*Alfonso Abraham Cervera (he/him), also known as Fonzy, is a first-generation queer Mexican American artist, educator, and choreographer based between Los Angeles, CA and Columbus, OH. He is an Assistant Professor of Dance at The Ohio State University and co-founder of Primera Generación Dance Collective, named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch in 2025. Cervera’s work explores queer Mexican American identity through a hybrid movement practice that merges Mexican Ballet Folklórico and contemporary dance, creating living archives rooted in rhythm, memory, and community. His choreography has been presented nationally and internationally, and his work has been supported in recent years by the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

 

*Arletta Anderson is a Los Angeles-based dance artist, performance maker, and educator. She has enjoyed a robust career as a freelance dancer, working with various choreographers in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Most recently, she has performed in the works of DaEun Jung, Kevin Williamson, and Acts of Matter. Additionally, Arletta makes performance work in collaboration with writer/theater artist Adam Smith. Their work has been commissioned and presented by venues nationally. As an educator, Arletta has taught at various schools and studios and is currently on faculty at Loyola Marymount University and Orange County School of the Arts. She is a part of the Ground Grooves teaching staff and guides yoga/movement classes for non-dancers.

 

Ashlyn Yoshikawa is a Japanese American performer based in Long Beach, California. As a performer and creator, Ashlyn desires to share work designed to encourage empathetic values founded in universal human experiences. Pulling from history, her goal is to present dance productions speaking of compassion and honor. A believer in cultural exchange and international relationships, Ashlyn has been awarded by the California State Assembly, Senate, and House of Representatives in recognition of her efforts to support cultural diversity and expression within her community. Having worked with choreographers and directors Colin Conner, Lee Martino, Anne Ma, Rebecca Lemme, and Rebecca Bryant, her dance career includes performances in Mulan’s Lunar New Year Parade at Disney’s California Adventure and La Universidad Centroamericana’s 2024 Dance Festival in El Salvador. She is a BFA Candidate in Dance at CSU Long Beach and has training in Modern, Jazz, Contact Improvisation, Ballet, and Social Dance Forms such as Bachata and Salsa. She graduated from Mt. San Antonio College with an Associate’s in World Languages/Global Studies, and has spent time in Japan, Germany, El Salvador, and China.

 

Ayanna Dowell is a third year BFA Dance major and Psychology minor at California State University, Long Beach. She attended Orange County School of the Arts for 6 years prior to attending university where she was in the Commercial Dance Conservatory. Ayanna was a featured assistant for Art of Movement during her third year with the convention. She also travelled with Tremaine Performance Company for four years. She has trained in ballet, contemporary, hip hop, house, jazz, and tap dance. Ayanna is currently focusing on street dance techniques such as house and hip hop. She trains with HILA Dance Company, a part of Kore Dance Academy, which is owned by Alexander Chung and Jasmine Mason-Chung. In 2024, she was a part of the Ultimate Commercial Dance Program created by Kayla Kalbfleisch, during which time she signed with MSA Agency under Brandon Sierra. 

 

*Erik Speth is an LA based choreographer, performer, multimedia artist and educator. He holds an MFA in Dance from The Ohio State University, emphasizing Dance & Technology and Dance pedagogy; in addition, he holds a BFA in Choreography & Performance from California Institute of the Arts. He is a founding member of Ledges and Bones Dance Project under the artistic direction of Holly Johnston. Erik was selected to partake in the Music and Dance Exchange (MADE) 2006 at Darting Arts College in England. He has worked with Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Los Angeles Movement Arts Oni Dance and project-to-project with other US artists: Maria Gillespie, Maggie Lee, Liz Hoefner, Kate Hutter-Mason, Lisa K Lock, Nguyen Nguyen, Kevin Williamson, Abby Zbikowski, IN/EX Dance Project, Oni Dance and Tales Between Our Legs. In addition, Erik is the co-founder of the dance department at Renaissance Arts Academy as well as The Rock Collection.

 

*Finn Murphy is an LA-based dancer, choreographer and teacher. He began his dance training in high school at Renaissance Arts Academy and went on to receive a B.A. in Dance and Literature from Bennington College. After graduating, he relocated to Barcelona where he formed the Three Planes Collective with Kaya Lovestrand and Emma Villavecchia. From 2015 to 2019, they made original dance work in addition to commissioning work from artists Elena Demyanenko and Isabel Lopez. In 2019, Finn relocated back to Los Angeles, where Finn has had the privilege of working with No)One Art House, Lindsey Lollie, Jay Carlon, and The Rock Collection. He has returned to teach full-time at Renaissance Arts Academy in both the humanities and dance departments.

 

Giovana Sales Nascimento da Silva (she/her) is a Brazilian contemporary dancer based in the Bay Area. A graduate of the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program, her practice bridges contemporary, ballet, and Afro-Brazilian styles. Her career is deeply rooted in her homeland and cultural displacement. Giovana has collaborated with acclaimed artists such as Micaela G. Taylor, Rena Butler, Rosangela Silvestre, and Mike Tyus, performing with Bay Area companies including Kristin Damrow & Company, REYES Dance, and Robert Moses' KIN. Her studies in Social Work at the Federal University of São Paulo profoundly inform her understanding of the dance world and the world itself.

 

Giulia Sales Nascimento da Silva (she/her) is a Brazilian contemporary dancer based in Oakland. Originally from the periferia of São Vicente, São Paulo, her journey began through local social projects, leading to professional stages across Brazil. A graduate of the LINES Ballet Training Program, her practice integrates the rhythmic complexity of Brazilian modalities into contemporary frameworks. In the U.S, Giulia has performed with Robert Moses' KIN, Kristin Damrow & Company, and REYES Dance, and collaborated with artists Micaela G. Taylor and Mike Tyus. Her artistry investigates a non-universal dance, reflecting the cultural and social contexts from which it emerges.

 

George Malek is a producer, instrumentalist, and sound engineer based out of Los Angeles whose work is featured on numerous records, commercials, and film scores. Previously he was a touring musician on the East Coast, where he earned a B.S. in Physics before moving out West.

 

*Jamar Morris is a native son of the San Francisco Bay Area, an educator by trade, and a spoken word poet by craft. While earning a B.A. in English and pursuing a personal interest in Africana Studies at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), Jamar co-founded Vocal ARTillery, a Hip Hop/spoken word showcase collective, to create spaces in the San Fernando Valley centered around shared culture for artists to present work and fellowship. Vocal ARTillery has performed poetry and presented workshops on “spacing making” in collaboration with colleges, universities, and nonprofits across California. Jamar is currently a faculty member at Renaissance Arts Academy and member of The Rock Collection. As a performing poet, Jamar has featured at varied occasions and venues including, the Pan African Film Festival, Noho Lit-Crawl, the Blue Whale, among others, and continues to perform at venues across Los Angeles. He has opened for various poets including, David Romero, Yazmin Monet Watkins, and Matt Sedillo; and a song from his self-titled EP, Little Seeds, made in collaboration with jazz percussionist, Kevin Yakota, was selected for an episode of the KPFK radio-show, Dank Radio.

 

Jayden Cardona (she/her) is an artist committed to honoring humanistic experiences through movement. With twelve years of extensive training, she is currently a fourth-year BFA candidate in Dance at California State University, Long Beach. She has performed works by faculty members Rebecca Lemme, Andrew Vaca, Tsiambwom Akuchu, and Guest Artist Hannah Victoria. Jayden recently collaborated with commercial dance Choreographer Nina McNeely in the creation of Beneath the Veil of Ember and Bone, a new work premiered at the CSULB BFA Variance Concert. She has also performed across the Los Angeles and Orange County area, including at MashUp’s International Women’s Day Festival and the Southern California Choreography Festival. She has collaborated with artists Jordyn Apostolache, Tori Cone, Jennifer Vieweg, and Eva Watson. In 2025, she premiered her first choreographic work, to let go, to hold on, in the CSULB Contemporary Dance Concert, exploring themes of nostalgia, reflection, and isolation within unity. She also presented even this at Long Beach’s Show ’n Tell, a work that embodied the complexities of radical acceptance in the process of personal healing. She is eager to continue creating authentic work and growing alongside fellow dance artists in the community.  

 

Jessica Emmanuel is a Los Angeles-based dancer, choreographer, performance artist, educator, and curator. She studied Dance & Choreography at the BOCES Cultural Arts Center in New York and holds a BFA in Performance & Choreography from The California Institute of the Arts. Jessica is the founder of Human Stages and a co-founder of the theater-based artist collective Poor Dog Group. Her work has been presented internationally at the Bootleg Theater, Live Arts Exchange Festival, the New Original Works Festival at REDCAT, Montserrat DTLA, Highways Performance Space, Zoukak Studios (Lebanon), The Getty Villa, Interferences Festival (Romania), Baruch Performing Arts Center, The Curtis R. Preim Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) and The Contemporary Art Museum Santa Barbara. She has choreographed/performed for Poor Dog Group, Heidi Duckler Dance Theater, The MOVEMENT Movement, Ania Catherine Genevieve Carson, Bryan Reynolds, Paul Outlaw, No)one. Art House and Stacy Dawson Sterns. Jessica has also curated art events at various locations in Los Angeles.

 

*Jocelyn Reyes (she/her) is a Latin American contemporary choreographer based in San Francisco. A first generation LA native, Reyes holds a B.S. in Cognitive Science and a B.A. in Dance from UCLA, and is the artistic director of REYES Dance (RD). REYES Dance is a San Francisco based dance company dedicated to performance at the intersection of horror and humor. RD’s artistic productions include live dance performances and an annual dance film festival, Dance Thrill Fest. RD’s choreography layers humor, everyday gestures, theatricality and storytelling onto a rigorous contemporary movement base. With support from various grants and residencies, RD’s works have investigated poverty, domestic abuse, religion, chronic illness and health within the context of Latin American culture. By presenting a sensitive but lighthearted insider perspective, RD aims to shed light on the trials and tribulations faced by many, and envision a hopeful future. RD’s newest work, String Quartet No.ATE, which is supported by the San Francisco Arts Commission Arts Impact Endowment grant and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation NEW grant, will premiere on May 22-23, 2026 at ODC Theater.

 

*Lael Battiste, originally from New Orleans, grew up in Dallas, Texas. She graduated from Cornish College of the Arts in December 2023 and recently moved to Los Angeles in fall 2024. Lael has co-produced, choreographed, and performed in two evening-length performances in 2023 and 2024, alongside Margaux Gex. Lael has worked with renowned choreographers such as Madison Hicks, Alicia Mullikin, Alfonso Cervera, and Hannah Victoria. In fall 2025, Battiste choreographed and performed a new work in CO- SHOW 11 in collaboration with Gex. Lael recently performed a work by Alexis Diggs for International Association of Blacks in Dance’s Emerging Choreographer Residency.

 

*Lindsey Red-tail, born and raised in Altadena, Tongva Lands is a non-binary dance artist, ritualist, writer and gatherer, whose work weaves together the intersection of movement, nature and Ancestral practices. Lindsey’s ritual performance project “Infinite Spirals of Light - Emergence” is a piece for awakening, rebirth. Their practice is guided by remembrance with Trees, collective grief and emergent movement, echoing vibrations of Ancestors. An ode to Altadena they honor the Land they grew up on before the Eaton Fire, orchestrating a movement language of the Trees and songs from Nature. Lindsey listens for what wants to un-Earth in the body and underneath, experimenting with new sound and movement scores, color and living Water. A piece for empowering Indigenous voices while recovering from loss and current systems of power, they arrive through playful practices of renewal, spiral, stomp, rebound, sway, releasing what wants to be free! Their work has received the residency support from the Center for Provocative Thought, Los Angeles Performance Practice and the City of Santa Monica, performing variations of research at the LAX Festival and the Miles Memorial Playhouse. A 2012 graduate of California Institute of the Arts, Red-tail has established themselves as a transformative choreographic voice in Los Angeles. 

 

Madison Lindgren (she/they) began her dance training in Lubbock, Texas, before continuing her education at the University of Utah and the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University. She is a graduate of the LINES Training Program and has since performed professionally with several Bay Area companies, most recently with REYES Dance, RAWDance, and Post:ballet.

 

*Maria Soledad Gillespie is a choreographer, performer, dance, and somatic educator. She is a CLMA Laban Bartenieff Movement Analyst and creates interdisciplinary collaborations and improvised performance with MG/The Collaboratory and Hyperlocal MKE. She directed LA-based Oni Dance (2003-2015) and was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch". A recipient of four Lester Horton awards for her performance and choreography, her dances "ricochet between vulnerability and strength with razor-sharp shifts in intensity and intent" (LA Times). Her work has been presented nationally and internationally including The Ford Amphitheatre, The Getty Museum, REDCAT, UCLA, Cal Arts, The Fowler Museum, Highways Performance Space, Joyce SoHo and CounterPULSE. Choreographic commissions include Loyola Marymount University, Scripps College, Pomona College, Cal State Long Beach, Utah Valley University, and Milwaukee’s Present Music.  Her next project is a new work with long-time collaborators Nguyễn Nguyên and Kevin Williamson. Gillespie has performed and taught nationally and internationally in Mexico City, Tokyo, Beijing, and Guangzhou. She is a Professor of Dance at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she directs the MFA in Dance Program.

 

*Margaux Gex, originally from Switzerland, moved to Seattle in 2018. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Cornish College of the Arts in 2021. She has danced with MALACARNE, directed by Alice Gosti, for 2 years, from 2022 to 2024. Margaux is a freelance dancer, choreographer, and teacher, and she recently joined Renaissance Arts Academy as a dance advisor. Margaux co-produced with Lael Battiste, choreographed, and performed in two evenings of works, Duality in February 2023, and Catalyst in April 2024. Margaux moved to Los Angeles in October 2024, and since then has choreographed a new work that she presented at the MATCH residency, hosted by Brockus Project Studios, Movers+Makers, hosted by Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company, and Choreography Open Mic Night, and International Women’s Day Festival hosted by Mashup Contemporary Dance Company. Margaux recently performed in Rebecca Aguilar’s piece for ChoCoLA, in Renee Donovan’s piece for Dear Body Love Me, and she choreographed and performed a new work for CO- in collaboration with Lael Battiste.

 

Maya Mohsin (she/they) is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Oakland, CA. In 2022, they received their BFA in Dance from Dominican University Of California with the Alonzo King Lines Ballet BFA program. Since graduating, Maya has danced for Jocelyn Reyes for REYES Dance, Roseann Baker, Andrea Salzar, Jennifer Perfilio Movement Works, Addison Norman and Erin Coyne. In 2022, they received the Give Em’ Hope Award from the SF Gay Men’s Chorus. Maya has been teaching dance since 2016 and has taught at various studios around the Bay Area.

 

Maya Sabbah (they/them) is a movement artist and choreographer. They are a third year BFA candidate in Dance at California State University, Long Beach. Prior to university, they attended Torrey Pines High School and competed on their varsity hip-hop dance team, training with Kaylar Preite and Francis Florendo. During this time, Maya was diligently training in all styles at their home studio, focusing closely on jazz technique and contemporary with Holden Maples and Nicole Perez, whom they still work with today. The most recent project Maya was involved in was a professional dance film choreographed and directed by Holden Maples. Maya has also trained in the styles of ballet, modern, hip-hop, house, and Umfundalai. They have worked with choreographers such as Nina McNeely, Scott Myrick, Holden Maples, Will Johnston, Nikki Charest, Kaylar Preite, Nicole Perez, Rebecca Lemme, and Danzel Thompson-Stout. Maya is excited to witness the premiere of their own choreography in the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater at CSU Long Beach this April 23-25th.  

 

Mayumi Dragon

 

*MaZaria Frierson-Meek is a faith-based dance artist born & raised in Tennessee. She received her Bachelors in Fine Arts with a concentration in Commercial Dance from AMDA Los Angeles. After graduating, she has experienced multiple tribulations to reach the blessings that she had no control of. With this in mind, she presents her understanding of who gives her the strength & mercy to wake up every morning. 

 

*Mollie Wolf (she/her) is a mountain woman from Colorado, with strong ties to Los Angeles, residing in Columbus, OH. A choreographer, installation artist, filmmaker, and creative producer; Wolf engages in interdisciplinary art-making and collaborative processes. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at Denison University, as well as a creative producer for music festivals, where she oversees production of immersive installations and directs interactive performance. Wolf’s interdisciplinary artistic profile is varied in medium, but centers around thematic through-lines of intimacy and interconnection. Wolf holds a BFA in Dance and a minor in Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado, as well as an MFA in Dance from the Ohio State University.

 

Nathan Waters is an artist, choreographer, dancer, and instructor based in Orange County. Nathan obtained his Associate's degree in Dance with an emphasis in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Irvine Valley College. He now attends California State University, Long Beach, where he is a BFA candidate in Dance. He started his journey dancing and training in street styles when he was young, specifically focusing on Breaking and Popping. Now he practices and appreciates many different dance styles and mostly works within the contemporary realm. He has had the opportunity to present work at the American College Dance Association BAJA Conference in 2023 and 2026 and was hired as a guest choreographer for Portola High School Performing Arts in 2024. Nathan hopes to create and teach as much as he can while sharing his love for dance with others.  

 

*Nguyễn Nguyên is a Los Angeles–based choreographer, dance filmmaker, and educator. Born in Vietnam, he came to the United States as a refugee, an experience that continues to inform his artistic voice and commitment to storytelling through movement. His work has been presented throughout Los Angeles, as well as internationally at the Guangdong and Beijing International Dance Festivals in China and the International Performance Arts Festival in Thailand. Nguyên is a founding member of Los Angeles Movement Arts, an interdisciplinary arts collective dedicated to collaborative and cross-disciplinary performance. He holds a B.S. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and an MFA in Dance and Choreography from UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, reflecting a practice that bridges analytical inquiry with embodied expression. He previously served on faculty at Santa Monica College and Cal State LA, and has taught as a guest artist at UCLA, LMU, CSULB, Riverside City College, University of Maryland, Montclair State University, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and University of Iowa. Nguyên has collaborated with a wide range of artists including David Roussève, Cheng-Chieh Yu, Katsura Kan, Simone Forti, Taisha Paggett, Holly Johnston, Michael Sakamoto, Kevin Williamson and Maria Gillespie. Nguyên currently serves on faculty at Renaissance Arts Academy in Glassell Park and is a founding member of The Rock Collection.

 

*Rebecca Lemme is a choreographer, performer, educator, and visual artist. Founded in 2014, she is also Artistic Director of the performance group Acts of Matter. Thematically and physically, Acts of Matter engages with work grounded in an unfettered willingness to attempt something while accepting the possibility of its failure. This physical exertion—this act of trying—is the core of humanity in the work. Rebecca's choreographic work has been commissioned by numerous universities and professional companies, and she teaches extensively in contemporary, ballet and improvisation. She has created a unique movement style for the stage and the classroom that encourages investigation, problem solving, and versatility. In 2023, she was named one of the Exemplary Women in LA Dance as part of MashUp Contemporary Dance’s International Women’s Festival. A Professor at California State University Long Beach, and formerly a full-time faculty member at CalArts, Rebecca holds a BA from Princeton University in English and Theater and an MFA from California Institute of the Arts in Choreography. actsofmatter.com @actsofmatter 

 

*Rosanna Tavarez is a first-generation Dominican-American dance artist and educator from Washington Heights and Miami, now based in Los Angeles.  She grew up in a home filled with boisterous, demonstrative storytelling and social dancing to lively music. Her upbringing, which was both traditional and forward-thinking, Dominican and American, in Spanish and in English, continues to shape her work as an artist. As a movement polyglot, she weaves social dances like salsa, merengue, bachata, tango, and disco, with contemporary dance, and often draws from stories and music that are tied to her familial and ancestral lineage and history.

Her works have been supported by The Broad Museum, ODC Theatre, REDCAT, Center for New Performance, Dance Camera West, University of Michigan’s University Musical Society, The Odyssey, Breaking Ground Dance Festival, LA Department of Cultural Affairs’ LA Dance Platform, Sarasota Contemporary Dance, and Highways Performance Space.

 

*Sarri Sanchez is a Los Angeles-based dancer, choreographer, and educator. She holds an MFA in Dance from Hollins University/American Dance Festival and a BA in World Arts and Cultures/Dance from UCLA. Sarri is a founding artist of The Rock Collection as well as the movement collectives, Tales Between Our Legs and IN/EX Dance Project. Sarri and her collaborators have presented their work both locally and internationally. As a performer, Sarri has worked with a range of artists and companies, including Robin Conrad, Liz Hoefner Adamis, Mike Kelley, Dance Aegis, LA Contemporary Dance Company, Invertigo Dance Theatre, and as a founding member of Holly Johnston’s Ledges and Bones. Sarri is a full-time faculty member at Renaissance Arts Academy, where she has helped cultivate the dance program since 2006. She has also taught master classes within the local community and at universities nationally and in Mexico. Outside of her professional work, Sarri enjoys playing taiko and dancing flamenco.

 

Scarlet Miller