Krissy Keefer co-founded Dance Brigade in 1984 with Nina Fichter, both original members of Wallflower Order. She developed a new kind of modern dance-theater that was stylistically rooted in the martial arts, female athleticism and social justice issues. She received numerous grants and awards including San Francisco Magazine’s Arts Achievement Award for Dance, a San Francisco Bay Guardian Goldie, and five Isadora Duncan Awards. Her work has been featured in Ballet Tanz, Kung Fu Magazine, Deborah Jowitt’s Dancing Image, and Artist’s Eye. Her work around creating a new aesthetic in dance is featured in the book Warrior Mothers, September 2004 and in Stacey Prickett’s San Francisco Innovators and Iconoclasts: Dance and Politics in the Left Coast City, May 2007.
Tina Banchero holds her BA in Dance from SUNY at Buffalo and a Yoga Teaching Certificate from Yoga Kula in Berkeley. Tina has performed with Ramon Ramos Alayo, Kim Epifano, Sue Li Jui, Jose Navarrete, Rapt Productions, and most extensively with Krissy Keefer's Dance Brigade. Tina has directed and choreographed for the Dance Mission Theater Youth Program, the Grrrl Brigade, Planned Parenthood’s Teen Reality Theater Troupe WNY, Trolley Dances SF, Devious Inc. Movies and the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. She has also taught for the Alvin Ailey Summer Camps in Oakland and New York City.
Sarah Bush has been dancing in multiple styles since age 3, received a BA in Dance and joined Krissy Keefer and Dance Brigade in 2001. She is grateful to The Brigade for this opportunity to work with Sarah Shelton Mann and a brilliant cast. She is also the Director of Sarah Bush Dance Project and a teacher and choreographer.
Richelle Donigan is a fierce performance artist, dancer, drummer, healer and all in all a real exhibitionist. She has graced more continents, stages, films, tabletops and venues with her unique style of performance then she cares to remember. She is passionate about what she does and what she gets to create with this outstanding cast.
Karen Elliot began her professional dance career as a member of Citicentre Dance Theatre in 1986. She began dancing with Dance Brigade in 1990 and has enjoyed performing in venues ranging from Lincoln Center in New York City to the Fichter Farm in Wilder, Kentucky. Karen has also performed with Project Bandaloop, Make-A-Circus, Raymond Johnson Dance Company, Kim Epifano, José Navarrete and many local artists.
Lena Gatchalian would like to dedicate these performances to Evelyn, Calixta, Antonio, Nina, Denny and all her friends and family would have moved on.
Fredrika Keefer began dancing in the womb. She is graduate from San Francisco’s School of the Arts Dance Department. She dances with Allan Frias’ renowned hip hop dance company Mind Over Matter, is a founding member of Grrrl Brigade, the second company to Dance Brigade and has played Taiko for the past 5 years. She is also a teacher and choreographer in Dance Mission's youth program.
Kim Valmore….
