DDCF’s “RIVERA COURT STAGE” is a series of performance showcases taking place in Rivera Court located in the beautiful atrium of the Detroit Institute of Arts. This unique showcase is designed to highlight local, national, and international talent, sharing diverse styles of dance with DDCF audiences in an inspiring museum setting.
READ MORE ABOUT THE AMAZING Rivera Court Stage 2024 artists!
Bodies of Water
A storyteller at heart, Esther Pauline Farley is a multimedia artist, choreographer, and dancer who weaves personal narratives through the mesmerizing language of movement. Born in Downers Grove, Illinois, Esther discovered her passion for dance early on and has since nurtured this enduring love affair with an unwavering commitment to her craft. In 2021, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance Performance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, with emphases on Choreography and Jazz Dance. Over the years, she has had the opportunity to perform work by renowned choreographers such as Katlin Bourgeois, Shannon Alvis, Monique Haley, Bradley Shelver, and Gabrielle Lamb.
As a choreographer, Esther's work has received multiple accolades and recognition. Her work has been presented by Detroit Dance Exchange, Might Dance Collective, and was selected to be performed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 2019. However, the highlight of Esther's artistic journey thus far is the creation of Bodies of Water. This production marks Esther's first self-produced evening-length work. Through Bodies of Water, she delved into the depths of human emotion, using dance and movement to explore the depths of life's currents. It's a testament to her artistic evolution and her commitment to pushing the boundaries of her craft. She’s extremely grateful and humbled for the immense love and support she has received from her family, friends, and Chicago community.
Dua Colón
Puerto Rican dancer, performer and choreographer influenced by ballet and contemporary dance techniques. Developed at the Julián E. Blanco specialized in ballet. She was a pioneer of the first bachelor's degree in dance at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón of Puerto Rico, where she specialized in contemporary. Representing her country in national and international dance competitions such as Justas LAI, UDA and Team Puerto Rico. He has also trained in countries such as the United States, Greece, Cuba and Mexico in the area of ballet, contemporary and Musical Theater. She has participated in productions such as: Get On Your Feet!directed by Luis Salgado. Winner of the Victoria Espinosa award for Best Dance Theater Production in Teatro en 15. She is currently a dance teacher at the Escuela Especializada en Bellas Artes Pablo Casals.
Haley Tarling and Dancers
Haley is a choreographer located in Chicago, IL. She was the Emerging Choreographer for Young Dancers Initiative's 2021, and has choreographed work for companies such as Hot Crowd, Simantikos Dance Chicago and freelance projects since then. She is a core company member with Hot Crowd, with whom she has performed in works by Jessica Miller Tomlinson, Joseph A. Hernandez, Emily Rayburn, Sam Crouch, Jessi Stegall, Devin Lloyd and Brittany Latta. While in Chicago, she has also worked on projects with Sydney Jones, Mark Gonzalez, Lizzie MacKenzie and Jackie Nowicki. She is a graduate of Point Park University with a BFA in dance and a BA in psychology, and holds a Master of Arts in counseling psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
As an artist, she strives to embody expansion, authenticity and grit, while telling stories that reflect human experience through the metaphor of intellectual ideas. She strives to make space for dancers to explore the honesty of their artistic voices, and creates work that provides audiences with an opportunity to feel.
Embodied Arts Collective
Ari Mokdad and Carley Klebba are contemporary dance artists who met during their time at Grand Valley State University's dance program.
Oakland University Repertory Dance Company
Thayer Jonutz performed as a fulltime company member with Repertory Dance Theatre before moving to Michigan, immersing himself in both historical and contemporary works. Some notable choreographers that he has worked with are Douglass Dunn, Zvi Gotheiner, Daniel Nagrin, Bill Evans, Scott Rink, and Susan Hadley. He has his MFA dance degree from the University of Michigan where he furthered his professional career performing with the Peter Sparling Dance Company. Jonutz began his professorship position at Oakland University in 2009 and has taught Modern dance technique, improvisation, composition, dance pedagogy, partnering and is the director of the student Repertory Dance Company.
Thayer has guest performed and collaborated with a lot of companies during his time in Michigan. These include Patterson Rhythm Pace Dance Company, Rustic Groove, Agua Dulce Dance Theater, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble and Rebudal Dance. Thayer has also co-founded three professional dance companies which have served as building blocks to his current ventures. Mise en Place Dance, soduo, and Take Root enjoyed much success pushing the boundaries of technology and dance and performing in festivals in New York, unconventional spaces in Detroit, and a handful of international opportunities.
Thayer is a comprehensively trained McEntire Pilates instructor. Since gaining this life altering knowledge in 2013, Thayer has worked with a fascinating body of clients. They have ranged from children to seniors, physical problems to neurological, chronic to acute pain, and novice to expert athlete. This experience has enriched Thayer’s skill as a teacher, as a creative and as an overall human.
As an educator and artist Thayer has been and still believes strongly in a variety of influences. Always open to new collaborative relationships, Thayer strives to continually stretch as well as challenge his comfort zone. His current multiyear creative process on the solo concert Hammer and Nail has pushed Thayer outside the typical modern dance aesthetic and has merged acting, vocalization, sound engineering and integrative props to tell his Pandemic survival narrative. Thayer is honored to have an excerpt of Hammer and Nail chosen as a finalist for this year’s Maggie Allessee Choreography Award as well as representing Oakland University as the 2023 Presidential Colloquium honoree.
Savanna McFadden and Sophie Williams
Savanna and Sophia are both students at Wayne State University. Savanna is pursuing her BFA in Dance as well as a minor in Queer Studies and Sophia is perusing her BS in Dance as well as becoming certified in Pilates. Both are passionate about choreographing and sharing their work with a broader audience in the Metro Detroit area and eventually beyond.
Rachel Stratton
Rachel Stratton is a contemporary dancer and emerging choreographer from Fort Wayne, Indiana, currently seeking her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance from Indiana University. She made her choreographic debut in the Fort Wayne Dance Collective's 2020 Choreographer's Lab with her work, "Healing." Other notable works include her first dance film, "All For Us" (2021), "Flight of the Navigator" (2022), "Antagonistic Creation" (2023), and "In Place of Convalescence," (2023). Currently, Rachel is choreographing a production of "Falsettos" for the Indiana University Players.
The ChoreoJoey Project
The ChoreoJoey Project began as a challenge to create and present innovative narrative productions. It often invokes the creative efforts of a rotating team of artists to display integrated mixed media dance performance. founded in 2014, the ChoreoJoey Project is committed to the preservation and use of jazz and West African dance in harmony with narration, poetry, and storytelling to create new ballets with contemporary sociopolitical and historical contexts. Their ballets have been presented work throughout New York and New Jersey & Pennsylvania at Dixon Place, St. Paul's theater, and Ailey Citycenter.
Stephen Hill is a New York Native and the Artistic Director for The ChoreoJoey Project. Stephen Hill began dancing in 1997 and has earned a degree in dance from Lehman College in 2017. He has studied at the Ailey Extension, Cumbe, Broadway Dance Center, and Peridance. Hill has worked as a guest artist with ModArts Dance Collective and as an apprentice for Forces of Nature Dance Theater.
Claire Bechard
Claire Bechard is a dancer, educator, choreographer, and presenter from Southeast, Michigan. She began her early training at the River Raisin Dance Academy. She has taught for Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Detroit Country Day School, River Raisin Dance Academy, Jordan Mack Dance Studio, and Monroe Public Schools. In 2019, Claire began working professionally with Suttle Dance under the direction and choreography of Sylvia Suttle. During her time with Suttle Dance, Claire performed soloist roles for Detroit City Dance Festival, Michigan Ballet Festival, and Brighton Dance Festival. In 2020, she began her career in arts administration at the historic River Raisin Centre for the Arts. In 2022, she received a BFA from Wayne State University as a Maggie Allesee Scholar. Claire has also presented her choreographic work at Collage Dance Festival, Detroit Culture Mash, and Shape//Matter.
HBY Ensemble
Susan Clayton is the director of HBY Ensemble, creating opportunities for mature artists in Michigan.
Natalia de Miguel Annoni
Natalia de Miguel Annoni is an Argentinian American choreographer, teacher, and dancer from Toledo, Ohio. In 2019, she graduated from Eastern Michigan University Cum Laude majoring in dance where they had the opportunity of working with Evik Abbott-Main, Levi Marsman, Joori Jung, Kathy King, Wendi DuBois, Jeremy Blaire, and many others. During their time at EMU, Natalia’s work was performed in the Gala showing at the American College Dance Association in 2018 and 2019. Their choreographic works have also been performed at Eastern Michigan University, Koresh Artist Showcase, and Detroit Dance Exchange. Natalia has danced professionally for local companies throughout South-Eastern Michigan. In 2022, Natalia was awarded Michigan Dance Council’s Maggie Allesee Choreography Award for their dance film Shrimp Cocktail. Their most recent dance film secrets in strawberry frosting was accepted into Screen Dance International and Bridge Chicago Film and Video Festival. It is currently being streamed through Bridge Chicago’s streaming platform. They have had the opportunity to be a guest teacher at CCA Ballet Day, EMU Company Class, Toledo School for the Arts and various local dance studio intensives. This March, Natalia got to opportunity to choreograph, film, and co-direct a show called "Ni Une Mas" along side composer Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra. This show brought survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to come together and share their stories and heal through the power of the performing arts. She is currently a teacher at Randazzo Dance Studio and River Raisin Dance Academy where they teach modern, contemporary, and jazz.
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.
Sean Hoskins & Tower Dancers
Sean Hoskins investigates intersections of momentum, touch, and technology as a choreographer, teacher, and screendance artist. He studied dance at Middlebury College and earned his MFA from the University of Michigan. Sean has presented work in NYC, Detroit, Boston, San Francisco, and at the National College Dance Festival in D.C. He danced with Leslie Seiters, ChavasseDance&Performance, and Peck Peck Dance as well as in works by numerous collaborators. Sean has taught classes and workshops at Wayne State University, Oakland University, the University of Michigan, and at various conferences. He is currently a lecturer of dance at Hillsdale College and Media Consultant at U-M.
Angelina Diaz
A dancer and choreographer based out of Miami,FL. Angelina graduated from Miami Dance collective in 2020 where she was trained both commercially and classically. After focusing on composition and choreographic opportunities at her studio she was awarded the prestigious National YoungArts Foundation Merit Award in Choreography. She then pursued her training career at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of dance. After completing her first year she was invited to tour with conventions Adrenaline and Revive beginning fall of 2021 bringing her back to Miami.
She has worked with choreographers Jenn Freeman, Peter Chu, Matt Luck to name a few and has been fortunate to work on interdisciplinary and collaborative projects with fellow creators/artists. As Angelina continues to tour with Adrenaline and Revive, she has curated her personal creative portfolio titled MOVEnest, and has fed her passion of teaching and choreographing daily with her students and those around the states. She has most recently been accepted to OpenDoors North America to premiere her choreography “Spiraling In Conversation” July of 2023.
Angelina hopes to encourage the next generation of dancers to trust their path and to remember that we dance for ourselves first, to embody the human we are, and to always believe in our “why”.
Thayer Jonutz
Thayer Jonutz performed as a fulltime company member with Repertory Dance Theatre before moving to Michigan, immersing himself in both historical and contemporary works. Some notable choreographers that he has worked with are Douglass Dunn, Zvi Gotheiner, Daniel Nagrin, Bill Evans, Scott Rink, and Susan Hadley. He has his MFA dance degree from the University of Michigan where he furthered his professional career performing with the Peter Sparling Dance Company. Jonutz began his professorship position at Oakland University in 2009 and has taught Modern dance technique, improvisation, composition, dance pedagogy, partnering and is the director of the student Repertory Dance Company.
Thayer has guest performed and collaborated with a lot of companies during his time in Michigan. These include Patterson Rhythm Pace Dance Company, Rustic Groove, Agua Dulce Dance Theater, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble and Rebudal Dance. Thayer has also co-founded three professional dance companies which have served as building blocks to his current ventures. Mise en Place Dance, soduo, and Take Root enjoyed much success pushing the boundaries of technology and dance and performing in festivals in New York, unconventional spaces in Detroit, and a handful of international opportunities.
Thayer is a comprehensively trained McEntire Pilates instructor. Since gaining this life altering knowledge in 2013, Thayer has worked with a fascinating body of clients. They have ranged from children to seniors, physical problems to neurological, chronic to acute pain, and novice to expert athlete. This experience has enriched Thayer’s skill as a teacher, as a creative and as an overall human.
As an educator and artist Thayer has been and still believes strongly in a variety of influences. Always open to new collaborative relationships, Thayer strives to continually stretch as well as challenge his comfort zone. His current multiyear creative process on the solo concert Hammer and Nail has pushed Thayer outside the typical modern dance aesthetic and has merged acting, vocalization, sound engineering and integrative props to tell his Pandemic survival narrative. Thayer is honored to have an excerpt of Hammer and Nail chosen as a finalist for this year’s Maggie Allessee Choreography Award as well as representing Oakland University as the 2023 Presidential Colloquium honoree.
Compañeros de Flamenco
Michelle Millman, dancer, directs Companeros de Flamenco. We perform throughout Michigan: in 2023, at the Bloomfield Township Library and the Rogers City Theater. We performed at community events in Kalamazoo, Birmingham, Mt. Clemens, Holland and Grand Haven. She has worked as a dancer, teacher and choreographer for over fifty years. She is a master teacher of the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning.
Currents Dance Theatre
Kendra DeFazio (she/her) is a contemporary dance artist and choreographer based in Grand Rapids, MI. She began her training at South Coast Conservatory and Orange County School of the Arts in Southern California at age 13. Kendra then earned her Bachelors of Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from Hope College in 2018. While at Hope, she was a member of H2 Dance Company, performing in annual concerts, festivals around the midwest, in Chicago Tap Theatre’s annual concert, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. She is the recipient of the Kurtze-Wickersheimer Dance Performance and DeLong Senior Dance Awards. After graduating, Kendra relocated to Chicago, IL where she performed and choreographed with Joel Hall Dancers, Inaside Chicago Dance, Lucid Banter Project, and Simantikos Dance Chicago. She has since moved back to West Michigan to create Currents Dance Theatre, and is excited to be bringing more dance to Grand Rapids.
currentsdance.org
Dance Uprising
Dance Uprising is a modern dance company located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, directed by dancer/choreographer Amy Cadwallader. We work collaboratively to create unique dance pieces that speak to our human experiences. Our primary purpose is to establish real, human connections — through company class, in our rehearsals, in performances, and through outreach programs.
Eleanor Raygorodsky
Eleanor Raygorodsky, found her passion in dance at the age of three. Eleanor started competitive dance at the age of six and danced at Becky Seamsters, Gayle's Dance Phase, American Dance Academy, and Artflux Dance Lab. Additionally, Eleanor was a competitive gymnast for four years at Infinity Gymnastics starting at the age of five. In Eleanor’s High School years she has placed and attended many competitions/conventions such as Nuvo, 24/7, Jump, The Dance Awards, etc. She has choreographed a pointe solo, pas de deux, and a lyrical solo which have received awards at dance competitions/conventions. Eleanor has been in projects in the past that have performed at the DIA, DDC, and Oakland Community College. After High School Eleanor started to dance professionally doing projects such as at the Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University and was in the Terpsichore Collective. Eleanor's choreography has been presented at Terpsichore Company Showcase, Collage Dance Festival, U of M Art Exhibition, U of M Dearborn Awards, Shape // Matter, Company 1 showcase, and Company 1 tour. Eleanor is currently studying Dance at Wayne State University and Philosophy at University of Michigan Dearborn. She is part of Company 1 touring company as well as Eisenhower Dance Detroit repertory at Wayne State. Eleanor continues to dance and perform her solo choreography.
Movement Reservoir
Prof. M. LINDA GRAHAM, MFA, Emeritus
Hope College
Linda retired June of 2019, after serving for 36yrs as a member of the Hope College Department of Dance [Dorothy Wiley DeLong Professorship & Chair from 2004-2015]. A graduate of the National Academy of Arts, she received her BFA [Theatre] and MFA [Choreography/Performance] from the University of Illinois. A former member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, she co-founded and co-directed Aerial Dance Theatre until 2005. She set works on the Joffrey Ballet [Arpino Apprentices], Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and the Grand Rapids Ballet, among others. Her choreography has been produced in the USA, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain, Mexico and France and for the Emmy Award winning children’s television program “C’mon Over.” She also co-created, choreographed, and produced community events such as Global Water Dances (Holland), flash mobs (i.e., Tulip Time, West Michigan Petapalooza), and choreographed musicals, operas, and 100+ original works. A recipient of a Michigan Dance Association Choreographer's Award, Michigan Dance Council Maggie Allesee New Choreography Award, National Association of Regional Ballet Monticello Fellowship for Young Choreographers (2 times),"Partners In Dance" award from the Grand Rapids Ballet, she also received a Creative Artist Grant (1997) from ArtServe Michigan. In January of 2019 she was honored with the Provost’s Award for Academic Service from Hope College. In 2015 she established the National Academy of Arts archive at the Sousa Performing Arts Library (U of IL).
In retirement, she formed EveryDay Dances [www.everydaydances.com] through which she continues to choreograph, guest teach and present, fostering curiosity, creativity, and connection through embodied movement art experiences. She is interested in exploring the intersection of movement as communication between humans and animal, the history, and benefits of training to illuminate communication, and dance/movement to tell stories, cultivate imagination, empower individuals, and transform communities.
www.everydaydances.com
MOVEMENT RESERVOIR:
Movement Reservoir was founded by Lachan Niedbala to provide a creative outlet for artists and increase the Kalamazoo community’s opportunity to experience dance. Movement Reservoir strives to create a place for artists to express their artistic voices through dance while challenging themselves to grow in an uplifting environment. Additionally, it provides the Kalamazoo area (and beyond) with more opportunities to experience dance from various artists throughout the Midwest. https://www.movementreservoirdancecompany.com
Lauren Blair Smith
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, Young Choreographer’s Festival at Symphony Space, and the Journey Dance Awards.
Lauren was a featured choreographer at the T2 Dance Company ChoreoFest 2023 in Boulder, Colorado. She was selected for Lillian Barbeito's Ballare Carmel/Carmel Dance Festival Fellowship Program 2024; her duet was not only restaged/reworked on Ballare Carmel Apprentices and premiered in the Fellowship Program performance, but also presented to music performed by professors from the Oberlin College and Conservatory Residency in Carmel. Lauren’s choreography has been featured in the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Portugal, and Australia.
Sophia & El Kronox
Sophia & El Kronox are Argentine Tango dancers based in Ann Arbor, MI. They began dance together 2015. They teach weekly Tango classes in Ann Arbor. They love to perform and share their passion for Tango wherever they go.
rivera court stage memories
