Dance Source Houston Presents Mind The Gap 38
Contact:
Mollie Haven Miller
Executive Director
Dance Source Houston
713.224.3262
mollie@dancesourcehouston.org
Dance Source Houston Presents Mind The Gap 38
HOUSTON, TX October 29, 2025 – Dance Source Houston (DSH) is excited to present the 38th edition of Mind The Gap on December 2, 2025 at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH). This showcase will local dancemakers including Emilie Anne, Rebecca LaFon (Vessel Movement Company), Nahee Lee, Kavya Mathukumalli (Silambam), Anna-Caison Roguski, and Isabella Mireles Vik (Aufheben Ensemble). The program of solo and ensemble works will include choreography informed by a range of movement styles – contemporary, jazz, Kathak, Kuchipudi, modern, and Tai Chi. Following the performance, audience members are invited to attend an onstage reception with fellow patrons and program artists.
Tickets to the performance are available now at matchouston.org on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale for both in-person and livestream viewing, starting at $15, with all choreographers receiving a percentage of total ticket sales.
Launched in 2017, Mind The Gap has provided a performance platform to more than 150 independent choreographers and small dance companies in our community, helping artists navigate the space between creating and presenting new work. Through a partnership with MATCH, the program assists dance artists with valuable production, audience development, and administrative support.
Learn More About The Dancemakers & Works
Artistic Director of Wu Wei Company, Emilie Anne is a French-Taiwanese Houston native who tells stories through art. Her solo dance-theatre pieces, “Voice of the Swan” (2022) and “Snowy-Silver Elephant” (2023) premiered at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston and have reached audiences in Nepal and France. Her journey in movement began with classical ballet training at Houston Ballet Academy and Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet in NYC. Drawing from both Eastern and Western traditions, her artistic path later led her to study Kathak (North Indian classical dance), French mime, Chinese Dunhuang dance and Tai Chi. She holds a Diploma in Choreography from the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography, and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Concentrations in Dance, Theatre, French) from the University of Texas at Arlington, where she performed with the Maverick Dance Company. Through her trilingual YouTube channel she shares artistic films and wellbeing tutorials with a global audience of over 26k subscribers.
- Website
- @emilieanne_
- @wuwei.company
- facebook.com/people/Emilie-Anne/61559161807203/
- facebook.com/people/Wu-Wei-Company/61579362662101/
GRAMMY nominated multi-instrumentalist/composer, Chihsuan (Violin, Erhu, Piano), hails from Taiwan, her extensive body of work transcends a diverse array of genres and reaches beyond borders. She is a long-standing member of Blues legend, Corky Siegel’s ChamberBlues. Chihsuan has toured extensively and participated in highly acclaimed productions, prestigious stages and international festivals. While being featured as a soloist in various recordings and performances, Chihsuan maintains a collaborative spirit, engaging with a variety of artists. From playing with Yo-Yo Ma and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, to Grammy Award winner David Foster and performance for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Her virtuosity and eclectic versatility on the violin, erhu, and piano reverberates globally. Beyond her live performances, Chihsuan’s musical footprint extends to films, commercials, movie trailers, dance, and theater productions. Her solo career is marked by the release of the cinematic debut album “Ways to Say Hello” in 2014, showcasing her original compositions that resonate around the world. In 2021, Chihsuan expanded her creative repertoire by composing and producing for an international GAP Commercial. In addition, she composed music for American Player’s Theatre’s production of “Sense and Sensibility”. Most recently, she scored her first full-length feature film “Escape From Extinction: Rewilding” and released an EP titled “Pearls” as part of her electronic duo ESCP. Outside of her musical pursuits, Chihsuan enjoys indulging in her passion for creating delicious chili oils in her spare time. Chihsuan’s artistic journey continues to captivate audiences, transcending borders and pushing the boundaries of musical expression. Her accolades, commitment to artistic excellence and cultural connectivity underscore her role as a trailblazer in the global music scene.
Rebecca LaFon has been dancing since she was little and has had the privilege to train in several genres throughout her career, as well as choreograph many pieces on a variety of ages and in multiple styles of dance. Rebecca received her Bachelors degree in Dance Science at Texas A&M. Post graduation, she joined Ad Deum II Dance Company where she was given the opportunity to perform and choreograph during her time there. In. 2022, Rebecca joined Open Sky Houston as a company member, and the following year she became the Artistic Director of the company. In 2024, Rebecca followed the Lord’s calling for her and opened her own faith based non-profit dance company that has just begun their second season.
Vessel Movement Co. is a faith based contemporary modern dance company that seeks to spread joy, hope, and faith to the local Houston community and beyond!
Nahee Lee was trained as a competition dancer as a teenager along with working on their fine art training. They continued their training as a dancer at SHSU, took freelancing jobs as an art director for independent project. After graduating SHSU as a psychology major and a dance minor, they are working in the Houston area as an actor signed with an agency.
Dr. Kavya Mathukumalli is a trained Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer who began her journey in Indian classical dance at the age of seven. She presented her Kuchipudi Arangetram (debut) and established herself as a dynamic exponent of the Vempati style of Kuchipudi. Over the years, Kavya has performed lead roles at numerous prestigious dance festivals across India. In 2017, she received sponsorship from South Zone Cultural Centre for touring in Malaysia, where she was honored with the title “Naatya Ravali.” Her performances have been featured in various South Indian media platforms. Kavya’s passion for teaching and choreographing has been central to her artistic journey. She served as the Kuchipudi Director at Silambam Houston for three years, sharing her knowledge with students and fostering appreciation for the art form in Houston, Texas. She also continues her training in Bharatanatyam under Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan, Artistic Director of Silambam Houston, achieving a harmonious balance between the two dance traditions. Over the past five years, Kavya has been an active performer at cultural programs and outreach events, including the Miller Outdoor Theatre. She has choreographed and performed at the San Antonio Diwali celebrations for the past two years and has been invited to return for Diwali 2025. Her collaborations with esteemed artists and choreographers include major productions with Silambam Houston, such as Dance of the Cosmos and Waking Up Free – India’s Journey, where she served as the lead Kuchipudi choreographer. In 2024, her work was also featured at the prestigious Barnstorm Dance Fest.
Silambam Houston was founded in 2002 by Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan with the mission to promote and develop the arts, provide quality artistic education, and nurture young talent in the performing arts. The organization is dedicated to increasing appreciation and understanding of Indian artistic traditions across cultural boundaries through comprehensive arts education, community outreach, exceptional arts programming, and by creating opportunities for emerging artists to train, perform, and collaborate. Over the years, Silambam Houston has expanded beyond its roots in Bharatanatyam, formalizing training in Carnatic music, and introducing Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Mohiniattam, Yoga, Mridangam, Hindustani music, and Tabla, becoming a true home for Indian arts and culture in Houston. Today, Silambam Houston stands as the premier Indian arts organization in the Greater Houston area, recognized in 2023 as a “Houston Cultural Treasure” by the BIPOC Arts Network and Fund. The organization has received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and Houston Arts Alliance, and has participated in programs such as the Houston Arts Alliance’s Capacity Building Initiative, the Mid-America Arts Alliance’s ENGAGE program, EMCArts’ New Pathways Program, and is a member and regular grantee of Dance Source Houston. The Silambam Houston Dance Company regularly performs on major Houston stages, including the Miller Outdoor Theatre, and has built robust outreach programs. These include performances and workshops in K–12 settings through Young Audiences of Houston, interactive shows at the Children’s Museum of Houston, and a wide range of community venues.
Anna-Caison Roguski is a teacher, choreographer, and performer from South Carolina. In 2020, she graduated from Oklahoma City University with a Bachelor of Science in American Dance Pedagogy. She was then offered a teaching assistantship position at the University at Buffalo SUNY, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts in Dance. While in Buffalo, she focused her studies on jazz dance and the evolving discourse around its identity as a genre. After graduation, she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition to teaching at several studios, she became a teaching artist for Attack Theatre, working to provide engaging and uplifting arts education in local schools. She was an adjunct professor at Chatham University, teaching a seminar on the history of dance around the world. She performed in several new pieces in the local arts community and showcased the first iteration of her new jazz work, The Wind Has a Name, at the Texture Choreography Project in the Fall of 2024. She relocated to Houston in the summer of 2025!
Isabella Mireles Vik is an artist based in Houston, Texas with a focus on contemporary dance, improvisation methodologies and body performance. Vik uses these elements to find the intersections in movement and experimental performance to create work questioning the human condition and societal struggles. Over a span of three years, Vik has self produced and performed in numerous projects for both film, stage, galleries and impractical spaces. Their work has been greatly influenced by their international and national research in performance and movement with artists such as David Zambrano, Martin Kivaldy, Anton Lachkey, Laja Field, Sita Osthiemer, Alleyne Dance, Victor Rottier, Lewis Wilkins, Satoshi Kudo, Horacio Macuacua, Edivaldo Ernesto, Peter Jasko, Cree Barnett Williams, Lisard Tarnis and Sidra Bell. Vik has attended various international festivals and workshops including Atlas MX (2023/2025), B12 (2022-2024), Fighting Monkey (2024) and Deltebre (2025). In 2023 Vik formed their ensemble, Aufheben, as an extension of their work and a container for experimental performance research instigating new training opportunities in Houston.
Founded in 2023, Aufheben is based in Houston, TX and was created as a funnel for Vik’s performance and movement research. The ensemble was created with the intention of finding the intersections of performance art, choreography and theatre to create avant-garde works that center the human condition and societal struggles. The ensemble focuses on contemporary movement modalities such as floor work, soft acrobatics and cirque. What differs Aufheben from other dance companies is Vik’s artistic practice which is strongly rooted in body performance art and counter culture. Aufheben practices the following principles; autonomy, camaraderie, experimentation and exploration. Vik’s goal is to nurture an environment of expression that builds up each dancers ability to make choices for themselves to help establish their own artistic practice. In 2024, Aufheben premiered its first project, “Cuidado No God” which ran as an evening length inspired by the literary works of George Bataille. In 2024, the project “Human Resource: Corporeal Experiences in Professionalism” premiered at the Texas Biennial and was awarded the Let Creativity Happen grant that turned “Human Resource” into a dance film. In 2025, “Echo” a durational movement performance piece was presented through Diverseworks, 12 Minutes Max. Beyond performance projects, Aufheben holds a weekly company class that is open to the dance community and is the only contemporary class of its kind in Houston. Aufheben works to expand dance education and opportunities for both dance enthusiasts and freelance professionals through classes, workshops and performance platforms.
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 the Houston Arts Alliance, the Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, the Heimbinder Family Foundation, Houston Endowment, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Texas Commission on the Arts. www.dancesourcehouston.org
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