Frog in Hand began with a cast of frogs performing tricks under the artistic direction of two sisters, Noelle Hamlyn and Colleen Snell, who were three and seven years old at the time. From this whimsical debut springs our firm belief that art begins in humble places – including the mud and grass of our own backyard. Although we are now a diverse collective of dancers, choreographers, musicians, actors, spoken word poets, designers and visual artists, we are still inspired by where we find ourselves.

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We are storytellers. We are inspired by local tales, people, and communities that now extend beyond our backyard to include professional training at The Banff Centre, École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, London Contemporary Dance School (UK), Shiseikan Budojo (Tokyo) and Barefoot College (Tanzania). 

 

We create, perform and teach dance in unusual spaces where there is potential for community engagement, site-specific performance and positive social change. We work in full public view. We seek to blur boundaries that separate art forms, artists, audiences and communities; we collaborate with people and organizations who share these aspirations. In 2023, we hand-built and opened a geodesic dome in the new Lakeview Mississauga community. It’s called The Art Shelter. We share this home with our community. Artist-run and solar-powered, it is an intentional act of climate leadership. Its limited footprint, flexibility and collaborative operating model makes space for new ways of working - ways that are socially inclusive, environmentally proactive, and better aligned with an unpredictable future. In 2023 we also became a registered charity.