BODYTRAFFIC Dance Perfomances | House Program

LILLIAN BARBEITO has a BFA from The Juilliard School where she studied on a 4 year, full-tuition scholarship awarded by Tomorrow’s Leaders of America for her essay on the world dancing together in harmony. Lillian had an extensive performance career that began in Santa Fe, New Mexico and took her to Europe, New York, and then finally to Los Angeles, where she founded BODYTRAFFIC with Tina Berkett. She is passionate about mentoring dancers of all ages and abilities and has taught internationally for organizations such as CalArts, Idyllwild Arts Academy, L’Ecole de Danse de Quebec, Northwest Dance Project, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures and Loyola Marymount University where is currently on faculty. Lillian is one of 32 teachers in the world who is certified in Anouk van Dijk’s groundbreaking Countertechnique. She has choreographed over 50 works for high schools, universities, competitions, and professional dance companies throughout the US and Canada. Lillian is deeply grateful to her family, especially Grant, Oliver, and Forest, for their love and support.

TINA FINKELMAN BERKETT grew up in New York City. Under the tutelage of Michele Cuccaro Cain, she trained and learned to love dance. Tina attended Barnard College, Columbia University and graduated summa cum laude with degrees in math and economics. Upon graduation, she joined Aszure Barton & Artists and performed with the company throughout the United States, including at Jacob’s Pillow and Spoleto festivals. Tina became Aszure Barton’s assistant and taught alongside Barton both in the US and abroad. She had the incredible honour of being a founding member of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Hell’s Kitchen Dance, where she also served as the company’s dancer liaison. In 2007, she moved to Los Angeles and founded BODYTRAFFIC with Lillian Barbeito. Tina often says BODYTRAFFIC is the dream come true, that she never knew she had.  She is so thankful for the past decade and feels so in debt to all who have played a part in this incredible journey.  In particular, Tina must thank her family and her son Jack for being her greatest inspirations and supports.

FERNANDO HERNANDO MAGADAN is a Spanish dancer and choreographer who originally trained as a professional gymnast becoming a National Champion. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Dance in Madrid and the London Studio Centre before enrolling at the Central School of Ballet in London. After dancing for one year in Santamaria Compañia de Danza, he joined the Nederlands Dans Theater 2 in 2001, and was later nominated for ‘Outstanding Male Artist’ in the Modern Dance category at the Critic’s Circle National Dance Awards 2003. Fernando was invited to join the Nederlands Dans Theater 1 in 2004, where he danced until 2011. As a choreographer, Fernando has created several works, including pieces for NDT 1 and 2, the Curve Foundation Dance Company (Scotland), Luna Negra Dance Theater (Chicago), Cross Connection Ballet Company (Copenhagen), Ballet Mainz (Germany), Donlon Dance Company (Saarbruecken), Arts Umbrella Dance Company and Ballet BC (Vancouver), Korzo Theater (The Hague). He choreographed Nierka, a multidisciplinary show by visual designer Tupac Martir, which premiered in London in 2012. Fernando collaborates with the NDT Education Department and has coordinated the NDT choreographic workshop Switch for several years. Between August 2014 and December 2016, he turned back as a dancer with NDT 1. At the moment, Fernando is working as a rehearsal director for NDT 2 and is focusing on his work as a freelance choreographer.

MATTHEW NEENAN began his dance training at the Boston Ballet School. He later attended the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts and the School of American Ballet in New York. From 1994-2007, Matthew danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet where he was also named Choreographer in Residence. Matthew’s choreography has been featured and performed by the Pennsylvania Ballet, BalletX, The Washington Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet West, Ballet Memphis, Milwaukee Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, Ballet Met, Oklahoma City Ballet, Juilliard Dance, New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, Sacramento Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Indiana University, Opera Philadelphia, and LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts (NYC), among others. He has received numerous awards and grants for his choreography from the National Endowment of the Arts, Dance Advance funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Choo San Goh Foundation, and the Independence Foundation. Matthew has been honored to receive the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute’s Fellowship Initiative Award and fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. In 2005, Matthew co-founded BalletX with fellow dancer Christine Cox which is now the resident dance company at the prestigious Wilma Theatre.

HOFESH SHECHTER is recognized as one of the UK’s most exciting artists and is renowned for composing the musical scores for his dance creations with his raw, atmospheric music complimenting his Company’s unique physicality. Hofesh graduated from the Jerusalem Academy for Dance and Music before moving to Tel Aviv to join the Batsheva Dance Company, where he worked with artistic director Ohad Naharin and other choreographers including Wim Vandekeybus, Paul Selwyn-Norton, Tero Saarinen, and Inbal Pinto. Hofesh began drum and percussion studies whilst in Tel Aviv and continued later in Paris at the Agostiny College of Rhythm. In 2002 Hofesh arrived in the UK. After tremendous success with works like Fragments, Cult, and Uprising, Hofesh was commissioned by The Place, Southbank Centre and Sadler’s Wells, to create In your rooms which was presented at all three venues in 2007 and culminated in sell-out shows at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. In 2008, in response to popular demand Hofesh formed Hofesh Shechter Company and since then the Company can be found performing throughout Europe, Asia, North America and Australia and reaching audiences in many of the world’s leading dance venues.  Recent tours have included South America and the Middle East with the global appetite for Shechter’s work continuing with his later creations like The Art of Not Looking Back, Political Mother, Survivor, and Sun.

RICHARD SIEGAL is the founder and artistic director of The Bakery Paris–Berlin (2005). Recognized by a New York Dance and Performance Bessie Award, The German National Theater Faust Award, S.A.C.D. Prize, a Beaumarchais, and The Mouson Award, Richard Siegal has generated international attention for a body of work that includes performances, new media projects, workshops and publications. Richard Siegal has been Artist/Choreographer-in-Residence at ZKM/Karlsruhe, Bennington College and The Baryshnikov Arts Center. As a faculty member of the American Dance Festival, he curated the annual Forsythe Festival. Siegal is a MacDowell fellow and honorary member of The Bolshoi Ballet's Benoit de la Danse.

BURKE WILMORE (Production Manager & Lighting Designer) is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and an honors graduate of Wesleyan University. He has designed or adapted seven works for BODYTRAFFIC and has also lit the work of Camille A. Brown (Black Girl: Linguistic Play, Mr. Tol E. Rance, City of Rain). He was the resident designer for Battleworks (2001–2010) and to date has lit five of Robert Battle’s works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. For American Repertory Ballet, he lit Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet. He frequently collaborates with Broadway star André de Shields, for whom he lit the Louis Armstrong musical Ambassador Satch, and designed scenery and lighting for de Shields’ production of Ain’t Misbehavin’.  Mr. Wilmore designed scenery and lighting for Apollo Club Harlem, and Ellington at Christmas, both at the Apollo Theater. Burke has worked with BODYTRAFFIC since 2012.

EMILY LEIBERT (Marketing & Development Associate) Emily's love of dance blossomed at the age of 3, after her parents grew tired of her impromptu living room performances and put her in formal tiny-tot ballet classes. With her passion for movement in tow, Emily went on to graduate from USC with a BA in Public Relations and an emphasis in Entertainment Communications.  She spent the last four years working in DreamWorks Animation Television’s Publicity department, learning the in's and out's of the streaming era and honing her skills in branding, marketing, PR, and event-planning. Emily is excited to merge her expertise with her love of dance as she joins the BODYTRAFFIC team. In her spare time, Emily is a professional cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams. She has had the opportunity to perform in London and Seoul, South Korea, as well as dancing alongside rappers Snoop Dogg, Jay Rock, and YG. Emily has completed interviews on behalf of LA Rams Cheer on Good Morning America, ESPN Radio (710 AM), TalkSport Radio (UK), CBS KCAL9, and Sports Wrap with Liz Habib on Fox 11 News.

Guzmán Rosado started dancing at the International School of Dance of Carmen Roche Scaena in Madrid on a scholarship sponsored by the Ministerio de Cultura de Madrid. Guzmán danced with Ballet Joven de Carmen Roche until 1999, when he was offered a scholarship to attend the School of American Ballet (SAB). After his time at SAB, Edward Villella invited him to dance with Miami City Ballet. From 2002 to 2007, Guzmán danced with Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporaneo. In 2007, with André Mesquita and Teresa Alves da Silva, Guzmán co-founded a cultural platform, Tok’Art.  He has performed extensively as a guest artist throughout Europe.  He teaches ballet, yoga, and movement workshops. Guzmán is currently BODYTRAFFIC’s resident filmmaker and has won awards for his film work. Guzman joined BODYTRAFFIC in 2012.

JOSEPH DAVIS was born and raised in the beautiful hills of upstate New York, and can be easily identified from a distance by his cacophonous laughter. He began his studies at The Draper Center for Dance Education in Rochester, New York and continued his training at The Juilliard School on tuition scholarship from New York City Dance Alliance, where he received his BFA under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. Joseph has had the opportunity to perform works of Jíri Kylián, Crystal Pite, Sol Leon and Paul Lightfoot, Kyle Abraham, Shannon Gillen, Twyla Tharp, Martha Graham, José Limón, Camille A. Brown, Joeri Dubbe, and Sylvain Emard. He has also performed alongside Brian Brooks Moving Company at New York City Center’s Fall for Dance festival, and in Kate Weare’s residency at BAM Fisher Hall. Joe joined BODYTRAFFIC in 2016.

HALEY HECKETHORN was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She trained at Bunker Dance Center as well as Las Vegas Academy. In 2013 she moved to Vancouver Canada to join the Arts Umbrella dance diploma program under the direction of Artemis Gordon. While there she performed works by Crystal Pite, Sharon Eyal, Cayetano Soto, Lesley Telford, and Nacho Duato. Haley also participated in Crystal Pite’s young choreographers' program as well as received an emerging artist scholarship from RBC’s Canada Council. In 2016 she joined Pite’s Kidd Pivot as an apprentice, and later performed with Peter Chu’s Chuthis. Haley joined BODYTRAFFIC in 2018.

NATALIE LEIBERT began training at various dance schools in the Los Angeles area including company work with Westside Dance Project in Redondo Beach, and Pacific Festival Ballet in Agoura Hills. She continued training at the Miami City Ballet School and Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program. Leibert has attended workshops and programs at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, the Joffrey Ballet School, the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Juilliard School, in addition to Nederlands Dans Theater and Batsheva Dance Company. Natalie joined Hubbard Street 2 as an apprentice in August 2014 and was promoted to full company member in August 2015 through 2016. She joined BODYTRAFFIC in 2016.

JESSICA LIU holds a BFA in Ballet as well as a BS in Exercise Physiology from the University of Utah. She received additional training from Alonzo King LINES Ballet, the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and the Washington Ballet. Past projects include LED, SALT Contemporary Dance, and Oakland Ballet Company, performing the work of Lauren Edson, Gabrielle Lamb, Brendan Duggan, and Garrett Smith, among others. Jessica has presented choreography at Mudson, a Salt Lake City-based works-in-progress series, and choreographed for Municipal Ballet, Boise Dance Co-Op, and summer intensives for the University of Utah’s Ballet Department, Ballet West, and Boise State University. Additionally, she served as the assistant director of SALT II, the second company of SALT Contemporary Dance. Jessica joined BODYTRAFFIC in 2017.

JAMAL WHITE was raised in Atlanta, GA and began his training at Dance Makers of Atlanta under the direction of Denise and Lynise Heard. He studied as a scholarship student at Virginia School of the Arts and trained in intensive programs at Kirov Academy of Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and London Contemporary Dance School. In 2011, Mr. White received a B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University, where he performed works by Arthur Mitchell, George Balanchine, Pascal Rioult, Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle, and Martha Graham. He has also performed in Rasta Thomas' Rock the Ballet, Missouri Ballet Theater, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Alvin Ailey II, and Collage Dance Collective. Jamal joined BODYTRAFFIC in 2017.