BOARD OF DIRECTOR BIOS

Haleigh Eady is an arts manager who has earned several years of experience working with arts organizations and not-for-profits in Canada and the US in the areas of operations, development, festival and event production. She is currently the Development and Events Manager of Oakville Galleries and is transforming the way the organization connects with the community. Haleigh also comes from a performing arts background as a dance artist, choreographer and teacher. She most notably studied on Scholarship at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and performed alongside Martha Graham Dance Company as part of Graham 2. Continuing her studies in Arts Administration and Cultural Management, Haleigh has had the opportunity to be a producer for Dusk Dances Hamilton, Fall for Dance North: Heirloom Hamilton, Together in Dance Festival and others. In addition, she is passionate about the arts in all forms and is a Director and Singer for Myriad Ensemble, a professional young women’s choir. Haleigh serves as the Board Treasurer of BoucharDanse and hopes to create a positive impact by supporting the organization through its many journeys. 

Janice Pomer has been teaching, performing and creating in the fields of dance, music and theatre since 1976 touring across Canada and providing dance experiences for students of all ages and abilities in urban, rural, northern and First Nations communities. Author of several internationally acclaimed books on dance education Janice’s unique pedagogy emphasizes how movement exploration is a holistic, multidimensional process that engages the physical, intellectual, creative, emotional and intuitive aspects of the mover. She has worked with Artistic Director Sylvie Bouchard on educational outreach projects and study guides for Dusk Dances and BoucharDanse and was delighted to join the board in 2019.

Stephanie Bryant is a retired French teacher who nurtured the co-curricular dance program at Havergal College, a Toronto Independent School, for more than 2 decades. In that capacity, she led students in the senior dance troupe, dance team and middle school dance club through technical skill development and creative activities, curated guest dance artist experiences and organized outings to conferences, performances and competitions to expand students’ ideas and broaden their repertoire. In addition, as an artistic director, she worked with student leaders, as well as colleagues in visual arts, drama and music, to create many performances, including an annual theme-based dance show. Stephanie holds additional qualifications in the Arts, such as Teaching and Learning in the Arts, Visual Arts Part 1 and Dance Part 1, and is particularly interested in how the arts can connect and reflect cultural identities. She joined the Board in 2023 and looks forward to supporting the incredible artistic work of Sylvie Bouchard and BoucharDanse.

Jade Silman (she/her) is a theatre creator, dramaturg and administrator who foregrounds collaboration, equity, and passion in all her work. Since graduating from York University’s Theatre BFA, she has continued to learn through the Nightwood Innovators Program, Theatre Gargantua’s Emerging Artists Roundtable, and Toronto Fringe Festival’s TENT producers training program. Currently, she is the Program Assistant for Nightwood Theatre’s Write from the Hip training and the New Work Development Coordinator at Canadian Stage. Additionally she has been working as a freelance dramaturg and creator, and arts administrator for companies including Next Generation Showcase, Crow’s Theatre, Dusk Dances, Arts Commons and CBC/Zone 3.