BIOS:

Jade Barth began her formal dance training at California Dance Theatre at age seven. She spent 6 years as a member of Pacific Festival Ballet, performing in the Nutcracker, Secret Garden, The Sea Princess, Noah’s Ark, Cinderella, and more. Jade received her Associates Degree in Dance from Moorpark College in 2023 as well as the annual “Ballet Award'' and title of student Choreographer numerous semesters. Jade is currently working towards her bachelor’s degree in dance studies at CSU Channel Islands. Now as an Alumni Guest Performer of Pacific Festival Ballet and member of Megill and Company, Jade is immensely grateful to be pursuing a professional dance career in her very own community. 

 

Melanie Bizzoco began dancing at the age of three and went on to compete for multiple dance companies across New Jersey. She has had the privilege of working with many talented dancers, choreographers, and directors. As a young dancer, Melanie discovered her love for choreography and was twelve when her first original piece was performed on stage. She currently teaches dance, choreographs youth musical theatre productions, and directs and choreographs for the award-winning competitive dance team she co-founded. Melaine began performing with Megill and Company in 2023 and is excited for the debut of MeCo's new work "pat-tap-pat-tap-pat-tap-play". Melanie would like to thank Beth Megill for the opportunity to train, grow, and perform with MeCo and her family for their unwavering love and support. Enjoy the show! 

 

Morpheus Kostromin joined MeCo in 2021 in Odd Birds. He started dancing in 2018 at Moorpark College, and has since then trained in jazz, tap, modern, ballroom, and contemporary. He loves exploring all sorts of arts media and ways to push artistic exploration past its limits

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Joelle Hanna (poet-Saturday) lives in Southern California with her husband. They have 5 children; a beautiful daughter-in-law; and a bright, rambunctious grandson. She teaches writing classes at Moorpark College and California Lutheran University. Joelle has been writing and performing poetry since 2005. She is a storyteller, sharing stories about being a mother, daughter, granddaughter, and wife. Writing is her way of recording her personal and family history. You can find her work in the The Night Goes On All Night: Noir Inspired Poems and literary magazines, such as Chaparral and Silver Birch Press.

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Sarah Beth Hanna (musician-Sunday)

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Kevin Holland is head choreographer for Nathalie Gauthier’s Le Petit Cirque. He is an aerialist, dancer, and choreographer specializing in artistic act creation. He has taught aerial workshops and created acts for students of all ages for a decade. In 2022, he graduated with his BFA in dance from Cal State Long Beach. Kevin has performed his aerial chains number on the national US tour for Vampire Circus, and for Terry Beeman’s Mental Head Circus. He also has danced for DIAVOLO: Architecture in Motion – TRUST show throughout Los Angeles county, and his own choreography has been commissioned by dance companies throughout California. Additionally, his work was selected to perform in the American College Dance Association's Gala. While in college he had the chance to do harness work for a Dixie Consumer Products national commercial. He also performed for the Chase Center’s groundbreaking ceremony, choreographed by Cirque du Soleil’s Ben Potvin. 

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Stephanie Liapis (MFA) is a movement artist and educator exploring interaction and visibility through quiet, contemplative dance works, short films and interactive experiences. Her most recent screendance, I Am Still Waiting, created in collaboration with Leslie Kraus and Elena Hecht screened in festivals around the world. She is in the midst of a new project which forces visibility of female presenting performers over 40. Stephanie also weaves, designs costumes and restages the works of Doug Varone. She has taught extensively across the country and abroad, including positions at Long Island University-Brooklyn and Swarthmore College where she served as an Assistant Professor of Dance.

 

Beth Megill MFA in Dance UC Irvine, BFA UC Santa Barbara, Language of Dance® Specialist, Certified Labanotation Teacher, teaches a variety of dance styles including Modern, Ballet, Tap and Jazz at Moorpark College. In addition to her technique courses, Beth enjoys teaching Improvisation, Choreography and Performance and Production. Under the umbrella of Megill & Company, Beth maintains a consistent relationship with a sister modern dance company Quinto Elemento in Puebla, Mexico where she often spends her summers teaching and choreographing. Beth believes in a comprehensive approach to teaching technique and performance often including her various backgrounds in Dance Theory, History, Yoga, Anatomy and Massage Therapy. Her work in Language of Dance® and Labanotation (dance notation) supports her advocacy work in getting dance literacy integrated into dance and core classrooms as a tool for deeper understanding of movement, conceptual thinking and creative expression. She aims to foster well rounded artists who are open to new opportunities, growth and expression. She is currently Co President of the California Dance Education Association (CDEA) for Southern California. Plus, she loves to laugh and does her best to bring joy and play to all that she does. 

 

Megill & Company is a non-profit 501c3 theater and dance production company that provides an artistic outlet for community members who seek to take part in dance and theater at the semi-professional and professional level. Productions are usually new works and are intelligent, finessed, humorous, clever, emotional, and fulfilling to those on stage, backstage and in the audience. Besides production work, MeCo is committed to increasing dance notation awareness, education, and publication. 

 

Brooklynn Reeves has her BA in Dance from Chapman University and is a Language of Dance Master Practitioner. She has been performing with Megill and Company since 2011 and is the mother of two little boys.

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Crystal Sloan (poet Sunday) has been writing poetry since 1997. She gained her voice as a spontaneous and abstract poet in 2012 when she produced the works that would become her first book, No Poem Left Behind. She has since published 5 books, 3 books of poetry and two children’s storybook coloring books. She is a metaphysical poet who speaks of love, healing, overcoming fear and the powerful potential within us all.

 

Erin Sofley has had a love affair with dance since she first put on a tutu at age 2. Growing up, she trained in jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical, and hip hop at Pam Rossi’s Dance Ten Studio, developing technique and competing at dance competitions. She taught there and at Moorpark High School. She performed with the Moorpark Civic Ballet for 15 seasons of The Nutcracker. Then she studied concert dance at Moorpark College, where she met Beth and became a founding member of Megill and Company. While building a career in marketing and raising 2 tiny dancers, she continues to move with Megill and Company. This is her 14th season with the company.

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Dr. Julius O. Sokenu (poet Saturday) is the president of Moorpark College with nearly 30 years of progressive leadership experience in community college education. He has overseen instruction, student services, career technical education, noncredit programs, and community relations for over 15 years.

Besides his role at Moorpark College, Dr. Sokenu actively engages in community service. He serves on the City of Moorpark General Plan Advisory Committee, the executive council of The American Heart Association of Ventura County, and the Moorpark College Foundation. He is also involved with the Ventura County Leadership Academy and serves as Vice President of the California Community College League’s LGBTQ+ Caucus and co-chairs the Racial Equity and Inclusive Excellence Taskforce.

Dr. Sokenu holds a doctorate in education from Boston University, a Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University, and bachelor’s degrees  in English creative writing and business administration from the University of Southern California.

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THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING ASSEMBLINGS! 

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