 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Company Bios |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Ana Maria Alvarez (director/dancer/arts educator) has been sharing her joy, love and obsession for moving in rhythm with others for over fifteen years. As a teacher, choreographer, and community arts activist, originally from the east coast, she moved to Los Angeles from NYC in 2002. Since then she has taught, choreographed and performed around the city including at UCLA,
 |
Highways Performing Arts Space, The KING KING, Summer Sounds at the Hollywood Bowl, Fowler Museum, REDCAT Disney Hall, Grand Performances, Carnival at The Key Club, and The Forum to name a few. While living in NY, Alvarez performed and taught all over the city, including Dixon Place, The Tribeca Performing Arts Center, The Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Red Hook Waterfront Festival, and Middle School 136, PS 1, PS 314 and the HEREArts Center. Before moving to Los Angeles, Alvarez worked for three years with the Center for Family Life in Brooklyn as their Dance Specialist. In March 2005, Alvarez received her MFA in Choreography at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures. Currently Alvarez is the Artistic and Executive Director of CONTRA-TIEMPO. She also works with that students and faculty of Seeds University Elementary School where she created an Interdisciplinary Dance Program for ages 4-12. This is the program that members of the company are currently implementing in schools all over Los Angeles County. She also teaches weekly classes every Tuesday at the KING KING in Hollywood and on Wednesdays in Venice. Her life long commitment is that all people have access to their bodies as instruments - expressive tools - voices - to communicate and create their hopes, desires and demands for this world! . Visit http://www.contra-tiempo.org/anamaria/ for more information about her work.
Cesar Alvarez (composer/founding member) is a New York City-based composer, electronic musician, saxophonist, and songwriter. César has performed and presented work nationally and internationally in Cuba, Canada, France, Scotland, and the Czech Republic. A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and Oberlin Conservatory, César was awarded a Meet The Composer/Van Lier Fellowship for young composers in 2004. Cesar also plays in a "cute" band called The Lisps. www.thelisps.com
 |
Cesar Garfiaz (dancer/founding member/teaching artist) was born and raised in Los Angeles , CA (Hollywoooood!). He has been hyperactive since early childhood, and has always enjoyed moving. Being partly raised by his aunt, Garfiaz was influenced by her affinity for Salsa. He began dancing Salsa at the young age of seven, going on Sundays to Steven’s Steakhouse with his Tia Raquel. In high school, Garfiaz was part of a performing arts class for two years.
Jasmine Burgos (dancer/teaching artist) was born in New York City and raised in Tampa, Florida. At the age of 18, she discovered the world of dance. Burgos entered her first ballet class at the University of South Florida. Against all odds, she graduated with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance from the University of Tennessee. While living in Tennessee, Jasmine booked her first job as a back up dancer for Grammy Nominated & Dove Award Winning Artist Nicole C. Mullen. In 2004, Jasmine moved to Los Angeles to pursue more opportunities in the entertainment capital. In doing so, she became part of the Debbie Reynolds Scholarship Program, worked with several L.A. Salsa & Hip Hop Companies and danced with various artists, including Out of Eden, Mexican sensations Marilyn Fernandez & Huiecho Dominguez. Jasmine's ultimate goal is to someday provide her community with quality dance training and share various forms artistic expression with young people. She is extremely honored to be apart of CONTRA-TIEMPO and proud to be a part of their mission and commitment to the community.
 |
Jennie Gonzalez (dancer/teaching artist) Originally from Miami, Florida, Jennie Gonzalez is a first generation Cuban-American. At the age of five, her mother introduced her to the world of classical ballet. After a couple of years she stopped dancing, and it wasn't until college that she decided that she could not live without dancing! She began dancing and touring locally with a Salsa company named grupo arara. Gonzalez was a dancer for the University of Miami Band of the Hour where she would perform countless halftime shows including the 2002 National Championship at the Rose Bowl. Gonzalez received a Bachelor's degree in Dance from Florida International University. While in college she studied many disciplines such as ballet, modern, jazz, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, West African, and Salsa. To further pursue her career in dance, she decided to make the big move and head for Los Angeles. After arriving to Los Angeles, Gonzalez became a part of the Debbie Reynolds scholarship program. She joined several LA based Salsa companies and performed in the West Coast Salsa Congress, Latin Image Awards, Latina Magazine 25th anniversary party, and Palm Springs Salsa Extravaganza among others. She recently wrapped up work on the dance drama La Vida where in addition to dancing, she had a speaking role. Currently, Gonzalez is a part of Jillina's Sahala Dancers International dance show, and a proud member of this cutting edge dance company: CONTRA-TIEMPO. nt for New Div Tag
 |
Maria Kelling (dancer/teaching artist) began dancing at age 7 with a West African theatre group. With this newly created interest in performing and dance, she then began to study and train in various dance techniques such as jazz, ballet, tap, modern, and hip-hop. Performing and competing around Arizona, where she is originally from, lead her to receive the Helen K. Herberger Regent's Scholarship to Arizona State University where Maria received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Choreography. Throughout her dance career she has created dance programs for inner city youth with Parks and Recreations, Boys and Girls Clubs, and D.A.R.E. She has performed and worked with Ron K. Brown (NY), Desert Dance, Theatre, Sakoba Dance Theatre (London/LA), and Liz Lerman's Dance Exchange (D.C.). She can also be found performing along side Diana Ross, Jennifer Lopez, British recording sensation Billie, and on BET. Maria is excited to have this opportunity to add salsa dancing to her repertoire and call CONTRA-TIEMPO her company home.n
 |
Omar Rodriguez (dancer/animator/singer) studied at the Central High School of Visual Arts in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was born and raised. In 2002 he earned his bachelor's degree from Pratt Art Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where he majored in film and animation. Rodriguez performed with La Alianza, the Latino student organization of Pratt, and also performed in College of the Canyons in California, where he has been studying Flamenco for two years. Currently Rodriguez is finishing his master's degree in experimental animation at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA (CalArts). He is working on an animated short film about Salsa. He has also taken advantage of his school's music and dance department by joining in Korean, hip-hop and modern dance classes whenever possible. Rodriguez recently joined the school's Salsa band for a year as one of the singers, finally using his three years of voice lessons taken while at Pratt. Rodriguez joined CONTRA-TIEMPO in January 2006.
Div Tag Goes Here
 |
Pamela G Almeida (dancer) was born and raised in Ecuador and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 15. She has been in love with dance and performance since a very early age and although her formal technique and training didn't begin until age 21, she was always part of school choreographies, theatre pieces and the entertainment of many familys dance parties. She was also a baton twirler for 3 years and has been a visual artist ever since she discovered drawing at age 5. Pamela began to formally dance at Glendale Community College where she earned a Certificate in Choreography and got exposed to several dance techniques like ballet, jazz, modern and tap. She had the opportunity to perform and choreograph as a student and alumni for 3 years in their bi-annual dance concerts. Once at UCLA, where she earned her BA in Cultural Studies in the Department of World Arts and Cultures, she fell in love with modern dance and discovered Capoeira. Along with her scholar research she also trained in Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban dances; adding so much life to her Salsa and Samba dancing.
Pamela strongly believes in the healing power of the arts for they have had a tremendous impact in her journey to self-discovery. She hopes to bring awareness with her dedication to create and be part of work that explores our complexities as human beings. She is thrilled to be part of CONTRA-TIEMPO for they share the common vision of inspiring and empowering communities. She also enjoys being challenged as a dancer and as a person to redefine what it means to be a leader and a follower inside and outside the dance floor
 |
Richie Marin (dancer/teaching artist) was born in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico and was raised in Los Angeles, CA since the age of two. He began performing at Hamilton Academy of Music where he studied acting, dancing and majored in musical theatre. He continued his training at the Los Angeles Theatre Academy for three years, concentrating mainly on acting. He has been in numerous plays, musicals and has toured nationally and internationally with many companies. He was a member of the Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre Programs for eight years. He toured Southern and Northern California performing, educating, and counseling teens and adults on various topics. Marin trained as a dancer at the Edge, Millennium Dance Complex, Universal Dance Design and taught Ballroom dancing at Arthur Murray Dance Center. He has been looking for the right dance company to be a part of and knows that CONTRA-TIEMPO is the one. He feels blessed to be a member of a company that is compelling, unique, extraordinary and daring.
 |
Marina Osthoff Magalhães (administrative assistant) fares from Brasília, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Madrid, La Paz, Chicago, and as of recently Los Angeles. They daughter of Brazilian diplomats, Magalhães traveled and danced all over the world as a young child - studying a number of different forms including jazz, ballet, samba and post-modern dance. She attended the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Intensive, Urban Bush Women Summer Institute and has been awarded numerous dance awards and choreography scholarships. Her current home is UCLA, which she is currently attending under the prestigious International Moss Scholarship majoring in World Arts and Cultures with a Dance Concentration. While at UCLA she participated as a choreographer and dancer for the annual WACSmash show, the Bantam Ballet collaboration project, and the Bridge: Choreographer Dialogues Intensive with Israeli Choreographers Ronit Ziv and Barak Marshall. She is also an activist and Facilitator for the student-run organization Student Activist Project. She began working with CONTRA-TIEMPO as the Administrative Assistant in March of 2007 and could not be more grateful for the opportunities it has provided for her so far- she is eager to continue her work with the company and can't wait to see how far the company will go! She hopes to someday return to Brazil as a community activist and choreographer and to finally be able to call somewhere "home".
 |
Maya Zellmen (understudy) graduated from UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures in 2005, where she had the honor of working with choreographers Maria Gillespie, Vic Marks, Rennie Harris, and Hassan Christopher both at the university and in professional productions. Since her commencement, she has been very active in the dance and performance world. Maya teaches dance at Echo Horizon Elementary School and several studios around Los Angeles. She has been involved in a few Los Angeles based dance companies including, Ballet Folklorico Do Brasil; VersaStyle and CONTRA-TIEMPO; she has had the privilege of touring nationally and internationally with these companies. Maya is currently on tour with John Tesh and will appear in his PBS Special "Music, Gospel, Dance." Maya is one of the founding choreographers, producers, and directors of Los Angeles's newest contemporary dance company, IN/EX Dance Project.
 |
Peter Araiza (understudy) was born and raised in San Jose, California . He began performing at the age of ten and has not stopped since. In the year 2000, Peter moved to Los Angeles to attend college at California State University in Long Beach. After entering college, he decided to join the United States Army . Immediately after his return from basic military training, Peter continued his studies at CSULB where he earned a degree in Theatre Arts. For last few years Araiza has found himself slowly shifting his focus from theatre to dance. He has been adding to his resume and building a name for himself by performing all over Southern California. He is currently working with East Los Angeles Classical Theatre on Zuit Suit's Romeo and Juliet as an actor and dancer. Peter is a new addition to the family and is eager to contribute to this company.
 |
Sarah Culberson (understudy) grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia. She began dancing at the age of six, when she took a ballet class and then continued studying jazz, West African, and Modern dance. She received her BFA at West Virginia University and her MFA from The American Conservatory of Theater. Culberson's passion for performing began in fourth grade when she saw the musical 42nd Street in London and from that moment on she was hooked. Years later she returned to England at the age of fourteen to study jazz dance. Culberson has performed in shows such as Shakespeare's the Tempest, Mid Summer Night's Dream, musicals such as Funny Girl, Big River and has acted in films and TV.
When Culberson moved to Los Angeles after graduate school, she was immediately hired to create a dance program for Brentwood Middle School’s Theatre Arts Department. She teaches ballet, jazz, hip hop, Salsa and West African dance. Culberson's other passion is working with children . She recently created a non-profit organization for her family's school and village in Sierra Leone to assist after the destruction of the war. In addition, Culberson travels to Belize in Central America where she teaches dance to incarcerated women, and young children in the community. Culberson has been dancing with CONTRA-TIEMPO since the Spring of 2005. CONTRA-TIEMPO is a company dedicated to making a difference in the world through dance and Culberson is honored to be part of a company that is inspiring, educating and making a difference for people!
Copyright © 2008 CONTRA-TIEMPO, Inc. All rights reserved.