I grew up dancing, and doing contemporary dance was the first time I felt truly connected to my body and what it could do. The form allows for expression and spontaneity, with less restrictions than other types of dance like ballet or jazz. Dancing was a big part of my formative years, although my relationship with it was complicated, because this was also a time when I experienced a lot of bullying about my appearance and my body. When I started shooting this series at the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre in Toronto, one of the first things I noticed was how the young dancers were both confident and supportive of each other, and that their teacher, Megan Nadain, was very encouraging and inclusive. This differed from some of my experiences, and from cultural stereotypes about the competitive nature of dance classes. It was part of what made me interested in ...