Esie Mensah (she/her)

Esie Mensah (she/her) is someone whose work – every performance, project, and partnership – embodies the multifaceted artist. As a dancer, choreographer, director, educator and speaker, she brings her mastery of storytelling to audiences as diverse as her experience. From working with megastars like Rihanna, Drake, Arcade Fire, and Janelle Monae to historic brands like Coca-Cola, TIFF, Luminato Festival, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Soulpepper Theatre and the Toronto Raptors, Esie shows no sign of limits or slowing down.

A graduate of George Brown College, Esie started her career as a dancer and began forging her distinct style through Afrofusion to explore more personal narratives of her blackness, belonging and Ghanaian heritage. After establishing her company, Esie Mensah Creations, she created three original pieces: Akoma, ZAYO and the Dora-Nominated, Shades. The latter explores the process of healing from shadeism/colorism in the Black community. The success of Shades found her at TEDxToronto and profiled on CBC's The Move where she spoke about her challenges navigating the commercial dance world as a dark-skinned black woman and the discovery of her creative voice.

Her latest project, A Revolution of Love, is a digital short film that follows a young black woman as she grapples with the histories of her ancestors and the present-day violence ravaging her community. Created for the Toronto History Museum's Awakenings initiative, which continues to see artists reimagine Toronto's historically colonial spaces, the film premiered alongside works by celebrity Chef Roger Mooking and Director X.

As an educator, Esie has been using her voice to bring more inclusive practices to the Candian Dance industry through discussions at Sheridan College, the Royal Academy of Dance, the University of Calgary and The National Ballet School. She is a faculty member of George Brown College and is a mentee of acclaimed dance artist Akram Khan through Why Not Theatre's Fellowship Program.

Her next short film, TESSEL, made in collaboration with The Harbourfront Centre and Fall For Dance North features 14 black dancers from across Canada and will premiere online on June 1st, 2021. To learn more about this project and all things Esie Mensah visit: esiemensah.com