Julia Antinozzi

Julia Antinozzi is a dance artist, gemini and optimist. Her work investigates the specificity of place; the practice of activating awareness to deeply understand physical surroundings and create embodied experiences. Julia earned her BA in Dance and Astronomy from Smith College in 2018, cum laude and high honors in Dance. She received the Excellence in Dance Studies Award for outstanding work in her senior capstone project and overall contributions to the Department of Dance. In the fall of 2018 Julia was invited to be a Postgraduate Diploma student at the Copenhagen Contemporary Dance School in Denmark, granting ample opportunity to further investigate her choreographic work. Julia is proud to have presented her work a number of times in the NYC area, MA, Seattle, and now Salt Lake City. She remains curious. (Photo by Anna M Maynard)

Honor Ash

Working in London, England, Honor Ash is an artist exploring power, meaning, and language through performances, interactions, painting, and sculpture. Ash predominantly works as part of Ninetales Collective, a group raising questions such as "Are we shaping language to describe the world around us, or is our world increasingly being defined by the formal structures of the language we use?“ and "Can language be used as a kind of drug?“. Notable solo works by Ash include 'wentworn ov feelist erd reptrount ov wentworn fassiendic synepseu‘, a piece which saw them tattoo entirely meaningless words on their back to highlight the pertinence of context when divining importance and perceived meaning, and 'reverence‘, a sculptural installation of three ceramic hands suspended from fishing wire above the head of the viewer, RE VE RE glazed into the palms, as though the hand of a divine author.

Sara Bahermez

Sara Bahermez is a Yemeni-Emirati experimental performance artist, queer immigrant activist and educator from Abu Dhabi, UAE. A former Fulbright scholar, they hold a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from New York University and Master of Fine Arts in Theatre from Towson University. Their practice is an exploration of an Islamo-Futuristic movement, one that allows for queer and brown bodies to make the invisible, visible. In 2014, Bahermez was imprisoned in the UAE for charges of homosexual activities and defying guardianship laws. Currently in political exile, they are an immigrant making artwork about the global oppression of queer and POC bodies. 

Alexandra Barbier

Alexandra Barbier is a movement artist and performance-maker pursuing an MFA in Modern Dance at the University of Utah. Her propensity for questioning the status quo is exhausting yet integral to her identity as a human and artist in this complicated world. She values experimentation, individuality, and finding freedom and ecstasy within the art of dance.

Dillbilly + Rhonda Kinard

Oakland based, Dillbilly, is a genre-queer songwriter from the rural Midwest whose sound migrates across Folk, Americana, and Alt-country. Their soaring vocals and metaphorical lyrics tell complex and vulnerable stories that find a way of weaving country living, working class humor, queerness, grief, and birds.....[so many birds].... into nest-like songs that make a home for what your heart has longed to say.  Dillbilly is actively working on a new record with renowned producer, Julie Wolf, to be released this year. They are joined on guitar by Rhonda Kinard, an Oakland born multi-instrumentalist, composer, and photographer who is one of Dill's bandmates and a co-collaborator on this project.

Teresa Fellion

Founded by Teresa Fellion in 2011, BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance is a contemporary dance company of women that capture and communicate universal human encounters through dynamic, purposeful movement. They make work that integrates and empowers audiences, navigating them through public and theater spaces in interactive performances that open different perspectives. They have performed at Danspace Project, Triskelion Arts, Bryant Park Summer Stage, Dixon Place, and elsewhere in New York City and beyond. More at bodystoriesfellion.org. 

McKay Findlay

McKay Findlay is a Utah-based photographer who loves capturing genuine and real moments, as well as posed moments that tell a story. Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community as a gay man in Utah, he loves using his photography to make statements and challenge culture.

Nate Francis

Nate Francis is a local Salt Lake City artist studying sculpture intermedia and photography at the University of Utah. He was born in Provo, Utah and is 23 years old. Nate's current works focus on issues of identity, privacy, censorship/erasure, as well as his own experiences coming out and embracing his identity. Nate is very grateful to the Queer Spectra Arts Festival Committee for organizing this event, elevating queer voices and creating dialogue in our community. 

Alborz Ghandehari

Alborz is a singer/actor and scholar-activist. His performance work melds reflections on migration and diaspora with realities of empire and social struggle past and present. Born in Salt Lake City, he grew up in an Iranian immigrant family moving through different parts of the United States. He uses performance as a vessel to convey his personal journey coming into consciousness with regards to politics surrounding the United States and Iran, two countries to which he is tied. Most recently, he performed in a number of new works at the San Francisco-based Golden Thread Theater Company which showcases the work of playwrights of Southwest Asian and North African (Middle Eastern) descent. Alborz is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama acting program. He is also an Assistant Professor-Lecturer of Ethnic Studies at the University of Utah where he teaches courses in the Diversity Scholars Program, a cohort program geared towards first-generation college students and students of color at the U. He has written on politics in Iran, Palestine, and their diasporas in Jadaliyya, The Critical Ethnic Studies Journal, and Dissident Voice.

Tiffany Holloway

Tiffany is a Somatic Therapist Educator, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Esthetician with a special interest in pleasure, mindfulness, sensory mapping, therapeutic research, and kinesthetic discovery. Inspired by bodies and their poetic abilities, Tiff has built her practice around listening to people holistically with an intuitive guidance towards improving balance, harmonizing functional abilities, and practicing skills for relating with others. Her education is rooted in Massage Therapy and Structural Integration, a modality pioneered by biochemist Dr. Ida P. Rolf PHD and has been practicing pursuing the education of touch for 7+ years. Tiffs work is specialized in scar tissue remediation, holistic pelvic therapy, postpartum, and exploration based therapy. This kind of art takes time, space, and patience to feel through the differential of layers. My desire is to share about my own process of exploring feeling and uncovering the beauty found within the spectrum of gender identity, body imagery, phases, and trajectories for healing. Tiffany is a local queer identified vulva owner who values physical anatomy and embraces it as a center of gravity for her travels and belonging. Photo by Todd Collins

Ironstone

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ironstone is an internationally performing dance artist who uses film, photography, music, and live theater to deconstruct socio-political dynamics and envision fantasies of queer knowledge with the body. In 2014 Ironstone began attending The Juilliard School in New York City where he devoted himself to his dance training and the exploration of his art. It was at Juilliard that Ironstone discovered he believes consummately in the artist's role to investigate fully emotions through reflection, such that we learn more about ourselves, and the dynamics we share universally. Hungry for more knowledge, Ironstone decided to continue his education by pursuing a degree in World Arts and Cultures with UCLA. He did this in order to investigate further the relationship to his body and the body's relationship to the world and what it means to be human in a changing era. He is most inspired at the moment with counterinstructions in our own centrality.

Monica Kerr

Monica Kerr is a Seattle-based movement artist and a recent graduate from Cornish College of the Arts where she obtained her BFA in dance, with a focus in community dance. Her most recent performance history includes Babette DelaFayette Pendleton’s “Swimming in Air while Rooted in Water” a multi-faceted film and performance work. Monica has also performed in works choreographed by Jennifer Backhaus, Michelle Miller, Danielle Agami, and Alia Swersky, among others. Her passion for movement art has translated to other modes of performance, including burlesque. She has had the pleasure of producing queer-centric burlesque in Seattle alongside her co-producer Fenja Frances for over a year. Monica’s present fascinations include presenting the femme body, comedy and her aversion to abstracting the body in movement-based art.

Violet Knight

Violet Knight is a young transgender poet and graduate student living in Denver, Colorado. Originally from Blacksburg, South Carolina, her southern upbringing is apparent in much of her writing as she often describes the disparity between acceptance within southern culture and being LGBTQ+. She’s published short stories, poems, and does illustration on the side. You can find out more about her on twitter @VioletKnight407, Tumblr (violetknight407.tumblr.com) or check her poem “Boxcars” in the most recent volume of The Oakland Review. If you want to speak to her in person like some sort of extrovert, she’s most easily identified by her trademark gray beanie and fondness for college t-shirts (which she collects).

Nora Lang & Tori Meyer

Nora Lang grew up training in Ballet, Modern, and Jazz, with a dash of Scandinavian Folk Dance and Musical Theatre and, recently graduated with her BFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. As a performer and choreographer she is currently researching structured improvisations, and how external stimuli like costuming or lighting enhances the performers’ experience. Outside the studio, you can find her on hikes, taking photographs, rollerblading or playing a fiddle.

Tori Meyer grew up training at Boston Ballet and UNCSA. She dances and makes dances. She loves to cook in her free time and is exploring how to refine aesthetic physicality, one commonly known as the floppy dance. Tori will be returning to the University of Utah’s Modern Dance Program as a Junior.

Ali Lorenz & Rebecca Johnson

Ali and Rebecca are two queer female performing artists currently located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The duo recently graduated from the Modern Program at the University of Utah’s School of Dance, where they were able to cultivate a close friendship. Choreographically (and in life) they are interested in researching play, adaptability, memory, and evolution of self. In their spare time, they enjoy being “just people”. Photo by Hailey Caminiti

Larson

I am an trans and bisexual artist who uses the experience of trauma and PTSD to create visceral representations of this identity. I reflect this in my art by intentionally pushing reality in abstracting figures color, shape, and material in my 2D art and 3D art. When I cannot express myself with words I take to art. I feel as if my words aren't heard by others, even if I say them clearly. In particular, my PTSD, experiences with being trans and bisexual, and other traumas cannot be realized through words so I must use art as a tool to be heard and fight the isolation as a result. I hope that my art will help others feel heard and break their loneliness.

Rachel Luebbert

Rachel Luebbert is a dance and movement artist currently based in Washington, DC (though on many counts Salt Lake is still her home.) Rachel graduated from the University of Utah with an honors BFA in Modern Dance, a BA in Spanish and a minor in Business. She has performed in work by Daniel Clifton, Stephen Koester, Luc Vanier, Ihsan Rusteem, Rebecca Aneloski, and Alexandra Barbier. Rachel is interested in the way movement and text can be interwovern to unpack and recontextualize shared human experiences. Currently, she teaches dance at Joy of Motion Dance Center, works as an Administrative Associate for Jane Franklin Dance, dances in Juanita Winston Dance Company and is developing an evening length work "Rosie" that explores the social implications of the color pink. Photo by Taylor Mott

Erin Lynn

Erin grew up in North Manchester, IN and studied creative movement and hybrid techniques at the Fort Wayne Dance Collective. They started studying Graham technique under Elizabeth Mikautadze at age 14 and began attending Project Ballet at age 16. Erin danced with Mikautadze Dance Theatre as an apprentice for their 2015-2016 season before moving to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah School of Dance modern dance program. They are now currently training with Minding Motion for Graceful Aging.

Madi Margetts 

I am a queer artist based in Salt Lake. I have grown up loving everything artistic and creative and have been lucky enough to pursue my passion for art in a supportive home and community. I love to create differently and try new things with my art. A lot of my inspiration comes from social and animal rights issues, beauty, love and my family.

Mia Martelli

Mia Martelli is a Brooklyn-based dance artist. She has performed work by Julia Burrer, Cameron McKinney, Laura Peterson, Jordan Demetrius Lloyd, Emily Kessler, and for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Her choreography has been presented at Center for Performance Research (Brooklyn), Green Space Studio (Queens), and research conferences throughout the country. As a performer and maker, Mia prioritizes earnestness, eclecticism, and vividity of mood. She also teaches Pilates. She graduated from The College at Brockport in 2018 with a B.F.A. in Dance and minor in Gender Studies.

Nemo Miller

Nemo Miller is a ceramic artist and educator living in Salt Lake, UT. She graduated from the University of Utah with a BFA in Ceramics and minor in Sculpture Intermedia. She has shown work throughout the valley including Miri Gallery, Salt Lake Community College, and with Queer Spectra. She is currently the ceramic studio technician at Kimball Art Center where she also teaches a variety of clay classes.

Malachi Van Nice

Malachi Van Nice grew up throughout the western region of the United States. They’ve always had a keen interest in the filmmaking process. In 2012, they attended the University of Utah and pursued a Bachelor’s in Film. Here, they keyed in on their distinct visual style and explored LGBTQ themes with dream logic, Screendance, and other narrative works. Malachi earned their Bachelor’s in 2016 with a minor in Modern Dance. Today, Malachi works on their Master’s in Visual Media Arts at Emerson College, and uses their time there exploring ways to bring experimental elements into narrative frameworks.

Dorothy Nunez

Dorothy Nunez is a queer, female dance artist and maker from New Orleans, LA. In 2016, she received a BFA in Dance from The University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. She’s performed with ingercooper|dancers based in New York. Her work has been shown as a part of The Creators Collective Spring Party, Small Plates Brooklyn, RAW Artists New Orleans and Mari Meade’s Queens Informal. She has performed in works by Jesse Zaritt, Netta Yerushalmy, Sidra Bell, Katie Swords-Thurman, Teddy Tedholm and Inger Cooper. In the fall of 2017, she was a part of Cultivating Leadership in Dance program at Pentacle. Most recently, she returned home to New Orleans and is working on developing Nunez Movement Project, a collective of performance artists.

Steven Salabsky

Steven was adopted from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by two, loving mothers and grew up in Salt Lake City. He discovered his passion for the arts at West High School (modern dance and art classes) before earning a Bachelors of Fine Art (Painting and Drawing) and a Minor in Dance from the University of Utah. He now works as a designer at a picture frame shop called Style Craft Frames and is slowly but surely continuing to grow his body of work.

Jordan Simmons & Eliza Tappan

An antisocial extrovert, deep lover, constant observer, lover of ramen and mac and cheese sits inside their constant awakening soul. Jordan Simmons, a non-binary creative stumbled upon Utah from New Jersey in 2016. Here they hope to help create space for POC & QTPOC, as well as reconnect in their love of dancing, and grow within themselves, enough to finally emerge into who they truly see and feel they are. A constant evolution.

Eliza, a femme identifying New York native with an abundance of masculine energy, is learning how to love, nourish, strengthen, and empower her feminine energy without feeling a betrayal of herself. Working primarily within the realm of dance and dance theater, she performs and creates work that is highly collaborative and improvisational in nature. Trying to let herself be seen more honestly in life, love, and art, she is grateful to the Queer Spectra Arts Festival for the opportunity to perform and share.

Derek Wall

Derrek A. Wall is a qay man of latinx descent who lives and works in Salt Lake City. His current work focuses on themes of queer identity, celebrity and the larger contexts of marginalization, invisibility and social unease. All of these themes come together in a playful, loving and dynamic way to educate and inform audiences about peoples not normally represented in the arts.

Kate Wilhite

Kate Wilhite is a Salt Lake City-based figurative artist working primarily in oil paints. She aims to create emotive, introspective paintings that leave the viewer with more questions than answers—similar to small interactions with strangers.

Financial Sponsors

Laura Gray

B. Rodney White