Sarah Bush Dance Project is honored to work with such talented dancers, musicians, designers, theater technicians from the Bay Area arts community (and beyond!)
Six Foot Wingspan – Artists Bios
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.
Julianna Cressman is an SF native who returned to the Bay after graduating from UC Irvine’s dance program under the mentorship of Dr. S. Ama Wray. Cressman joined Alayo Dance Company in 2018, and is an originating cast member of Paul Flores’ 2019 premiere of We Have Ire at YBCA.
Risa Ofelia Diaz
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.
Courtney Hope wandered up to the Bay Area and received a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of San Francisco. Since then she has spent her time dancing, working in a chemistry lab and taking pictures of it all. Her dance credits include PUSH, Sarah Bush Dance Project, David Herrera Performance Company, Khala Brannigan, SoulSkin, Jennifer Parfillio and FullStop dance, amongst others. She is cofounder (along with Rose Huey and Nina Wu) of a creative collective, ragbag.
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.
Guest Dancers
Richelle Donigan is a Masterful Life Coach, Teacher and Spirit Guide. She has been in the work and study of transformation, yoga and Meditation for 20 years. But first last and forever there is DANCE. Richelle has danced across stages and continents for more than 40 years. She is a member of the revolutionary dance company Dance Brigade, she performed on numerous occasions with Robert Henry Johnson’s Dance Company, was a featured dancer in Warrior Marks a film by Alice Walker and Pratibha Parmar. Richelle choreographed and danced on the BBC series “The Real McCoy” from 1990-1993. She performed in award-winning music videos with Seal, Elton John and proudly opened Prince’s club Erotic City in Minneapolis. She has performed her solo work across Europe, Africa, India & the US. Richelle is filled with gratitude for the grace that has allowed her to continue to bring forth her gift. At 60 she dedicates her movement to all of her ancestors whose lives were taken yet whose spirits fly and inform every whip of her head, curve of her back, clap of her hands & sweep, turn and pound of her feet. She walks deep and she knows who and whose she is. Richelle says, “I am Dance all else follows.”
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