Lisa Thorn

Originally from Dryden, NY, Lisa began her training at the Ithaca Ballet, and received the majority of her training as a scholarship student at North Carolina School of the Arts. Lisa is currently the Associate Ballet Mistress for the Kansas City Ballet, where she danced for 17 years. During her career with the Kansas City Ballet she danced a wide variety of principal and supporting roles in works by choreographers such as Ailey, Balanchine, Bolender, Bournonville, DeMille, Duato, Reinking, Petipa, and Sokolov, to name a few. Lisa has also performed professionally with the Albany/Berkshire Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Starlight Theatre, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Wylliams/Henry Danse Theatre. In addition to her dance career, Lisa has also choreographed a number of works for a variety of venues, including four pieces for Kansas City Ballet's "In The Wings," the Lee's Summit Symphony "Holiday Magic" and the Steppin' Out Dance Company. In 2005, Lisa was invited to attend the Craft of Choreography Workshop as an Emerging Choreographer.

Rebka Sakati

Rebka Sakati is from Clark Mills, New York where she began dance training under the direction of Delia Foley, A.R.A.D. While earning her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College, she continued her training with Cherie Noble and the Rock School of Pennsylvania.  A former member of Kansas City Ballet, Charleston Ballet Theatre, Columbia City Ballet, Ballethnic Dance Company and Wylliams-Henry Danse Theatre, Rebka has enjoyed performing a diverse repertoire of works ranging from classical ballet to African dance.  Ever privileged to share her love of dance with students of all ages, she has instructed for R.O.A.D., a Kansas City Ballet outreach program, been artistic coach and choreographer for The Figure Skating Club of Omaha, and served on the faculties of Ailey Camp Missouri, Columbia Conservatory of Dance, Ballethnic Academy of Dance, School of Ballet Omaha and Wesleyan College.

Jennifer Owen

Jennifer Owen's ballet career has taken her around the globe. After training with Pacific Northwest Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, School of American Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, she went on to dance with the Russian State Ballet, Moscow Renaissance Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, BalletMet, and had the unique experience of appearing as a guest artist with the National Ballet of Turkmenistan.  Notable roles Jennifer has danced include the title role in Giselle, Kitri in Don Quixote, principal roles in George Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Donizetti Variations, and the central pas de deux in Todd Bolender's Arena.  While maintaining the rigors of dancing with a ballet company, Jennifer actively built a substantial body of choreographic work, including nine new works for Kansas City Ballet's In the Wings choreographic workshop, a piece for Kansas City based Quixotic Performance Fusion, and a winning entry for the 2006 Columbus Choreography Project.  Jennifer is the recipient of a 2000 Princess Grace Honorarium.

Jennifer Tierney

Originally from northern California, Jennifer Tierney started her training with Crocket-Deane Ballet; the founding school of the Sacramento Ballet.  She then continued her training at Ballet West Conservatory in Salt Lake City. Ms. Tierney started her professional career at Milwaukee Ballet dancing in original and full length productions such as Don Quixote and Giselle.  She then returned to California to join Sacramento Ballet's company. Ms. Tierney was seen in Balanchine's Concerto Borroco, Theme and Variations, and Western Symphony. After two years in Sacramento she accepted a contract with Columbia City Ballet. While in South Carolina, Jennifer performed as Golden Vine Fairy in Sleeping Beauty and Harlot in Romeo and Juliet.  She then join Oakland Ballet where she danced soloist roles such as Rose Queen in Ron Guidi’s The Nutcracker and principal featured roles in productions such as Donald McKayle’s Ella.  In Oakland, Jennifer also performed in revivals of Nijinska’s Les Noces and Eugene Loring’s Billy the Kid. Ms. Tierney is very excited to be a part of Owen/Cox Dance Group and its premiere production.

Lateef Williams

Mr. Williams began his ballet training at age of eight at the Academy of Dance in Wilmington. He later studied on full scholarship at the School of American Ballet for two years, where he performed leading roles in works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. Mr. Williams also was a professional division student with the Pacific Northwest Ballet School where he performed in a variety of ballets, including The Nutcracker, The Merry Widow, Firebird and Silver Lining. Mr. Williams has performed with the Pennsylvania Ballet while a student at the Rock School, and studied on full scholarship at the San Francisco Ballet School for their summer program. Mr. Williams currently dances for Kansas City Ballet, where he has danced in Stravinsky Violin Concerto, La Fille mal gardee, and The Catherine Wheel Suite.

Mr. Williams appears with Owen/Cox Dance Group courtesy of Kansas City Ballet.

Matthew Carney

Matt Carney, native of St. Louis, MO, began his dance training at Ballet Midwest and the Center of Contemporary Arts. He danced with the Modern American Dance Company (MADCO) before moving to Kansas City. He has performed with the Wylliams/Henry Danse Theatre, The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Missouri Contemporary Ballet, and is on the Board of Minds Eye Theatre. Matt is currently enrolled at the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Conservatory of Music and Dance pursuing degrees in Dance and Psychology. He is excited and thankful for the opportunity to perform with OCDG.

Andrew Lamar

Andrew Lamar received his classical training from the North Carolina School of the Arts and Houston Ballet Academy.  He then earned a BFA from the Ailey School and Fordham University in New York where he worked with many leading artists of both ballet and contemporary dance, becoming one of the first graduates of the Ailey/ Fordham BFA program in 2002.  He joined Kansas City Ballet (KCB) immediately after college and was a company member for three years. Andrew now does community outreach through KCB’s Reach Out and Dance (ROAD) program, teaching children in the third and fourth grade basic dance and musicality, in addition to performing as a guest artist for local dance companies.  He is also a ballet instructor for Danceworks Conservatory in Leawood, Kansas and Starstruck Performing Arts Center in Lenexa.  Andrew has created choreography for the Houston Ballet Summer Intensive, The Ailey School, and three works for Kansas City Ballet’s annual In the Wings.  

Jerome "Nuney" Stigler

Jerome Stigler, a native of St. Louis, MO began his training at the Katherine Dunham Children's Workshop and the Center for Contemporary Arts. He has a BFA in dance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and an MFA in Dance From the University of Iowa. Mr. Stigler has performed with the dance companies of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, St. Louis Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet, Charlotte Adams & Dancers, Dallas-Fort Worth Ballet, and Wylliams/Henry Danse Theatre.

Kristopher Estes-Brown

Kristopher Estes-Brown, originally from the Kansas City area, received his early training with Dennis and Kathy Landsman at the American Dance Center.  Since then Kristopher has danced professionally with companies across the United States including Milwaukee Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Columbia City Ballet, and Oakland Ballet.  He has performed classically in productions of Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake while dancing in the works of contemporary choreographers like George Balanchine, ToniPimble, Kathy Posin, Ron Cunningham, and Lisa de Ribere.  Kristopher has also choreographed and taught for several organizations across the country and is very excited to bring his love for dance back to his hometown.