Suzanne Liska is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and researcher specializing in dance improvisation and somatics since 1998. Suzanne has originated in roles for choreographers Rebecca Bryant, Maxine Heppner, Pam Johnson, Karen Kaeja, Susan Lee, Kathleen Rea and Takako Segawa. Suzanne has choreographed and performed works presented by DanceWorks CoWorks, Dusk Dances, Dance Matters, DARK, and Harbourfront Centre. As a company dancer for Kathleen Rea’s REAson d’etre Dance Productions, Suzanne danced in the three times Dora Award nominated “Long Live”. Upcoming projects include co-creations with celebrated dance artists Susan Lee and Takako Segawa, JJ Lee (visual artist), and Sabrina Budiman (videographer).

Receiving Bachelor Degrees in Arts and in Education, Suzanne has been a teacher since 2001. She teaches professional dancers, actors, community dancers, and high school and elementary school students. Her main classes include Conditioning, Somatics (Alexander Technique), Solo, Contact, and Ensemble Improvisation/Composition and advanced partnering. Suzanne has taught workshop intensives for Collective Gulp in Ottawa, CCDC in Calgary, CINN in Tokyo, and Leviathan studio in BC and for Ryerson University, George Brown and Humber College in Toronto. She has been a faculty teacher at the Randolph Academy for Performing Arts College program and a course director in York University’s Dance department.

Funded by a SSHRC award, she received her MFA in Choreography at York University. Investigating Contact Improvisation and the Alexander Technique within the choreographic process, she conducted her research in Tokyo and Toronto.

Areas of Research and Academic Specialty: Contemporary/Modern Dance, Somatics

Personal Website www.suzanneliska.com