CURRENT COLLABORATORS
de'Angelo DIA
de'Angelo DIA investigates public opinion and contemporary beliefs on cultural, social-political, and theological issues through poetry, performance art, and photography. His work focuses on the intersectionality of Black liberation theology and theopoetics.
DIA has studied art in Athens, Greece, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Nairobi, Kenya. He earned a BS in Communication and Sociology with a minor in Photography from Appalachian State University, a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from Union Presbyterian Seminary. His artistic influences include ethno-gothic literature, comic books, graphic novels, and neo-Appalachian art.
DIA’s poetry collections include dichotomy and bifurcation(Theurgical Studies Press, 2023). His forthcoming chapbook, Cocktails with Jesus, is a Black nerd's poetic reimagining of the last seven words of Jesus of Nazareth. Dia's poems have appeared in BLACK BOY Journal, The Skinny Journal, Artist Writing on Liberation, and Cru Arts & Culture.
He is the recipient of awards and fellowships from Cave Canem, The Watering Hole, Hurston/Wright Foundation, the McColl Center for Art + Innovation, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture. DIA is the Community Relations Manager of Goodyear Arts based in Charlotte, NC.
Neha Kissler
Neha is a fourth-year student at UNC Charlotte studying a double major in psychology - clinical track and applied dance. Additionally, she was involved in the certification in professional dance training with the Charlotte Ballet program, Baran Dance Company, and Kinetic Works Fall Season 2022. Her previous 16 years of training consists of classical ballet, pointe, contemporary, and modern techniques (e.g., Horton, Graham). Currently, she’s involved in the reimagining stages of a 70s Martha Graham piece that will be debuted at the Martha Graham Company University Partnership Program in New York City.
xavia-margrith miles
xavia-margrith wields humorist sensibilities to cultivate intimacy with transformation, loss, desire, and divinity. Horror films, toys, and organic matter animate play and her exploration of wildness and interdependence.
In her role as a proposal writer, she identifies funding opportunities and composes authentic narratives to redistribute wealth toward community-led reimaginings of liberatory and sacred spaces.
She earned her AB in English and minor in Africana Studies and Film Studies from Bryn Mawr College. Her work has been exhibited at the 30th Annual Candyman Symposium, Goodyear Arts in Charlotte, NC, and she is a proud recipient of The Watering Hole Fellowship. Her poetry collections include Solomon’s Love Child, and We’ve Always Had Fire. She is seeded in Minnesota’s tundra, seasoned by Southern love, and Philly-fed.
Ronald Keith Parks
Ronald Keith Parks is an active composer of acoustic and electronic music. His diverse output includes orchestral works, instrumental and vocal chamber music, electroacoustic music, songs, interactive computer music, and collaborations with chorographers, video artists, and film makers. Recent works include The Space Between with composer/pianist Mark Lewis and choreographer Sarah Council, Successions, Park Güell, and Reflections and Lore for the Bechtler Ensemble and Charlotte Composers Forum, Nothing Left to Lose and 9 Dreams of Flying for the Charlotte New Music Festival, /// Elements for the Blue Ridge Chamber Players, Alhambra Tiles and Things Get Out of Hand… for the Out of Bounds Ensemble, Simple Things for the Charlotte Symphony’s Composer on Campus Project, A Matter of Perspective for Duo XXI, Off on a Tangent… for the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet, Torque, Wavelength and Afterimage 8 for the Charlotte Civic Orchestra, Afterimage 7 for the NeXT Ens, and …drift… for the Force of Nature artist exchange program. His compositions and research has been featured at numerous national and international new music festivals and conferences. His honors and awards include the Aaron Copland Award and Residency and the Winthrop University Outstanding Junior Professor Award. Recordings of his music are available on Albany Records, Navona Records, Vox Novus, and others. He is currently Professor of Composition and Music Technology at Winthrop University. For scores, audio, video, and more visit http://ronparksmusic.com
Samantha Salvato
Samantha, from Raleigh, NC, is a Charlotte-based arts marketer and freelance dance artist. In 2017, she graduated magna cum laude from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a concentration in Performance, Choreography & Theory. She’s performed prestigious works by Martha Graham and Paul Taylor and performed on renowned stages such as the Joyce Theater in NY and the Knight Theater at the Levine Center for the Arts in Charlotte, NC. In college, she received a full scholarship to train at Martha Graham Dance Company’s summer program. In 2015, she began undergraduate research to reconstruct a lost 1962 work entitled Tracerfor modern dance choreographer, Paul Taylor, presenting her findings at five undergraduate symposiums and performing in the reconstructed work. Samantha is now the marketing manager for Charlotte Ballet and a freelance designer working primarily with local, emerging companies. She is currently involved in dance projects with local choreographers Megan Payne and Sarah Council.
PAST COLLABORATORS
Liz Beres
Liz Beres is a proud Wisconsinite, earned her BFA in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Since graduating, she has danced for Elisa Monte Dance, skybetter and associates, Bodel Dance Arts, and Joe Celej, among others. These days she works most closely with ChristinaNoel & The Creature, Naomi Goldberg Haas’s Dances For A Variable Population, Clare Cook Dance Theater, and Catie Cuan. Her own work has been presented in NYC at Joe’s Pub through DanceNOW[NYC]’s Dancemopolitan series, 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center’s Fridays at Noon program, NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, and Columbia University. Liz teaches Mind Body Dancer Yoga to adults and dance to little and big ones alike in the tri-state area.
Melissa Brading
Melissa Brading is originally from Topeka, KS and holds a bachelor’s degree in dance education from the University of Central Oklahoma. For three years she served as a company member in Ad Deum Dance Company under the direction of Randall Flinn in Houston, TX. Since moving to New York, Melissa has worked with choreographers such as Hope Boykin, Amanda Selwyn, Chris Ferris, Crystal Davis and Nejla Yatkin.
Sarah Brown
Sarah Bodie is a New York based dancer and choreographer from Dallas, TX by way of Los Angeles. She is currently dancing for Sarah Council Dance Projects while also pursuing her career as a choreographer and artistic director. Sarah was classically trained at the Academy of Dance Arts in Richardson, TX and danced with the Dallas Repertoire Ballet for 6 years. She has served as artistic director on a numbzer of music video projects including Weezer’s AOL sessions video Miss Sweeney and local musician Elaine LaChica’s video Never Fade. In addition, Sarah has performed with the cast of Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Jessica Simpson, and on Disney’s Big Red Boat Cruise. Sarah has also served as a dance instructor at the University of California, Los Angeles, Baylor University, and the HOPE Center in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.
Jenn Jones
Jenn Jones is a Georgia born dancer who has had the opportunity to work professionally in the many facets of the dance community. She attended Columbia College in Chicago and the University of South Florida in Tampa, earning an Associate of Arts degree in Secondary Education, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance Performance.Jones has performed with Busch Gardens, Bella Danza Collective, Enigma Dance Kru, VYB Dance Company, Event Show Productions, TOC Project, and Karen Peterson and Dancers. Jones has choreographed for Jobsite Theatre Company and has taught dance at Patel Conservatory, Tampa Preparatory School and the Academy of Holy Names.
Sarah Pope – dancer
Sarah Pope, dancer, improviser and teacher, is originally from Southern California and holds a BFA in Ballet and Modern Dance from Texas Christian University. Sarah has been a member of Sarah Council Dance Projects since 2006, and is also a member of Mark Lamb Dance. She also currently works with HT Chen & Dancers. Sarah teaches ballet, creative dance, and adult fitness at Spoke the Hub Dancing and the Prospect Park YMCA in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Amanda Rentschler
Amanda Rentschler is a Charlotte native. She began her performance career as a 5 year old actress with the Children’s Theater of Charlotte, debuting in a duet with a Kermit the frog puppet that was received with rave reviews. Years later, she participated in their ensemble under Jill Bloede and Alan Poindexter. She began basic dance training with Charlotte Ballet in her early teens in hopes of expanding her musical theater abilities, but fell in love with modern dance in the process. She received her high school diploma and BFA in contemporary dance from UNCSA. Since graduating she’s danced in New York City, Baltimore and Portland, OR. Upon returning to Charlotte she has danced with Caroline Calouche & Co, Plexus Dance, Sarah Ingel, and Emily Cargill and dancers. She believes strongly that acting and dance are intertwined and to be an engaging performer in one, you must study the other.
Lillian Willis
is a freelance and independent dance artist, writer, and researcher based in Charlotte, NC. After graduating from UNC Charlotte with a BA in Dance Performance, Choreography, and Theory, she began working as Movement Mentor - a role created to accommodate students with visual impairments in the Department of Dance. Lillian has presented writing and research at the inaugural Dance Studies Association conference and UNC Charlotte, where she was a Charlotte Research Scholar. She has performed works by Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, and AGA Collaborative, among others. Lillian was most recently awarded the opportunity to study Gaga movement research, with originator Ohad Naharin, in Moncalvo, Italy.
Aya Wilson
Aya Wilson, originally from Normal, Illinois, received her B.F.A. in dance from the University of Iowa. She has performed nationally and in Mexico and the Dominican Republic with Jennifer Kayle, Charlotte Adams, and the UI Dancers In Company. Recently, she has also had the pleasure of dancing with Nadia Tykulsker/Spark(edIT) Arts, Anna Adams Stark, Amy Jacobus Dance Projects, and Tara Aisha Willis, among others, and is beginning to present her own choreographic work.