Born in Ottawa, ON, Madz DeRose is a Tiohtià:ke (Montreal)-based contemporary dance interpreter and choreographer graduated from Concordia University’s Contemporary Dance program. DeRose works as a freelance dance collaborator and teacher across Montreal. DeRose blends emotion through physicality, with an artistic practice rooted in autobiographical inquiry and believes the creation of evocative and honest movement can be essential in weathering one’s being. Her work often raises thematic questions such as: What are the physical limits we have within ourselves to trust another person with our safety? The goal is always to create a  meaningful exchange between performer and viewer, inviting them to delve into the complexities of human connection, sense, and memory.​ DeRose is the daughter of two visual artists.

Since graduation, DeRose has been managing a chronic lower back disc injury, she continues to perform selectively but has primairly shifed into choreography as her main focus. DeRose seeks to integrate fabric, collage, and visual mediums to compose cohesive choreographic narratives, aiming to facilitate a dialogue between these visual forms and movement. Her current work WORN was most recently in development through the MAI mentorship program and was awarded a Canada Council grant for continued research in a month-long residency in Yellowknife. The work was also presented at the Art in the Open Festival in Charlottetown, PEI, this past summer. Recent performances include Cloudbust (ch. Tiera Joly Pavelich, supported by CALQ, Mainline Theatre), and residencies at L’Écotone (“Terrains Vacants,” Oct 2024–Jan 2025) and Córtex Frontal in Arraiolos, Portugal (Nov–Dec 2023) and upcoming residency at Casa Snowapple, CDMX (June 2026)