EMBRACE
About Us
Embrace is an organization devoted to creating meaningful artistic opportunities for individuals of all abilities. We run classes, camps, school programs, shows, and community events on Vancouver Island. Embrace strives to build safe places of connection through movement, music, and artistic expression.
As a community we decided on the phrase "all abilities" as we have a wide variety of ways that individuals in our community self-identify, including: disabled, a person with a disability, differently-abled, neurodivergent, crip, chronically ill, d/Deaf, and non-disabled.
Our Story
Embrace began with the simple desire to make more opportunities for people to dance and create together. Through founder Tiffany Tjosvold's own lived experience of chronic illness and her connections within the broader disability community on Vancouver Island, she had become increasingly frustrated by the inaccessibility of the performing arts regionally. She wanted to make more spaces for people to be able to meaningfully engage with the arts. In 2013, "Embrace Performing Arts" was born, which primarily consisted of community dance workshops.
Over time the demand for programs expanded. Feeling the need to broaden the access to our programs, Embrace took the plunge and officially became a non-profit (Embrace Arts Foundation) in 2017. In 2023, Embrace moved a step further and is now officially a charitable organization.
Embrace runs two primary streams:
Embrace: Community - Where we run classes, camps, school programs, and community events for individuals of all abilities.
and
Embrace: Performance - For professional and pre-professional artists with and without disabilities to develop new and innovative multidisciplinary work.
Our Staff Team
Tiffany Tjosvold
(She/Her)
Executive Director
(Part Time Staff)
Tiffany Tjosvold is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is based in movement and play. Tiffany received her BFA in applied theatre and her BEd in elementary education from the University of Victoria. Tiffany grew up training in a variety of dance styles and in 2013 trained she trained with DanceAbility International.
Tiffany's own lived experience with chronic illness has driven her to make more accessible artistic spaces. She has a deep love of working with individuals of all ages and abilities. Whether it is facilitating dance improv workshops for young adults, summer camps for children, or seated dance fitness for seniors – Tiffany is always happiest to be moving and creating with the community.
With Embrace’s performance stream, Tiffany has recently directed a number of original shows including bloom, Creature Caste, and Sylvia & The Cephalopod. She also co-created and performed in Embrace’s most recent pieces: S___PACE, Chilly, articulate, and Briny.
Have questions about Embrace? Contact Tiffany here.
Erin Koop
(She/Her)
Director of Music Programming
(Part Time Staff)
Erin Koop received her Bachelor of Music Therapy at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg and is accredited through the Canadian Association of Music Therapists (2010).
As a self-employed music therapist, she works in a variety of settings, providing group or individual Music Therapy sessions for people of all ages and abilities. For more information about her work, check out www.erinkoop.com.
In our community stream, Erin can be found making music magic or behind the scenes, putting her organizational skills into practice. With Embrace: Performance, Erin has been involved in the composition for music and soundscapes for Sylvia and the Cephalopod, Chilly, articulate, and Briny.
Have questions about our music programs? Contact Erin here.
Claire Bruce
(She/Her)
Arts and Outreach Associate
(Part Time Staff)
Claire Bruce is a spicy Latina dance and theatre artist who has cerebral palsy. She has worked with Embrace on a number of original pieces. Claire was involved in the development and performance of Creature Caste, bloom, Sylvia and The Cephalopod, Chilly & articulate.
Claire has also facilitated in schools and community organizations with both Embrace and Victoria Opportunities for Community Youth Leadership (VOCYL). Claire is a part of the InterdepenDance collective and has experience in creating audio descriptions with this collective.
Milo Canlas
(They/Them)
Arts Administrator
(Part Time Staff)
Milo is a neurodivergent, queer mixed-Filipino living on the unceded territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən People, known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. They are a multidisciplinary artist and a community organizer with Anakbayan BC and BAYAN Canada. They organize and create art through a social justice centred lens and believe firmly in the strength and love of coming together as a community.
Milo began working with Embrace in the summer of 2022 as an administrative and marketing assistant, also helping with event and workshop coordination. They are joyful to be part of the team again and supporting the important work Embrace offers.
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Devon Lewis
(She/Her)
Sessional Dance Instructor
(Part Time Staff)
Devon grew up just outside of Toronto, Ontario and has been dancing since she was 2 years old. She was a competitive dancer at Dance Elite Studio for the Arts in Milton, ON for 16 years. When she graduated high school, she went to McMaster University and was apart of the Mac Dance Recreational team. She was on the executive team for 3 years in the role of Head Choreographer Coordinator. While in university, she worked at various studios across the GTA as a recreational choreographer, and an adaptive dance instructor. She is a certified inclusive dance instructor through Rhythm Works Integrative Dance, and has experience working with organizations such as The Dance Ability Movement (ON), and now Embrace Arts Foundation.
Devon got involved with Embrace when she moved to Victoria in 2020 and has loved being apart of the team. She is also a faculty member of RNS Dance and Vertical Performing Arts. Devon finds joy in the Victoria dance community and is thrilled to continuously dance with Embrace!
Our Board
Interim Secretary
Zelda Coertze
President
Lauren Goodmanson
Secretary
Gillian Anderson
Treasurer
