journeying within

Alida Esmail’s practice encompasses performance, choreography, teaching, and health research. She holds a Bachelor’s (major Contemporary Dance, minor Psychology) from Concordia University, a Master’s in Rehabilitation Sciences from Université de Montréal, and she is a Body Harmonics-certified Pilates teacher. Her dance education also includes a year in India at the Attakkalari Centre for the Movement Arts and Mixed Media learning Bharatanatyam and Kalarippayattu and extensive training in International Ballroom/Latin dance which she currently uses to help develop Liquid Lead Dancing, a gender-neutral approach to partner dancing. Alida has a keen interest for socially-engaged work and questioning topics related to her identity, ancestry, and community. In addition to her independent projects, she is also working on a collective project with hearing dance artist Sophia Wright, and Deaf theatre artist Hodan Youssouf. Alongside her performance career, Alida is also involved in innovative Arts and Health research which has been published in reputable peer-reviewed scientific journals.