Springboard Performance

Tia Ashley Kushniruk (亚 女弟)

Tia Ashley Kushniruk (亚 女弟) is a Chinese-Ukrainian Queer Woman based in ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Amiskwacîwâskahikan) Treaty 6/Métis Territory of Edmonton AB. Since 2013 she has been affiliated with the Cirque Du Soleil and an artistic producer of Toy Guns Dance Theatre. She has had the pleasure of performing works of Antony Hamilton, Benjamin Kamino, Alyssa Martin, Heidi Strauss, Christopher House, Shay Kuebler, Christianne Ullmark - touring Nationally and Internationally since 2013. Her own work has been presented by The Beijing International Dance Festival, Springboard's Fluid Festival, Common Grounds Dance Festival, Festival Internacional Nomada, Dancing on the Edge, Fluid Festival, Found Festival, Mile Zero, and the New Dance Arts Institute (formerly the School of TDT). Tia's illustration and animation work has been commissioned by mallo, Here for Now, Plastic Orchid Factory, Two Big Steps, and adelheid/The NAC. She is the first recipient of the Catalyst Confluence Fellowship and a 2023 EATF recipient.  Kushniruk is currently undergoing a mentorship with Toronto-based performance artist Bridget Moser. 



  • 'make me cry' is a solo work inspired by/in response to the durational exhibition group work 'make banana cry' by Andrew Tay and Stephen Thompson. Using stand-up, dance, performance and projection, the audience explores the psyche of our titular artist (tia), diving into the horror and ambiguity of what it means to be the end result of a fetish versus participating in one, and the minstrelsy that accompanies BIPOC artists creating 'valuable' work for the consuming public. A 30min solo work malleable for a black box theatre.