Sarah Bush Dance Project is honored to work with such talented dancers, musicians, designers, theater technicians from the Bay Area arts community (and beyond!)
Dancers
In addition to her work with SBDP, Artistic Director Sarah Bush is a member of Krissy Keefer’s revolutionary Dance Brigade. She has danced with hip hop company New Style Motherlode and been a guest performer with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. Sarah Bush’s devised dance-theater work has been commissioned by The Ground Floor at Berkeley Rep, Axis Dance Company, Mona Khan Company, and Destiny Arts Center. Her work has been presented by A.C.T., Z Space, and at the Wilsey Center for Opera. Sarah is the recipient of the 2019 Della Davidson Prize, a Dance Europe Critic’s Choice selection, and awards from Curve Magazine and Bay Area Dance Watch.
KJ Dahlaw is a queer dance artist, teacher and choreographer. KJ graduated with their MFA in Dance from Saint Mary’s College of CA in 2018 and a BFA in Dance from Northern Illinois University in 2003. KJ has worked with Elements Contemporary Ballet, Mordine & Co Dance Theater, Rosie Trump and Kristin Heavey; and recently choreographed West Edge Opera’s Orfeo & Euridice. Currently KJ dances with PatelDanceWorks and Sarah Bush Dance Project while starting their own project Unruly Body Tanztheater.
Frances Teves Sedayao 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. Her current work, ‘I Am But a Mighty Bird’ premiered in SF in 2017, was revamped in 2018 for the SF National Queer Arts Festival, and was presented in 2019 FROLIC, Shawl-Anderson’s first annual Queering Dance Festival in September.
Richelle Donigan is a visionary Life Mastery Coach, author, and multi-disciplinary artist whose career spans dance, activism, and wellness. From founding her first girls’ club at an orphanage to choreographing BBC2’s The Real McCoy, to collaborating with legends like Prince and Seal, she’s also featured in Pratibha Parmar and Alice Walker’s film, Warrior Marks. A veteran choreographer of SF’s Club Q, a performer with Dance Brigade, Sarah Bush Dance and other notables, Richelle’s legacy includes gold medals at the Gay Games and a feature at Tate Modern gallery (London).
As a pioneer in queer wellness, Richelle founded Sauda – a gathering for women of African descent (London), co-created the first Queer Women’s Yoga Retreats and Butch Yoga. She has also served as Olivia Travel’s “Yoga/Vision guru” for over a decade. Today, Richelle empowers women globally through her coaching, books, and courses on worthiness, proving that a life lived with intention creates limitless expression. www.ojahlife.com
Joan Lazarus has performed in the works of Alonzo King, Cliff Keuter, Ellen Bromberg, Mark Morris, Victoria Morgan, Krissy Keefer, Frank Shawl, Bill DeYoung, Toni Pimble, Kathleen, McClintock, Richard Colton, John LeFan and Alan Ptashek. She has been on the dance faculties at University of Oregon, Mills College, San Francisco Ballet, Dance Circle of Boston, The Princeton Ballet, RoCo Dance and Shawl-Anderson. Lazarus has been awarded the Bay Area National Dance Week’s Contribution to the Field of Dance Award (2006), Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Sustained Achievement (2012) and SF Chronicle “2011 Dance MVP.”
Sue Li Jue has been teaching and choreographing in the Bay Area since 1986. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degree from UCLA and Mills College, respectively. This year marks her retirement after 32 years of dance teaching at UC Berkeley — these last three years as the Director of Physical Education. Sue is the Artistic Director of Facing East Dance & Music whose achievements include an Izzie Award for Best Ensemble, California Dancemaker Award, James Irvine Artist Advancement Initiative, grants from Zellerbach Community Arts, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, CA$H, Clorox, and more, as well as touring nationally and internationally. This July she was recognized by the Mayor and City of Berkeley for her many years of service in the arts. She is thrilled to be working with Sarah Bush and is thankful to still be dancing.
Collaborators
Molly Tsongas — Audubon California, bird sit guide
Colleen Quen — couture designer
Lindsay Gauthier — dance filmmaker
Miles Lassi — environmental composer
Olivia Ting — video effects designer
Sarah Bush Dance Project 