Born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario, Laura started dancing at the age of 3.  She trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern and lyrical at the Academy of Dance in Waterloo Ontario until the age of 18.  In 2007, Laura graduated from York University where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree majoring in Dance with honours.  While at York, Laura had the opportunity to work with and perform choreographic works by David Earle, Carol Anderson, Holly Small and Susan Cash.  She has also had the pleasure of being taught by world-renowned artists such as Frank Augustyn, Veronica Tennant, and Robert Desrosiers and has studied classical ballet at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School.  Laura has danced with MOTUS O dance theatre for 9 seasons performing in their productions Carmina Burana, Perspectives, What the Heck, Petrouchka, Variations in Love, A Christmas Carol, Circus Terrifico, A Little Match Girl, The Shunning, A Fair Tale, Animal Tales, The Best of MOTUS O ~ 25th Anniversary Tour and One Hit Wonders.

Stavros Soulios holds a Specialized Honours in Kinesiology and Health Science from York University in Toronto.  Upon completion he furthered his studies at ICT Kikkawa College in Toronto graduating in 2002 with Honours in Massage Therapy and Acupressure with a specialization in Suikodo and Myofacial Release.  He is also a Certified Reflexologist from the Ontario College of Reflexology and has completed his training in Advance Orthotic and Compression Stocking Therapy.  He later served for the Hellenic Military Infantry division as a Private and Military Police Officer.

Stavros has worked in many multi-disciplinary clinics in Ontario and Greece.  The most memorable was being head therapist and trainer for a 2nd Division Soccer team Olympiakos Ioanninon in Epiros, Greece.  He returned to Canada and set up practice with the Acu-Pain Clinic.  He is currently one of a handful of RMT’s in Ontario that is a member of HCAI (Health Claims for Auto Insurance) and WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board); thereby being able to directly take care of any Motor Vehicle or Workplace Injuries.  His love for sport and athletics has allowed him to have under his primary care many professional athletes from the OHL, OSA, NHRA, Olympic hopefuls and the MOTUSO Dance Theatre www.motuso.com. In a few words Stavros has what it takes to take care of your musculo-skeletal injuries.

Dan offers 9+ years of professional experience transforming complex problems into elegant design solutions. He excels in conceptualizing and executing the visual design of websites, interfaces, brand identities and print collateral with a systematic approach to creativity.  For the past 3 years Dan has worked with MOTUS O assisting in the company’s graphic designs.

DANIELLA ZAPPALA

Daniella's love of dance and musical theatre began, at the age of six, in her hometown of Richmond Hill, Ontario. Here she trained in RAD ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre and Spanish dancing.  Upon graduating from the Arts York Drama-Intensive Program at Unionville High School, she furthered her studies in the Theatre-Dance program at Ryerson University where she had the pleasure of being taught by Nadia Potts and Stelio Calagias. Daniella continued her professional training in a Summer Intensive Program at Millennium Dance Complex in LA, California where she had the privilege of taking master classes by Shane Sparks and Brian Friedman.  In the summer of 2012, Daniella had the opportunity to study dance and performance with Disney Theatrical Productions, in NYC. Here she took master classes from the Disney team and Intensive classes from Judine Somerville, which led to a performance on the New Amsterdam Theater on Broadway! In addition to being an experienced performer, choreographer, teacher and director, Daniella has worked for the York Region District School Board, teaching drama, dance and voice to students in Grades 3-12.  In 2002-2004, Daniella co-owned and directed a Performing Arts School, Centre-Line Productions.

Currently, Daniella is teaching and dancing professionally with Motus O Dance Theatre and has performed in productions such as 'One Hit Wonders', 'A Christmas Carol', 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'What the Heck?'.   She is also singing and performing professionally with vocal trio, Skylark.

Travis Stocking is the founder of Draught Horse Productions. He is a Graduate of Capilano University in North Vancouver. He was Head Carpenter and Technical Director for the eight shows the theatre program put on. During the summers of his school years he was Site Carpenter for ‘Bard on the Beach’ A Shakespeare festival in Vancouver. Since moving Back to Ontario in 2009 he has co-produced, co- desinged and done tech design and production on three shows with Diana Lopez-Soto. “Textiles, Textures , and Fairy Tales”, “Pueblo” and “DreamCatcher”. When Travis isn’t producing shows he is working on his families’ organic farm Willo’ Wind.

Having danced as a child, Petra pursued her passion for more training and missions with the Youth With A Mission’s ‘Academy of Performing Arts School’ (Cambridge, Ontario). Upon completion of programs in a variety of dance styles, she joined MOTUS O in 1992 helping launch the company’s first production Human Knots. After creating and touring multiple productions with the company, Petra took a hiatus to begin a family and then rejoined MOTUS O 15 years later to continue the fun. For now, when not on the road with MOTUS O (which is her favourite), she can be found trying to perfect the dance of life – balancing various skill-building careers and home life with two nearly-launched boys. Thanks to husband Ted for pulling up the slack when dance calls!

MARIANA MANGEVIL ALVAREZ

Originally from Mexico City, Mariana studied at the Academia de la Danza Mexicana INBA (NATIONAL INSTITUTION OF FINE ARTS IN MEXICO) between the years of 1995 and 2002.  During this period of time she won numerous awards including a Bronze Medal at the IV National Ballet competition in Mexico City (1999), a Silver Medal at the VVI National Ballet Competition in Mexico (2001 and 2002) and a Gold Medal at the XXI International Ballet Competition in Merida Yucatan, Mexico (2002).  In 2001 she also participated in The Grand Prix de Lausanne, Lausanne Switzerland. From 2002 to 2008 Mariana danced with The National Ballet Company of Mexico. Now living in Canada, Mariana currently dances with MOTUS O dance theatre in their productions of Perspectives, A Christmas Carol and The Little Match Girl- Revisited.

Emily started dancing at the age of 2, and has since trained in various styles including ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, contemporary and ballroom. She studied theatre at Unionville High School until the age of 18, graduating with honours. Emily has had the privilege of apprenticing with Rhythm and Sound Tap Dance Company in the summer of 2018, and has studied with masters of Tap Dance, such as Travis Knights and Joseph Wiggan. Emily loves to create original work, and has showcased her work at the Tap Dance Centre Showcase, and the Show Choir Canada National Championships. Emily has been dancing with MOTUS O since she was 17, performing in shows such as A Christmas Carol, Prisoner of Tehran, A Fair Tale and Carmina Burana. She is thrilled to get to share her love for dance with you!

Justin Croker is a multi-talented artist and stage manager who has been involved with MOTUS O from a very young age.  Born and raised in a family of performance artists, Justin has always been passionate about the world of theatre and performance.  His parents, James and Cynthia Croker, are the co-founders of MOTUS O, and Justin grew up surrounded by the company’s performances and rehearsals.  Justin’s artistic talent is evident in his versatile skills, which include, costume and prop/set construction, poster designs, and video editing.  As a stage manager, he ensures that each performance runs smoothly and flawlessly, with every element in its proper place.  When he’s not working with MOTUS O, Justin is busy working in the Toronto film and theatre industry as a carpenter and light technician, honing his skills and expanding his knowledge of the craft.  Despite his busy schedule, Justin still finds time for his personal hobbies and interests.  In his free time, he enjoys exploring new creative outlets and pursuing his passions, whether it’s Dj’ing, painting, or guitar.  With his dedication and love for the arts, Justin Croker is a vital member of the MOTUS O team, bringing his unique talents and skills to every performance.

Jeff is a veteran high school teacher responsible for designing and implementing the Arts York Intensive Arts Program for the York Region Board of Education in Ontario.  In 2007, Jeff combined his love for photography and his commitment to teaching by creating the African not-for-profit project “Village Galleries” which took 8 educators/photographers to Tanzania to teach digital storytelling to 500 Maasai villagers.  Following this experience Jeff became the Project Manager for “In My Own Eyes” which taught digital storytelling to 7 First Nations communities in Ontario, resulting in 55 young people telling their photo-stories on the Internet and in a traveling photography display. Current projects now include designing and creating video advocacy campaigns for Youth Without Shelter, Durham Region Victim Services, Grace Orphanage (Congo), Canadian Save the Cheetah Fund, Beautiful World, Circle of Care, Jane’s Walk, Woman Act, The Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture, York Region Autism and Meals on Wheels. Last spring, Jeff completed his fifth photography workshop (1000 WORDS) for the March of Dimes (Aphasia and Acquired Brain Injuries.)  In April he designed and delivered a Digital Story Telling Project with 15 youth in Iqaluit in Nunavut for the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation.