Dance/Splits
Dance/Splits is a double bill of exciting original contemporary dance by local choreographers Clare Cook and Leigha Porter. This new performance series brings together area talent to build a shared space for professional dance in Acadiana. Both Clare and Leigha have cultivated thriving dance community spaces at Basin Arts and PARC Village in Lafayette.
There will be an audience talkback with Clare, Leigha, and Dancers after both performances. Friday night will be moderated by Cissy Whipp and Saturday by Melana Lloyd.
Rounding the Edge dancers & creators:
Clare Cook (Choreographer) is a hyphenate artist working simultaneously as a choreographer, dancer, teacher, and arts administrator through her work as Founder & Creative Director of Basin Arts, an arts incubator for dance and visual arts in Lafayette, La. Throughout Louisiana, she can be found creating dances, facilitating artistic opportunities for others, advocating for new models integrating the arts, and envisioning a more sustainable arts ecosystem for all. Past dance projects include presenting choreography at Joe’s Pub/DanceNOW Festival, the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Triskelion Arts, Opera Slavica, Columbia University, NYU, and the New School for Drama. Clare was the choreographer for the First National Tour of Bullets Over Broadway, re-setting Susan Stroman’s Tony-Nominated choreography, and traveled to Bulgaria with the Drama League of NYC to choreograph the Sofia Puppet Theatre of Bulgaria’s American Musical Theatre Showcase. Recent performance projects include Full Head of Hair with Elana Jacobs (CabinFever Live Art), The Panic of Fixing Things with visual artist Hagit Barkai, Paige Barnett’s A Song of Visions, and Ten Tiny Dances – Lafayette. She has presented work at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, Hilliard Art Museum, with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, and for UL Lafayette’s Dance Program. Clare has been on the faculties of LSU, UL-Lafayette, NYU Tisch Dance, and the Metropolitan Opera Guild. She holds an MFA in Dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. www.basinartslafayette.com www.claremcook.com
Rebecca Allen (Dancer) is a multidisciplinary artist based in her hometown of New Orleans. As a dancer, choreographer, and ceramic artist, her work explores the body in relation to materials, objects and space. She approaches performance as a practice of presence, deep listening and relationship. She has premiered choreographic works in collaboration with institutions such as New Dialect, Intersection New Music Ensemble, the Marigny Opera Ballet, Tulane University, and Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Becky has over two decades of experience as a dance educator and has worked with institutions such as Vanderbilt University, New Dialect, Tulane University and Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Becky holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Dance Performance from Tulane University. She currently maintains RA|Studio where she creates her own line of functional ceramics.
Nicole Curtis (Dancer) is a Louisiana-born multidisciplinary artist with a strong background in dance and choreography. She graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, earning her BFA in Performing Arts with a concentration in Dance. Upon graduation, Nicole became a company member of the Basin Dance Collective. Through the years, she has performed with the company, and local choreographers including Gina Aswell, Whitney Willis Hebert, Sharon Leahy, Alex Mcbride, and Paige Barnett. She debuted her first professional choreographic work Tethered as one of the co-choreographers for Basin Dance Collective’s Sport Suites in 2019 . In 2021, she was a choreographer and performer for the site-specific dance and opera performance A Song of Visions by Paige Barnett. In 2022, she co-choreographed a piece titled A Safe Place Where Fear Can Sleep for ULL’s production of State of La Dance alongside choreographer Natalie Kojis. Nicole is also one of the co-founding members of LOUDHOUSE- an experimental art collective based out of Lafayette, LA.
Gabrielle Marino (Dancer) is a current dance major pursuing her BFA at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana and will graduate in May of 2025. Her early training was at Delarue Dance Centre in Lafayette, La. While at Northwestern State, she has performed as a soloist and ensemble member of NSU’s student dance company, as well as numerous theater productions, student choreography concerts, and site-specific works around Natchitoches, La. Her professors have included Brett Garfinkel, Kirsten Riehl, Rebecca Allen, Alex McBride, Joy Campbell, and Nhan Ho. She has attended dance intensives held by Perry Mansfield with the Limón Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance Company, New Dialect, and Bruce Wood Dance Dallas. Gabrielle is a recipient of the Jean Breaux Award and Scholarship from the Acadiana Center for the Arts.
Alex McBride (Dancer) is originally from Lafayette, Louisiana. He received his BFA in Dance from The University of Arizona in Tucson and his MFA in Dance from Hollins University. Alex has danced and trained with San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, 10 Hairy Legs (NYC), The Limón Dance Company (NYC), and Basin Dance Collective. He has studied, performed, and taught across North America, Central America, and Europe. Most recently, he was nominated for a BESSIE award for his role in Adam Weinert’s reconstruction, MONUMENTS: Echoes in the Dance Archives, which was staged at the New York Public Library. Alex is on the faculty at Perry-Mansfield in Steamboat Springs, CO and is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Prior to returning to his hometown, he was an Assistant Professor of Dance at Northwestern State University. Alongside his performance and teaching endeavors, Alex’s choreography and research are currently exploring the intersection of dance with geography and place.
Kennedy Walker (Dancer) is a movement artist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a background in several styles such as ballet, tap, hip hop, modern, and jazz. Kennedy attended Tulane University where she was a member of the Newcomb Dance Company throughout her tenure. She also had the opportunity to work with local companies such as BODYART in New Orleans, LA. She found ways to take dance into the community through internships with BODYART’s “Moving to Heal” campaign which brought Dance Movement Therapy to a local shelter for survivors of domestic abuse. She graduated from Tulane University in 2022, earning a BA in Dance as well as a BS in Neuroscience. The combination of her passions led her to complete a Master of Science in Dance Science in London, England at Trinity Laban Conservatoire where she worked collaboratively with artists across the University as well as across the city of London. Currently Kennedy is a freelance movement artist, eager to collaborate and share her passions.
Hillary Bonhomme (Composer) is a musician of versatile influence with fluidity in songwriting, performing, and music production. Her work is supported by her own emotional feedback as she works to balance the physicality of music performance with the psychology of language and narrative. A New York City-resident, she was born and raised in Southwest Louisiana. Her musical practice is as storied as her musical past, she has been guided by years of experimentation in jazz, zydeco, folk, musical theater, opera, chamber choir, improvisation, and popular music. In cycling through different genres, Hillary’s appreciation for the cohesive power of music and music’s tendency to help adhere individuals into a collective has grown. You can listen to her music wherever you stream and follow her @hillary.m4a on social media.
Ashlie Boelkins (Set Design), AIA, is an Associate Professor at the University of Louisiana – Lafayette and founding principal of ARCH&also residential & research practice. As both an Educator and Practitioner, Ashlie’s work expands the boundaries of architecture through multi-scalar projects where her collaborative dance installation projects embody her passion towards interdisciplinary intersections between architecture, movement / dance, and performance. Ashlie is currently the Graduate Coordinator of the Masters of Architecture Program and Internship Exchange Experience at the School of Architecture and Design where she also teaches the undergraduate senior and graduate studios alongside graduate research-focused seminar coursework. Ashlie received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Young Architect Award, amongst other honors, and has held leadership positions with AIA Louisiana, presented and published her work at numerous international and national architectural education and design conferences, and has served as a peer-review critic for the European Association for Architectural Education, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, and invited design critic for studio reviews across the U.S.
Paula Calderón (Costume Design) is a visionary artist born in Colombia, South America. Her bachelor’s degree in Industrial Designer and over 20 years of experience as a professional ballet dancer gave her the tools to become an entrepreneur in Costume and Stage design and production with notable recognition in her hometown of Medellín. Her work has been seen nationally and internationally including intensive workshops at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, the Miami City Ballet, and the Millennium Dance Studio. She positioned herself as a major dancer and advocate in the development of art and cultural activities in Colombia, and increased her stage costume design business while serving as artistic director and creative manager at one of the most recognized dance studios in Medellín. After getting married and becoming a mother, her creative potential expands to North America, where her broad artistic profile and evolution, focuses on bringing multicultural and social value to the community of performers, directors, and new generation of artists in Lafayette, her new home. www.creartspirit.com
Hagit Barkai (Visual Artist & Dance Dramaturg)
Hagit Barkai is a visual artist based in Lafayette Louisiana, and an associate professor of art at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her paintings, drawings, prints, and photo-performance directing center on body language of comfort and discomfort in evocative poses, the bodies in her paintings serve as a measure of acceptance and resistance to cultural narratives and as safeguards for the freedom to change. Her work has been exhibited in venues such as Scope International Art Fair in Miami Basel; Manifesta in Hasselt, Belgium; Kunsthalle Faust in Hannover, Germany; Praxis Gallery in NY, NY; Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, LA; Crane Arts in Philadelphia, PA; Fe Gallery in Pittsburgh PA; Froelick Gallery in Portland, OR; La Botanika in Houston, TX; Greensboro Greenhill Gallery and Greensboro Project Space in Greensboro NC. In Lafayette, she has exhibited in the Acadiana Center for the Arts, Hilliard Museum, Lafayette LA, and Basin Arts.
Preservation dancers & creators:
A’Myra Menard (Dancer) has been dancing for over a decade, beginning her journey at the age of 11. Her versatile repertoire includes ballet, Horton, tap, contemporary, and more. Currently, A’Myra is a junior at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she is pursuing her BFA in Dance. Her recent performances include notable works like “Roots”, as well as school productions such as State of LA Danse and Evening of Dance. A’Myra was recently honored with the prestigious Marc Breaux Scholarship Award from the ULL dance department, recognizing her dedication and talent. She has also shared her passion for dance as an instructor at F.I.R.E Expressions Performing Arts Conservatory, where she taught ballet, jazz, and hip-hop/african for two years.
Eriel Reed (Dancer) began her dance journey at the age of 8 and has been dedicated to the art ever since. She trained extensively in classical ballet and Horton Technique at Louisiana Dance Theatre, later expanding her skills in commercial work and competition at Candace Dance Company. A 2022 high school graduate, Eriel is currently pursuing a degree in Performing Arts with a concentration in Dance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Alongside her studies, she works as a dance instructor at various studios and has had the opportunity to perform in industry roles, including as a backup dancer for Mia X at the Essence Festival.
Kristyan Rideau (Dancer) is a native of Opelousas, Louisiana. She is an alumna of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a BFA in Dance and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Education. In her professional career, she has performed at the 2019 Alabama Dance Festival, the AT&T Performing Arts Center for A Gathering 2022 and the 2023 American Dance Platform at the Joyce Theatre.
Lyrie Celestine (Dancer) is from Lafayette, LA and has been dancing for 11 years. She primarily trained in ballet, modern, contemporary, hip hop, and jazz. Her notable performances are State of La Danse and Evening of Dance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Zekiah Smith (Dancer) Born and raised In Lafayette, Louisiana. Son of Ricky and Annette Smith. Age 28. Been in multiple productions such as Lafayette Ballet Theater’s The Nutcracker (2016-2020) , Hum Awards showcase Houston Texas 2019, Baton Rouge Ballet Theater’s Rapunzel (2022) and ULL’s State a LA Danse (2023).
Leigha T. Porter, M.Ed (Choreographer) A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Leigha Porter M.Ed is the founder and artistic director of F.I.R.E. Expressions Performing Arts Conservatory, Co-Creator of The Creole Nutcracker, a southern reimagining of the classic Christmas tale and theater production, incubator and owner of PARC Village, a Community Art Center and collective space that supplies resources for empowering creatives of color. For the past 8 years, Ms.Porter has served as an arts advocate, arts administrator, and movement artist and continues to serve the North side of Lafayette, a historically black and economically and culturally under-served community. Leigha was awarded a bachelor degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2010 with a major in Dance, followed by a Masters of Education from Grand Canyon University in 2016. She has studied Theater Arts at Dillard University in New Orleans, trained in ballet, modern and jazz techniques with world renowned choreographers such as Debbie Allen, Lula Washington, and Walter Hull and has traveled the country teaching dance workshops and masterclasses. In 2015, Leigha attended the Horton Pedagogy Teacher Workshop at The Ailey School in New York City to study the Horton Technique and is a candidate with the Institute for Dunham Technique Certification, to allow her to teach this technique in her community and globally. Leigha provides community service as an adjudicator for the NAACP National Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics and has been the recipient of a number of awards, including the Delta Women in Business Award (2019), Spoken Red Enterprise Small Business Award (2019), and Grand Canyon University Success Spotlight (2019). In 2022 Ms. Porter was 1 of 18 selected for the South Arts Emerging Leaders of Color Cohort, a program representing the
next generation of cultural workers and art administrators from across the country.
Leigha has a reputation among her peers and colleagues as someone who is challenging perceptions about how to successfully engage and educate the next generation of artists and entrepreneurs of color. Leigha feels a sense of accomplishment when she is able to help the community expand their minds and capabilities through the use of artistic discipline and is consistently advocating for the arts to ensure kids and adults are exposed and inspired to the many forms art can take.
