NiNe lives: artists
Jo Blake
(choreographer, joBdance)
Joseph “jo” Blake earned his M.F.A. from the University of Washington (2017) and B.F.A. from the University of Utah (‘03). As a member of the Salt Lake City-based Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, he taught and performed internationally for ten years dancing in works by such artists as Alwin Nikolais, Doug Varone, Wayne McGregor, Carolyn Carlson, Bill T Jones, Susan Marshall, Charlotte Boye- Christensen, as well as many other influential dance makers. His interest in educational theory, community-based engagement, and social justice have led him to work with community outreach projects such as Yoga Behind Bars and Mark Morris’s Dance for Parkinson’s Disease. Last year, jo spent eight-months on a UW Bonderman Travel Fellowship visiting Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Australia, Nepal, Thailand, and Bali, re-kindling his appreciation and passion for community and culture. Currently, jo is a part-time lecturer with the University of Washington’s Department of Dance, guest artist with NOW-ID Interdisciplinary Dance, certified movement instructor for Minding Motion for Graceful Aging, and choreographer of new works for future national festivals.
Cameo
(choreographer)
Cameo Lethem is a choreographer living and working in Seattle. As a choreographer, Cameo creates physical systems that produce specific responses from the body. Whether it's through architecture, creative limitations, or a commitment to a single movement idea, she seeks to elicit emotional and physical reactions through adjustments of the body and/or the environment. With each new choreographic work, she is committed to pursuing a mental and physical rigor in order to challenge her own creative capacity and to push her curiosity to new places. After graduating from Skidmore College with a degree in Dance and Neuroscience, she came to Seattle in 2015, where she’s since shared work at venues like On the Boards, Velocity Dance Center, Yaw Theater, The Pocket Theater, The National Museum of Dance, Electric Lodge, and more. She’s also had the great opportunity to perform for choreographers Alice Gosti, Kate Wallich, Hayley Shannon, Dylan Ward, Nathan Blackwell, and Coleman Pester. As a selected artist for Ellenore Scott's The Breaking Glass Project, she received additional choreographic and administrative mentorships from Sidra Bell and Nia-Amina Minor. Cameo is a recipient of the Margaret Paulding Award for Outstanding Performance and Choreography, a SeattleDances 2017 DanceCrush Award, as well a 2018-2019 James Ray resident supported by the Seattle International Dance Festival.
Beth Terwilleger (choreographer, TheGray)
Beth Terwilleger grew up training with Santa Cruz Ballet Theater in Northern California and spent her summers training with Richmond Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Ballet Austin. In addition to dancing for 10 years with Ballet Austin, she worked with a diverse range of choreographers such as Thaddeus Davis, Dominic Walsh, Nicolo Fonte, and Stephen Mills before moving to San Francisco where she danced with Post:Ballet. Her time in San Francisco inspired her to broaden her training, technique, and choreographic approach, eventually taking her to London, where she launched her choreographic career. Beth arrived in Seattle in 2018, where she has had three choreographic debuts and has cultivated her pedagogy. As a teacher and choreographer, she is committed to nurturing dancers’ technical and artistic growth through her choreography and teaching.
Amber Parker (lighting design)
Amber Lynne Parker is a Seattle-based lighting designer for theatre, opera, and dance. She is thrilled to be working with Beth Terwilliger again on this piece inspired by one of her favorite authors, and is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Jo Blake and Cameo on their respective pieces. Selected recent designs include A Midsummer at Velocity Dance Center, The Good Woman of Setzuan at ACTLabs, Alma and We are Pussy Riot at Theatre Battery, Clean House with As If Theatre Co, Trojan Women: a love story at University of Washington. Her work can next be seen on Pony World’s upcoming production of Language Rooms, followed by Eugene Opera’s rendition of As One. She holds an MFA in lighting design from University of Washington (2018).
Erica Badgeley
Erica Badgeley (dancer) is a Seattle Dance Artist who spent 2.5 years dancing professionally in Europe. She was a member of the SEAD Bodhi Project, Salzburg, and worked in Austria and Belgium from 2014 - 2016, touring internationally. In Seattle, she has performed and collaborated with: Elia Mrak, Kate Wallich | The YC, Danielle Agami / Ate9, Coleman Pester ///TMS, Jeffrey Fracé, and Tonya Lockyer. Her choreography and improvisations have been presented in Seattle, Brussels and Salzburg. Erica is an alumna of the University of Washington Dance Department, and a certified GYROTONIC® / GYROKINESIS® Trainer, currently teaching at Seattle Changing Room and Pivot Bellevue. She also teaches open contemporary dance and improvisation classes on and off at Fremont Abbey and Velocity Dance Center.
Charmaine Butcher
Charmaine Butcher (dancer)’s love of physical and visual art forms developed out of a desire to connect with the people and space around her. As a freelance dancer in Seattle, she has performed with AJnC Dance-Theater, Coriolis Dance Collective, Seattle Opera, Petra Zanki, and Cameo Lethem.
Hannah Cavallaro
Hannah Cavallaro (dancer) is a California native with a deep rooted love for dance. After attending four different universities, she has graduated with a BFA in dance from Cornish College of the Arts in May 2018. She is a certified Pilates instructor and a freelance dancer/choreographer in Seattle. Hannah currently dances with Michele Miller/Catapult Dance and is delighted at the opportunity to work with Beth Terwilleger/The Gray.
Jane Cracovaner
Jane Cracovaner (dancer) received her BFA from the Hartt School. Here she performed works by Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Gregory Dolbashian, and Loni Landon among others. Jane has taken part in the HJS Intensive in Amsterdam, ImPulsTanz, Northwest Dance Project’s Launch and was a scholarship student during the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance’s summer program. As a freelance dancer in NYC she worked with various artists including Gabrielle Lamb’s Pigeonwing Dance and Joshua Beamish’s MOVETHECOMPANY.
Natalie Fernandi
Natalie Fernandi (dancer) is in her fourth year at University of Washington majoring in dance and biology. She grew up dancing in Seattle at Dance Fremont under the direction of Vivian Little and Mary Reardon and spent summers at San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and The Rock School for Dance Education. She has performed in University of Washington’s Dance Faculty Concerts, MFA Concerts, Dance Majors Concerts and with Chamber Dance Company.
Corbin Hall
Corbin Hall (dancer) hails from Collinsville, Illinois, and graduated from Webster University with his BA in Dance, in the spring of 2016. While there, he learned and worked with such artists as; Beckah Reed, Michael Uthoff, Maggi Dueker, Monica Newsom, and Alicia Graf Mack. During his undergrad, Corbin studied ballet, jazz, modern, capoeira, Thai Classical Dance and aerial. In addition to this, he also found a passion for breakdancing, and hip hop. Corbin moved to Seattle in January, 2017 to pursue Dance performance and choreographic opportunities.
Maeve Haselton
Maeve Haselton (dancer) is a freelance dancer/performer based in Seattle, WA. She earned a BFA in Dance at Cornish College of the Arts through the Advanced Degree Program. Haselton has performed in the works of choreographers such as Danielle Agami, Netta Yerushalmy, Bruno Roque, and Bruce McCormick, among others. She is so grateful for the opportunity to work with Beth and the cast of The Nine Lives!
Elizabeth Houlton
Elizabeth Houlton (dancer) is a dance director, producer and performer based in Seattle, WA. Liz has presented work at Captiol Hill's Art Walk with LoveCityLove, Chop Shop Contemporary Dance Festival, SIDF, Seattle Fringe Festival, 3rd Shift Dance's Battle for the Dance Belt, Velocity's Bridge Project and Fall Kick Off. Alongside Alyssa Casey produced home home, an evening length at the Erickson Theatre Off Broadway in March of 2018. She is a graduate of California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography (2015). Liz is also the Dance Director for BenDeLaCreme's Halloween spectacular "Beware the Terror of Gaylord Manor" and produces a podcast called Artist to Artist.
Melissa Krienke
Melissa Krienke (dancer) Melissa started dancing at age 3. She trained at Ballet Chelsea in Michigan through high school in their pre professional program. She graduated from Cornish College with a BFA in dance, and has performed and taught internationally in festivals and youth programs. Melissa currently dances for Forthun+Rome Dance Theater, PRICEarts N.E.W., and is excited to perform with The Gray for the first time as a part of The Nine Lives.
Anna Joswiak
Anna Joswiak (dancer) is a dance artist originally from Chicago, Illinois. She is a previous member of Midwest Dance Collective, a pre-professional dance company under the direction of Ellen Werksman. In 2015 she earned a BFA in Dance from Columbia College Chicago, where she worked with Margi Cole, Paige Caldarella, Colleen Halloran, Liz Burritt, and many others. She has performed at events and venues throughout Chicago, including the Adler Planetarium, the Inaside Youth Summit for the Arts, The Harris Theatre, The Auditorium Theatre, and the Giordano Dance Chicago Collaborative project. She is very excited to be dancing in Seattle and working with Beth Terwilleger and The Gray!
Molly Levy
Molly Levy (dancer) is a Seattle-based dance artist originally from Berkeley, CA. She trained at Berkeley City Ballet and SF SotA and graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program. Molly has performed with artists and companies throughout the Pacific Northwest and East Coast including the Seattle Opera, LED, Equus Projects, Kate Wallich’s YC2, House of Verlaine, Daniel Costa Dance, Katie Scherman + Artists, and Cameo Lethem. Her work has also brought her beyond contemporary dance into live theater, working with Dacha Theatre as a performer and movement director, and burlesque, performing with Verlaine & McCann Present.
Esther Sojung Lim
Esther Sojung Lim (dancer) is originally from South Korea, Seoul. She began her dance since 18 years old receiving modern training from Junhee Park. She danced in MOAM Danse Company (2013-2015), earned Certificate of Practical Dance Instructor from Korea Coaching Development Centre (2014) Esther also had workshop with Kamchatka Street Theatre from Spain (2015) and she started advanced dance training under Laura Peterson (2016-2018) Currently, Esther is an undergraduate student at the University of Washington in Dance.
Ivana Lin
Ivana Lin (dancer) began her dance training at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School (PNBS) at the age of six. In 2008, she had the opportunity to perform with the Alvin Ailey Company during their 50th Anniversary tour. Eventually joining the Evergreen City Ballet’s performance division in 2012, Ivana performed the role of Cinderella in Cinderella. She has completed a B.A. in dance as well as a B.S. in Physiology at the University of Washington. She has also had the opportunity to perform with PNBS, the Chamber Dance Company, Bandaloop, Khambatta Dance Company, and now The Gray.
Alicia Pugh
Alicia Pugh (dancer) began her formal dance education at the age of 6, when her mom and dad decided it was time to put all that energy twirling around the kitchen, into a dance studio. Pursuing this training took her all over the country: Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and lastly Seattle. Nowadays, when she’s not working on her chef’s skills, or taking her cat on walks, Alicia is thrilled to be working with artists of the likes of Beth Terwilleger!
Maya Tacon
Maya Tacon (dancer) was born and raised in New York and graduated with honors from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. During her time at Purchase, she performed works by Rosalind Newman, José Limón, Martha Graham, and Jesse Zaritt, in addition to studying abroad at Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan. Since moving to Seattle, Maya has performed works by Daniel Costa, Jordan Macintosh-Hougham, Melissa Riker, and Cameo Lethem.
Sean Tomerlin
Sean Tomerlin (dancer) began his dance training in 1999 at the Severance Fresno Ballet School and later attended Cornish College of the Arts where he received his BFA. Sean has had the privilege of dancing for such companies as the Fresno Ballet, Ballet Met, Arc Dance, Dance Kaleidoscope, Thodos Dance Chicago, Lingo, Khambatta Dance Company and UWs Chamber Dance among others. In his free time he enjoys playing the bass guitar, gardening, swimming and spending time with his pet bunny. Sean also works as an LMT and remodels houses.
Bri Wilson
Bri Wilson (dancer) began dancing at age seven in her hometown of Petoskey, Michigan. She earned her BFA in dance and minor in Creative Writing from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California, where she had the opportunity to work with Christian Burns, David Harvey, and Maurya Kerr. Since moving to Seattle in September 2018, Bri has performed with Elia Mrak and Hannah Wendel at Performance and a Party, and with The Three Yells in A Crack In The Noise, choreographed by Veronica Lee-Baik.