ARTIST BIOS

Shannon Mockli is an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Oregon with an emphasis in choreography and performance. Shannon presents work nationally and internationally. Notable presentations include the World Dance Alliance Global Summit in Newfoundland, Physical Theatre Lab in Slovenia, and the Festival Internacional Danza al Borde in Tijuana, Mexico. Her dance film, “Fluctuating Frequencies” was one of three highlighted at the World Dance Alliance Americas Assembly at the Universidad de las Américas Puebla 2016. Shannon is an honorary recipient of the Herman Award for Specialized Pedagogy from the University of Oregon and is certified to teach in the DanceAbility® Method through Alito Alessi, founder and artistic director of DanceAbility International.

Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner is a choreographer and dance educator committed to inclusion, representation and social consciousness in both pedagogy and creative practice.  She received her B.F.A. at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and her M.F.A. as an Advanced Opportunity Fellow at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts. She has received Guest Artist Residencies at multiple universities across the country, as well as at Xuchang University in China. She has seen support from organizations such as the Jerome Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Walker Art Center, and the Arizona Commission on the Arts.  Her work has been commissioned by professional companies such as the Minnesota Dance Theater, Dulce Dance Company, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Jazz Antiqua, the Zenon Dance Company, and Concerto Dance Company.  She is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Western Oregon University.

Jana Meszaros is a dance professional, musician, and producer based in Eugene. She credits her dance and choreographic practice to the prominent artists she has worked with, including Alito Alessi, Kathleen Hermesdorf, Shannon Mockli, Katie Griffin, Sara Shelton Mann, Cynthia Gutierrez, and Brad Garner. After receiving her BA in dance from UO, she worked and studied with SF's La Alternativa and held residencies in the City and beyond. As a Master Teacher of the DanceAbility Method, she has traveled internationally to teach accessible dance, lead trainings in inclusive pedagogy, and perform with the mixed abilities company Joint Forces - serving as rehearsal director and contributing choreographer since 2015. She has maintained work in hospitality, program coordination, concert marketing, production, and venue management parallel to her dance career, currently serving in a Stewardship role for the City of Eugene's Cultural Services. She connects to her own cultural roots through Native beadwork.

Kyra Bannister, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, has been proud to call herself an Oregon resident for 10+ years now. Kyra obtained a Bachelor’s of Science with a Major in dance performance from the University of Oregon (class of 2014), which helped foster her continued interest in blending physical science with performance art. Her previous dance training has been largely based in the techniques of José Limón, Lester Horton, and musical theater/jazz. When not dancing, Kyra works primarily as a sports medicine clinical assistant, specializing in pain rehabilitation and athletic injury. Kyra is immensely honored and grateful to be one of the founding members of Company Movimiento, and looks forward to more creative opportunities in the future.

Jesse J (she/her) graduated in 2021 with a degree in Dance from Western Oregon University.  She has performed in the dance film “ Successors” for the founder and director of the Portland Film Festival, Kailee McMurran.  Since graduating, Jesse has been working with various local artists including Rainbow Dance Theatre, Collisions Dance, and a variety of student choreographers from Western Oregon University. As an artist, she is most passionate about using her choreography for the camera skills and combining it with social justice issues.  She looks forward to premiering a colection of dance films this summer in collaboration with fellow CoMo member Jade Mong.

Tessa Rosenau (she/they/he) is an emerging artist from Salem, OR. He recently graduated from Western Oregon University with a BFA in Acting and a minor in Dance. Tessa's dance background is comprised of a range of styles, including ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, lyrical, hip hop, acrobatic, aerial hoop, and musical theatre. Tessa has taken multiple workshops and master classes from professionals including Barbara Duffy, Galen Hooks, and Wes Veldink. She has also trained at Broadway Dance Center in New York City where she took classes from Tracy Stanfield, Tony Mayes, Sue Samuels, Eric Campros, and Kate Loh. Additionally, Tessa lived and studied in Berlin for a month, during which they attended the b12 festival and trained with professional dancers from around the world, including Shannon Gillen, Yuya Fujinamj, Thusnelda Mercy, Pascal Merighi, Fleur Darkin, and Judith Sánchez Ruíz. Tessa has also been in multiple local performances with Rainbow Dance Theatre

Hayleyann Evers has been studying dance and choreography since the age of 11, which led her to pursue a dance degree at Western Oregon University. While attending WOU, she received various honors and awards such as; the Carla Stokes Dance Scholarship, the Outstanding New or Freshman Dancer Award, the PHI KAPPA PHI “Academic Excellence Award in Dance” and the opportunity to present her work at the American College Dance Association. During her studies, she created the film “Nasty Woman”, which has received critical acclaim domestically and internationally including “Best Choreography” at Oniros Film Festival in Aosta, Italy and an additional award at Zensa Media International Film Festival in Montreal, Canada. She is a founding member of Company Movimiento.

Sarah Ebert is the Assistant Director for Mind-Body and Fitness at the University of Oregon. As a performer, she has worked with numerous independent choreographers, including Alito Alessi of DanceAbility International, Asimina Chremos, Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner, Linda K. Johnson, Gabriel Masson, Shannon Mockli, Mary Oslund, and Minh Tran, among others. As a choreographer, she has been commissioned by numerous organizations across the Pacific Northwest. Ebert is also a Body-Mind CenteringÒ Somatic Movement Educator and Embodied Anatomy and Yoga Teacher. She holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and MFA in Dance from the University of Oregon.

Mariah Melson grew up in Albany, Oregon before relocating to Eugene to pursue dance. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dance from the University of Oregon in 2015. Post academia, she has been savoring her involvement in various creative endeavors within the Eugene dance community. Outside of dance, Mariah enjoys spending time with her dog Clover and running her small business, The Clothes Horse. She has costumed pieces for an assortment of works at Lane Community College and the University of Oregon. 

Paige Scofield began dancing at High Desert Dance Arts in Prineville, OR. There she studied tap, ballet, jazz, and contemporary for 14 years. Paige was then accepted into Western Oregon University's dance program in 2013. While Attending WOU she broadened her knowledge of modern dance, choreography, and dance history. She attended three American College Dance Association. Conferences and had her work, "The Manifestation of Anxiety," shown there. Paige found her niche creating dance for film and her 2018 dance film, "Fragments of the Subconscious: Greed," was awarded at WOU's Academic Excellence Showcase. Paige graduated with honors in 2018 and received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. Paige has worked with prominent artists including, Cynthia Gutierrez, Les Watanabe, Sharon Oberst, and Amy McDonnell. Paige is a founding member of Company Movimiento, and this is her fifth year performing with the company. She is currently looking into graduate programs and making dance films.

Jade Mong (she/her) has been a member of Company Movimiento since 2019.  She graduated from Western Oregon University’s Honors Program in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. Jade has also performed as a company member of Rainbow Dance Theatre , under the direction of Darryl Thomas and Valerie Bergman for four years, and continues to perform with RDT as a guest artist.  In 2022, she worked as a collaborator and performer in “Collisions”, a local artist collective.  She looks forward to focusing on dance for the camera projects in 2023, in collaboration with artist Jesse J.

Lindsey Salfran holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Oregon, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Central Florida. Salfran has been a teaching artist and choreographer in the Eugene/Springfield community since 2014 with Eugene Ballet Academy, flex Studio, and The Academy of Arts and Academics High School (A3), and University of Oregon. She is also the host of Dance Uncorked Podcast and One Minute Winery - two online shows that combine her love of wine and the entertainment industry. In addition to a successful career in Safety and Risk Services at the University of Oregon, Lindsey looks forward to sharing art that celebrates and honors vernacular dance forms like jazz, hip hop, and tap. Salfran's pedagogical and artistic beliefs are rooted in her personal values- moving through life with curiosity, authenticity, strength, and integrity.

Sarah M. Nemecek is a local dance educator and collaborative artist who has taught at Lane Community College for the last 15 years.  Working with students, assisting in the defining and development of individual creative journeys, is an honor and a pleasure. Sarah has danced for choreographers including Ernesta Corvino, Harrison McEldowney, and John Malashock among others. Sarah is a Guild Certified Practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method® (Awareness Through Movement® and Functional Integration®) and a Pilates instructor.  Sarah has an MFA in Dance from the University of Oregon, and a B.S. in Kinesiological Sciences from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Her academic research has been presented at IADMS, creative research has been presented at American College Dance Festival Northwest Regional events, and her writing published in the Journal of Dance Education, with all looking to the dance classroom as a fertile laboratory for artistic, scientific and somatic inquiry.

Moises Martinez- Trejo began dancing at the age of 17 at Willamette Ballet Academy, under the instruction of retired San Francisco Ballet soloist Deborah Higginbotham. Moises is a dance graduate from Western Oregon University, where he received the Laurel Dance Scholarship to complete his studies. Since the beginning of his college career he has worked with Rainbow Dance Theatre under the direction of Valerie Bergman and Darryl Thomas, performed as a guest artists at Premier Academy of Performing Arts under Sarah Alvarez, danced as an original member of Company Movimiento under Cynthia Gutierrez Garner since 2018, and has represented Western Oregon University at the American College Dance Association’s Northwest Regional Conference. Moises continues to work with Rainbow Dance Theatre and enjoys teaching ballet, modern and creative classes for students of all ages in the Salem, OR area.

Ramon Rodriguez holds a BA in Dance from Western Oregon University where he worked with artists such as Lauren Edson and Brian Eno, and strengthened his technical and choreographic skills.  Ramon has toured internationally with Disney’s Broadway caliber productions of Aladdin, Frozen and Believe, and is a former member of Rainbow Dance Theatre led by Valerie Bergman and Darryl Thomas. He has had the opportunity to do the work of choreographers including Dina Castelluccio & Karen Nerkowski, and Danial Shapiro & Joanie Smith.. Ramon is a founding member of Company Movimiento, which has helped him discover a passion for both pedagogy and a creative practice that is centered on inclusion and representation. Ramon currently teaches a broad range of styles at Encore Performing Arts Center, including Jazz, Acrobatics, Aerial Arts, and Contemporary.. Ramon looks forward to mentoring young creatives, in an inclusive environment, while sharing his creative passions with a wider audience.

Alia Takashima began dancing at Element Dance Studio in Hillsboro, Oregon. There she studied all styles and was on the competition team for ten years. While there she was able to work with choreographers such as Kent Boyde, Alexa Anderson, Karen Chunag and many more. Alia will be graduating spring 2024 with a B.A. in dance and a B.S. in Exercise Science from Western Oregon University (WOU). One of Alia’s works titled “Disquietude '' had the opportunity to represent WOU at the adjudication concert at ACDA, 2023. While attending WOU Alia has been able to work with artists such as Cynthia Gutierrez, Les Wantanable, Tim and Corrie Cowart, Sam Hobbs, and Kailee McMurran. Alia is also a part of a touring dance company, Rainbow Dance Theater. Her newest work will be featured in WOU’s upcoming Spring Dance Concert in May. Post-graduating Alia aspires to be an OT and include dance within her practices.