MULTI-FACETED ARTIST-SCHOLAR
About Collette ‘Coco’ Murray
Miss Coco's artistic journey began with teaching recreational dance classes in her childhood neighbourhood, Jane and Finch, through the City of Toronto's Parks and Recreation division in year 2000. This initiative aimed to fill the noticeable absence of cultural dance programs and to reconnect her with her multi-ethnic heritage. She trained in COBA's professional apprenticeship program, performing as an understudy during their 19th season, *Les Rhymes de la Forêt.* For several years, Murray has also deepened her expertise by studying with renowned master teachers such as M'Bemba Bangoura, Youssouf Koumbassa, and Delton Frank, focusing on dance styles from West Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States.
After thirteen years of teaching her programs with the City of Toronto, she transitioned to teaching youth in school boards and arts organizations such as Dance Immersion’s Youth Arts Program and Prologue for the Performing Arts. Her expertise made her a sought-after instructor for facilitating African dance workshops by Black youth companies and performance studios. She also served as a dance faculty member for the Children's Youth & Dance Theatre (CYDT) and NGOMA Drum & Dance Ensemble, and taught AFIWI Groove’s dance classes in the Durham region for its first four years. Her artistic work was predominantly with young Black girls and women, as well as thousands of K-12 students across Ontario, and with dance or arts organizations.
Coco’s performance history is affiliated with several Toronto-based dance companies and artists of the Canadian African and Caribbean diaspora. Such as Caribbean Folk Performers, Ijo Vudu, Caribbean Dance Theatre, Alpha Rhythm Roots, Baro Dunumba, Kobena Aquaa-Harrison, Ronald Taylor Dance, and Black Stars Entertainment. Her collaborations with intergenerational artists continue to this day.
Murray's influence expanded into developing and teaching community-engaged dance programming as she branched into entrepreneurship. As founder and artistic director of Coco Collective, she created culturally responsive projects that emerged over the years. She also created, led and facilitated a two-year African-diasporic dance mentorship program in Toronto, nurturing emerging Black artists who have advanced into arts administration, programming, producing, and performance. Collette ‘Coco’ Murray remains a dedicated mentor, actively contributing to Vibe Arts' NEXT program for Black artists.
Graphic design credit: Christopher Cushman
Her career is marked by standout moments, such as working with choreographers Chester Whitmore (Los Angeles) and Paulette Brockington on a swing dance performance for the 2012 International Association of Blacks in Dance conference in Toronto. Additionally, she performed in two NBA Toronto Raptors halftime shows with Esie Mensah Creations, first for the Giants of Africa event in 2015 and again in 2017 for NBA Celebrates Black History Month. Coco’s stiltdancing was featured in June 2025 as one of the tallest runway models in a Fashion Art Toronto history and in guest theatre performances in The Walking Griot’s LULU in the 2025 Toronto Fringe Festival (directed by d’bi young anitafrika), and as choreography director/performer in Tech A Jump: An Immersive Carnival Journey at Illuminarium Toronto (a collaboration with Black Digital Arts Technology Association and Debbie Deer Productions). Miss Coco was the only dance performer in solo/ensemble choreography on the ground and as a stiltdancer in Ronald Taylor Dance’s 2025 remount of MASS (The Theatre Centre).
Collette’s teaching and performance portfolio extends into graduate research, invited talks and publications that make meaningful contributions to dance scholarship, professional development for beginning teachers, educational ministries and cultural dance education across North America.
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Murray is a dedicated advocate for equity and diversity in the arts, particularly within the dance and education sectors. For the past four years, she has served as Chair of the Dance Umbrella of Ontario (DUO) Board of Directors and continues her impactful work as a National Council member for the Canadian Dance Assembly, where she supports provincial and national initiatives to advance the professional dance sector.
Her significant contributions include a six-year tenure with Arts Etobicoke’s Board of Directors, during which she played a pivotal role in strategic and equity planning. She focused on diversifying artistic programming and fostering community engagement in North Etobicoke (Rexdale), while also developing equity frameworks that prioritize inclusive and pluralistic practices within these organizations.
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Murray is currently pursuing a PhD in Dance Studies at York University's School of Arts, Media, Performance, and Design. Her impressive academic achievements include a Master of Education, a Specialized Honours BA in Race, Ethnicity & Indigeneity (Summa Cum Laude), and a Certificate in Anti-Racist Research and Practice, all from York University. Additionally, she holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Toronto.
OFFICIAL BIO
Collette “Coco” Murray is an award‑winning dance artist‑scholar, cultural arts programmer, educator, and arts consultant whose work interweaves performance, education, and advocacy. With over 25 years in Canada’s arts sector, she specializes in Afro‑diasporic movement traditions—including West African, Caribbean folk, carnival arts, and stilt‑dancing as Coco Moko Jumbie. Her practice centres cultural reclamation and the amplification of African diasporic narratives through performance, community engagement, and scholarship.
Miss Coco’s artistry spans teaching, guest lecturing, mentorship, and publishing, with a strong focus on equity and anti‑racism in the arts. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Dance Studies at York University, deepening her commitment to integrating African diasporic arts into Canadian public education and advancing culturally relevant dance pedagogy.
As Artistic Director of Coco Collective, she curates culturally responsive programming rooted in African and Caribbean aesthetics, collaborating with intergenerational artists to create inclusive and transformative cultural experiences. Her leadership is widely recognized for its impact on community empowerment, cultural preservation, arts organizations, and education reform.
Whether in galleries, museums, classrooms, or community spaces, Coco Murray continues to shape Canada’s cultural landscape with passion, purpose, and an unwavering belief in the arts as a catalyst for social change.
25 years as a dance creative, 10 years as a dance entrepreneur
MILESTONES
Over the years
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2000-2013
Performing with African and Caribbean dance companies
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2007
Choreographing for mas camps -Kiddies Caribbean Carnival
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2010
Celebrating 10 years of teaching dance in childhood community
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2013
First international conference presentation at University of Liège, Belgium
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2014
Teaching dance during study abroad in Hamutsha Primary, South Africa
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2015
Launched Miss Coco Murray and Coco Collective
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2017
First Coco Collective community-arts program in North Etobicoke
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2019
Developed two years of Dance Mentorship programming for emerging Black dancers
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2020
University talk: Climate of the Black Dance Creative
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2021
Creative placemaking finalist for Griots in Sight, Augmented Reality (AR) in the Village of Islington–Arts Etobicoke (ArtWorksTO Public Year of Art)
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2025
Keynote event: Book launch and presentation - University of Toronto Institute of Dance Studies
Awards
2019 Community Arts Award Recipient
Significant contributions in transforming local communities
2020
100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women
2013 Canadian Dance Assembly
I Love Dance Awards
2022 Award recipient
Racial Justice in Creative Arts
2023 National Award recipient
Outstanding Leadership in Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
LEARN MORE ABOUT COCO
Media & Features
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York University
Award-winning PhD student reimagines what dance can be -
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The Toronto Observer
Educators Urge Canada’s K-12 School Systems to Implement Culturally Relevant Arts Education -
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York University
Grad Student Collette Murray Earns Two Awards for Work Advancing Diasporic Dance Styles -
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York University
Anti-Black racism pervades cultural arts curricula in Ontario schools, research finds -
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Turnout Radio
Integrating Anti-Racist Collaboration with African-Diasporic Teaching Dance Artists: with Collette ‘Coco’ Murray -
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University of Waterloo
Bringing Blackness and Freedom to Life -
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Turnout Radio
The Toronto Caribbean Carnival-Liberation & the Dancing Body with Collette ‘Coco’ Murray & Ronald A. Taylor
