Dancers
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MARLAYNA LOCKLEAR
Marlayna Locklear hails from Milwaukee,WI. She began her training at the age of 12 and went on to graduate from Milwaukee High School of the Arts and University of the Arts with a BFA in Ballet and Jazz. Marlayna was one of the founding members of The Milwaukee Dance Connection and has gone on to dance with Eleone Dance Theatre, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dallas Black Dance Theatre II , Deeply Rooted and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company where she served as the company jazz and contemporary instructor as well as resident choreographer for DCDC II. Marlayna is a freelance artist who teaches and choreographs at Universities around the nation. She is also the Founder/Director of Indurance Dance Intensive. She most recently finished filming the James Franco Film "Blood Heist" and studying abroad in Italy with VIVO Ballet. LAURA JONES WALLNER
Laura Jones Wallner, originally from Hamilton, Montana, started dancing at the age of 6. She began attending the University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ School of Dance when she was 14, where she later graduated from their high school Classical Ballet program. During this time, Laura also studied with Boston Ballet and Houston Ballet. After high school, Laura danced professionally with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet II and with the Missouri Contemporary Ballet. Since moving to Kansas City, she has danced extensively with Quixotic and with Owen/Cox Dance Group. |
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FELICIA MCBRIDE
Originally from San Antonio, Felicia began her ballet training at the age of 12. She attended summer intensives at Houston Ballet, The Chautauqua Institute, Tulsa Ballet, and Ballet Austin. Felicia has danced professionally with companies such as Hubbard Street II, Ballet Austin II, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, Hedwig Dances, Kristina Isabelle Dance Company, and Chicago Repertory Ballet. She has performed works by Jiri Kylian, Matts Ek, Mauro Bigonzetti, Dominic Walsh, Stephen Mills, Alejandro Cerrudo, Maurya Kerr, Penny Saunders, Edgar Zendejas, Gabrielle Lamb, and Robyn Mineko Williams. Felicia has also guested for three seasons with Les Grands Ballet Canadiens in their production of “The Nutcracker.” She has toured to Italy, Germany, and The Netherlands for various performance opportunities with a few of the companies mentioned above. Felicia recently expanded her skill set and learned how to dance on stilts from Kristina Isabelle during her time living in Chicago. Felicia is very excited to continue her freelance career based out of Austin with ARCOS Dance as well as smaller companies outside of Texas. |
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DEMETRIUS MCCLENDON
Born and raised in the south side of Chicago, Demetrius began dancing with street hip-hop at age 15; he began his formal training at Northern Illinois University, where he graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance and minors in Black and LGBT Studies. He was previously a scholarship student at Lou Conte Dance Studios and has attended summer intensives with Deeply Rooted Productions and the Joffrey Ballet. He has danced professionally with DanceWorks Chicago and TU Dance and as guest artist with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance, Deeply Rooted’s Emerging Choreographers Showcase, Chicago Repertory Ballet, DanszLoop Chicago, Pursuit Productions, and the Civic Ballet of Chicago. He embraces dance as a spiritual practice and uses the arts, in conjunction with his passion for social justice, to inspire revolutionary change. He feels very blessed to share energies again with Owen/Cox Dance Group. |
CHRISTOPHER PAGE-SANDERS
Christopher Page-Sanders, is thrilled to work with Owen/Cox Dance Group once again. He is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and received his formal dance training from the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) and the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He currently serves as the founder and co-artistic director of the Nu-World Contemporary Dance Theater. For the past seven years he danced, taught and choreographed as a member of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. In 2013, he was recognized and given the Leni Wylliams Award for choreography and innovation from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. To his mentors and to his ancestors on your shoulders I dance! Peace and Blessings; Love, Light and Art!
Christopher Page-Sanders, is thrilled to work with Owen/Cox Dance Group once again. He is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and received his formal dance training from the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) and the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He currently serves as the founder and co-artistic director of the Nu-World Contemporary Dance Theater. For the past seven years he danced, taught and choreographed as a member of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. In 2013, he was recognized and given the Leni Wylliams Award for choreography and innovation from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. To his mentors and to his ancestors on your shoulders I dance! Peace and Blessings; Love, Light and Art!
EMILY MUSHINSKI
Emily Tatham is a native of the Kansas City area. She studied at American Dance Center under the instruction of Kristopher Estes-Brown and Jennifer Tierney. During her time there, she was a member of American Youth Ballet and performed lead roles in ballets such as The Firebird, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. She furthered her training at summer intensives with Joffrey Midwest, Boston Ballet, LINES Ballet, Ballet X, and Trisha Brown Dance Company. She recently graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Purchase College where she was the recipient of the SUNY Chancellor's Award. In 2015, she had the opportunity to study at Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam, Netherlands for a semester. Emily has had the privilege to perform works by choreographers such as George Balanchine, Trisha Brown, Adam Hougland, Gabrielle Lamb, Matthew Neenan, Taryn Kaschock Russell, Bettijane Sills, and Manuel Vignoulle. She has taught dance locally and internationally through organizations such as JUNTOS Collective, Panama Mission Foundation, and India Gospel League.
Emily Tatham is a native of the Kansas City area. She studied at American Dance Center under the instruction of Kristopher Estes-Brown and Jennifer Tierney. During her time there, she was a member of American Youth Ballet and performed lead roles in ballets such as The Firebird, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. She furthered her training at summer intensives with Joffrey Midwest, Boston Ballet, LINES Ballet, Ballet X, and Trisha Brown Dance Company. She recently graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Purchase College where she was the recipient of the SUNY Chancellor's Award. In 2015, she had the opportunity to study at Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam, Netherlands for a semester. Emily has had the privilege to perform works by choreographers such as George Balanchine, Trisha Brown, Adam Hougland, Gabrielle Lamb, Matthew Neenan, Taryn Kaschock Russell, Bettijane Sills, and Manuel Vignoulle. She has taught dance locally and internationally through organizations such as JUNTOS Collective, Panama Mission Foundation, and India Gospel League.
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CAROLINE DAHM
Caroline Dahm began her dance training under Patrick Frantz (Paris Opera Ballet) and has furthered her training with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Boston Ballet, Batsheva Dance Company/Gaga, North Carolina School of the Arts, Orlando Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, and River North Dance Chicago. Caroline earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography, with dual emphasis in Ballet and Modern Dance, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. She has danced professionally with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Kansas City Ballet, Owen/Cox Dance Group, Quixotic, Bach Aria Soloists, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Wylliams/Henry Dance Company. Caroline has worked with choreographers such as Gary Abbott, Jennifer Archibald, Frank Chavez, Gregory Dawson, Christian Denice, Christopher Huggins, Kevin Iega Jeff, Robert Moses Kin, Kameron Saunders, and Elaine Kimble-Peaks. She was also selected to dance in West Side Story in the Grand Opening Gala of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (2014), performed Memoria with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in Kansas City, MO (2016), and the Dance USA National Conference Opening Gala in (2017) also held at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Caroline was honored to perform with Wylliams/Henry at Jacob’s Pillow on their world-renowned stage for the Inside/Out Festival in July of 2018. She has been on faculty for the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey and has taught ballet at Ailey Camp for several years. Caroline has a passion for training pre-professional/ professional dancers and currently trains artists for Artists Revealed, Empire Dance Academy, the UMKC Conservatory (Dance). She also has her 250-hour RYT Yoga Certification. Caroline has been a member of Wylliams/ Henry since 2014. |
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TRISTIAN GRIFFIN
Tristian Griffin began his training in Kansas City, MO and In 2014, graduated from Texas Christian University receiving his BFA in Ballet with an English minor. Following graduation, he joined Garth Fagan Dance Company for 3 years. More recently, he was given the opportunity to perform with the Metropolitan Opera House, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Company E, Springboard Danse Montreal, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, and Owen/Cox Dance Group. Throughout Tristian’s career, he has danced works by William Forsythe, Ronald K. Brown, Ohad Naharin, Gregory Dawson, Christian Von Howard, Alex Ketley, and Gerald Arpino. Aside from dancing professionally, he has also taught in various settings including classes through Em’s Spotlight, H.A.L.O. (Helping Art Liberate Orphans) Foundation, and Kansas City’s Friends of Alvin Ailey for underprivileged children at several Kansas City’s community centers. While freelancing, Tristian discovered his passion for choreography and his latest creation, “Palimpsest”, was commissioned by Charlotte Street Foundation, ArtsKC, and Nelson-Atkins Museum to produce his own performance series. He was also selected as tenure for the Charlotte Street Foundation’s 2018-2020 Artist-in-Residency program. |
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MARIAN FAUSTINO
Marian began her dance training in the Philppines with Ballet Manila in the Russian Vaganova style. As a student, she danced in the corps de ballet with the professional company, and worked her way up eventually perform principal & soloist roles in many full-length classics which include The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, La Bayadere, Giselle, Swan Lake and Le Corsaire. With Ballet Manila, Marian performed on stages throughout Southeast Asia, Russia, Europe, and the United States. She was also chosen represent the Philippines in several major ballet competitions was awarded semi-finalist and finalist certificates in Moscow and Nagoya. Marian continued her career with Ballet Philippines where she received additional training in Graham and Horton techniques, and increased exposure to neo-classical and contemporary ballet. In 2011, Marian relocated to the United States to join Ballet Nouveau Colorado in Denver, which later rebranded and became Wonderbound. After five seasons with the company, she made the decision to work as a freelance dance artist and has since performed for the Denver Art Museum, Central City Opera ,The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Malashock Dance San Diego, The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Zikr Dance Ensemble. In addition to dancing professionally, Marian graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Family Life & Child Development in 2008. This has proven to be a wonderful asset in teaching dance to students of all levels over the past 10 years. In the Denver area, Marian currently teaches at Premier School of Dance, Denver Ballet Theater, and Denver Dance Center. She is beyond excited to be joining the faculty at Littleton Contemporary Dance Center. |