TRUE NORTH
program
Integrations of the Inner
Choreographer:
Alyssa Johnson, Paracosm Dance
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Composer: Behnam Arzaghi
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Costume Designer: Dustyn Shehane
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Performer:
Alyssa Johnson
— Name, Title
"A North that is not above but deep..." Integrations of the Inner explores the ways in which we integrate inner compass intuition, pulling this abstract, ephemeral experience to tangibility through dance, costume design, poetry, and soundscape. It investigates the ease and dis-ease that arrives as we approach a more intuitive experience, manifested outwardly via Paracosm Dance's multimedia artistry.
Alyssa Johnson is the Founder and Artistic Director of Paracosm Dance: a contemporary, multimedia dance theater company "creating temporary realities through fierce movement". Training with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, BANDALOOP, and UC Berkeley, she danced as a guest artist with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and choreographed works under the direction of Joe Goode, going on to dance with ARCOS Dance, Shakti Moves, and Ventana Ballet. She is currently an aerialist with Blue Lapis Light (receiving critical acclaim as a principal soloist in "Belonging II Universe"), a dance cultural exchange ambassador to China via the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art, and longtime collaborator with ATX film company Camera Clay.
greenwashed
Choreographer:
Juan Carlos García Gutiérrez
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Music:
"A world of welsh" by Equiknoxx
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Performers:
Juan Carlos García Gutiérrez
— Name, Title
Inspired by gravitational and magnetic pulls, this piece explores the unseen forces that shape movement and connection. Through fluid shifts and weight-driven dynamics, audiences are invited into a world where energy is constantly in motion.
Juan Carlos García Gutiérrez is a movement artist and choreographer from Scottsdale, Arizona. He discovered dance at 19, quickly gravitating toward modern floor work, breaking, and contemporary release techniques. His choreography blends athleticism, momentum, and fluid gesture, influenced by his background in film, color theory, lighting design, and music composition. Juan thrives in collaborative processes, crafting work that is both instinctive and dynamic.
She Prays
Choreographer:
Candy Jimenez
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Music:
Boy 1904 , Jonsi and Alex Somers
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Performer:
Kalli Sparrish
My True North is my mother. She is my guiding light, my unwavering compass. Through every hardship, she reminds me to pray, to trust, and to believe. Her faith has carried her through unimaginable trials, and she has witnessed miracles because of it. I created She Prays as a reflection of her devotion—of the strength, hope, and grace she finds in her relationship with God. Like the praying mantis, a symbol of patience, stillness, and spiritual connection, my mother embodies quiet resilience and deep faith. In many cultures, the praying mantis is seen as a messenger of the divine, a reminder to slow down and trust the unseen. Much like this creature, mothers hold space for faith, protection, and guidance, even when we struggle to see the path ahead. In many ways, I long for the faith she holds so deeply, but no matter where I stand in my own journey, she remains my constant, my True North.
Candy Jimenez: dancer, choreographer, advocate/leader has worked with professors with direct lineage to Modern dance as well as contemporary choreographers of the day. She studied at Arizona State University and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She as earned her BFA (ASU), M.Ed. (GCU), and an MFA in Dance from Hollins University. She has performed solos by New York choreographer Pamela Pietro, and Neta Pulvamacher as well as California choreographer Chad Michael Hall. In addition to her performance experience Candy choreographs and presents her work throughout the country as well as France. Her work is about the human experience, acknowledging the individual myth, specifically in regard to valuing tribulations because that is where character is forged. Her artistic practice is about perseverance, about coexisting with nature, and valuing all living things.
I call all of me back to me now
— Name, Title
Choreographer:
Angelica DeLashmette
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Music:
Ocean white noise, with "Say What" by &ME, Adam Port, chuala, Keinemusik, Rampa
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Performer:
Angelica DeLashmette
…our life experiences that pattern our survival mode instincts take us further and further away from ourselves. Until we wake up one day and realize we are living in an autopilot, unconscious mode. To stop and truly see and acknowledge ourselves, being fully awake and present is a return to self, our true north.
Dancer/Choreographer/Director: Angelica DeLashmette (MFA, CLMA) is a hybrid dance artist who is passionate about Hip Hop Culture and Contemporary dance forms, practices and lineages. Her creative research is focused within Western and Afro-Diasporic dance practices at the intersection of the social moving body – examining how a responsive and conversational body (the mode of call and response) is activated both in practice and performance. Angelica sees dance as a powerful art form that cultivates shared experiences and constantly reinforces the significance of meaning-making through the body. It is in her capacity to connect, collaborate and be in community with others that dance has had its most profound influence in her life. She is based in Arizona and is a faculty member at several local higher ed dance degree programs in both universities and community colleges, is on faculty at Arizona School for the Arts. She is the Founder and Creative Director of Third Space Dance Project – a nonprofit organization that produces platforms for professional dance artists in Arizona. She is a member of Axe Capoeira, Gorilla Funk Crew, and creates, performs and teaches as a professional freelance artist.
Redaction
— Name, Title
Choreographer:
MK Ford in collaboration with Performers
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Music:
"Dead of Night" by Orville Peck, "Censor" sound effect, and "Echoes" written and recited by Audre Lorde.
Sound edited by MK Ford
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Performers:
MK Ford and Sam Arrow
Redacting, distinct from erasing, signals that the original content has enough strength to withstand attempts at removal.
MK Ford (they/them) is an anti-disciplinary dance artist whose work includes performance, choreography, film and visual arts. Presently, MK Ford holds the role of Clinical Assistant Professor of Dance and Media at Arizona State University. They hold a MFA in Dance from the University of Maryland College Park and a BFA in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ford is currently performing in the New York, Washington D.C., and Phoenix areas while also working as a freelance multimedia collaborator and visual artist.
Pretty as a Picture
— Name, Title
Choreographer:
Kina Connor-Ortiz
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Music:
​Laughing on the Outside(Mixed), by Bernadette Carroll
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Performer:
Kina Connor-Ortiz
Pretty as a Picture explores how external appearance can influence internal identity, whether either is accurate or not, identifying the way that physical attributes inform the abstract idea of ourselves. As well, seeing the relationship between self-image and self-worth, and how this concept has developed and changed over time.
Kina Connor-Ortiz is an artist born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. A recent graduate of SCC’s dance program, they are currently on their first season as a company dancer with CONDER|dance. Creating choreography, film, and photography, Kina loves to create surrealistic work that indulges in the uneasy whenever possible. Kina received their early dance education from Tempe Dance Academy, learning a range of styles, as well as touring throughout Europe with the company. Kina’s work has been highlighted and awarded at events such as the American College Dance Association and the Arizona Drive-In Film Festival.
Norte
— Name, Title
Choreographer:
Claudia Verdugo
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Music:
Gnossienne No. 1, Erik Satie
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Costume designer: Meticulosa
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Performer:
Claudia Verdugo
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Dedicated to: Ana Teresa Lucero
Special thanks to: Elsa Verdugo, Daniela Millan and Pedro Núñez
Claudia Verdugo navigates the delicate tension between instinct and uncertainty, searching for direction in a shifting landscape of movement. Inspired by the poetry of Alejandra Pizarnik, where shadows whisper, space lingers, and the journey toward one’s True North is both an internal compass and an unanswered question. Where do we truly belong? Is True North a place or a pull we cannot resist?
Claudia is a choreographer and performer from the Sonoran Desert. She trained under Miguel Mancillas with Antares Danza Contemporánea and Isaac Chau at Núcleo Antares for seven years, performing in major festivals throughout Sonora. Her choreographic work Las Simples Cosas was presented at UNAM’s dance platform. She has also complemented her training with artists such as Cesar Brodermann, Roberta Carreri, Gabriela Ceceña, among many others throughout her career, seeking her constant growth. In addition to stage performance, she explores movement on camera, creating and collaborating on videodances and music videos.
Tawodi
— Name, Title
Choreographer:
Sahvanna "ShakT" Thompson​
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Music:
Hjope by Forest Swords
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Performer:
Sahvanna "ShakT" Thompson
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“Tawodi” (meaning Red-Tailed Hawk in Cherokee) is a deeply personal work-in-progress that explores death and rebirth within the self. It navigates the grief of losing a mother, a past self, and past communities, while reclaiming strength, courage, and connection to ancestors and the universe. Inspired by the sacred symbolism of Tawodi, this work embodies transformation, evolution, and protection of spirit.
Of Cherokee heritage and a multidimensional mover, ShakT is a choreographer, creator, healer, storyteller, and educator whose work is deeply rooted in heritage, transformation, and spiritual connection. Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, she moved to Phoenix to pursue her passion, earning a BFA in Dance Education from ASU. Over the past seven years, Sahvanna has immersed herself in Arizona's dance community, performing with companies and crews across multiple genres. She has been a part of The Be Kind People Project, using dance to uplift and inspire youth, and has competed, trained, and traveled with The Jukebox Family under the direction of Leah and RaeRae Bancod-Roman. Her movement practice also extends into salsa, performing with Stilo, directed by David Olarte and Carla Leon. She currently teaches Hip Hop at Glendale Community College, where she continues to nurture the next generation of movers and storytellers.
Disenchanted
Choreographer:
Nicole L Olson + Travis Richardson​
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Performer:
Nicole L Olson + Travis Richardson​​
True North is fluid, as are people. What you believe is your true north can change over time and experience.
Nicole L Olson, artistic director of NicoleOlson|MovementChaos, is a dance and movement artist in Phoenix, AZ. Her work has been presented nationally in such venues as the Kennedy Center and Ruth Page Center for the Arts, as well as in the TBA Festival (PICA) and Canal Convergence in Scottsdale, AZ. Travis Richardson is a valley-based dance artist who received his BFA from Calarts in 2013. Since then, he has danced with NicoleOlson|MovementChaos, Scorpius Dance Theatre, and Upward Spiral Dance with Michaela Konzal. This is his third time presenting with the Tiny Dances Festival.
Fold
Choreographer:
Darby Rikhoff
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Music:
Le Cygne by Camille Saint-Saens
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Performer:
Darby Rikhoff
Fold is a piece stressing the importance of following the soul and moving through life with a purpose. It dives into the uncomfortable journey of having trust in the self and realizing this self certainty is how one finds True North.
Darby Rikhoff is a current first year dance BFA student at Arizona State University. She grew up in Colorado where she danced for 14 years studying a wide variety of dance genres and trained at Artistic Fusion Dance Academy. She enjoys choreographing in areas of contemporary fusion and is continuously interested in discovering new movement techniques and how they can influence her choreographic style. At ASU she hopes to explore herself as an artist, finding authenticity and pushing her limits.
Ecos de ayer
Choreographer:
Carla León & David Olarte
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Music:
Bilongo, Bebo Valdés & Javier Colina
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Performers:
Carla León & David Olarte
"Ecos de ayer" bridges the past and present, where each movement echoes a moment, an experience, and uncovers a resonance that deepens with understanding. The duet finds connection in the rhythm of the dance and the pulse of the music, uncovering a future within their shared expression.
Carla León and David Olarte are Afro-Latin dance artists that have been collaborating as co-directors of Stilo Dance Company since 2016. Their unique aesthetic merges contemporary Afro-Latin salsa—a blend of New York on-2 style , on-clave, and Latin jazz—with David Zambrano’s couple dancing techniques. At Stilo, their movement style explores both solo and partnering techniques, emphasizing grounding, rhythm, touch, and interconnectivity. This approach fosters a deep and immediate performative expression across various settings, including showcase competitions, proscenium stages, and informal social venues. The duo has garnered significant acclaim as finalists at the World Latin Dance Cup, showcased their work at Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside Out series, and persist in presenting their performances at various salsa festivals and congresses. Together, Carla and David blend their diverse artistic experiences to create a vibrant and compelling dance experience.
Grow Beyond
Choreographer:
Courtney Ngai
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Music:
The Key by Tems
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Performer:
Courtney Ngai
Say no or say yes? Instead of saying yes to every opportunity that presents itself out of scarcity, what if saying no allows one to be open to other options beyond just what’s in front? In “Grow beyond”, the artist uses contemporary and house improvisational movement to explore the theme of a scarcity mindset vs an abundance mindset. The artist interprets the tiny stage as a planter bed where what if instead of tending the seeds within the bed, there’s a whole acre beyond that planter bed.
Courtney Ngai is an improvisational movement artist and software engineer. She explores producing movement in the present moment by drawing from her background of various movement styles and technological experience. With twenty-three years of dance experience, she has trained in the styles of contemporary, ballet, tap, house, popping, and latin. Courtney has performed and presented work at American College Dance Association in addition to the works of Carley Conder with CONDER/dance, Irene Ashu, Emma Portner, and Peter Chu. She has also performed her own choreographic works in Tiny Dances, Herberger Pop-up, Third Space Dance Festival, and Arizona Dance Festival.
Special Thanks:
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Tempe Center for the Arts
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Benjamin Block - Technical Director
Ashley Koclanis - Assistant Technical Director
Tech Crew - Matt Hannen, Maia Castelli
Photographs - Carlos Velarde
Videography - MK Ford
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