Cristian Florescu, a native of Bucharest, Romania, commenced his dance journey in 1982 with various Romanian folk ensembles. Under the guidance of esteemed mentors, including the renowned Theodor Vasilescu, Cristian rose to prominence as the principal dancer of the National Ensemble Cununa Carpatilor. His tenure with the ensemble took him on extensive tours across Europe, Asia, and North America. Recognized for his exceptional talents, the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the ACAFR awarded him a certificate as a distinguished solo dancer and choreographer in folklore during 1990-91. Serving as the chief répétiteur for the Folk Ensemble Balada in Romania and as a choreographer for the Academic Ensemble Joc in Moldova, Cristian’s influence in the realm of folk dance expanded. In 1993, he joined Les Sortilèges, a professional folk dance company based in Montreal, where he actively contributed as a dancer, teacher, répétiteur, and choreographer until 2003. Since his relocation to Canada, Cristian has honed his expertise in various dance forms, encompassing modern dance, ballroom, jazz, tap, as well as French-Canadian clogging and Irish step dancing.
Québec-born Sonia Dion, boasting over 20 years of professional dance experience, emerged as a lead dancer and choreographer for Les Sortilèges, Canada’s oldest professional folk dance ensemble. Her creative collaborations with the company resulted in the development of several new productions, such as “Une page d’histoire, un pas de danse,” “Montréal en danse,” and “Pour se faire plaisir.” Sonia’s global touring experiences exposed her to a diverse array of dance techniques, including Romanian folk dance, Scottish highland dancing, French-Canadian clogging, and ballroom.
Together, Cristian and Sonia have showcased their talents as guest performers with the Collage International Dance Ensemble of Boston. They have also become regular instructors at l’École supérieure de danse du Québec and were selected for the Artists in the Schools program sponsored by the Québec Ministry of Education. In recent years, their focus has shifted towards collaborating with recreational folk dance groups in Canada and the United States. Their passion for Romanian folk traditions has led them to share their expertise through teaching engagements in Austria, England, Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the Netherlands.
