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THE COMPANY COMPANY MEMBERS: ARLETTA ANDERSON
 GENEVIEVE CARSON
DEVIN FULTON
JAMILA GLASS
NATALIE HURTER
MARCELO DE SA MARTINS
MELISSA SCHADE
DREA SOBKE
ERIK SPETH
TIFFANY SWEAT
KEVIN WILLIAMSON
Photography by: Denise Leitner & David Starkopf PAST COMPANY MEMBERS: Paulo Alcedo, Lou Becker, Shari Brookler, Michael Crotty, Marie Doherty, Kristen Dusold, Lauren Dragicevich, Jacinto Delgado Guizar, Christopher Hazelton, Marisa Jimenez, Allison Jones, Rogelio Lopez, Nichol Mason, Yumi Matsuzaki, Michelle Pritchard, Carlos Rodriguez, Katie Russell & Jean Michelle Sayeg. PAST GUEST ARTISTS: Mecca Vazie Andrews, Janell Burgess, Samantha Boscarino, Jessica Coffman, Zoe Chait, Diana Delcambre, Christina Marie Domino, Bahareh Ebrahimzadeh, Lindsey Goodwin, Amanda Hamm, Laura Karlin, Lauren Kaufman, Denise Nissen, Marlon Pelayo, Zadrian Smith, Cristine Tatomer, Mike Williams, Rosi Tavarez, Diana Vaden |
Arletta Anderson grew up dancing from a young age in the fresh air of Northern California She received a training in ballet, jazz, hip hop and tap and came down to Los Angeles to attend Loyola Marymount University where she was introduced to the world of contemporary modern. She received a B.A. in dance and since graduating has been working actively within the dance community. She is a founding core member of Holly Johnston's Ledges and Bones Dance Project as well as a member of the Regina Klenjoski Dance Company. She has had the opportunity to perform with IN/EX Dance Project, Pappas and Dancers, Kindra Windish, and Kevin Williamson and has been seen on stages throughout southern California, San Francisco, and New York. Arletta has been a member of LACDC since Fall 2008. 
Genevieve Carson is a native of Juneau, Alaska. She received both academic and dance scholarships to study dance at Chapman University, where she was named "Best Student Choreographer" two years in a row. In 2007, she graduated Cum Laude with a BFA in Dance Performance, and was named "Most Outstanding Senior" by her department. Ms. Carson has trained extensively under Dale Merrill, Larry Rosenberg, Jennifer Backhaus, Sean Green, Liz Maxwell, and Nancy-Dickson Lewis. Carson's choreographic work has been showcased at the Los Angeles Dance Invitational, American College Dance Festival, Pulse Annual Showcase, and the Waltmar Theatre. She has performed with Arianne MacBean's The Big Show Company, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Rebecca Pappas' Pappas and Dancers, and Bare Dance Company. 
Devin Fulton has been a dancing' fool since the tender age of 3. At 17, she became a company member of State Street Ballet and later a principal dancer with Plexus Dance Theatre. After completing her featured role in Santa Barbara's very popular Toxique: A Love Fever, she moved to Los Angeles and performed as lead dancer on the WB's "Angel". In the summer of 2003, Devin received a scholarship to Edge Performing Arts Center. Upon graduation from this program, she decided to stay in Los Angeles to pursue her love of company work. Devin is a founding member of the L.A. Contemporary Dance Company, performs with the Joseph Allen Decker Dance Company and Commonality Dance Co, teaches the popular Sexy Sculpting dance fitness class in Ventura, CA and choreographs work in local high schools, studios, and colleges.
Jamila Glass joined the company in 2005 as an originating member. She began her formal training as a nine-year-old scholarship student at The Discovery Dance Group in Houston, Texas. She continued dancing in her spare time as a vocal music major at the multi-Grammy award-winning High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In May 2005, she graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Cinema-Television (Film & Video Production) and a Minor in Advertising. While there, she was a member of the USC School of Theatre's award-winning Repertory Dance Company, where she choreographed for three years. Glass, also a director/screenwriter, currently works in the film and television industry in post production and has a growing business called The Cutting Room where she does freelance film and video editing and web design (
Natalie Hurter enjoys movement and dance and has studied the art in some way for as long as she can remember. She eventually discovered modern dance at Riverside Community College, which opened up a whole new world for her. Later, under the mentorship of many wonderful instructors she went on to achieve a B.A. in Dance from California State University Long Beach. While attending CSULB, her original choreography "Change Font to Wingding" was selected for performance at the American College Dance Festival. Natalie lives in Long Beach where she continues to choreograph and perform. She finds great happiness in teaching Pilates full time and traveling the world as much as she can. Natalie is pleased to be part of the LACDC family for the third year, and thankful to be surrounded and inspired by so many beautiful creative artists. 
Marcelo de sa Martins was born in Brazil and began his dance training at Studio Contemporaneo das Artes directed by Luciana Junqueira. Marcelo performed with Grupo Raca, Perfil Dance, and Dancarte Cia of Dance before moving to Europe and continuing his career with Charleroi-Danses directed by Fred Flammand (Belgium) and the American Musical Company where he performed in traveling shows of The Christmas Carol and Little Shop of Horrors. In 2002, Marcelo moved to Houston, TX where he danced with Dominic Walsh, Leslie Skates and Sandra Organ and performed with the Houston Grand Opera in productions of Manon and Aida. Marcelo then relocated to Los Angeles to further pursue his film and commercial career, as well as continue to perform contemporary dance. Marcelo recently joined the L.A. Contemporary Dance Company in Fall 2009. 
Melissa Schade grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and has been immersed in the dance culture since the age of 3. Betty Johnson's School of Dance was where she got her serious dance training, as well as summers at the Broadway Theater Project and the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop. Upon graduation from high school, she attended The University of Arizona where she received her BFA in dance. Melissa danced briefly with IDT in Boulder, Colorado before moving to Los Angeles, CA. While living in LA, Melissa has worked with many great choreographers such as Mecca Vazie Andrews, Denise Leitner, and Scott Hislop. She is currently a member of The Jennifer Vaughn Dance Company, The Movement Movement, The DWD Circus, and now is proudly a company member of LACDC. Melissa also loves to teach dance and get jiggy with it. 
Drea Sobke loves dance, slow-food, socks and gadgets. Originally from sunny San Diego, Drea graduated from Chapman University cum laude with a BFA in Dance Performance under the guidance of Cyrus Parker-Jeanette, where she had numerous performance and choreographic opportunities. In 2003, Drea attended the American Dance Festival in New York City and Durham, NC where she trained extensively with contemporary dance artists from around the world. Her choreography has been featured in a motley of festivals including American College Dance Festival 2005, Palm Desert's McCallum Theatre Choreography Festival, SOLA Contemporary Dance Festival, and South Coast Dance Arts Festival. Drea has had the pleasure to perform with various Southern California companies including Sean Greene Dance Company (now Gallimaufry and Greene), Collage Dance Theatre, Backhausdance, and most recently with Jean Isaacs of San Diego Dance Theater in Zurich, Switzerland. In 2009, Drea was honored by the Dance Resource Center with a Lester Horton Award for Outstanding Achievement in Performance by a Female for her performance in Arrive with Backhausdance. Drea is a certified Pilates instructor, lives in Los Angeles with her boyfriend Tarik and is thrilled to be a new member of LACDC. 
Erik Speth holds a BFA in Dance Choreography and Performance from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) an AA in dance from Moorpark College and has completed Pilates teacher training program at Pilates Sports Center. Erik was nominated and selected to participate in the Music and Dance Exchange or MADE 2006.He was a founding member of ledges and bones dance project under the artistic direction of Holly Johnston. Currently he is the co-founder and co-director of the Renaissance Arts Academy Dance Department. He is also working with Los Angeles Movement Arts, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company and is the artistic director of Project Eight DT.
Tiffany Sweat was born and raised in the southeast. Tiffany's hunger for exquisite movement, passionate creators and meaningful performance led her across the country to Southern California. In 2006, she received her BFA in Dance from the University of Georgia. During her study, she danced with CORE Concert Dance Company under the direction of Bala Sarasrati. While with CORE, she performed extensively throughout the States, including St. Mark's Church in NY and the Kennedy Center in D.C., as well as internationally. Tiffany is thrilled to be continuing her career and education and proud to be surrounded by the people, creativity, talent and energy of LACDC.
Kevin Williamson is a dancer and choreographer who graduated from UCLA's Department of World Arts and Culture in 2004. Since, he has performed for the LA Opera, David Gordon, Julie Taymor, Angelin Preljocaj, Sebastian Prantl, Stephan Koplowitz, Kate Hutter, Fatima Robinson, Ryan Heffington and Maria Gillespie in Los Angeles, New York City, and Vienna. In 2007, the LA Times described Kevin as "a major artist." In the Fall of that same year he co-directed "pinky swear" with LACDC artistic director Kate Hutter to much acclaim. Kevin had begun pursuing choreography while at UCLA - creating works for the Fringe Festival Scotland, Highways Festival of Student work, and Miami's Winter Music Conference. In 2008, LACDC commissioned him to create his own long form work "excavating gray". Kevin is the full time dance educator at Chadwick School in Palos Verdes. Williamson's interest is in the fragility of structured improvisation in conjunction with idiosyncratic modern movement. Highways will present an evening of his new work in October of 2009.Home | Credits | Site Map | Contact Us