Recent
Collaborators
Dancers
JOSE E. ABAD
jose e. abad (they/them) is a multidisciplinary performance artist, DJ, and curator based in unceded Ramaytush Ohlone Territory. Born in Olongapo City, Philippines to a Filipina Mother and an Afro-Carribean U.S. Naval Soldier, their work explores the complexities of cultural identity at the crossroads of gender, sexuality, class, and race in the United States. Through dance theater, sonic and visual experimentation, they unearth lost histories that reside in the body, that the mind has forgotten and dominant culture has erased.
Photo by: Maurice Ramirez
Brenton Cheng
Brenton Cheng (he/him) is a movement explorer who has performed with many internationally-acclaimed and local heroes such as Contraband, Zaccho Dance Theater, Angus Balbernie, Epiphany Productions, Flyaway Productions, and many others, at such places as Jacob's Pillow, Bates Dance Festival, and the Avignon Festival in France. He teaches Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis, contact improvisation, and somatically-based performance skills to professional and non-professional movers in classes and workshops around the world. When not focused on movement, he supports efforts at the Internet Archive to provide universal access to the world’s knowledge.
Photo by: RJ Muna
Sonsherée Giles
Sonsherée (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, costume designer, and founder of the collaborative container, This Sweet Nothing. She enjoys making dances based on the observation of animals, landscapes, art history, and daily life experiences. Sonsherée has an MFA in performance/choreography from Mills College and from 2005-2015, she was a performing/teaching artist with AXIS Dance Company. In addition to dancing with MLD, Sonsherée has performed with Flyaway Productions, Lizz Roman & Dancers, Nancy Karp + Dancers, and more. She has taught contemporary dance in public school systems, institutions, dance festivals, and universities. Sonsherée has received an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for ensemble performance, and a Homer Avila Award for Excellence in the field of integrated dance.
Photo by: Gary Sexton
Melissa Lewis Wong
Melissa Lewis (she/they/他 - AKA Deuce Lee) is a queer, biracial Chinese American artist working with mixed identities and mediums. She thinks often of mother tongues, tube tops, Bruce Lee and drag. Her physicality comes from a background of traditional Chinese folk arts, Western modern dance, and martial arts—with contemporary performance as a place for her intersections to breathe. Melissa is also a photographer, a drag cabaret regular, and an arts administrator.
Photo by: Maurice Ramirez
Danny Nguyen
Danny Nguyen (he/him) became interested in movement while performing color guard in Drum Corps International and Winter Guard International. While studying at UC Berkeley, he refined his dance abilities studying under Bliss Kohlmyer, Kathleen Hermamestadorff, Katie Faulkner, and Joe Goode. Shortly after graduating Danny toured with the Broadway musical Blast!, performing in the United States, South Korea, and Japan. He has been dancing professionally for over 10 years having performed with Joe Goode, Kim Epifano, Scott Wells, Katie Faulkner, and Bandaloop. Danny’s dancing career has led to a passion for helping others understand and navigate movement and the body; he is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.
Photo Provided by: Danny Nguyen
Johnny Huy Nguyen
Johnny Huy Nguyễn (he/him) is a 2nd generation Vietnamese American multidisciplinary somatic artist based in Yelamu (a.k.a San Francisco) and son of courageous refugees. Fluent in multiple movement modalities including myriad street dance styles, contemporary, modern, and martial arts, Nguyen weaves together dance, theater, spoken word, ritual, installation, and performance art to create immersive, time-based works that recognize the body's power as a place of knowing, site of resistance, gateway to healing, and crucible of imagination. In addition to his work as an individual artist, he has appeared in the works of Lenora Lee Dance Company, KULARTS, Embodiment Project, the Global Street Dance Masquerade, and James Graham Dance Theater and has performed in the Bay Area, Oregon, Boston, and New York City. His individual work has been presented at the Asian Art Museum, the Chinese Historical Society of America, APATure, SOMArts, and as part of the 24th United States of Asian America Festival.
Photo by: Henrik Kam
Asha Passalacqua
Asha (he/they) is a movement artist, integrative bodyworker, aquatic therapist, crisis counsellor, and filmmaker. His movement practice has been shaped by many influences, but is predominantly informed by functional movement, Axis Syllabus, Contact Improvisation, Contemporary dance, and aquatic dance. Through his practice, he strives to support the development of functional fluidity, a reliable connection to the ground, subtle listening, and presence in moments of disorientation. He has performed movement work in the Bay Area, India, Barcelona, Berlin, Italy and Greece. He is a certified DanceAbility teacher, Aguahara practitioner, Freediver, and is completing his Somatic Experiencing Practitioner certification. Outside dancing and his private practice, he also offers trauma-informed bodywork through the psychedelic-assisted-therapy clinic Sage Integrative Health.
Photo Provided by: Asha Passalacqua
Frances Teves Sedayao
Frances Teves Sedayao (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary dance artist who has performed and toured with wonderful Bay Area notables over the past 20 years. She does collaborative and independent dance works both locally and internationally; is an alumna of Alvin Ailey American Dance School, NY and CSU East Bay where she currently teaches. Frances was a Serpent Source grant recipient, Featured Dance Artist for SF APAture, and Dance Resident of Art OMI International in NY. She currently works with Bandelion Dancetheater, Alleluia Panis’ Kularts, Anne Bluethenthal and Sarah Bush Dance Project.
Photo by: Gary Sexton
ShirA Yaziv
Shira (she/her) is a dancer, teacher, bodyworker, and facilitator. She enjoys encouraging people to be in their bodies while learning new skills, being creative, listening and adapting to the changing present moment. Shira is the co-founder and owner of Athletic Playground, a dynamic indoor place-space, inspiring physical play through a wide variety of movement classes. She offers private sessions, weekly group classes, workshops, bodywork sessions, and yearly retreats. In addition to dancing with MLD, Shira has performed with Scott Wells & Dancers, Sebastian Grubb/BodyWagging, Zoe Klein Productions, and more.
Photo by: Gary Sexton
Musicians
Zachary Abelson
Zachary Abelson (he/him) is a half Chinese, half white musician originally from Cerritos, an asian immigrant town on the outskirts of LA county. He grew up playing jazz saxophone and enjoys jamming with other artists from all types of backgrounds. He spends his time with his loved ones and pondering life—always grateful for the opportunity to create and share.
Photo by: Lana Vasiljevic
Peekaboo
Peekaboo (they/them) is an experimental cellist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and youth educator situated on Ramaytush Ohlone land (SF). Their compositions are rooted in honoring the essence and spirit of past, present, and future Queer ancestors, prioritizing sonic exploration practices towards the decolonizination of Euro-centric structures embedded in youth and adult music education and performance. Through multiple collaborations with QTBIPOC2S Bay Area-based performers, they continue to work in togetherness, sonically activating bodily vibrations, readying the move towards non-binary Queer liberation, strengthening connections between Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Filipinx ancestry, and celebrating freedom of expression, rest, and breath.
Photo by: Robbie Sweeny
Marica Petrey
GIRL SWALLOWS NIGHTENGALE
Girl Swallows Nightingale was hatched when Marica Petrey (she/her) wrote too much music for one of her fantasy film projects and made it the perfect excuse to start a band in Oakland. With songwriting inspired by Japanese folklore, anime, science fiction, and epic saga, GSN conjures a cinematic experience, painting a vivid musical canvas that shifts its colors between modern rock, jazz, theater, funk, and pop, to underwater soundscapes and dreams of outer space. In addition to leading GSN, Marica is an award winning filmmaker, a journalist for CALIFORNIA Magazine, and founder of RADIX Troupe Productions.
Photo by: Maurice Ramirez
Andrea Wang
Andrea Wang (she/her) is a Chinese American musician, songwriter, and nonprofit brand strategist—a storyteller by trade. She currently works as a marketer for the de Young and Legion of Honor museums. A vocalist and pianist, Andrea has been a multi-genre performer for most of her life. She plays with the band Girl Swallows Nightingale and can be heard on their debut album, Shapeshifter.