Dance On OAC Cohort

Selena Figgins

Selena Figgins is a fitness/yoga instructor and artist based in the DC area. She was raised in Washington, DC, and attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts in the Museum Studies Department. She graduated in 2008 with a bachelor's of fine arts from Bowie State University with a concentration in Visual Communications and Digital Media Arts. She freelanced doing graphic design and worked as an optician as she explored different areas to explore her creativity. In 2012, she fell in love with the aerial arts after taking a pole dancing class on a whim. She spent several years taking pole and lyra classes, but after several injuries, she had to give it up. The experience left her with a love of exploring different movement practices. She began taking yoga in 2016. Selena completed her 200-teacher training in 2020 from Yoga Blue Fitness School through Black Prana Yoga Magazine. She is the owner of Selestial Soul Studios, a movement and art studio located at Dance Exchange in Takoma Park, MD. She is passionate about sharing her love of movement and art with her community through impactful classes. Selena enjoys cooking, visiting museums, and enjoying nature when she isn't teaching.

Selena is a small business owner in Takoma Park, having recently launched Selestial Soul Studios, based in Dance Exchange’s Community and Creative Hub.

Elly Sullivan

Elly Sullivan, MA, finds inspiration in dance and has done so since childhood. She studied with Carolyn Tate in Washington, DC, and at the Martha Graham School in New York City. Always drawn to the way movement opens the heart to joy and meaning, she found her way to the related discipline of yoga and became a certified Kripalu Yoga instructor. Her love of movement led her to practice occupational therapy and she currently provides patients with experiences of healing and wholeness through movement in the hospital setting. Elly happily explores new territory through movement at Dance Exchange.

Elly is an occupational therapist at Holy Cross Hospital, so a significant portion of patients with whom she works are from Takoma Park.

Merise Jalali

Merise Jalali is a Canadian-born immigrant of Jamaican and Indian heritage. She loves international travel, her mom’s ackee and saltfish, and spending time with her husband and three-year-old daughter. She is most passionate about women’s rights, music and dance. As a domestic violence attorney for many years, Merise litigated protection order and divorce/custody cases, handled Violence Against Women Act and U-Visa immigration cases, and advised numerous agencies regarding these matters. As a dancer, Merise has most recently focused on African and Caribbean movements. She is particularly grateful to have found a home with KanKouran, a program whose exemplary instructors and community members come together every week to master the intricacies of various West African dances and perform periodically. Merise inherited a love of music from her Indian and Jamaican grandmothers, the former a talented piano player and the latter a Soca enthusiast. Merise is honored to have been chosen for the 2023-24 Dance On OAC Cohort and hopes to unite her passions—women’s rights and dance—by establishing a creative aging program for people like her grandmothers, but specifically for older women whose lives have been marked by poverty, racism, or domestic violence.

Merise dances with KanKouran West African Dance Company's community group which has been based in Dance Exchange’s studios in Takoma Park for many years.

Norma Jean Barnes

Norma Jean Barnes works to enrich the lives of community members of all ages through the arts. Presently she is teaching Dance Party classes for seniors featuring Old School dances. Ms. Barnes directed “The Chocolate Nutcracker” on February 4, 2023 at The Pittsburgh Project with support from The New Sun Rising, The Heinz Endowments, and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Artistically, Ms. Barnes performed in dance and theater productions in New York, Pittsburgh, Scotland, Italy, and on tour with Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus. She founded Xpressions Contemporary Dance Company as a creative outlet for dancers in African diaspora dance traditions.

She earned a B.F.A. summa cum laude dance/arts management studies at Point Park University-Conservatory of Performing Arts. Professional development includes the Urban Bush Women Summer Institute at Florida State University, and NYC Board of Education’s Katherine Dunham Institute.

Al Evangelista

Al Evangelista is an Assistant Professor of Dance and Comparative American Studies at Oberlin College with an affiliation in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies, a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Communicating Science at Virginia Tech, and a passionate advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration. Al's scholarship and artistic work focus on the intersections of dance, culture, and society, particularly in expressing queer and Filipinx-American narratives. His diverse body of work has earned him a recent Dancing Lab residency at the National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron (NCCAkron), supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Daring Dances, and an Oberlin College Teaching Grant. As a dancer and actor, Al has performed with numerous companies, including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, American Theatre Company, Links Hall, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, and the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art.

Catherine Ramsey

Catherine Ramsey (she/her) hails from the urban sprawl of Prince George's County, MD, and the spring-loaded floors of countless dance studios. A graduate from the University of Rochester, Catherine emerged as a dynamic triple major in Dance, Political Science, and African & African-American Studies.

A firm believer in the power of active learning and nurturing creative excellence, Catherine advocates for the dance classroom as a sanctuary for personal, artistic, and creative development. Her approach revolves around the premise that every body is a vessel of emotion, memory, and lived experiences, using movement as an investigative tool for the narratives they hold. A staunch advocate of building connections, Catherine's commitment extends beyond the traditional dance studios, and into the Assisted Living Memory Care community she currently works at. There, she is eagerly implementing creative aging tools to bring moments of joy to the residents.

Claudia Bulaievsky

Claudia Bulaievsky is a creative dance educator and Pilates instructor who grew up in Argentina and moved to Los Angeles where she was a teaching artist for several non-profit art programs and also got her K-12 PE/dance teaching credentials from CalstateLA. She now resides in Vancouver, Canada, where she continues to teach and create community engaged movement initiatives. 

Claudia finds joy practicing cultural, somatic and ensemble dances with others. She has been learning Afro-Brazilian dance for many years.

India Harville

India Harville (she/her), Founder of Embraced Body, is an African American, queer,  disabled, femme, Disability Justice activist, inclusive dance artist, and somatics practitioner.  India’s work centers reclaiming the body as an often underestimated pathway to decolonizing ourselves to foster social justice, equity, and inclusion. Her work centers inclusive dance and Disability Justice as approaches to offer an embodied praxis for the liberation of those most impacted by oppression, which in turn liberates everyone. India incorporates over twenty-five years of embodiment and movement education into her work including DanceAbility, American DanceWheels, Adaptive Stick Stretching, Dancing Freedom, and several bodywork/somatic forms. India holds a BA in psychology from New College of Florida and a MA in Integrative Health Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies.  To learn more about her work, please visit www.embracedbody.com. 

Katrina Browne

Katrina Browne produced/directed the Emmy-nominated Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North – a documentary about her family’s journey to face their Rhode Island ancestors’ role in the slave trade, the history of Northern complicity, and questions of repair. Traces premiered at Sundance in 2008, and aired on PBS. Katrina traveled with the film for a decade. She now works for the Episcopal Church, shepherding a film-based race dialogue series for parishes that she authored. She’s a certified InterPlay leader – using “in-the-moment” movement, story-telling and sound, to invite regular folks of all ages/abilities to unlock the wisdom of the body. She’s part of using InterPlay for racial transformation – e.g. teaching “Waking Up White” classes (including at DX). She’s excited to be in the cohort so she can integrate InterPlay, DX and Dance for PD forms to create classes for elders and people of all ages who have Parkinson’s Disease.  

Margrit Wong

Born in Berlin, Germany, Margrit Wong (she/her) has been a happy Takoma Park resident for the last 13 years where she found her home for herself and her transcultural family. Dance Exchange has been where she moved with her children, held theater camps and where she made meaningful connections with like-minded artists.

Since childhood, Margrit has been drawn to the performing arts as a spectator, performer and later as a director in the community theater field. With an MA in German and English Literature (Freie Universität, Berlin) and Theater Pedagogy (University of Fine Arts, Berlin - UdK) and a professional life coaching training through Coaching for Transformation - Leadership that Works at Omega Institute, she feels inspired by the physical theater of Pina Bausch and the postdramatic theater and autobiographical approach, which she has explored with students in Germany and in the US. Margrit believes that moving one’s body to tell stories can be energizing, healing and connecting us with others through our shared human experiences. She is a new member of the Washington Women’s Chorale, an avid Yogi and appreciates the songs of the crickets and other wonders of nature. For more information: margritwong-coaching.com and littlegermanschooltakomapark.com. 

Sherri Weil

Sherri Weil found a home in Takoma Park when she and her husband moved there in '79. Blessed with a daughter, many rescue dogs, and a Takoma Tapestry of community nurtured by hosting House Concerts, support for local businesses, and classes at Dance Exchange. She recently retired after 40 years advancing the mission and messages of educational institutions in the MDV area. She raised funds and the profiles of the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, The Catholic University of America, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, The Lab School of Washington, and the Washington National Cathedral. Career highlights include raising funds for the unveiling of three presidential portraits, initiating contact with Jamie Wyeth resulting in artwork for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the book, Simple Abundance.

Sherri received her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, a Master of Arts from Teachers College at Columbia University in and a Bachelor of Arts, in Education and Psychology from The Catholic University of America. Semester abroad at the University of Exeter and the University of London.

Thelma Sabi

Thelma Sabi, originally from Douala, Cameroon, began training in Afrobeats during high school and later on became the President of The University of Maryland’s African dance team (Afrochique). Her love of multicultural dance styles, influence from Afro-dance instructors, and culture in Paris, along with her background inspire her work. With years of experience in Afrobeats dance and choreography, she has performed with different Afrobeats artists including Jidenna, Fally Ipupa, Naza, and more. She’s built her teaching experience through coaching Afrobeats at Eleanor Roosevelt high school, working with Ifetayo dance academy in Brooklyn New York, and hosting her own Afro workshops in the DC, MD, VA, and NY areas through her brand MFK Afro. 

Her viewers, peers, and students describe her as energetic, knowledgeable, passionate, and contagious. Today, Thelma continues to showcase choreography and concepts that not only provides knowledge on Afrobeats culture but also gives opportunities to other dancers to perform, create and teach as well.

Becky Hill 

Becky Hill (Brentwood, MD) is an accomplished and sought after percussive dancer, Appalachian square dance caller, community organizer, teaching artist and choreographer. Becky has worked with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, Rhythm in Shoes, Good Foot Dance Company and studied with an array of percussive dance luminaries. In 2017, she directed her first concert length work inspired by Appalachian traditions, Shift. In 2018 she was selected as a fellow for OneBeat, a U.S. State Department Cultural Diplomacy Program. She has performed at Jacob's Pillow, Newport Folk Festival, Mountain Stage Radio Show, Wheatland Music Festival, Big Ears, Nelsonville Music Festival and many others with the T-Mart Rounders. She is 2021 Strathmore Artist in Residence, is part of Dance Exchange’s Creative Aging training program and is currently seeking her MFA at University of Maryland College Park. As an avid organizer and teacher, Becky's work is deeply rooted in the connections between music and community. She believes there is always more to learn and is dedicated to creating innovative choreography rooted in percussive and vernacular dance. She is super excited to be a part of the Dance Exchange Community. www.rebeccahill.org

Devin Hill 

Devin Hill graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance. She has studied jazz, ballet, modern, hip hop, tap, African, ballroom, and improvisation. Ms. Hill was a member of the Kaleidoscope Dance Company and has worked with artists: Christopher K. Morgan, Bill Evans, Clarence Brooks, Gregg Russell, and Cat Cogliandro. Also, Devin had the honor of performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC with Dance Exchange. She has continued to perform, choreograph, facilitate, and participate in intensives and workshops throughout the DC metro area. Ms. Hill’s dancing has spanned over twenty years.

Vinny Mwano

Vinny Mwano (he/him) is a dancer, choreographer, filmmaker and storyteller. Dance has played a big role within his life. At a young age he and his family moved to the States as refugees, during this time Vinny found his voice and community through dancing. Vinny started teaching professionally at the age of 16. He specializes in Hip Hop, Afro-Jazz and Krump. Vinny has collaborated with various studios around the states and in Canada and Jordan.

Vinny believes dance/movement has the power to break down societal barriers that separate us from one another. As an explorer of movement and storytelling, Vinny is excited to collaborate with Dance Exchange. 

Bikem Ozturk

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Bikem Ozturk is a dancer, a writer, a Reiki Master, an Angel Card Reader. She sees herself as a World Citizen who is raising another World Citizen, her beloved teenager, AC, in the suburbs of Maryland. She was a dancer in the first dance theater company, Green Grapes Dance Theater Company in Istanbul, Turkey in 1992. She has seen Dance Exchange as her second home since 1999, starting with Bountiful Bodies dance class. She is also the author of the spiritual memoir "FIRE IN THE DANCING HEART". In dance and life, she loves being outrageous and subtle at the same time and using text and movement together. Her practice is enjoying life to the fullest while being mindful and drinking Zen tea. She found her heart in the Buddha’s Dharma. She likes to drink Earl Grey Zen tea with cream and sugar. She sends you blessings on your journey.