Re-centering/Margins Residency, Surrey 2026
Artists: BETCY MATHEW, MADELEINE CRUZ & MIA PELAYO, PUNEET SIGNH
Meet the Artists, Surrey 2026
BETCY MATHEW
Founder & Artistic Director, B’s Dancing Roses
Betcy Mathew is an accomplished IT professional and passionate dancer who began her artistic journey at the age of five. With over 500 stage performances to her credit, she has earned numerous accolades for her creativity and captivating presence on stage.
A dedicated mother of three, Betcy continues to refine her craft through formal training in classical dance. She finds immense joy in teaching and has choreographed several performances for children and adults across the Lower Mainland.
As the founder of B’s Dancing Roses, a Bollywood dance school, Betcy offers classes for kids and ladies in styles such as Bollywood, folk, freestyle, contemporary, and hip-hop. Her choreography has also featured in wedding and corporate events, known for its energy and storytelling flair.
Betcy’s journey beautifully blends professionalism, artistry, and passion—reflecting her belief that dance is a joyful expression of culture and life.
photo: courtesy of the artist
MADELEINE CRUZ, MAI PELAYO
Madeleine Cruz and Mia Pelayo met a decade ago at their local dance studio where they bonded over their excitement for the possibilities of contemporary dance. In the summer of 2020 they created their dance films Risk and Where To? which premiered at the Modus Operandi Sunset Screening. That summer of creating was the catalyst for their rich collaborative partnership. Their first duet, Two Girls Collide has been presented at the 2022 MO Focus Group Showing and the 2024 Chalk it Up! Emerging Artist Showcase. In June of 2025, they premiered a new duet entitled Swing, Knots, and Premonitions at Boombox. Most recently, they revitalized their characters from Two Girls Collide for the 2025 New Works Pop Up Dances, where they performed and hosted the event, improvising in character as they interacted with the public audience on Granville Island. Their practice is driven by illustrative and precise choreography, a love for pop culture and music, lightheartedness, friendship, text, and storytelling. They’re excited by dance as a way to animate living spirit within the body, creating raw and unfiltered performance.
Instagram profiles: @miapelayo @une.petite.madeleine
photo: courtesy of the artist
PUNEET SINGH
Puneet Singh is a Kathak artist, community builder, and nutritionist based in Surrey, BC. Originally an immigrant to Canada, Puneet began studying Kathak at a very young age and has since cultivated over 15 years of experience in the form. He is a disciple of Mahua Shankar, who carries the esteemed lineage of the legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj. Find out more about Puneet here.
Now working with Fraser Health as a nutritionist, Puneet actively promotes Kathak within Surrey’s diverse cultural landscape. He has performed at notable events including the BC Arts Conference and is currently developing Tatkaar—a community-driven initiative that uses Kathak as a tool to build cultural connection and artistic expression. Puneet's work combines the precision and grace of traditional Kathak with a commitment to making classical dance relevant and accessible to new generations.
photo: courtesy of the artist
Mentors
-
DIPIKA TALUKDER TULI
Mentor: Betcy Mathew
Dipika Talukder Tuli has been dancing since the age of five. From an early age, she received extensive training in Kathak, a classical dance - studying under Partha Pratim Das of the Jaipur Gharana—as well as renowned instructors Munmun Ahmed and Kochi Rahman. She also completed formal training at both Shishu Academy and Shilpakala Academy.
She was awarded a Gold Medal in Manipuri Dance and has earned numerous national awards for her performances in Kathak and Folk Dance. Over the years, Dipika has showcased her talent at various international events.
Her training spans several dance traditions, including Bengali Folk Dance, Kathak, and Manipuri Dance.
Video links-
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17a9pfow6M/?mibextid=wwXIfr
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1A9ScW6fW1/?mibextid=wwXIfr
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CWbVbnzvM/?mibextid=wwXIfr
-
ERIKA MITSUHASHI
Mentor: Madeleine Cruz, Mia Pelayo
Erika Mitsuhashi is an interdisciplinary artist with a practice spanning performance, installation, film, scenography, and projection design. She is ever delighted by contending with the materiality of the present and using the body as the site for conceptual, existential and tender curiosity. Her work has been presented by Surrey Art Gallery, VIVO Media Arts, PushOFF, Ehkä Productions (FIN), La Serre's OFFTA, and the Western Front. Locally, she collaborates with Alexa Mardon (Mardon + Mitsuhashi), Francesca Frewer, and is part of the producing and curatorial team behind Boombox, an underground performance venue in a shipping container.
-
ARYO KHAKPOUR
Mentor: Madeleine Cruz, Mia Pelayo
Aryo Khakpour is an interdisciplinary actor, director, dramaturg and filmmaker. Born and raised in Tehran, he has been involved in multiple theatre, dance, and film productions in Vancouver, Canada, on the unceded stolen traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations since 2006. He cofounded The Biting School in 2013, which was the company-in-residence at PuSh Festival and The Dance Centre 2018 – 2019.
In his practice, he explores dynamics of power, implications of ideologies, repetition of mythologies, and cultural adaptation. He is an intersectional feminist; and he interrogates patriarchy and its harmful effects on people. His practice is heavily physical and surrealistic; it moves from theatre to performance art to dance to film and back to theatre; it deals with pain and pleasure; it is sex-positive; and it aims to queer the status quo. He was trained in devised practices of non-hierarchical collective creation; that is his favourite way of creating.
He is the recipient of the 2024-25 Theatre Replacement Accelerator Lab Fellowship, which focused on international touring within the context of experimental theatre and interdisciplinary performance. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Leaky Heaven Performance and the MENA Film Festival.
-
HRIDAY BUDDHDEV
Mentor: Puneet Singh
Writers
-
BENNY RAJAN
Writer: Betcy Mathew
Benny Rajan: I am an accomplished Enterprise Architect and seasoned Technical Writer with a strong ability to translate complex ideas into clear, engaging narratives. My background in designing enterprise solutions and creating user-friendly technical documentation has shaped my expertise in structured, audience-centric communication.
Guided by a passion for the performing arts—especially dance—I now apply these skills to creative writing for the stage.
What sets me apart is my blend of analytical precision and creative expression. I ensure every word is purposeful, aligned with artistic vision, and designed to enrich the audience’s experience.
-
MAX HANIC
Writer: Madeleine Cruz, Mia Pelayo
Max Hanic is a queer actor, dancer, singer and instructor who graduated with distinction from the
University of Alberta Fine Arts Acting program and studied contemporary dance at La Faktoria
Choreographic Centre in Pamplona, Spain for the 2021/2022 period and at Modus Operandi in
Vancouver from 2024-2025. He is currently based between Vancouver, Montréal and Edmonton. -
NINA BUDDHDEV
Writer: Puneet Singh
Founder, the Bandish Network