Reveries
Thank you for supporting soma anima arts and believing in the healing power of art and community. Your generosity sustains our vital work: from innovative performances to inclusive outreach all grounded in creative liberation, collaboration, compassion and community. We send you love!
Reveries Performers
Rachel Helten | Artistic Director / Choreographer / Dancer
Rachel Helten is an interdisciplinary artist, dancer, choreographer, and educator whose practice weaves movement, writing, music, and storytelling. Based in so-called Vancouver on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples, she embraces deep listening, collaboration, and embodied vulnerability as pathways to personal and collective liberation. A BFA graduate from SFU, her work has been presented locally and internationally, and she is deeply thankful for the heart-led artists and communities she learns from. In 2024, Rachel became Artistic Director of soma anima arts (evolving from Kinesis Dance somatheatro, founded in 1986 by Paraskevas Terezakis), advancing interdisciplinary productions, community outreach and nurturing inclusive, and transformative creation rooted in compassion, imagination and connection.
Kelly McInness | Dance Artist
Kelly McInnes, of Irish, Scottish & British ancestry, is based on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Kelly works as a dance artist, choreographer, performer, facilitator and craniosacral practitioner. Her work often explores connections of land and body as way to remember our interconnectedness and responsibility to life. Her current community project Late Stage Remedy, is a collective dance meditation taking place in public parks, inviting participants to slow down, attune to the more than human world with love and presence for the lands they dance on together. kellymcinnes.com
Ben Helten | Musician / Composer
Ben is a musician who from a young age loved the connection of nature and sound.
He loves to weave stories through sonic waves and finds inspiration in the music mother nature makes. He may be found singing with the seals and humming with the trees.
Coming from a musical family that nurtured the creative flow of this art form has helped Ben develop meaning through what he has experienced and channel it through instrumentation.
He remembers his mom through story and song and the irreplaceable and beautiful soul she is.
He thanks you for being here today and sends lots of love.
Tawahum Bige | Poet
Tawahum is a Łutselkʼe Dene, Métis and Nehiyaw spoken word poet from unceded Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Territory (CKA Vancouver). Queer as heck in obvious ways, they desire a world where acceptance rises while corruption collapses. With a BA in Creative Writing from KPU, Tawahum has performed poetry and hip-hop at countless festivals, their poems featured in numerous publications. His land protection work versus Trans Mountain pipeline expansion had him face incarceration in 2020. Cut to Fortress was published by Nightwood Editions in 2022 with their new collection, Stages of Tanning Words and Remembering Spells which arrived April 2025. Find them online @Tawahum on most social media platforms.
Masha Sherbina | Dance Artist
Masha (she/her) is a Ukrainian-Canadian freelance dance artist & maker born in Odessa, Ukraine and based between Vancouver, BC and Berlin. A graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School, she has worked with artists including Peggy Baker and Peter Bingham and interpreted works by Forsythe, Balanchine, and Neumier. Her practice weaves contemporary dance with kinesiology, somatic movement, and philosophy — exploring how pain and joy imbue into each other, and how our personal metamorphosis mirror that of the the natural world. Alongside her choreographic and performance work, she is a kinesiologist, yoga teacher and Master of Public Health candidate. Masha is passionate about the mind body connection and dedicated to researching how art can build healthier communities and engage with the socio-political and technological questions of our time.
Alyssa Amarshi | Dance Artist
Alyssa Amarshi (they/she) is a queer, neurodivergent, anticapitalist artist of Indo-Tanzanian and Sufi lineages weaving through Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm lands. She is a lover of lichen, student of African Diasporic and Street Dance culture (hip hop/dancehall/popping), and collaborator in experimental art with loved ones including her partner, Thelonious. They are a facilitator, mover, and forever learner whose artistry has been featured through vAct, Surrey Civic Theatres, Vines, Indian Summer Festival, Liberated Planet and spaces in between the land and the studio.In their artistry, they are most excited about extending their web of relations through dancing in cyphers at Robson Square, choreographing for festivals, eating yummy vegan treats, moving with the forest, community jamming, and using artistic expression and experimental play as a form of resistance, resilience, and liberation. She is honored to be apart of art collectives Her Tribal Roots, Earthen Bodies, and Enable Arts, all of which aim to co-create sustainable, and joyful artistic ecosystems. Alyssa hopes their artistry can be a reminder of our deep interconnectedness, an inspiration towards building a world of tangible solidarity and care, and a spell towards collective liberation.
Ezequiel Peralta | Digital Artist
From an early age, Ezequiel Peralta has been passionate about technology as an expression and expansion tool for human creative potential. His main interest is to investigate the intersections and resonances between technology, the body and the universal forces of nature, and their application in the arts, human development and beyond. Currently, he is roaming the realm of generative art and computer programming applied to visual and performing arts. For several years, he has been investigating motion capture technologies (webcams, Kinect, sensors) and generative art applied to visual and performing arts. He had the opportunity to learn about Music and Technology in the National University of Quilmes and to attend different courses and workshops exploring the connection between art and technology. Always thankful for the opportunities to collaborate as digital artist in projects like Flock (2018, Dionisio Perez and Julian Aguirre, Buenos Aires), Our Veins Like Her Branches (2020, Vancouver), Bright Shadow (2024, Soma Anima Arts, Vancouver), Howl (2023, Chaos Emblematic, Vancouver), What is Us and Eternal (2024, Soma Anima Arts for Unity Consciousness Festival, Vancouver), among others.
Alexandra Staseson | Singer / Songwriter
Alexandra Staseson is a singer, songwriter, producer, and community-capacity-advocate, who is Grateful to live on the Unceded and Traditional Territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people. Her soulful swoons and passionate rock-and-roll wails mixed with arrow-to-the-heart vulnerability, quick wit and unshakeable faith, deliver an unapologetic veil-lift into the emotional life of her experiences, leaving love-letters, seashells and second chances on the front porches of her audiences. Thank you for the chance to be together in a room of music.
Trailer Credits
& Other Infos
Interdisciplinary Productions
Bright Shadow
Choreography, Concept & Direction: Rachel Helten
Interpreters: Ileanna Sophia Cheladyn, Rachel Helten, Allison Lang, Ana Sosa
Composers, Musicians & Poets: Ben Helten, Kofi Obiri-Yeboah
Projections: Ezequiel Peralta
Sampled & Recorded Music: Voice recordings of Cecile Helten, Rachel Helten, Ileanna Sophia Cheladyn, Ana Sosa, Allison Lang
About:
An exploration of the tension between utopia and dystopia, weaving contemporary dance, live music, text, and interactive technology. Inspired by Carl Jung’s “Golden Shadow,” this work highlights humanity’s hidden potential and asks: What kind of world do we hope to build together? Originally rooted in Rachel’s personal healing journey, it now integrates voices from collaborators and audiences, encouraging imagination and hope in a chaotic world.
Gentle Glory
Concept, Direction & Performer: Rachel Helten
Composer & Musician: Ben Helten
Recorded Music: green to blue – daniel.mp3 / retire (final) – alvedon / unmade – Thom Yorke
Projections: Ezequiel Peralta
Outside Eye(s): Alyssa Favero, Ana Sosa, Carline Dolmazon, Alana Gerecke
About:
A solo work-in-progress exploring gentleness and empathy as pathways to liberation. Drawing from lived experience navigating mental health challenges, this work honors emotional intelligence, vulnerability, and connection—to self, Mother Earth, and animist wisdom—offering a call to care deeply in a sometimes violent world.
Artemis’ Embrace
Concept & Direction: Rachel Helten
Artistic Collaborators: Juolin Lee, Kira Radosevic, Kevin Li, Chelsea Goddard, Maddy Cruz, Kaia Shukin
Community Dancers: Keith Lim, Flora Wang, Julie Martz, Linda Lawson, Madeleine Dumais, École des Colibris students & teachers
Music: Balkan Shmalkan
Musicians: Ashton Sweet, Andromeda MacIsaac, Kat Single-Dain, Aiko Sato, David Brown, Juliet Andrien
About:
A collaborative community-centered work that gathers dancers across generations and contexts. This piece holds collaboration as practice — bringing together professional artists, community participants, and students in a living exploration of connection, embodiment, and collective creation.
What is Us & Eternal
Concept: Rachel Helten & Ezequiel Peralta
Choreographer & Performer: Rachel Helten
Digital Artist: Ezequiel Peralta
About:
An interdisciplinary exploration of love—el amor—as a cosmic, multidimensional force transcending time and space. Through movement, text, and spirit, it reflects on love as metamorphosis, memory, and eternal presence.
Reverence for the Rebels
Concept, Direction & Performer: Rachel Helten
Dance Artists: Rachel Helten, Kelly McInness, Alyssa Amarshi, Carla Alcántara
Poet: Tawahum Bige
Composers & Musicians: Ben Helten, Kofi Obiri-Yeboah
Digital Artist: Ezequiel Peralta
Outside Eye(s): Arash Khakpour, Simran Sachar
About:
An interdisciplinary dance research project honoring rebels within ancestral and historical lineages whose courageous dissent inspires change. Through dance, spoken word, and music, it brings embodied storytelling to life, reclaiming autonomy, memory, and ancestral wisdom. Rooted in justice and resilience, it is both tribute and call to action.
Community Outreach & Engagement
Your support enables programs that bring movement and creativity to all ages and abilities:
Weekly Youth Dance Workshops
After-school care La Marelle / Les Copains / Les Aventuriers (École des Colibris / École Rose-des-Vents / Annexe Queen Elizabeth)
Fostering expression and cultural connection through movement.
Generations Program
Workshops and pop-up performances in care facilities for seniors and community members with chronic illness or mobility challenges — offering joy, presence, and creative connection.
Freedom Floor
Dance improvisation for at-risk youth navigating mental health and addiction challenges — a safe space for self-expression and exploration.
Vortex | 4D Sound + Dance Jams (Lobe)
Inclusive sensory exploration through movement and sound.
Flowing Verse
Poetry and dance workshops cultivating truth, honouring of voice, presence, and community.
Older Adults’ Creative Dance Classes
Supporting health, connection, and well-being through movement.
Flash Mobs
Spontaneous performances designed to spark joy across communities.
Beyond!
Thank You!
To All of You!
For your presence, care & energy
To our Board of Directors
Andrea Van der Ree, Wendy Kao, Linda Rosenheck, Clémence Beurton, Mitch Helten, Florence Chazal
To our returning volunteers
Kirk Chantraine, Martin Chabannes, Mel Bravay, Ron Westfall, Benjamin Rabaste, Ezequiel Peralta
To our corporate supporters
They supported our Auction!
Chez Nous Bakery
Visit this fabulous and authentic new French Bakery in the heart of Yaletown and enjoy warm pastries straight out of the oven, great coffee or homemade lunch.
Chez Nous Bakery
1262 Homer Street
Vancouver BC V6B 2Y5
Mon Garenne French Bakery
Don’t miss this new authentic French bakery in the heart of Arbutus Ridge!
Mon Garenne’s team offer a warm welcome and the best baguette in town.
Feel free to stop by early in the morning to fill your bag with excellent breads, pastries and pies or settle in for lunch either inside or on the patio. You will find a wide selection of delicious bistro-style dishes, including the traditional and flavorful mussels and fries.
Mon Garenne French Bakery
4021 Macdonald Street,
Vancouver, BC V6L 2N8
The Dance Centre
For over two decades The Dance Centre spearheaded the drive to create a home for BC’s dance community. Our building opened in 2001 and has become a hub for dance activity, housing rehearsals, classes, workshops, performances and events, and generating an estimated 87,000+ visits annually.
The Dance Centre
677 Davie Street,
Vancouver, BC V6B 2G6
Le Centre Culturel Francophone de Vancouver
Le Centre culturel francophone de Vancouver is a vibrant francophone arts and community hub in Vancouver that promotes French language, culture, and creative exchange through performances, events, and educational programs.
Le Centre Culturel Francophone de Vancouver
1551 W 7th Avenue,
Vancouver, BC V6J 1S2
L’Alliance Française de Vancouver
Alliance Française de Vancouver is a cultural and educational organization dedicated to promoting French language and francophone cultures through classes, events, arts programming, and community activities in Vancouver.
Alliance Française Vancouver
6161 Cambie Street,
Vancouver, BC, V5Z 3B2
Theatre La Seizième
An instigator of theatrical experiences, la Seizième delivers contemporary programming that engages its collaborators, the artistic community, and its audiences. The main French-language, professional theatre company in British Columbia, it has been catalyzing the development of the artistic landscape since 1974.
Theatre La Seizième
1551 W 7th Avenue,
Vancouver, BC V6J 1S2
Bretonne Vancouver
Bretonne brings the taste of Brittany straight to you! Bretonne is a Vancouver based business making fresh buckwheat (savory) and wheat (sweet) crepes with traditional recipes and local ingredients. Bretonne is the story of a somewhat dreamy French woman who decided to blend her passion for the cuisine of her native region with her interest in urban innovation – by creating the first bike-powered mobile crêperie right here in Vancouver.
Find out more about Bretonne Vancouver: @bretonne.vancouver
Nora Lu Make Up
Nora Lu, a true artist with innate ability to enhance one’s natural beauty, has been in the beauty industry for 10+ years. With her exceptional skills and unwavering passion for the beauty industry, she has earned a reputation as a master of creating glowing and natural looks that leave client feeling effortlessly beautiful.
Find out more about Nora Lu: @noralumakeup
Helicon Books
Helicon Books is a proudly independent bookstore, situated in North Vancouver’s thriving Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood, nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Coast Mountains. Helicon Books sells wide yet carefully curated selections of literary fiction, short stories, poetry, essay collections, history books, travel and nature writing, belles lettres, and coffee-table tomes – we value literary merit and beautiful production.
Helicon Books
125 West 1st Street
North Vancouver, BC, V7M 1B1
Café Salade de Fruits
This French bistro in Kitsilano has carved a special place in the hearts of Vancouverites thanks to its unique Parisian atmosphere, exceptional customer service and excellent food.
Cafe Salade de Fruits
1555 West 7th Avenue
Vancouver BC V6J 1S2
Earnest Ice Cream
Earnest Ice Cream is a beloved, local, and sustainable small-batch ice cream company in Vancouver. Founded in 2012 by Erica Bernardi and Ben Ernst, it is famous for its dense, rich flavors (including vegan options) and its commitment to zero-waste practices by selling pints in reusable, returnable glass jars.
You can visit their scoop shops for cones, cups, sundaes, or to grab a pint. All four retail locations are open daily from 12 to 10PM:
* Fraserhood: 3992 Fraser St.
* Olympic Village: 1829 Quebec St.
* East Vancouver: 1485 Frances St.
* North Vancouver: 127 W 1st St.
The Keen Studio
Keen Studio is a Jewelry studio based in Vancouver, BC crafting Sterling Silver enameled jewels such as rings, pendants and earrings. Keen Studio creates all her designs by hand using traditional techniques. Each piece is a savoir-faire example inspired by nature and contemporary architecture.
See more of her work: @thekeenstudio
Nevena Tadic Ceramics
Nevena Tadic is a ceramic artist living and working in Vancouver, Canada. Her work in ceramics incorporates hand built or wheel thrown functional or decorative pieces painted with slips and underglazes. Exploring new forms and techniques, she finds inspiration in event or objects from everyday life. You can find her creations in her Vancouver studio on the seawall where she creates full time and teaches pottery classes.
See more of her work: @gtnevenaceramics
Thalia Lemon
Vancouver-based painter Thalia Lemon has built an entire body of work around an unlikely muse: a perpetually grumpy cephalopod from a Saturday morning cartoon. Her ongoing series renders Squidward in the style of canonical oil paintings, replacing the original figures while preserving the technique, palette, and dramatic lighting of the source. The results read as a sincere love letter to both traditions, proving that high craft and cartoon affection aren’t mutually exclusive. The work has been exhibited around Vancouver, including a solo show at James Black Gallery titled The Artist is Squid.
See more of her work: @storybythalia
Language Kids Corner
Helping children learn Spanish or English in a fun and interactive way!
Find out more: https://www.spanishkidscorner.com/
+ numerous generous individuals
How to Help
Attend our fundraiser, donate, volunteer, connect, create with us or share our story!
Thank You so much for your Love & Support!
We acknowledge that the land we live, work, and create on is the stolen territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
This statement reflects a commitment to contributing to a more just, loving, and equitable world as we strive to learn from past mistakes, and move forward in a spirit of care, honoring the interconnectedness of land and community during this time of climate crisis and social injustice.