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Dance graduate Maria Riano, innovates and makes space for emerging dance artists in Toronto

By: Maria Riano, graduating dance student
April 29, 2021
Two performers stare with colour eye makeup and slicked back hair

Photo by Lucie Ward.

Recent dance graduate Maria Riano, alongside her colleague Dominique Tersigni started their collective The Playground Project in 2019. A playground is a metaphor for what their company stands for; constant investigation, the eagerness of life and human connection. This, as a result, is where their movement derives from, a place that is open-minded and curious.

The Playground Project’s mission is to create opportunities for emerging dance artists to showcase their work. They produced their first show Entwined Together for and by emerging dance artists in Sept 2020.  Entwined Together brought current students and alumni from different dance institutions together to network and have a platform to exchange creative ideas. 

This year Maria and Dominique have embarked on three new collaborations featuring 2021 graduates and student from the Ryerson Dance program. State of Play:Yellow Dimension is a short dance film in collaboration with 2021 graduate Katia Puritch and can be seen in Yellow: An Art Pop Up (external link)  starting May 3, 2021.

As well they worked with Simon Mazziotti, another 2021 graduate, on Hybrid Beasts, a short dance film about the spirit of what it means to be a dancer. Hybrid Beats is about being flexible in spirit, open to change, varied and researches as well animalistic and extremely physical movement. Maria was inspired to create Hybrid Beasts by faculty member Kate Hilliard, as Maria has been constantly inspired from watching and learning from her. Hybrid Beasts is being featured in Bloom Fest (external link)  launching June 1, 2021.

Working on a new digital piece performed on Instagram Live at the end of May, The Playground Project is collaborating with Declan Bakes, a second year dancer in the program. The Playground Project strives to always have a playful ability in creating. Maria and Dominique believe that collaboration is crucial to keeping the work genuine and inquisitive.

For more information you can email the.playground.project19@gmail.com

Or visit the instagram page to stay up to date with upcoming projects @theplaygroundproject (external link, opens in new window) 

Dancers roll on a concrete floor reaching their limbs awkwardly.

Photo by Maxim Luca Bortnowski.