Dana Gingras is a choreographer, videographer, performer and teacher. Her 25-year career has involved diverse media and artistic practices, and she has a reputation as an artist who changes the rules of the game, constantly pushing the limits of what is possible. In 1993 she co-founded The Holy Body Tattoo, a company that changed the landscape of Canadian dance, earning several awards and honours for its stage and film work. Founded in 2006, Animals of Distinction functions as a framework for contemporary practice, a crossroads where social kinaesthetics and the possibilities of physical thinking are expressed as choreographic ideas involving various collaborations and art forms. Works by AoD have been presented in Canada and abroad in many different formats, including live performance, film, design, visual art and new media. Dana Gingras/Animals of Distinction was recently granted long-term residency with CCOV at Place des Arts (2017-2019).