PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR CHOREOGRAPHERS TO PRESENT THEIR WORK ON THE MAJESTIC DETROIT FILM THEATRE STAGE, DDCF’S CHOREOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING TOGETHER ARTISTS AND DANCERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO SHARE THEIR CURRENT PROJECTS WITH EACH OTHER, AND WITH DDCF AUDIENCES ALIKE. FROM AMONG THE DIVERSE BODY OF WORKS SUBMITTED BY OUR APPLICANTS, PIECES HAVE BEEN THOUGHTFULLY SELECTED TO SHOWCASE AN INCLUSIVE REPRESENTATION OF LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL TALENT.

Read more about our DDCF Choreographers Showcase 2024 artists!

CPR Dance: Inhale Movement

Carolyn Pampalone Rabbers is the Executive Artistic Director and founder of CPR Dance: Inhale Movement and the Chayah Artistic Residency. She received her MFA at the University of the Arts and graduated as the Presidential Scholar with a BFA from Western Michigan University. Carolyn has danced in NYC, Miami, LA and Michigan dancing and acting both on stage and on camera. Her dance-based works have been featured nationally and internationally, have been a finalist for Maggie Allessee’s Choreography Competition, and awarded support in a KADI grant of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo. She can be seen as ‘Abby’ in Moondance (2020) and has performed for Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers, Coldplay, Omi, Starbucks, Jockey Bra, Kaplan University, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Diavolo EdCo, Mariana Olivera, Clairobscur, LACDC, Nickerson-Rossi Dance, and Vox Lumiere.

Carolyn teaches adjunctly at Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University, and at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. She has also taught for The Gabriella Foundation, honored by Michelle Obama in 2015. She is certified as an ABT NTC instructor in Pre-Primary through Level VII & Partnering. She also holds certifications in PBT, PCT, ISTD Contemporary, Reiki and Yoga.

ConteXture Dance Detroit

Artistic director of ConteXture, Tracy Halloran, earned her BFA in dance at Marygrove College and her MFA in Choreography at the University of Michigan. In 2014, she was named a Kresge Fellow in Music and Dance. She has worked as a performer, teacher, choreographer, and rehearsal director in the dance world. She is also the co-founder of Detroit Dance Exchange, a program established to help local choreographers exhibit and explore their own professional works. Halloran’s choreography blurs the lines between dance genres and styles by combining the movement techniques of modern, hip hop, jazz and contemporary. She uses the dynamics of motion and choreographic levels to create explosive and exciting movement phrases, which juxtapose the delicacy of human emotion. In the past few years, Halloran has been a finalist in the Michigan Dance Council’s prestigious Maggie Allesee Choreography competition. Tracy’s choreography was selected to perform at the Tanzhafen Festival in Linz, Austria in Fall 2023. Ms. Halloran is an accomplished teacher in ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary and flexibility and strengthening techniques. Her students have performed as Rockette’s, NFL and NBA dancers, also with American Ballet Theatre, Zurich Ballet, Disney World’s Beauty and the Beast, and Royal Caribbean. They are also dancing for choreographers like Andrew Winghart, Talia Favia, and Liz Imperio. She has been an instructor all over the MidWest. She is currently on faculty at Company C Dance Club in Toledo, Ohio and is a consultant for the U.S Rhythmic Gymnastics team, aiding the gymnasts and coaches in high level training to qualify for the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games..

DDC Dances

Barbara Selinger

DETROIT DANCE COLLECTIVE

About: Detroit Dance Collective is a professional contemporary dance company dedicated to creating powerful choreography and offering inclusive community programs that heighten human expression within and across cultures. DDC’s legacy and life-affirming work voices the personal thoughts and feelings of our artists and our community and will always make its collective voice heard with respect, love and compassion.

Mission: Detroit Dance Collective believes in the expressive power of dance as a transformative force that reflects significant social issues and human expression. Through our performances and educational programs, we explore the intellectual, emotional, and physical dimensions of dance to create Art that Matters.

Vision: Detroit Dance Collective’s vision is to create and perform dances that express all that makes us human. We aim to leave a lasting impact on both our audiences and the broader community to ignite conversations, foster understanding, and inspire positive change through the profound artistry of dance.

More about DDC’s legacy and history: http://www.ddcdances.org/company.html

About DDC Dancers: http://www.ddcdances.org/dancers.html

BARBARA SELINGER

Barbara Selinger, choreographer, performer and educator, is Co-founder and Artistic Director of Detroit Dance Collective, a company she co-founded in 1980. She has choreographed and performed since 1973, creating more than 100 major works for DDC and other companies. Barbara is the only Michigan dance artist awarded six Creative Artist Grants from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs to create, perform and produce her work. Barbara’s choreography, celebrated for its humanity and ability to stimulate the senses through visually striking images, has been presented throughout Michigan and in Detroit, Chicago, New York City and Toronto. Barbara has more than 30 years experience in higher education where she mentors students pursuing a career in the arts and conducts numerous dance/arts classes in schools grades K-12. Her academic achievements include M.Ed. in Dance - Wayne State University and B.A. - Anna Maria College. She has been awarded the prestigious Arts Achievement Award from Wayne State University and Teacher of the Year Award from the Michigan Dance Association, selected as one of 3 artists for the Governor’s People’s Choice Award for outstanding Michigan artist in 2005, honored by the cities of Farmington and Dearborn for her artistry and commitment to community arts programming, and is the 2015 recipient of Michigan Youth Arts Touchstone Award as VSA educator of the year. Barbara has been recently awarded the 70 Over Seventy Lifetime Achievement Award by Hannan Center, Detroit. More information regarding Ms. Selinger may be found at http://www.ddcdances.org/artistic-director.html

Allison Lincoln

Allison Lincoln is a choreographer, dancer, and photographer. She found her love for contemporary fusion while exploring movement at college. She graduated from the University at Buffalo with a BFA in dance, and is planning to grow her style further in the contemporary fusion realm. She is passionate about humanity; creating movement from personal emotions and experiences. She hopes to grow her roots in the Detroit Dance scene by meeting fellow creators, hoping to collaborate with more artists in the future.

gracegallagherdance

Grace is an educator, dancer, and creator. Her creative research and engaged scholarship focus on inclusivity, access, and the power of community, specifically related to Dance Education. Grace has taught Modern, Ballet, Pedagogy, Repertory and Ensemble, Repertory and Community Engagement, History of Western Dance Forms, Dances of the African Diaspora, among others. She has taught at Arizona State University, Front Range Community College, and now is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Colorado State University. 

 

Additionally, Grace has extensive experience as a guest teaching artist and choreographer in numerous contexts including guest teaching at public and private universities, community colleges, and high schools, teaching at hundreds of studios nationwide, hosting professional master classes and workshops, serving as a faculty member on a national convention, and working for two separate non-profit programs that utilize dance as an emotional outlet for underserved youth.  

                                                                

Grace has an accomplished and diverse body of work, encompassing four original evening-length works, including "CONSequence," "40 Love Letters," "Juxtaposition," and "Re-late." Additionally, her choreography has been showcased at renowned events and festivals such as Versatility Dance Festival, Breaking Ground Dane Festival: 10 Tiny Dances Series,  Phoenix Center for the Arts' Beta Dance Festival, Nasty Woman|Phoenix Unite, ArtelPHX,  and American College Dance Festival. With over a decade of professional dance experience, Grace has earned numerous awards for her choreography, totaling over a dozen accolades. Most notably, she was recently honored with the Emerging Community Engagement Scholarship Award from Colorado State University

 

Grace holds a BFA in Dance, MFA in Dance, Graduate Certificate in Dance Teaching Artist Praxis, and a PreK-12 Dance Teaching Certification from the Arizona Department of Education. Additionally, Grace interned at Broadway Dance Center in New York City and was an Edge Performing Arts Scholar in Los Angeles.

Suttle Dance

Sylvia Suttle began her dance studies in Regensburg, Germany at the Tanzschule Krippner wit Eva Eger primarily focusing on Modern Dance and Choreography.

Mrs. Suttle has worked with Robert Wechsler, Director, Choreographer, and Dancer with Palindrome and Motion Composer in 2007; studied with Andrew Palermo, company and owner and Director of Dre. Dance in 2009 and Portia Field-Anderson, Instructor and Choreographer at Oakland Community College. She also joined the Full Circle Dance Company, directed by Diane Mancinelli from 2011 to 2012. In early 2013 Mrs. Suttle founded Suttle Dance Company in the metro Detroit area.

She has choreographed works that were performed in Germany for the University of Regensburg and in Michigan for the Berman Center for the Performing Arts, Henry Ford College ( Full Circle Dance Company), Oakland Dance Festival (ODF) American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA), Sidewalk Festival, Dally in the Alley, Dance at Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit, NewDANCEFest with Eisenhower Choreography Showcase, Regeneration, Assemble, and Women’s Work with Kristi Faulkner Dance, 2015-2016 Best of The 17th Detroit Dance Race, Summer Stage & Detroit Dance City Festival - Detroit Dance Races hosted by Artlabj, Koresh Dance Company Black box in Philadelphia, and Going Dutch Festival in Elgin Illinois.

Her choreography “Obscure Sorrows”(2017) and “Seeking”(2018) both placed 2nd overall at Youth America Grand Prix and both were performed at the New York Finals Youth America Grand Prix Finals(2017-2018). Recently Mrs. Suttle won a Bronze (3rd Place) Choreographer Award and Gold (1st place) Ensemble Award with "Moment of Tangency" from Indianapolis City Ballet and ADC IBC – Youth International Ballet Competition and a Choreographer Award at Celebrity Dance Competition.

Lauren Blair Smith Dance Company

Lauren Blair Smith is a director, choreographer, performing artist, and educator. She performed Hofesh Shechter’s work in the first Broadway National Tour of Tony Award-winning Bartlett Sher’s Fiddler on the Roof (2021-2023) in 400+ performances in 100+ cities across the US/Canada. Lauren grew up in Singapore and attended the Singapore American School (SAS) where she discovered her love for the arts. Lauren graduated in 2020 from UNCSA with a BFA in Contemporary Dance. Lauren is a William R. Kenan Fellow at Lincoln Center Education in NYC, an American Ballet Theatre Certified Teacher, and Vice-President of World Dance Alliance Singapore. She was selected as one of three for the University of Michigan’s highly competitive MFA in Dance on full scholarship and will be instructing classes there starting in fall 2024. Beyond the stage, Lauren promotes wellness through movement as a certified Pilates and HIIT instructor, collaborating with Marina Bay Sands, Artyzen Singapore, Parkroyal Collection Pickering, and The American Club Singapore. After graduation, Lauren established the Lauren Blair Smith Dance Company in Singapore. She choreographed/presented “Recollection”, the Company’s inaugural, in-person performance in 2020 featuring renowned local artists, with training backgrounds including Juilliard, Taipei National University of the Arts, New Zealand School of Dance, and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. The Company established the Pre-Professional Dance Immersion Program to nurture the next generation of young, aspiring artists as well as the Singapore Dance Intensive which launched sold-out programs. The Company has enjoyed successful collaborations with organizations such as Panasonic, Google, Jewel Changi Airport, TEDx Procter & Gamble, and the Singapore American School. Lauren’s company presented work and received prestigious recognition at the SHAPE Choreography Festival, International Online Dance Competition, Palm Springs International Dance Festival, The Artists Forum Choreography Competition, Virtual DUMBO Dance Festival, Quinzena de Dança de Almada, Lion City Dance Film Festival, Palm Desert Choreography Festival, Washington International Dance Festival & Choreography Award, Doug Varone & Dancers Device’s Showcase, You

Smutek Dance

Christa Smutek is the Artistic Director of Artistic Edge Dance Centre, Director of the in-studio intensive, The Collective Movement, and Founder of her project based dance company, Smutek Dance.  Most recently, Christa was selected for the Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Fellowship at Jacob’s Pillow, under the direction of Risa Steinberg and Dianne McIntyre.  Christa studied at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and received her B.S. in Movement Science from the School of Kinesiology graduating with distinction and University Honors.   Christa has been choreographing for the past 15 years.  Her choreography has been showcased at festivals across the country.  She was awarded the Best Choreography winner at the Detroit Dance City Festival in 2021.  Her film, Unchained, was awarded Festival Favorite, Newbie Filmmaker, in Opine Dance Film Festival 2020.  Christa continues to set award winning competitive dance pieces as well as teach masterclasses across the country.

Carolyn Pavlik

Carolyn Pavlik is a Professor of Dance at Western Michigan University. Her choreography has been presented in New York, Washington, Texas, Washington, D.C., Ohio and Michigan. Her dance for camera works have been presented in Spain, Portugal, Columbia, Argentina, and across the U.S. he is the co-editor of Site Dance: Choreographers and the Lure of Alternative Spaces.

Jack Murphy

Jack Murphy (He/Him) is a starlet living in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Novi, Michigan, Jack came to New York City to attend school at The Juilliard School. Working at Trader Joe’s, listening to Lana Del Rey, and collecting dolls makes up his current day to day life. Preferring overtness to subtlety, camp over neutrality, Jack is building a fantastical world of beautiful horrors. Jack’s previous works has been presented in WhiteWave’s SoloDuo Festival, The Invisible Dogs Pride Festival and Sangeeta Yesley’s “8 in Show” at Dixon Place.

Symbiosis Arts

Braeden Barnes is a Chicago based director, choreographer and teacher. He

found his love of choreography from a young age and has created work for

over 15 years. Braeden danced professionally with companies including

Balletmet, Joffrey Ballet Chicago, Billy Elliot the Musical, Nevada Ballet

Theatre and Visceral Dance Chicago. He has worked with choreographers

such as James Canfield, Paul Vasterling, Danielle Agami, Kevin O’Day,

Mónica Cervantes, Marguerite Donlon, Matthew Neenan, and Lucas

Crandall.

As a choreographer, his work has been featured across the United States and

abroad. Among these places, his work has won the first-place audience choice

award at REVERBDance festival in New York, as well as first place for best

choreography at YAGP in 2021. He has choreographed on companies such as

Nevada Ballet Theatre, Cirque Du Soleil, Visceral Dance Chicago, Peoria

Ballet, Waterstreet Dance Milwaukee, A&A Ballet, Common Conservatory,

Indiana University Contemporary Department and for New Dances: a

collaboration between Danceworks and Thodos Dance Chicago.

In 2020, he started his own nonprofit danced-based company, Symbiosis Arts,

which is based in Chicago.Symbiosis has produced full evening

performances in Chicago and Denver and has commissioned choreographers

such as Anna Long, Francisco Avina, Shannan Alvis, Jason Parsons, and

Noelle Kayser. Symbiosis Arts is taking an expanded approach to incorporate

multiple mediums of art, in hopes of questioning norms, building unorthodox

collaborations, and being open-minded about how art can be seen and

consumed.

In addition to Symbiosis Arts, Braeden has recently taken on the role of Co-

director of Visceral Encore, a company for dancers over 35.

Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers

Marisa Bianan obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Western Michigan University in April 2018. Through her studies, Marisa had the privilege to work with choreographers including Jeremy Blair, Monique Haley, Carolyn Pavlik, and Brendan Duggan. Since graduating, Marisa has presented various choreographic works in the Midwest including at the 2019 Midwest RADFest and Inaside’s Summer 2022 in-person/virtual hybrid concert. Recent accolades include becoming a finalist for the 2021 Maggie Allesee Choreography Competition, being commissioned to create a new work for Western Michigan University’s First Year Performance class, which premiered in February 2022, and being accepted into the 2023 Detroit Dance City Festival Choreographer’s Showcase. Marisa stepped into the role of Associate Artistic Director with Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers in 2021. 2023-2024 will be Marisa’s sixth season with WSCTD.

Hot Crowd Dance

About Hot Crowd: Hot Crowd is a 501(c)3 non for profit Chicago-based modern dance company located in Logan Square whose goal is to stimulate and inspire dancers and non-dancers alike through innovative movement, community interaction and accessibility to strengthen and spread the art of modern dance throughout the Chicagoland area and beyond. Established in 2017 by founder, Emily Kamp, Hot Crowd has been invited to perform in several major cities throughout the U.S. including Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit and St. Louis as well as out of the country in Seoul, South Korea. They have also created ten self-produced shows and two professional dance for films. Other Hot Crowd programming includes dance workshops/residencies for students ranging in age from youth to adult, pay what you can community dance classes, and collaborative events with other local artists and businesses. Hot Crowd has recently started their 7th Season which has already included several dance festivals,  performances, and classes in their beloved neighborhood of Logan Square. Connect with the Crowd today by connecting with them on social @HotCrowd and their website www.hotcrowddance.com 

 

About Jessi: Originally from Dallas, Texas, Jessi Stegall is a dance-theatre artist, applied ethicist, educator, and filmmaker based between Chicago, IL and Boston, MA. She has been an artist-in-residence at Boston Center for the Arts, Harvard ArtLab, National Parks Service, Rhode Island Women's Choreography Project, Windhover Performing Arts Center, and was recently featured as one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" (2022). Her choreographic work has been featured at Boston Center for the Arts, Tufts University, the Dance Complex, Motion State Dance Film Festival, and Emergence Festival. As a dancer, Jessi has performed works by Raja Feather Kelly, Jill Johnson, Ilya Vidrin, Ali Kenner Brodsky, Mariel Pettee, and Jamila Glass. In addition to her work in dance, Jessi holds an M.S. in Bioethics from Harvard University, a B.S. in Expressive Art Therapy from Lesley University, and is an alumna of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Ashlyn Works

Ashlyn Works (she/they) is a fourth ear BFA dance major at Ball State University. They are from Virginia Beach, VA. She trains in all styles of dance, including ballet, tap, jazz, and musical theater, but specializes in more modern and contemporary forms of dance. In her choreography, she explores themes of authenticity and honesty. Most of their choreography in inspired by her and her dancer's improvisation. She focuses on creating art that she finds to be honest and true. 

Mark Gonzalez

Mark Gonzalez is a dance artist from Edinburg, Texas. He received a BFA in Dance with an emphasis in Performance and Choreography and a minor in Theatre from Texas State University. During his time in Texas, Mark had the privilege to work with artists such as Andy and Dionne Noble, Mike Esperanza and Erica Gionfriddo. After leaving Texas, Mark trained and performed with The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2 under the direction of Shonna Matlock. He was a scholarship recipient for the Giordano Dance Chicago workshop and Flockworks. Gonzalez recently finished his first season with Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre where he had the privilege to perform the works of Monique Haley and Katlin Bourgeois. Mark is currently a freelance artist based in Chicago and is currently a Company Artist with Identity Performing Arts and Still Inspired.

RESILIENCE Dance Company

RESILIENCE Dance Company is a contemporary modern dance company committed to putting artists first. Founded in 2019 and based in St. Louis, RDC creates exceptional dance experiences that fuel human connection. For more information on the company, please visit www.resiliencedancecompany.com

Techmoja Dance and Theatre Company

KEVIN LEE-Y GREEN is a director, choreographer, and community arts educator. Green is a native of Bolivia, North Carolina (population 143) and a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied contemporary dance and ballet.

Over a 15-year career, he has worked with acclaimed dance artists including: Rosie Herrera, Sidra Bell, Camille A Brown. Brown, David Parsons, Clay Taliafero, Sean Sullivan (Limon), Dianne Markham (Louis & Nikolai), and Brenda Daniels (Cunningham). He was mentored by Broadway veteran and

theater director Gerald Freedman while a member of the touring All School Production at UNCSA. His work has also been seen on Fox’s television series “Our Kind of People,” Amazon Prime's " The Summer I Turned Pretty," Fox Searchlight Pictures' "The Supremes at Earl's All You Can Eat" and the Lifetime movie “Line Sisters.”

He is the founder of Techmoja Dance and Theatre Company— an inclusive and diverse dance company created in partnership with his mother, community leader and culture bearer Donna Joyner Green.

The mission of Techmoja is to enliven community, create a deep sense of cultural understanding, and connect people across boundaries through the creative process and performance of dance. Through exemplary dance Techmoja brings people together, enriches communities, and centers diversity as a positive social value. Under Kevin’s guidance, Techmoja recently launched performances at several stagings along the east coast.

As part of his commitment to working at the intersection of art and community, Kevin works to create innovative and impactful dance programming and initiatives, especially among urban and rural youth of color. He has developed community engagement programs that strengthen youth interest and participation in dance, and create a space for students and their families to engage with dance artists and each other.

CHOREOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE MEMORIES

DDCF FESTIVAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM

This unique initiative provides all presenters in DDCF’s annual Choreographers Showcase the opportunity to be considered for an invitation to perform again at participating partner festivals.

NATIONAL FESTIVAL EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES:

  • Detroit Dance City Festival Best Choreographer: One choreographer who presents their work at DDCF 2024 will be selected for the opportunity to return as a guest performer at DDCF 2025.

  • NYC Exchange Award: DDCF and Dumbo Dance Festival have renewed our partnership to create a national exchange to give artists more performance opportunities. One Choreographer will be selected for the opportunity to perform at the 2025 Dumbo Dance Festival in New York City.

  • National Exchange Award: One Choreographer will be selected for the opportunity to perform at the 2025 ATLAS in Puerto Rico.

  • Michigan Exchange Award: DDCF and Kalamazoo, Michigan based Midwest RAD Fest have recently partnered to create a national exchange to give artists more performance opportunities. One choreographer presenting their work at DDCF 2024 will be selected for the opportunity to showcase their work again as a part of the 2025 Midwest RAD Fest in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

  • Rising Choreographer Award: One choreographer from the 2024 Rivera Court Stage will be chosen to create a new work for the 2025 DDCF Choreographers Showcase.

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITY:

  • One Choreographer will be selected for the opportunity to perform at the 2025 New Dance Festival in Daejeon, South Korea.

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