Nina Milanovski // Portfolio

uncoupling (2024)

uncoupling (2024)
Choreography: Nina Milanovski
Composer: Jane Berry
Costume Designer: Aaliyah Sundar
Performers: Victoria Gubiani, Paige Sayles
Video link: Vimeo (password available upon request)

Developed through The Choreographic Marathon (Toronto, Canada 2018) and Artist in Residence program at Good Women Dance Collective (Edmonton, Canada 2021) Presented at Dance Matters: Series 1- A Woman’s Work (Toronto, Canada 2018), Dancefest at Nextfest (Edmonton, Canada 2019) and Your Dance Fest (Toronto, Canada 2019), PROSPECTS (Burlington, Canada 2022), DanceWeekend’24 (Toronto, Canada 2024), Skirtsafire (Edmonton, Canada 2024)

uncoupling is a duet that studies how people transition from individuals, to partners, to ending their relationship and finding themselves as individuals once again. The piece examines why certain relationships don't work, even if it seems like they should, and how despite having a history and a connection with someone there can be something deeper keeping a couple apart.

The narrative of uncoupling follows a complex relationship between two women, punctuated with beautiful moments of intimacy and their eventual breaking apart. By examining the highs and lows of a relationship the dancers perform the truth that exists behind closed doors: the vulnerability, pleasure, and pain of relationships.

Accompanied with an original score by Edmonton based composer, Jane Berry the music mirrors and enhances the performers' struggles to stay together. Composed of two cellist-vocalist pairings the piece has elements of congruence and conflict emphasizing the tense moments as well as the intimate unfoldings.

photography credit: Connie Oreamuno

How did we get here? (2021)

Presented by DanceWorks CoWorks
Choreography: Nina Milanovski
Performers: Vanessa Boutin, Aitana Gunaratne, Lucia Llano, Jake Ramos, Ty Temple-Smith
Videography: Connie Oreamuno & Sam Calderon
Music by: Luc Gaylie
Video link: YouTube

How did we get here? is a 10 episode dance film series that explores who we become in different spaces. Structured in a “Choose your own adventure” format, this interactive experience allows viewers to put themselves in the driver's seat and witness their own choreographic choices unfold.

photography credit: Elana Emer

theta waves (2020)

Created on the York Dance Ensemble 2019/20
Choreographer: Nina Milanovski
Video link: YouTube

Through a desire to depict the absurdity and emotional honesty within dreams, theta waves investigates the vivid and whimsical universe we encounter when asleep. Episodic in nature, this work takes to task the embodiment of each of the six performers’ most persistent dreams and nightmares.

photography credit: David Hou

Help Me to Help You to Like Me - A Working Title (2019)

Developed through the Artist in Residence program Zaratan Arte Contemporânea in Lisboa, Portugal
Choreographer and Performer: Nina Milanovski
Video link: YouTube

“Help Me To Help You To Like Me™ - A Working Title” is a dynamic self-solo that explores what stops us from being happy when nothing stands in our way. Throughout the thirty minute self-solo I use various intense emotional states to explore the choices we make, the architecture of the space to explore personal limits and improvisation to explore hesitation. Through a collection of spoken word and dance steps I create a cabaret style piece of dance theatre that asks why wait until tomorrow if it can be done today.

photography credit: Nuno Martins