Born from Chilean and Guatemalan parents Apolonia Velasquez has 30 years of dance experience.
Recipient of the Dance Ontario Innovation, Manifesto Innovation & Originality, KM Hunter, and Soul Pepper Dance Awards, Apolonia is a co-founder and director of GADFLY dance company. Her work includes Dora Mavor Moore Award winning ‘Klorofyl’. Apolonia has been commissioned to create work for Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, Ryerson Theatre School, The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and the School of Dance to name a few. Her works have been presented in Festivals such as Luminato, Nuit Blanche, Festival DansEncore, 100Lux, Ontario Dance Weekend, and Manifesto. Apolonia is also the co-founder of yearly events such as TUDS Festival of Urban Dance Culture and the Aybrid Dance Intensive.
She has acquired a considerable amount of experience in the television, entertainment and theatre dance industries. She has worked for artists such as: Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Kiesza, Nelly Furtado, Feist, Cascada, Down With Webster, Serena Ryder, Anjulie, Massari, Danny Fernandes, Jully Black, Eva Avila, and Shawn Desman. Apolonia has choreographed for Ted Talks, Nike, Bench clothing, Make Up For Ever, Canada Goose, GM Canada, Azzaro, Manulife, Pepto Bismol and Emergen-c commercials and Danser pour Gagner tv show.
Apolonia has showcased her craft in major cities worldwide. Now, her mission is to influence common beliefs towards an ideal of Freedom, Diversity, and Innovation.