Belonging, land and the preservation of traditions: With Victoria Mata

Victoria Mata is a creator, choreographer, director and a Venezuelan-Canadian settler in T’Koronto. She is a poly-lingual choreographer, dance artist and activist with a background in expressive arts therapy. Mata’s career was first sculpted by pedagogic, self-directed training, which proceeded with training under internationally renowned choreographers. Mata’s sensibility to inclusion and Victorborder stories are due to her eclectic upbringing across three continents before the age of fifteen. Community arts and the abolishment of violence against women are some of Mata’s passions, passions that are intricately weaved into all of her work. She received an MFA in Contemporary Choreography from York University and has been a beneficiary of the Metcalf Foundation, a finalist of the Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award and the recipient of 7 Dora nominations. After 12 years of research, Mata is now working to share a story about the resilience of cacao farmers, which is part of her heritage and that of many families across Venezuela. Cacao | A Venezuelan Lament is Mata’s second self-produced, full-length production and through it she aims to share an expression of the stories that course through her veins. | Instagram: @victoriamataproductions