Maya Gale-Buncel
Kathy Le
Miah Lewis
The HBE Mentorship program is a one-year intensive professional graduate training program open to graduates of GBD’s Dance Performance program. This mentorship is designed to bridge the gap between student life and working professionally as a dancer. For the next year, our HBE mentors will work, train, and perform alongside HBE under the guidance of HBE Artistic Director and Jörgen Dance Choreographer in Residence Hannah Kiel.
Get-to-know a few of the new Human Body Expression Contemporary Mentorship Students – Maya Gale-Buncel, Kathy Le, and Miah Lewis ! These dancers graduated from the Dance Performance Program (P105) of George Brown Dance in 2021. We caught up with these three dancers to hear about why they chose the program and to get to know a little bit about them.
Maya Gale-Buncel; photo by E.S. Cheah Photography.
Kathy Le-Photo; photo by Julien Norrish.
Kathy Le; photo by Julien Norrish.
“I love that GBD offers a variety of different classes. They really push you to be the most diverse performer you can be which is much needed in today’s industry.”
– Kathy Le
Miah Lewis; photo by Ashish John.
Miah Lewis; photo by Ashish John.
Why did you choose George Brown Dance?
Maya Gale-Buncel: I choose GBD because of the small class sizes, the wide variety of styles, the faculty, and the incredible sense of community.
Kathy Le: I love that GBD offers a variety of different classes. They really push you to be the most diverse performer you can be which is much needed in today’s industry.
Miah Lewis: I chose GBD because it is a very well rounded program. There’s a lot of variety when it comes to the classes you take. I’ve become a more versatile dancer because I have training in several dance forms as well as acting and vocals.
What are you looking forward to the most for your Human Body Expression/ Jörgen Dance Mentorship with Hanna Kiel? Any specific goals?
MGB: I am most looking forward to furthering my dance education and working with people that I look up to.
KL: I look forward to getting more insight on her creative process and how she creates her works. I hope to take her knowledge and build my own creative process in the meantime.
ML: I am looking forward to making and deepening connections in the dance industry. I am also excited to gain more performance experience, to become more confident in my partnering skills and to become more experienced in teaching dance.
What are three things you always have in your dance bag?
MGB: In my dance bag, I always have hair elastics, a water bottle, and a snack.
KL: Massage ball, water bottle and extra socks.
ML: A lacrosse ball for rolling out, a TheraBand and compression socks.
What do you like to do when you’re not dancing?
MGB: When I’m not dancing, I love working with children, reading, and hanging out with friends.
KL: Sitting and reading in a park.
ML: I love spending time with my family and friends!
What is your favorite part of living in downtown Toronto?
MGB: I grew up in downtown Toronto, so I really enjoy the familiarity of getting to go to school in the same city I have always lived in.
KL: The convenience of EVERYTHING.
ML: My favorite part about living downtown Toronto is the convenience of having opportunities so close by. I used to live further out of the city, so it’s nice to not have a big commute to get to the places I need to be. Living downtown also allows me to be fully immersed in the dance industry.
Do you have any advice to share with other aspiring professional dancers?
MGB: My advice to aspiring dancers would be to always work hard but make sure that you are having fun while doing it.
KL: Train and work hard but, take your time. Don’t try to rush your progress. Your body deserves time to process and heal between all your training.
ML: My advice is to work hard and be confident in your abilities as a dancer! If you put the work in, you’ll do amazing things.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS:
Heels or Sneakers?
MGB: Sneakers
KL: Sneakers
ML: Sneakers
Sweet or Savoury?
MGB: Sweet
KL: Savoury
ML: Sweet
Coffee or Tea?
MGB: Tea
KL: Coffee
ML: Tea
Mornings or Nights?
MGB: Nights
KL: Nights
ML: Nights
Cats or Dogs?
MGB: Cats
KL: Dogs
ML: Dogs
Android or iPhone?
MGB: iPhone
KL: iPhone
ML: iPhone
Be a part of Jörgen Dance Academy’s Mentorship Programs: Ballet Jörgen or HBE. Find out more here.