Marcellus Harper has an expansive background in project management and event production. He has worked as a Program Analyst for the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA). He was among the first seven employees of the TSA Taskforce mandated by Congress to create and develop the agency and federalize our nation’s transportation security infrastructures. Prior to his work with the TSA, Mr. Harper worked as a Project Coordinator for Marriott International’s corporate marketing department, where he was directly responsible for the development and implementation of several industry events for the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. Mr. Harper has worked for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Harvard University coordinating special projects to assist research and treatment work for HIV/AIDs patients in Africa. Mr. Harper was a Meyerhoff Scholar at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) where he studied biology and theatre and was a double national medalist in the NAACP’s ACT-SO Program in biology and oratory. Marcellus is the 2011 recipient of the Memphis Urban League Young Professionals’ Change Artist Award in recognition of his achievements towards “positive community influence and unwavering commitment to the arts”. Marcellus holds a Bachelor’s degree in non-profit administration and performing arts and serves on the boards of Tennessee Association of Dance and the Historic Broad Avenue Arts Alliance.

Noelia Garcia Carmona is a native of Barcelona, Spain. She started dancing at a young age and followed her passion and dream of becoming a dance professional and traveling the world. She graduated from the Institut del Teatre I Dansa in Barcelona in 1993 specializing in Spanish dance and flamenco. Upon graduation, she co-founded the flamenco and contemporary dance company Increpacion Danza, where she was a performer and choreographer for 10 years, touring all over Europe, China and The Philippines.

In 2002, she was selected as a dance performer by Cirque du Soleil, for their show Zumanity. Noelia moved to the USA in 2003 and has since lived in Memphis, TN. From 2003 to 2021, she worked at New Ballet Ensemble & School holding different roles and positions including dance educator, performer, choreographer, program director, and Associate Artistic Director leading a team of teaching artists and creating programming for events and concerts. In 2014, she was Rehearsal Director and performer for the piece Harlem, presented by the New Ballet Ensemble at the Kennedy Center accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra.

In 2017, Noelia graduated from the CAELI (Community Arts Education Leadership Institute) led by the National Guild for Community Arts Education. In her role as a choreographer, she has created numerous dance works with students and professional dancers that have been presented in venues throughout Memphis. Some of her original choreography includes “Dos,” “Tiempos,” “El Rey de Harlem,” “Fuego” and “Voices.” She creates dances that are relevant, passionate and inclusive of other dance genres outside of Spanish Dance and Flamenco. Noelia teaches ballet, Flamenco and Spanish dance to youth and adults.

Rickey Flagg II attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and was also part of the Hartt School Community Division under the direction of Miguel Campaneria. Rickey continued his training with Mr. Campaneria in Cary, NC dancing roles in Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Spring Waters Pas De Deux and excerpts from Raymonda. Mr. Flagg has choreographed solos for the Youth American Grand Prix and World Ballet Competition, several of which placed in the contemporary category. In 2012, Rickey was awarded a full scholarship to attend Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Professional Training Program under the direction of Virginia Johnson. Upon completion of the training program at DTH, Rickey was offered a contract with Charlotte Ballet II. This is Rickey’s eleventh and final season with Collage Dance Collective.

LAUREN HUYNH, born and raised in Plano, Texas, began her training at the Hathaway Academy of Ballet. She was a recipient of the Nordan Fine Arts Scholarship at Texas Christian University (TCU) where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. During her time at TCU, she was selected to travel to Rwanda to continue TCU’s ongoing relationship with the SEVOTA Peace Institute; she was awarded the TCU Mission Statement Scholarship; and she received the Senior Legacy Award honoring her antiracist work and activism. As a student, Lauren received scholarships to train in programs with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, BalletX, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and Joffrey Ballet. Lauren has performed works by notable choreographers such as George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Nacho Duato, Ulysses Dove, Amy Hall Garner, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Jennifer Archibald, among many others who have shaped her into the artist she is today. Lauren’s professional career includes dancing with Bruce Wood Dance, Asian American Ballet Project, Regenerative Beings, and Chattanooga Dance Theatre. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, Jacob’s Pillow International Inside/Out Dance Festival, Virginia Arts Festival, and St. Louis’ Spring to Dance Festival.

This is Lauren’s sixth season with Collage Dance Collective.

VICTORIA JAENSON, originally from Kampala, Uganda, began her formal dance training at the age of seven at the Brattleboro School of Dance in Vermont. She later studied at the Rock School for Dance Education (Philadelphia, PA) under directors Stephanie and Bo Spassoff. Victoria spent a year studying at The Hartt School at University of Hartford, under Stephen Pier in 2017. Victoria went on to join Charlotte Ballet II (Charlotte, NC) under artistic director Hope Muir for two seasons where she performed excerpts from Alonzo King’s Map, Medhi Walerski’s Petit Cérémonie, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s Nutcracker, Peter Pan, Christian Spuck’s Leonce and Lena, as well as Matthew Hart’s Sleeping Beauty. In January 2020, Victoria earned 2nd Place in the Senior Classical Division at the Ballet Beyond Borders dance festival in Missoula, Montana. In the summer of 2021, she performed with Des Moines Metro Opera as a dancer for the operas Platée and Queen of Spades. Victoria then went on to dance with Ballet Theatre Company (West Hartford, CT) for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, under Stephanie Dattellas.

She has had the pleasure of performing roles like Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, the lead in the Sapphire scene in Aladdin, Princess Florine in Marius Petipa’s Bluebird pas, Swan Lake pas de trois, including as a soloist in Odyssey by Melanie Ramos, Serenade in A by Paul Mejia, Conspicuous Figures by Calvin Bittner, Melodies by Marguerite de Anguera, and Pieces of a Legacy by Derek Brockington. Victoria has also worked with Dimensional Dance (Hartford, CT), under Ruth Lewis, performing the lead in Whole-Souled Women: The Story of Prudence Crandall and Sarah Harris, sharing a powerful story about education for young Black girls in Connecticut in spring 2022, and as Ruth in The Story of Ruth in summer 2023. Other companies she has guested with include City Ballet of Boston (Boston, MA), AMA Dance Theatre (Mystic, CT), and with New England Ballet Theatre (Hartford, CT).

This is Victoria’s fourth season with Collage Dance Collective.

Imajin Lias was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee where she began dancing at the age of three and exploring various genres of dance. In her freshman year of high school, she joined Collage Dance Collective where she studied Classical Ballet, Modern and Jazz, under the direction of Kevin Thomas. After graduating in 2017, she continued her studies at The Alonzo King Lines Ballet Training Program in San Francisco, California. After completing the Lines Ballet Training Program, Imajin went on to attend the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble as a dancer in the second company. Imajin has worked with choreographers such as Gregory Dawson, Maurya Kurr, Arturo Fernandez, MenCa, and more and has had extensive training at the Joffrey Ballet School and Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre.

Elita Loaces is a professional dancer and teacher experienced in ballet, salsa, tango, contemporary and hip hop. Hailing from Cuba, Ms. Elita began her training at age 9 at Ciego of Avila and later at National Ballet School in La Habana Cuba. Prior to joining the Conservatory in 2022 as a ballet teacher in the upper school, Ms. Elita performed professionally as a dancer on Cuban Televisión and in Chanchung City, China.

Fábio Mariano was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and started dancing when he was 14 years old. He trained at Maria Olenewa Dance School and performed in big productions of ballet and opera at Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, such as The Nutcracker, The Rite of Spring, Aida and Marguerite & Armand. Taught by renowned Brazilian and Russian teachers from Kirov Ballet, he graduated in 2014. In Brazil, he performed classical and contemporary works by different choreographers with Caetano Cia. De Dança, directed by Thiago Caetano and Companhia Jovem de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro, directed by Dalal Achcar and Marisa Estrella. Fábio joined Corpo de Baile Campos dos Goytacazes in 2014, where he performed classical and contemporary works. He also choreographed a contemporary ballet for the company. In 2016, he moved to the U.S. to join Atlantic City Ballet (NJ) and performed soloist and leading roles in full length productions of The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Dracula and Carmen. Aside from dancing, Mr. Mariano has been a ballet teacher for more than 10 years. In 2020, he co-founded the online platform Blacks in Ballet alongside Ingrid Silva and Ruan Galdino to highlight ballet dancers of color. Fábio Mariano has been an artist with Collage Dance since 2017 and is in his seventh season.

Karen Niceley attended the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet and later received her BFA in Dance Education at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Karen’s professional credits include work with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Michael Mao Dance Company, Metropolitan Opera, Cirque Du Soleil, Keith Lee’s Dance Theatre of Lynchburg and the Broadway National Tour of The Color Purple.

Prior to relocating to Memphis in spring 2021, Karen taught dance, Vinyasa yoga and creative movement in more than 100 schools throughout the five boroughs of NYC. As a result of decades long work with The Leadership Program, Karen is recognized for her ability to utilize social emotional learning, anti-bullying best practices and restorative justice models to implement transformative youth development programs that combine academics and dance technique.

As the Community Engagement Manager for Collage Dance, Karen works to broaden the organization’s in-school dance education program, Turning Pointe, by fostering relationships with Memphis area schools. She also works to cultivate a vibrant adult dance community through program development at the new Collage Dance Center and dance exposure opportunities in Memphis and beyond.

Karen is also co-founder of Gritty Cherries, Inc., a non-profit art production company that serves as a springboard for emerging artists of all types, providing venues and producing special events for charitable organizations with a variety of artists who collaborate together under one roof and a specific theme while bringing high quality training in the arts to underprivileged youth through their arts education program Gritty Cherries Arts Education.

Lenore Pavlakos Morales is a native of Brooklyn, NY and graduate of The Juilliard School where she received her BFA Degree in dance. Her professional career includes Eglevsky Ballet, Maryland Ballet & Eugene Ballet before joining Dance Theatre of Harlem under the direction of Arthur Mitchell.  She quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to Soloist and later Principal dancer. In her 11-year tenure with DTH she worked with masters such as Fredrick Franklin, John Taras, Suzanne Farrell, Jacques D’Ambroise, Geoffrey Holder.  Featured roles include: Waltz Girl in Balanchine’s “Serenade”, Medea in Michael Smuin’s “Medea”, “Desdemona” in Jose Limon’s “Moors Pavane”, Princess of Unreal Beauty in John Taras’s “Firebird” and “Myrta” in Fredrick Franklin’s staging of “Creole Giselle”. In addition to performing, she served as assistant rehearsal director to the company and Master Teacher for their “Dancing through Barriers”, outreach program both in the US and abroad. Lenore performed as guest artist to various companies in the US. Ms. Morales was a featured model for Capezio ads and has been seen in Oprah, Mademoiselle, Pointe, and Dance Magazine as well as Italy’s Io Donna.  

Following her performing career Ms. Morales served as Director to The Harkness Youth Ballet @ 92nd Street Y and later Ballet Mistress to Staten Island Ballet. Recently, she was delighted to serve as guest Rehearsal Director to Dance Theatre of Harlem, NYC during their 2021-2022 season. In 2022, Lenore joined Collage Dance Collective as Rehearsal Director during its 13th Performance Season. Additional teaching includes ballet faculty at Rutgers – Mason Gross School of the Arts,West Virginia Dance Festival, Scarsdale Ballet Studio, American Ballet Theatre JKO School, Academy of Dance Arts, Marymount Manhattan College, New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble,

Danielle Pierce was trained in jazz, tap, lyrical and ballet at All American Kids dance studio. She competed, attended dance workshops, and performed at events around the Mid-South. After she graduated from White Station High School in 2004 Danielle was a member of the Arkansas State University (A-Team) Dance Team from 2005-07. She continued her dance training at The University of Memphis, studying various dance styles. In 2008, she graduated from The U of M with her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Spanish, and minor in Dance. 

Danielle has taught and choreographed for Christie McNeill Studio of Dance, Ballet on Wheels Dance School & Company, and other studios around the Mid-South. Since 2010, Danielle was a member of the RedHots team with the Memphis RedBirds until 2015. 

She teaches tap, ballet, company jazz, adult jazz and tap at The Dance Academy of Bartlett, where she has been teaching since 2012. Danielle also teaches Beginner/Intermediate Tap in Cordova at Studio Gray. In 2016, she started teaching Tap and Creative Movement at Collage Dance Collective. This will be her third year performing with the only professional tap company in Memphis, The Hot Foot Honeys. 

Danielle is a member of the Southern Association of Dance Masters. She received Most Innovative Tap Instructor of the Year from Destined 2 Dance awards.  She continues to do what she loves with the support of her lovely mother, Judy Pierce, and her awesome brother, Dexter Pierce, Jr. 

A south side, Chicago bred artist, Dorian Rhea has been an active participant in community based arts and education for the past seven years. He has performed and choreographed pieces for recording artists like Silentò & Chance The Rapper, while using his art as a tool for activism and reformation by working alongside the Obamas on the ‘Healthier America’ initiative. His works have been featured at venues such as The Chicago Theater & The Museum of Contemporary Art.

He has held residencies at The Joffrey Ballet Chicago as well as The American Rhythm Center, and facilitated world-class workshops at Roosevelt University, Chicago State University, and Wilbur Wright College. From working with charitable arts programs in public schools across the city, to providing free performance training under the non-profit ‘Happiness Club’, Dorian continues to encourage, build, and support reputable opportunities and networks that give back to the communities who invest so much into the future.

Abigail Taber, a native of Memphis, TN, began her classical training at River City Ballet Company under the directorship of the late Carlton Lee Johnson.  During her training she danced in various productions such as, The Wizard of Oz, as Dorothy, and A Christmas Fantasy, where she danced the lead as Abby.  Abigail is a former Nubian Theater Company member, led by John L. Sullivan, where she has performed in various works such as Umoja Kamaru, Uniquely Us, and The People Could Fly.  Abigail has also performed in “Black, White, and Red All Over”, “The Blues and Sunday Morning”, both works of Dr. Erma L. Clanton, Opera Memphis’ “Treemonisha”, Harrell Theatre’s “Aida”, and “Rent, a Tribute to Jonathan Larson”.  Abigail danced as captain of the Marching Crimson Piperettes of Tuskegee University where she received her B.S. in Biology.  She has also served as co-choreographer of the Spiritual Lights Praise Ensemble at New Sardis Baptist Church and has danced with Bridging Souls Productions and the Collage Dance Corps.

Kindred Spirit, under the direction of Reginald Taber, is a traditional West African drum and dance inspired company, operating with a heightened interest in examining the psyche, body, and spirit through an African centered worldview. Kindred Spirit strives to cultivate respect for traditional forms, foster cultural exchange, effect social justice, engage in community building, and promote healing through the medium of drum and dance.

Avree began his early training at the West Las Vegas Arts Center, under the direction of Dr. Marcia Robinson. Mr. Walker is an alumnus of the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, and attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas, representing the dance department in South Korea, Canada, Europe, and throughout the U.S. Additional training includes Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Ballet Hispanico, and the Katherine Dunham Technique Seminar. Mr. Walker became an artist with the Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theatre (Contemporary West Dance Theatre) touring and performing works by Alvin Ailey, Ulysses Dove, Elisa Monte, Rennie Harris, Milton Myers, Vernard Gilmore, Zane Booker, Hope Boykin, Tommie Waheed Evan’s, Donald Byrd, Don Bellamy, and others. Regional credits include Dreamgirls, Once on This Island, The Color Purple, Black Nativity (Las Vegas and Atlanta), The Music Man, Spamalot, The Wiz, Cinderella, Matilda the Musical(regional premiere), The Prince of Egypt the Musical (Dreamworks) and Stephen Sondheim Follies. Mr. Walker performed in Donn Arden’s Jubilee! at Bally’s Las Vegas and Extravaganza by T&R Entertainment. Mr. Walker is currently a dancer in Vegas! The Show at Planet Hollywood, Directed & Choreographed by Tiger Martina. Mr. Walker served as resident choreographer for Contemporary West Dance Theatre and Program Artistic Director of the CWDT Conservatory & pre-professional program. In 2019, Mr. Walker joined the dance faculty of Las Vegas Academy of the Arts as the first full-time African American dance instructor in the school’s history. Mr. Walker has had the privilege of creating work for universities/conservatory’s, pre professional and professional dance companies including, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Contemporary West Dance Theatre & Studio Company, Nevada Ballet Theatre II, The Ailey School, Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre Summer Institute, Houston Contemporary Dance Company (Institute of Contemporary Dance), Collage Youth Ensemble, St. Louis Dance Theatre II, Alabama State University, University of Nevada Las Vegas and Anthony Burrell Center for Dance. Mr. Walker is currently the Artistic Director of the City of Las Vegas Live Arts Institute.