Zachary’s Bio

Zachary Seto is a Canadian dancer and choreographer. Influenced by the earth and the stories that humanity is currently living out on this planet, he connects his he(art) to the wounds of the world. His work offers unconventional invitations as portals to rituals of restoration. He curates global soundscapes sourcing inspiration from the raw nature of rhythm and how it pulses through the human body. Zachary has premiered his work in New York with the Battery Dance Festival, as well as Dance Ontario, as an awardee of their Creative Partnership Program. He was the recipient of the Frank Augustyn Award in 2023 by Cawthra Park Dance, the Mississauga Arts Council, Dance on Film Grant in 2021, and the Dance Ontario Jacque Foesier Youth Award 2020.

As a dancer, he has performed works by Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, Roderick Geroge, Olivier Coëffard, Jennifer Archibald, and Colin Connor. Zachary was a company member at The Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre and is currently a student at SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Dance. Zachary is honoured to be creating with Ballet BC’s Annex this summer.

The mystery of the dance floor entices me…

My name is Zachary Nolan Seto. As a creator, I believe in taking action with a twist, hence Zactiontwist.

I gave myself permission to dream and bring my visions to life from a very young age. I am devoted to sharing stories through my lineages sounds, and rhythms expressed through the canvas of the human body. My Sri Lankan and Chinese heritage are one of the purest forms of inspiration within my creations.

Dance offers me the opportunity to stay curious, and bring together so many of life's conversations that I care about, to play, experiment, and discover with. I am fascinated by incorporating the element of entertainment along with an invitation to go deeper into the mystery of life.

In my eyes, movement is a lifetime. A language. A universal method of translating expression from the human heart, between our existence and alternate realities. A form of storytelling that encapsulates what we have grown to become in this lifetime. Intricate energy that speaks to the soul of the world, having the ability to unite generations. Every experience in this life is one that we dance. A performance we play out. A story we choose to tell.