Performer

Mary Carter (she/her) is a dancer, singer-songwriter, and choreographer. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri where she studied ballet under Robyn Hartley and apprenticed for the St. Louis Ballet Company where she had the opportunity to perform in the ballets, Serenade and Giselle. She spent summers at American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and The Ailey School. She then furthered her training at The Ailey School on Fellowship, performing works by Judith Jamison, Take Ueyama, and Francesca Harper and later attended Matthew Corozine Studio Theater for acting. Among her many collaborations in NYC as a freelance performing artist, highlights include dancing for The Francesca Harper Project, Touch Performance Art, Miho Hatori (Cibo Matto), Amy Wan Man Cheung (Chashama Art Gallery), Willy Laury and most recently interdisciplinary artist Janet Biggs - performing works at The New Museum, Fridman Gallery, and The United Nations in New York City.

In 2019 Carter released her debut EP entitled, “DOULA”, establishing herself as a musician with the vision of bringing her movement and love for cross-disciplinary art forms underneath the same umbrella. Her live music sets and music videos blend all of her art forms into one cohesive story of sound, movement, and emotion. She is passionate about conjuring her authentic voice and helping others do the same through the healing potential of movement, vocalization, and improvisation.

Performer

Katie Corkum (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based dance artist whose purpose lies in evoking feeling and provoking change. Her work is in inhabiting her body and experiences and in creating work with relevance to this and the social issues that call her to move. She holds a BA in Dance from the University of Vermont and practices primarily contemporary dance forms and pole dance. Her primary media are dance, writing, and visual art, with auxiliary skills in piano performance/composition and costume design/construction. She has recently performed in works by Julian Barnett, Bernard Brown, Millie Heckler, Hye-Won Hwang, and Isadora Snapp. Art is the only way in; art is the only way out.

Performer

Tina Forés-Hitt (lover of rythm and movement) was raised between Spain and the US. At a young age, her mom signed her up for dance lessons at the neighborhood studio in Valencia, which is where her curiosity (or passion?) for dance sparked. She spent six formative years at the Professional Conservatory of Dance in Valencia, focusing on contemporary dance. In Austin, Texas, she joined the Diverse Space Dance Theater. She went to arts colleges and studied contemporary dance and performance at ArtEZ (Holland) and at SEAD (Austria). The BODHI Project took her on a dreamlike world tour, and performing under the direction of Jan Lauwers at the Salzburger Festspiele was a remarkable experience.

Currently, Tina studies tap dance under the direction of Linda Joy Sullivan. She is a member of Entity Dance in Vermont and is also in the making of a movement research project with a marine biologist in Colombia with CoME (Colectivo Movimiento Expansivo). Today, Tina stands fortunate and grateful. She thanks VDA for this beautiful opportunity and Millie for including her in this transformative journey.

Sound Engineer, DJ, Singer+Songwriter, Producer, Performer

Schivona Johnson, also known as Schi the God, is a versatile audio engineer, artist, and DJ based in Austin, Texas. She has headlined The Unleash Movement Festival and performed at renowned venues like Cheer Up Charlies and the Coconut Club. In the studio, Schi has collaborated with notable artists such as Just Blaze, Black Odyssey, and Royal Forest.

Schi's passion lies in the vulnerability of storytelling, a theme that permeates her work. She holds a degree in Audio Production from the Art Institute and currently serves as a sound engineer at King Electric Recording. Since stepping into the world of dance and performance art in 2017, Schi has shared the stage with Millie Heckler (PBC) and contributed sound design in collaboration with Frank Wo/Men Collective and Touch Collective.

When she's not on the decks, Schi is behind the mic hosting her podcast, Third Eye Snacks, which aims to awaken, inspire, and nourish minds. Her mission is to encourage everyone to stay woke and tune into their true selves. Schi is also the resident DJ for the Austin-based collective Sundays Sessions.

Costume Designer

As a multi-disciplinary artist PhaeMonae’s goal is to uplift communities through engagement and the perseverance of art-making as a tool for social change. PhaeMonae challenges world issues through art and they also make art for art's sake cuz it's good for her. The work is always an anthology of real people's narratives. They particularly portray this through the beautification process in the sense of black hair, black fashion, and its innovations historically in retrospect to today's pop-culture.

“To sew for movement invites the mind to imagine beyond earthly wills but to explore a deeper and futuristic dreamscape”. PhaeMonae has currently been practicing what defines black futurism, mixing hip-hop/club culture and fine art/high fashion cultures. The booming brainchild is street wear, meets bedroom chic, meets a sprinkle of magic couture. She wants to test the boundaries of what’s “wearable” and do it with “maximalism”. PhaeMonae believe themselves to be someone who everyday gets dressed with the intention of setting the tone for the day. “If I look good and feel good my day can start over at any moment”. It is a meditation and self-practice of gratitude and godliness. It’s a refresh and redress kind of vibe. Shape how the world sees you.

PhaeMonae has worked with Gloatl, Core Dance, and T. Lang dance, as a performance artist. They have since become a wearable art, design, and sculpture artist. She is a recipient for Art on the Beltline Arts and Culture “Beltline After Dark” 2024 series. PhaeMonae and team will create an embodiment intersecting hip-hops emergence and the lifespan of the Cicada through dance, sound, sculpture and fashion. PhaeMonae and Lev Omelchenko created a dance on film “Free Noir Papillon” that explores the relationship of PhaeMonae as a black woman birthing a black boy in the midst of a pandemic and civil unrest. The FNP film has been featured in over 10 film festivals including “Atlanta Film Festival”, “Cucalorus Film Fest”, “Miami Shorts”, “Brooklyn Film Festival”, “Nitehawk Shorts”, and “Sidewalk film festival,” just to name a few. PhaeMonae has costumed dances for film and stage like Beacon Dance “A piece : Through the senses”, Anicka Austin and Sierra Kings’ work “Untitled”, and Millie Heckler’s “Pink Booth Confessions”. This spring PhaeMonae will premiere new design work in Madison Lee’s thesis dance entitled “soft underbelly” for Emory University and Meaghan Novoa’s work presented by A&E and The Mayor's office of Cultural Affairs entitled “In This House”. PhaeMonae will also premiere new work through DanceATL's "Engaging ATL Fellowship", "Summer Pantheon" at The Underground ATL, and "Subtle Rage" in Vermont summer and fall of 2024.