Guest Artists

Emily Culbreath

Emily (Lady Em) Culbreath (MFA) is a street and club dance choreographer, educator, writer, and practitioner. Culbreath is best known for her work as a principal dancer and rehearsal director with American street dance theater company, Rennie Harris Puremovement, as well as the co-founder and director of Snack Break Movement Arts; a Hip Hop Theater and education organization that presents work nationally and internationally, including at the San Francisco International Hip Hop Dance Festival and Summer Dance Forever (Amsterdam).

Her research investigates the intersections of critical race theory, gender studies, autoethnography, Hip Hop theater and pedagogy, and collaborative performance. Culbreath has served as a guest artist-in-residence at institutions across the U.S. and presented her work at the American College Dance Association National Festival (Washington, D.C. 2025). Over the past decade, she has taught and lectured in various academic and community settings, and she currently contributes writing to the dance journalism platform thINKingDANCE (Philadelphia). She will begin her appointment as Assistant Professor of Dance at Bates College in Fall 2026.

Faith Blue Magee and Hannah Staton

Faith Blue Magee and Hannah Staton are freelance performing artists based in Dallas, Texas and co-directors of Loam Dance Co. Faith received her BA from the University of North Texas and has trained with Zion Dance Project. She recently participated in a research program with Evelien Jansen through Arts&Studios and was part of the Creation Lab with Bombshell Dance Project in February 2025. Hannah, originally from Thailand, began dancing in 2005 and earned her BFA in Contemporary Dance with a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Her experience includes performing with SUAH African Dance Theatre, training with Zion Dance Project, and most recently, performing in Flies with Bombshell Dance Project.

Together, Faith and Hannah co-direct Loam, a contemporary dance company rooted in the exploration of ease in movement. Loam investigates how the body can move when tension is released and continual falling becomes the foundation of motion—pushing deeper into the possibilities of letting go.

Sydnie Mosely

Sydnie L. Mosley is an award-winning choreographer and writer renowned for socially aware creative work with her collective SLMDances. Her repertoire including her critically acclaimed evening-length dances PURPLE: A Ritual In Nine Spells (world premiere Lincoln Center 2023, two-time Bessie nominated), The Window Sex Project and BodyBusiness—as well as their creative processes—are a model for dance-activism. She was one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2024 and recognized by former NYC Mayor de Blasio in 2017 for using dance to fuel social change. Mosley was part of the Bessie Award-winning skeleton architecture, the future of our worlds, curated by Eva Yaa Asantewaa. In addition to her own work, which she has performed from Lincoln Center to the legendary Apollo Theater, she performed with Christal Brown's INSPIRIT (2010-2013) and Brooklyn Ballet (2009-2019). She has been a visiting lecturer at Harvard University. Her writing has appeared in ESSENCE, Dance Magazine, and The Washington Post. SLMDances has danced across the US including Brooklyn Museum, Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, Dance Brigade (San Francisco), Dance Place (Washington DC), Joyce Soho, Harlem Stage, Judson Church, and many more. She recently served as assistant choreographer for the first-ever full staging of Zora Neale Hurston's Spunk presented by Yale Repertory Theatre, a play that was lost to time until the Library of Congress uncovered the drama in 1997.

Dishman + Co.

Dishman + Co. Choreography is a collaborative dance company based in New York City since 2005. Artistic Director Elizabeth Dishman works through responsive choreographic processes to amplify and synergize the distinct movement voices of her co-creating dancers in vibrant movement dialogues. These exchanges foster deep attunement and communal power in vigorous, intimately knit dances and richly embodied audience encounters.

Dishman + Co.’s work and mission are rooted in the body’s expressive and connective potential. “We believe every body speaks in its own movement dialect - postures, gestures and gaits formed by our bodies’ particular shapes and histories. In a fractured cultural moment, we believe moving together attunes us to our shared humanity and builds communal connections uniquely forged in the body.”

Described by critics as “bodies in rigorous concentration,” and “playful and provocative…raw humanity seeps in,” Dishman + Co.’s original dance works have been presented at theaters and universities across the country: Dixon Place, Center for Performance Research, Gibney Dance Center, BRIC Studio, 100 Grand, the off-Broadway Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, Triskelion Arts, 7Stages Theatre, Emory University, 14th Street Playhouse, The Beam Theater, Auburn University, Belhaven University and others.

Michaella Barron

Michaella Barron is a choreographer, dancer, educator and founder of Forza Dance. A graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA program, she holds degrees in Dance and International Political Economy with a concentration in Italian—bridging her cultural roots with her passion for movement.

Her choreographic career spans staged works, music videos, musicals and film. She has presented work across NYC at Teatro Latea, The Rose Nagelburg Theatre, Triskelion Arts, Arts on Site and The TADA Theater among others, and in San Antonio. Her films Maria and Outside In were featured at the Booking Dance Festival and DUMBO Dance Festival, and her staged works have been selected for performance at Winter Follies, Stage Dive, Spark Theater Festival, Emerging Artist Spotlight and more.

As an educator, Barron has taught masterclasses across New York City, Michigan and Italy, sharing her artistry with diverse communities of dancers. As an advocate for equity in dance, she also creates empowering opportunities for artists through Forza Dance, a company where artistry, community and social change meet. Forza has been commissioned by Dance Parade NYC, Luminaria Arts Festival and Daniel Gall, and was awarded the Gibney NY Community Trust Residency (2024) and a 2025 NYSCA grant.

With repertory including La Tarantella—an evening-length work exploring Italian folklore, women’s empowerment and healing—Forza Dance builds a vibrant community committed to cultural change and an innovative, equitable future for the field.

Chintan Patel

Chintan Patel is an artist deeply devoted to the transformative power of Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form. To him, Bharatanatyam goes beyond superficial appearances, serving as a window into profound metaphors within the tapestry of our lives. Recognizing its inherent spiritual essence, Patel perceives Bharatanatyam as a medium for spiritual upliftment, one that resonates with all classical art forms.

As a member of Tejas Dance, a dynamic platform established by Bhuvana Venkatraman in 2014 to enrich and popularize Bharatanatyam, Patel finds himself immersed in the vibrant realm of this ancient art. Tejas Dance not only nurtures talent within the field but also holds a firm belief in the boundless potential of all art forms, especially Bharatanatyam. With a desire to harmonize tradition with contemporary concepts, Tejas Dance seeks to integrate this magnificent art form into diverse cultural landscapes.

Within the realm of Tejas Dance, Patel assumes the role of artistic director, embracing his passion as a dancer and choreographer. Firmly grounded in tradition, he continuously endeavors to infuse Bharatanatyam with new meanings, breathing fresh life into its techniques and themes. Through his dedication and enthusiasm, Patel strives to push the boundaries of Bharatanatyam, inviting audiences to experience its timeless beauty and relevance in the modern era.

Ashley Horn

Ashley Horn is a dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, costume designer and dance educator from the Houston area. She has created costumes for FrenetiCore, Frame Dance Productions, Open Dance Project, Sara Draper, Teresa Chapman, Karen Stokes, Houston Metropolitan Dance, The Pilot Dance Project, 6 Degrees Dance and her own works. Horn is a two-time recipient of an individual artist grant from the Houston Arts Alliance for choreography, has been the artist in residence at Hope Stone, Houston Community College and Rice University and has been a guest choreographer for Rice, Houston Community College, The Institute of Contemporary Dance and The Pilot Dance Project. Horn is the Director of Curriculum and Pedagogy at Frame Dance.

Alexandra Beller

Alexandra Beller choreographed “Sense and Sensibility” (Sheen Center, Judson Gym, Folger Shakespeare Library, American Repertory Theater, Portland Center Stage), (Helen Hayes Award, Lortel Nomination, IRNE Best Choreography), the Off Broadway musical, “The Mad Ones” (59E59), Bedlam’s “Peter Pan” (Duke Theater), “Two Gentlemen of Verona” (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival), “As You Like It” (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Folger Shakespeare Library), “How to transcend a happy marriage” by Sarah Ruhl (Lincoln Center Theater) and others. Upcoming: “Antonio’s Song” (CATF, Milwaukee Rep), “Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes)” (La MaMa/La Jolla/touring), and Directing/Choreographing “Make Thick My Blood,” a two-person adaptation of Macbeth opening off-Broadway July 2022, and Midsummer NIght’s Dream opening in July at Folger Shakespeare Library in DC.

Her international career includes seven years with the Bill. T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, projects with Martha Clarke, John Turturro and others. Alexandra Beller/Dances formed in 2001, and she has created more than 40 original dance theater works for her own company and others. Her choreography has been presented at theaters throughout the US and in Korea, Hong Kong, Oslo, Cyprus, St. Petersburg and Poland.

Beller holds a BFA/Dance, MFA/Dance and CMA (Certified Movement Analyst) in Laban Movement Analysis/Bartenieff Fundamentals. She is on faculty at Princeton University, Rutgers University and The Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies, and guest teaches nationally and internationally. She also has a private Somatic Therapy practice and provides multiple forms of private mentorship. She has consulted with numerous institutions about curriculum planning, syllabus development and pedagogy including the 92nd St Y, LIMS and Dancio.com.

Emily Figueroa

Emily Figueroa is a 25-year-old dancer, teacher and dance studio owner. Figueroa grew up in Houston, training mainly in hip hop, tap and modern dance. She attended HSPVA where her passion for dancing and teaching blossomed. Some of Figueroa’s credits include performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Super Bowl 50, Astroworld with Pharrell and choreographing for artists such as Haleston Dare Chlo Subia. On top of these achievements, Figueroa is an choreographer, winning more than 10 competitions. She manages her family restaurant as well as opening her own dance studio in 2021 and teaching dance throughout the greater Houston area. In her free time, Figueroa loves to spend time with her dogs, cook and find new ways to be active, whether cross training, taking gymnastics classes or roller skating

Khalil McNeil

Khalil McNeil is co-owner of the studio Garage 713 in Houston and a working choreographer. McNeil first got the itch to perform and entertain after doing a rather odd rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” for his fifth grade talent show. By fall 2008 McNeil joined a performance team called FLY Dance Company and trained in foundational styles such as popping, breaking and locking. He performed locally all over the Houston area in shows and events like the Bayou City Arts Festival, high school spring shows, expos, quinces and more.

From 2012 to 2021, McNeil got into choreography and competition side of the dance community when he joined SoReal Dance Studio as a student, dancer and instructor where his choreography would go on to win numerous awards. A career highlight was winning an online choreography competition hosted by Jaquel Knight. Some other highlights include dancing in the Justin Bieber “Second Emotion” music video and the 2022 Billboard Music Awards with Diddy. He has worked with various industry choreographers associated with Michael Jackson, Beyonce, N.E.R.D., Janet Jaclson, Britney Spears, Pharrell, Megan Thee Stallion and more. McNeil hopes that, with owning a studio and having a new found leadership in the community, he can bring back a little of how it was when he was just starting to dance.

Ying Xu

Ying Xu holds an MFA in Dance from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and furthered her studies at the Trinity Laban Institute in London, specializing in movement analysis. She was honored with the prestigious Henry Kurth Award for Excellence in Theatrical Elements and the Eva L. Pancoast Award, presented by the Board of Trustees at CWRU. Ying also earned a BFA in Dance from the Beijing Dance Academy, China’s foremost dance conservatory.

In addition to her performance and choreography career, Ying has extensive teaching experience across ballet, modern dance, and non-Western dance forms. She has taught at the dance departments of the University of Wisconsin- Madison, Penn State University, and Coker University. She has been involved with the American College Dance Festival Association at UW-Milwaukee, contributing her expertise to a wider community of dance educators and students.