The Company: Biographies

Matthew Henley received his B.A. with a major in religious studies and B.F.A. with a major in dance at the University of Arizona where he studied with Dr. John M Wilson. While in Tucson, Matt worked with Orts Theater of Dance, performing on single-point low-flying trapeze. After graduating in 2001 he moved to New York where he began working with Randy James Dance Works for whom he taught extensively throughout the New Jersey and New York public school systems. In 2004 Matthew became a member of Sean Curran Company. He has assisted in the setting of Sean's choreography on ABT II, Ailey/Fordam students, and New York City Opera. Matthew has also danced for the Opera, Heidi Latzky, Carol Mezzacappa, and Collage Dance Theater, a site-specific company based in Los Angeles.

Bliss Kohlmyer began her training in Wooster, Ohio. She attended The Juilliard School for two years and then graduated from Dickinson College with a B.A. in dramatic arts. In New York City, she danced and toured internationally with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and The Sean Curran Company. In San Francisco, she has performed with the San Francisco Opera Ballet, Janice Garrett and Dancers and Robert Moses' Kin, with whom she helped set a number of pieces. A faculty member at the Oberlin Dance Collective School and a lecturer at UC Berkeley, Bliss has taught master classes at many schools and universities throughout the Bay Area. With friend and colleague, Kara Davis, she established Project Agora in April 2006, presenting two evenings of work. Bliss has received numerous grants for her work and has been presented by the Stanford Dance Department, co-sponsored by Stanford Lively Arts. She is also a certified Pilates instructor.

Elizabeth Lentz graduated from Carleton College with a B.A. in religion and a concentration in women's studies. She comes to Seattle from Chicago, where she has spent the last ten years dancing, choreographing, teaching, and co-producing/curating the Other Dance Festival. Elizabeth has toured France, Brazil, Mexico, and the U.S. with Lucky Plush Productions, Breakbone DanceCo., the Chicago Moving Company, and Tennessee Dance Theatre, performing works by Nana Shineflug, Julia Rhodes, Peter Carpenter, Cindy Brandle, Sheldon B. Smith, Atalee Judy and Donna Rizzo. Inspired by master teachers Sineflug and Jan Erkert, Elizabeth was an adjunct faculty member in Columbia College Chicago's Dance and Theater Departments for six years. Her work with primary and secondary schools includes teaching technique and arts-integrated curricula; working with mixed-ability populations; and co-choreographing works with students. Elizabeth also loves leading embodied spirituality retreats and workshops and has written Sitting in the Desert: Embodied Meditations for Lent.

Tonya Lockyer is a performer, dance artist, writer, certified movement analyst and teacher. Beginning her career in 1988 with Contemporary Dancers Canada, she moved to New York in 1991 to study with Cage/Cunningham and perform the work of Merce Cunningham, Donald Byrd, Charles Moulton, and others. From 1993 through 1998, she was principle soloist, vocalist, rehearsal assistant and creative assistant for Paula Josa-Jones/Performanceworks. In Seattle she danced with Wade Madsen, ROOM, in her own solo work and in her choreography for VIA, the company she co-founded and directed between 1999-2003. Since 1998, she has created more than twenty commissions for dance/opera/theater companies, festivals and universities. Her work has been presented throughout the US, Europe, Eastern Europe, Canada and Russia. Tonya has served on the faculties of The Bates Dance Festival, Emerson College Boston, Cornish College and as Visiting Artist at festivals and schools in Istanbul, Russia, Poland, Mexico, Canada and the Eastern Seaboard.

Brenna Monroe-Cook is originally from Oak Park, Illinois. She began her dance training at the Academy of Movement and Music under the direction of Stephanie Clemens and performed extensively with the affliiated MOMENTA Performing Arts Company. She went on to receive her B.F.A. from The Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. Professionally she has worked with Buglisi/Foreman Dance, Thang Dao Dance Company, Subtle Changes, Riedel Dance Theatre and toured internationally for several years with the Limón Dance Company. Ms. Monroe-Cook continues to teach Limón technique and stage repertoire for various companies and schools nationwide as well as presenting her own choreographic work. She also received her Pilates Certification from the Kane School of Core Integration in New York City and is active as a Pilates instructor.

Paula J. Peters received her early training in ballet, modern, jazz and tap at British Dance Academy in Renton, WA under the direction of Sandra Baca. In October of 1991 she joined Spectrum Dance Theater as an apprentice and immediately moved on to become a full company member. In addition to performing with Spectrum, she served as the rehearsal director from 1998 until her retirement in 2005. With SDT Ms. Peters performed lead roles in works by numerous choreographers, including Ann Reinking, Margo Sappington, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Claire Bataille, Danny Buraczeski, Daniel Ezralow, Trey MaIntyre, Donald Byrd, Wade Madsen and Dale A. Merrill, touring throughout the U.S., Europe and Mexico. She has taught as a visiting lecturer at the UW, adjunct instructor at Cornish College of the Arts, the Montana Dance Arts Association, and is currently on faculty at Dance Fremont and Cornish Preparatory Dance. In addition to teaching, Ms. Peters choreographed the Junior Broadway Production of Once on This Island for Villa Academy, has created works for Dance Fremont's Junior Company, DanceWorks, Cornish Preparatory Dance Junior Company and served as rehearsal assistant to Wade Madsen for Cornish College's 2008 production of The Pajama Game. Ms. Peters received a B.F.A. in dance through the Professional Dancers Program at Cornish College.

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