Allara Gooliaff

Introduction to Choreography 

This workshop will give participants some tools to answer the following questions:

  • What statement are you trying to express about yourself when you put on your stilts?
  • Who are you when you put on your stilts?

We will attempt to examine these questions through the lens of contemporary dance performance. Let’s make some physical metaphors and create some common movement vocabulary together. There will be a quick warmup, followed by prompt-oriented exercises that will move you throughout the space. Each of these components are designed to fire both your imagination and your sense of spatial awareness. Lastly, you will be given a series of 4 movement phrases to develop and sequence to match your own style in answer to the question(s) above.  Stiltdance movement will be set at an Open Level. Comfort with assisted falls will be expected from the participants.  Class will start with our stilts on right away. We will start on the floor and progress upwards before melting back to finish. Various genres of music will inform the speed and energy of the class.

Requirements: Please ensure that you have hard-shell knee pads to protect your knees and that your stilts allow for the effective placement of knee pads. Allara uses 187 Killer knee pads. Triple 8s are also an excellent brand. Any stilt length will work for this class, however, Allara uses 2-foot aluminum stilts. All sharp edges must be taped and/or covered in foam.

Allara Gooliaff  is a stiltdance explorer. Stilts are a medium by which she explores the ether between the earth and the sky; whereas dance is the art form on which her performance is created. Stiltdance is at once acrobatic, totally mesmerizing, and ephemeral. She likes to play with the exaggeration of an unbroken line, strong geometric shapes, and flexibility. She is motivated by musical choices. Composition length and genre often holds the legs and sets her choreographic frame, but softness and gristle comes from her stubborn will to push the boundaries of her personal physicality.  She has performed and trained all over the world including Guinea, Brazil, France, Cuba, the UK and the US. Her professional background started with varsity gymnastics and the University of Calgary, continued with folkloric dance and drum training in Guinea, West Africa, and gradually moved into developing her own stiltdance repertory and acro-stilt styles through the lens of a trained dance artist. She is passionate about sharing dance, circus, and all things stilt!

Recent highlights include Discovery (theatrical stiltdance work presented by the Toronto Festival of Contemporary Circus), Oh Clare! (site-specific choreography by Brandy Leary and Erin Ball), god is A MAGPIE (site-specific work presented by Mile Zero Dance), Tall TALES (stiltdance film presented by NextGen and produced by Three Left Feet), Threads of Life: HERStory (in development with Aviva Fleising and Tatjana Cornij). This Explore & Create residency in Toronto was supported by Canada Council for the Arts. In June 2019, she was fortunate to bring stiltdance and acro-stilt to Circus Sessions (Femmes du feu – Toronto).

IG: @acrostiltawhirl and @tlfyyc

FB: Allara Gooliaff and threeleftfeet.ca

websites: tangylimedance.ca and threeleftfeet.ca

Vanessa Furlong

ACRO DANCE
This acrobatic stilt workshop is designed for all abilities and levels of experience. This workshop is designed to explore the use of balance as related to our stilts, to use of props and found objects, and to each other. Ground work and some flying with partnering will be explored to each individual’s comfort.
Some skills we may explore include: Lifts, Cartwheels, Freezes, Bridges, Kickovers, Inversions with props

Vanessa Furlong (she/her) is a professional circus and performance artist specializing in acrobatic stilts, trapeze, fire, and clown. She is currently based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. A graduate of theatre, music and psychology, Vanessa has toured with multiple performance groups nationally and internationally for the past 2 decades as a musician, actor, circus artist, and educator, and is expanding her life’s work in the mental health field as a registered counselling therapist. She uses multiple creative techniques in her lifelong journey to explore access in art and the gifts of aging, motherhood and disability in her creative expression.

Dean Bareham

Intro to Character Creation

This workshop is designed to help performers to explore and develop characters through the use of masks and guided exercises.

Dean Bareham

Dean is the artistic director and co-founder of Green Fools Theatre in Calgary. He began his studies at the Alberta College of Art & Design and then attended the Dell’ Arte School of Physical Theatre in Blue Lake, California. For the last twenty-eight years, Dean has been delighting audiences across the globe with his buffoonery and stilt characters; his alter ego, Gustavo the Impossibilist is infamous worldwide. Dean has performed and taught workshops all across Canada, Europe, South America, Macedonia, New Zealand, Lesotho, Japan, and the USA. He has performed with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony in Ottawa and with Cirque du Soleil at the Luminato Festival in Toronto. 

Nancy Toro

Prop Manipulation and Stilts

This workshop focuses on the art of using props while on stilts—why they matter, how to use them effectively, and how they can transform your storytelling.
We’ll explore the practical pros and cons of incorporating props at height, from movement challenges to visual payoffs. Learn how to choose the right prop, integrate it into your act, and build a narrative that makes your performance more dynamic, engaging, and unforgettable.
Perfect for stilters looking to enhance their stilt work with meaningful, entertaining prop use—whether for stage, street, or roaming acts.

 

Nancy Toro(AKA Lola)

Lola is a passionate multi-disciplinary artist based on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Səl̓ílwətaʔ, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nations (Vancouver, BC). 
Lola’s journey into stilt dancing began as a powerful political statement. After a decade of practice performing as a movement artist, she has integrated repertoire from street and contemporary dance, ritual theatrics, soft acrobatics, and clowning. Recognising the lack of representation within these associated communities, Lola is  shifting the narrative, carving out space for more diversity in circus arts and beyond. 
What began as activism quickly blossomed into a deep creative passion, captivated by the unconventional, expressive possibilities of dynamic stilt dance & movement. Lola’s skills training incubated through a Research & Development grant from Canada Council for the Arts, with the mentorship of Three Left Feet Company in Moh’kinstsis (Calgary). This transformative experience sparked a deeper vision of new heights to realise in stilt dancing, grounded in traditional cultural practices mixed with contemporary arts innovation.

Having honed her multidisciplinary artistic journey over years of disciplined training and creative play, Lola has cultivated a fine-tuned understanding of movement and expression. Her artistic endeavours serve as a testament to her unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries and turning heads.

IG Tags –

@lolaloops__ 

@soaringstiltdance

 

Tara Blue

Stilt Character Makeup

This workshop is aimed at giving stilt performers a hands on experience in how to develop and apply a character specific makeup that will meet the needs of the character and the performance

Tara Blue

Tara Blue is a multi disciplinary stilt performer bringing smiles to audiences.  Dance colleague Three Left Feet’s  Artistic Director Allara Gooliaff introduced Tara to stilting over 10 years ago. Collaborating with a mentor like Allara brings a wealth of creative challenge and development  to the work. 

 

Tara is proud to be a team member of Three Left Feet’s dynamic creations blending stilt performances with magical LED costumes and props. Favorite performances with Three Left Feet include Chinook Blast Winter Festival, Calgary Canada Day Celebrations, and the Special Olympics Canada Calgary 2024 Medal Ceremony.

 

Tara also collaborates with costume designer Marta Styler and special effects make up artist Amanda Tozser to create a menagerie of unforgettable stilt characters for Calgary Expo and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

 

Crowds are in awe of the majesty of a moving artistic expression on stilts, often forming long queues to take pictures of themselves with the stilt artists. The interplay between the environment and audience shapes each performance into a unique moment.

 

Tara’s joy is bringing moments of magic to audiences one step, one breath at a time.

Anastasia Evsigneeva

Stiltortion Workshop

“Stiltortion” is coined by Anastasia word, which is a blend of two art forms: stilt-walking and contortion. In this workshop taught by Anastasia Evsigneeva, you will learn some ideas and exercises for improving your flexibility using stilts, and what is more important, will get to explore how you can reach your new limits if only your legs were longer! Anastasia looks at the stilts as the architectural extension of your body that will help you to join the extremities together in different forms and shapes of backbends as well as to work towards deepening your flexibility in a new way. She will have a creative improvisational portion of the class as well and show you a couple of skill sequences.
The workshop is suitable for anyone interested in experimenting with the new movement fusion. Previous experience in at least one of the disciplines is encouraged but not required. 
Please, bring your own hard-shell kneepads and a pair of stilts if you have them

 

Anastasia Evsigneeva

Anastasia Evsigneeva is a multidisciplinary artist, dancer, and circus performer whose career bridges the worlds of contemporary dance and circus arts. With over 19 years of dance experience and over a decade as a contortionist, she is dedicated to her innovative and captivating performances. She graduated with a BA (Honors) in Dance from the Professional Program of the School of Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg in 2019.

Since 2020, Anastasia has been mentored by Robin Poitras and Edward Poitras, developing expertise in performance, creation, production, and art management. Her creative journey includes founding Moving Roots in 2020, a performance arts company that embodies her interdisciplinary vision.

Her recent performances include Wonderland in Alice, eponymous to the duet multidisciplinary program, curated by Anastasia, funded by Conseil Jeuneusse Provincial. She also performed in exhibitions such as The Performance of Being (Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery) and She is Present (Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina), collaborating with artist Leesa Streifler. Other key performances include MAGDANCE 5 at MacKenzie Art Gallery (dancer in a work by Robin Poitras and Edward Poitras, choreographic response to the work of Betty Goodwin).

Ariel Amara

Explortion of Stilt Character Costume

This workshop continues right out of the Character Costume Creation workshop. Now that you have a great costume, lets explore it’s features to discover and bring forth the character within

 

Ariel Amara

Ariel Amara is a performer and artist from the pacific north west, where she grew up immersed in the counter culture and community performance scene. She has been exploring & sharing her circus curiosities for over half her life, locally and internationally. Committed to engaging in community multi model arts, she continues to explore her range and test her ideas, and as a circus artist, she draws her inspiration from fairytales, vaudeville, and the beautiful nonsense of the human experience. She is often found in odd shapes on stilts or playing in a pile of hoops, and loves costuming, producing shows and roving acts, as well as mentoring. 

 Ariel has performed and taught in 6 countries and has collaborated with many people and organizations over the years, focused on sharing the love of circus and play and the transformational power of creative expression.

Early in her career, Ariel dove into stilt training simultaneously to studying clown and character development from multiple schools. She has worked extensively with the Carpetbag Brigade, exploring acrobatic movement and stilt dance and studied clowning and character work with teachers of Pochinko style clowning among others. She is known for her engaging audience interaction and is overflowing with characters that want to come out and play.

Doug  “The Great” Hunt

A Personal Interview with Randall Fraser 

This is an opportunity to meet a true record setter and hear about his vision and drive to reach so high and understand how he uses his skill and reputation to the benefit of so many good causes.

Doug Hunt set another new Guinness World Record for Tallest Stilts ever Mastered. On October 21, 2023 he took 14 independent steps on stilts measuring 55 feet tall.  This took place at the 10th Anniversary of the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre. Doug and his team raised over $28,000.00 in support of Participation Support Services. Doug’s stilt achievement photo and details are featured in the 2025 Guinness Book of World Records. 

 

Randall Fraser – NSC Artistic Director

CNSS 2025 Host and Producer 

Stiltwalking is a part of many cultures and languages. In Edmonton, the NSC is dedicated to cultivating a community of Stiltwalkers to share the ancient art with.

In 2001, the city of Edmonton, Alberta hosted the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) World Games. As part of the spectacular opening and closing ceremonies for this major sporting event, Randall Fraser trained, equipped, costumed and choreographed a stilt pageant performed by a team of 50 people of eclectic backgrounds, ages and interests.

After the success of the event, he found he had a team of enthusiastic Stiltwalkers eager to continue developing their skills and performing. Together, they formed the Edmonton Stiltwalkers Society.

In the two decades since, the NSC was formed to cultivate a community of enthusiastic Stiltwalkers. Run by Fraser, the renamed National Stiltwalkers of Canada have their own studio space, Stilthalla, open for performance and Stiltwalker bookings in addition to coordinating Corporate Events and planning the Canadian National Stilt Symposium. Members of the NSC have also performed in Ottawa, the Maritimes, Victoria, Oregon, Washington, DC, and at an international circus festival in Nanjing, China.

We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors, participants and audience.