SATURDAY May 3rd

Show 2 - 7:00 pm  

Meet the Artists

INLET DANCE THEATRE’S TRAINEE & APPRENTICE PROGRAM

Bill Wade, Executive/Artistic Director

Joshua Brown, Assistant Artistic Director

INLET DANCE THEATRE is one of the region’s most exciting professional contemporary dance companies with roots in American Modern Dance. Founded in 2001 by Founder and Executive/Artistic Director Bill Wade, Inlet embodies his longstanding belief that dance viewing, training, and performing experiences may serve as tools to bring about personal growth and development. Inlet’s collaborative artistic staff build the company’s solid reputation for uplifting individuals and engaging new audiences via performances and education programming.

During Inlet’s 24-year history, we have transformed from a small dance company with local impact into a celebrated organization that impacts people on an international level. Our core strengths reside equally in performance and education. Whether we’re performing at local venues or conducting regional residencies or international exchanges, Inlet continues to inspire, educate, and innovate – all with the vision that dance can further people.

JOSHUA BROWN (CHOREOGRAPHER) graduated with a BA in Theatre Education and a Dance Minor from Ohio Wesleyan University and then joined Inlet as a Trainee in 2004. In 2007, Joshua was promoted to Company Member. For a decade and a half, Joshua performed to sold out enthusiastic audiences, engaged in the collaborative building of Inlet’s repertory, and taught and trained thousands of students. He loves co-creating with others and has collaborated with Elu Dance Company, Ingenuity Festival, technology artist Mihaela Khavdanska, installation artist Hui-Lin Chuang, Robin VanLear, event planners, and biomedical engineers. In 2008, Josh experienced the glorious privilege to travel with Inlet to Easter Island to learn, perform, teach, and exchange culture as part of the Ohio Arts Council’s International Artist Exchange Program. In 2014, Joshua was awarded a Creative Workforce Fellowship through the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, supported by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. In 2020, he stepped away from performing regularly as part of the company but continued to train and choreograph on the Inlet Trainee & Apprentice Program and at Inlet’s Summer Dance Intensive as an Inlet Teaching Artist. In 2023, he was hired as Inlet Dance Theatre’s Assistant Artistic Director. Joshua lives in Cleveland, OH with his very graceful wife and two very special children; all of whom share his love of apple picking.

MOJUBA! DANCE COLLECTIVE

Errin Weaver, Executive Artistic Director

MOJUBA! DANCE COLLECTIVE was founded in 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio by Errin Weaver. Building on the foundation of the work initiated by their previous nonprofit Errin Ministries, which began in 2012, Weaver and visionary partner and co-founder Donna Berry streamlined their work and audiences into that of the newly formed Mojuba! Dance Collective. Mojuba! Dance Collective performs and facilitates workshops connecting diverse audiences in themes of remembrance, community, and wellness. The company offers classes, performances, and experiences which center the stories of Black America and Diaspora. Mojuba! Dance Collective is committed to share the stories, culture, and embodied knowing of the Black and African Diaspora as we cultivate rich, transformative communal experiences and spiritually driven healing spaces which support cultural awareness, collective wellness, and the restoration of community. 'Mojuba' is a Yoruba term which loosely means the art of offering reverence. In this way, we seek to celebrate, preserve and explore the narratives and artistic contributions of Black America. We strive to call into question that which we think about ourselves, our society, and our culture. The vision of Mojuba! Dance Collective is rooted in the promotion of cultural awareness, collective wellness, and the restoration of community. Mojuba! Dance Collective is dedicated to developing resourceful collaborations that support community-centered program offerings which engage audiences in a cultural exchange of ideas that encourage solidarity, affirm humanity, and inspire lifelong inquiry. Our organization recognizes the importance of community, and to this end unearths the stories of marginalized communities as an act of healing, transformation, and liberation. To this end, we aim to create communal experiences which foster cross cultural dialogue that is mutually beneficial for both arts facilitators and the community.

ERRIN WEAVER (CHOREOGRAPHER) is a choreographer, community activator, and the Executive Artistic Director of Mojuba! Dance Collective (@mojubadance), an African contemporary dance company dedicated to exploring spiritual and cultural dance traditions of the African Diaspora to restore community wellness, share and validate the Black narrative experience, and reestablish cultural connection, based in Cleveland, Ohio. Errin attended the HBCU, Tennessee State University, on a university performing arts scholarship, and soon after graduation relocated to Chicago where she performed with the renowned Muntu Dance Theatre, under the direction of Amaniyea Payne. She now holds a Masters in Public Service from DePaul University and an MFA in Choreography and Interdisciplinary Studies from Wilson College. Currently the visiting guest artist in dance at Cleveland State University, Errin has taught, been in residency, and sat on panels regarding sacred dance rooted in the Gospel tradition and cultural dance forms extensively. Through her work, she has created the Black Choreographers Incubator which supports and nurtures Black choreographers, hosted and taught at conferences and festivals such as the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference, Ohio Dance Festival and others, and become a published author with her piece about decolonizing dance writing and criticism in ThINKing Dance. Her choreography has been presented regionally at institutions such as The Cleveland Playhouse, Harvard and Yale, internationally in Jamaica, and has received awards and commissioned support. She was awarded the Room in the House Residency from Karamu House and the Individual Artistic Excellence from the Ohio Arts Council for her choreography and community work, has been selected for the Ohio Teaching Artist Roster, and as a fellow for 21st Century Dance Practices with The National Center of Choreography. She has been deeply vested in wellness and the community arts where she has facilitated training sessions, free outdoor movement workshops, and a collaborative evening length work entitled How I Got Over which unites professional and community artists in a telling of Black American history. She has been featured on WEWS news channel 5 Hometown Heroes and Spectrum News 1 regarding her work using movement to address trauma and promote healing. Errin is certified to teach Umfundalai Contemporary African Dance technique, is in the professional certification process for Katherine Dunham technique certification, and has worked with such notable choreographers as Abdel Salaam, Jeffrey Page, Monique Haley, Ronald K. Brown, and the late Baba Chuck Davis. Recently, she has worked with Karamu House in the choreography and co-direction of Black Nativity which received rave reviews. Her work in dance and community continues to be highlighted through the opening of the Mojuba! Center of Dance and Culture, the studio home of her company, which offers classes in cultural dance forms and wellness for both youth and adults.

CHRISTINE HOWE

2025 Choreographic Fellow

CHRISTINE HOWE (CHOREOGRAPHER) (she/her) is a dance educator, performer, and maker serving as an Associate Lecturer at The University of Akron. She holds a BFA from The University of Akron and an MFA with performance emphasis from The University of Iowa. She received the Iowa Arts Fellowship and served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant under the direction of Rebekah Kowal. As an educator, she strives to create community environments in the classroom to support spaces of exploration and experimentation to leave students with a sense of creative individuality, an investigative curiosity, and a deep passion to move. As a maker, her choreographic works have been presented by Columbus Contemporary Dance Company, The University of Akron Dance Company, The Cleveland Dance Festival, Take Up Space in Chicago, and Lindenwood University in St. Louis. She is excited to have been selected as The Movement Project's 2025 Choreographic Fellow and Suttle Dance Company (Detroit) Emerging Artist. Her choreographic research works deeply with performance techniques to dance beyond just spectacle, creating empathetic and humanistic connections.

THE MOVEMENT PROJECT

Megan L. Gargano, Artistic Director

Associate Director, Elyse Morckel

THE MOVEMENT PROJECT was founded in 2009 by Megan Gargano (she/her) and Rebecca Leuszler (she/her) with goals to support professional dance in Cleveland. Through the years, TMP has grown their efforts to support artists throughout NE Ohio, specifically the communities of Cleveland and Akron. In 2013 TMP launched its first full season of performances and has since then produced over 35 evening-length concerts, has created over 60 new works, produced 6 original dance films, and has performed at various venues such as Cleveland Public Theatre, The Breen Center, Dumbo Dance Fest in NYC, Baldwin Wallace University, Ohio University and Transformer Station. In 2019, TMP collaborated, performed and produced a sold-out concert with Pam Tanowitz and her NYC company Pam Tanowitz Dance. In 2013 and 2016, TMP was awarded The Fedora Award, a grant for individuals and organizations that focus on positively helping communities of Northeast Ohio. And in 2017 TMP was awarded funds by Puffin West Foundation to further support TMP's annual summer intensive, a 1-week summer intensive focused on providing affordable and accessible dance education to youth dancers. In 2015, TMP launched the Cleveland Artist Initiative, a program designed to support and fund the creation of new work by Cleveland artists. Over 51% of TMP's operating budget was dedicated to paying artists and in 2022 TMP collaborated with over 150 artists and organizations throughout the year. In 2016, TMP launched Cleveland Dance Fest, an annual dance festival featuring Cleveland choreographers and is hosted each year in Cleveland. TMP Co-artistic director Rebecca Leuszler was awarded the 2016 Creative Workforce Fellowship funded by Community Partnership for Arts & Culture and Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) to produce the first festival. In 2019, 2021 & 2022, TMP was awarded funds by CAC to continue growing the festival, as well as in 2020 by Ohio Arts Council. Since its inaugural year, over $43,500 has gone towards paying artists. In addition to our programming in Cleveland, TMP has worked to provide resources to artists, families, and youth throughout the communities of Akron. TMP's outreach programs have included The Akron Art Museum, Miller South School for Visual & Performing Arts, The University of Akron, and our annual year long residency at Firestone CLC. In 2023, TMP officially became a proud Pathway Partner with the College & Career Academies of Akron through Akron Public Schools. Fall of 2017 TMP launched The Movement Project School of Dance for youth 2.5-18 years old, serving the neighborhoods of Cleveland. In 2022, company member Elyse Morckel was promoted to Associate Director, expanding upon her already strong commitment to community building throughout the Akron and Cleveland communities. January 2022, TMP moved its operations to Cleveland’s westside community of Fairview Park where we offer year-round weekly professional classes, summer intensives, company rehearsals, festivals and performances.

MEGAN L. GARGANO (CHOREOGRAPHER) (she/her) is a native of Cleveland, Ohio where she began her training in 2003 at the Royal School of Ballet under the direction of Joanne Hughes Morscher. In addition, Megan studied at The Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, BalletMet, performed with The Pennsylvania Ballet and participated in several dance festivals throughout Ohio. In 2012, Megan received her BFA in Performance and Choreography from Ohio University School of Dance where she developed her own artistic voice under the mentorship and direction of Madeleine Scott, Marina Walchli, Mickie Geller, Travis Gatling, Tresa Randall, John Bohuslawsky and Gladys Bailin. While studying at OU, Megan performed the reconstruction of Alwin Nikolais piece Noumenon Mobilus, under the direction of Alberto del Saz. She has performed in faculty works by Mickie Geller and guest work by Adriana Durant, Stefanie Batten Bland and Sean Curran. July 2010 Megan studied at the Laban Centre in Greenwich, London where she furthered her studies in Limon and Release Techniques, choreography and contact improvisation. In 2010 Megan set original work at the Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights and in 2011 her work “Formally Phrased, with the exception of a few” was selected for adjudication at the American College Dance festival held at Grand Valley State University, Michigan. In 2009, Megan co-founded The Movement Project, a professional dance company located in Cleveland serving the communities of Cleveland and Akron.

ELYSE MORCKEL (CHOREOGRAPHER) (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer & movement educator. After training under the direction of Kelly Berick at Firestone High School’s Dance Program, she went on to earn her BFA in Dance from The Ohio State University in 2014 with concentrations in choreography and dance technology. While at OSU she had the opportunity to work with individuals such as Vicki Blaine, Noa Zuk, Bebe Miller, Esther Baker-Tarpaga, Melanie Bales, Susan Hadley, and Cleveland native Dianne McIntyre. In 2017, she became a company dancer and choreographer with The Movement Project (Cleveland, OH), and was promoted to Associate Director in 2022. Since joining TMP she has performed the choreographic works of NYC based choreographer Pam Tanowitz, Rebecca Leuszler, Megan Gargano, Irene Honora, Grace Nicklos & Liz Conway. Her choreographic projects include, the time has come, (2015), WWTD (2017), untitled: an exercise (2020), series of rituals, remembered (2013, restaged in 2017 & 2018), in the end, this is a victory dance (2018, restaged in 2022), (6) Vignettes of Drama (2019), Sixes & 7’s (2021, restaged in 2023), Sunder (2021), coddiwomple (2021), it’s a game we play (2022) & void (2023). Her works have been performed at venues such as The Barnett Theatre, BalletMet Performance Space, Transformer Station, Mentor Amphitheater, Sandefur Theatre, Daum Theatre, Current Gallery, and through performance platforms The Ohio Dance Festival (Columbus, OH), Cleveland Dance Fest, CDF | Akron Concert Series, Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival (Akron, Ohio) & SummerWorks Concert Series. Most recently Morckel performed in the world premiere of The Encounter: Akron by NYC based choreographer Kimberly Bartosik through NCCAkron & Rubber City Theatre, and co-choreographed The Little Amal Akron Experience with Dominic Moore-Dunson in partnership with Gum-Dip Theatre. Morckel was also named one of the 2024 Artists in Residence through Akron Soul Train to reimagine her latest work: void into a dance film with collaborator Denzel Washington (projected premiere January 2025). In 2024 Morckel received the Outstanding Artist in Dance Award and Best Collaborative Project through Arts Alive. She has facilitated residency programming at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, Akron School for the Arts at Firestone High School, The Ohio Thespian Conference, Ohio Dance Festival, Cleveland Dance Fest, as well as instructing at dance studios and schools across Ohio. Elyse recently relocated to Brattleboro, VT where she is eager to engage with the New England dance community while staying connected to northeast Ohio.

LIZ CONWAY (CHOREOGRAPHER) (she/her) is a Cleveland-based professional dancer, actor, choreographer and teacher. Her professional theatre credits include: A Chorus Line (Bebe) and Can-Can (Featured Ensemble) at Porchlight Music Theatre, Beauty and the Beast (Ensemble) at Drury Lane Oakbrook, Chicago (Featured Dancer) at Big Noise Theatre and Joseph..Dreamcoat (Wife) at Music Theater Works. Her professional concert dance credits include: The Dance COLEctive, Kristina Isabelle Dance Company, Kelly Anderson Dance Theater and The Movement Project. She was a featured dancer and actor in the short film, Limerence, directed by Dan Pedersen. Conway’s choreographic work has been presented at the Going Dutch Festival and the Inaside Choreographic Sponsorship Event in Chicago, IL. Her work was also featured as a part of Dog Night, by Rabid Bat Theatricals. A Cleveland, OH native her early training led her to study dance at Ohio University where she graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography in 2014. Conway was a dance instructor at various studios around the Chicagoland area and has taught modern technique and improvisation for The Movement Project Summer Intensives. She continues to train in all dance styles including modern, ballet, jazz, tap and hip hop as well as training in voice and acting. Currently Liz is the Operations Coordinator and Company Member with The Movement Project.

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