New faculty member in Arts: Prof. Aria Evans
Thu. Feb. 29, 2024
Congratulations to our new faculty members in the Faculty of Arts! We look forward to introducing each of them to you in the coming weeks.
Here we feature Prof. Aria Evans, Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre and Film.
Meet Prof. Aria Evans, Theatre and Film's new faculty member who is an award winning professor in movement.
Dr. Tracy Whalen, Acting Dean of Arts, shares her memory of first talking with Professor Evans: “Aria’s wonderful sense of movement enlivened our conversation and no doubt informs their thinking, teaching, and creative work!”
Welcome Prof. Evans and thank you for sharing about yourself with us!
Prof. Evans (Bio)
Prof. Aria Evans (they/she/he) is an award winning, queer, interdisciplinary artist working in dance, theatre and film. Aria is a certified Intimacy Coordinator and draws on their experiences of being multiracial to capture meaningful social and cultural themes through their interactive art. Collaboration is the departure point for the work that Aria creates with their company Political Movement. Aria is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Winnipeg teaching movement and intimacy in the Film and Theatre department.
Aria was the Metcalf Artistic Director Intern at Soulpepper Theatre from September 2021 - September 2022 and was co-Artistic Director of hub14 from 2013-2018 and the Toronto, Ontario and Canada Council for the arts have supported Aria’s endeavours as well as Soulpepper Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, the National Arts Centre, Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, CAHOOTS, Why Not Theatre, Volcano Theatre, Nightswimming Theatre, Jumblies Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts, Nova Dance, b current and many more.
Aria has presented their choreographic work with Dust and Soul Dance [Dead Ends 2023], Soulpepper Theatre and the City of Toronto [For Sale 2022], Dusk Dances [RElaps 2021], Public Energy [Bridge Over Troubled Water 2020], Citadel + Compagnie [In The Abyss 2019], The National Arts Centre [Finding Wolastoq Voice 2019], DanceWorks [link 2018], The Toronto Concert Orchestra [The Trickster Re-imagined 2017], Ontario Culture Days [Two Row 2017], the Toronto Fringe [RATED R 2016], SummerWorks [Desiccated 2015], Long Winter [box box box 2014] and many more. Aria's works have been presented in both North America and Europe. Aria has toured with Theatre New Brunswick and Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, created work commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art, JOBEL Arts for Earth, Michele Pearson Clarke, the Canadian Opera Company, Urban Vessel, Toronto Concert Orchestra, Ontario Culture Days and the IPAA. They have participated and performed in works by The Stratford Festival, Lara Kramer, Tapestry Opera - Michelle Olson, Sylvain Émard, Kaeja d'Dance, Jenn Goodwin, Michael Greyeyes and Yvette Nolan, Penny Chouchie, Julia Sasso, Peggy Baker, The Banff Centre, The Halluci Nation, Constance Cooke, Expect Theatre, and many more.
Aria has sat on Canada Council, Metcalf Foundation and Dora Award juries, been an Invited Guest Contributor to the 20th anniversary Canadian Arts Summit, talked on interdisciplinary panels for CPAMO, the Toronto Dance Community Love-In, CAHOOTS, CADA, TAPA’s INDIEX, DarkNights and On The Move. Aria has also acted as a facilitator and guest curator on behalf of many other organizations. Aria’s work in dance film has led them to collaborate with many of Toronto’s leading dance artists and organizations.
We've invited our new faculty members to answer some questions of their choice. Here is what Prof. Evans had to say!
Arts: What course are you most looking forward to teaching at UWinnipeg – and why?
I am currently teaching Advanced Movement I and II in the Theatre and Film department. I love being able to build a sense of agency, confidence, embodiment and love of movement and physicality for actors. I also incorporate consent and intimacy into my courses and am excited to be offering students exposure to new industry practices.
Arts: If you've come from elsewhere, what are/were you most interested in checking out in Winnipeg – or Manitoba?
Having grown up on Vancouver Island and spent most of my adult years in Toronto, I am really looking forward to witnessing the Prairie skies I keep hearing about. I am also looking forward to checking out the provincial parks in Manitoba. Additionally, the arts scene is so alive here, with so much great talent, I look forward to making connections with like-minded creatives!