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Tina Mullone (Fort Worth/Louisiana) – Performer of excerpt from “Two Solos” by André R. George
Tina began her dance training in ballet under Fernando Schaffenburg. She continued to study dance under Darryl Sneed while attending the University of Oklahoma. After graduation Tina performed and taught for JAADE Dance Theater, Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth and Beckles Dancing Company. She also taught for many area schools and for students of all ages from elementary through college. Her own training includes work at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco Dance School, and Urban Bush Women. She holds a MFA in Modern Dance from Texas Christian University. Tina strives to keep the arts alive through performing, choreographing and teaching. Tina currently teaches full-time at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Periodically commuting back and forth from Louisiana, Tina is an Associate Artist with Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth and also maintains her ties with the Beckles Dancing Company.
André R. George (1963-1996) – Choreographer of “Two Solos”
André was born in Marabella, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, where he danced with Noble Douglas Dance Company, among others. André came to the US in 1987, and danced with gus solomons, jr, Jennifer Muller, Donald Byrd and Blue Mercury Dancing Company in New York. He also danced with Dallas Black Dance Theatre. In 1995, he founded Nova Dance Company in Dallas. His work “Two Solos” (1994) shows a sense of humor and an appetite for movement.
Jessica Thomas – Choreographer/Performer for “U.Universe”
A graduate of the University of North Texas with a B.F.A in Ballet and Modern Performance, Jessica Thomas was privileged to receive the Lucille Murchison Dance Scholarship while at UNT, as well as to perform faculty choreography in New York City.
She was also honored to rehearse/perform the reconstruction of José Limón's, "Psalm," for former Company member, Brenna-Monroe Cook. This experience then led her to travel between California and New York studying with various José Limón Company members through their Intensives. The humble, transcendent beauty of this technique combined with its organic, technical rigor continues to significantly shape her own movement aesthetic...drawing her deeper to her own sense of being. Jessica is currently performing with Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth and Satellite-Dance.
Loris Anthony Beckles (Guyana, South America) – Choreographer of “A Meditation” – and Beckles Dancing Company
Artistic Director of Beckles Dancing Company and Executive Director of ARGA NOVA DANCE, Loris holds a BA in Dance from Adelphi University. He has also studied dance at New York School of Ballet and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. He has danced with the ALVIN AILEY REPERTORY ENSEMBLE, ELEO POMARE DANCE COMPANY, CAPITOL BALLET and the SYRACUSE BALLET THEATRE, among others, in NEW YORK and on tour in the U.S. and the CARIBBEAN. He has taught in NEW YORK CITY, cities across the U.S., in EUROPE and the CARIBBEAN. He has choreographed for several companies, including the ALVIN AILEY REPERTORY ENSEMBLE (now Ailey II), and was artistic director of the BLUE MERCURY DANCING COMPANY in New York for over ten years. Mr. Beckles has served as Facility Manager for Deep Ellum Opera Theatre (DEOT and coordinated their New Dance Meets New Music and A Month of Dance festivals. In the summers of 1997 and 1998 Mr. Beckles spent several weeks teaching "at risk" students at AileyCamp in Kansas City, MO. He has taught Ballet and Modern Dance at Park Cities Performing Arts Center in Dallas, Modern/Jazz to youngsters at South Dallas Cultural Center, and Jazz Dance at Dream Catcher and Infinite Bounds in Plano. He is the founder of the André R. George Association (ARGA), dedicated to Dance and Related Arts and Issues. He is also the founder and coordinator of the South Dallas Dance Festival, which has had increasing success in its short history. A 1997 Dallas Morning News review of one of his works referred to it as "... daring" and "gorgeous". And he won a 1997 Leon Rabin Award for Outstanding Choreography for "HAIR" at the Deep Ellum Opera Theatre (DEOT). His Beckles Dancing Company serves as a vehicle for his choreography. In addition, in the summer of 2005, he restaged Suite Beauty, Part II, and did a new work, SR70II, in Trinidad, W. I. In the spring of 2006 he choreographed Dive Slow Resurface on the Momentum Dance Company (MDC) in Irving TX, and in 2008 MDC premiered his Spring (Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons). Beckles Dancing Company (Dallas), is a founding member of the Barefoot Brigade and gives regular performances in Dallas and other parts. It is a part of the City of Dallas Neighborhood Touring Program, and was a part of the Houston Black Dance Festival in 2006 and 2008.
Beckles Dancing Company celebrates the primacy of Dance! We exult by dancing. We develop on, and refine human movement. We speak without words, using the body as instrument of communication, and we reflect the natural beauty we see. We combine various forms to reach you through an exhilarating mix. In works than span the gamut from light to dark, reverential to irreverent, we touch the spirit and renew the soul … Beckles Dancing Company is a multi-ethnic dancing company, founded in 1995 by André R. George as nova, a dancers' company! The company is now directed by Loris Anthony Beckles, a former member of the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble and a longtime associate of Mr. George. NDC showcases talent of the region and reaches a variety of audiences. As the resident professional dance company of the South Dallas Cultural Center, NDC gives regular fall and spring performances there. The company has also appeared in such diverse milieus as the US Conference on AIDS, Dance for the Planet Festival, Folklorico 2000 Festival, and the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) Conference. NDC is on the roster of the Neighborhood Touring Program of the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs and the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster. The company is also a member of the International Association of Blacks in Dance and the Dance Council.
Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth – Performing “After Dusk, Before Dawn”
CD/FW’s mission is to develop the art, artists, and audience for Modern Dance through performance and education in schools and the community. Fort Worth’s first professional modern dance company, CD/FW is led by Kerry Kreiman, one of the company’s co-founders. The Star-Telegram has recognized Kreiman as “one of the most inspired artistic leaders in our community.” In addition to producing the CD/FW Co., the organization also acts as a presenter, bringing nationally and internationally-recognized modern dance companies and independent choreographers to Fort Worth audiences. The CD/FW company has toured throughout the U.S. and in Mexico, and artistic leaders Kerry Kreiman (Executive/Artistic Director) and Susan Douglas Roberts (Founding Director/Artistic Advisor) have taught and performed internationally, representing the company as solo artists abroad (Taiwan, Brasil, Guatemala, Paraguay, Spain, France, Mexico, Hong Kong). CD/FW’s “Dance Delivered” educational and community outreach programs bring dance to under-served communities and the general public to reach audiences and participants of all ages, abilities, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds through presenting performances, teaching residencies, workshops and master classes in schools, community centers, workplaces, shopping centers, museums, parks, festivals, landmarks, and more. In 1996, CD/FW was awarded the Fort Worth ISD Adopt-A-School Program Outstanding Small Company/Organization Award for its exemplary partnership with Manuel Jara Elementary School. CD/FW is honored to be a member of the artist roster the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County's Neighborhood Arts Program in collaboration with the City of Fort Worth, and frequently partners with other arts education institutions, school districts, and museums to create and produce a wide variety of educational and community outreach programs. CD/FW established a small school in 2003, and offers a variety of classes to the community for ages 3 and up (currently at three locations – Arts Fifth Avenue, The Body Garage, and Texas Ballet Theater). The CD/FW professional performing company serves as the primary vehicle for fulfilling the organization’s mission, executing programs and initiatives out and about in the community. CD/FW is one of the founding members of, and frequently collaborates with, the Barefoot Brigade (coalition for modern dance, contemporary dance, and performance art), to present and produce dance in festival settings, including annual events at the Bath House Cultural Center and the Dallas Museum of Art. Other annual collaborations include the annual Modern Dance Festival at The Modern (Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth), featuring three weekends of performances, lectures, site-specific events, and more – the 9th annual festival will run July 6-21, 2012. The 2011-2012 season marks the CD/FW company’s 22nd performance season, and the organization’s 27th season as a presenter of modern dance.
Sarah Newton (Dallas) – Choreographer for CD/FW’s “After Dusk, Before Dawn”
Sarah holds a Master’s of Fine Arts degree from Texas Woman’s University and is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Sam Houston State University, where she holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance. Sarah is a member of Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth and Out On a Limb Dance Company, and has also performed professionally with the Kista Tucker Dance Company, Satellite-Dance, and MAMandSCHLECTE Dance, including appearances on the Barefoot Brigade Dance Festival and The NOTcracker. She is a well-seasoned performer with credits including a solo choreographed by Dr. Linda Caldwell that was performed at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She toured New Zealand with the Pickwick Players (a youth theatre troupe offered by audition only) in the lead role of “The Hundred Dresses.” Sarah is certified to teach mat and equipment Pilates through Balanced Body University, and her dance training includes study at the American Dance Festival. She has taught modern dance, hip-hop, creative movement, ballet, jazz, tap, body conditioning, and dance fitness (salsacise, dancercise) to students of all ages. She is currently on faculty for TCU’s School for Classical & Contemporary Dance and is an in-house “mechanic” for The Body Garage (Pilates studio) in Fort Worth. She has served as adjunct faculty for Tarrant County College’s Northwest Campus (2008-2010) and has taught for the CD/FW School since 2008. Her work “After Dusk, Before Dawn,” is part of a larger work-in-progress to create a suite of dances inspired by imagery from the poetry and writings of Edgar Allan Poe.
Lori Sundeen Soderbergh (Fort Worth) -- Choreographer of "Safe" and Dancing Outside the Box
Lori launched her own dance company, Dancing Outside the Box, in 2009. She has performed and choreographed in numerous theatres and site-specific settings in the U.S. and Europe. In North Texas she is an active member of the Barefoot Brigade and an invited guest artist with Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth. In Fort Worth, she has enjoyed participating four consecutive years at the Modern Dance Festival at The Modern (Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth’s annual festival at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth). “A Time to Dance” (2005) filled the Grand Lobby with the vibration of Tibetan gongs, and “Chakra Dance” (2006) flowed through and around the Richard Serra sculpture “Vortex,” located just outside the museum’s entrance. Starting in 2007, Lori’s work took a political flavor with the premiere of “Freedom Blues” (music by Scott Lennox) at the Barefoot Brigade Dance Festival. She followed up with “Peace Chain” at the Modern Dance Festival at The Modern that summer, featuring live music by Eddie Dunlap. “Peace Chain” was invited for encore performances at The Modern in 2008. To make a statement about our impact on the environment, Lori developed "Footprints" in collaboration with poet/performance artist Tammy Gomez and composer/musician Chris Curiel. "Footprints" was performed in 2008 at PrairieFest in Fort Worth, Barefoot Brigade Festival in Dallas and the DFW Fringe Festival. “Freedom Blues” was also featured on CD/FW’s spring concert in 2009 at the Sanders Theater (Fort Worth). Lori’s most recent work, “Safe” premiered at the Sanders Theater in February 2011. “Safe” is a comical look at modern airline security in collaboration with actress Laura Lutz Jones. In Summer 2011, she performed as both actress and dancer in two Hip Pocket Theater productions: “Wind Set-Up” by Lake Simons and “The Butterfly’s Evil Spell” by Johnny Simons. Lori has also worked in public relations and marketing for twelve years. She received her BFA in Modern Dance from Texas Christian University and her MA in Dance History from the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance, University of London. Lori considers it a privilege and an honor to work with live music. She has worked with area composers and musicians Eddie Dunlap, Scott Lennox, Johnny Case, Wayne McKinzie, Chris Curiel, Lars Soderbergh, David Tipps, Peter Lufkin, Harry Hoggard, and Darrin Kobetich.
Angie Dutton and Feel Good Dance (Dallas)
Angie Dutton has been formally dancing since age 3. Dance has been a life-long affair that has truly evolved for her over time: dancing at her childhood studio, studying dance at TWU, founding a modern dance company and now centering her energies in therapeutic process dance. This work includes Dancing Meditations, Contact Improvisation and Authentic Movement as taught by Mary Starks Whitehouse, Janet Adler & Jane Chodorow. With a background in dance and massage/bodywork, Angie has developed a fascination with the therapeutic effects of this type of dance and the Infinite Wisdom that the Body/Mind holds. For many years she has been mentored by Body/Mind Coach, Anne Olivier to learn as much about this connection between the physical body, emotional body and mind as possible. Through this mentorship, Angie has personally healed many aspects of her own life. Because of the massive impact that this work has had on her physical and spiritual experience, she has developed a passion for sharing this possibility for healing with others-- while she also enjoys the always unfolding journey of personal growth and healing. Angie has a degree in dance and psychology from Texas Woman's University. She has been blessed to study and perform with amazing dancer artists from all over the planet, cultivating a eclectic style in her own choreography and performance style. In 1999, Angie co-founded 3/ A Modern Dance Company. For four years to follow she created a distinctive body of work with that company. These dance works included abundant partnering, raw physicality and honest emotion expressed through original movement, monologue, song and aerial dance. Angie is a proud member of the Barefoot Brigade, a coalition that promotes modern dance performance and education in North Texas and beyond. Currently, Angie performs under the company name Feel Good Dance and while she finds herself performing mostly as a solo artist these days, she does still get her thrills by setting work on other dancers. She still has a multi-media, 'one woman show' brewing inside of her, but is currently feeling led to focus on her first book, “Validate Me.”
Mary Lynn Babcock (Denton) – Choreographer for “Phoenix” – and Feel Good Dance
Founder and artistic director for Satellite_Dance, Mary Lynn Babcock is a choreographer, teacher and movement analyst, holds an MFA in dance and Ph.D. in American Studies from Case Western Reserve University. She is also certified in Laban Movement Analyst from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, NYC. Her work has been presented across the U.S and in Brazil, Portugal, Jamaica, The Netherlands, and Egypt. Dance professor at the University of North Texas, in Denton, Texas, she teaches Laban Studies, modern dance, improvisation and introduction to composition, and dance and technology where her research has taken her into interactive media and performance. Dr. Babcock has created the Stovall maclab studio uniquely designed for dance majors– where physicalized ideas morph space and time, and expand through media.
Satellite-Dance is a collective group of artists from varied disciplines dedicated to the creation and performance of original dance works. Satellite-Dance is a collective group of artists from varied disciplines dedicated to the creation and performance of original dance works.
We MORPH boundaries, integrate with media technologies, share live and virtual performance, and connect with others across the globe. A contemporary dance collective... body....image... sound.... connect.
Phase 2 Dance Ensemble
Phase 2 Dance Ensemble is one of the founding members of Barefoot Brigade. In addition to regularly producing work for Barefoot Brigade events, Phase 2 has also performed in the Dance for the Planet Festival (Dallas), Big Range Dance Festival (Houston), and the Hype the Choreographer Showcase (Dallas, TX). Phase 2 Dance Ensemble grew out of artistic collaborations established under the auspices of JAADE Dance Theatre (Fort Worth), which was originally the Jubilee African-American Dance Ensemble. In 2005, former JAADE Dance Theatre members Keisha Breaker (Houston), Kim Jackson (Carrollton) and Lacreacia Sanders (Fort Worth) met to create a dance commissioned by Breaker. Although the trio had performed countless numbers together over the previous ten years, this collaboration seemed different. Change seemed evident. A sense of forward movement had taken place in each of them on both personal and professional levels. This growth ultimately affected the work they produced. "Many aspects of JAADE will never leave us. We are still dedicated to the mission of inspiring and educating. Those elements are rooted in us, but as we individually have redefined ourselves and our goals, we simply feel like another phase has begun," says Breaker who serves as one of the company's co-artistic director. But Phase 2 believes this is "not just another phase." As human beings we all struggle to be heard, to call ourselves powerfully into existence in the way we want others to experience us. Phase 2 Dance Ensemble strives to be the catalyst for those voices by creating an environment where artists not only have the experience of being heard, but are enabled to show the world the essence of full self expression. Audiences throughout Texas can expect to be moved, touched and inspired by the bold and audacious nature of Phase 2 Dance Ensemble. Their works incorporate original music, inventive props, and innovative media sources along with poetry and spoken word.
Lacreacia Inez Sanders – Co-Choreographer for Phase 2's “My Head Lay Nestled There”
Lacreacia is an Associate Professor of Dance at Tarrant County College Northwest. She holds a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in dance from Texas Woman's University and a bachelor's degree in dance from Texas State University. In addition to teaching at TCC, she is also the co-director of TCC - Northwest's community integration company and founding director of the Mosaic Dance Project, a touring company from the Northwest Campus. Lacreacia also performs as a solo artist and is a co-artistic director of Phase 2 Dance Ensemble, a DFW/Houston based professional modern dance company. Her choreography has been seen at the South Dallas Dance Festival, Fort Worth Dance Festival, Barefoot Brigade's NOTcracker, Texas A&M University, with Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth, American College Dance Festival, Dance for the Planet, Dance Kaleidoscope (TAHPERD), Dance Collage, the Bath House Cultural Center, Fort Worth Community Arts Center, and the Bass Performance Hall. In addition to teaching and choreography, she has performed with DiversiDance, the Class 'A' Jazz Company, Denton Civic Ballet, Opening Door Dance Theatre, the Harambee Dance Group, DanceWorks, and the kah dance/theatre project. Her honors include the Chancellor's Award for Exemplary Teaching, the Golden Apple Teaching Award from TCC, Excellence in Teaching Award from TWU, Phi Kappa Phi, and the Kitty Winter Magee Honor Award. As an advocate for the arts, Lacreacia has served the Fort Worth Arts council as a Grants Panelist and is currently the chair of the Dance Education section of TAHPERD (Texas Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance). Lacreacia is also a freelance choreographer and guest teacher working with public schools, dance studios, and community organizations. She is passionate about the role of dance education in strengthening community relationships and uses many forms of dance to reach out to diverse populations. In her spare time, she enjoys being a wife and soccer mom to 2 boys.
Holly Arnold – Co-Choreographer for Phase 2's “My Head Lay Nestled There” and “The Pea in the Other Pod”
Holly is currently dancing her 7th season with Phase 2 Dance Ensemble. Graduating with her Associates in Fine Arts, she continues to work towards her Bachelors of Science in Child Development with a focus in Child Life. Holly has danced several semesters at Tarrant County College in the TCC-NW Dance Company where she earned her Dance Specialization in 2008 and danced 2 years in the touring company, where her work was featured by the Mosaic Dance Project. At TCC Holly worked with instructors Lacreacia Inez Sanders, Amy Sleigh, and Linda Quinn. Holly has also taken classes at Texas A&M University where she studied modern dance with several guest artists, including Melissa Autry and Lisa Nicks, and was inspired by teachers Carisa Armstrong and Molly Snell-Witt. Holly has also taken master classes at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City with artist Frank Hatchett and the NYC Rockettes. In recent years, Holly has had the opportunity to present works at various festivals including EXCHANCE, PILOT, Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival, and Barefoot Brigade Dance Festival. Holly loves spending every moment with her daughter, Chloe, and hopes to inspire her and other children through Art, Music, and Dance.
Lauren Butschek-Neisler – Co-Choreographer for Phase 2's “The Pea in the Other Pod”
Lauren began her dance career as early as age 4, training at Jo Bond’s Dance Ranch, Dance Etc., Margo Dean School of Ballet, Fort Worth School of Ballet, Tarrant County College, and Texas Woman’s University. She has received instruction from a variety of artists, including Michelle Contrino, Michelle Moeller, Sara Gamblin, Margaret Wilson, Amy Sleigh, Dr. Linda Quinn, Rachel Bruce, Enrica Tseng, Margo McCann, Nicole Buyskes, and Todd Edson. In addition to Phase 2, she performed with Caras Ajenos Dance Company during the summer of 2006. Her extensive dance experience is shadowed only by her ability to apply herself to anything she does. Lauren earned her Bachelor’s degree in Dance Studies from Texas Woman’s University in 2006, graduating Magna Cum Laude. While at TWU, she spent time teaching children’s dance at MMP School of Dance in Aubrey, TX. Lauren earned her Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. Lauren hopes to merge the world of social work and dance by creating a space where children, youth and adults have access to the arts regardless of age, ability, income, and race. She is in her 4th season with Phase 2.Lauren is married, has two daughters, and resides in Fort Worth, TX.
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