Shadow Cities Performers

DANCERS

Ephrat “Bounce" Asherie (Artistic Director, Choreographer, Dancer)

Ephrat "Bounce" Asherie is a NYC-based director, choreographer, performer and b-girl and a 2016 Bessie Award Winner for Innovative Achievement in Dance. Asherie has received numerous awards to support her work including Dance Magazine's Inaugural Harkness Promise Award and two National Dance Project Awards. As Artistic Director of Ephrat Asherie Dance (EAD), Asherie's work has been presented on stages nationally and internationally with commissions from companies including Malpaso, Philadanco! and Parsons Contemporary Dance and additional commissions from Vail Dance Festival, Fall for Dance, River to River Festival, Firatàtrrega, Works & Process at the Guggenheim and the Kennedy Center. She is a co-founding member of the all-female house dance collective MAWU and is forever grateful to her breaking mentor Richard Santiago (aka Break Easy) and NYC’s underground dance community for inspiring her to pursue a life as an artist.

Manon Bal

Manon Bal is a versatile professional dancer born in Marseille, France. After 11 years of training, at La maison de Réjane diriged by Réjane Losno, Manon started her professional training at the Institut de Formation Professionelle de Danse Jazz Rick Odums in Paris. During her years of training in ballet, jazz and modern at the Institute, her close teachers and mentors included Rick Odums (former member of the Houston Ballet Company ; choreographer of National Broadway Touring of Guys and Dolls) , Geraldine Armstrong (former soloist of Paris Line ; director of Armstrong Jazz Ballet and Bruce Taylor (member of the Elisa Monte Dance Company and Agnes DeMille Heritage Dance Theatre). She performed as a soloist in Les Jeunes Ballet Jazz de Rick Odums (season 2013/2014 and 2014/2015), and was invited to assist Rick Odums in workshops (Tanzfestival Bielefeld 2015 and 2016) and auditions. After a rigorous audition process of hundreds of participants in Paris, Manon was accepted at the prestigious The Ailey School. She trained in The Independent Study Program for one year.

Teena Marie Custer

Teena Marie Custer is an urban dance artist based in Pittsburgh, PA. She has won battles and awards in the underground street dance scene over the past 15 years, and has performed nationally and internationally with her crews, Venus Fly, as well as her local Pittsburgh crew, Get Down Gang. Her hip hop dance theater work has been presented at the Sadler's Wells Theater in London, The American Dance Festival, Kelly-Strayhorn and New Hazlett Theaters in Pittsburgh, Ford Amphitheater in LA, and the American College Dance Festival Gala Concerts across the country. She has created hip hop dance theater works for over 25 university dance departments around the U.S., and in addition to touring her solo show, “My Good Side,” she also dances with Bessie award winning Ephrat Asherie Dance in NYC as well as Bill “Crutchmaster” Shannon. Teena is on faculty at Slippery Rock University and the American Dance Festival, and has an M.F.A. in Contemporary Dance Performance from The Ohio State University.

Val “Ms. Vee" Ho

Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Ms. Vee started making her mark in the NYC dance scene in 2003. She’s had the pleasure of working with such distinguished choreographers as Buddha Stretch, Rennie Harris, Luam, Maria Torres, Bradley Rapier, and Ephrat Asherie. Amongst her numerous TV, film, and stage credits, highlights include: ‘Hideaway’ Video by Kiesza, VH1 Dear Mama TV special, Step Up 3D, Rennie Harris’ Legends of Hip Hop, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Sadler’s Wells Breaking Convention and Lincoln Center Out of Doors. Along with her performing career, Ms. Vee is also a celebrated teacher, and is on faculty at Broadway Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center,
and Pace University’s Commercial Dance BFA Program.

Dorren “Moglii” Smith

Dorren ‘Moglii’ Smith is an American artist born in the Bronx, New York, and a YDC alumnus. Moglii’s modes of movement include ballet, modern, contemporary, breaking, Hip Hop, and House dance. Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club was the first place where the passion for dance was sparked wholeheartedly. Professional dance training was completed at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase where his performance experience includes works by Bill T. Jones, Paul Taylor, Luca Vegetti, and a repertory solo by Crystal Pite. Moglii performed in the ILuminate show for many years off-broadway and nationally. He also appeared with the cast of America’s Got Talent. Recently, Moglii has been dancing and collaborating with Ephrat Asherie Dance where there are always new and exciting projects being explored and created. When Moglii is not performing he also teaches creative movement workshops in places that include New York, Berlin, Prague, Switzerland, Vienna, and also competes internationally to keep the spirit of expression and exchange alive.

MUSICIANS

Arturo O’Farrill (Composer and Pianist)

Arturo O’Farrill, pianist, composer, and educator, was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. Arturo’s professional career began with the Carla Bley Band and continued as a solo performer with a wide spectrum of artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Belafonte. In 2007, he founded the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (now Belongó) as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the performance, education, and preservation of Afro Latin music. Arturo’s composition “Three Revolutions” from the album Familia-Tribute to Chico and Bebo received the Best Instrumental Composition Grammy in 2018. Arturo’s album, “Fandango at the Wall in New York” won yet another Grammy award in 2023.

DESIGNERS

Kathy Kaufmann (Lighting Designer)

Kathy Kaufmann is a two-time Bessie award recipient and a New York City native. Kaufmann was also nominated for a 2015 Bessie for Rebecca Davis’s Bloowst Windku. Kaufmann has been a resident designer at the Danspace Project at St. Marks Church for over 15 years and has toured extensively throughout the world. Kaufmann was honored to be included in Curtain Call: Celebrating 100 Years of Women in Design at the New York Performing Arts Library and currently teaches lighting design at Sarah Lawrence College. Kaufmann regularly works with artists including Michelle Dorrance, Joanna Kotze, David Parker, Eiko & Koma, Rebecca Stenn, Moriah Evans, and Mina Nishamura. Kaufmann’s recent projects include designs for Jonathan Gonzalez, Morgan Bassichis, Mariana Valencia, Jasmine Hearn, and Tatyana Tenenbaum.