JANET L. CASTILLO & NATASHA POWELL: The Creators/Producers

Both trained with over 15 years of international experience as Performers, Choreographers, and Instructors, Janet and Natasha bring their versatile and cutting-edge artistic direction to Catalyst. They defy the odds, and continue to do what many say “can’t be done”. Equipped with passion and perseverance, their combined industry credits include working with superstars Jennifer Lopez, Christina Milian, Rihanna, JoJo, Queen Latifah, and Kurtis Blow. TV/Film Credits include Center Stage 2 (starring Peter Gallagher), Nickelodeon’s Spectacular! (starring Nolan Gerard Funk), Cedric the Entertainer’s touring musical, SYTYCD Season 3, The Latin Grammy’s, “Making It Big” Reality TV Show, The L Word, Canadian and American Idol, Much Music, MTV, Macy’s and more. After years in the industry, Janet and Natasha joined forces to shape their vision of creating an eclectic taste of movement in their home city of Toronto. This powerful duo continues on their endless journey to inspire and move audiences across the world. They are thrilled to share their premiere production of The 5th Element.

Kristine Flores: Stage Manager

Combing her passion for dance with her keen expertise in event management, Kristine is excited to be Catalyst’s Stage Manager at Toronto Fringe. During her time at York University, she has successfully coordinated events including the annual Superskillz and The Canadian Society of Club Managers Conferences. Continuing to immerse herself in the world of dance, she has performed with Toronto groups Artists in Motion, Gadfly, Lenny Len and continues to train intensely abroad while sharpening her eye for detail and love for the arts.

Philip Sportel: Lighting Designer

Coming from a visual arts background, Philip’s work incorporates stop motion, sculpture, photography, and digital compositing. Influenced by conceptual art, surrealist photography and science fiction, his work constantly pushes boundaries for audiences worldwide. He has directed award-winning music videos for Colin Munroe and Johnny Polygon, which have been featured on MTV, Much Music, BET, PerezHilton.com, and KanyeUniverseCity.com. Continuing to shoot internationally from LA, to Atlanta, to Jamaica, Philip is now in Toronto and will be designing mind-blowing lighting effects for Catalyst “The 5th Element” show.

Fueled by their slogan "Making the world dance", Catalyst is a fresh and exciting dance company that represents an eclectic taste of movement. Formulated under the Artistic Direction of Janet L. Castillo and Natasha Powell, the company entice audiences with their infectious performances. Each expressing a unique element, Catalyst promotes and celebrates Toronto's multi-cultural mix and individuality. Most recent performances include Canadian Special Events Star Awards, Compass Charity, Pink Bedroom Party, Women in Dance, Performers Unite for Haiti, Talent Defined, International Dance Day, and Dance Sweat-A-Thon.

The 5th Element Cast (In order of appearance)

Jasmyn Fyffe
Tiff Mak
Elke Schroeder
Esie Mensah
Sarah Tumaliuan
Michita Rivera Bulnes
Jade “Hollywood”
JJ Gerber
Kristian Dalisay
Shavar Caution Blackwood
Jennifer Simic

To learn more about each of our cast members and their ELEMENT, check out our BLOG!

Conely Deleon: Spoken Word Artist

Conely de Leon is a doctoral candidate at York University whose research focuses on the lives of migrant labourers and their families in Canada. She has committed almost a decade to raising critical awareness around issues of diversity, equity, and human rights through creative expression. Her work can be found in both academic and non-academic publications. Currently, she holds a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship and is the recipient of the 2011 Vivienne Poy Research Award. This upcoming year, University of Toronto Press is scheduled to publish some of her latest research on immigrant youth in Canada as part of an edited collection.

Bongo & B: The Dynamic Drumming Duo // www.bongoandb.com

Bongo & B is an idea and a culture created through the love of drumming and music in general. Marko Bongo and Peter B who are heavily involved in Toronto's drumming community have decided to join forces and deliver the Bongo & B experience. By adding their West African and Afro-Cuban flavor to the thumping beats, they demonstrate the raw talents involved with making people move.

Hans Poppe: Creative and Art Direction // www.hanspoppe.com

Hans Poppe graduated with honours at Humber College’s Graphic Design and Advertising program in 2002. Since then he has successfully worked for both small and corporate level agencies in a very competitive Toronto design industry — and has Art Directed for some major corporate clients in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. His experiences has allowed for some incredibly unique collaborations with an endless diversity of people, talents, personalities, projects, cultures, religions and regions. Aside from freelancing design work, he is actively pursuing a career in fine arts.