In Conversation with Rowen McBride-Pilon, Creator of the Emerging Artist Intensive

The 2nd annual Guelph Dance Emerging Artist Intensive includes five days of workshops and classes designed to help provide emerging dance artists with the necessary tools and information to support your transition to a professional dance artist. Happening from May 30th to June 3rd, 2022, coinciding with the Guelph Dance Festival, participants can join the intensive both in-person and virtually. We spoke with the creator, Rowen McBride-Pilon, about the upcoming intensive:

GD: What are you most excited about for this year’s Emerging Artist Intensive (EAI)? 

R: I am most excited for this year’s Emerging Artist Intensive teacher line-up. We are fortunate to have some of the incredible 2022 Guelph Dance Festival artists teach at the intensive including, Tatiana Desardouin from Passionfruit Dance Company, Laura Arend, Pulga Muchochoma, and Janet Johnson. We are also excited to include dance community members Katie Ewald from Guelph, Tanveer Alam from Toronto, Madeline Feist from Toronto, and Gillian Seaward-Boone from Halifax. Each teacher has a wonderful wealth of information, knowledge and experience that we cannot wait to introduce to our intensive participants. 

Photo by: Francesca Chudnoff

GD: What is your biggest takeaway from last year’s intensive?

R: My biggest takeaway from last year’s intensive would be the wonderful sense of community that was created. Being able to learn and work alongside passionate and inspiring emerging artists is such a rewarding experience. It is also a great reminder that we as dance community members are all here to support and grow with one another. Engaging in thought provoking conversations with professional and experienced dance community members as well as growing friendships with fellow intensive participants is my favourite aspect of the Guelph Dance Emerging Artist Intensive.  

Photo by: Tian Qiu

GD: How has the prospect of gathering in-person with the EAI participants shaped this year’s intensive?

Now that we are able to host in-person events again, I am very much looking forward to inviting intensive participants and teachers into a shared space. Fortunately we are able to offer both in-person and online options for this year’s intensive, allowing for deeper connections to be made and conversations to be had while still being able to connect with those from further away. Offering both options for attendance ideally aids in making the intensive more accessible to those who live further away as well.


The 2022 Emerging Artist Intensive will be running from May 30th to June 3rd. Registration fee is $255 which includes a Festival Pass and access to festival artist pricing for shows not included in the pass. Please click here for more information about this year’s intensive! 

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