Open Dance Project is an ensemble-driven dance theater company dedicated to developing and presenting world-class dance theater experiences in Houston and serving as a cultural resource through its engaging and enriching education and community programming. The company’s highly stylized performance experiences break down conventional barriers between artist and audience to make dance more accessible and meaningful for both.  Dynamic, three-dimensional architectural environments and the engagement of the interactive technologies collapse the distance between the subject and the stage, live performance and new media, dance and theater.  Open Dance Project’s performance and education programs invite the audience to explore dance and dance making from their own self-determined vantage point- simultaneously demystifying dance and making dance matter. 

Annie Arnoult is the founding artistic director of Open Dance Project where she directs the company’s professional performance season and oversees the company’s extensive dance education and community engagement program.  Arnoult returned to her native Houston from Chicago, where she was the founding artistic director of Striding Lion Performance Group and a faculty member of the Dance Program at Northwestern University. She is the director of Hunter Dance Center and served as an adjunct faculty member at The School of Theatre and Dance at the University of Houston. She was recently named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch for 2018 and was a recipient of a Houston Arts Alliance Individual Artist Grant for 2017.

Arnoult’s signature collision of dance and theater has been heralded by The Houston Chronicle, Arts+CultureTX, Dance Magazine, Time Out Chicago, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Chicago Reader, New City, The Village Voice, ABC7 and Chicago Public Radio.  She has presented professional development workshops on her collaborative approach to interdisciplinary performance development in the classroom at Houston Arts Partners Conference, HISD Houston Arts Access Initiative trainings, National Dance Education Organization conferences, the Illinois Migrant Education Association Conference, CPS Office of Arts Education training sessions, and many teacher and family workshops at local schools. She has an MFA in Dance from The Ohio State University and a BA in Dance and Comparative Literary Studies from Northwestern University.

James Templeton is a filmmaker and musician based in Houston who has created installation art, original concerts and site-specific theater works. In 2020 he developed ME&T - an installation at the Houston Arboretum and Eleanor Tinsley Park - with support from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance.

Violinist Jacob Schafer is a multifaceted performer dedicated to compelling, thoughtful presentations of works old and new. A core member of Houston’s Loop38 and Kinetic Ensemble, he has also performed with MUSIQA and in Rice University’s concert series Syzygy and Hear&Now. As a Da Camera Young Artist from 2017 to 2019, he taught students in underserved public schools and performed at venues across the city including the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the Houston Public Library, and the Galveston Artists Residency.

Recent performance highlights include chamber music with pianists Leon Fleisher and Lisa Moore, the American premieres of works by Julian Anderson and Oliver Knussen, and collaborations with composers Thomas Adès, John Harbison, Fred Lerdahl, and George Lewis. Summer festival appearances have included Tanglewood Music Center, Norfolk’s New Music Workshop, Composer’s Conference Contemporary Performance Institute, Sarasota Music Festival, Heifetz Institute, Castleman Quartet Program, and Brevard Music Center.

Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Mr. Schafer graduated from Yale University with a B.A. summa cum laude in Music and in Ethics, Politics, and Economics. Currently a student of Paul Kantor at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, he previously studied with Kyung Yu and Christian Teal and has coached chamber music with Norman Fischer, Ivo van der Werff, Andrew Jennings, Wendy Sharp, and Michael Friedmann. He received the M.M. in violin performance from Rice in 2018 and is now continuing his studies in Rice’s D.M.A. program.

Mayara Velasquez, cellist from Venezuela, started her training at “El Sistema” nucleo Valencia. She is an active musician and educator in the Houston area performing with St. Andrews String Quartet, Musiqa, Shreveport Symphony, Houston Latin Phil and The Terra Nostra Ensemble, a group she co-founded in 2016. She has participated in several festivals in the US such as Apple Hill center for chamber music, Texas Music Festival, Chautauqua, Colorado Collage, among others. In 2013 she participated as a member of the Orchestra of the Americas in the recording of the Grammy Award-winning Album with Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero. She has been a faculty member of the Festival International de Musica Naolinco in Mexico and The Encuentro Anual de Cuerdas in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. As an educator, she runs her own private studio and serves as coach and adjudicator for the Houston Youth Symphony.

A native of Miami, Florida, violist Sergein Yap studied with Ivo van der Werff at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, with Martha Katz at the New England Conservatory, and with Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 2016, Mr. Yap was selected as a Zarin Mehta Fellow with the New York Philharmonic’s Global Academy Fellowship Program. Summer festival appearances include the Banff Centre, ENCORE School for Strings, Heifetz International Music Institute, Kneisel Hall, Music Academy of the West, the Perlman Music Program, Sarasota Music Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center.

Recent chamber music collaborations include performances with Brian Connelly, David Halen, Richie Hawley, Paul Katz, Roger Tapping, and David Coucheron. Mr. Yap has also been featured in recitals through the Carl Flesch Academy in Baden-Baden, Germany, and the Summer Academy Bad Leonfelden, Austria.

Committed to new music and collaborating with living composers, Mr. Yap is a core member of the KINETIC Ensemble, and Loop38. Additionally, Mr. Yap performs as a substitute with the Houston Ballet and Sarasota Orchestra. Highlights for the 2019-2020 Season include performances with KINETIC, Loop38, MUSIQA, the Melos Sinfonia of London, England, and Da Camera of Houston. Passionate about arts education and community impact, Mr. Yap is a founding executive officer of the Houston Viola Society and was a Da Camera Young Artist Fellow from 2017-2019.

Joshua de Alba has been dancing and choreographing in Houston Texas for nearly 5 years. Originally a native of Central Florida, Joshua received his Bachelor of Science in Theatre from Northwestern State University in 2016. While his training focused largely on classical modern, ballet, and jazz. Joshua has also worked as a choreographer, actor, singer, musician, aerialist, stage combatant, and even as an event coordinator. Joshua’s choreography has received awards at the American Dance Festival, and has the distinct pleasure of teaching 8 different nationally competitive programs across the country. Recent professional credits include Houston Grand Opera, Cirque la Vie, The Theatre Under the Stars, Hope Stone Inc., and NobleMotion Dance. Joshua is thrilled to back for his third season with Open Dance Project!

Brittany Thetford Deveau, M.F.A is a Dance Artist/movement enthusiast in the Houston area. She is a founding dancer and collaborator of NobleMotion Dance, where she has performed in over 35 original works. She has also had the pleasure of working on independent choreographer’s projects with artists: Ido Tadmor, Jennifer Mabus, Laura Harrell, iMEE and Recked Productions. Brit’s choreography has been presented both internationally and nationally: NobleMotion Dance’s Next Step Series producing emerging Houston Artists, Sam Houston State University, Lamar University, San Jacinto College, Dance Italia in Lucca, Italy, Big Rig Dance Coop, Dallas,TX. Mrs. Deveau is on faculty at Hunter Dance Center where she teaches all levels of Modern dance technique, participates in community engagement projects and teaches pilates. Brit is a founding dance artist of Open Dance Project.

Taylor McAnulty is a choreographer/performer/teacher in her hometown of Houston, TX. Taylor has had the pleasure to perform with Open Dance Project, under the artistic direction of Annie Arnoult since 2014. Previously she performed with Psophonia Dance Company under the direction of Sophia Torres, along with performing in many festivals across Texas including “Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival” and “254 Dance Festival”. In 2014 she was a featured soloist in the original score of Robert Paterson “The Book of Goddesses”.

Seth McPhail was born in Hartford, Connecticut, but escaped to Houston at the age of 2. Seth grew up in Friendswood, TX where he graduated high school and began his dance training at San Jacinto College South at the age of 18. He went on to obtain a BFA in dance from Sam Houston State University where he studied under Jennifer Pontius, Andy Noble, Dionne Sparkman Noble, Erin Reck, and Jonathan Charles. After graduating, Seth spend two years dancing at sea with Royal Caribbean Productions where he performed the musical Hairspray. Seth has performed with Hope Stone Dance,  METdance, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance at Jacobs Pillow’s in Massachusetts, Transitory Sound and Movement Collective, and is a company member of NobleMotion Dance. Currently, Seth teaches at Dance Du Couer in Sugarland, TX, Dance Expressions in Friendswood, TX, and with Open Dance Project at Hunter Dance Center in the Heights. He is in his 4th season with Open Dance Project.

Alisa Mittin is a local movement artist and an alum of the California Institute of the Arts.

She has had the unique privilege to be able to live and travel both nationally and internationally performing with visual, performance and installation artists including: Blake Beckham, Johnathan Fredrickson, Mira Kingsley, Catherine Turner, Frances Disley, Kate Gilmore and Heather Rowe and Julien Previeux. Since moving to Houston in 2013, Alisa has worked as a founding member of dance-theatre company Open Dance Project and in commitment to furthering her somatic practice and study, works as a movement educator and serves on faculty at Hunter Dance Center. In 2014 she was selected as a Dance Source Houston Artist in Residence and was a recipient of the Houston Arts Alliance 2014/2015 Individual Artist Grant.  Alisa’s choreographic work has been presented in Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco.

Yoshi Pineda is a driven performer and choreographer, as well as dance adjudicator at the international level. He has a strong passion for contemporary based movement and aerial acrobatics. He received his professional training at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia,PA, where he was a ballet major. As a professional, Yoshi is heavily involved in the commercial dance industry. His love for travel and culture led him to perform with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines vessels as a dance captain and aerial coordinator; he has also directed shows for the fleet. Yoshi toured internationally with aerial acrobatics company On the FLY as choreographer, dancer, and aerialist. With On the FLY, he has performed on season 9 of hit TV show Americas Got Talent and was runner-up on the second season of TruTV's FakeOff.  Yoshi returned to his concert dance roots in 2018, when he performed one season with Amanda Selwyn Dance Theater in New York City. He would like to express his gratitude to the Houston dance community and ODP for opening the doors to this new family.

Cameo Reneé, born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, danced at studios around the Kansas City area, and solidified her training at DanceWorks Conservatory. From there pursued a BFA in Dance and Performance at the University of Missouri - Kansas City and graduated with an emphasis in modern dance. Studying under faculty such as DeeAnna Hiett, Mary Pat Henry, Gary Abbott, and Sabrina Madison-Cannon she was given the opportunity to work with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Störling Dance Theater, and many more guest artists. As well as teaching around the Houston area, Cameo is a company member with Urban Souls Dance Company, a Black Angel for Tobe Nwigwe, and now entering her 2nd season with Open Dance Project.

Stacy Skolnik was born in Houston, Texas, began dancing at three at Margo Marshall’s Ballet Studio in Houston, continued at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She has studied with Lyn Wiltshire, David Justin, Holly Williams, Grace Holmes, Tina Curran, Andrea Beckham and performed works by Yacov Sharir and Charles O. Anderson. She has also performed works by Ohad Naharin, Robert Battle, Mark Morris, Lar Lubovitch, and Andy Noble and was a member of Gaspard&Dancers in Durham, NC. Stacy teaches Ballet, Barre, and Pilates at Hunter Dance Center and the Houstonian and has been a member of Open Dance Project since its inception in 2015. Stott Pilates certified since 2015.

Joseph Stevens was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, later relocating to San Antonio, Texas where he attended Tom Clark High School studying vocal performance as well as trained in dance for 4 years under Director Sarah ‬Visel. He continued his studies at the University of North Texas earning a degree in the Bachelor of Arts in Dance under professors Shelley Cushman, Claudia Howard Queen, Mary Lynn Babcock, Robin Lakes, ‬Erin Boone, Sue Collins, Karen Maclntyre, Whitney Geldon, and Lily ‬Sloan. He serves as a dance educator at Hunter Dance Center and Cypress Dance Project. He is currently in his 5th season with Open Dance Project and 3rd season with NobleMotion Dance.

Jaime Garcia Vergara is a 24-year-old dancer from Cali, Colombia. Jaime began his dance journey with a Colombian folkloric company in 2010 where he studied various dance styles such as Salsa, Paso Doble, and Rumba. From 2013-2015 Jaime became a member of FrenetiCore Dance Company where he began to receive his introduction to Ballet and Modern dance techniques. During this time Jaime was also able to work with many incredibly talented choreographers including Jane Weiner, Jennifer Salter, Rebecca French, Laura Harrell, Ashley Horn, and Annie Arnoult. While at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) Jaime had the opportunity to work with Erin Reck, Jennifer Mabus, Dionne Noble and Joshua Peugh amongst other great choreographers. Jaime has a BFA in Dance and a Pilates Certification, teaches Latin, Modern, and Aerial at Hunter Dance Center and is in his second season with Open Dance Project.

Jordan Willis, a native of Dallas Tx, Willis began her dance training at Dallas Black Dance Academy and later received additional training at Ozsoy’s School of Ballet. She continued her training attending Booker T. Washington HSPVA and upon concluding her senior year she was awarded the Merit Award from the National YoungArts Foundation. Post graduation, Jordan proceeded to attend Point Park University COPA under the direction of Garfield Lemonius. During her time  there, Jordan has performed works by choreographers such as Septime Webre, Kyle Abraham and Edwaard Liang, furthermore, she’s worked with Sidra Bell, Desmond Richardson, Jodie Gates and more. Jordan has trained at summer intensives like Dance Theatre of Harlem, BalletX, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. In summer 2020, she had the opportunity of performing with The Black Iris Project directed by Jeremy McQueen. Jordan is thrilled to be performing in her first season with Open Dance Project!