ARTISTS
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Annie Arnoult (Executive Artistic Director) 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 work. Arnoult returned to her native Houston from Chicago where she was the artistic director of Chicago’s Striding Lion Performance Group, garnering acclaim for the company as a “new center of gravity for indie dance in Chicago.” Arnoult was named one of “25 to Watch 2018” by Dance Magazine and was a 2017 recipient of Houston Arts Alliance Individual Artist Grant for the development of the critically acclaimed ‘Bout a Stranger, deemed one of the “most fully realized pieces to come out of Houston in decades,” by Nancy Wozny in Dance Magazine.
Arnoult’s creative work is deeply informed and influenced by her 25 years as an artist teacher and integrated arts education advocate in Chicago Public Schools, HISD, and surrounding districts. Arnoult is the director of Hunter Dance Center in the Heights and has been a guest artist/teacher at universities, festivals, conferences, and institutes throughout the U.S. Arnoult is a Certified Cecchetti Ballet teacher and a member of the National Dance Education Organization. Her research and choreography has been presented regionally and internationally. She has served on the dance faculty of Northwestern University and The School of Theatre and Dance at University of Houston.
In addition to performing in her own work, Arnoult is a member of Houston’s Transitory Sound and Movement Collective, under the direction of Lynn Lane, and has danced for Meghan Durham, Ashley Thorndike-Youssef, XSIGHT! Performance Group, Lucky Plush Productions, Peter Carpenter, Asimina Chremos, and Billy Siegenfeld’s Jump Rhythm Jazz Project.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Joshua de Alba has been dancing and choreographing in Houston, Texas for nearly a decade. 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 he has had the distinct pleasure of teaching 8 different nationally competitive programs across the country. Professional credits include Houston Grand Opera, Cirque la Vie, The Theatre Under the Stars, Hope Stone Inc., and NobleMotion Dance. Joshua is thrilled to be back for his seventh season with Open Dance Project!
Sonia Engman is a professional choreographer, performer, educator, and certified personal trainer with an emphasis in modern dance, ballet, and street/club styles such as hip hop and house dance. Sonia received her BA in Contemporary Dance with a minor in Arts Management in 2016 from the University of New Mexico. She has also studied with many masters of dance at the American Dance Festival, the American College Dance Association, and the Joffrey Ballet in New York City. Having such a diverse background and training has allowed her to fill many different roles in her professional career.
Sonia’s career has consisted of an array of dance and dance theater productions like a multi-disciplinary/multimedia performance in the Alps of Austria with Lawine Torrén. She is currently in her third season as a company member of Open Dance Project, a dance theater company that specializes in immersive dance theater, her second season as a company member of Mezclada Dance Company, a company that blends contemporary dance and street styles with Latin dance, and a member of Assorted Flavas Crew, a street dance crew that has been based in Houston, Texas for 25 years. She most recently performed as a principle dancer with Bace Productions Motown Revue at The Miller Outdoor Theater.
Sonia has presented her own choreography through ACDA, the University of New Mexico, with Open Dance Project at Miller Outdoor Theater and at the Match Theater in Houston, Texas. Sonia views art and the education of art as a means of social change. She is passionate about teaching dance and feels that expression through movement is a necessity in life.
Atticus Griffin started dancing at age 18 in his hometown of Burleson, Texas. He continued his training at Texas State University, and later the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography. While in Austin he began working as a freelance dancer, performing with multiple dance companies such as Ballet Concerto, Chamacos Dance Company, Dance Theatre X, NobleMotion Dance, and other guest performances. His most notable appearance was in the inaugural cast of Ventana Ballet in Austin, Texas as the Nutcracker in The Watchmakers Song. He has been a rehearsal director and choreographer for Open Dance Project 2 for productions Wonka!, Peter and Wendy, and Alice, and was a featured choreographer for ODP’s 2023 Shortcuts production. He recently completed the Countertechnique Teacher Training Program in Amsterdam, and received his Teaching Certificate. He is one of only two certified Countertechnique teachers in the state of Texas. This is his fourth season as an artist with Open Dance Project.
Madelyn Manlove is a San Antonio native who began her dance training at the age of three and trained with Collective Dance Artistry since its opening under the direction of Ashley Lopez. After high school, she attended The University of Texas at Austin where she received a BFA in Dance Performance and a minor in Kinesiology. While completing her undergrad, she studied with Charles O. Anderson, Erica Gionfriddo, Gesel Mason, Andrea Beckham, Tina Curren, among others. This is her fourth season with Open Dance Project and Hunter Dance Center. In addition, she is also an Advanced Lagree Fitness trainer and teaches at FORM Lagree.
Taylor McAnulty Guajardo has been an integral part of Open Dance Project since its founding in 2015 under the artistic direction of Annie Arnoult. Over nine seasons, she has developed a versatile and compelling performance style, excelling in both immersive and traditional stage productions. 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.”
Primarily trained in Houston, Taylor has cultivated an engaging presence with a deep passion for storytelling through movement, captivating audiences with her expressive and dynamic performances. Her work spans a diverse range of styles, consistently pushing creative boundaries. Taylor continues to evolve as a performer, bringing energy, authenticity, and a profound connection to each role they embody.
Cameo Reneé, a Kansas City, Missouri native, is a versatile performer, choreographer, and educator. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a BFA in Dance and Performance. During her time in Kansas City, Cameo had the privilege of working with esteemed companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Störling Dance Theater, further shaping her artistry.
Now in her sixth season with Open Dance Project, Cameo has established herself as a prominent figure in Houston’s performing arts community. She has done various performances around the Houston area as well as a Black Angel for Tobe Nwigwe, danced with the Urban Souls Dance Company, and contributed as both a performer and choreographer for the Houston Urban Nutcracker for the past 3 years.
Beyond the stage, Cameo is the Co-Owner of The LockinKeez Dance Company, which she co-founded with her partner, Brenden Winkfield. Through her work, she continues to inspire audiences and nurture the next generation of dancers.
Joseph Stevens, born in Corpus Christi, TX graduated from the University of North Texas earning a Bachelor of Art degree in Dance, with a minor in Spanish and Communications. He has worked with numerous dance companies such as Open Dance Project, NobleMotion Dance Company, Houston Contemporary Dance Company, Heidi Duckler Dance Company, Black Label Movement, MetDance Company, B.B Moves Dance Company, among others. He serves as a dance educator for various studios and educational residencies with Open Dance Project (HTX) and Heidi Duckler Dance (LA).
Jaime Garcia Vergara is a 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 seventh season with Open Dance Project.
Margo Smolik (apprentice) is a Houston-based dance artist with over two decades of training. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Houston and furthered her Contemporary practice abroad in Paris, France in 2024. Margo has performed with Mezclada under the direction of Joel Aguilera, 6 Degrees under the direction of Toni Valle, The Lockin’ Keez under the direction of Brenden Winkfield, and Rivkah French Choreography under the direction of Rivkah French. She has also had the privilege of working collaboratively with Solero Flamenco and Dr. Gabriela Estrada in Phoenix: Renacer in 2024. In addition to her dancing, Margo teaches at Dance Du Coeur in Sugar Land, TX and co-manages Hunter Dance Center. She loves facilitating students’ discoveries and celebrating dance as an accessible, rewarding practice. Margo is excited to dive into her first season with Open Dance Project!
Guest Artists
Sarah Lyman is an aerial artist and alumna of the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. She joined the Hunter Dance Center family in 2015, and now serves as Aerial Program Director. Sarah has previously appeared in Open Dance Project’s immersive dance theater performances, including ‘Bout a Stranger (2017) and Dada Gert (2018), as well as family audience productions of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Peter & Wendy during her time as an apprentice with the company from 2016-2018. She was thrilled to return last year as a guest artist in ODP’s Alice! and honored to be back again for Oz.