Poetry and Motion

Tai Reign (they/them) is a Two-Spirit artist from Peepeekisis Cree Nation based in Regina, Saskatchewan. As a young artist they've used spoken word as an avenue of self expression. Collaborating with artists from different disciplines has helped them find a sense of connection and play from art and storytelling. They have performed across Canada and at the Voices of Today Youth Poetry Festival in Toronto. On their artistic journey they've ventured into longer forms of storytelling; where they have co-created and performed two devised theater productions, Lift/Break and The Rehearsal. Tai is the Saskatchewan Youth Poet Laureate for 2025-2026.

Flany is a performer and choreographer, founder of Kizomba Regina. Specializing in Ginga and self-expression, Flany teaches how to bring technique, fun and personality together into your dance. As the first Kizomba instructor in Saskatchewan, Flany has helped create and grow a Kizomba community in various cities and trained several teachers in the province.

Ava S. Miller is a Jamaican-born, Regina-raised poet, author, and spoken word artist whose work centers on womanhood, resilience, identity, and emotional truth.

She is the author of Late Nights & Early Mornings, Vulnerable: Writings from the Broken Pieces, How Did I Become Her?, and the children’s book Brown Skin Girls, which celebrates confidence, beauty, and cultural pride in young girls.

Through storytelling and performance, Ava creates spaces where women feel seen, heard, and affirmed. Her work reminds audiences that lived experience is not weakness — it is wisdom — and that standing fully in one’s truth widens the room for others.

Debarati Ghosh Basu is an accomplished Kathak artist and educator with over 16 years of rigorous training in the Lucknow Gharana, under the legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj. Deeply rooted in the classical tradition, her artistry reflects refined technique, expressive storytelling, and a profound understanding of rhythm and movement. With more than 25 years of teaching experience, she has guided and inspired over 500 students across multiple countries, nurturing both discipline and creativity in her classrooms.

Based in Regina, Canada, Debarati continues to share the timeless beauty of Indian classical dance while building meaningful cultural bridges through performance and education.

Toni-Tiara Rapley is a passionate spoken word artist, wife, mother, and woman of faith who uses poetry to inspire healing, purpose, and boldness. With a heart driven by faith, she blends transparency, strength, and spiritual depth into every piece she delivers. Toni-Tiara believes words carry power — power to connect, restore, heal, and remind people of who they are called and capable to be. 

Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye (she/her), the 11th Saskatchewan Poet Laureate is an African-Canadian Interdisciplinary Poet, Public Speaker, Chorus-Poem Playwrighter, and Thespian residing in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. Author of "Earth Skin", a poetry collection retelling the joys and woes of human connection. Organically from Yorubaland Nigeria, Peace explores the intersectionality of the artist community from an explorer's perspective, dipping her honey-stained fingers into poetry, dance, performance art, critical research, and the theatre world. Her poems express her undying love for ironic justice, motivational banter, the dimmed light of Africa’s internal dilemma, and the trouble of cultural barriers.

She co-coordinates Write Out Loud, a Saskatoon-based youth poetry community. Peace facilitates poetry workshops in classrooms and schools across Saskatchewan's expansive and diverse communities through her work with Common Weal, Write Out Loud, and the Youth Speaker’s Bureau for the Office of the Treaty Commissioner. She has facilitated workshops at Nutana Collegiate, Aden Bowman, Warman High School, Saskatoon Open Door Society, Regina Open Door Society, Chokecherry Studios, and beyond. Her writing has introduced Neo Soul poetry into the spoken word scene, revealing the inauthenticity of the English language when spoken from a voodoo tongue. Her work knits together folklore, current events, and vivid imagery to create bridges.

When she is not contemplating the wonders of humankind, she can be found in the nearest cafe, people-watching and writing quirky questionnaires.

Passionate and innovative dance alumnus of the University of Waterloo, specializing in choreography with a minor in Fine Arts. Founder of Free Flow Dance Theatre, thriving as an independent artist and choreographer. Dedicated to pushing boundaries in dance and creating impactful, multidisciplinary performances.