Artist Biographies

JEANNE MAM-LUFT

ARTISTIC AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jeanne Mam-Luft is the Artistic and Executive Director of Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Centers, which she partly founded as MamLuft&Co. Dance in 2007 (later merged with Contemporary Dance Theater, found­ed by Jefferson James in 1972). Mam­-Luft holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Texas Woman’s University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. Mam-Luft studied at both American Dance Festival and Bates Dance Festival on full scholarships, as well as Carnegie Mellon’s acclaimed School of Drama, Pittsburgh Filmmakers, and Point Park University. Her training includes Sarah Gamblin (Bebe Miller Dance Company), Mary Williford-Shade (Dance Alloy), James Caton (Ballet Metropolitan), Melissa M. Young and Nycole Ray (Dallas Black Dance Theatre), Ming-Lung Yang (Trisha Brown Dance Company), Tatiana Baganova (Provincial Dances Russia), and many others. Mam-Luft was the Assistant Director of Contemporary Dance Theater for 4 and a founding mem­ber of Greater Cincinnati Dance Alliance. She is certified in Labanotation from the Dance Notation Bureau (NY) and is also a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional. As an artist-producer, Mam-Luft has produced dozens of evening length and 60+ short­er works (35 of which she was lead cho­reographer). She was the first and only dance artist to be named a Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellow in support of an origi­nal dance-for-camera she choreographed, filmed, and edited. She served on the board of OhioDance (the state-wide organization for dance) for 6 years. She has been a grant panelist for both the Ohio Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. She was raised in Texas after her family es­caped the Khmer Rouge genocide. Most of her works are inspired by her family’s expe­riences. As a choreographer, her interests lie mostly in human connections and how that is portrayed through spatial relation­ships. She has guest-taught and/or set work on students at Texas Woman’s University, University of Cincinnati, Wittenberg University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Kentucky, Tarrant County College, and Kent State.

 

CECILIA BENITEZ

GUEST CHOREOGRAPHER

Cecilia Benitez was born and raised in Miami, Florida, where she currently resides. She earned her BFA in dance from Point Park University in 2020. In the spring of 2019, she studied abroad in Madrid, Spain at the Conservatorio de Danza Superior “Maria de Avila”. Upon graduation she worked as a freelance art­ist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania perform­ing with an improvisation-based company The Pillow Project under the direction of Pearlann Porter. She also served as the lead dancer and rehearsal director in the original production of “Milton” choreographed by Kaylin Horgan. Now a freelance artist based in Miami, she dances for Rosie Herrera Dance Theater while teaching, dancing, and choreographing for Syncopate Collective. Her dance films have been featured in both ScreenDance Miami and the 305 & Havana International lmprov Fest. Her choreogra­phy has been commissioned by Miami Light Project’s “Here and Now” program, Pioneer Winter’s “Grass Stains”, Bistoury Physical Theater and Film, and Miami- Dade County Cultural Affairs. Through her choreographic process she aims to unearth memories from one’s cultural and social background in or­der to inspire improvisational scores and movement generation. When not dancing or creating you can find her reading, biking, writing letters, or making Cuban coffee.

 

JASMINE SNELLEN

CHOREOGRAPHER AND COMPANY MEMBER

Jasmine Snellen be­gan her dance train­ing at Louisville Youth Performing Arts School
where she studied Martha Graham’s tech­nique and classical ballet. She is a gradu­ate of the selective and esteemed Kentucky Governor’s School For the Arts. Snellen earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Shenandoah Conservatory and University where she trained with equal emphasis in Ballet, Jazz (classical, contem­porary, and commercial), Modern (Graham, Limon, Horton), composition, and peda­gogy. Snellen has had the honor of training with Alan Arnett, Tiffanie Carson, Ting-Yu Chen, Maurice Fraga, Elijah Alhadji Gibson, Erica Helm, Linda Miller, and Lisa Startsman among others, including main stage features by Mike Esperanza of Bare Dance Company NYC, Company I E of Washington DC, and Brussels-based artists Katie Vickers and Albert Quesada. Jasmine has performed at Peridance Salvatore Capezio Theater in NYC, trained with LA Contemporary Dance Company and Sidra Bell Dance New York, and presented work at the Kentucky Center for the Arts. Snellen has a passion for de­sign and digital media and has served as Mutual Dance Theatre’s Marketing Manager in the past. She has created two works on the company since joining in 2019. She con­ceptualized, choreographed, and edited a five-part dance-for-camera entitled FFIFF (2020), which explores society’s rapidly shifting polarity, clashes of beliefs, and the tethers of group-think. In 2022, she created “Cingularity,” a 20-minute work exploring the idea that “singularity” might be reached, when humans and technology eventually become one (the title is also a nod to the 90s cell phone network, Cingular).

 

HANNAH WILLIAMSON

REHEARSAL DIRECTOR, CHOREOGRAPHER, AND COMPANY MEMBER

Hannah Williamson is a 7th-season performing Company Member, as well as the Rehearsal Director and a choreographer in Mutual Dance Theatre. She is a 2017 graduate of Wright State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance – Magna Cum Laude. Her senior choreographer project White Shores received the Adjudicated Choreography Award and was performed in the 2017 fac­ulty concert alongside Testament, cho­reographed and set by Dwight Roden and Clifford Williams of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, which she also had the honor of performing in. Williamson’s works created after her studies were se­lected for presentations, including two choreographic residencies with Columbus Modern Dance Company, Contemporary Dance Theater’s Area Choreographers Festival (2018 and 2021), Mutual Dance Theatre’s New Dance Laboratory, and Yes! Virginia Dance Festival. Williamson also re­ceived a commission from MDT for the creation of Variations in a Brainstorm (2021), a half-evening of work. She was honored to be chosen to teach Advanced/Intermediate Modern for Wright State’s prestigious dance program in the fall of 2022. She has recently been hired as an adjunct profes­sor for the college’s advanced musical the­atre program and was also honored with the opportunity to create original work for the school’s faculty concert. “Nacht” is Williamson’s third commission for MDT.

 

MCKINLEY WILLIS

GUEST CHOREOGRAPHER

A native of Dallas, Texas, McKinley Willis is a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance Performance with a minor in Health and Exercise Science from The University of Oklahoma. During her time at OU, her choreography was featured in the Young Choreographer’s Showcase, paving her journey to creative discovery. As a senior, McKinley collaborated with com­poser Leah Kennedy for the production of “Not Buying It,” a show reflecting the dark reality of the human trafficking system in America. McKinley’s Capstone Project, The Experience: Love, Life, Light, was a 45 min­ute, one-act show created in collaboration with various artists – it was this production that sparked her fiercest desire to collabo­rate, in turn leading to the development of her arts organization The Artist Kinnection. McKinley has performed with 6 O’clock Dance (2015), Bruce Wood Dance Project (2011 & 2015), and Dallas Black Dance Theatre (2015-2023) where she worked with choreographers Bruce Wood, Matthew Rushing, Christopher Huggins, Tommie Waheed-Evans, Hope Boykin, Stephen Mills, and Dianne McIntyre. She’s had several cho­reographed works featured in DBDT’s annu­al Black on Black series, premiering works such as “Black Angels,” “Gus,” and “A Suite Christmas.” McKinley has also been com­missioned to choreograph for several spe­cial events including weddings, birthdays, and various corporate events through­out the DFW metroplex. In 2019, she cho­reographed Arts Visions’ production of “Hair Spray Jr.” under the Direction of Fran Anderson, and in the midst of the pandem­ic in 2020, she choreographed and organized Arts Visions’ virtual edition of “The Wiz Jr.,” recognized for its creativity and ingenuity. She also recently received a commission from Houston Contemporary Dance Company. McKinley’s invigorating take on movement defines dance by way of the human experience and encourages con­nections to happen, creating space for vulnerability, exploration, and authenticity.

 

CLAIRE DIERINGER

COMPANY MEMBER

Claire Dieringer is a 2016 graduate of Kent State University, from which she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Magna Cum Laude. Claire also studied at American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina in many styles and with numerous teachers from all over the world. Claire has worked professionally as the Director of the Dance Program at Lake Bryn Mawr Camp in Pennsylvania. In 2017, Claire joined Mutual Dance Theatre (when it was MamLuft&Co. Dance) after training in New York. She was hired full-time as the organization’s Education and Outreach Coordinator and now holds the role of Studio Director and Programs Manager. Claire oversees the dai­ly operations of Mutual Arts Centers’ ed­ucation and academy programs in both Hartwell and Clifton. In 2019, she per­formed in Geographie, a multi-week in­stallation by French choreographers Annie Vigier and Franck Apertet (les gens d’Uter­pan) at the Contemporary Arts Center, as well as in the Area Choreographers Festival (Contemporary Dance Theater). Most re­cently Claire’s choreographic works have been chosen to be presented in the Synergy Dance Series and at Northern Kentucky University’s Dance ’24 performance.

 

LINDA GARZA

COMPANY MEMBER

Linda Garza is a 2022 graduate of Miami University, where she re­ceived her Bachelor of Science in both Chemical Engineering and Engineering Management. During her time at Miami, she also earned minors in environmental engineering and dance. Prior to joining Mutual Dance Theatre, Linda was a member of Miami University’s Dance Theatre (under Lana Kay Rosenberg}, where she performed in a va­riety of pieces by both student and guest choreographers. Some of her favorite piec­es from her time in the company include “A Pep Talk for This Life” choreographed by Bessie-winning and internationally-ac­claimed Joanna Kotze and “The Kids Are(‘nt) Alright” choreographed by Liza Torrence. More recently, Linda performed at the 2023 OhioDance Festival in “The Blue Room” choreographed by Mutual Dance Theatre’s Jasmine Snellen. Linda is so excited to have the opportunity to dance with Mutual for this 2023-2024 season!

 

ANA HART

COMPANY MEMBER

Born in Osijek, Croatia, Ana Hart graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts & Design, with a concentration in Interactive Design. Ana has performed at the American College Dance Association, with the Contemporary Dance Ensemble, and with Virginia Repertory Dance Company. In 2021, Ana received the JMU Outstanding Dance Performance Award. Following grad­uation, she was honored to be an inaugu­ral dance and design intern for the JMU Next Steps Summer Dance Intensive, a collaboration with DanceWorks Chicago. Ana has expanded her training and artist­ry through attending the American Dance Festival where she learned from Shayla-Vie Jenkins, Ray Schwartz, Maayan Sheinfeld, Noa Zuk, and Ohad Fishof. She has also at­tended the Groundworks DanceTheater Winter Intensive, the Sidra Bell Dance New York Summer MODULE Satellite, and bl2 Berlin Workshop Festival, where she stud­ied with Leila McMillan, Zoe Gyssler, and Vasko Nasonov. Ana joined Mutual Dance Theatre in 2021 and has also performed works by Terrence Marling, Braeden Barnes, Adeline “A” Else, Christian Warner, Matt Pardo, Gregory Dolbashian, Ryan Corriston, Stephanie Liapis, Darla Stanley, and Chien­Kuei Chang (Chang Dance Theatre). Ana’s intersection of design and dance inter­ests also serve MDT through her role as Marketing Manager.

 

EVELYN LACKNEY

COMPANY MEMBER

Evelyn Lackney re­ceived her Bachelors of Arts in dance and com­munication studies from Western Kentucky University. Originally from Danville, KY, Evelyn danced with the WKU Dance Company and had the opportunity to work with various choreographers across various styles. During her time in Bowling Green, KY, Evelyn was trained by artists at Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, New Dialect, and Mutual Dance Theatre. Additionally, Evelyn has choreographed multiple modern works that were adjudicated and presented. Her choreographic pieces are known for their emotional storytelling, inspired by the be­lief that art exists in everything. She is thrilled to have danced with Mutual Dance Theatre this season!

 

KC LYPHOUT

COMPANY MEMBER

KC Lyphout, originally from Toledo, Ohio, began formally training in dance at the age of 12 at Toledo School for the Arts. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Wright State University in 2021, KC joined Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2 as a dance artist for the 2021-2022 season. Additionally, KC has been a choreographer and dancer with Dayton Dance Initiative since 2022. As an emerging choreographer, she has had the pleasure of creating new dance works for Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company and Suttle Dance Detroit. KC was thrilled to be with Mutual Dance Theatre this season.

 

CAROLINE NYMBERG

COMPANY MEMBER

Caroline Nymberg was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a young dance student, she studied at Cincinnati Ballet, San Diego Ballet, and Company E. She graduated mag­na cum laude from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance. During her time at university, she had the honor to perform and work with esteemed artists, including Bill T. Jones, Hope Boykin (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre), Karen Reedy, Rob Kleinendorst, and Christopher D’amboise (for whom she was a rehearsal assistant). She is a third­ year company member with Mutual Dance Theatre and has performed in works creat­ed by Sidra Bell and Victor Lewis Jr.

 

LARRY CSERNIK

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Larry Csernik is a light­ing designer for the­atre, dance, and opera. Originally from Louisville, Larry earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre at Northern Kentucky University. He has designed many shows for his alma mater, The Commonwealth Theatre Company, Contemporary Dance Theater, and most recently, became the resident Lighting Designer of Mutual Dance Theatre. Other show credits include Don Giovanni, La Cenerentola, lolanta, Der Freischutz, Fidelio (Queen City Opera); The Full Monty, Willy Wonka, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Joseph … Dreamcoat (The Carnegie in Covington); the premiere performance of Soldier’s Christmas (Blueline Editorial); and numerous shows at Thomas More College (Almost Maine, Macbeth, Frankenstein, Godspell, Little Women, The Crucible, Urinetown).

 

CELESTE KENNINGTON

UNDERSTUDY

Celeste Kennington graduated from Wright State University where she studied under distinguished faculty including Teressa Wylie McWilliams, Ashley Walton-Pabst, Gina Walther, Gregory Robinson, and Erin Robbins. She danced with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s second company, working with Shonna Hickman-­Matlock, Elizabeth Ramsey, Countess Winfrey, Matthew Talley, and Amy Jones. Her original works include “Anesidora” on Suttle Dance Detroit in June 2023, and her “Fleshed Out” at Synergy Dance Series II. Celeste is beyond grateful and excited for the opportunity to train and understudy with Mutual Dance Theatre this season!

 

Artist Biographies

ABOUT ROSIE HERRERA DANCE THEATRE

Since their discovery in 2009 by Charles Reinhart after the premiere of Various Stages of Drowning: A Cabaret, Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre has quickly become a beloved fixture in the contemporary arts scene in Miami. With a whirlwind success that has taken them from sold out performances at the prestigious American Dance Festival (ADF), The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami Dade County, and The Baryshnikov Arts Center NYC, the company’s unique aesthetic and commitment to rigorous collaboration has gained them a cult following.

Known for its diverse ensemble that consists of some of Miami’s most brilliant performers and creators ranging in genres from theater, performance art, opera, drag, and contemporary ballet, RHDT has had the privilege of performing several ADF-commissioned pieces and premiering them at the festival, as well enjoying unprecedented success in Miami. Their NYC premiere of Various Stages of Drowning: A Cabaret was said by Kayt MacMaster of BroadwayWorld.com to be “so innovative, searing and disturbing…” that it warranted “repeat viewings…” and their NYC premiere of Dining Alone was hailed by Deborah Jowitt as “earthy, poetic and beyond dada imaginative.”

Rosie Herrera

Artistic Director

Rosie Herrera is a Cuban-American dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Rosie Herrera Dance Theater in Miami. She is a graduate from New World School with a BFA in Dance Performance. She has been commissioned by The Miami Light Project, The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Ballet Hispánico, Jose Limón Dance Company, Moving Ground Dance Theater, Houston Met Dance, New World Symphony, and the American Dance Festival (ADF) in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2018.  Her company, Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre, has been presented by the Northrop Dance Series, New World Symphony, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami Light Project, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Texas A & M University, Duncan Theater, The Annenberg Center, Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Dance Place, Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, The Yard at Martha’s Vineyard, Alys Stephens Center, Wilson Center at Cape Fear University, The Rialto Center, Gotham Dance at Skirball, and Focus Dance at The Joyce, as well as by The American Dance Festival at the Joyce NYC in 2016 and 2018. Rosie is also a classically trained lyric coloratura soprano and performs with the Performers Music Institute Opera Ensemble, as well as works as an independent director and creative consultant throughout Miami. With over a decade of experience in both dance and cabaret, she has collaborated on productions with Walter Mercado, Pig Iron Theater, The South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center, New World School of the Arts, The University of Central Florida, Six Floor Ensemble, Zoetic Stage, and the New World Symphony, as well as with the interdisciplinary performance ensemble/avant-garde cabaret Circ X. She has also collaborated with filmmakers Adam Reign, Lucas Leyva, Jonathon David Kane, George Echevarria, and Clyde Scott to create original short films and music videos. Rosie is a 2016 USArtist Sarah Arison Choreographic Fellow, a 2010 and 2018 MANCC choreographic fellow, a 2014 Bates Dance Festival Artist-In-Residence, a 2016 Bessie Schoenberg Fellow, and a 2011 and 2016 Miami Dance Fellow. She was awarded a Princess Grace Choreographic Fellowship for her work with Ballet Hispánico in 2013.

Cecilia Andrea Benitez

Performer

Cecilia was born and raised in Miami, Florida where she attended New World School of the Arts High School and later received her BFA in dance from Point Park University. While living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she frequently performed with The Pillow Project and also served as the lead dancer and rehearsal director for the production of the brand-new musical Milton by Kaylin Horgan. Now a freelance artist based in Miami, she has danced for Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre, Pioneer Winter’s Grass Stains, and Miami Movement Collective. Her most recent endeavor includes her choreographic debut as a commissioned artist for Miami Light Project’s Here and Now 2022 program.

Luciano Cortés

Performer

Luciano is an actor who graduated from the Metropolitan School of Dramatic Art (BA, Argentina). He trained in the fields of physical theater, masked theater, commedia dell’arte, and clowning, as well as aerial and contemporary dance. He toured internationally as a part of companies such as Fuerza Bruta, Cuerda, and Urgen. After several years of world tour with Fuerza Bruta, he moved to Miami in 2018 where he created the company “Salvaje Teatro” where he presented numerous theatrical experiences. At the same time, he has performed as an actor on TV, advertising, and various productions in different theaters in the city. In 2020, he opened his own theatrical space also called “Salvaje Teatro,” where he currently develops his work as an actor, director, and theatrical instructor.

David Ferri

Lighting Designer

David has worked with prominent choreographers such as Pina Bausch, Shen Wei, Doug Varone, Yin Mei, Eiko and Koma, Jane Comfort, David Rousseve, Jody Sperling, and Ballet Preljocaj. He has been the Production Manager for the prestigious American Dance Festival since 1996, training upcoming designers in America. Ferri is the recipient of 1987-1988 BESSIE AWARD for his design of Doug Varone’s “Straits”, and 2000-2001 BESSIE AWARD for Sustained Achievement in Lighting Design. Mr Ferri is the resident Lighting Designer – Technical Director for The Vassar College Dance Department. He was also resident lighting designer and technical director at PS 122 from 1985-1991. Mr. Ferri lives in New York between his travels and projects. He has been working with RHDT since 2010. 

Victoria Mora

Performer

Victoria graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BFA in dance, and during her time there, she had the privilege to perform works by Charles O. Anderson, Paul Taylor, Ohad Naharin, and Robert Battle, among others. She first attended American Dance Festival in 2013 as a student where she met Rosie and performed in her work for Footprints. Since then, she has danced with Ad Deum Dance Company, Moving Ethos Dance Company, Ramdance Movement, and Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre. Most recently, she stepped away from dancing to attend Baylor College of Medicine and graduated with a Masters degree in Physician Assistant Studies in 2021. She recently moved to Miami to dance with RHDT.

Katie Stirman

Performer

Katie is a Miami Native whose dance career spans two decades. She predominantly works collaboratively with artists, creating tailored experiences for each project. She is creating a series of immersive-meditative performances in nature using textiles. This project launched with video stills published in “100+ Degrees In The Shade: A Survey of South Florida Art.” The first rendition of this piece was shot in the Catskill Mountains of New York and included a performance with Bas Fisher Invitational: Weird Miami Bus Tour 2016 which toured in the Everglades. Gladly diving into the intimate recesses of beauty this planet holds on the horizon, she seeks to deliver simplistic wonder back to those whom may have forgotten its marvels. Katie joined RHDT in 2011.

Tiffany Schrepferman

Stage manager

Tiffany is the Stage Manager for Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre and freelances as a Lighting Designer/Stage Manager for many other companies including Gaspard & Dancers, Kate Weare Company, TALK Dance, Uptown Dance Company, and Dance of Asian America. She is also currently the Production Manager and resident Lighting Designer for Ad Deum Dance Company and Ad Deum II based in Houston, TX. Tiffany graduated magna cum laude from Belhaven University with a BFA in Dance and has worked for the American Dance Festival as Production Stage Manager of the Reynolds Theater for the past eight summers. She is excited to partner with the artists and creative minds of today to bring fresh and inspiring works into the arts community.

Britney Tokumoto

Performer, company manager

Britney is proudly from Honolulu, Hawaii and trained at Mid Pacific School of the Arts in Honolulu. She received her BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College in 2012. She has collaborated with Bare Dance Company, Colectivo Dos Zeta, Denisa Musilova, Schoen Movement Company, Steps Ensemble, Roxana Barba, and Tami Stronach. Britney joined Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre in 2019. In addition to her work as a collaborator, she became company manager in 2020. Most recently, Britney has joined Dance/USA as the Operations Specialist and Board Liaison.

Leah Verier-Dunn

Performer

Leah received her BFA in Dance from New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL. Subsequently, she launched a professional career in Miami, then New York, and eventually returned to her roots in Sarasota, where she co-founded Moving Ethos Dance in 2007. Having worked with several distinguished companies, Leah found her artistic home with Rosie Herrera Dance Theater in 2011, with whom she continues to collaborate while juggling her two children and the Artistic Direction of Moving Ethos Dance. In 2019, Leah was commissioned as the first Spotlight Florida Resident at The Ringling Museum of Art and since has continued there as an artist-in-residence.