Melanie George (she/her) is an educator, choreographer, scholar, and certified movement analyst. As a curator and dramaturg specializing in rooted jazz dance and adjacent dance forms, and contemporary dance-theatre, she has worked on projects for Urban Bush Women, Raja Feather Kelly, Hélène Simoneau, Dormeshia, Susan Marshall, Alice Sheppard, Kimberly Bartosik, and SW!NG OUT, among others. She is the Associate Curator and Scholar in Residence at Jacob’s Pillow, Assistant Professor in dance at Rutgers University, and has guest lectured at Harvard University, Yale School of Drama, and The Juilliard School. Named one of Dance Magazine’s 30 over 30, she is the recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Award from the National Dance Education Organization. Melanie is currently touring as emcee/dramaturg/movement explorer with the Bessie-Award winning LaTasha Barnes Presents The Jazz Continuum.

Joe (he/him) was raised in upstate New York, receiving his training under the direction of Jamey Leverett. He obtained his BFA from The Juilliard School with scholarships from The NYCDA Foundation and Cornell University. From 2016-2022 he joined BODYTRAFFIC, where he travelled to Algeria, Jakarta, and Hong Kong as a cultural ambassador. He has performed works by Jiř í Kyliá n, Crystal Pite, Nacho Duato, Micaela Taylor, Kyle Abraham, Hofesh Shechter, Alejandro Cerudo, Barak Marshall, Camille A. Brown, Twyla Tharp, amongst others. In 2019 he co-founded HD Theatre with Haley Heckethorn, which has been presented at LA Dance Festival, Palm Springs Choreography Festival, Laguna Dance Festival, Carmel Dance Festival, and has been in residency at Korzo Theatre (Netherlands), Windward School (Los Angeles) and DPAC (San Diego). As an educator, he has taught classes at Steps on Broadway, Loyola Marymount University, University of Arizona, Chapman University, Santa Monica College, UCLA and New York City Dance Alliance. He is currently on faculty at CalArts, and is a registered Dance Church® teacher, an all-inclusive and community driven outlet to dancing. Joe aims to create safe spaces for people of all identities and backgrounds through open dialogue, playful research and cacophonous laughter.

Paige Amicon (she/her) is a Los Angeles based dance artist and teacher. Her performance experience includes works by Ate9 Dance Company/Danielle Agami, Santa Barbara Dance Theater/Brandon Whited, Hélène Simoneau, Yuval Sharon/Cleveland Orchestra, Long Beach Opera, Mallory Fabian and the Merce Cunningham Trust. She graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under Susan Jaffe with a BFA in Contemporary Dance.

Multi-instrumentalist, composer, sound designer, music director, and educator Darren Young is an exciting artist with a diverse palette. He has been a featured performer with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, New Music Edmonton, New Works Calgary, Kensington Sinfonia, Instrumental Society of Calgary, and Theatre Calgary. Darren is a core member of the experimental music collective Timepoint Ensemble and with them has given premieres of many new compositions. He also performs and records regularly as a member of the bands Diatessaron, Jung People, and Lucky Sonne. His compositions and sound designs have been heard in productions and installations in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and many places in between. Darren recently composed music for the dance film “Odeon”, choreographed by Meghann Michalsky, which played at the 2024 Calgary International Film Festival. He is the President of the Classical Guitar Society of Calgary and has been on faculty at the MRU Conservatory since 2019.

From Southern California, Liane (she/her) is a freelance artist residing in the NYC/NJ region. She has had the pleasure to collaborate, create and travel on tour with Flockworks Dance, Yin Yue Dance Company (YYDC), Alejandro Cerrudo, Seattle Dance Collective (SDC), Schoen Movement Company, Erica Essner Performance Co-Op, KT Neihoff, Entity Contemporary Dance Company, PARA.MAR Dance Theatre, Bryan Arias, NVA & Guests and Helene Simoneau Danse (HSD).

Before her freelancing career, Liane spent six seasons in Seattle, WA with Whim W’Him Contemporary Dance Company under the direction of Olivier Wevers. With Whim, Liane had the opportunity to perform and collaborate in original creations with Joseph Hernandez, Ihsan Rustem, Maurya Kerr, Yin Yue, Flockworks Dance, Miceala Taylor, Ethan Colangelo, Mark Caserta, Penny Saunders, Banning Bouldin, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Danielle Agami, Larry Kegwin, Brendan Duggan, Zoe Scofield and Sidra Bell amongst others.

Liane received her education in Dance at the University of California, Irvine where she graduated with a Bachelors in Fine Arts Degree in Dance Performance and a Minor in Digital Arts. At UCI, she worked alongside the late Donald McKayle in his Etude Ensemble performing his legendary works. Liane has also participated in The San Francisco Conservatory Intensive and the Alvin Ailey Intensive to continue growth in her training. After UCI, Liane was honored to jump into her dance career with Backhausdance in Southern California where she spent five seasons with Backhausdance. There Liane performed original works & repertoire under the direction of Jenny Backhaus. 

Will Howie is an award-winning Music Producer, Sound Engineer, Educator, and Researcher based in Vancouver, Canada. His professional audio production experience covers myriad genres, including classical (large and small ensemble), jazz, fusion, acoustic, new music/avant-guard, rock and funk, as well as many live and in-studio broadcasts for CBC/Radio-Canada. An innovator in 3D audio research and production techniques, he has recorded and mixed content in the studio and live for many immersive music formats, including 22.2 Multichannel Sound, Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D, octophonic surround sound, and various binaural mediums. Will holds a PhD in Sound Recording from McGill University, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Tokyo University of the Arts, teaching courses in music and audio production at both these institutions. He has had the pleasure to have worked with such artists as Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, James Ehnes, Steven Page, Toshiyuki Honda, Tafelmusik, Angela Hewitt, Chucho Valdés, Measha Brueggergosman, Angélique Kidjo, Tanya Tagaq, and Jane Coop. Will is currently sessional faculty within the University of British Columbia’s School of Music, and an active producer-engineer. 

Richard King is an Educator, Researcher, and a Grammy Award winning recording engineer. Richard has garnered Grammy Awards in many fields, including Best Engineered Album in both the Classical and Non-Classical categories. Richard is a Professor at McGill University in Montréal, Canada. A long-standing member and Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society, Richard is a regular convention presenter. His research interests include small environment acoustics, the process of music mixing, and immersive audio recording and reproduction. His book Recording Orchestra is part of the “AES presents” series, and the Second Edition was released in August of 2024.

Dave Horrocks is a mastering engineer, drummer and percussionist from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Associated with Infinite Wave Mastering studio and Sundae Sound recording studio. Formerly the co-owner of Sundae Sound recording studio. 

Aanii, ndinaawamagaanadog! Maygabow Ogidajew Kwe, nindizhinikaaz. Gaa- Aanii, ndinaawamagaanadog! Maygabow Ogidajew Kwe, nindizhinikaaz. Gaa-waabaabiganikaag + Um’oha, ndoonjibaa, Migizi ndoodem. This traditional Anishnaabemowin greeting roughly translates to: "Hello, all of my relatives! My name is Woman Standing on the Mountaintop. My family is from White Earth, and I currently reside on the unceded lands of the Umoⁿhoⁿ people, commonly known as Omaha, NE, USA. I am Eagle clan."

Valerie St. Pierre Smith is a two-spirit multi-disciplinary artisan, writer, educator, and healer known for her use of color, texture, technology, and upcycling. Her creative practice is rooted in the cultural legacy and aesthetic traditions of her Anishnaabe ancestors, while employing contemporary technologies to explore expressions of identity, sustainability, and the role of technology in modern design. A bridge between cultures and times, Valerie’s work reflects her experience as a mixed blood Anishnaabe-kwe, and has been shared across Turtle Island, including at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Calgary Fashion Week, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Kennedy Center, McCarter Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and with Pilobolus Dance Theatre. A bit of a unicorn, she is also actively engaged with her research, teaching, and writing practice, focusing on indigenizing and decolonizing western Euro-centric design practices. Both her creative and scholarly practices reflect her knowing that fashion, art, and adornment are a dialogue between self, community, cultures, time, and place. Her work celebrates her heritage while also serving as a medium for healing, social justice, and the expression of identity. Valerie holds a B.F.A. from Stephens College and an M.F.A. from San Diego State University.