Photo by Kaylin Bourdon
San Francisco native Bradford Chin (he/him) is a San Francisco- and Los Angeles-based choreographer, educator, performer, independent researcher, and performing and teaching artist with AXIS Dance Company. Described by LA Dance Chronicle as “conceptually fun,” his work has been presented at various festivals, venues, and schools. He has danced with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Contempo Ballet, and Laurel Jenkins among others, and he has performed works by choreographers including Arthur Pita, Jennifer Archibald, and Robert Dekkers. Specializing in movement translation and inclusive teaching methods, Chin has taught ballet, contemporary modern, improvisation, composition, and jazz techniques in ten states and internationally. He is also an independent researcher with interests in culturally relevant pedagogy, critical pedagogy, and equity in dance. He earned his BFA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), National Dance Education Association (NDEO), and California Dance Education Association (CDEA).
Photo by Steven Trumon Gray
Christina Johnson trained at Boston School of Ballet, School of American Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem. She began her professional career at age seventeen with Boston Ballet, before joining Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she became a principal dancer within four years. In her thirteen year tenure with DTH, she worked with Jerome Robbins, Frederic Franklin, Suzanne Farrell, Allegra Kent and Sir Anthony Dowell, among others. She danced leading roles in much of the company’s repertoire including Swan Lake, Giselle, Serenade, Concerto Barocco, and Fancy Free to name a few. She was a member of the Swiss companies, Le Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve and Ballett Basel, where her repertoire expanded to include works by William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, James Kudelka, Ohad Naharin, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Twyla Tharp, Amanda Miller and David Parsons. Christina is an original member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet and has also been a featured guest artist with various companies worldwide, including the Royal Ballet of London.
Corey Brady is a native of Houston, Texas and holds a BFA in Modern Dance Performance from the University of Oklahoma. He has been a part of the San Francisco Bay Area dance community for over 17 years. He has danced with many local dance companies, including ODC, Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Imagery Contemporary Ballet, and Kambara + Dancers. Corey has taught extensively in ODC’s youth, teen and adult programs and participated in community outreach regularly throughout his career. He also served as a choreography répétiteur for San Francisco State University’s Dance Department, and served on the faculty at Berkeley Ballet Theater as an instructor of modern dance.
Photo by Elena Zhukova
Katerina (Katie) Wong is a Bay-Area based movement artist and Co-Artistic Director of RAWdance. Katie's choreography has been commissioned by PUSH Dance Company, FACT/SF, Cutting Ball Theater, California Academy of Sciences, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Pop-Up Magazine, ACLU of Northern California, and more. Katie's practices are rooted in meaningful collaboration, community bridge building, and artistic partnership.
Learn more about Katie and RAWDance here and here.
Facebook: @RAWdanceSF / @Katerinawong
Instagram: @_rawdance / @Katerinawong
Photo by Leah Marie Studio
Between performer, administrator and technician, Nick Brentley's arts career ranges between concert dance, dinner theater, award ceremonies, parades, music videos and short films on both US coasts. Locally, he has been a member of AXIS Dance Company and Embodiment Project and is training with the Velocity Circus Though dance is at the forefront of his artistry, he plays multiple instruments and is a wardrobe stylist who is diving deeper into photography. Off-stage he provides tech support for numerous productions and is a tour guide at the Gregangelo Museum.
Kristin Damrow is a San Francisco based choreographer and teacher. In 2010, she formed Kristin Damrow & Company as a platform to co-create dance works with collaborators including dancers, composers, set and costume designers. KDC's work has been commissioned by the Oakland Museum of California, Airbnb Design, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Kristin has also been a resident artist at Iowa State University, and has taught master classes at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Columbia College Chicago, Gibney Dance, and the University of San Francisco.
Marlene Garcia received a BA in dance with an emphasis on choreography from San Francisco State University. Both as a performer and creator, her work embodies various movement modalities, morphing styles, textures and technique into captivating experiences. Improvisation and physicality are strongly present in her creative explorations and finalized projects. Marlene has been presented at ODC Theater, Root Division Art Gallery, Joe Goode Annex, LevySalon, Dancing in The Park SF and Grace Cathedral. In 2018, The International Dance Festival Competition presented Marlene with an award for her artistry.
Photo by Weiferd Watts
Nikki has thrilled audience members and event guests for over 20 years as a dancer, choreographer and producer with experience in over 20 dance styles. She had the honor of working with Tito Puente and Lindy hop legend Frankie Manning and has trained with Flamenco master Antonio Vargas ("Strictly Ballroom" and "Mission Impossible II") and Latin dance champion Jaana Kunitz ("Dance With Me"). Known for her burlesque and cabaret inspired dance workshop "Discover Your Inner Bombshell" and for her mission to inspire and delight, Nikki is also a creativity coach and an international bestselling co-author of the book ONE: Your Wellness Guide to Mind, Body & Soul.
Learn more about Nikki here.
Instagram: @findyourdelight
Twitter: @findyourdelight
Background Photo: Shannel Resto
Raissa Simpson is an African American/Pilipinx choreographer and artistic director of the San Francisco-based PUSH Dance Company. Her multidisciplinary dances are at the intersection of complex racial and cultural identities and centers around discourse on the complex experiences of racialized bodies. A graduate of SUNY Purchase with an MFA from UC Davis, Simpson had an extensive performance career with Robert Moses Kin and Joanna Haigood’s Zaccho Dance Theatre. Her choreography honors include Magrit Mondavi Award, San Francisco Arts Commission, Zellerbach Family Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and Grants for the Arts. Her choreography has been presented by Joyce SoHo, Aspen Fringe Festival, Dance St. Louis, Ferst Center, Los Angeles Women’s Theater Festival and Black Choreographers Festival. She has held creative residencies at Dance Initiative Carbondale, Santa Clara University, Bayview Opera House, Sacramento State University, Margaret Jenkins’ CHIME, African American Theater Alliance (AATAIN!) and CounterPulse. She received a Phyllis C Wattis Foundation with Bayview Opera House for her most recent work, The Motley Experiment.
Learn more about Raissa and PUSH Dance Company here.