SATURDAY November 8TH

Show 2 - 3:00 pm  

Meet the Artists

NATYA NIRVANA

SUKANYA CHAND is a dance practitioner who specializes in Bharatanatyam and Odissi- two of the eight Indian Classical Dance forms. Bharatanatyam originated from Southern India that embodies strong linearity and power while Odissi is from Eastern India that showcases circularity and isolations. Sukanya received her dance foundation in India and she explored the basics of Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Flamenco, Theater, and Modern dance when she moved to US. She enjoys choreographing solo and collaborative pieces that highlight the elements of Indian Classical, folk dances, creating traditional and contemporary pieces. She has produced a variety of performing arts events, creating cultural awareness, integration, enriching, and entertaining the Central Ohio community. She gives workshops and master classes through her dance company Natya Nirvana and is an instructor at MUCAI Academy in Worthington, Ohio.

RENEE CLIPPINGER has been dancing since the age of three, starting her training at Midwest School of Ballet in Amherst, Ohio. She grew up training in ballet, contemporary, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, and hip-hop, while competing as a member of Midwest’s company team for 8 years. Renee is currently in her senior year double majoring in Psychology and Dance, at The University of Akron. In the dance program at UA, she has had the opportunity to perform in numerous works as a member of The University of Akron Dance Company. She is also an active member of Terpsichore Dance Club at UA and is the president of this organization. Through Terpsichore, she has had the opportunity to choreograph, perform, and direct their student led shows. Outside of UA, she performed in CDF Akron as a member of Frtrss Dance Theatre and had the opportunity to be a Seasonal Trainee with The Movement Project. Last fall, she presented her work till next time in Cleveland Dance Fest. Most recently, she had the opportunity to present her work at the American College Dance Association Conference in Michigan. She currently works as a dance teacher at local studios in the Akron area teaching young artists to inspire their passion for dance.

https://reneeclippinger.wixsite.com/reneeclippinger

HONORA DANCE

IRENE HONORA received her BFA at Ohio University in 2014. Her most recent choreographic work debuted at Honora Dance's CONTACT in winter of 2022, and was jointly created with Ashley G. Herron. Irene’s previous work has been performed all over Cleveland with The Movement Project’s past SummerWorks shows and Pilgrim Church shows, Cleveland Dance Fest 2017, 2019, and 2021, dotdotdot’s artist series 2017-2019, and Ohio University’s Senior Dance Concert tour in Dayton and Cleveland Heights. She had the pleasure of interning with The Movement Project in 2014 during creation of the work Two Kinds of Light and performing in Gladys Bailin’s Newspapers at Ohio University. Irene became a company member with The Movement Project from 2015-2019, and has performed with the company numerous times. Irene is also interested in dance medicine and presented research on snapping hip syndrome at the annual International Association of Dance Medicine and Science's meeting held in Basel, Switzerland in the fall of 2014. Teaching is also a passion of hers, and Irene was honored to work with apprentices at the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning's Artworks program during the spring of 2015, as well as teaching for The Movement Project's summer intensives. In 2014, Irene spent the summer working and teaching in Salida, Colorado, at Salida Dance Studio’s summer program. From 2017-2019, Irene co-founded and ran Cleveland art series dotdotdot. Currently, Irene has expanded into project-based work under her own Honora Dance.

LUCY DILLON is a dance artist investigating the utility of movement for claiming embodied agency. Her work declares aliveness and unapologetic presence, disrupting systems that restrict bodily autonomy. Her lived experience, community, and training as a dancer, runner, and athlete fuel her movement invention. Pushing against a capitalist patriarchal hegemony intent on driving us to numb and isolate, her work activates a need to connect to our bodies and one another to survive. Lucy is currently pursuing an MFA in Dance at The Ohio State University. She has been an artist-in-residence at Levy Dance, Iowa Choreography Festival, and SAFEhouse Arts. She has shown her work in festivals such as Berkeley’s Broad Statements Festival, Ohio Dance Festival, and PUSHfest Global to name a few. In 2024, she participated in the ATLAS choreographic training program at ImPulsTanz, Vienna’s International Dance Festival. Lucy moves from core commitments to anti-racism, sustainable practices, and body empowerment.

https://lucy-dillon.com/

HIXON DANCE

SARAH HIXON is a choreographer, dance educator, and artistic director of Hixon Dance. The company is known for its collaborations with other artists, especially musicians, and for presenting impactful and accessible performances. Ms. Hixon studied choreography with Doug Varone, Bebe Miller, David Parsons, Susan Rethorst, Vera Blaine, Susan Shields, and others. She trained at The Washington Ballet, American Repertory Theatre, and The Milwaukee Ballet, among others. She holds a BFA in Dance from George Mason University and an MFA in Choreography from The Ohio State University. Hixon’s award-winning choreography has been presented at The Wexner Center for the Arts, The National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., Joy of Motion, The Short North Stage, The Lincoln Theatre, The Fairfax Center for the Arts, The Pivot Center, and others. She has worked with Opera Project Columbus, the Worthington Chamber Orchestra, CATCO is Kids, Vox Novus, COSI, and many collaborators throughout the region. Recent collaborative partners include The Columbus Symphony, The Movement Project, poet Maggie Smith, and composer Michael Rene Torres. She has received special commendations for her work from Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and Ohio House Representative Beth Liston. She has taught at several universities and pre-professional schools throughout Washington, D.C., and central Ohio including the OSU Department of Dance, BalletMet Columbus, New Albany Ballet Company, Wittenberg University, George Mason University, and The Peabody Institute among others.

www.hixondance.com

MARISSA STOLT is a third-year student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Dance, Economics, and Mathematics. As a performer, she has appeared in nine university productions. She was selected to perform Hold on a Little Bit Longer, a student work choreographed by Emily Tlachac, at the American College Dance Association festival, where it was chosen for the festival’s end gala. As a choreographer, she has created work both individually and collaboratively, contributing three original pieces to student showcases, with plans to expand her choreographic journey. Beyond the stage, Marissa is committed to mentorship and leadership within the dance community. She serves as a peer ambassador for UW-Madison, leading prospective students through auditions and demonstrations, and as the president of the Dance Department Student Organization, working to create professional opportunities for students and boost department engagement. Her training continues beyond the university through performances with the Jin-Wen Yu Dance Company, and teaching and choreographing for multiple pre-professional competition studios. Marissa is driven by a curiosity about movement as a system—how structure, compositional form, and physicality shape the way we experience dance. She hopes her work encourages audiences to explore new perspectives on dance, inspiring them to see patterns and connections that might otherwise go unnoticed. Through choreography and performance, she seeks to highlight the athleticism and artistry of dance, allowing it to hold space beyond the moment of performance.

ELIZABETH POLLERT is a Cleveland-based creator, performer, and dance educator, and works as an independent artist with area choreographers, movers, and multi-genre makers. She has performed and choreographed both in the U.S. and abroad, including France, Canada, China, India, and Easter Island(Chile). In the U.S., Pollert has performed and choreographed for Cleveland Public Theatre’s DanceWorks series, Playhouse Square, the Cleveland Art Museum, and IngenuityFest, Cleveland, OH; International Performing Arts for Youth Conferences, Philadelphia, PA; Lose Your Marbles Festival, Akron, OH; WOW Festival, San Diego; and Charlotte International Arts Festival, North Carolina. Additionally, she has toured with the children’s show "What Do You Do With An Idea?" Pollert spent 16 seasons with Inlet Dance Theatre, Cleveland, where she served as a performing company member, education coordinator, and instructor and choreographer for Inlet’s education programming. Pollert has been a selected choreographer with the Cleveland Dance Project, and a collaborator with Elu Dance and Ajayi Dance. Currently, she teaches at area studios, serves as a guest teacher for local companies, is a touring artist for Australian Polyglot Theatre’s "Ants" and "Bees" productions, and is creating her own work. She is passionate about making dance accessible to all ages and backgrounds and creating work that invites people to explore the world through embodied experiences. Elizabeth holds a MFA in Dance from Bennington College and a BFA in Dance from Belhaven University.

CHRISTI CAMPER MOORE is an Associate Professor of dance and Head and Graduate Chair of arts administration. She has a diverse background as a choreographer, dance educator, and administrator, and has been teaching dance for over 25 years in various settings including public schools, community spaces, private studios, and higher education. Her professional choreography, deeply intertwined with pedagogical practice, has been presented at venues in Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Most recently, her work, the willow’s branches, was selected for the OhioDance Professional Choreography Concert (April 2025) and she was commissioned to set a new work, Contended Convergence (2023), for the Charleston Ballet (WV), and in collaboration with the Beo String Quartet. Christi’s written scholarship focuses on pedagogy; she explores how dance training, curriculum, and community shape a student’s identity within the context of their studies. She contributes to the field through original research, international presentations, and publications. Her writing is published in a variety of outlets including Research in Dance Education, Journal of Dance Education, Dance Education in Practice, Dance Teacher, and the American Journal of Arts Management. Christi has received two 1804 Endowment Grants, a Cutler Scholars Outstanding Mentor Award (Spring 2024), University Professor Award (2022-2023), and currently serves as an Ohio University Leadership Fellow (MAC ALDP, 2024-2025). A proud alumnus of Ohio University, she holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies, M.A. and M.Ed. degrees, and a B.F.A. in dance performance and choreography.

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