Amelia Brown is a Toronto-based dance artist who graduated from the Dance Arts Institute (formerly known as the School of Toronto Dance Theatre) in 2023. Since then Amelia has been working in many areas such as a choreographer for a children’s musical theatre company, as a dancer in Frog in Hand’s summer company, and in tiger princess dance projects’ All that is between.
Amelia isn’t just a dancer but an amateur rock climber, an ice cream scooper at a famous and always busy ice cream bakery, and a terrible (but willful and stubborn) cook. Her easygoing nature and joie de vivre come through strongly in rehearsals, where she shows her strength as a whip-smart, instinctive and beautiful dancer.
Amelia is a Leo born in the year of the golden dragon, so she’s hoping this means more good fortune will fall into her lap at some point.
-Written by Yvonne Ng, Amelia’s colleague, and choreographer
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Which ‘hood are you in?
I was raised in the west end of Toronto by Trinity Bellwoods Park, so I really see that as my ‘hood. I always joke around that I don’t think I ever left my little neighbourhood until I started school in the east end. I’m not even sure I even knew what was past Yonge Street, or north of College. I moved to the downtown core (what I used to think was the east end and the end of Toronto) to be a bit closer to my classes and my mind was blown. The Beaches? Cabbagetown? There’s a Queen St EAST! I don’t think I could ever leave here knowing I just figured out how huge Toronto really is.
What do you do?
At this moment in time, I’m trying to figure that out – what to do. Having just graduated with a diploma in contemporary dance, I’m trying out being a dancer, which in itself comes with the need to wear many hats as many artists know.
Another thing I do is work part-time as a server in a fantastic ice cream shop. We’re getting to the end of our busiest season right now and one arm is definitely stronger (maybe even slightly bigger) than the other now, it’s a bit embarrassing.
What are you currently working on?
Since October I was brought on to work on a piece that had been a few years in the making. All that is between is a contemporary dance piece by Yvonne Ng and I get to dance with some other incredible Toronto artists such as Morgan Aronyk-Schell, Johanna Bergfelt, Sierra Chin Sawdy and Charlotte Cain. This piece has been quite challenging for me. I was brought in to replace another dancer and so the piece was about halfway finished, and having to learn new material and then scramble it up and re-work it along with finding the connections to the other dancers – definitely daunting. But I am so so thankful to have a job (thank you Yvonne!!) with the kindest people who are all helping each other to work on this touching piece. As starts of careers go, I’ve been very lucky.
Where can we find your work?
All That is Between premiered on September 12, at Aki Studio Theatre in the Daniels Spectrum building (585 Dundas East). We had 4 shows running from September 12th to the 14th. I am so excited to get to put on an actual show! I’m not sure if people know that dancers don’t actually get to perform all that much, and the majority of our time is spent in process in studios or even just in our rooms imagining it in our heads. But to be in a brand new production with the most beautiful new music score by Nick Storring and to put on a costume carefully thought through and planned- I don’t know if you can tell but the amount of work by so many people all leading to this is too much for me to put into words.
