Dance Source Houston Announces Barnstorm Dance Fest 2024

CONTACT:

Mollie Haven Miller
Executive Director, Dance Source Houston
mollie@dancesourcehouston.org

Dance Source Houston Announces Barnstorm Dance Fest 2024

Houston, TX (March 29, 2024) – Dance Source Houston is thrilled to announce the lineup for Barnstorm Dance Fest 2024, running May 28-June 1 at Midtown Arts & Theatre Center Houston (MATCH) and local studios. Featuring 19 live performance works, 5 dance films, 5 public classes, and 3 artist panels, the festival offers Houstonians a deep dive into the rich world of dance from our city, region, and beyond.

Performance works and dance films are split across 3 unique programs, that are each presented twice in Matchbox 2 at MATCH, allowing audiences to experience a range of dance forms within each program. The 2024 lineup includes aerial, Bharatanatyam, contemporary, dance on film, Kathak, modern, and more. The first presentation of each program will be followed by a facilitated artist panel discussion to provide insight into the creative process.

Dance Source Houston crafts the festival each year through an open application process that is curated by a panel of dance community members. The 2024 curation team included Roberta Paixao Cortes, Lori Yuill, and Uwazi Zamani. Barnstorm also serves as the culminating event for Dance Source Houston’s Artists In Residence cohort. The 2023-24 AIRs include Tarika Nath, Lauren Serrano, and Jadd Tank. Their works developed through the residency will be featured in the festival, with one AIR on each program.

In addition to performance programs, public workshops led by festival artists will take place throughout the week. Open to all movers, sessions will rotate studio locations around Greater Houston and be focused on a range of dance styles and practices.

Performance tickets are on sale now at matchouston.org with single program tickets and all festival pass options available. Registration for workshops will open in April at dancesourcehouston.org.

Festival Schedule:

Program A
May 28* & 31 @ 7:30pm
Alexander Schellow
Bones Dance Project
Lauren Serrano & Dancers
Loren Holmes
Mark Aguilar
Red Nightfall Dance Theatre
Travis Prokop
Valeria Galluccio

Program B
May 29* @ 7:30pm & June 1 @ 5:00pm
Haley Lee
Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies
Sarah Farnsley & Stirling Matheson
Silambam Houston
Stacey Allen
Tarika Nath
The Pilot Dance Project
Versaille Jones

Program C
May 30* & June 1 @ 7:30pm
Deepta Seshadri & Radhika Karandikar
Garage Arts Project Dance Ensemble
Jadd Tank
Jax Neal
Jennifer Mabus
Rivkah French Choreography
Sheena Kapila
Violet Moon

MATCH, 3400 Main Street

*Indicates performance is followed by an artist panel discussion.

Tickets
$25 single program // $65 3-program pass
matchouston.org/events/2024/barnstorm-dance-fest-2024.

Workshop Series
May 29, 30, 31 & June 1 from 10-11:30am

Sessions, instructors, and studio locations will be announced in April at dancesourcehouston.org/barnstorm-dance-fest/. Sliding scale pricing will be available for all classes/workshops.

Press and promotional images can be found here.

Meet The Artists

Program A

Alexander Schellow deals closely with relations between space, perception, and action at the junction between artistic and scientific research. Since 1999, he has been working on reconstruction processes from memory, based on an ongoing daily drawing practice, generating various formats of drawings, animations / films, archives, installations, readings, performances, and texts. His works, partially developed within collectives such as ARG have been distributed internationally in screenings, lectures, and installations, most recently a.o. @ MIAM Sète, ICA Sofia, Khiasma Paris, FID Marseille, BOZAR and WIELS Brussels, Mechelen Biennial, Casablanca Biennial, ANMASIVO Mexico City, IZIKO Museum Cape Town.

Bones Dance Project is a project-based dance company operating out of Austin, TX. Co-Artistic Directors Lilly Thurman and Erin Ellis create spaces for collaboration through a process-based approach, generating a trademark absurdity. The companys work is an unpredictable hodgepodge of movement invention and theatrical storytelling. This art form seeks to connect relatable moments for viewers. Human emotions, connections, and experiences serve as the primary sources of inspiration, contributing to the core of our artistic expression.

Lauren Serrano is originally from Orange County, California. She attended Orange County High School for the Performing Arts for classical and commercial dance. Lauren graduated from University of California Santa Barbara with a B.F.A. in Dance, and later received her Masters in Dance Education from the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at Hunter College in 2015. While pursuing her passion for dance education in California, she performed with Santa Barbara Dance Theater and Nebula Dance Lab. Lauren graduated from Sam Houston State University (SHSU) with her M.F.A. Her work has been selected to perform in festivals in California, New York, and at Barnstorm Dance Fest in Texas. Serrano was recently selected as one of the 2023-2024 Artists in Residence cohort from Dance Source Houston. She is currently based in Houston dancing with NobleMotion Dance and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Dance at Sam Houston State University.

Loren Holmes is a dedicated dancer from Beaumont with training in various dance styles. She earned an Associates in Art with a Dance focus, graduating with honors. Her journey spans acclaimed dance companies, international collaborations, and performances at major events like Coachella and The BET Awards. Loren is currently an Artist in Residence with The Anderson Center for the Arts. She is the founder of Hearts in Motion Hou, a mobile dance company. She also actively engages with arts organizations and serves as a Transformation Area Arts Steward, championing equitable arts programming. Loren’s impact extends globally, showcased through performances in Milan and collaborations with notable artists. Some of her work has been featured in The Houston Fringe Festival 2023, Barnstorm Dance Fest 2023, and other dance festivals. Her passion truly lies in using dance as a universal language for transformation.

Mark Aguilar is a Houston native who is a graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts with a bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Spanish. While attending NYU, he had the pleasure of choreographing multiple pieces on his peers, including Masculine vs. Feminine, T.M.R & N.O.A, In Red Ctrl, and F2A/F2B. Additionally, he was able to work with Rafael Cañals, and the Trisha Brown Dance Company. He also created a piece for the Second Avenue Dance Company named Chingon/a. Mark is a Kinder HSPVA graduate of the class of 2020 where he had the opportunity to work with Zack Tang, Hope Stone, and Michael Foley.

Red Nightfall Dance Theatre specializes in crafting immersive experiences through film and live performance. Founded by Dorothy O’Shea Overbey in 2017 and based in Austin, Red Nightfall’s mission is to forge new mythologies that resonate with contemporary audiences. In the face of a chaotic world, the creation of beauty is an act of liberation. Overbey is a dancer, choreographer, pianist, filmmaker, and producer. She holds a BFA in Dance and a BA in Philosophy from SMU. Her performance career includes Colorado Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Fugate/Bahiri Ballet New York, IDFA Amsterdam, as well as numerous independent choreographers in NYC. Overbey trained in Meisner technique at the Atlantic Theatre School and appeared in indie films, commercials, and Off-Off Broadway. She recently stepped down from the dance faculty at UT Austin to focus on creative work. Overbey is also co-owner of First Street Studio, a studio/performance venue that provides affordable space to Austin artists.

Travis Prokop serves the University of Houston as an Assistant Professor of Dance with choreographic works produced locally, regionally, and nationally. Prokop has also been commissioned by multiple universities to serve as a guest lecturer and choreograph original work. As a performer, Travis Prokop has been featured on national television for the FOX broadcasting shows So You Think You Can Dance (Season 5) and American Crime (Season 2, Episode 5). Travis has also danced with numerous companies in the Houston, TX area. Travis has also acted as a soloist for Lone Star Ballet (Amarillo, TX) and as dance captain for TEXAS: The Outdoor Musical (Canyon, TX). Travis has performed nationally in the New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. areas and continues to serve the Houston dance community.

Valeria Galluccio started her career as a professional dancer in Biennal of Venice as a soloist under the direction of Ismael Ivo. Since 2011, she is a permanent member of the Compagnie Marie Chouinard, interpreting live performances, multimedia pieces, and teaching repertoire. In 2015, Valeria won the title of the best Italian interpreter abroad by the magazine Danza&Danza. In 2017, she received the prestigious prize Positano “Leonide Massine” as international dancer of the year. In 2019, she received the title of forefront Italian dancer on the international contemporary dance scene with prize “Sfera d’Oro per la danza.” In 2019, Valeria signed her first choreography: “She’s moving,” presented in Naples. In 2021, she worked as choreographer and performer for the 360° VR danse film Tavata. In 2023 she created the short film LUCE, winner of the First prize at the Cinedanza Festival, Creativity Prize at the DDFF and the “Marilena Riccio” prize at the Immagina International Dance Film Festival.

Program B

Adam Castan͂eda is a dancer, choreographer, and arts administrator living in Houston, Texas. He is the Executive and Artistic Director of The Pilot Dance Project. He was recently awarded a Support for Artists and Creative Individuals Grant from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance for a new evening-length dance work, “The Women of Northside.” Outside of dance, Adam holds an MA in English and American literature from the University of Houston, and is a proud full-time faculty member of Houston Community College’s English department. For more information, visit www.pilotdanceproject.org.

Haley Lee is a Houston-based dancer and teaching artist who specializes in contemporary dance styles as well as acrobatic-arts. Lee is a member of contemporary dance company 6Degrees, and has performed with Karen Stokes Dance, and Mezclada Dance Company. She earned her BFA in dance from the University of Houston in 2020 and continues to explore choreography as collaborative and solo pieces for local shows. She is an involved teacher at the Jewish Community Center, Dayton Academy of Dance, and Core Dance Alliance. Lee is an active teaching artist for Young Audiences of Houston, as well as Hope Stone, and is dedicated to the furtherment of educational outreach which serves Houston communities.

Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies (she/her) is a multidisciplinary choreographer, dancer, and movement educator based in Minneapolis, MN. She was Ballet Co.Laboratory’s 2023 Laboratory II Emerging Choreographer and a member of the eighth cohort of Doug Varone and Dancers’ DEVICES choreographic mentorship program. Born and raised in Lexington, Massachusetts, Hannah trained at the Lexington School of Ballet, the Boston Ballet School, and the Joffrey Ballet School, later graduating from Reed College and the Vertigo International Dance Program in Jerusalem. She is a founding member of sub.set dance and an alumna of ODC’s Pilot Program (cohort 72) and her work has been presented at the Walker Arts Center, Manhattan Movement Arts, the Ten Tiny Dances festival, TBA: The Works, hq pdx, SpectorDance, Studio Azul, and ODC’s Studio B. Hannah is also an accomplished lindy hop and authentic jazz dancer and regularly teaches and competes around the country. Find her online at hannah-mm.com.

Sarah Farnsley is a choreographer, dancer, and passionate dancers’ rights advocate. She has choreographed for Louisville Ballet and Ballet Memphis and her dance film Absolution won awards for Best New Director and Best Experimental Short. Sarah has performed across the US and internationally with English National Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and was Édouard Lock’s rehearsal assistant at the Paris Opera Ballet. Her writing about equality in dance has been published by the Mayor of London’s Office and the Journal of Performing Arts Leadership in Higher Education. She is currently the Managing Director of the Indy Dance Council. Stirling Matheson is an award-winning director, producer, and choreographer of ballet and film and the former founding director of Ballet Theatre of Indiana. He has created numerous ballets ranging from short abstract works to bold and theatrical full-length story ballets, and his work is guided by the principle of having a purpose behind every step.

Silambam Houston, founded in 2002, is Houston’s premiere organization for Indian classical arts. The arts academy serves 180 students in weekly arts classes, with 20 teaching artists on staff. The Silambam Houston Dance Company, comprising dancers from 4 genres of Indian classical dance, is known for the cross-cultural appeal of its original productions and performs to sold-out houses at Houston venues, including the iconic Miller Outdoor Theater. Silambam’s robust outreach programming includes K-12 programs, interactive community workshops/performances, and digital arts integration, such as ‘Storytime With Silambam’ & ‘Dancing Into STEM’ – a video series using English narration & Indian dance to communicate Indian stories & STEM concepts, respectively. The organization’s diverse audiences reflect the thoughtful, inclusive, cross-cultural content curation, which showcases Indian arts while remaining accessible across cultural, language, socioeconomic, ability, and artistic barriers.

Stacey Allen is a performance artist, curator, and advocate for arts education, educational equity, and reproductive justice all while being a wife and mother to three beautiful children. She is the Founder/Artistic Director of Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective. Danielle Mason is a cultural preservationist, educator, and scholar-practitioner engaged in the matrilineal transmission of womb wisdom, through writing, photography, ethnographic research, and curriculum development. Keda Sharber is a Houston-based storyteller who uses film, photo, and written/spoken word to investigate and reveal the beautifully complex truths of her community.

Tarika Nath is a Houston-based Kathak practitioner. She trained for 15 years under Guru Smt. Shiva Mathur followed by additional training in Kalashram Delhi under the esteemed Padmavibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj. Currently, Tarika is the Assistant Director of Shivangini Academy of Arts where she leads choreography at the largest Kathak school in Houston. Tarika’s works have been featured in prestigious venues across North America, including Madison Square Garden (NYC) and Wortham Center (Houston). Selected for the first-ever New York Kathak Festival in 2019, Tarika produced solo work at Alvin Ailey Theatre (NYC). She choreographed multiple pieces at Native East Studios (Toronto) for the Sadhana Emerging Artist Series. For Silambam Houston’s YUVA 2023, she recently produced “Avikathita” – an original full-length production. Tarika’s dance company utilizes the unique intricacies of the Lucknow Gharana to highlight contemporary themes within traditional storytelling.

Versaille Jones (they/them) is a dancer and choreographer who grew up training in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2023 Versaille graduated from The University of the Arts with an Artistic Scholarship. Versaille has performed under choreographers such as Sidra Bell, Dennis Geter, Joanna Kotze, Fana Fraser, Kathyrn Vickers, and Albert Quesada. They have also done professional work for The Fidget Space (Philadelphia, PA) under Megan Bridge as well as Judson Church’s Movement Research (NY). Currently, Versaille is a teaching artist for Moving in the Spirit as well as a selected choreographer for The Dance Canvas 2023-2024 Palette Project (Atlanta, GA).

Program C

Deepta Seshadri is a Bharatanatyam (Indian classical dance form) practitioner, performing artiste, and educator. A dynamic artiste from India currently based in the US, she balanced her career as a corporate lawyer along with pursuing the art form with rigor. Deepta’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of Indian dance to cater to wider audiences has taken her to coveted stages in India and the US. Trained by senior artists from India, Deepta has been recognized by the Indian government for her contributions to the art field. Radhika Karandikar, a skilled Indian classical dancer and musician, has dedicated more than two decades to her craft. She is mentored by Vaibhav Arekar from India and is a core dancer in his dance company. Radhika currently resides in San Diego and trains practitioners in India and the US. She holds a master’s qualification in Indian dance and is the recipient of a prestigious scholarship for young artists from the Indian government.

Garage Arts Project Dance Ensemble is known for drawing parallels & possibilities, commonalities & differences, creative ideas & outcomes through the works we present in collaboration with other artists and mediums. The ensemble strives to create work that is honest, relevant, and in step with the current times to reach a wider audience and looks at tradition with a modern mind to explore the past to create a new, imaginative future. GAPDE’s unique movement techniques facilitate experimentation with contemporary and Indian Classical adaptations.

Jadd Tank’s passion for choreography and dance lies in the exploration of boundless possibilities in which objects, bodies, and events relate to each other: the spaces we create and the identities that spaces create for us. Nurtured by the cultural intersection of Lebanese and Midwestern traditions, Jadd approaches contemporary performance art and creation with an aesthetic that reflects a versatile mélange – Mediterranean culture, dramaturgy, architecture, and postmodern movement techniques.

Jadd Tank’s recent work includes Glimpses of a Future by Yaraqa (as a creative producer, choreographer, and performer) – now available on Netflix; The digital videos at the Dubai World EXPO 2021 Lebanese Pavilion (as a choreographer and product design lead); & dance theater performance titled “3rd Body” which has toured in Houston, New York City & Lebanon between 2020-present.

Jax Neal is a multi-disciplinary performance artist working with language and embodied movement as technologies for human intimacy. Neal creates contemporary performance art, pulling from the material of social and spiritual performance traditions like House music and dance, oral storytelling, Capoeira, Taekwondo, marathon running, folk dance, and especially ecstatic dance practices. Neal uses the human body as material to investigate American architectures, and systems of thought which codify and contain the parameters of humanity. Neal is the 2019 Houston Youth Poet Laureate, and an Alumni of First Wave, the only full tuition scholarship for Hip Hop and Spoken Word Artists in the world.

Jennifer Mabus is a Texas-based artist, who comes from a rich performance background, dancing for Robert Battle, Amy Marshall, Heidi Latsky, Takehiro Ueyama, Bruce Wood Dance, Noble Motion Dance, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, and TSMC, among others. She was the founding dance program chair at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, and recently returned home to Dallas and teaches at TCU. Mabus actively performs and shares her work in festivals, artist residencies, and company commissions. She is also a yoga teacher, tango dancer, and a cat lady, with a strong interest in Dance Therapy.

Based in Houston’s Fifth Ward and serving the entire region, Rivkah French Choreography engages audiences and participants in a journey of transformational discovery and expression through both performance and social practice events. We provide the community with a low-cost, centrally located studio rehearsal space, offer inclusive in-person performances and workshops, contribute free online resources to the public, and curate large-scale events showcasing multiple disciplines and styles. RFC provides creatively empowering experiences for all arts lovers – with a focus on the LGBTQ+ community and allies, ensuring that everyone can fully participate and experience the joy of the arts.

Sheena Kapila is a mover, maker, and educator originally from Regina, Saskatchewan Canada. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance from Sam Houston State University in the Summer of 2022, along with a minor in Kinesiology. Kapila is currently obtaining her Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) from Sam Houston State University. She has had the opportunity to train with the Radio City Rockettes, Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, and School of Alberta Ballet. One of the most recent ventures was training and performing in Lucca, Italy with Dance Italia. In her collegiate career, she was fortunate enough to work with choreographers Dual Rivet, Take Ueyama, Andy Noble, Evelyn Toh, Francisco (Cisco) Graciano, Colette Kerwick, Gregory Dolbashian, Joshua Manculich and many more!

Violet Moon is a polymathic artist and working mental health professional. They have toured and performed select works as an invited artist, soloist, and company member with several companies across the United States. Violet writes, makes music, and has also had their visual artwork featured across Houston. In addition to recently choreographing several original works, Violet frequently studies around the world. Their purpose is to learn how to co-create safer and more compassionate environments for individual and collective healing and revolution— through reclamation and liberation of the self.

About Dance Source Houston

Dance Source Houston is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the diverse individuals and organizations working in the field of dance throughout the Greater Houston region by means of advocacy, inclusive community engagement, and support services. Founded in 2005, Dance Source Houston is a resource for all things dance in the Greater Houston area and provides programs and services to address the evolving needs of the local dance community. Dance Source Houston is funded in part through support from The City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, Heimbinder Family Foundation, Houston Endowment, Mid-America Arts Alliance, National Endowment for the Arts, and Texas Commission on the Arts. dancesourcehouston.org

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