The ZERO LAB | Eric Awuah

The ZERO LAB
This curatorial initiative by Mile Zero Dance features three local artists/groups who receive production residency support in our Warehouse venue, and present their new work in process. We invite you to share the excitement of new dance works in progress.

ZERO Lab featuring Eric Awuah
Well,… is a choreographic probing of what happens when language stalls and the body is left holding the burden of meaning. Created by Edmonton-based artist Eric Awuah, the work unsettles the easy narratives of diaspora by lingering in doubt, delay, and discomfort. Hesitation here is not a glitch but a method. Well,… asks whether the pause itself can become an act of refusal.

March 27+28
7:30 PM
$20 MZD Member/ $25 General Admission
ZERO LAB Pass $50

There will be an artist talkback on Friday after the show!

Location:
MILE ZERO DANCE
9931 78 Ave NW

SHOW CREDITS
Eric Awuah – Director, Writer and Choreographer

Dancers: 

Deborah Kissi
Tiago Cruz
Mpoe Mogale
Cecilia Ferreyra
Gavor Kokou Gerome

Drums:
Mohamed “Papa” Bangoura
Vanessa Farn 

Poet:
Makda Russom

Frances Girard – Technician
Trent Crosby – Technical Director

WORKSHOP

A workshop will also be held in conjunction with Eric’s ZERO Lab!Dance Workshop
West African Dance Foundations with Eric Awuah
Saturday March 21, 2026
5.30-7.30  PM
All levels welcome | Open to the public
Free
Learn more

Upcoming ZERO Lab:
Zero Lab #3: Ember Collective (May 22+23)

Featuring

Eric Awuah | Director, Writer and Choreographer

Eric's teaching and performance career has taken him across borders, where he has shared his passion for dance in Higher Educational Institutions, professional dance companies, and amateur dance groups in countries such as Norway, Canada, and beyond. His contemporary African/Ghanaian dance workshops and classes are known for their innovative approach, exploring the embodiment of indigenous dance elements on diverse bodies and fostering connections between cultures. In addition to his artistic pursuits, Eric is also an avid researcher, with a keen interest in exploring the cultural and social dimensions of dance. He has undertaken research projects and taught in various international settings, including Romania, Hungary, Burkina Faso, Denmark, and London, further enriching his understanding of dance practices across different contexts. Through his dedication to dance, education, and research, Eric Awuah continues to make significant contributions to the field of dance studies, bridging cultural divides and promoting cross-cultural exchange through the universal language of movement.

Tiago Cruz

Tiago is a Brazilian dancer with focus on contemporary and. Performances include Mar and A Rede (Lucia Toller School of Dance, 2018), Sleeping Beauty (2021), Esperançar (2022), Maggie Smith x Fluevog Fashion Show (2024) Drag Fest (2023), Black History Month with Fabrício Mosqueira (2023 & 2024), Reborn in Samba at Fringe festival (2024), and Obalata at Orchesis Festival directed by Leo Gonzales (2025).

Mpoe Mogale

Mpoe Mogale (they/them) reigns from Lebowakgomo, South Africa and splits their time between amiskwaciywâskahikan and moh’kínst’sis, in the colonial state of Canada. They hold a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Political Science, and a wealth of expertise in community-based research, facilitation, and arts administration.


Mpoe’s primary artmaking form is dance, with a curiosity in the place of Blackness in spaces that deny it, as explored through several projects including a project they are currently collaborating on with the Prairie Place-Ancestors Collective produced by Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre. Mpoe has taken up positions within the arts community to facilitate the creation of better and abundant workplaces for arts workers, and does so by facilitating spaces where nourishment, imagination, and joy abound.

Cecilia Ferreyra

Cecilia was born and raised in Argentina, and moved to Canada to pursue a PhD in Human Geography from the University of Guelph, Ontario. Although Cecilia took her first dance class only 10 years ago, dance has always been part of her heart and soul. For her, dance is a sacred space for freedom, creativity and expression. Starting as a dancer with Samba Edmonton, then becoming part of the performance ensemble for the Cuban Movements Dance Academy, Cecilia’s approach to dance is all about expansion. This journey led her to become not only the Manager for the Glenora studio of Cuban Movements from August 2020 till August 2025, but also the Producer and Director of its three original dance-theatre productions: Mi Habana Querida (Fringe 2021 and 2022), The Power of the Drum (RISER Edmonton 2022) and Ay Candela: A Cuban Dance Adaptation of Chicago! (Fringe 2023). Together with her husband Tyler Baker, Cecilia is part of the team behind the nonprofit organization Tyler Baker Photography, with the mission “To use artistic photography as a way of supporting, promoting and empowering artists who are ambassadors for the arts and culture through their artistry and dedication, but who lack access to high quality visual images to support their advancement activities.”

She is also a member of the team behind the nonprofit organization International Samba Congress (Los Angeles), with the mission to inspire, empower and support cultural groups of Brazilian and non-Brazilian dancers and musicians who are dedicated to Samba and Brazilian culture by promoting a sense of belonging, identity and expression. Together with the CEO of International Samba Congress, Dr Ana Laidley, Cecilia produced, directed and acted at the original dance-theatre production Reborn in Samba: The Story of Aninha Malandro (Fringe 2024).

Kokou Gerome Gavor

Kokou Gerome Gavor is a Togolese dance leader and cultural visionary, best known as the founder of the ATIGAH Association (Association of Traditional International Groups for the Arts and Humanity). Passionate about preserving and promoting African heritage, he began developing his vision in 2005 alongside fellow young artists. By 2008, he officially established ATIGAH in Lomé, creating a platform dedicated to traditional dance, artistic expression, and cultural unity. Through his leadership, the association embodies values of fraternity, love, and equality, using dance as a powerful tool for community building and cultural development.

Deborah Kissi

Deborah Kissi is a Ghanaian-Canadian dance artist, arts administrator and a medical researcher working in women’s health and pediatric genetic research.

As a dance artist, Deborah blends traditional West African movement with contemporary and Afro-fusion styles, using dance as a powerful language of belonging, restoration, and cultural continuity. Her work centers movement as a therapeutic and expressive practice, supporting healing, wellness, and connection, while preserving African diasporic narratives through embodied storytelling.

Makda Russom

Makda Russom is an aspiring spoken word poet born and raised in Eritrea. Her work is inspired by her roots, drawing on personal experience, culture, and storytelling to shape her voice as an emerging artist. Through poetry, she explores identity and expression, using words as a powerful medium to connect with others and share her perspective.

Venessa Farn

Venessa Farn has been privileged to step into spaces that are rarely experienced by many Canadians. She has been a life-long learner, and music and dance are an integral part of her identity. Venessa considers herself very lucky to have been taught by such
esteemed dance instructors such as Mouminatou Camara, Youssouf Koumbassa, Bountou Camara, and Masani St. Rose. She has researched ways of incorporating creative ways of healing into her practice, with a keen commitment to utilizing information from both academic sources and knowledge keepers, striving to implement decolonizing practices into her work. Venessa Farn is an AASECT-certified sex therapist and sex therapy supervisor, and is a licensed professional counselor in Wisconsin. She is also a Certified Canadian Counselor and a Registered Provisional Psychologist. She maintains a private online practice in Wisconsin and is practicing at a clinic in Edmonton. She has post-graduate certifications in trauma, substance abuse, and sex
therapy.

Mohamed “Papa” Bangoura

Papa Bangoura has been studying and playing drums since he was 5 years old. He is a well-respected performer, clinician, and instructor. Papa is sought after to provide drums and music for countless dance gatherings in Western Canada and Guinea. He currently heads several of his own “ballets” /dance companies in Dubreka, Guinea and he is frequently requested to play for Les Ballets Africains and Ballet Djoliba, two of Guinea’s most prominent cultural performing companies. He has also been an apprentice of Mamady Keïta and has provided instruction and music to dance classes held by Youssouf Koumbassa. Papa’s talents as a teacher and a performer stem from his intensive research into performance practices and the history of the music he performs. Papa spent over ten years researching the history of Guinean music. He has travelled to every corner of Guinea, consulting with knowledge-keepers and elders about the history and origins of ancient music and dance practices.