photo by Francesca Chudnoff
For over 30 years, Sasha Ivanochko has established herself as an award-winning choreographer, performer, teacher and a respected arts leader within the field of Canadian Contemporary dance. Through her work as an independent artist, producer, consultant, and organizational director, she has developed a multifaceted skill set and forged a diverse professional network that has enriched her creative projects and community engagement. Passionate and committed to research and arts education and literacy, Sasha is a versatile and influential figure in the industry.
Sasha first developed her powerful physicality competing for ten years on the Canadian National Gymnastics Team and at the 1985 World Gymnastic Championships (Montréal, QC). At the age of 14 she began training in Ballet and Modern dance at the Etobicoke School for the Performing Arts (Etobicoke, ON). In 1991 she graduated from Dance Arts Institute (formerly the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, ON), and she earned her MFA Interdisciplinary Studies from Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, BC) in 2017.
A virtuosic and powerful dancer, Sasha has performed the work of many celebrated choreographers and with companies including, among others, James Kudelka, José Navas, Judith Marcuse Projects, Tribal Crackling Wind, Fujiwara Dance Inventions, DA Hoskins, Robin Poitras, Toru Shimazaki (JPN), Michael Trent, 10 Gates Dancing, Citadel+Compagnie, and for 9 years as a lead dancer with Toronto Dance Theatre (ON, CA). During her final two years with the company, Sasha held the position of Artistic Assistant to then Artistic Director, Christopher House. In 2005, the immaculate Peggy Baker gifted to Sasha her highly distinguished piece Brute as part of her Choreographer’s Trust Project.
In 2005, Sasha founded her ad hoc company, Ivanochko in company, to invite audiences to consider the art form through her feminist perspective and values. Her critically acclaimed choreography has been presented at the International Theatre Festival of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), the Dance Meeting (JPN), the visiBIe Arts Festival (Los Angeles, CA), The 2007 IETM, Festival Quartiers Danse, Studio 303 and Tangente (Montréal, QC), Ottawa Dance Directive and The Canada Dance Festival (Ottawa, ON), The Fluid Festival and Dancers’ Studio West (Calgary, AB), Dancing on the Edge and the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (Vancouver, BC), Rachel Browne Theatre (Winnipeg, MN), New Dance Horizons (Regina, SK), The Music Gallery, The Citadel, Dancemakers and DanceWorks (Toronto, ON), The Guelph Dance Festival (Guelph, ON), Public Energy (Peterborough, ON), The Festival of New Dance (St. John’s, NL), Mile Zero Dance (Edmonton, AB), and La petite scène (Quèbec, QC). She has created several commissions for Toronto Dance Theatre, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, Via Salzburg, and multiple independent dancers.
An educator since 1996, Sasha developed a training methodology that is specific to the demands of her choreography, but as well encourages a broader range of skills that has applications towards many performance avenues. Sasha has been on faculty at Dance Arts Institute (Toronto, ON), The School of Alberta Ballet and The University of Calgary (Calgary, AB), École de danse contemporaine de Montréal (Montréal, QC) and has guest taught at ARTÈRE, Concordia University, Circuit-Est, and L’école de danse de Québec (QC), The School of Dance in Ottawa (ON), The School of Contemporary Dancers (MN), Modus Operandi and Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, BC), Ballet Mannheim (Mannheim, GER), and Kobe Jogakuen University (JPN), and in many independent dance communities across Canada.
Artistic and academic acknowledgements and honours for her research and creative work include the K.M. Hunter Award and two Chalmers Family Fellowships (dispersed by the Ontario Arts Council), the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), and in 2020, she received the John Hobday Award for arts management (dispersed by the Canada Council for the Arts). Most recently, she appointed to the 100th Class of Guggenheim Fellows. The Class of
2025 Guggenheim Fellows was tapped based on both prior career achievement and exceptional promise. As established in 1925 by founder Senator Simon Guggenheim, each Fellow receives a monetary stipend to pursue independent work at the highest level under “the freest possible conditions.”
Sasha’s service to the community and leadership includes acting as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists – East Chapter (2006-2009), and Chairing the Canadian Dance Assembly’s Independent Artist Standing Council (2009-2011). Sasha was Artistic Director of Dancers’ Studio West (2018-2021), and the Artistic and Pedagogical Director of Dance Arts Institute (August 2021 – July 2024) where she led substantial curricular reform supporting equity and innovation.
Sasha is a psychotherapist in training at the Ontario Psychotherapy and Counselling College.