Staff Team

  • Jennifer Robichaud is a Toronto-based artistic director, choreographer, performer, and educator whose multidisciplinary work spans stage, screen, and community spaces. As founder and Artistic Director of Larchaud Dance since 2004, she has built a body of work that bridges concert and commercial dance, film, and community-engaged creation. Her choreography—renowned for its athleticism, social consciousness, and innovation—has been presented at leading festivals and venues including DanceWorks, Nuit Blanche, Dance Ontario, the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, FFIDA, Harbourfront, and Fringe Shanghai, and featured on Bravo’s Gemini-nominated series Freedom.

    Through film projects such as The Monday Movement Series and MILK, she extends her choreographic vision beyond the stage, translating movement into story and image. A long-standing faculty member at George Brown Dance/Ballet Jörgen, Jennifer’s teaching reflects her passion for artist development, mentorship, and community engagement. She continues to sustain a practice rooted in innovation, inclusion, and care.

    jennifer[at]danceworks.ca

Jennnifer Robichaud

Catherine Romano

  • After completing a graduate program in New York City, Catherine spent almost a decade living in New York while pursuing a career as a performing arts manager, including a role as the Outreach Manager at New York City Ballet. Catherine returned to Toronto and worked as an arts writer and photographer, before joining DanceWorks as the Education and Outreach Manager. She holds a B.F.A. in Dance and a B.Education in Arts Integration from York University, and a M.A. in Performance Studies from NYU. Catherine's current research interests include youth dance subcultures and audience engagement in traditional theatre spaces that intersect with new media technologies.

    catherine[at]danceworks.ca

Neetika Sharma

  • Neetika Sharma is a distinguished Arts Manager and Kathak Dance Artist dedicated to advancing cultural diversity and inclusivity within Canada’s not-for-profit and charity sectors, with a focus on the performing arts. With over a decade of experience in Arts Management, Neetika leverages her expertise to drive positive social change and enhance representation in the dance community.

    A graduate of the University of Toronto's Business Management program, Neetika currently holds dual leadership roles as the Director of Operations at DTRC and the General Manager at DanceWorks, a leading presenter of independent dance in Toronto. Her extensive career includes significant positions at CaribbeanTales Media Group/CineFAM and Fall For Dance North Festival Inc., among others, where she has been instrumental in supporting artists from diverse cultural backgrounds.

    In 2019, Neetika founded the Katha-Ras Dance Lab, a pioneering program designed to empower underrepresented women dancers of color in Toronto, with support from ArtReach Toronto and, subsequently, the Canada Council for the Arts. Her contributions extend to ArtReach Toronto, where she has served as a grant adjudicator and consultant, and she has received past support from the Laidlaw Foundation. Additionally, Neetika is a Creative Connect mentor at Nia Centre for the Arts and serves as the Board Chair at ArtStarts.

    Creatively, Neetika explores the traditional Kathak repertoire, offering innovative and relevant interpretations through her research, choreography, and performances.

    neetika[at]danceworks.ca

  • Jake Ramos is a dancer and arts administrator working at the intersection of contemporary dance practice and organizational leadership. His work focuses on supporting artists and institutions through thoughtful administration, financial stewardship, and sustainable operational systems.

    Jake currently serves as the Finance and Administration Head at Dance Arts Institute (formerly The School of Toronto Dance Theatre). He has also served as Interim General Manager at Citadel + Compagnie, a formative leadership experience that marked a turning point in his administrative practice, deepening his understanding of organizational governance, financial oversight, and executive decision-making within a professional dance company.

    As an artist, Jake is a graduate of Dance Arts Institute (2016) and has performed in works by choreographers including Peter Chin, Jennifer Archibald, Robert Desrosiers, William Yong, Christopher House, Peter Randazzo, Robert Glumbek, Naishi Wang, Deborah Lundmark, Hanna Kiel, among others. He has collaborated with companies such as Toronto Dance Theatre, ACE Dance Theatre, Nostos Collectives, Zata Omm Dance Projects, Toronto International Ballet Theatre, and Human Body Expressions.

    Alongside his performance practice, Jake brings a systems-oriented approach to arts administration, with a particular interest in building clear, sustainable structures that support artistic vision and organizational health. Outside of his professional work, he maintains a photography practice, using street photography as a way of engaging with urban life and observing everyday moments.

    jake[at]danceworks.ca

Jake Ramos

Young Associates

Board of Directors

Jennifer Wan

  • Jennifer, a Chartered Professional Accountant, left the corporate world to transition her lifestyle to allow more freedom and movement as a Pilates instructor, artist/stage manager and business consultant.

    As an avid dancer, she engages and connects with the dance community to help educate dancers and artists on financial literacy. By leveraging experience gained throughout her career she is able to help organizations such as the National Ballet of Canada, City Dance Corps, UNITY, Artscape Daniels Launchpad, Dance Ontario, DTRC, Dancemakers, CDA, Gadfly, TAPA and JAYU further their cause and support our local talented dancers and artists.

Belinda Ngai

  • With over two decades in the financial industry, Belinda has experience of building data products and enabling analytics and reporting capabilities to provide data-driven insights in marketing, product and risk management areas. She is also a D&I champion, part of an employee resource group’s leadership committee, focusing on accelerating the inclusion and representation of diverse professionals in leadership positions. Outside of work, Belinda loves to bake, travel and enjoys visual and performing arts. She takes great pleasure in leveraging her skills and experiences in supporting the great work and values that DanceWorks brings to the arts community.

Alex Hsiao

  • Alex is a seasoned leader with over a decade of experience in financial services, payments, and loyalty. He brings a wealth of expertise in strategic planning, partnerships, and product management. Having successfully led complex initiatives, such as launching new products and leading major program transformations, he excels in driving impactful results. Passionate about the arts, Alex is excited to support DanceWorks’ mission of championing diverse stories and lived experiences through choreographic performance. He values DanceWorks' commitment to creating spaces that challenge dominant cultural narratives and foster community connections. Outside of work, Alex enjoys exploring the performing arts and actively supporting local cultural initiatives.

DanceWorks' Board of Directors as of November 2023 including (L to R, back) Belinda Ngai, Mario Fasce, Douglas Tanton, Alex Hsiao, Adam Kurnik, with Mimi Beck (front, middle) and Dedra McDermott and David Norsworthy (front, right). Photo by Kendra Epik.