Dancers

GREGORY BLACKMON
Gregory Blackmon, from Gary, IN, began his formal dance training in 2007 at Emerson School for the Visual and Performing Arts (while majoring in vocal music) and South Shore Dance Alliance under the direction of Larry Brewer.  He attended Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s summer 2008 intensive and the following year was accepted into the Ailey School’s summer intensive. Greg trained in the Ailey School’s Independent Study and Fellowship Programs and was a member of the Student Performance Group. After leaving the Ailey School, Greg received a full scholarship to the Dance Theater of Harlem school and an apprenticeship with the DTH Ensemble.  During his time in NYC, Greg was a member of Dance Iquail! and Opus Dance Theatre, Inc. and had the opportunity to work with world-renowned choreographers Sidra Bell, Camille A. Brown, Robert Garland, Christopher Huggins, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and Pedro Ruiz.. In 2011 he joined Eisenhower Dance Ensemble in Michigan where he performed works by Laurie Eisenhower, Joel Hall, and Harrison McEldowney as well as danced in the Detroit Opera House’s productions of Carmina Burana and The Pearl Fishers. Greg joined DanceWorks Chicago in September 2012. Gregory is excited to perform with Owen/Cox Dance Group!

WILLIAM CANNON
A native of Columbus, Ohio, William has danced with BalletMet, Hubbard Street 2, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and BalletX. He has had the pleasure of performing works by George Balanchine, Christian Spuck, Jorma Elo , Nicolo Fonte, Jiri Kylian and Cayetano Soto. He has also enjoyed working on projects with BalletNext, Gabrielle Lamb and Twyla Tharp in New York City.

RACHEL COATS
Ms. Coats, a native of Miami, Florida, received her primary instruction from Tony Catanzaro, as well as at the Mencia-Pikieris School of Dance and New World School of the Arts. She spent her summers studying on scholarship at the School of American Ballet and Boston Ballet. Ms. Coats has performed with both Nashville Ballet and Boston Ballet. She has received awards from the National Society of Arts and Letters and ARTS–NFAA Foundations. Most recently, Ms. Coats has performed with Kansas City Ballet and has enjoyed dancing in Afternoon of a Faun, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Dark Elegies, Brahms Paganini, and End of Time, among many others. Some of her favorite roles have included Desdemona in The Moor’s Pavane, the title role in Firebird, the Stripper in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, and Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. 

BOB DESKINS
Robert is originally from Columbus Ohio. He spent the majority of his career In Montreal as a Soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. He has also danced with Oregon Ballet Theatre,  Balletmet Columbus and Tersicorps Theatre of Dance. Some of his favorite dance experiences have included: working with Mats Ek and performing the Prince in his Sleeping Beauty, performing Romeo in James Canfield’s Romeo and Juliet, creating new works with Stephan Thoss, Didy Veldman, Andrew Skeels and Mauro Bigonzetti and the extensive work he has done with Ohad Naharin. Robert loves the process of creating dance and is happy to be working with Owen/Cox for his first time.

HOLLY DEWITT
Holly DeWitt, a native of Kansas City, began her dance training under the direction of Sharon & Nicole Romine at DanceWorks Conservatory.  She graduated with a BFA in Dance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  Other training includes the Milwaukee Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, ADF, Jacob’s Pillow, the scholarship program at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Springboard Danse Montreal. Holly’s professional credits include the Kansas City Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker, Deeply Rooted 2, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, and was a featured dancer/aerialist onboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.  She has had the opportunity to perform works by Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, David Parsons, and Milton Myers. Holly is a yoga enthusiast and enjoys teaching dance. She is excited to be back on stage with Owen/Cox Dance Group!

NADIA IOZZO
Nadia Iozzo, originally from Toronto, Ontario, spent the first four years of her career with Alberta Ballet, performed with National Choreographers Initiative, Motion Dance Theatre and danced with Kansas City Ballet for seven seasons. Ms. Iozzo has performed principal roles in ballets such as George Balanchine's Serenade and Who Cares?, Trey McIntyre’s The Naughty Boy, Yuri Possokhov’s Firebird and most recently performed as a guest artist with Ballet Bellevue as the title role in the classic, Giselle. Ms. Iozzo can be found on Bravo TV in the Joni Mitchell/Jean Grand Maître production The Fiddle and the Drum and in the CBC TV special The Secret of the Nutcracker. She currently teaches for the Kansas City Ballet School, as well as in their community outreach program and has set excerpts of Paquita on the Kansas City Youth Ballet. Ms. Iozzo is a Certified GYROTONIC® Trainer with the Gyrotonic Kansas City Center at Plaza Wellspring.

BETTY KONDO
Originally from Bowie, Maryland, Ms. Kondo trained at the Maryland Youth Ballet. She began her professional career with Orlando Ballet Company under the leadership of Fernando Bujones. During her three years there, participation in the American Dance Competition won her a high medal. She joined Kansas City Ballet in 2007 where she performed ballets including Nine Sinatra Songs, Company B, As Time Goes By, Frescoes from the Little Humpbacked Horse, Dark Elegies, and Rodeo. Before returning to Kansas City, Betty was a principal dancer with Eugene Ballet Company where she was featured in many of Toni Pimble's works such as All You Need is Love, Concerto Grosso, and Dark Side of the Moon. Her favorite roles while there included Clara, The Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Lead Female in Gerald Arpino's Light Rain. Betty is excited to once again be performing with Owen/Cox Dance Group.

JASON RODRIGUEZ
Jason Anthony Rodriguez, a native of NYC, grew up within a niche of the vogue community exploring underground dance. He was immersed in professional dance at Brockport College and transferred to Purchase College to excel his technique. Jason spent summers at Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Joffrey Ballet School, where he performed with Germaul Barnes’ Viewsic/Artistic Expressions Dance Company. He went on to work with James Atkinson’s Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre and with Abraham.In.Motion at APAP 2014. Jason has worked as a rehearsal assistant for Kevin Wynn at the Joffrey Ballet School and Steps on Broadway. Jason is currently working with Nomad Contemporary Ballet and Owen/Cox Dance Group for their productions of the Nutcracker and is an apprentice for Camille A Brown and Dancers. As an Arts Manager, he is an assistant for Kevin Wynn, faculty at Purchase College and the Alvin Ailey School. Jason has been substitute teacher at the Alvin Ailey School, instructing Modern Partnering for students in the BFA program, and Joffrey Ballet School, teaching Modern.

BRETT TAYLOR
Hailing from Saskatchewan, Canada, Brett Taylor is a graduate of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division. Upon graduation, Brett Taylor has worked with companies such as BJM Danse Montreal, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Ballet British Columbia, and Wen Wei Dance. Taylor has performed works by Aszure Barton, Barak Marshall, Itzik Galili, Cayetano Soto, Wen Wei Wang, Mauro Bigonzetti, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, James Gregg, and Andrew Skeels. Shared with a passion for musical theatre, Taylor has performed in musicals such as Mary Poppins, The Producers, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast, as well as music video Love Again by Kreesha Turner.

JAMES A. WASHINGTON
James A. Washington, a native of Rochester, NY, began his dance training at Dance 22. He graduated cum laude from the Conservatory at Point Park University, earning his BA in dance. James has worked with and performed pieces by Robert Battle, David Parsons, Christopher Huggins, Kyle Abraham, Francesca Harper, Camille A. Brown, Sidra Bell, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Peter Chu, and many others. James was ranked Top Five at the 2012 International Choreography Competition at Giordano Jazz Dance World Congress. His choreography credits also include: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Slippery Rock University, Cleveland School of the Arts, Houston Met Too Youth Company, and Abby Lee Dance Company (Dance Moms, Lifetime). James was the 2013 male recipient of the “Brazzy Award,” given for outstanding achievement in the field of dance. James was a founding member of the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble (“Top 25 to Watch” in 2012, Dance Magazine) under the direction of Greer Reed in Pittsburgh, PA. He has also performed as a guest artist with The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company in Houston, TX and is currently performing with Ballet Inc. and Michael Susten and Co in New York City. 

LATRA WILSON
Latra A. Wilson, a native of Tyler, TX, began her dance training at The Dance Factory under the tutelage of Pamela Erwin and Thersa Bryce-Cotes. She went on to study at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where she graduated with a BFA in Dance. Ms. Wilson has had the distinct pleasure to train as a scholarship recipient at The Center Dance, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and Tisch Dance Summer Festival. Ms. Wilson has worked and performed with Taylor 2, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, Earl Mosely Diversity in Dance, Iluminate Artist of Lights, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis's production of "The Kiss" & world premiere of "Champion", Owen/Cox Dance Group and Broadway Dance Lab Cycle 2. As a teaching artist Ms. Wilson is currently working with KCFAA, Youth Arts Academy and Alvin Ailey Arts in Education. In addition, Ms. Wilson just signed with McDonald Selznick Associates, also participating in various productions with The Box, Queen of The Night Late Night and Company Stefanie Batten Bland in NYC. Latra is looking forward to sharing creative space with Owen/Cox Dance Group!

JEFF WOLFE
Originating from Clearwater, Florida, Jeff received his training through the Houston Ballet Academy in Houston, Texas, which he attended for two years on scholarship and was accepted into Houston Ballet’s second company. Jeff has spent the past three years freelancing around the United States, dancing with the Montgomery Ballet (soloist), River North Dance Chicago, Brooklyn based Renegade Performance Group, and Ron De Jesus Dance Company. Jeff has also been seen as a dancer and aerialist on the cruise ship Oasis of the Seas. In addition Jeff spent four seasons dancing with BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio. Jeff has performed original works by renowned choreographers including Stanton Welch, Harrison McEldowney, Lauri Stallings, and Randy Duncan. In 2002, he attended the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York City. Jeff was also awarded the honor of being a winner in the Columbus Choreographic Project in 2008. Jeff Wolfe recently joined Montreal based companies, EzDanza in June 2012 and José Navas/Company Flak, in October 2012.