SOLDIERS IN THE ARTS
Workshop Co-Leaders
Co-founders, Michael Du Maresq & Ryan Hawkyard
Michael has worked with some of Canada’s eminent choreographers including, Denise
Fujiwara, Hari Krishnan and Sarah Chase. He has studied with many esteemed contemporary dance teachers such as; Peggy Baker, Pat Fraser, and Pat Miner. Michael has also studied various movement and dance techniques including, Skinner release and Butoh. He has performed in parks, atriums, clubs and stages small and large across Canada and the US. Michael has created over 10 works for the stage including, “No Man’s Land” based on Timothy Findley’s novel, “The Wars”. His work has been presented across the country and in the US. He also runs a successful consulting practice for artists and arts organizations.
Michael Du Maresq
Co-Founder, Director, Dancer
Andrew served with the Canadian Armed Forces for fourteen years. He began his time in service as a Naval Combat Information Operator with the Naval Reserves in 2005 before his transition to a Reg Force Army Medic in 2009. In 2011, he was posted to Joint Task Force 2 as a special operations medic where he completed multiple operational deployments. Andrew was medically released in 2019 after a diagnosis of
PTSD related to his deployments.
The arts were a large part of his childhood, but he found that side of himself had to be buried deep to do the jobs that he was responsible for during service. MiCiv Project has allowed him to tap into the creative side of himself, which he has found extremely useful during the transition to civilian life. He has learned new skills and ways to express himself within a welcoming community.
Andrew Lloyd
CAF Veteran, Actor
Leanne trained as a contemporary dancer and spent two decades working with choreographers while creating and performing her own solo work as an independent artist. She later expanded into acting, taking on lead roles in theatre, film, voice, and commercial projects, including five years as the Network Voice Actor for Slice Television at Alliance Atlantis. Throughout her career, she continued her artistic development, studying Contact Improvisation, Pilates, and Butoh dance in Europe.
More recently, Leanne returned to the cello and began writing her own music. She has since trained in voice and learned guitar and keyboards. Performing under the name Ellsy Wilde, she now presents full-length concerts as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.
Leanne Dixon
Dancer, Musician, Singer
Marc is a Canadian actor, singer-songwriter, and retired Lieutenant-Colonel with nearly 25 years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces. He began with The Royal Winnipeg Rifles before commissioning as an infantry officer and later serving in the Regular Force as a chaplain. His military career included a deployment to Afghanistan, service with Joint Task Force Two, and senior chaplain leadership roles across Canada, including with Canadian Joint Operations Command, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
A recipient of the Chief of the Defence Staff Coin for Excellence, Marc now channels his leadership and operational experience into his work as a performer.
Marc Torchinsky
CAF Veteran, Actor, Musician
Andrea Greening is a Winnipeg-based actor and military veteran who served for over 25 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, including a deployment on Operation Apollo following the events of 9/11 and 4.5 years as a Foreign Liaison for the C-130 Hercules fleet in Georgia, USA. Her screen and stage credits include The Last of Us (HBO), Silent Night, Deadly Night (Cineverse), The Winter’s Tale at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, England, and Tunnel at the End of the Light with SITA in Toronto, with an upcoming appearance in Little House on the Prairie (Netflix). As both an artist and a veteran, Andrea is committed to exploring the complexities of life after service, centring veteran experiences with nuance and integrity,
and examining the restorative and transformative power of art.
Andrea Greening
CAF Veteran, Actor, Playwright
Ryan served 20 years with The Royal Canadian Regiment and deployed to Afghanistan three times during his military career. After service, he began acting as a way to help him work through treatment from post-traumatic stress and has found significant healing through the pursuit of arts. Since his release from the Canadian Armed Forces, Ryan has worked as peer support with unhoused vets and currently helps design and deliver arts-based programming for veterans and their families in Toronto and Kingston, Ontario.
Ryan Hawkyard
CAF Veteran, Actor, Writer, Co-Founder