A-Wol Member Bios : A-Wol Dance Collective

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~A-Wol Member Bios~

| Directors | Company Members | Guest Artists |

Company Founders

Jen Harbaugh, Artistic Director, 2003

Jen Harbaugh has performed with A-WOL Dance Collective, Pendulum Aerial Dance Theatre, Polaris Dance Theater, Mary Hunt and Dancers, Jayne Persch/Hypaxis Dance and Bill Holden Dancers. She has trained locally with Mary Hunt, Tracey Durbin, Robert Guitron and Agnieszka Laska. Jen choreographs for local high school dance programs, teaches modern dance in Portland, and guest teaches at Portland area studios. In her spare time she is a Registered Dietitian, a Marathon Runner and an avid coffee drinker.

Brandy Guthery, Artistic Director, 2003

Brandy Guthery, originally from Tampa, Florida (home of the Buccaneers) moved to Oregon at age 14 where she began studying at Oregon Ballet Theater. She has trained in ballet, modern, flamenco and aerial dance. Some of her most memorable teachers have been James Canfield, Patti Jones, Robert Guitron and Elaina Carter. Brandy has performed with A-WOL Dance Collective, Polaris Dance Theater, Oregon Ballet Theater, Pendulum Aerial Dance Theatre, Portland Opera and North West Academy. Brandy also coaches Clackamas High School dance team along side other A-WOL members. She is very grateful to be working with such a wonderful group of dancers!

Julie Hoel Barnes, Co-Founder 2003

Julie Hoel Barnes began dance and gymnastics in her hometown of Chicago, and later received a dance minor with an emphasis in Modern from St. Mary's College while attending the University of Notre Dame. In Portland, she has trained and performed with A-WOL dance collective, Tracey Durbin, Bill Holden, Polaris Dance, Agnieska Laska, Elsie Smith (formerly of Cirque du Soleil), and Pendulum Aerial Dance Theatre. Although she enjoys the many forms of aerial dance, Julie especially loves a good 20-foot-above-the-crowd fabric piece. In her day job, she is a school psychologist.

Stacey Silva, Co-Founder, 2003

Stacey Silva, a native oregonian, is a co-founder/director of A-WOL Dance Collective. She began her training with the Royal Academy of Dance locally which also led her to study in London. Aside from A-WOL, she has performed with Polaris Dance, Pendulum Aerial Dance Theatre, Agnieszka Laska, Pure Dance, and Bill Holden Dancers. She has also trained locally in lyrical jazz and Horton Technique with Tracey Durbin, Mary Hunt, Sonya Duffin and Robert Guitron. Stacey teaches and choreographs for Danceworks Dance Center, Clackamas HS and Virtuosity Performing Arts. Currently, Stacey is on sabbatical while her 1st son Tobin is waiting for his little brother to arrive in October.

Company Members

M’Liss Stephenson, Company Member, 2004

M’Liss has been dancing since the age of two and has no intention of ever stopping! She is from Indianapolis, Indiana where she danced with the Indianapolis Ballet Theater, Dance Kaleidoscope and The Gregory Hancock Dance Company. She also had the privilege of dancing in New York with the Alivn Ailey American Dance Theater with amazing mentors like Anna Marie Forsythe and Milton Meyers. She is currently dancing in Portland, Oregon with Polaris Dance Theater and A-WOL Dance Collective and loves every minute of it!

Jessica Thomas, Company Member, 2004

Jessica R. Thomas has been a company member with A-WOL Dance Collective since May 2004. It has truly been one of the most wonderful dance experiences of her dance background. Jessica began dancing at age three with her mother as her first teacher in jazz and modern dance. Jessica has trained and performed with Oregon Ballet Theater, Mary Hunt, Demetrius Keller, Durante Lambert, West Linn High School Dance Team and Cheer, U of O Dance Team and the U of O Dance Department. Jessica has coached various Oregon dance teams and is currently studying interior design at The Art Institute of Portland. When she has spare time you can find her at the gym, running, or at her favorite family get-away in Tygh Valley.

Sarah Harbaugh, Company Member/Manager, 2005

Sarah Harbaugh became the A-WOL Manager in 2005 and is a guest artist for 2006. Her artistic background in painting, drawing, pottery, dance and fashion has complimented her job with A-WOL for make-up and hair design, press materials, and other various artistic projects required for contributing as a manager. This year she will debut her dancing talent as she makes an appearance in the Art in the Dark 2006 show.

Margo Yohner, Company Member, 2004

Margo Yohner began her dance training in Dayton, OH where she was a 10 year performing member of the South Dayton Dance Theatre before attending Ohio University on a dance scholarship. Margo’s awards include scholarships from Tremaine Dance Center, Daniel Jamison and the Alvin Ailey summer dance program. Margo is an accomplished Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and Gymnastics instructor. She has had the opportunity to work with master teachers and choreographers including, Jeraldyne Blunden, Debbie Blunden-Diggs, Terence Greene, Savion Glover, Doug Elkins, Mauguerite Derricks, Terry Lindholm, and Doug Caldwell. In addition to A-Wol, Margo is a founding member of Polaris Dance Theatre

Michael Dawson, Company Member, 2006

Mike began dancing while earning a degree in Anthropology at the University of Washington. He took hip-hop classes from Herbbie Moore and danced with Herbbie’s “Street Level” group in Seattle. Mike added to his education in dance after moving to the Portland area, taking courses in jazz, modern, ballet, and, of course, hip-hop, from local artists such as Tracey Durbin and Mariecella Devine. He’s performed with local hiphop group “The Detail”, had a part in OBT’s Nutcracker in 2002, and has been with A-Wol Dance Collective since early 2006. Outside of dancing, Mike loves to windsurf and frequently eats cold leftovers.

Alicia Doerrie, Company Member, 2006

Alicia has studied dance since the age of five. She has always focused on jazz, but has also enjoyed the styles of tap, ballet, modern, and hip-hop. While in high school, she was part of her school’s dance ensemble and dance team. As a student of the University of Oregon, she took ballet and jazz classes within their dance department. During this time, she was a member of the University of Oregon dance team. Her return to Portland brought her to A-WOL, who she’s been dancing with since October, 2005.

Paulina Munoz, Company Member, 2006

After trying out her moves in Karate for a few years, Paulina Munoz started dancing at age sixteen and hasn’t stopped since. Coming to A-WOL with a strong interest in Hip Hop and Jazz, Paulina quickly found that aerial dance was her calling. She is now the resident “I’ll try it” girl when it comes to new tricks and continues to inspire those around her to be daring and sassy, just like her. Equally talented on the floor and above it, Paulina is a spitfire performer and a great addition to the company.

Mari Nakama, Company Member, 2006

Selling upgrades and accessories for electron and ion beam microscopes by day to dancing in the Rose Garden Arena, on stage and in class at night, Mari finds herself balancing with the dancers of A-WOL. Based out of Portland, OR, she has been passionately performing and dancing for the past 10 years throughout the Northwest. if her face isn't buried in a book you'll find her walking somewhere on her hands.

Guest Artists

Art in the Dark 3 | 2007

Diana Alcomendas, Art in the Dark 07
Kelly Bergquist, apprentice Art in the Dark 07
Cara Defilippis, Art in the Dark 07
Gina Johnson, Art in the Dark 07
Isaiah Tillman, Art in the Dark 07
Laura McKearnan, Art in the Dark 07
Lizzy Stewart, Art in the Dark 07
Mary Thomas, Art in the Dark 07
Gerran Reese, Choreographer Art in the Dark 07

Hannah Adkins, Guest Artist, 2003
	Hannah Adkins is currently attending New York University, performing in various aerial performances in New York City during the school year and performing with A-WOL during the summer. Hannah was also a member of Pendulum Aerial Dance Theatre (2002-2003). She was a level 8 gymnast by the age of 14 and has spent time training in the art of Bikram Yoga.

Stacie Croghan 2006/2007

Stacie Croghan is a third year student studying Graphic Design at Oregon State. She has been involved in dance throughout her whole life. Starting out in dance studios, Stacie participated in jazz, tap, ballet, and modern for eight years. From there she joined her high school dance team for a few years to get involved with school. Following high school she became involved in The Oregon Dance Project, which had a strong concentration in modern. This allowed her the opportunity to work with a new instructor as well as dancers at OSU, under the instruction of Carol Soleau. Stacie is enjoying working with A-WOL this year.

Samantha Cunningham, Apprentice, 2006/2007

Samantha Cunningham has been eagerly pursuing dance for the past four years. She has trained with several instructors in the Portland area. Her performance background comes from being a team member and captain with the Milwaukie High School Dance Team 2003-2006, where she was honored to be awarded 5 th place in the 2006 State Drill Down and accepted as a member of the 2006 All State Dance Team. She currently teaches at Pacific Dance Academy and will be attending Western Oregon University to study Natural Science and Dance History.

Aisha Francis, Apprentice, 2006/2007
	Aisha Francis, Apprentice, 2006

Brittany Wayland, Apprentice 2005
	Brittany started gymnastics at age 7 along with a few ballet classes until around age 14. She then danced for the Clackamas High School Dance Team. Brittany is currently a student at Oregon State University majoring in Biology, but she still loves to dance and has been a guest artist for A-WOL during the summer since 2005.

Brooke Hughes Melton, Guest Artist/Collaborator, 2006

Brooke began dancing with Rodney Gustafson's State Street Ballet at 16. She performed as a ballerina and ensemble member in Phantom and has been teaching dance all along the way. She has since received various scholarships and has had 2 of her choreographic works selected for performance at Regoinal Dance America conferences. Brooke received her BA in Dance from UC, Irvine in 2002. After dancing in an independent dance film, "Fallen Star," Brooke attended film school in London and Paris. She then returned to L.A. where she worked on and produced award winning short and independent films, one of them through AFI. Now she is back doing what she loves and looking forward to creating more choreography, and dancing with A-WOL Dance Collective

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