Projet Ambidanse
Projet Ambidanse, directed by Hannah Surette and Clara Chemtov, is a queer-led dance collective based in Montreal and Toronto. Through collaborations with other emerging artists, their work explores themes of interpersonal connections, queerness, and joyful abandon. One of Projet Ambidanse's goals is to foster community by making art more accessible to the general public. They are interested in mounting public performances, short films, and other easily available productions. Their first two staged works earned awards and nominations at Fringe festivals in Ontario and Quebec, while their early films have been featured in several international film festivals. As Projet Ambidanse continues to grow, they hope to connect and collaborate with as many artists as possible, with the goal of creating innovative and meaningful work in their communities.
Meet the Artistic Directors!
About us:
HANNAH SURETTE is an emerging queer dance artist with a B.A. from the Dance Department of UQAM, where she received the William Douglas prize. Hannah’s artistic practice is rooted in a somatic approach to movement and political engagement. She recently appeared in Mafer Bazo's When Kids Come to Work (2025) and ¿Nos Casamos? (2025), Cartographie d’une friche (2025) by Fjord Gagnebin, a nine-hour-long overnight performance, and QUI DE NOUS? (2024) by Harry Demers. In 2026, Hannah began collaborating with renowned choreographer Caroline Laurin-Beaucage. She is also co-artistic director of Projet Ambidanse, who have received several awards and nominations for their work. In the fall of 2025, she worked with Danse-Cité on the Laboratoire des sensorialités multiples research project. In addition to her artistic practice, Hannah teaches dance and seeks to work with her students on body and collective awareness.
Photo by Marie-Lou Dalpé
CLARA CHEMTOV is a Montreal-raised and Toronto-based dance artist with a passion for spunky and theatrical creation. Since completing their BFA in Dance at York University, they have been exploring themes of queerness, humanity, and relationships through an absurdist lens. Clara has been fortunate to work with notable choreographers including Alyssa Martin, Syreeta Hector, Kyra Jean Green, Elsie Morin, and Alireza Keymanesh. Passionate about multimedia collaboration, Clara is also the co-artistic director of Projet Ambidanse. Their collective produces theatrical and whimsical choreographic works and dance films that have been featured in fringe and film festivals. When they aren’t busy creating, they can be found reading fantasy novels, drinking bubble tea, and inventing new soups.
Photo by Drew Berry
Are You Listening?
Premiered: June 2024
Are You Listening? is a full-length dance/theatre work that explores the complexity and absurdity of communication in our lives. This show was created through a common understanding that communication, and miscommunication, can play a large role in conflict resolution, whether on a small or large scale. We hope to bring awareness to the importance of both communication and active listening, since we can’t have one without the other. Every scene in the performance is based on a real-life circumstance, depicting a different facet of communication. Are You Listening? was nominated for Best Choreography, Best Emerging Production, and Outstanding Production across the Montreal and ON THE EDGE Fringe festivals.
Staged works:
Photos by Cindy Lopez
Choreographers and performers: Clara Chemtov, Annie Spence, Hannah Surette
"The movement language of the dancer-choreographers in Are You Listening? communicate better than any spoken language could, especially to question communication the way it does."
- Forget the Box
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"This show breathes intentionality and benefits from the secretive nature of the show. The performers are all fantastic with Clara, Hannah and Annie each playing off of each other in fun and different ways. All of them have a fantastic sense of play and the show itself is enjoyable from start to finish."
- Can't Stand Sitting Productions
Praise for Are You Listening?
Everything But the Kitchen Sink: An Eclectic Evening of Dance
Premiered: August 2023
Everything But the Kitchen Sink is a full-length dance-theatre piece that explores the theme of togetherness, and what it means to cultivate one's own identity. From beginning to end, the choreography spans a broad spectrum of human emotions as the dancers put different aspects of their lives on display. Each act is linked by this common thread of unity and individuality. As the performers skillfully weave a continuous narrative, they depict the funny, serious, thought-provoking, and whimsical moments in their self-discovery journeys. This show won the Jury's Choice award at the ON THE EDGE Fringe festival.
Choreographers and performers: Clara Chemtov, Hannah Surette, Naomie Charette
Dance Films:
Beyond Walls (2020)
Transitions (2022)
