Who We Are

i, desire amaiya suarez (she/they), work as a writer, poet, dancer, choreographer, and actress who molds strangeness with emotion, and social justice along with groovy, gooey, athletic, contemporary movement to create poetry in motion. i intentionally do not use capitalization as an ode to bell hooks, hoping to offer intention through meaning and eliminating that form of scholarly confinement from my writing. i am a recent graduate of muhlenberg college with a b.a in theatre arts and english/creative writing with a minor in dance.  READ MORE

Miryam Coppersmith is a writer, performer, and educator. Her work combines contemporary dance, contact improvisation, theater and social dancing with a myriad of themes from Jewish identity to cybernetics to inspirations from Shakespeare. She has trained with SITI Company and Vertigo Dance Company and worked with Wirehead Theater Collective, Chautauqua Theater Company, Nicole Bindler, Nusha Martynuk, and others.  READ MORE

Courtney Colón is an artist-activist working as a creator, educator, mover, and writer. She holds an MFA in Dance from Hollins University, where she studied in Virginia, New York, and Germany. Courtney's lectures, dance classes, choreography, writings and performances have been presented across America and Europe. Her work is driven by activism, a commitment to inclusivity, and story-telling. READ MORE

Ziying Cui is a dancer, choreographer, and scholar, who currently completed her PhD in Dance at Temple University. Her research focuses on the development of ballet in China and diasporic Chinese ballet dancers, as well as cross-cultural interactions between East Asian and West dance practices. She earned her BA in Dance Theory and History at Beijing Dance Academy and MFA in Contemporary Dance at Case Western Reserve University in 2016. She has presented her research at several dance conferences, including the Association for Asian Performance and the Conference of Dance Studies Association, and choreographed dances for dance concerts in Philadelphia. READ MORE

Through Ladybird, Anna embarks on international projects in organizational development, mutual understanding and research--most often in dance.  Along with artists who make honest, ambitious work she remains curious about like-minds in far-flung places who are interested in the individual and the body. READ MORE

Anito Gavino (formerly known as Annielille ANI Gavino) is a Filipinx movement artist, choreographer, teaching artist, and cultural worker whose life work centers on decolonial art activism through a research-to-movement performance practice. READ MORE

Caitlin is a Philadelphia-based freelance dance artist with a Master's degree in Dance/Movement Therapy from Drexel University (2019). In her work, she tends to concentrate on the body's role in wellness, individuality, and expressions of personal and collective narratives. As a freelance dance artist, Caitlin has choreographed and co-created works featured in Philly Fringe Festival, RAW Artist showcase (Baltimore), EMERGE Earthdance multidisciplinary artist residency, and the Painted Bride Art Center’s artist residency, Building Bridges. READ MORE

Birthed in West Palm Beach, Florida, and further educated in New York City, CourtneyHenry received her BFA graduating from Fordham University/The Ailey School. Just before graduating, Courtney was offered a contract with Alonzo King LINES Ballet where she danced for seven years becoming a Principal Dancer with the company, touring and performing worldwide. In 2018 she flew to Berlin, Germany where she was a guest soloist in Richard Siegal’s ‘Ballet of Difference,’ and a freelance dance & travel writer. Courtney is an awardee of the Princess Grace Foundation – USA and Chris Hellman Dance award, Goethe Institute Research Beneficiary, The University of the Arts President’s Award for Innovative & Creative Research, and a recent UArts MFA graduate. READ MORE

Shayla-Vie Jenkins is a Philadelphia based dance artist and educator. Her research explores race, place, presence and liberation. Recent choreography includes On Buried Ground: remember them, an ongoing site-specific project for the Christ Church Burial Ground. Jenkins was a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company (2005-2016) and has performed in projects with Yaa Samar! Dance Theater, Yanira Castro, Yara Travieso, Ni'Ja Whitson, Merce Cunningham Trust’s “Night of 100 Solos”, Yvonne Rainer, Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born, David Gordon, Moriah Evans, and Faye Driscoll. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of the Arts. READ MORE

Emilee Lord is a visual and performing artist based in Brooklyn. Her art, lectures, and reflections investigate the multiple ways through which a drawing can be made, performed, and defined.  Her work has been performed and been exhibited in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Toronto, Reggio Emilia, and Reykjavik. READ MORE

Jennifer Passios  is an artist-athlete, wordsmith, and dance educator powered by choice. READ MORE

Ella-Gabriel Mason wants to understand who we are, how we got here, and how we’re all thinking and feeling about that. An artmaker, mover, educator and bodyworker, Mason is currently a dance MFA candidate at Temple University, based in Philadelphia. You can learn more about their work on their website. READ MORE

nikolai is a multidisciplinary dance theater artist, writer, storyteller, and amateur genealogist, whose work is fed by their identity as a queer, multiracial, interclass, intercaste immigrant from Jamaica. nikolai’s Philly performance highlights include the works of Jumatatu m. Poe and Jermone Donte Beacham, Gunnar Montana, Vince Johnson, Kingsley Ibeneche, Wally Cain Carbonell, Bryan Koulman, and Kun-Yang Lin alongside their own works. nikolai is a firm believer in the liberation of black and brown bodies and minds through movement, inviting softness, vulnerability, weirdness, uncool, and tender surrender into their movement practice.  READ MORE

Amy Schofield (she/her/ella) is a US-American flamenco dancer, scholar, educator, and choreographer whose research explores the development and evolution of flamenco music and dance in the diaspora. She holds an MFA in Dance from The University of New Mexico and a BFA in Dance from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She has studied flamenco baile and cante extensively in both Spain and the US and has worked as a teaching artist with NYC-based Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. Amy currently splits her time between Philadelphia and Columbus, OH, where she is pursuing a PhD in Dance Studies at The Ohio State University while teaching and performing with U Will Dance Studio, The Flamenco Company of Columbus, and Caña Flamenca. READ MORE

Ellen Miller (she/her) is a dancer, poet, and mixed-media artist based in South Philadelphia. She has danced locally with International Ballet Exchange, exhibited in group shows at the Plastic Club and Icebox Gallery, and has danced in Philly’s Fringe Festival. Ellen is a seasoned social impact communications strategist and writer with a decade of experience across journalism, nonprofits, and higher education. READ MORE

Megan Mizanty (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist and educator. She primarily works in movement, text, and sound, with collaboration at the heart of all creative ventures. She recently served as Assistant Director of the MFA Program at Wilson College and Associate Professor of Dance. www.mizantymoves.com. READ MORE

 For Rhonda Moore, putting words on paper is a choreographic process--from the mind to the blank sheet and then on to the observation and interpretation of all who may witness what is always, on some level a look inside someone else’s personal experience.  Everything Moore does, sees, and reacts to (or not) is colored by the indelible mark living in movement and dance has bestowed upon her. READ MORE

Rachel DeForrest Repinz is a visually disabled dancer, choreographer, scholar, teacher, and writer based in Philadelphia and NYC. She received a BA and MFA in Dance from SUNY Buffalo State University and Temple University, respectively, and is currently a second-year doctoral student in Dance at Texas Woman’s University. Rachel’s primary goal is to uplift disabled dance artists and advance a disability aesthetic through dance performance and scholarship. READ MORE

Charly Santagado is a dancer, choreographer, and writer currently based in Philadelphia, PA. Upon graduating with highest honors from Rutgers University in 2017, she founded contemporary dance company mignolo dance with her sister Eriel. Her work has been shown extensively throughout the tristate area as well as in Boston, Atlanta, Israel, Italy, and at many international film festivals. Her writing has been published in The Dance Enthusiast, Dance Informa, NJ Indy, thINKingDANCE, and several literary magazines. READ MORE

Kristen Shahverdian performed in Philadelphia for over 15 years and created new work under the name Melissa Diane. A Pilates and movement educator, she's taught at University of the Arts, Rowan University and Temple University. She currently works as an advocate for free expression for PEN America. Her strong interests are in how to teach challenging works of art in the classroom, and how violence and art intersect. She has written about witnessing as an embodied practice and is currently researching Armenians in the diaspora whose art responds to generational memories. READ MORE

Madeline Shuron is an artist, educator, and movement/dance dramaturg based in Philadelphia. Her practice engages with and interrogates the audience-performer relationship. READ MORE

Philadelphia native Kalila Kingsford Smith is a movement professional, dance educator, choreographer, writer, and pilates instructor. She creates dance and movement experiences that are interactive, accessible, and engaging. She is currently serving as the Director of thINKingDANCE, where she has been writing since 2012. She has been an adjunct faculty member at Drexel University and Temple University and has  worked as a performer and choreographer with Dancefusion. She has a MA in Dance from Temple University and a BFA in Dance and a BA in Anthropology from  the  University of Michigan.   READ MORE

Jonathan Stein has retired from a 50 year career in anti-poverty lawyering at Community Legal Services where he had been Executive Director and General Counsel, and remains Of Counsel. He has taken modern dance and contact improvisation class since the 70s and 80s, and performed in two dozen dances since 1989, include Headlong Dance Theater's Cell and Jerome Bel’s The Show Must Go On. He has written and edited for tD since its 2011 founding. READ MORE

 Zornitsa Stoyanova is a multidisciplinary performance artist, writer for thinkingdance.net and a mom of two little boys. A native of Bulgaria, she creates, produces and presents performing art and video under the name Here[begin] Dance. She questions the ideas of the constructed structures of performance and pushes the boundaries of social propriety. Mylar reflective material and custom lighting are integral part of her most recent work, which focuses on abstracting the female body, feminist ideas and imagery.      READ MORE

Kat J. Sullivan is a Philly-based dancer, choreographer, writer, and photographer.  In addition to writing, editing, and serving on the board for thINKingDANCE,  she   performs with local artists in her own and others' choreographies, and improvises as a way of research and knowing. Kat is currently pursuing her MFA in Dance at Temple University. Her body of work and all her doings can be found on her website.   READ MORE

Whitney H. Weinstein is a dance educator, choreographer, writer, and professional mover. With extensive training and experience in many dance forms, theater, and expressive arts therapies, she aims to find creative ways of engaging with varied populations of all ages. She has worked in studio, academic, and clinical settings in the Philadelphia and Lancaster areas, and has performed for many years for various choreographers and companies. Whitney is a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist with a MA from Drexel University and a BFA in dance from Temple University. READ MORE

We began in 2011 with a cohort of 21 writers. Some are still writing for TD and others have moved on. We occasionally invite guest writers to submit a piece. READ MORE

Patriann Edwards is a multidisciplinary performing artist, dance educator & independent cultural researcher from Trinidad and Tobago. Extensively trained in dance and the fire arts, Patriann holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performing Arts - Dance, from the University of Trinidad & Tobago. READ MORE

Lu Donovan (they/them) is a trans dancer, educator, and organizer living in Philadelphia. Their work prioritizes indulgence and researches strategies of queer-ing the mundane. Lu's movement orientation is around facilitation and group movement practices that explore how and why we move in the world. They have shown original pieces at the Icebox Project Space, Fringe Arts, Headlong, as well as self-produced pieces in fields, basements, and apartments across the city. They participated in the Headlong Performance Institute in 2018 and received a BA from Wesleyan University. Beyond movement practices, Lu plays around with fiberwork, cooking, and singing. READ MORE

Leila Mire (she/her/hers) is a researcher, curator, community organizer, artist, educator, and writer. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Performance Studies at UC Berkeley where she focuses on ephemeral expressions and resistance art of the Middle East. A graduate of NYU, George Mason University and the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble, she has performed with various dance companies and has created solo work supported through a number of grants and fellowships and featured in publications like the New York Times and Washington Post. In addition to writing for thINKingDANCE and the Decolonizing Dance Writing International Exchange Cohort, she is a Middle Eastern and contemporary dance teacher and an a community organizer for Palestinian rights and decolonization efforts. Read more about her at leilamiredance.com or at @leila.mire on instagram. READ MORE

Andrew Sargus Klein is a queer poet, essayist, and critic living in Baltimore with his partner and their two cats. His work has appeared in the Kenyon Review, Hyperallergic, Nashville Review, The Offing, and elsewhere. He is the managing editor of Pidgeonholes; a former contributing editor at Territory and Platypus Press; and a former poetry reader at Little Patuxent Review. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore and is the Print & Design Manager for the Enoch Pratt Free Library. READ MORE

Mara Flamm, a born and bred Philadelphian, has a life long love for dance and writing. She enjoys taking contemporary dance classes, with a special passion for Gaga and has participated in Gaga intensives in both Tel Aviv and Italy and has helped to facilitate Gaga workshops in Philadelphia and Florence, Italy for The University of the Arts students. At UArts Mara is the Director of International Programs, where she has the deep pleasure of working with international students and scholars and also enjoys facilitating study abroad and short travel courses. The course she directs in Italy, Poetics, Pathways, and Play: The Embodied Traveler invites students to engage a deep sense of creative community through experiencing the art, culture and food of Italy utilizing an immersive multidisciplinary performance art curriculum. Mara is also honored to serve as the Board President for Subcircle, a Philadelphia and Maine performance art company and residency. READ MORE

Karen Cecilia is a writer, performer, musician, and writing teacher. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from The Actors Studio Drama School in NYC. She resides between NYC and Scotland. Karen's work has been seen across the US, the UK, and Europe. Learn more about Karen at www.karencecilia.com READ MORE

Catja Christensen (she/her) is a Northern Virginia native and lifelong dancer/dance scholar/dance writer. She is currently based in London, where she is a Fulbright Scholar earning an MA in Dance Practice and Performance from the University of Roehampton, studying the ethical preservation and performance of multicultural dance forms. She has interned and written for Pointe Magazine, Final Bow for Yellowface, and The Oslo Desk focusing on classical ballets for modern audiences. READ MORE

Nadia Khayrallah is a dance artist, writer, and (dis)content creator rooted equally in history and fantasy, form and groove, esoterica and common sense. A graduate of Columbia University with a B.A. in Dance and Psychology, they currently perform with Jonah Bokaer and Gotham Dance Theater and serve as a teaching artist in public schools throughout NYC.  READ MORE

Maddie Hopfield (she/her) is a former Philly resident who now lives in Brooklyn. She is an alumni of Bard College and a student of postmodern dance, house, waacking, and taiko drumming. She is curious about the wisdom contained in the body's multitudes and contradictions, guilty pleasures, standup comedy, multitasking, the Bachelor, and other things. She has presented her work at Urban Movement Arts, the Leah Stein Dance Company, Overboard! Cannonball Festival, and The Window Room. READ MORE

Sophiann Moore is a graduate of Temple University where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Boyer School of Music and Dance in Dance Choreography and Performance. She has had the opportunity to work with and study under Dr. Kariamu Welsh who created the contemporary African dance style, Umfundalai technique. Sophiann Moore is now a M'singha Wuti in the Umfundalai Technique and Artistic Director of The Reclamation Dance Project, where they use African movements to reclaim one’s self outside the realms of society’s standards of what and who a Black woman is. She plans on continuing her work in performance and choreography worldwide while still giving back to the Philadelphia community. READ MORE

Brendan McCall (he/him/his) is a multifaceted performance artist, teacher, and writer. He has worked in over 40 countries on 5 continents in contemporary dance, ballet, physical theater, experimental opera, performance art, fashion, and independent film. He has 30 years of international experience at numerous conservatory and university programs. He holds a BFA with Honors in Acting, New York University and an MFA in Dance, Bennington College, as well as a MPhil in Ibsen Studies (ABT), University of Oslo. He co-founded the Allan Wayne Work Alliance with Paul Langland and Brenna Palughi, and works as a screenwriter and director for Interzone Films. His award-winning articles have been translated into French, Norwegian, Russian, and Belarusian since 1995. Under a pseudonym, he has published 16 books of fiction, some of which have garnered awards. He currently lives (mostly) in New York City. READ MORE

Seth Abkemeier is a dancer, choreographer, and writer raised in the rural town of Waverly, Iowa. Fueled by nomadic tendencies, a passion for dance, and a curiosity of his self identity as a gay man, in 2019 he moved to Phoenix, Arizona to dance at Scottsdale Community College with their company Instinct Dance Corp. In pursuing his dance performance career he recently received his BFA in Dance at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. He has worked with notable choreographers such as Mike Esperanza, Joy Davis, Tareake Dorill Ramos, Spencer Dennis, Andy Noble, CoGravity, and DualRivet. Currently Seth dances with Whirlwind Dance Company in Columbus, Ohio under the direction of Joshua Manculich, and hopes to continue his exploration of the vast dance community. READ MORE

Jordan Dozier has a passion for both dance and research. Born in Hutto, Texas, Jordan has had the opportunity to work with engaging choreographers such as Adele Nickel, Dionne Sparkman Noble, Andy Noble, and Netta Yerushalmy. Her experiences extend beyond the world of dance into the realm of research, where she collaborates as a research assistant on Dr. Daniella Cash’s team. She has presented research under the guidance of Laura Pazos at the 2024 SEPA conference. Currently, Jordan is in her final year at Sam Houston State University, pursuing a dual degree: a BFA in Dance and a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Applied Behavior Analysis. She aspires to envelope herself in an environment attached to both worlds. READ MORE

Sophia Green is a dancer, choreographer, and performer originally from San Antonio, Texas. She has worked with outstanding choreographers such as Netta Yerushalmy, Jennifer Mabus, Tyler Orcutt, Adele Nickel, and Dionne Sparkman Noble. Sophia graduated in 2024 with a BFA in Dance from Sam Houston State University, and plans to continue sharing her joy for dance. READ MORE

Kyle Rucker is a choreographer, lighting designer, and dance filmmaker born in Los Angeles, CA and raised in Houston, TX. As a dancer, Kyle earned the opportunity to collaborate with exceptional choreographers like Adele Nickel, Colette Kerwick, and Netta Yerushalmy. During his time at Sam Houston State University, Kyle created seven stage works and one film, receiving an Outstanding Choreographer Award from Chi Tau Epsilon in 2023. Kyle received his BFA in Dance from SHSU in 2024 and now serves as the Production Specialist for the SHSU Department of Dance where he will continue expanding the reach of all his creative practices. READ MORE

Darcy Grabenstein is a freelance writer and poet who has had a lifelong love affair with dance.  Her earliest dance memories are of her stereotypical ballet teacher, Mrs. DeMarko, frowning and banging a wooden staff on the dance floor for added emphasis. An avowed ballet school dropout, Darcy later was introduced to the genres of international and Israeli folk dance. READ MORE

Melissa Strong (she/her) is a Philadelphia-based writer and professor who studied dance for more than 10 years. She writes about dance and the arts for Broad Street Review and about film for MovieJawn. A scholar of American literature and culture, Melissa is a faculty member at Community College of Philadelphia and the author of American Lit Remixed: Music in Twenty-First-Century American Literature (Lexington Books, 2021). Learn more on her website.   READ MORE

Hannah Pearl    is a Brooklyn-based arts writer originally from Philadelphia. She graduated from Wesleyan University in 2016 with a BA in English and American Studies. Her thesis, “Dancing Stone: Texture, Gesture, and Non/Human Sociality,” considers questions related to choreography and socio-ecological crisis. READ MORE

Lauren Putty White has performed internationally with the world-renowned Parsons dance company, PHILADANCO, and has choreographed for BalletX , Grace Dance Theatre, Bryn Mawr College and Drexel University. She has taught as an adjunct at University of the Arts,  Stockton University and Temple University as well as the high school level for the School District of Philadelphia. Lauren co-founded Putty Dance Project, with her musician husband, producing socially conscious critically acclaimed works.  READ MORE

Megan Wilson Stern is a dance artist and educator living in West Philly. Megan performs and collaborates with many local choreographers and is a dedicated practitioner of improvisation, with a particular interest in Contact Improvisation. She teaches dance to young children at Koresh School of Dance and Yoga at Temple University and is a Feldenkrais practitioner-in-training.  READ MORE

 Lauren Samblanet is a poetry MFA candidate at Temple University. She recently moved to Philadelphia from Boulder, Colorado. Her work often focuses on the ways that trauma affects the  body. Her work has been published in Walkabout and Adanna, and a dance-radio piece was  published on Colorado Public Radio’s website. READ MORE

Remembering tD writer Karl Surkan  Karl Surkan was an educator, performing arts critic, cellist, cultural theorist, and freelance writer, based in Northwest Philadelphia and Boston. He had a Ph.D. in English with a Feminist Studies minor from the University of Minnesota and taught primarily in gender and sexuality studies for  20 years in a variety of locations, including MIT, Tufts, UMass-Boston, Temple, and Swarthmore. READ MORE

A native of Chester, Pennsylvania, Nance    is a performer, choreographer, and scholar of African Diasporic Dance. Attendees at the Colloquium of Black Arts in Bahia, Salvador knighted him “Kibon” – the name of a Brazilian ice cream to reflect the “delicious time“ they experienced in his movement class. Nance is a master teacher of the Umfundalai technique of African dance and has recently been named “Oluko,” the highest honor given to the technique’s dance masters.  READ MORE

R. Eric Thomas is a playwright, teaching artist and storyteller. His solo show, "Will You Accept This Friend Request?" premieres in November as part of the First Person Festival. READ MORE

Janna Meiring is a performing artist, improviser, teacher, and writer. The core of her interest lies in the body as site, resource, archive, and connecting-point to all things--tangible and intangible. She seeks to rattle-up and give form to the deepest knowings that are held in the body in order to reweave a new personal and collective narrative.  READ MORE

Scott Rodrigue is a psychophysical movement researcher, collaborative theatre maker, and facilitative artist. He has extensive training in a variety of Grotowski lineages, viewpoints, Suzuki, and composition. To date most of his creative work has been as a director in NYC, though he is currently working towards developing a research ensemble here in Philadelphia.  READ MORE

Rick Snyderman as been a gallery owner since 1972, when he joined Ruth Snyderman at the Works Gallery, representing selected artists working in figurative, narrative, and functional ceramics, glass, jewelry, fiber and wood. READ MORE

Barbora Příhodová is a writer, editor, curator, and teacher in the field of theatre and performance design/scenography. Her writing, curatorial and research projects bridge Europe and North America, particularly through her long-term collaboration with Prague Quadrennial, the world’s largest festival and exhibit dedicated to performance design and space. She is the co-curator of PQ Talks 2019. READ MORE

Kristi Yeung is a writer and dancer currently based in Philadelphia. Her writing has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dance Magazine, and thINKingDANCE. Originally from Los Angeles, she studied English and Neuroscience at Princeton University. After graduating, she moved to New York City, where she was an advertising copywriter by day and a hip-hop dancer by night. READ MORE

Kara Nepomuceno lives and writes from Kumeyaay land in the area known as San Diego, CA. She works with artists and youth organizations to advance true liberation and democratic rights for people in the United States and the Philippines. Alongside her work in writing and education, Kara dances with Samahan Filipino American Performing Arts and Maraya Arts. READ MORE

Irina Varina moves and stumbles between Philly and NYC, where she is acting, making theater and film. If you pass her on the street doing some intriguing performance art thing, say hello!  https://irinavarina.com/ READ MORE

Zoë McNichols is a curator and cultural programmer currently incubating their practice in Philadelphia. They approach critical writing from the intersection of experience and theory-fiction, with an investment in everyday life as performance. Their interests include contemporary art and design of many mediums, speculating about communist futures, dance music, and astrology. READ MORE

Joseph  Ahmed (he/they) is a Philadelphia-based theater artist whose work expands into dance, circus, and interactive performance. With Daniel Park and Arianna Gass, he is a co-founder of the interactive performance company Obvious Agency,  www.obvious-agency.com, which creates original work and partners with universities and cultural institutions including Temple University and the Barnes Foundation. His solo work,  Half Magic,  an exploration of bi-racial identity through circus, storytelling, and physical theater, is currently under development as part of Philadelphia Asian Performing Artist's  Mini-Residency  Program.  READ MORE

Hadar Ahuvia is a thINKing DANCE guest writer. She is a Brooklyn based performer, choreographer, and educator making dances grounded in physical research and political consciousness. She performs her own work and that of established and emerging choreographers throughout NYC. Ahuvia was raised in Israel and the U.S., trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and she earned a BA from Sarah Lawrence College.  READ MORE

Honduran born, Philippine and USA raised, Mariadela  Belle  Alvarez is a  Los Angeles based performing artist shaped and molded by 10 years of creating, performing, and teaching throughout Philadelphia.  A soulful storyteller, Alvarez creates dance theater and facilitates educational engagement at the intersections of activism, culture, and community organizing.   READ MORE

  Lisa Bardarson has danced with South Street Dance Company,  Dance Conduit and independent choreographers Philip Grosser and Jano Cohen, to name a few.  In addition to her own choreography, Bardarson’s eclectic background includes in-depth study at the Laban Institute for Movement Studies and a fifteen year practice in bodywork.    READ MORE

Mohan Bell is an elementary school teacher by day, poet and playwright by night. He studied English Literature and African American studies at Brooklyn College and holds a Masters from Hunter College. Unbeknownst to most people, he secretly still nurtures his childhood desire to be a dancer. READ MORE

Nicole Bindler is a dance-maker, Body-Mind Centering® practitioner, writer, and activist. Her work has been presented at festivals, conferences, and intensives throughout the U.S., Canada, Argentina, and Europe, and in Tokyo, Beirut, Bethlehem, Mexico City, and Quito. Recent projects include teaching about consent culture and disability justice in contact improvisation; somatic research on the embryology of the genitalia from a non-binary perspective; and collaborations with Diyar Theatre in Bethlehem, Palestine. www.nicolebindler.com READ MORE

 Meredith Bove is a dancer, teacher, choreographer and writer currently based in the Washington, DC area. She approaches movement as a mode for understanding the body as a process-oriented,  unfixed, and continuously evolving entity. Her work has been seen at various venues and  festivals in the US and in Berlin, Germany.  READ MORE

Eleanor Goudie-Averill is a dance artist and educator based in New York City.  Since graduating with her MFA in Dance Performance from the University of Iowa, she has served as a professor at Temple University, Bucknell University, Franklin & Marshall College, and the University of Kansas, and also as Associate Director of Dance at the Lawrence Arts Center.  Ellie has danced professionally for a variety of choreographers, including Susan Rethorst, Lucinda Childs, and Bronwen MacArthur, and performed with Group Motion Multimedia Dance Theater for five seasons.      READ MORE

Megan Bridge is a dancer, choreographer, curator and writer. She currently co-directs FIDGET, a platform for her collaborative work with Peter Price. She works and lives in a warehouse space in Kensington (the fidget space) with her husband and two kids.   READ MORE

Laura Vriend is a doctoral candidate in Critical Dance Studies at the University of California, Riverside currently working on her dissertation project, which examines theories of space in relation to the site-based work of several Philadelphia area choreographers. When she is not writing her dissertation, Laura can be found teaching dance composition at Bryn Mawr College or making dances in her living room, kitchen, shower and dreams. READ MORE

Jazelynn Goudy is a dancer, educator, veteran, artist, and homie from Milwaukee, WI. She's danced with Ko-Thi West African Dance Company children’s ensemble (Ton-Ko-Thi) and later trained as an apprentice under Mama Fern Caulker-Bronson. After graduating from performing arts school, she joined the United States Air Force as a security forces officer. After her military service, she dedicated her life to education, community service, and dance.  READ MORE

Lynn Matluck Brooks founded the Dance Program at Franklin & Marshall College in 1984 and served as its head for over 30 years. The recipient of awards for her dance teaching and her research in dance history, Brooks has also written reviews for  Dance Magazine, served as editor of  Dance Research Journal  and  Dance Chronicle: Studies in Dance and the Related Arts, and published books and scholarly articles. She specializes in modern dance, baroque dance and notation, movement analysis, dance writing, and dance history. READ MORE

Debbie Shapiro helps artists and inspiring people get their work done, and currently serves as a consultant for various small companies around town. Her fascination with dance and culture has traveled with her through the years and to the various places she has called home including New York, Paris, Israel, and Philadelphia. She holds an MS in Arts Administration from Drexel University. READ MORE

Patricia seeks the indelible center of cultural joy, following an eclectic path of interest in that pursuit; curiously  seeking other travelers; seriously selecting threads. Her inquiries are presently couched in teaching dance appreciation and other circuitous endeavors. She studies Afro-Cuban percussion and is a vocal and movement improviser. She holds a BFA in Dance and Choreography from Temple University, Magna Cum Laude. READ MORE

Becca Weber is always asking questions.  Most of the time, these investigate the places where the body meets the brain—where dance and Somatics intersect.  She is a TA and MFA Candidate at Temple University, and holds a Master’s degree in Dance & Somatic Well-Being from the University of Central Lancashire. In addition to performing, she choreographs work in Philadelphia and surrounding areas as Somanaut Dance.  READ MORE

 Sara Graybeal is a writer, teaching artist, and spoken word performer living in Philadelphia.  She is a member of the Backyard Writers’ Fiction Workshop and the  founder of the Poeticians, a group of young activist poets based in the neighborhood  of Point Breeze. READ MORE

Beau Hancock is a freelance dancer, choreographer, and educator. He earned his MFA in Dance from Temple University, where he was a University Fellow and Rose Vernick Choreographic Achievement Award recipient.   As a choreographer, he frequently collaborates with Eleanor Goudie-Averill as the company Stone Depot, most recently presenting in the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. READ MORE

Ashley Brown is a Brooklyn-based performer with the DynamitExperience, teaches dance and technical theatre at Brooklyn Prospect High School and is the K-12 Dance Coordinator for Prospect Schools Network. She collaborates with Shining Light, as a teaching artist, for 2-week long Impact workshops held in jail/prison facilities and as a way to process and bring awareness to her experiences with Shining Light, she choreographed and performed, "BARS: You See Boundaries, I See Freedom" at TEDxColumbia University 2019.    READ MORE

K.J. Holmes is a dance artist, actor, singer and writer who explores improvisation as process and performance through the lens of somatics, poetics and experience.  She resides in Brooklyn NY where she is an adjunct at NYU/ETW and at Movement Research and travels worldwide teaching and performing.  She first studied with Nancy Stark Smith in 1981, and holds her to be one of her most valued teachers, inspiration, and friend. READ MORE

Experimental performance and visual artist Leslie Bush earned a Master of Fine Arts in dance choreography and performance from Temple University in 2017, and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a focus in contemporary dance from Indiana University in 2012. Currently, she teaches dance improvisation and modern dance technique as an adjunct instructor at Rowan University, and at community art centers throughout Philadelphia. READ MORE

Cecily Campbell is from Santa Fe, New Mexico and holds a B.F.A.in dance from New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She was a company member of… READ MORE

Lisa began writing to chronicle teaching Trisha Brown’s 'Glacial Decoy' to the Paris Opera Ballet in 2003. Since then her articles and essays have been published in Dance Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Dance Advance Archive and many more. She also curates the Bryn Mawr College Performing Arts Series. READ MORE

Thomas Devaney is a poet and the author of Getting to Philadelphia (Hanging Loose Press), You Are the Battery (Black Square Editions), The Picture that Remains with photographer Will Brown (The Print Center), and co-director of the film Bicentennial City (2020) with Greenhouse Media. His work is featured in Best American Poetry 2019 and the lit hub name Blue Stoop: A Home for Philly was adopted after his poem “The Blue Stoop.” Devaney is a 2014 Pew Fellow and he teaches at Haverford College.  READ MORE

 Jenna Horton lives in Philadelphia as a performance artist, thinker, and maverick theatre maker. She is currently meditating for 20 minutes a day and actively investigating  independently led learning outside of an institution. She loves the live arts for providing  a place to explore how bodies breathe and think and speak. www.jennahorton.com READ MORE

  Kilian Kröll, Certified Executive Coach, dancer, published writer and President of Third Culture Coach, earned a B.A. in English from Haverford College and an M.A. in Cultural Studies from the University of East London. Kilian grew up in a bilingual family of classical musicians in Germany, Austria and the U.S. He teaches creative executives how to thrive where cultural and vocational worlds intersect.           READ MORE

Dana Nichols is a contemporary dancer, teacher, and cultural-critic based in Philadelphia, PA. She holds a BA in English Literature & Africana Studies from Haverford College. She spent 7 years dancing with Philadanco! (The Philadelphia Dance Company) in both the 2nd and 1st companies. She is Conservatory Manager and Ballet Mistress at Danse4Nia Conservatory in Germantown. READ MORE

Julie Diana is a principal dancer with Pennsylvania Ballet and a former principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet. She holds a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania and has written for various publications including Playbill, Dance Magazine, Pointe, Dance Teacher, and Dance Spirit. She is married to PA Ballet principal dancer Zachary Hench with whom she has two children. READ MORE

Guest contributor Germaine Ingram is a percussive dancer, choreographer, vocal improviser, and composer.  Her projects deal with collective memory, history, and social justice themes.  She is a 2010 Pew Fellow, a Leeway Foundation Transformation Awardee, and recipient of numerous project grants.   READ MORE

Amelia Rose Estrada is a Philadelphia-based freelance performer, choreographer, educator, and writer. She received an honors B.A. in Dance and Classical Studies from Swarthmore College. She currently performs with Brian Sanders' JUNK, Megan Flynn Dance Company, and Timbeque.  READ MORE

Christina Catanese works across the disciplines of dance, education, environmental science, and arts administration to inspire curiosity, empathy, and connection through creative encounters with nature. READ MORE

Independent scholar, writer, cultural producer, performer, and community arts promoter READ MORE

Kariamu Welsh was a Professor of dance at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kariamu was  the artistic director of Kariamu & Co.: Traditions and she was the founding artistic director of the National Dance Company of Zimbabwe.   *Kariamu Welsh passed away on October 12th, 2021. Her tD memorial tribute can be witnessed here. We are grateful that Dr. Welsh chose thINKingDANCE as one of her many communities. While she is gone, her legacy lives on: please follow the National Association of American African Dance Teachers and their work via Dancing Our Africa as they continue to teach Dr. Welsh's work within the Umfundalai Technique.   READ MORE

  Carolyn is an anthropologist, writer and dancer.  She is the author of Tango Nuevo (University Press of Florida, 2012), part memoir and part ethnographic study of contemporary Argentine tango.  Carolyn teaches courses in anthropology and performance studies at Bryn Mawr College.               READ MORE

Amelia has worked in arts administration for the past five years, and sees live dance as often as possible.  She has a background in creative and academic writing.  Thinking about dance critically and exploring journalistic writing will be an adventure. READ MORE

Michael Foley (Professor of Dance, University of South Florida) has been dancing, teaching, and choreographing internationally for over 25 years. His choreography… READ MORE

Ellen Chenoweth recently relocated back to Philadelphia after 5 years as the Director of the Dance Presenting Series at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.   READ MORE

Gregory King is a culturally responsive educator, performance artist, activist, and movement maker who received his MFA in Choreographic Practice and Theory from Southern Methodist University and is certified in Elementary Labanotation from the Dance Notation Bureau. His dance training began at the Washington Ballet and continued at American University and Dance Theatre of Harlem. He has participated in the Horton Project in conjunction with the Library of Congress and has performed with Rebecca Kelly Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Erick Hawkins Dance Company, New York Theatre Ballet, Donald Byrd /The Group, The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, New York City Opera, and Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway. READ MORE

Toni Shapiro-Phim has a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. She’s held teaching and research appointments at the University of California-Berkeley, Yale University and Bryn Mawr College, focusing on dance, migration, war and social justice. Currently Director of Programs at the Philadelphia Folklore Project, a non-profit arts and social justice organization, she has spent years overseas working with artists in times of war and war’s aftermath. READ MORE

A 2013 Temple University Diamond Research Scholars grant recipient, Jay Oatis is a South Philadelphia based freelance dance artist. He has performed in works by Larry Keigwin, Megan Mazarick, Kyle Abraham and Beau Hancock.  READ MORE

Ama Ma’at Gora is an emerging choreographer and movement artist. She graduated from Georgian Court University receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Dance. Throughout her college years she trained with various choreographers including Jessica Chen, Silvana Cardell, and Earl Mosley.  READ MORE

Jenny Kessler is an illustrator and graphic designer based in West Philadelphia. She’s designed marketing materials for theater companies (fledgling and established), musicians, and non-profits, as well as invitations for wedding parties. In addition to her work as a visual artist, she also has training in directing, costume design, prosthetic makeup production, and classical vocal performance.  READ MORE

L. Graciella Maiolatesi (pronouns she/they/we) is a Queer-Black-Femme multidisciplinary-artist, educator, and scholar, currently receiving her M.F.A in Dance from Temple University. She is the Artistic Director of Femme Noire Movement Collective (FNMC), which is currently based in Philadelphia, PA. FNMC works to create intersectional movement investigations that liberate and witness Black-Femme bodies, spaces, and modes of being. Maiolatesi’s creative process works to curate space in which Black narratives can be birthed, breathed, and celebrated.  READ MORE

Maurya Kerr is a bay area-based choreographer, educator, performer, writer, and artistic director of tinypistol. She was an ODC artist-in-residence from… READ MORE

Jim Rutter has covered dance and theatre in Philadelphia since 2005, where his work has appeared in Broad Street Review, the Philadelphia Inquirer and… READ MORE

Originally from Bucks County and currently a resident of Fishtown, Christina has spent the last eight years galavanting around Philly appreciating the generous and sincere art community here. Christina enjoys folding choreography, performance, movement education, and arts administration and advocacy into her artistic pursuits and curiosities.  READ MORE

Kirsten Kaschock is the author of three books of poetry: The Dottery,  A Beautiful Name for a Girl,  and  Unfathoms. Sleight--her novel about performance, artistic responsibility, and atrocity--is available from Coffee House Press. She is currently on faculty at Drexel University. READ MORE

Ellen Gerdes teaches in the dance departments at Temple University and Swarthmore College. She holds an EdM in dance from Temple and a PhD in Culture and Performance from UCLA. She is a singer, dancer, and mother. READ MORE

Libby Rush is currently working towards her BFA at the University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. So far, she has performed in works by Jesse Zaritt, Katie Swords-Thurman, Sidra Bell, and Douglas Becker. She also got the opportunity to dance in an exchange at the Center for Performance Research in New York City. READ MORE

Nicole Sonsini is an expressive arts social worker living, working, and napping in South Philadelphia. READ MORE

Julius Ferraro is a journalist, performer, playwright, and project manager based in Philadelphia. READ MORE

Preeti Pathak is a feminist human rights activist, community artist, and blogger. Preeti is the chair of PAVE Philly, which works to empower survivors and communities to end sexual violence by creating safe spaces for healing and dialogue. Her work explores the intersection of art and activism and how these tools can help us to learn, grow, and connect.  READ MORE

Emma Cohen is a performing artist currently based in New York. Recently, she has worked with Gillian Walsh, Ligia Lewis, and Elena Bajo, among others. From 2017-2018, Emma participated in the Performance Research Project in Vancouver, BC. There, she had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Lesley Telford, Heather Myers, Serge Bennathan, and Noam Gagnon.  READ MORE

Mieke D is a mixed-race queer femme of Asian and European descent. She is a dance, theater, and performance artist committed to making work that is personal, political, and playful.   As an educator and cultural worker, she hopes to destabilize rigid definitions of race, gender, and nationhood, while celebrating the inherent resilience and intelligence of the body. READ MORE

Cynthia J Williams is a Professor of Dance at Hobart and William Smith Colleges where she teaches modern dance technique, dance history, improvisation,… READ MORE

Peter Price is a composer, digital artist, and media theorist. He co-directs thefidget space in Philadelphia, a research laboratory for new forms of art, performance, and media. He holds a PhD from the European Graduate School in Switzerland. READ MORE

Annie Wilson is a local person who wears several different hats in the realms of dancing, performing, embodiment, and writing. She is currently interested in the audience-performer relationship and the boundaries of the self. She last wrote professionally for Philly Fiction 2. READ MORE

Julie B. Johnson, a Baltimore native and longtime New York resident, is thrilled to call Philadelphia her new home.  She is an Artistic Director of Evolve Dance Inc., and a first-year PhD student in the Dance Program at Temple University, working on community interaction through choreography, education, performance, and collaboration.  READ MORE

Megan Mazarick is a Philadelphia-based choreographer, performer, and teacher. Growing up she took dance classes with her mom at a super dope intergenerational dance studio. As a choreographer she makes work that is personal, political, humorous, and often includes text and a love of fantasy. Her work has been presented internationally (Singapore, Bulgaria, Egypt, Poland, Australia, Mexico, and Hungary) and throughout the USA. READ MORE

Puerto Rican dance artist, Marion Ramírez, is dedicated to the art of improvisation as a tool for experiencing bodily agency and empathy. She holds a BFA from The Laban Center London and an MFA at Temple University. Since 2003, she has been immersed in the practice of Kinetic Awareness and Body-Mind Centering®, and is currently completing a Certification in Somatic Movement Therapy (Dynamic Embodiment™) with Dr. Martha Eddy. READ MORE

Lily Kind is a dance artist and producer. She is interested in how comedy works, what our bodies know, the social functions of dance, and the possibility of being a locally responsible artist in a world of global capitalism.  READ MORE

Mira Treatman is a writer and editor with thINKingDANCE. She is presently working toward her Master of Science in trauma counseling after ten years of work in the non-profit performing arts sector. Born, raised, and rooted in the city of Philadelphia, she is committed to connecting people around ideas and meaningful experiences across social and choreographic boundaries. She is looking forward to completing her graduate degree, with the goal of offering dynamic, affordable group therapy resources that utilize her background in dance-theatre, in addition to working as a trauma-sensitive therapist. READ MORE

Kenwyn Samuel is a Philadelphia-based  multidisciplinary  performance artist and an engineer of immersive experiences striving to build bridges of empathy and advocacy.  They have a BA in theatre from Rowan University and their work has been shown in  Free Fringe Philly and at  the Rowan  Lab Theater.  They are a recipient of a 2020 Art & Change Grant from the Leeway Foundation for their project VISIBILITYtalks.   Kenwyn moves through the world with a drive to create inclusive and accessible multimedia content, focused on the expansion of the definition of journalism and of the generalized perception of the “artist.” READ MORE

Errin Weaver began her dance training in African dance as a company member of Dance Afrika Dance of Cleveland, OH. She attended Tennessee State University, where she danced on a university performing arts scholarship. Upon graduation, she relocated to Chicago where she danced with the renowned Muntu Dance Theatre, under the direction of Amaniyea Payne, and performed the works of such notable choreographers as Abdel Salaam, Jeffrey Page, Monique Haley, Ronald K. Brown, and the late Pearl Primus. READ MORE

LEONARD PEREZ, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has trained in Spanish dance with the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater and in ballet and… READ MORE

Achaetey Kabal (Assistant Production Manager, Five College Dance Department) is a queer mixed Arab stage manager, production manager, sound engineer, technical… READ MORE

Meg Foley is a dance artist and the director of Moving Parts, a name ascribed to various dance- and performance-based actions that explore the materiality of dance and its relationship to form. To that end, she has recently recommitted to an improvisational solo practice. She loves to watch, reflect on, and talk about performance and is very excited to flex those muscles in a more structured way in the thINKingDANCE project. READ MORE

Kristen Gillette (TD Intern and Writer) is a senior Magazine Journalism undergrad at Temple University looking to learn more about arts criticism and writing, driven by her new passion for dance. After taking dance lessons as a child, Kristen returned to ballet as an adult and blogs about her experience at Adultballerinaproject.com. READ MORE

Dance is a central part of her life and has evolved through many roles including elementary school teacher, researcher, choreographer, teaching artist, and arts advocate. She is a collaborator, interpreter, and engager with the deeply held belief that every person should have the opportunity to experience dance as a unique and integral embodied form of communication.  READ MORE

  Roxanne Lyst has been a member of Ailey II, Philadanco, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has also performed with Dance Iquail and Waheed Works. Ms. Lyst is currently on faculty at Rutgers University Mason Gross Campus. She has taught at the Ailey School, Steps on Broadway, Philadanco, and Brooklyn Ballet.  READ MORE

Thomas Choinacky is an interdisciplinary artist vanguard. His current artistic practice studies how architecture manipulates his body’s movement. This practice brings attention to detail and scale, including the belief that architecture is more than physical walls, but also the perception of the senses, scaled through memory. READ MORE

Chris Deephouse' current passion for dance started with a contact improvisation class in 1992. He studied   and practiced CI for 10 years, and  meanwhile  branched out to swing, waltz, contra dance, and other social dances. He   is an enthusiastic follower of contemporary dance at places like FringeArts, Next Move, Mascher Space, and BalletX. He joined  thINKingDANCE  as treasurer in 2014 and stepped into the  role of General Manager early in 2018.  READ MORE

Colin is pursuing a PhD in Dance at Temple University in Philadelphia. His dissertation research focuses on legal sovereignty and masculine performance in French ballet of the early-nineteenth century. Prior to joining Temple, he practiced corporate law in San Francisco and Los Angeles, representing businesses as well as nonprofit organizations and their donors.  READ MORE

Kieron Sargeant is a Trinidadian-born choreographer, dancer, researcher, percussionist, and aspiring visual artist. He received his MFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Florida State University and Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education with a Minor in Cultural Studies from the University of the West Indies. READ MORE

Joy-Marie Thompson is a dancer, writer and embodiment advocate from Pittsburgh, PA who is making work that is rooted in the curiosity, spirit, and advocacy of our bodies. Thompson is currently based in New York, NY where she is a performer for Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel. READ MORE

Terry Fox, Director of Philadelphia Dance Projects (PDP), is a former choreographer/dancer. Concurrently she is on the Faculty in the College of Performing Arts, Rowan University. In 2021 she served as a member of the Arts & Culture Task Force for the City of Philadelphia. Her curatorial activities include among others, “Something Happens When Everybody Moves: Dance as ritual, protest, and aspiration” at The Barnes, 2018; co-curating PDP’s Motion Pictures, a screendance series from 2002-2012; DanceBOOM 2006-07. For many years she served as an Artist Curator at the Painted Bride Art Center, where she founded the Dance With The Bride series. She was the Managing/Artistic Director of the Danspace Project in New York City 1984-1989. As an artist she was one of the first in Philly to explore improvisational structures in performance as well as be an artist “pioneer” of the Old City District. Her choreography has been supported by The NEA, the PA Arts Council and The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. She has a BA from New York University, a MA in Dance from Temple University, and participated in the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program. READ MORE