in 2011. She continued her dance training at the Peridance Capezio Center and graduated from their Certificate Dance Program for contemporary/ballet and commercial dance in 2015. Performance credits include Sonderlings, Second Hand News, The Great Big Boo (Dance Captain), Post Modern Jukebox (Good Morning America), and was a performer-choreographer on MTV’s Say it with Song. She has performed works by Victor Quijada, Robert Battle, Lar Lubovitch, Hofesh Shechter, Aszure Barton, Igal Perry, and many more. She is currently co-artistic director and dancer with Nostos Collectives. Anastasia is also an emerging choreographer and has had the pleasure of setting works throughout Nova Scotia and Toronto.
MARRIN JESSOME
Marrin Jessome is a Halifax-based artist who studied Performance Dance at the Toronto Metropolitan University (2019). She now works as a freelance dance teacher, choreographer, adjudicator and performer throughout the maritimes.
As a trained pianist, her choreography is informed by her nuanced understanding of sound— arranging tension and release on a visceral level, to form a direct translation between the instrument and the architecture of the body.
Her work has been showcased at The St. John Contemporary Dance Festival, Kinetic Open Studio, The Underground Cabaret, Antigonight Fest, The Youth Dance Ensemble, Halifax Young Company, Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal and The North End Revue. She creates exciting contemporary work that is inspired by storytelling, memory, nostalgia and relationships. Marrying classical techniques with the theatre of lived experiences, she brings forth compositions that are raw and sensual while athletic and playful. Her work features intricate partnering, floor work and flow acrobatics while maintaining an awareness of her audience. She is driven to make work that is relatable and accessible to the untrained eye, without diluting technical qualities
JAYLA JAMES
Jayla James is a professional dance artist from Halifax, Nova Scotia, trained in Hip-hop, jazz, heels, contemporary, ballet and musical theatre. Jayla developed a love for the art at a young age, beginning her first dance class at the age of four. She continued dancing in studios in her hometown until her late teen years. At age 18, she moved to the city of Toronto to pursue her dreams professionally. Jayla is a graduate from George Brown College’s Commercial Dance Program (2019). Within the program, she studied such dance genres as hip hop, ballet, jazz, contemporary, and musical theatre, as well as acting and singing. She has performed in music videos and danced with notable dance/performance companies such as Magan Boys Entertainment (2020), High Society Cabaret (2020), Toronto Babe Squad (2020), Nostos Collectives (2017), Voices (2017), and The Woods Hip Hop Dance Company (2016). Jayla’s most recent endeavour is establishing Rendezvous, a commercial dance training program within Halifax, Nova Scotia. Jayla plans to continue to grow the dance community in her hometown to provide more opportunities to young dance artists.
