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Christian Denice’s professional dance experience includes Odyssey Dance Theatre, River North Dance Chicago, Company E, Montgomery Ballet, BODYTRAFFIC, the Cambrians, and Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal. Christian has spent the past two years on faculty with the Joffrey Academy of Dance and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s HS Pro Program. As a choreographer, he has created new works for Odyssey Dance Theatre, LEVELdance Chicago, DanceWorks Chicago, Interlochen Center for the Arts, METdance too, the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Visceral Dance Chicago, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Western Michigan University, METdance Houston, Modern America Dance Company, Modas Dance, SALT II, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, and Eisenhower Dance Detroit. Christian is the 2015–2016 winner of the University of South Florida’s Echo Choreographic Competition and the 2016 winner of the Joffrey Academy’s Winning Works Choreographic competition. In April 2016, Christian directed and choreographed a short dance film entitled “the watchers” filmed by Salt Lake City-based videographer Bryce Johnson. He is a certified Power Vinyasa yoga instructor and teaches for CorePower Yoga. Recently, Christian had the opportunity to re-stage KOSMOS by Andonis Foniadakis on the dancers of the National School of Dance in Athens, Greece. This is Christian’s third season with CDP.
Photo by Sophie Kuller
Born in Armenia, Davit Hovhannisyan began dancing at the age of six and four years later he was accepted into the National Ballet School of Armenia on a full scholarship. At the age of 16, he began his professional career with the Armenian National Ballet Company. After arriving in the United States he received critical acclaim dancing with numerous companies throughout the country and joined Milwaukee Ballet in 2004. He is a principal dancer with Milwaukee Ballet where he is in his ninth season. He has danced many principal roles such as Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, Basilio in Don Quixote, Rudolfo in La Boheme, the title role in Dracula, Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Captain Hook/Mr. Darling in Peter Pan, Prince Solor in La Bayadere, Tamino in The Magic Flute, Captain Phoebus in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Moon Prince in Scheherazade, Franz in Coppélia, and leads in The Nutcracker, as well as numerous leads in contemporary ballets. Davit has worked with contemporary choreographers including Michael Pink, Stephen Mills, Bruce Wells, Diane Coburn Bruning, Trey McIntyre, Margo Sappington, Kathryn Posin and Mark Godden, among many others. This is Davit’s fifth season with CDP and he is sponsored by Reina and Brad Brekke.
Photo by Eduardo Patino.NYC
Ballet Master and Dancer | Born in Madrid, Spain, Luz San Miguel received her training at Carmina Ocana Ballet School, and on a scholarship at the Municipal Institute of Ballet in Antwerp, Belgium. Prior to joining Milwaukee Ballet, she danced with BalletMet, Charleston Ballet Theater, Tulsa Ballet, Dresden Ballet and Leipziger Ballet in Germany. She has performed as a guest artist in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Portugal and several cities in the United States. Luz has performed leading roles in ballets by John Cranko, George Balanchine, John Neumeier, Nacho Duato, Anthony Tudor, Stanton Welch, Uwe Scholz, Glen Tetley, Paul Taylor, Lila York and Jerome Robbins among others. During her time with Milwaukee Ballet, she has performed roles such as Lucy in Dracula, Clara and Marie in The Nutcracker, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Kitri and Matador Lady in Don Quixote, Tinker Bell in Peter Pan, Swanhilda in Coppélia, the lead roles in Cinderella, Esmeralda, Romeo & Juliet and La Bohème. Luz is returning for her sixth season with Chamber Dance Project. She is sponsored by June Hajjar and Laura and Randy Moorhead.
Photo by Eduardo Patino.NYC
Ballet Master and Dancer | Luis is from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and is in his eleventh season with The Washington Ballet. Prior to joining The Washington Ballet, Luis was a principal dancer with Ballet Arizona for six years and a soloist with Ballet Theater of Maryland for two years. Many roles have been created on him by choreographers including Moses Pendleton, Ib Anderson, Dwight Rhoden, Septime Webre, and Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa and his repertoire includes featured roles include Snow King, Drosselmeyer and Anacostian Man in The Nutcracker, Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, Lord Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Captain Hook in Peter Pan and the Cheshire Cat in the world premiere of ALICE. His contemporary roles include the Red Rooster in Christopher Bruce’s Rooster, featured dancer in Sueno de Marmol by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, La Ofrenda, and Wunderland by Edward Liang. Luis began his training in Puerto Rico under the direction of Elizabeth Calero before accepting a scholarship to Point Park University in Pittsburgh. He completed his bachelor’s degree of interdisciplinary studies in Dance and Psychology at Arizona State University and is now pursuing a MFA in Dance at George Mason University where he also serves as an Assistant Professor. Luis is returning for his fifth season with Chamber Dance Project.
Photo by Eduardo Patino.NYC
Andile Ndlovu of Johannesburg, South Africa, began his training in Latin American and ballroom dance at the age of ten. At 15, he began training in ballet under Martin Schöenberg, director of Ballet Theatre Afrikan. In 2007, Andile performed with South African Ballet Theatre, and went on to dance with Cape Town City Ballet and tied for First Place in the contemporary category of the 2008 South African International Ballet Competition. Andile was part of the 15-year anniversary tour of Step Afrika! as a guest artist, performed his collaborative choreography solo with Gregory Vuyani Maqoma in Beyond Skin and was a part of the South African version of Queen with Mzansi Production. He recently choreographed Guardian of the Pool which was performed by The Washington Ballet Studio Company. Andile is in his seventh season with The Washington Ballet after having danced with the Studio Company for one year. Exit Wounds was created on Andile in 2014 with Chamber Dance Project premiered in Baltimore. Andile returns to Chamber Dance Project for his second season this year. He is sponsored by Kay Kendall and Jack Davies, Carmen Liebeler and Maureen Berk.
(Photo by Theo Kassenas)
Daniel Roberge of Australia is in his sixth season with The Washington Ballet after one season with TWB’s Studio Company. He began training at an early age and was performing professionally at age 10. At 16 he joined the Marie-Walton Mahon Dance Academy and was awarded a scholarship to the National College of Dance and began training under Marie Walton-Mahon. There he received the Solo Seal Award and a Diploma in Dance Performance placing first in Choreography and Contemporary Dance. In 2009, Roberge was awarded the Silver Medal at the Genee International Ballet Competition in Singapore; he was a finalist in the Australian Institute of Classical Dance International Awards and the Youth America Grand Prix NYC in 2008 and 2010. Roberge is also a recipient of the A.R.S. Musica Australis Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. In 2010, he had the honor of performing at the White House for President Obama and the First Lady. Roberge has performed choreographic works by Forsythe, Ashton, Tudor, Ratmansky, Lopez Ochoa, Tharp, Wheeldon, McIntyre, Seiwert, Bruce, Caniparoli and Balanchine among others. Roberge has been a guest artist in Septime Webre’s Cinderella and Peter Pan with Ballet Hawaii in Honolulu. Daniel most recently created a new ballet “In Tides” on the Washington Ballet Studio Company as part of their 2016/17 season. This is Daniel’s second season with Chamber Dance Project. He is sponsored by Craig McCullough.
Jonathan Jordan of Phoenix, Arizona, began studying ballet at the Tucson School of Ballet and the Phoenix School of Ballet, later training at the Kirov Academy of Ballet with Vladimir Djoulokhadze (Washington, DC) and The Washington School of Ballet with Roudolf Kharatian. Prior to joining TWB, he danced with Le Jeune Ballet de France, Ballet Metropolitan de Monterey and ARKA Ballet. He has performed with the Trey McIntyre Project, Christopher Wheeldon’s Morphoses and the Copenhagen International Ballet for the SommerBallet Project, under the direction of Alexander Kolpin. Jordan’s notable awards include finalist in the 2000 Varna International Ballet Competition, finalist in the 2000 Paris International Ballet Competition, bronze medalist in the 2003 New York International Ballet Competition and the 2008 MetroDC Dance Award for Outstanding Individual Performance. Jordan has taught at The Washington School of Ballet as a guest artist and coach. He was named associate artistic director of ARKA Ballet in 2007. This is Jonathan’s first season with CDP and he is sponsored by Kay Kendall and Jack Davies, Deborah Downey, Virginia McGehee Friend, and Karen Schinnerer.
Originally from Seattle, Julia received her training on scholarship with Pacific Northwest Ballet School and San Francisco Ballet School. She toured to Europe and Asia with PNB and danced with Texas Ballet Theater for two seasons prior to joining PBT in 2001. She was promoted to soloist in 2004 and to principal in 2009. Among her principal roles, Julia has performed Swan Lake (Odette/Odile), La Bayadère (Nikiya), The Sleeping Beauty (Aurora, Lilac Fairy, Carabosse), La Sylphide (the Sylph), Le Corsaire (Gulnare), Diana and Acteon; Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Western Symphony(4th Movement), Who Cares?, Prodigal Son, Sylvia Pas de Deux, Agon, and Serenade; and Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story Suite (Anita), In The Night and Fancy Free. She has also danced the roles of Lady Capulet in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette, Myrtha in Giselle, “An Episode in his Past” in Antony Tudor’s Jardin Aux Lilas (Lilac Garden), the Wife in Jerome Robbins’ The Concert, and featured roles in Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Helena, Hippolyta), The Four Temperaments (2nd Theme) and Divertimento No. 15. Her contemporary repertory includes Paul Taylor’s Company B; Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, Nine Sinatra Songs, and Octet; William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, and Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort and Sinfonietta. Julia also dances for Santa Monica-based Barak Ballet, received Pittsburgh’s 2014 BRAZZY Award for outstanding female dancer and is an entrepreneur and writer. This is Julia’s first season with CDP and she is sponsored by Liubov and David Keeton, Emmanuel Vaughn and Drew Lent, and Linda and Bob Stillman.
Photo by Rebecca Huffman
Ryan, currently a dancer with Company | E, is a native of North Potomac, Maryland. He began his dance training with CityDance, where he had the opportunity to work closely with and perform works by Gallim and Koresh Dance Company, as well as William Smith, Maleek Washington, and Robert J. Priore. Since graduating from S.U.N.Y Purchase Dance Department, Ryan has danced professionally with State Street Ballet, I.C. Movement Project, PrioreDance and Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company. We are excited to have Ryan join Chamber Dance Project – he has already begun work on Prufrock in the studio with Diane.
Photo by Paul Gordon Emerson
Claudia Chudacoff, principal musician, violinist, is concertmaster of the National Gallery Orchestra and the Alexandria Symphony, and recently retired as concertmaster of the U.S. Marine Band’s White House Chamber Orchestra. She is currently enjoying a temporary full-time contract with the National Symphony Orchestra. An active chamber musician, she performs regularly as a member of the Sunrise Quartet, appearing both locally and internationally. Claudia is the Director of the College Park Youth Orchestra’s Chamber Ensemble, and coach of the MCYO string quartet, which for the past two years successfully competed in international competitions. She was a teaching assistant to Sylvia Rosenberg while at the Eastman School of Music, where she earned both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Claudia’s primary teachers were Michael Avsharian in Ann Arbor and Sylvia Rosenberg and Zvi Zeitlin at Eastman. This is her sixth season with Chamber Dance Project. Claudia is sponsored by Charlotte A. Cameron and Jerome Andersen.
(Photo by Eduardo Patino.NYC)
Derek Smith, violist, performs regularly with the National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Washington National Opera Orchestra at Kennedy Center and is Associate Principal of the Annapolis Symphony Philharmonic. He also performs with Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, the Amadeus Orchestra, Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, and the Chesapeake Bay Orchestra. An active chamber musician, Derek is a member of the Teiber Trio and founding member of New Orchestra of Washington. He has played and worked with some of the best chamber musicians including the late Isidore Cohen, Pinchas Zukerman, the Guarneri String Quartet, and the American String Quartet. This will be Derek’s sixth season with Chamber Dance Project. He is sponsored by Liubov and David Keeton. (Photo: Eduardo Patino.NYC)
A native of Wisconsin, Derek began his musical studies at the age of 3 with early training from Dr. Rolan and Almita Vamos of Chicago and continued at the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he received his high school diploma. He received his Bachelor and Master music degrees in Viola Performance at the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Sylvia Rosenberg and Patinka Kopec. The Manhattan School of Music awarded Derek with the Hugo Kortzchek Chamber Music Award for his outstanding work in the chamber music community.
(Photo by: Eduardo Patino.NYC)
Violinist, Chaerim Smith, received her Bachelors of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Lucie Robert and later with Lisa Kim of the New York Philharmonic. Originally from Houston, Texas, Chaerim now resides in Springfield, Virginia with her husband, violist Derek Smith. She is currently a member of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Chamber Orchestra performing regularly at the White House and other high profile government venues. She is also co-founder of the New Orchestra of Washington. Mrs. Smith performs with various orchestras in the area, such as the National Symphony, Richmond Symphony, the National Philharmonic, the Virginia Chamber Orchestra and the Chesapeake Bay Orchestra in St. Mary’s, MD. Mrs. Smith is also a regular member of the Harrisburg Symphony, where she served as Assistant Principal Second Violin from 2005-2009. She has performed in many prestigious venues, such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, The Verizon Center, Strathmore and the National Cathedral. She has had the privilege of playing under some of the world’s most prestigious conductors, such as Kurt Masur, Pinchas Zukerman, Gunther Schuller and Gerard Schwarz and has worked closely with world renown chamber musicians, Paul Katz, David Geber, Michael Tree and the late Isidore Cohen. Chaerim returns for her sixth season with Chamber Dance Project and is sponsored by Fanchon Silberstein. (Photo by: Eduardo Patino.NYC)
Being a diverse musician, Chaerim has performed with great popular artists such as U2, Barry Manilow, Olivia Newton John and Joel Grey.
(Photo by Eduardo Patino.NYC)
Cellist, Sean Neidlinger, received his Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Richard Aaron and pursued further studies at New England Conservatory with Paul Katz. Described as “fiery” and “impassioned” by the Washington Post, Sean’s playing has garnered top prizes at several orchestra concerto competitions. He has been featured as a soloist and chamber musician at the Korean, German, French, and Austrian embassies, the Phillips Collection, the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and Terrace Theatre, the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and the Friday Morning Music Club orchestras. He also has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, and has served as principal cellist of the Amadeus, Winchester, McLean Orchestras. Sean toured Europe as a chamber musician and as a soloist for the world premiere of the Rodriguez Elegy and Rondo for cello and wind ensemble. He also toured throughout the Caribbean on a program of cultural outreach sponsored by the Department of State. Sean won a grant to create a performance installation alongside the Warhol exhibition at the National Gallery of Art. Sean returns for his fifth season with Chamber Dance Project and is sponsored by Reina and Brad Brekke.
(Photo: Eduardo Patino.NYC
Bassist, Scott Giambusso, is a long time DC musician working with artists ranging musically from Chuck Berry to Charlie Byrd. Currently he is working as a sideman to the fabulous Julia Nixon. Playing upright and electric bass, he has just celebrated 20 years as an adjunct faculty member of Montgomery College as the jazz bass instructor. This is Scott’s first season with Chamber Dance Project.
Shacara Rogers, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been singing and performing since the age of five. Her secondary instrument is the piano. She graduated with her Bachelor of Music Degree from Howard University in 2012 under Professor Jessica Boykin-Settles and continued her jazz studies with Professor Connaitre Miller as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. She had been a lead soloist of Afro Blue, Howard’s premier vocal jazz ensemble, since the spring of 2010. She has also served three years as a member and soloist of the Howard Gospel Choir, and was the lead vocalist for the groups GWN (Group Without A Name) and Ebony Rose. She has performed at many different arenas with artists like Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kim Waters, Lizz Wright, Dianne Reeves, Al Jarreau, Patrice Rushing, Esperanza Spalding and many others.This is Shacara’s first season with Chamber Dance Project.
Shacara is currently an adjunct professor of music at Howard University, teaching jazz voice. Her future plans include expanding her career in music by becoming an international recording artist, and performing all over the world.
(Photo by Torrance Hill Images of Light)
Violinist Sally McLain received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees with High Distinction from Indiana University, where she studied with and was assistant to James Buswell. Critically hailed as a “violinist with lots of style” (Washington Post), Ms. McLain has performed as soloist to critical acclaim in a variety of venues that include the Clarice Smith Center Gildenhorn Hall, Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, Library of Congress, Lisner Auditorium, National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian American Art Museum. She was a member of the Theater Chamber Players, as well as the Potomac String Quartet, which recorded the complete quartets of David Diamond and Quincy Porter for Albany Records. She is a founding and current member of the Left Bank Quartet, which has been praised for its “brilliant focus and timbral variety” (Gramophone Magazine). Ms. McLain was the concertmaster of the Washington Chamber Symphony for ten seasons and appears frequently as concertmaster with the Cathedral Choral Society, the Washington Concert Opera and the Washington Ballet.
(Photo by Claudia Löhner)
Named “one of Washington’s preeminent jazz singers” and “brightest voices in jazz” (The Washington Post), as well as a “major league young talent in jazz” (Duke Ellington’s biographer, Dr. John Hasse), jazz vocalist and D.C. area-native Lena Seikaly is already making her mark in national and international jazz circles as a revivalist of traditional jazz vocals, as well as an innovator in contemporary vocal jazz styles. She was one of eleven semi-finalists for the prestigious 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Vocals Competition in L.A. and is an alum of the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center, the Jazz Aspen Snowmass program directed by Christian McBride, and the Strathmore Artist-in-Residence program in Maryland. As the leader of her own trio, quartet, and quintet, Lena has performed to sold-out crowds at national and international venues and festivals including the Kennedy Center, Blues Alley, the Elkhart Jazz Festival and the Mel Bay Jazz Festival, and most recently the among others, and has released three albums under her name. As an avid educator and workshop instructor, she teaches privately and has led regular workshops on jazz vocals at the Strathmore Music Center. Lena is also a classically-trained operatic mezzo-soprano and continues to perform as an in-demand soloist alongside the DC area’s top orchestras and choirs, having been featured in works by Handel, Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, Durufle, Vaughn Williams, Barber, and Bernstein, as well as 20th century and early sacred music.
(Photo by Leah Appel)
Costume Designer, Rebekah Nettekoven Tello, grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania before heading to Ohio where she studied comprehensive theatre and creative writing. Having been in the DC area for nearly ten years she has spread her creative fingers across several artistic and academic opportunities. She has a master’s degree in Theatre History and Literary Criticism from The Catholic University of America where she focused on the intersection of performance and medicine in 18th century London. She has written for DC Theatre Scene reviewing the Fringe Festival, taught elementary and middle school students through CAREActor, and provided costume research for designers. Rebekah joined The Washington Ballet five years ago as a wardrobe assistant after some time at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. While at TWB she has had the privilege of working with designers such as Vandal and Christine Darch, as well as assisting on the build of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Prism, and Septime Webre’s Alice (In Wonderland), The Sun Also Rises, and Sleepy Hollow. This is Rebekah’s sixth season working with Chamber Dance Project and her first foray into costume design with Songs by Cole. Her design work is the culmination of years spent upcycling and experimenting with curtains, lampshades, vintage finds, and thrifted treasures to create garments with a touch of history that tickle her senses.
MAJA E. WHITE has designed lighting for opera, theatre, and dance nationally and internationally. She has worked with the Bolshoi, Kirov, and Royal Danish Ballets; Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Baltimore Opera, and Washington National Opera; Kanji Segawa, Francesca Harper, Alexandra Damani, and Robert Battle. She is an assistant professor at the University of Richmond and a member of United Scenic Artists 829 and the International Association of Lighting Designers. This is Maja’s sixth season with Chamber Dance Project.
(photo by Michael Bailey)
Copyright © 2024 Chamber Dance Project. All rights reserved. Chamber Dance Project is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law and most appreciated. Federal Tax ID 13-4109515. Chamber Dance Project is a Resident Company at BalletNova. Diane Coburn Bruning, Artistic Director. Sally McLain, Principal Musician.
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