Dancers

Natasha Adorlee Johnson is from Overland Park, Kansas and graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in English. She has trained with American Ballet Theatre and was an inaugural member of Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet training program. She performs with the San Francisco Symphony, is a former member of Robert Moses’ KIN, and is a guest artist with Kate Weare Company (New York). In 2018, Natasha received an Emmy for her work in the TV special Baseballet 2: Into the Game, as a composer and performer. In 2014 she was the recipient of an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for her performance in Two if by Sea, choreographed by Kimi Okada. Natasha is the Founder and Artistic Director of Concept o4. Through Co4, she directed, choreographed, and danced in the film Take Your Time (2017), which became an official selection of the Mill Valley Film Festival and the recipient of six awards including "Best Short" by the San Francisco Dance Film Festival, Red Rock Film Festival, and Valley Film Festival. She has been a member of ODC/Dance since 2011.

Brandon, better known as "Private," is an ODC veteran, having danced with the company for 12 years, before venturing out in 2008 for an artistic "Walkabout." In the Bay Area, Private has had the privilege of working with many dance companies and schools, most recently Amy Seiwert's Imagery since 2010, and he was a principal dancer in the movie The Matrix II: Reloaded. He also had the rare opportunity to be a guest artist with the Colorado Ballet, performing in Glen Tetley's Le Sacre Du Printemps in 2013.

Nominated multiple times, Private received Bay Area Isadora Duncan Awards for Ensemble Performance in 2002 with Brian Fisher, in 2012 with Katie Faulkner, and in 2014 with Katherine Wells. In addition to teaching ballet and modern dance technique (including Dance for Parkinson's Disease), he is a sailor, a poet, a woodworker, oil painter, and was formerly an Artillery and Military Police Sergeant in the Army National Guard. He gratefully acknowledges all who have influenced his dance career, specifically Brenda, KT, Sonya, Amy, and Randy.

Jeremy was born in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in Augusta, GA, where he received his initial training at the Augusta Ballet School. In 2005, he graduated with honors from the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he performed leading roles in The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and Lynn Tailor Corbett's Lost and Found. Jeremy then danced with Nevada Ballet Theater, performing principal roles in George Balanchine's Rubies and Serenade, Mathew Neenan's At the Border, along with works by Twyla Tharp, Val Caniparoli, James Canfield, and Thaddeus Davis. Since moving to San Francisco in 2012, he has worked with Robert Moses Kin, Post:Ballet, Zhukov Dance, DawsonDanceSF, and Hope Mohr Dance. He joined ODC/Dance in 2015.

Tegan grew up in Miami, FL. She graduated summa cum laude from New World School of the Arts College, and earned a B.F.A. in dance from the University of Florida. Tegan began her career in 2005 as a dancer/marionettist in several collaborations with choreographer Katherine Kramer and the acclaimed marionette/visual artist Pablo Cano. Tegan moved to San Francisco in 2008 and has had the pleasure of dancing principal roles as a company member with Dance Through Time, Hope Mohr Dance and Garrett+Moulton Productions. Tegan joined ODC/Dance in 2015.

Daniel Santos was born in Manila, Philippines. He began his formal dance training at the age of 16 with State Street Ballet under the tutelage of Rodney Gustafson, and later received a full scholarship from the San Francisco Ballet School. Santos danced with ODC/Dance for 10 years, winnning an Isadora Duncan Award for Individual Performance. In 2012, Santos temporarily left dance to explore his outdoor interests, studying at the Mountain Training School and learning to guide in three disciplines: Alpine Mountaineering, Back Country Skiing, and Rock Climbing. But after 4 years in the great outdoors, the stage was calling: Santos rejoined the company in 2016.

Rachel Furst is from Baltimore, MD, where she trained at the Baltimore School for the Arts. She graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California. She performed with Amy Seiwert's Imagery since 2012, as well as with Dawson Dance SF and Smuin Ballet. Rachel joined ODC/Dance in 2016.

James Gilmer of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and the Pittsburgh School for the Creative & Performing Arts. After graduating in 2011, he joined Cincinnati Ballet's Second Company and joined the main company the following season.  James danced with the Cincinnati Ballet for six seasons being promoted to Soloist in 2015, he has performed works by Septime Webre, Ohad Naharin, Val Caniparoli, George Balanchine, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa,  Edwaard Liang, Jennifer Archibald, Trey McIntyre, Adam Hougland, Amy Seiwert and Victoria Morgan to name a few.  He has also been a member of Amy Seiwert's Imagery, performing with the company since the summer of 2013. Looking to branch outside of the classical ballet realm, he is excited to join ODC/Dance for his first season.

Mia J. Chong grew up in San Francisco, California. She received scholarships and training from the Kirov Academy of Ballet, the Ailey School, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Sidra Bell Dance New York, the School at Jacob's Pillow, Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and ODC School, where she trained for over a decade. Mia has danced professionally with Robert Moses' KIN Dance Company, Post:Ballet and Dance Theatre of San Francisco. She was nominated for Isadora Duncan Dance Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Individual Performance, as well as Company Performance. Mia joined ODC/Dance as an apprentice in 2016 and was promoted to company dancer in 2018.

Kendall Teague was raised in the mountains of western North Carolina and attended the South Carolina Governors School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville,SC. He started his professional career in the Bay Area in 2008 as a corps de ballet member at San Francisco Ballet. He has since worked with North Carolina Dance Theatre, Complexions Contemporary Ballet under Dwight Rhoden, Ballet San Jose, and most recently with Alonzo King Lines Ballet. Kendall joined ODC in 2018. 

Adonis Damian Martin Quiñones was born in Contramaestre, a province of Santiago de Cuba. He holds a degree from Jose Maria Heredia Dance Academy of Santiago de Cuba in Modern & Contemporary Dance. Adonis joined Danza Teatro del Caribe in 2008 under the Direction of Eduardo Rivero Walker and became a soloist in 2010. In Santiago de Cuba, he also performed with Locomotion, an audiovisual and interactive dance company. In the Bay Area since 2013, he has danced for Joanna Haigood’s Zaccho Dance Theater (an aerial arts dance company), Dance Brigade, KAMBARA+DANCERS, SoulSkin, Tandy Beal & Company, Alayo Dance Company, Kim Epifano, Raisa Simpson, and Dance Theater of San Francisco (DTSF). He was nominated for an IZZIE (Isadora Duncan Dance Award), for Outstanding Achievement in Performance-Ensemble in Defection-Deflection-Devotion, featured in Dance Brigade’s 40th-anniversary concert at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Allie Papazian is from Los Angeles, CA. She trained on scholarship at Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, MI. and was a member of the inaugural class in the Alonzo King's LINES ballet BFA program at Dominican University of California where she graduated summa cum laude in 2010. While in college she danced professionally with Mark Foehringer dance project SF, Central California ballet, and performed with Zhukov Dance Theatre for their 2010 and 2011 seasons. Upon graduation she joined the Compañía Nacional de Danza in Madrid, Spain. In her five years with the CND she has had the privilege of performing works by Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, Jiri Kylian, Johan Inger, and Alexander Ekman among others. Allie then joined ODC dance for their 2015/2016 season. Currently Allie is freelancing and working with numerous Bay Area companies including Post:Ballet, Kambara+Dancers, Soulskin dance, and Dance Theatre of San Francisco. Allie is thrilled to join ODC dance for The Velveteen Rabbit this holiday season.