Odyssey Masterclass w/ Guest Artists Bryn Bridgen and Sophie Dow

Dates: Saturday February 7 & Sunday February 8, 2026.

Location: Harbour Dance Studios, 139 Bastion St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 3A2.

Hosted by: Dancestreams Youth Dance Company.

*Note: if you are performing in Odyssey, please check your tech rehearsal timeslot before registering for the masterclasses.
Masterclasses are non-refundable.

Guest Artist | Bryn Bridgen

Photo by: David Cooper

Bryn Bridgen is an Indigenous contemporary dancer based in Vancouver, Canada. She is a graduate of the GibneyPRO Professional Certificate Program (2022–2024), where she trained under the direction of Alexandra Wells, Bret Yamanaka, and Gilbert T. Small II, and performed new works by Adam Barruch, Peter Chu, Laja Field, and Lea Ved. From 2021–2023, Bryn trained with Dance//Novella as an apprentice through opportunities supported by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council.
Bryn works closely with Racheal Prince and Brandon Lee Alley through their project-based company Dance//Novella, performing in residencies and presentations at The Polygon Gallery, The Dance Centre, SoundOFF Edmonton, and the Banff Centre. As a freelance artist, she has collaborated with Maiko Miyauchi and Majella Bess Loughran, performed at the JUNO Awards Canada and Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, and created her own choreographic works. Her additional training includes Springboard Danse 2025, Ballet BC 44 (2025), Out/Innerspace’s Jermaine Spivey/Yi-Chun Liu Intensive, and the Modus Operandi Link Program.
Bryn has recently joined Ballet Vancouver under the direction of Joshua Beamish and continues to pursue performance and creation through collaborative, research-driven practices.
Bryn shares movement tools central to her artistic practice, including improvisational tasks and floorwork pathways. The classes offer different entry points into moving with clarity, weight, and presence.

The solo repertoire is from Dance//Novellas "Soft Animals," originally created with Racheal Prince and Brandon Lee Alley in 2024/2025. As part of the company's repertoire, the solo sits closely with Bryn's artistic language, offering a shared physical vocabulary. The solo explores sensation, duration, and a sense of grounding and cleansing through movement.

Guest Artist | Sophie Dow

Photo by: Vitantonio Spinelli

Treaty 1-born Sophie Dow is a multidisciplinary creator, inspired by dance, music, film, collaboration and Michif/Assiniboine roots. An avid adventurer, Sophie exudes passions for busking, yoga and traveling on top of holding a BFA specialized honours in Dance Performance and Choreography from York University.
Highlights of Sophie’s Turtle Island touring journeys include choreographing and performing at Burning Man and opening ceremonies of Shambhala Music Festival, presenting digital installations at imagineNATIVE Film & New Media Festival, and sharing workshops in many rural and urban school contexts throughout the mountains and prairies.
Sophie’s unique reservoir of experience has deeply impacted her personal creative process, namely inspired by working with some of the country’s wonderful dance innovators: Olivia C Davies, Santee Smith/Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, The Chimera Project, Kaeja d’Dance, Carol Anderson, Yvonne Chartrand, Beany John, Jeanette Kotowich and more.
Sophie presently fulfills roles as: artistic associate of O.Dela Arts, Chimera Dance Theatre & V’ni Dansi/The Louis Riel Métis Dancers, residency coordinator at Dance West Network, fire spinner with Ember Arts Fire Society, creative director of PEC’s Flight Festival, a licensed practitioner of Traditional Thai Massage, a trained facilitator & student of BreathWave, a freelance dancer/choreographer/sound designer and a puddle jumping trickster.
Saturday Masterclasses - Open Level Technique and Performance Skills Class
This class is for the dancer wanting to challenge their artistry and performance skills. For the dancer who wants to feel more confident.

Sunday Masterclass -
This full day intensive is designed to be a deep dive into contemporary dance techniques where Sophie will help dancers grow into more bold and captivating performers.
WHAT YOU'LL EXPLORE:
- Contemporary dance techniques
- Tools for developing versatility
- Your unique voice as an artist
- Improvisation and creative expression
- Building confidence to bring onto the stage
Touring through Sophie’s expansive portfolio of creative process & movement, this full day of Masterclasses will begin with a morning contemporary technique class/extended warm up & conditioning. This will be followed by a workshop delving into the world of where clown meets dance. In the latter portion, we will be learning repertoire from one of Sophie's full length shows: 'Agrimony' and ending the day with a guided-creative process.

Schedule and Classes

Adv Contemporary Technique & Repertoire
10:45am - 12:30pm
Cost: $30

Offers a contemporary technique class emphasizing coordination and flow before moving into solo repertoire.
Open Level Floorwork Technique & Repertoire
1:00pm - 2:45pm
Cost: $30
Focuses on floorwork pathways and travelling in and out of the floor with groundedness and momentum, finishing with solo repertoire.
Open level Improvisation & Repertoire
3:00pm-4:45pm
Cost: $30
Centres improvisation, tuning into awareness and sensation before moving into solo repertoire.
Open Level Contemporary Technique & Performance Skills
2:00-4:00pm
Cost: $30

This class is for the dancer wanting to challenge their artistry and performance skills. For the dancer who wants to feel more confident. This two hour workshop activates the body, mind and spirit through sweat, joy and creativity.
Open Level Contemporary Technique & Performance Skills
4:00-6:00pm
Cost: $30

This class is for the dancer wanting to challenge their artistry and performance skills. For the dancer who wants to feel more confident. This two hour workshop activates the body, mind and spirit through sweat, joy and creativity.
Open Level Contemporary
11am-5:30pm
Cost: $125
This full day intensive is designed to be a deep dive into contemporary dance techniques where Sophie will help dancers grow into more bold and captivating performers.
WHAT YOU'LL EXPLORE:
- Contemporary dance techniques
- Tools for developing versatility
- Your unique voice as an artist
- Improvisation and creative expression
- Building confidence to bring onto the stage
Touring through Sophie’s expansive portfolio of creative process & movement, this full day of Masterclasses will begin with a morning contemporary technique class/extended warm up & conditioning. This will be followed by a workshop delving into the world of where clown meets dance. In the latter portion, we will be learning repertoire from one of Sophie's full length shows: 'Agrimony' and ending the day with a guided-creative process.