Staff and Board
Crimson Coast Dance operates with the dedicated support of our AD, Staff, and volunteer Board of Directors
Holly Bright, Artistic Director
Holly Bright is a performer and dance educator. She holds a BA in Dance, BSc in Human Physiology, is certified in Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis, Gyrokinesis/Gyrotonic movement systems and Thai Massage. Holly founded Crimson Coast Dance Society (Nanaimo, 1998), an organization that supports creation and presentation of professional dance programming.
In 2010, Holly was awarded The City Of Nanaimo’s Honour In Culture Award for her contributions to the cultural fabric of the arts in Nanaimo. Her youth program, Body Talk, was nominated for a 2015 Business Achievement Award for Cultural Vitality. In 2016 Holly was selected for one of two annual John Hobday Awards offered through the Canada Council for the Arts by the Saidye Bronfman Family to acknowledge her work as an arts manager and to support her desire to cultivate cultural knowledge of Indigenous people, protocols, and their arts and artists — especially those of Snuneymuxw First Nation.
Teaching credits include; Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, The University of Akron, Ohio, The University of New Mexico, Las Cruces, and various B.C. dance academies in Nanaimo. Holly has danced with artists such as: Susanna Hood, Margie Gillis (Montreal) Judith Adams (U.K), Senta Driver, Hanya Holm, Agnes de Mille, Nina Weiner, Maureen Fleming-Odo, Lynne Taylor Corbett (New York City), Helen Myers (New Mexico), Chick Snipper, Kokoro Dance, Judith Marcuse (film), Lee Eisler, Deborah Dunn, Judith Garay, Jennifer Mascall and Cheryl Prophet (Vancouver).
In her role as artistic director for Crimson Coast. Dance Society, Holly has choreographed solo works as well as works for dance professionals, dance students, and community dance projects. She draws on her experience with Harry Streep and Stephan Koplowitz (NYC).
Musical Theatre choreographic background includes Euphemia (Akron, Ohio), The Spirit of Bleeker Street (NYC), A Good Person? (Malaspina University Theatre), Hot Flashes (Theatre One, Nanaimo), Heidi and South Pacific (Chemainus Theatre), Rocky Horror Picture Show and All Grown Up (Schmooze Productions, Nanaimo). She has performed in Guys and Dolls (Ohio), and created the lead role in an original musical, The Swing of Things (NYC).
Bryony Dixon, General Manager
Bryony Dixon is a multimedia artist, administrator, and researcher whose work stems from a performance based practice. She holds a B.A. in Drama from Queen Mary University of London (UK) and a Master’s in Film Aesthetics from The University of Oxford (UK). Her main research interests include: spectatorial phenomonology (performative affect in live/recorded arts), cultural performance, devised/physical theatre, and the integration of digital media/performance.
Bryony has showcased numerous performance art projects with Guggenheim-winning artist Lois Weaver (London, 2012); performed in a sell-out new writing physical theatre production at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2011); assisted social practice visual artist, Susanne Lacy, with her Silver Action installation at the Tate Modern (2013); and has worked on diverse theatrical productions such as Punchdrunk Theatre’s immersive ‘The Crash of the Elysium’ (Manchester International Festival, 2011); Brecht’s ‘Caucasian Chalk Circle’ (Oxford Playhouse, 2014); Norm Foster’s ‘Self Help’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (Kimberly Summer Theatre, 2013).
Now based in Nanaimo (Canada), Bryony currently serves as General Manager for Crimson Coast Dance Society. During her tenure she has instigated several successful pilot projects and events, by focusing on the development of sustainable cross-sector partnerships with various local organizations. Bryony is committed to serving the artistic growth of her new community through future spirited collaborations; whilst continuing to create commissioned visual/performance art works and freelancing as dramaturg/artistic consultant with Empire Entertainment Worldwide Ltd.
Brandon Ashcraft, Administrator
Graduating Vancouver Island University with a Batchelor’s Degree in Business Administration specializing in Marketing, Brandon Ashcraft is a prominent asset to the CCD team. Since joining us, Brandon has leveraged innovative digital marketing channels to connect with current and prospective patrons, redesigning the entire CCD website in the process.
Brandon also has past experience working with other prominent dance organizations in our community, having developed a cohesive marketing assessment/strategy for Nanaimo Ballroom Dance Society in 2018. In his spare time Brandon enjoys volunteering as a coach for the Southside Minor Football League.
Board of Directors
President – Lynda Adams
Vice President – Robert Seaton
Treasurer – Daryl Collerman
Secretary – Lori Sorensen
Officer at Large – Rebecca Woytiuk