Local Arts Residency

Kiara Flavin was born and raised in Kingston and grew up dancing at 5678 Dance Studio. There, she met and trained with Kelly Bale, who inspired her to train professionally. Kiara joined Quinte Ballet School in 2008, and Canada’s National Ballet School in 2010, where she graduated in 2013. She started her career with Northern Ballet (UK) and danced there for five years. In 2018, Kiara joined The Royal New Zealand Ballet, and in 2020, she returned to Canada to join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, where she is currently dancing. Kiara choreographed her first piece in 2018 while at Northern Ballet and have since made commissioned works for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, The Royal New Zealand Ballet, l’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec and Canada’s National Ballet School, as well as several pieces for choreographic workshops.

Ground UP Dance Festival is focused on building community, giving dance focused performances a platform, and supporting artists throughout their journey in creation and development. Launched in Summer of 2022, Ground UP has acted as the first annual festival for professional dance in Kingston, Ontario.

Katie Legere has degrees in music from Queen's University and the University of Toronto as well as in computer science, business and education from Queen's University. Katie has been a member of the Kingston Symphony, playing bassoon and contrabassoon since 1993 and has taught bassoon as Adjunct Professor in the Dan School of Drama and Music for twenty years. She has attended baroque summer programs through Oberlin, Amherst Early Music and Tafelmusik Summer Baroque Institute. In 2021, she founded the Kingston Baroque Consort, an orchestra specializing in the performance of music from the Baroque Era on period instruments and plays recorder and Bassoon there as well as with Melos Choir and Period Instruments.

Chris Alfano is a frequent player in chamber music and jazz in Kingston performing with the Swingmasters, the Kingston Symphony and, on baroque oboe, with Melos Choir and Period Instruments and The Kingston Baroque Consort. Chris has clarinet performance degrees from Saint Francis Xavier University and SUNY Potsdam as well as a degree in Education from Western University, and a PhD from McGill University. In 2017, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his work in Intergenerational Music Education. He taught in the Limestone Board of Education for over 25 years as well as at St. Lawrence college and Queen's University.

William Egnatoff was a professor of education, computers in education, at Queen’s University in Kingston (1984-2013). He holds degrees from the University of Toronto in mathematical physics (M.Sc. 1969, Ph.D. 1976) and the University of Saskatchewan (B.A., Honours Physics, 1968). He taught physics, chemistry, and mathematics at the Canadian Junior College, Lausanne, Switzerland (1971-73). He spent four summers as a member of Canada's National Youth orchestra and was principal flutist with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. He taught flute privately and at the University of Saskatchewan. He performs regularly as a member of the Kingston Baroque Consort as well as with Melos Choir and Period Instruments and sings with Cantabile. He enjoys playing different flutes from his collection from South America, China, Japan, Tibet, and Nigeria, and occasionally plays in Irish sessions with a Pratten. His baroque flutes are by Boaz Berney: a four-part Naust of 1725 and a piccolo after I.H. Rottenburg.

Jarena Lee (She/they) is a Brooklyn-born, Bold, and Queer, Black American multidisciplinary actor and artist based in Katarokwi/Kingston, Ontario. With roots in Off-Broadway theatre, Jarena is both classically trained and self-taught (School of Visual Arts, NYC 2014, Concordia University, MTL 2016). Her work is a love letter to the intersections and beauty of the black American- Canadian identity using performance, comedy, and mixed media. She is passionate about community, connection with our truest selves, and uncovering the lives and stories of her ancestors—and those before her.

Stage credits: Porch (MTL Fringe Festival; Sarra Mirghani, 2025), and Family Container (b current live, Theatre Kingston; Seymour Irons, 2025)

Film: Going Home (Oya Media Group; Janeece Niles 2024).

Sarra Mirghani is a Sudanese-Egyptian interdisciplinary storyteller based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. Her practice is a collaboration of text, image, and performance that aims to subvert genre and experiment with media to create authentic stories. Sarra reembarked on a theatrical debut with her play Porch, where she acted as playwright, director, and producer. Porch premiered in participation with the 2025 Montreal Fringe Festival. Sarra also has extensive experience in film and television, finishing her latest short film, Silk Salad & Ruby Vinaigrette, in 2024. Sarra recently completed the Nested Circles residency with Imago Theatre. She is currently preparing for a residency with Le Recif Collective in Trois Pistoles, QC taking place in June. She is also developing her journalistic portfolio by writing pieces for Forget The Box. Sarra approaches her work with an emphasis on the role of fun, introspection, and compassion in knowledge sharing and creative processes.

Nathan Zhe (He/Him) is a multidisciplinary artist, producer, director, marketing director and photographer based in Canada and China. With a strong foundation in producing, marketing, arts administration and directing, Nathan has worked extensively behind the scenes of film and theatre productions, coordinating teams and ensuring creative visions are brought to life.

Kelvin Chun is a Canadian-Cantonese artist, actor, and writer passionate about immersive storytelling that inspires audiences to empathise rather than simply sympathize. Committed to equity in acting, diverse casting, and inclusion in the arts, he is excited to further develop his script during Kingston Local Arts Residency and explore the potential of bringing his play to a broader stage.