Photo by Erin Baiano
Anandha Ray has dedicated a lifetime to the full-time passion of dance. She founded Moving Arts Dance and worked as a Cultural Ambassador with the US Embassy. She has toured extensively in ten countries, often receiving standing ovations, has conducted tours and workshops throughout the US and Europe. After an award-winning 30-year career in dance, she took an interest in incorporating ritual and ceremony in the dance performance and currently directs performances through Quimera Ritual Dance. For Ray, this synthesis of disparate forms provides a fresh forum for illuminating the unmistakable beauty of light, darkness and the honesty of our humanness. Seeking to expose the extraordinary within the ordinary, Ray’s work has long delved into the subculture of shadow and illumination, figuratively and literally.
She is internationally acclaimed as a dancer, director, choreographer and featured master teacher, has produced over 300 concerts, directed dance departments at a university, a college and a community center, and founded and directed a non-profit dance company as well as a studio/theater. She is known for her innovative methodologies called Quimera Method for training dancers’ athletic and performance abilities. For her contributions in dance she has been inducted into the Contra Costa County Women’s Hall of Fame and as an honorary Kentucky Colonel, has received commendations from the US Senate and the CA Assembly, was named as one of 25 Women Leading the Arts and as a Visionary for the 21st Century, and she received the Las Vegas “Daffy Award” (Dance as an Art Form -2009), the Cingular Award for Community Service (2006) and has received numerous grants and awards.
She has received national choreography awards including selection for performance at the Kennedy Center by the prestigious the National College Dance Association (WA DC in 2016 and 1986), the WestWave Choreographic Commissioning Project Award (SF 2014), sjCHOREOfest Award (CA 2007, 2011), selection for the gala concert of the American National College Dance Festivals (OR & WA 1986, WA 1988, NM 1990, AZ 2016), Choreography Award from the American Dance Festival (NC 1986) and selection as a young choreographer for the one and only Martha Graham Company Festival (AZ 1982). Her work continues to be commissioned and performed by professional companies, universities and colleges. Ms. Ray danced principal roles on international tours with dance companies from ASU and UCLA, in addition to professional work with “A Ludwig Co” in AZ, “DanceArt” in San Francisco, “Clarence Teeters and Friends” in NY, as well as Moving Arts Dance.
She has danced in choreography of Merce Cunningham, Laura Dean, Tandy Beal, Cliff Keuter, Jose’ Limon, Doris Humphrey, Margaret Jenkins, Claire Whistler, Duncan McFarland, Rhonda Martin, Michael Lowe and Viktor Kabaniaev among her many revered mentors and teachers including Beth Lessard and Margaret Gisolo. She has two Master of Arts degrees from UCLA, was the Director of the Dance Program at the University of the Pacific and Yavapai College, faculty at Santa Monica College, and currently leads choreographic and teaching residencies for universities and festivals nationally and internationally.
For more information please visit http://anandharay.com/
Bradley Beakes is a New York City based dance artist originally from Glendora, California. He received his formal education at California State University, Fullerton, and later at the Ailey School. Bradley joined Doug Varone and Dancers as a company member in 2017 and as education director in 2019. In his performing career he has been honored to dance with the Limón Dance Company (2016-2017), Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company (2011-2016), Nikolais Dance Theatre (2011-2018), and as a guest artist with Keith Johnson/Dancers, NOW-ID, and BARE Dance Company among other collaborators. Beakes has performed original roles in works by Doug Varone, Netta Yerulshalmy, Daniel Charon, Jonah Bokaer, Joanna Kotze, Johannes Weiland, Charlotte Boye-Christensen, Mike Esperanza, and Adam Barruch as well as in reconstructions of work by Bill T. Jones, Kate Weare, John Jasperse, Larry Keigwin, Ann Carlson, Murray Louis, and José Limón.
An avid dance educator, Beakes has taught and performed in public schools (K-12) and universities across the U.S. and internationally. He has served on faculty in intensives by Doug Varone and Dancers, Limón West Coast, Ballet West Academy, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Ballet Lubbock, and New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble. Bradley has taught for the Dance International Program in Japan since 2018. In the New York region, Beakes has taught at the Taylor School, Manhattanville College, Gibney, Barnard College, Peridance, and the Ailey School and is currently a faculty member of the Limón Institute and an adjunct professor at Purchase College.
Beakes' choreography has been presented in venues throughout the U.S. including the American College Dance Festival, Arts on Site, HiArtist NYC, INKUBATE Dance Festival, Isol-Art, Dumbo Dance Festival (2019 winner of the New Dance Festival Korea award) and presented a full evening of his work during the first annual Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. Since 2018, Beakes has co-created and performed work with collaborator Thryn Saxon who he passionately continues to research dance making with.
IG: @bradbeakes
Lauren Putty White, received her BFA from University of the Arts in 2005 along with the Choreography Prize and Outstanding Performance in Modern Dance award. She has toured internationally with world –renowned companies Parsons and PHILADANCO. Lauren has choreographed for companies and schools such as Ballet X , Grace Dance Theatre, Bryn Mawr College and Drexel University; as well as taught at University of the Arts , Stockton University and Temple University. White also has done guest artist residencies at Mercy High School and Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Baltimore, MD, and has taught for AileyCamp Baltimore.
In 2012 Lauren founded Putty Dance Project, a collaborative company with her musician husband, producing socially conscious critically acclaimed works. Putty Dance has presented at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA, the K Dance Yes Invitational, Richmond, VA, the American Dance Guild Festival, NY, NY, That Which Connects Dance Festival in Camden, NJ, Baltimore Dance Invitational, and Boston Contemporary Dance Festival. Lauren recently received her MFA in Dance from Montclair State University.
For more information please visit http://www.puttydanceproject.org
IG: @puttywhitedance
FB: @puttydanceproject
Thryn Saxon is a dancer, choreographer and teacher from Miami, FL. Saxon’s work has been performed at venues across NYC such as The Craft, GreenSpace, Gelsey Kirkland ArtsCenter and The Actor’s Fund Theater. Saxon has also had the privilege of teaching at the Cameron Dance Center in FL, DanceWave ASDI Summer Intensive, Connecticut College, Gibney Dance Center and Peridance Capezio Center. As a dancer Saxon has performed with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, John Zullo, Julia Ehrstrand, Rosie DeAngelo, TYKE Dance, SpacesOfFontana and is also currently a performer at Sleep No More and dancer with Kate Weare Company with whom she has toured nationally and abroad. Saxon’s debut dance film, “all of her”, was an official selection for the 2018 LA Dance Shorts Film Festival, The MarDel Presents: Dance on Film Festival (nominated for Best Choreography), SPARK Dance Film Festival and the ARTS TRIANGLE Dance Film Festival. Saxon was selected as one of 8 resident choreographers to participate in the Mare Nostrum Elements: Emerging Choreographer Series in 2019 and as one of the artists in residency at The Church in Mount Vision, NY for their Summer 2019 season. Saxon has been featured in interviews for DanceSpirit digital magazine and {DIYdancer} Magazine.
Saxon received her 400 hour Mat and Reformer Pilates Certification from Balanced Pilates in NYC and shortly after began teaching private sessions at E by Equinox in the Upper East Side. Since leaving E in 2019 Saxon has become an Associate Instructor at PIVOT Pilates and Restorative Exercise where she offers hour long private sessions based in Contemporary Pilates with principles of Yoga, Dance and Somatic Awareness integrated throughout.
To find out more about Thryn and her work and to schedule a private session with her visit https://www.thrynsaxon.com/.
IG: @thryn_saxon_