Mairéad Filgate

Mairéad Filgate is an award-winning performer, choreographer, and dance researcher with a deep commitment to documenting the history and evolution of Canadian contemporary dance. Mairéad has had an extensive performing career, working across Canada and internationally in countries such as India, China, and Sweden with some of Canada’s most celebrated dance artists. She was a founding member of the innovative trio Throwdown Collective (2008-2023), where she co-developed collaborative, improvisational methodologies that shaped her unique approach to both art-making and leadership. With Shannon Litzenberger, she is the co-founder of PlaySpace, applying creative practice toward collaborative leadership, community health, and inclusive culture-making.

Mairéad holds academic degrees in Sociology and Women & Gender Studies from the University of Toronto, which informs her research into dance as both an artistic and cultural practice. Inspired by her time as a member of Canada’s Danny Grossman Dance Company (2003-2008), Mairéad is collecting oral histories of company members, exploring the social, economic, political, and personal landscapes that influenced the company through a multitude of voices and perspectives. In 2023 she presented excerpts of her research at an exhibit at the dance: made in canada/fait au canada Festival (Toronto) and is working towards both a book and a documentary film.