MAINSTAGE 2025-2026
TEA
Nasiv Kaur Sall
Photo: Meaghan Gipps, space donated by Odd Merdian Arts x Morrow
TEA
TEA is a 20 minute physical theatre solo work exploring the suspension between conflicting cultural binaries. Built from a process of complete surrender, the work draws on my personal grounding practices — ritual, ancestral teachings, meditation, and the acts of masking and unmasking — to investigate questions of embodied knowledge:
What do my masks know that I don’t?
What do my feet know that I don’t?
How can I intentionally interact with the unknown?
The movement language emerges from cycles of stillness, masking, repetition and redirecting, creating a score that shifts with each performance. Rooted in a deep connection to my lineage of farmers, artists, and rebels, TEA functions as a meeting point to honour and converse with them.
TEA is designed for alternative venues and has been presented in theatres, outdoors, and cabaret-style through PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, New Performance Works, Dances for a Small Stage and Dance West Network.
The work layers sound — melodies of prayer, Punjabi folk rhythms, and ambient recordings from family life — with its movement structure to create a richly textured sonic and physical landscape.
TEA is both a quiet offering and a disruption — an invitation to expand what dance can hold, and a space for audiences to pause, soften, listen.
Nasiv Kaur Sall
Nasiv Kaur Sall (she/her) is a dance artist, actor, creator, and educator based in Vancouver, BC. A connector across disciplines and communities, she is a communicator at heart — unapologetically questioning culture, form, and the status quo.
A graduate of the Arts Umbrella Dance Post-Secondary Program, Nasiv has performed and collaborated with leading Canadian dance companies including Kidd Pivot, Out Innerspace Dance Theatre, Anne Plamondon Productions, La Tresse Collective, and Furious Grace Dance Theatre/Anya Saugstad. Her career reflects an unflinching drive to express, connect, and uplift the communities she carries with her.
Her solo choreographic work, TEA, has been presented through PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, New Performance Works, Dances for a Small Stage, Dance West Network and The Happening Dance. She began developing her group piece, KAUR, in Winter 2023, which has since been presented online. Her choreographic voice has also been featured in the Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts’ theatre production Dooja Ghar and in Anthony Shim’s award-winning film Daughter.
Beyond the stage, Nasiv works extensively in film and television as both an actor and dancer, appearing in productions for Nickelodeon, Disney, The CW, NBC, and Netflix. Most notably, she portrays Abbey Bominable in Nickelodeon’s Monster High live-action films.
Through all facets of her practice, Nasiv remains committed to creating work that bridges cultures, sparks dialogue, and expands the possibilities of who and what art can hold.
Performance History & Upcoming Performances
TEA - 6 MINUTE ITERATION:
1. July 16th and 17th, 2024 (2 performances.) Presented by Dances for a Small Stage at Please! Beverage in Vancouver, BC.
2. September 21st and 22nd, 2024 (6 performances.) Presented by New Works Dance at Railspur Park on Granville Island, BC.
3. November 20th, 2024 (1 performance.) For PuSh International Performing Arts Festival's 2025 Launch Event at The Fox Cabaret in Vancouver, BC.
TEA - 11 MINUTE ITERATION
1. February 4th and 5th, 2025 (4 performances). Co-presented by PuSh International Performing Arts Festival and Dance for a Small Stages at Please! Beverage in Vancouver, BC.
2. February 15th and 16th, 2025 (2 performances). Presented by The Happening Dance at The Annex Theatre in Vancouver, BC.
TEA - 4 MINUTE ITERATION
1. May 30th, 2025 (1 pitch). Presented by Dance West Network for Vitrine: AB/BC Showcase, off-FTA Programming in Montreal, QB.
TEA - 20 MINUTE ITERATION
1. Fall 2025.* Presented by Dances for a Small Stage in Vancouver, BC.
*Exact Date, Number of Performances and Venue TBA
Project Created by: Nasiv Kaur Sall
Key Artistic Collaborators: Music Composition: TBC*
Outside Eyes: Simran Sachar, Heather Laura Gray
Special thank you to Odd Meridian Arts and Morrow for donating creation and rehearsal space.
Performance type: •THIS WORK IS BUILT FOR THEATRE, THIS WORK IS ADAPTABLE TO THEATRE OR OUTDOORS OR ALTERNATE VENUES /SPACES, THIS WORK IS BUILT FOR OUT-OF-DOORS OR ALTERNATE VENUES/SPACES
How do you define this work: Dance/Theatre
Length of performance: 20 minutes
Audience type: General Audience, Children/Family
General Technical Requirements: Lighting: Lighting Tech is required, 4-10 lighting cues
Required amount of time for tech set up: - 1.5 hours for lighting/tech
- 15 minutes for prop set up
- 1-3 hours for lighting cues, spacing
Alternative Venues: 'TEA' is very adaptable to all venues and has been performed in theatre, outdoors, and in a cabaret-style. Seating is ideally proscenium but has been adapted.
Number of Performers on tour (including choreographer): 1
Number of Support Staff on Tour: 2
Availabilities: 2025/26 Season, 2026/27 Season
Project Details
Outreach Activities
Alongside touring, I am passionate about offering workshops that deepen my artistic practice and foster meaningful connections. All workshops are led by myself, Nasiv Kaur Sall and are available in two formats:
1. Workshops for Pre-Professional & Professional dance artists.
- Open to: All ages
- Duration: 1-4 hours per workshop
- These sessions explore my personal meditation and movement practice through a guided warm-up, repertoire and an introduction to the themes and improvisational scores used in ‘TEA.’
2. Workshops for BIPOC Womxn, with a focus on South Asian Communities.
- Open to: All ages
- Duration: 1-4 hours per workshop
- These sessions integrate meditation, somatic movement practice and guided improvisational scores inspired by ‘TEA.’ Each session includes space for discussion - providing participants the opportunity to engage, reflect and share insights on the themes explored in ‘TEA.’
I am also interested in holding post-show talkbacks and receptions to gather feedback and gain insight from audiences.