Shelley Cushman (Denton)
Choreographer of "Choking the Earth? Just Take Off Those Clothes and Join the Water in D-Flat", Shelley Cushman has been a Professor of Dance at the University of North Texas for 32 years and has taught in higher education for 37 years. She received her BA in English/Dance from California State University- Fresno, MA at UCLA (1975, MFA equivalent) with studies in choreography, movement therapy, and kinesiology. Cushman is a Certified Massage Therapist by the American Massage Therapy Association (1985), holds Certification in Basic Hydrotherapy from the Kniepp Institute in Germany (1986), and is certified through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (1993).

Cushman performed with the Sara Rudner Dance Ensemble and the Theatre Vanguard Improvisational Company in Hollywood, California. A prolific choreographer with well over 150 works she has received numerous awards and glowing reviews for choreography and performance, nationally and internationally. Her work on a collaboration, Cinematic Caricatures: Book 1, 2, and 3, involving 30 dances, has been presented in workshops, competitions, conferences, and performances throughout the world. The project has been supported by NEA funding, Ohio University, School of Fine Arts Visiting Artists Series, and UNT grants and is published with performance rights by Carl Fisher in NY and found in the Dance Library holdings at Lincoln Center.

In 2005 her work, Getting to the Other Side, was performed on the South Central ACDFA Gala and En I Me was included by selection to perform with the Barefoot Brigade Dance Fetival in 2007 as well as the 2008 ACDFA South Central Region Gala and the National College Dance Festival in NYC. She has presented numerous workshops at TAHPERD, Southern District, ACDFA, and NDEO throughout the years as well as serving on numerous committees and holding offices. She was recently awarded the TAHPERD 2008 Dance Educator of the Year Award and has been nominated by Southern District for the AHPERD 2009 National Dance Educator of the Year Award.

Jesse Coulter (Denton)
Composer/Sound Designer for "Choking the Earth? Just Take Off Those Clothes and Join the Water in D-Flat", Jesse Coulter is Composer/Founder of The New World Renaissance, leader of the iconic Denton hip hop crew, Vortexas, producer, composer, arranger, poet. Juicy the Emissary began writing music at a young age, studying classical guitar with Polly Maynard in Denton, TX, and then later moving on to study jazz with UNT’s Fred Hamilton (of the Earl Harvin Trio). Around this time, he started recording his compositions on a Tascam 4-track and when his old friend Drew Phelps lent him his Korg M-1, he made the first "juc beats." Coulter took opportunities to perfect his craft with whatever he could get his hands on, at one point making beats with just a 4-track, guitar, bass, and an old Dual automatic beltdrive turntable.

Vortexas quickly established themselves as the pioneers of Denton hip hop. In 2005, their weekly hip hop showcase "Andy’s Wednesday Specials" became a mainline of local hip hop, giving rise to other Denton acts like Fab Deuce and Hiphopastra, and placing the Denton hip hop scene a cut above the surrounding metropolitan areas and listed in a 2008 New York Times article touting the Denton music scene. The bulk of Vortexas’ 2006 self-titled release was produced by Juicy the Emissary. His 2007 release, The New World Renaissance Mixtape #1, is touted by critics for its distinct character and cohesiveness. His production and lyrical work is also featured on Fab Deuce’ s 2007 release, MumboJumboGumboGrooves.

Juicy collaborates with artists of all forms, having worked with video production companies like Reel Roots Productions, Believe Media, and Buildestroy, composing original music for films, trailers, and commercials. Other collaboration credits include work with dance groups like Kinetic Arts Collective, and the Dance Departments of UNT and TWU who have performed to The Emissary’s productions in concerts and festivals around the country. His latest collaboration with Shelley Cushman, En I Me, was performed at the National American College Dance Festival in NYC. Coulter is currently on a month tour with Vortexas.

Barbara Cox (Denton)
Costume designer for "Choking the Earth? Just Take Off Those Clothes and Join the Water in D-Flat", Ms. Cox creates costumes for theatre and opera as well as dance. In the metroplex her credits include designs for the Circle Theatre, Dallas Repertory Theatre, and the 1991 season of the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas. Ms. Cox’s national credits include the L.A. Drama Critic’s Circle Award for "Playboy of the Western World" at the South Coast Repertory Theatre and several Dramalogue awards. Ms. Cox has also designed for Long Beach Opera, San Jose Civic Opera, the Utah Shakespearean Festival, and Opera San Jose. Ms. Cox has taught at numerous universities including Stanford, California State, and Santa Clara, and is currently an Associate Professor of Costume Design at the University of North Texas. She holds a BA from the State University of New York at Albany and a MFA from Carnegie Mellon University.

Kenneth John Verdugo (Denton)
Scenic Designer for "Choking The Earth? Choking the Earth? Just Take Off Those Clothes and Join the Water in D-Flat", Kenneth John Verdugo is a product of the New Forms & Genres that grew out of the milieu of L.A.’s vibrant Eighties art scene (UCLA, MFA ’88). Mr. Verdugo’s creative evolution landed him on fertile ground in the interdisciplinary new form genres of Installation and Performance Art; joining him with UCLA’s international trifecta of Charles Ray, Chris Burden and Paul McCarthy. As a result of that intimate circle of influences pointing the way, Kenneth was drawn to the Industry’s monumental scale and Scenic Design as his discipline of choice (UC Irvine, Drama MFA ‘01).

With several painting awards plus a half-dozen one-man shows to his record, as well as representation in numerous group shows in the L.A. scene behind him, Kenneth comes to UNT with a broad background in two disciplines. Formerly serving as an art critic for two West Coast journals, Visions & NoMoPoMo, Kenneth’s current posture is as an artist who designs for the stage. In this capacity, he has designed for musical theatre and dance on the West Coast and nationally from 1998 to the present. Mr. Verdugo has designed for Capital Playhouse (WA) as well as Opera Pacific & Disney Entertainment Art (CA), among others. From 1993-97, he contributed to presentations for Michael Eisner and the Disney creative team, contributing to design packages for many projects and events. Frequently having served as sculptor/fabricator at numerous production houses, Kenneth is drawn to the physicality and spatial nature of theatre environments.

From 1997-2000, Kenneth worked with international choreographer Donald McKayle; their joint collaborations resulting in designs & paintings for the Colorado Ballet and Alvin Ailey’s international tour of Danger Run, among others. In 2001, Mr. Verdugo developed designs for the West Coast premiere of Robert Cohen’s The Prince. Returning to his core, Kenneth served as scenic painter with South Coast Repertory through 2004, followed by duties as assistant charge & interim charge artist at the Old Globe in 2005. His experience in academia covers art history, life drawing, scene design, scenic artistry and digital imaging at performing arts schools, colleges and universities on the West Coast and Florida, including spending several years mentoring graduate level designers in Scene Design, Scenic Painting and Digital Imaging at Florida State University. Kenneth is currently on faculty at the University of North Texas’ Dance & Theatre Department.