Dance Source Houston Announces Barnstorm Dance Fest 2025
CONTACT:
Mollie Haven Miller
Executive Director, Dance Source Houston
mollie@dancesourcehouston.org
Dance Source Houston Announces Barnstorm Dance Fest 2025
Dance Source Houston celebrates the 10th edition of Barnstorm Dance Fest, featuring dance makers from Houston, across the state of Texas, and beyond!
Tickets on sale now at matchouston.org.
Houston, TX (March 4, 2025) – Dance Source Houston is thrilled to announce the lineup for Barnstorm Dance Fest 2025, running April 29-May 3 at Midtown Arts & Theatre Center Houston (MATCH). Featuring 15 live performance works, 6 dance films, 3 artist panels, and a class series 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, each presented twice in Matchbox 2 at MATCH, allowing audiences to experience a range of dance forms within each program. The 2025 lineup includes Bharatanatyam, contemporary, dance on film, flamenco, modern, and more. An artist panel featuring choreographers from each program will offer audiences insight into the creative process.
This year marks both the 10th iteration of the festival and Dance Source Houston’s 20th anniversary as an arts service organization dedicated to the dance community of Greater Houston. “We are honored to showcase another incredible lineup of dancemakers with Barnstorm Dance Fest 2025,” said DSH Executive Director Mollie Haven Miller. “Each year, Barnstorm connects audiences with choreographers who are new to them and also reunites them with some of their favorite artists. The festival has grown and evolved since its inception and we are excited to experience this year’s crop of danceworks along with dance lovers from across the region.”
Dance Source Houston crafts the festival each year through an open application process that is curated by a panel of dance community members. The 2025 curation team included John Beasant III, Laura Gutierrez, and Abijan Johnson, all past Barnstorm choreographers. Barnstorm Dance Fest also serves as the culminating event for Dance Source Houston’s Artists In Residence cohort. The 2024-25 AIRs include Ashley Clos, Adele Nickel, and Paty Solórzano. 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:
Programs
Program A – April 29 & May 2* at 7:30pm
Program B – April 30* at 7:30pm & May 3 @ 5:00pm
Program C – May 1 & 3* @ 7:30pm
*Indicates performance is followed by an artist panel discussion.
Location
MATCH, 3400 Main Street
Tickets
$25 single program // $65 3-program pass
https://matchouston.org/events/2025/barnstorm-dance-fest-2025
Workshop Series
May 1, 2, & 3 from 10:30am-12:00pm
MATCH, 3400 Main Street
Sessions, instructors, and studio locations will be announced in April at dancesourcehouston.org/barnstorm-dance-fest/. Sliding scale, pay-what-you-can pricing will be available for all classes/workshops.
Meet The Artists
Program A
Ashley Clos is a multi-disciplinary artist and dance educator living in Houston, TX. Her choreography and research has been showcased at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, the Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center, the ACDA South-Central Adjudicated and Informal Concerts, the Southwest Popular/American Culture Conference, and DSH’s Mind the Gap. In 2018, Ashley was awarded the Ardsley Choreographic Residency. Ashley has worked for Barnstorm Dance Fest for five years and has written 38 published previews/reviews with Houston Press and the Dance DiSH. She holds a BFA and an MFA in Dance from Sam Houston State University. Her training also includes White Mountain Summer Dance Festival, Mark Morris Intensive, and Dance Italia. Ashley teaches at Lone Star College, San Jacinto College, Houston Ballet Academy, and Frame Dance. She is a proud cancer survivor who aims to deeply experience and celebrate life—striving to inject that spirit in how she moves throughout the world.
Fabio Liberti (Choreographer) is an Italian choreographer based in Denmark. After a career as a dancer in Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark, Fabio began as a choreographer for Danish Dance Theatre (Denmark), Skånes Dansteater (Sweden), Norrdans (Sweden), MIR Dance Company Gelsenkirchen (Germany), Dark Circles Contemporary Dance (Texas), Mainfranken Theater Würzburg (Germany), Landesbühnen Sachsen (Germany), EDGE Dance Company (England). His works received 1st prize at RIDCC-Rotterdam International Duet Choreography Competition 2018 (Holland); 1st prize at Skopje DansLab 2017 (Macedonia) and 2nd prize at Solo Dance Contest in Gdansk (Poland); 1st prize at Warsaw Zawirowania Dance 2016 (Poland); the Critic Award at Hannover International Choreography Competition 2014 (Germany) and 3rd prize at CICC- Copenhagen International Choreography Competition 2013. In 2020 Fabio created his company MUOVI in Copenhagen and received subsidies by the Danish Arts Foundation for the creation of #ASIFILOOKEDLIKEME, As if, I have missed myself and What did I just do. Michael Crotty (performer) is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of The Dance Program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Michael received his Diploma from CODARTS Conservatory in the Netherlands and an MFA in Dance from The University of Utah. He was a member of The Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company and has taught at The University of Dayton, The University of Southern California, Southern Utah University, Point Park University, and Columbia College. Alex McBride (performer) Alex McBride is Assistant Professor of Dance at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He received his BFA in Dance from The University of Arizona in Tucson and his MFA in Dance from Hollins University. Alex has danced and trained with San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, 10 Hairy Legs (NYC), The Limón Dance Company (NYC), and Basin Dance Collective (Lafayette). Alex is on the faculty at Perry-Mansfield in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Persi Mey is a movement artist creating for both stage and film. Their work is informed by a variety of athletic styles including: contemporary, breaking, tap, jazz, modern, muay thai, and ballet. They are currently creating work as an artist in residence at the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center, and performing as a company member of Urban Souls. Persi grew up in Clawson, Michigan and relocated to Houston in 2022 after spending a couple of years in Kansas City, Missouri. They received their BFA in Contemporary Dance from Indiana University. During their undergrad, they also had the opportunity to spend a year studying on scholarship at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
Violet Moon (they/them) is a polymathic artist who has performed across the United States as a selected dance artist, soloist, and touring company member. They are a Let Creativity Happen grant recipient, have had their paintings featured across the city, and derive inspiration from Nature and Natalie Rogers’ Creative Connection process. Recently, Violet has been exploring movement and artistry beyond conditioned Western structures. Their work is driven by a hope of dismantling indoctrination and the hierarchy of privilege to honor cultural and ancestral movement patterns. They are passionate about creating meaningful experiences that translate stories of pain, pleasure, and loss into something honest, resonant, and human. Their accomplishments include a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, somatic and expressive arts therapy training, guest dance artist contracts, international residencies, and a loyalty to their creative practice. Rooted in a deep reverence for the ever-evolving Self, Violet remains devoted to life’s dance.
“Om Sri Gurubhyo Namaha” Namaste, My name is Ananya A. Nair and am a freshman at Rice University. I have been learning Bharatanatyam for 14 years. My Guru is Dr. Janaki Rangarajan and I am student of my Guru Dr. Janaki Rangarajan’s dance school Nritya Niketan. Bharatanatyam has instilled in me the importance of hard work, persistence, perseverance, dedication, grace and leadership. The art form has allowed me to express myself in a profound way that words can never define. This ancient art form has enriched my knowledge about my rich Indian culture and lineage. This art form has been a beacon of hope, dream and consistent friend in this ever changing evolving world. I want to pursue my innermost passion for Bharatanatyam lifelong under my Guru Dr. Janaki Rangarajan and I aspire to propagate love for this art form around the world. The choreography is by my Guru Dr. Janaki Rangarajan. Dr. Janaki Rangarajan started learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 4 from Smt. Madhavi Chandrasekhar in Trichy, India. When her family moved to Chennai at the age of 7, Dr. Janaki was put under the direct tutelage of the legendary dancer and Guru Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam at Nrithyodaya. When she was only 13 years old, Janaki was promoted by Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam to the rank of Nrithyodaya’s student- teacher position and went on to teach scores of students for the next few years under her Guru’s careful guidance. Since then Dr. Janaki has independently taught numerous students for close to 40 years with students based in India, USA, Europe, South America, Australia, Malaysia, to name a few. In addition, Dr. Janaki is a sought-after Bharatanatyam performer and a gifted choreographer” (Courtesy of Nritya Niketan dance school website).
Margo Stutts Toombs‘s videos have screened in a variety of venues including Dances with Film (Hollywood, California), International Poetry Film Festival (Venice, California), Lake Charles Film Festival, Gulf Coast Film Festival, REELpoetry Film Festival. “Liz Un-caged” and “Hope in My Veins” won awards at Worldfest in Houston, Texas. Two of her videos have won awards at the Calcasieu Short Film Festival: Beat Heart – Best Animation and Urban Street Music – Best Music Video. Occasionally, Margo adds her videos to performance pieces.
Nejla Yatkin is a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow in choreography and an internationally celebrated dance artist known for her emotionally evocative, thought-provoking performances. Hailed by The New York Times as “magical,” Nejla blends modern dance, Ballet, Butoh, Middle Eastern influences, and Dance Theater to explore themes of identity, transformation, and the human condition. Born in Berlin to Turkish parents, her nomadic heritage and diverse training inform her unique choreographic voice. She has performed with renowned companies such as Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and has received prestigious awards, including the Princess Grace Award and National Performance Network Creation Award. Her solo works, including Wings of Desire and The Other Witch, delve deeply into cultural memory and personal transformation.
Program B
Anna Bauer is a person living in Austin, Texas, and wearing the hats of choreographer and dancer. She holds a BFA in Dance from Sam Houston State University and dances for the KDH Dance Company. Right now, her work investigates things like nuance, momentum, and puzzles. In 2024, her pieces performed at Austin Dance Festival and RAD Fest Midwest Dance Festival, and she also attended residencies with Keshet Makers Space Experience, Whirlwind Dance Company, and Homeport Art House. In April, she brought collaborators Celeste Camfield and Jairus Carr to Keshet in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they created a trio “fish dish snare” together. Celeste Camfield is an Austin-based movement artist who has collaborated on/performed in new works at Austin Dance Festival, Dance Carousel, and Risk/Reward. She has upcoming shows at PICA’s TBA Festival and Small Plates. She has been creating experimental dance films since 2019, with screenings in Austin, Camden, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, and Portland. In 2022, she co-founded Preheat Fest, an Austin screendance festival that celebrates the experimental on camera. Jairus Carr is a dancer and choreographer based in Austin, TX. Starting professional work in Austin at 17, Jairus is now a KDH Dance Company member and has performed at events all over the US, including Barnstorm Dance Fest, RAD Fest Midwest Dance Festival, and residencies Homeport Art House and Keshet Makers Space Experience.
Jessica Boone is a dance artist and educator from Texas. She earned a BFA in Dance from The Ohio State University and an MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. Jessica is currently a Lecturer in Dance at Texas A&M University. She is passionate about sharing dance and creating learning environments that are embedded with curiosity and compassion. Jessica has presented choreography at the Austin Dance Festival, Small Plates Austin, and Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival, and she is excited to be developing a new dance work with creative collaborators Halie Bahr and Virginia Broyles.
Lindsay Cortner was a founding member of Uptown Dance Company and has held company positions with Sandra Organ Dance Company, Psophonia, and Pilot Dance Project. She currently dances with Aufheben Ensemble and Frame Dance. Additionally, she has performed freelance work for multiple companies and independent choreographers including Sidra Bell, Rivkah French, Houston Contemporary Dance Company, Hopestone, Ashley Horn-Nott, Jennifer Mabus, Opera in the Heights, Lynsey Peisinger, Max Stone, and Transitory Sound and Movement Collective, to name a few. As a passionate teacher of multiple disciplines, Lindsay engages in continuing education workshops several times a year, participating in intensives such as b12 and One Body One Career. She is also a freelance choreographer, and has set stage works for pre-professional students and opera singers, and multiple immersive works for professionals.
Andrea “La Flor” González is an inspired and skilled Flamenco dancer, choreographer, and instructor based in Houston, TX. As a native of San Antonio, TX she commenced her studies of Flamenco and ballet folklórico de Mexico at the age of 3 years old. She has also trained in classical ballet and pointe, jazz, tap, modern, Afrikan dance, and contemporary dance. Andrea has performed on stages and tablaos across the United States. Andrea has toured nationally as a member of Solero Flamenco since moving to Houston in 2021. Irma La Paloma and Jeremy Garcia, Solero Flamenco founders and directors, founded Houston’s premier flamenco performance company in 2009. Solero Flamenco presents vibrant performances with artistic integrity and trademark passion. Soulful song, enchanting guitar and exhilarating dance converge in this highly improvised art form to present traditional, contemporary and original works. Audiences experience the heart, soul and skill of professional flamenco artists.
Not A Dance Company is a movement arts collective founded/directed by Payge Lecakes (they/themme). Lecakes established NADC while studying at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College, where they graduated summa cum laude with dual degrees (BFA in Dance, Concentration in Composition; BA in Gender Studies). NADC has performed at venues such as Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company’s STUDIO TO STAGE Residency Program (‘25), Dancing Beyond (‘24, ‘25), and the Uptown Rising Performance Series (‘21, ‘23, ‘24). They have also contributed to the Dance is Activism Film Festival (‘21), where they received the accolade of “Best Choreography”.
Paty Lorena Solórzano (b. Morelia, MX), is a bi-national dance artist. With a poetic imaginary, her choreographies have been presented nationally and internationally by Primate Escénico, Foro Performática, Dance Source Houston, Texas Dance Improvisation Festival, Detroit Sidewalk Festival of Performing Arts, Triskelion Arts, AUNTS and Movement Research at Judson Church, among others. Artist-in-residence Keshet Makerspace, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Florida Dance Festival, Guapamácataro Arts & Ecology. She was a 2023 Storyteller Fellow at Diverse Intelligences Institute, University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Teaching credits include The University of Michigan, Riverside Community College, Arlington Heights HS, Ohio University, and University of the Americas Puebla. A 2018 fellow of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Leadership Institute (NALAC), recipient of a National Endowment for Culture and the Arts Mexico grant, she holds a BFA from Texas Christian University and MFA from the University of Michigan.
LaKesha Sowell, a proud native of Houston, TX, began her dance training at the age of 5, exploring styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop. Over the years, her passion for dance earned her numerous awards and scholarships, and after graduating, she pursued both concert and commercial dance while also earning a degree in accounting. However, the pull of the arts eventually led her back to the stage, where she has had the privilege of performing nationally and internationally. Now, LaKesha is venturing into the film industry, exploring the dynamic world of dance on screen. Since making this transition, she has garnered recognition for her work, with her films screened in Paris, Ontario, Los Angeles, and Houston. LaKesha’s journey continues to evolve, blending her love for movement and storytelling, as she pushes boundaries and redefines the intersection of dance and film.
Program C
Born and raised in Istanbul, Türkiye, Seda Aybay is the Artistic Director/Choreographer of Kybele Dance Theater she founded in 2003 in Los Angeles. Seda’s choreography has garnered recognition with awards from Youth America Grand Prix, Elite Dance Competition, Front and Main Festival, McCallum Choreography Festival, Raw Artist, Mad Bad, Palm Springs International Film Festival and most recently won the New Century Dance Project Choreography Competition 2024 in Santa Fe. Residencies include Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center, Marcus Residency at Washington University in St. Louis, USC New Movement Residency, Santa Monica College Residency and Cal State Fresno. Guest Choreography invitations include Chapman University and the Windward School. In 2019 Seda was named Cultural Trailblazer by The LA Department of Cultural Affairs. Recently, Seda choreographed John Woo’s THE KILLER starring Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy for Peacock. Kybele Dance Theater has been Presented throughout California, Chicago, Seattle, New York and Las Vegas.
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.
Ad Deum exists and engages as a professional dance company, creative community, and as a culture of like-minded, like-hearted, and like-spirited dance artists. We believe that the art of dance can and should serve an important and impactful mission for the wellbeing of our world and to enliven and enrich the soul and spirit of mankind. Randall Flinn is the founder/artistic director of Ad Deum Dance Company, a professional dance company established in 1991. He has served as a dance educator/choreographer for Cirque Du Soleil, Hong Kong Ballet, Guangzhou Modern Dance Company, Houston Ballet Academy, American College Dance Festival, Ballet Magnificat, Zion Dance Project, Storling Dance Theatre, Xaris Danz Europe, Project Dance NYC, Paris, London, and Sydney, The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Belhaven University, High School Of Performing Arts Houston, The University Of Houston, Palm Beach Atlantic University, The University Of The Nations, Performing Arts Houston, Overflow Dance Festival Paris, Sofia, Bulgaria Life Camp, and many others. Ad Deum tours globally, having performed for Dance Salad Festival, Dance Gallery Festival, Bailando Dance Festival, East Meets West, Project Dance NYC, Paris, London, LA, and Houston. He also serves as a teaching artist for Palm Beach Atlantic University, University Of St Thomas, Dance Du Coeur, and HSPVA.
Shelby Green is the artistic director and choreographer of Yaroque Dance Theatre, a company they founded to unite diverse artistic voices into a distinctive language. Their works have been showcased internationally, including in Tel Aviv, Israel, New York, and Ohio, USA, and at the Royal Conservatoire of Dance in The Hague, Netherlands, as well as in four film projects. “Yaroque” (“ya-rok”), meaning “green” in Hebrew, reflects both Shelby’s surname and their commitment to growth and innovation. Inspired by clowning, mime, and drag, Shelby’s choreography embraces freedom of expression and emotional vulnerability. Combining the camp and comedy of their influences with their classical training in Graham and Balanchine techniques, their work blends hyper-performance with an internal softness. They are dedicated to fostering a safe, inclusive, and dynamic environment for both performers and collaborators.
Jack Kloecker is a video artist based in Austin, Texas, whose work weaves the realms of dance and performing arts into immersive visual experiences. With a keen interest in exploring the nuances of texture, the depths of the human psyche, and the power of expansive soundscapes, Kloecker’s artistic practice challenges traditional boundaries and invites audiences into a rich sensory dialogue. In addition to his artistic endeavors, Kloecker is committed to fostering community engagement through interdisciplinary and collaborative projects. He believes in the transformative power of art and strives to create spaces where creativity can flourish and diverse voices are heard. As he continues to explore boundaries of video art, Jack Kloecker remains dedicated to exploring the interplay between movement, sound, and visual expression, inviting viewers to embark on a journey through the complexities of the human experience.
Adele Nickel is an Assistant Professor at Sam Houston State University, where she teaches dance technique, theory, choreography & somatics. She received her M.F.A. from the University of Washington following a 15-year career in NYC, where she worked with Annie-B Parson, Sarah Michelson and Patrick Corbin, among others, and was a member of the “Bessie”-nominated Liz Gerring Dance Company from 2007-15. Adele is a certified Alexander Technique teacher and is studying to become a CranioSacral therapist. Her creative work is informed by somatic- and feminist-based praxes, and she collaborates regularly with Brian Lawson/Form Believers. You can follow her @kingdellers and via websites adelenickel.com and formbelievers.com. Brian Lawson (collaborator) was born in Toronto and graduated summa cum laude with a BFA from Purchase College. Upon graduation he performed with Pam Tanowitz Dance before joining the Mark Morris Dance Group. He obtained his MFA from University of Washington in 2020 and subsequently joined the faculty at Cornish College for the Arts. Lawson has built a teaching practice for professional dancers, and regularly leads classes for the José Limôn Dance Company and Gibney Dance in New York City. He currently serves as an assistant professor at Skidmore College and continues to perform with PTD. Brian researches collaboratively with Adele Nickel (Form Believers) and Aaron Loux in addition to making his own work.
In 2013, Sea Legs was created by Tikiri Shapiro in a small coastal town in Delaware and has grown to perform in Seattle, Maryland, Sri Lanka, India, and New York City. Sea Legs landed in Austin, TX in 2019 and founds it’s true home and community of dancers. As the name implies, Sea Legs strives to adapt to the different places dance can take us through narratives and the celebration of each dancer that shapes its work.
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, Houston Endowment, National Endowment for the Arts, and Texas Commission on the Arts. dancesourcehouston.org
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