Biography

Born and raised in St. John's, Nfld., Tina Fushell moved to Ontario in 1995 to attend the Quinte Ballet School, and continued her training at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, graduating in May 2002. That same year, Tina co-founded Ambitious Enterprises (AE) with Kate Franklin and Samm Higgison, together producing the "At the Wrecking Ball" series, an event which has garnered much praise for the young company and ushered in a new generation of choreographers and collaborators from various disciplines.

As a choreographer Tina has had her work presented in At the Wrecking Ball(2002, 2003, 2004), The Festival of New Dance 2004 and 2005, fFIDA 2004, Hysteria: Festival of Women 2005, WinterCity 2006, Larchaud Dance Project presentation of Shinjiri, Quinte Ballet School Spring Showcase 2006, The Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival 2006 Dance Matters 2006, Moving Pictures Festival 2006, the RED Festival 2007 and Dance Ontario's DanceWeekend07.

In April 2005, Tina co-produced "The Violet Hour" series with Lucy Rupert and Rebecca Carney, and presented, The Things We Do. In August 2006 Tina presented a new work in progress, Home Word Bound as part of The Violet Hour 2.

As a dancer, Tina has had the pleasure of working for numerous choreographers including Miranda Abbott, Leah Archambault, Tal Aronson, Andrya Duff, Jesse Dell, Alana Elmer, Kate Franklin, Samm Higgison, Jasmine Inns, Rose Marie MacGregor, Michelle Silagy, Matt Waldie, and The Grasshoppa Exchange at this year’s Canada Dance Festival. When not creating and performing in dance works, Tina divides her time teaching modern dance for the Quinte Ballet School and working for Learning through the Arts, a project of the Royal Conservatory of Music where she teaches Kindergarten-Twelfth Grade curriculum through dance.

Reviews

April 15/2005:
"Tina Fushell’s The Things We Do, is short, smart and visually arresting. She dresses Andrya Duff and Sarah Johnson in prim white blouses and long black skirts. Their skirts conceal the chairs they stand on, making them look like a nightmarish pair of stern governesses. The music in an incongruous metal rock as they move their upper bodies, miming make-up movements and domestic tasks, two women trapped in women’s lives."
- Susan Walker The Toronto Star

September 11/2004:
"The third annual At the Wrecking Ball is a feisty showcase of contemporary dance…while all pieces are certainly not equal, there is nonetheless, a freshness about the concert that stems from the raw energy of these new kids on the dance block…Fushell repeats her fFIDA solo hit Abundance, accompanied by electric bassist, Christine Bougie, which depicts an angst-ridden woman, burdened by emotional baggage, that is given a live manifestations in real suitcases."
- Paula Citron The Globe and Mail

August 24/2004:
"Ones to watch: Montreal's Teoma Nacccarato and Stephane Gladyszewski for their sensuous partnering (Just Friends); Jasmine Inns for her street-wise, savvy movement (jack); Tina Fushell for her touching and well-thought-out portrayal of emotional baggage (Abundance)."
- Paula Citron The Globe and Mail