Bios

JANICE BELEY – General Manager
Janice has been involved with theatre, dance and the arts for the past 16 years with extensive experience in Arts/Book Marketing and Publicity. A graduate of the Capilano College Management Program in 2000 she has been the General Manager for Raven Spirit Dance for the last year and a half.

MICHELLE OLSON – Artistic Director
Michelle is a member of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation and the Artistic Director of Raven Spirit Dance. Her work as a performer and creator embraces the arenas of dance, choreography, theatre, storytelling and community development. She received a Bachelor of University Studies at the University of New Mexico and continued her dance training at the Aboriginal Arts Program at the Banff Centre. She was an Ensemble Member of Full Circle First Nations Performance.

CHERITH MARK – Training Program Coordinator
Cherith is a traditional/contemporary dancer from the Stoney Nakoda Nation in Morley, Alberta. She is a graduate of the dance program at Grant MacEwan College and holds a BFA Degree in Dance from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts. She has received additional theatre and dance training at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre in Toronto and the Aboriginal Arts Program at the Banff Centre.

STARR MURANKO – Associate Artistic Director/Outreach Coordinator
Starr Muranko is a traditional & contemporary dancer/choreographer who has trained and performed throughout the Lower Mainland, San Francisco and as far away as New Zealand and the Andes of Peru. She holds a BFA in Dance from SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts and has trained internationally at the Performing Arts School in Ghana, West Africa and the American Conservatory of Theatre in San Francisco. Starr is committed to supporting Indigenous people and the living expression of their cultures through dance, music and story telling and honors her mixed heritage of Métis, Cree and German in all of her work.