Holla Jazz’s The Room Upstairs
April 29 - May 2, 2026 at 7:30pm at the Winchester Street Theatre, 80 Winchester Street
The Room Upstairs is a new work inspired by and set to the music of John Coltrane. An ensemble work accompanied by live music that uses the dancing language of jazz, lindy hop, and black vernacular dances, The Room Upstairs is a world that holds space for devotion, camaraderie, and grief.
Presented by DanceWorks and Toronto Dance Theatre + Co-produced by DanceWorks and Holla Jazz in collaboration with Toronto Dance Theatre
Natasha Powell
Natasha Powell is a Toronto native who has been working in the dance industry for 20 years. Her soulful approach to movement that transcends genre can be seen and felt in her dancing, choreography, and teachings. As the founder, artistic director, and choreographer for her company HOLLA JAZZ, she has created award-winning productions, presenting historical jazz dances in a contemporary aesthetic. Their productions have been nominated for multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Her choreographic language has lead her to collaborate with the National Ballet of Canada; and on theatre projects for Canadian Stage productions of Choir Boy (2022), and Fall on Your Knees (2023). Natasha is a recipient of the 2023 Johanna Metcalf Prize in the Performing Arts, presented by the Metcalf Foundation. Inspired by Black-American vernacular dances like jazz, hip hop, and house dance Natasha shares her love for movement through teaching workshops across North America.
Holla Jazz is an award-winning dance company based in Toronto that explores soulful and funky approaches to jazz dance. The Holla Jazz experience is marked by their cool and contemporary way of producing fresh dance works, all while inspiring a lasting love and appreciation for jazz dance and music. Established in 2016 by Artistic Director Natasha Powell, Holla Jazz was founded as a forum for developing and presenting artists that work and improvise together, to create harmonious and transformative experiences. The company aims to reinvigorate jazz dance with various forms of Black-American vernacular dances, as innovative and important vehicles for expression, while showcasing freedom and one’s own identity through the spirit of jazz.