The Company
Artistic Director
Jay Rapp, Executive Artistic Director, has been a member of Project: Motion since 1988, and Co-Artistic Director since 1995. Rapp is a dancer, choreographer and teacher who creates works in a variety of venues. He choreographs for dance concerts
as well as theater productions throughout the Mid-South. Rapp has received numerous awards for his dance and choreographic talents including the prestigious Tennessee Arts Commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship in 1993 (Dance Performance), The Ostrander Award for Best Choreography in 2002 (Hair); and The Northwest Mississippi Theatre Award for Best Choreography of a Musical in 2004 (The Wizard of Oz), and a second Ostrander Award for Best Choreography in 2007 (The Wild Party). Rapp is also a prominent teacher of dance and theatre. He was a central figure in the Washington-based national pilot project, StartSmart, which developed dance curriculum for early childhood education. Rapp has been a dance instructor at The University of Memphis, and is currently on the Fine Arts Faculty at Hutchison School, where he teaches dance and theatre.
Assistant Artistic Director
Emily Hefley is local teacher, choreographer, and professional dancer in Memphis, TN. Emily received her BFA in Theatre and Dance from the University of Memphis where she later served as adjunct faculty teaching classes in Dance Composition, Modern and Jazz Technique. She has also worked as Dance Instructor for Playhouse on the Square, DanceWorks Inc., Lausanne
Collegiate School, Children's Ballet of Memphis, Tennessee Association of Dance and the Tennessee Thespian Conference. Emily's has choreographed numerous works for Project: Motion, Breeding Ground Dance Collective, Voices of the South, Metal Velvet Dance Project and The University of Memphis. Her choreography has been described as "quirky, rhythmic, athletic, dynamic and humorous". Currently, Emily works as the Educational Outreach Coordinator for Germantown Performing Arts Centre coordinating, teaching and programming educational events such as Master Classes with visiting artists, Pre-Ballet for young students, Music for Aardvarks, ArtSavvy and the very popular Peanut Butter & Jam music program. While at GPAC, Emily has had the opportunity to work with world class dance companies such as Paul Taylor Dance, Tania Pérez-Salas , Ballet Folklórico de México and this season Parsons Dance Company. Emily is passionate about the arts serving on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Alliance for Arts Education as well as supporting other arts organizations in the Memphis Area.
Website Manager
Raine Hicks is a singer, dancer and musical theatre actor who has been performing and teaching in the Memphis theatre community for the past fifteen years. She has performed in numerous musicals, some of her favorites being, The Rocky Horror Show, The Who’s Tommy, Hair, Schoolhouse Rock! Live!, Bat Boy! The Musical and, most recently
Lies and Legends. She toured the Midwest with “For A Good Time Theatre” Children’s Theatre Company as an Actor, Road Manager and Stage Manager. In 2001, Raine danced with Loop Productions in Vacant, Facing the Tower. In 2006, Raine joined Project: Motion, and performed in Metallurgy, Pre-sent, Pres-ent 2006 and Emerge. She also served as Production and Stage Manager for Bouncing Off! and Stage Manager for Pre-sent, Pre-sent 2007. Raine also creates video and slide show presentations for use during multimedia performances. Additionally, she created and maintains Project: Motion’s website and Myspace page. With her B.F.A. in Music Education, Raine teaches Elementary Orff Schulwerk Music and directs an award winning After School Musical Theatre Program with the Memphis City Schools at Sheffield Elementary. This will be Raine’s fourth season with Project: Motion.
Dance Technique Teacher
Louisa Koeppel, ballet and modern dance teacher at Hutchison School, began performing with Project: Motion Contemporary Dance Company at age fourteen while a student and dancer at Ballet Memphis, under the tutelage of Dorothy Gunther Pugh and Janet Parke. She received a performance scholarship to The Ohio State University, where she studied performance and lighting design for dance with the likes of Susan Hadley, David Covey, and Vicki Blaine. Returning to Memphis in 1993, Koeppel continued performing with Project:Motion, co-founded New Bridge Ensemble (one of the original resident
companies at Theatreworks in Midtown, Memphis), and started Loop Productions, a critically acclaimed performance collective. She taught ballet and modern dance for six years at Ballet Memphis School, where she was also a teacher, choreographer, and Assistant Director of the Ballet Memphis Junior Company. Living in New York City, Koeppel co-produced Not Another Burlesque Show, a one-woman improvisational piece exploring subway travel in NYC in 2003. Besides Project:Motion and Ballet Memphis, Koeppel has also choreographed and performed for Theatre Memphis, Circuit Playhouse, Playhouse on the Square, and Voices of the South, to name a few, and in 1999, won a Memphis Theatre Award for Excellence in Lighting Design (Equus, Circuit Playhouse). In the summer of 2008, she studied Commedia del’Arte at the acclaimed Accademia del’Arte in Arrezzo, Italy and continues to share that experience working with other companies, including Company D, a dance company made up of Down Syndrome young adults. Koeppel’s latest work was seen in 2008’s Pre-sent/Pres-ent, a holiday collaboration between Project:Motion and Voices of the South.
Wayne M. Smith (MFA/BFA) (Choreography – Improvisation – Dance Performance – Theatre Movement)
is a professional dance artist, educator, and choreographer in addition to director of SmithWorks Production Company. He currently teaches half-time at the University of Memphis Department of Theatre & Dance teaching dance technique and improvisation, plus choreographing for departmental productions. He has an extensive range of experience including modern, jazz & classical dance, movement improvisation, spoken word performance, creative writing, music, visual art, computer technology and conceptual mathematics. His focus is on teaching, choreographing, writing and performing contemporary and improvisational in dance and beyond. In Memphis Wayne works with Project: Motion Modern Dance Collective in addition to teaching studio classes and choreographing with youth development organization Memphis Dance Works. Wayne earned a Master of Fine Arts degree (MFA) in Dance/Choreography from the Ohio State University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) in Theater/Dance (minor Mathematics) from the University of Memphis.
The Dancers
Marianne Bell is a graduate of The University of Memphis with a B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice. She received her J.D. from Cornell Law School in 2000, and has been practicing law for nine years, first in private practice, and currently as a
prosecutor. Marianne was involved in dance throughout college and law school in student and faculty shows. Her choreography was chosen to represent The University of Memphis in both 1995 and 1996 for adjudication and exhibition at American College Dance Festivals. Over the last nine years, Marianne has choreographed and performed in numerous shows with Metal Velvet Dance Project, Breeding Ground Dance Collective, Project: Motion, and Voices of the South. Her choreography has dealt with a wide range of topics including domestic violence, religion, heritage, history, interpersonal relationships, and portraits of women. This will be Marianne’s sixth season with Project: Motion.
Sarah Christine Bolton graduated from Belhaven College with a BA in Dance. Her early years of training were with Theresa
Slobodnik and Gilbert Reed at American Dance in San Luis Obispo, California. She also performed with the Gilbert Reed Ballet and Entourage Dance Company. She has studied a wide variety of dance styles and techniques, including modern, ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, clogging, musical theatre, improvisation, and choreography. In spring 2009, Sarah choreographed an original work for the Emerge II concert. This will be Sarah’s third season with Project: Motion.
Amelia Renee Byrd has been dancing since the age of three beginning her studies in ballet, lyrical, tap, and jazz at the Peggy Holden Armstrong's School of Dance.
Amelia attended Colonial Middle and Overton High Schools for the Creative and Performing Arts where she was a distinguished member of the Dance Departments at both schools. Amelia fell in love with modern dance when she attended The University of Memphis, where she obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre and Dance in 2005, and a Bachelor of Professional Studies along with a teaching licensure in Dance Education K-12 in 2007. She is currently enjoying her new job as the Director of Dance at Colonial Middle for the Creative and Performing Arts. Amelia also teaches dance and acting for Playhouse on the Square's Summer Youth Theatre Conservatory. This is Amelia's second season with Project: Motion.
Lisa Clarkson has a B.S. in Ballet from Indiana University,
and has danced professionally for twelve years in the United States, most recently with Ballet Memphis. Lisa joined Project: Motion in 2005, and has danced in Lineage, Pre-sent Pres-ent, Metallurgy, Emerge, and Bouncing Off. She has also choreographed for the Choreographers' Workshop at Ballet Memphis, and for Project: Motion’s first Emerge Concert. Lisa is excited about exploring choreography more thoroughly with Project: Motion, and recently choreographed for December 2007’s “Pre-sent, Pres-ent” show. She is also a fully certified Pilates instructor with Ballet Memphis, where she currently teaches. This will be Lisa’s fifth season with Project: Motion.
Rebecca R. Cochran graduated from the University of Memphis with a B.F.A. in Theatre and Dance in 2004, and Roseycompleted her Master's degree in Community Agency Counseling in 2006. Rebecca recently obtained her license to practice professional counseling with
mental health service provider status and she is currently working as a full-time clincial supervisor at Youth Villages. Rebecca has taught the Ballet After School program at Hutchison School and several dance classes at the University of Memphis, including Modern Technique and Introduction to Dance. Rebecca has performed and choreographed for numerous student and faculty shows at The University of Memphis, and has worked under the choreographic talents of Gesel Mason, Tiffany Mills, and Kraig Patterson. She has danced and choreographed for Breeding Ground Dance Collective, Project: Motion, and Voices of the South. This will be Rebecca’s fifth season with Project: Motion.
Adriane Fertitta is a graduate of The University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Minor in Dance. Adriane began taking lessons in tap and ballet at age two while gradually incorporating lessons in jazz, pointe, lyrical, modern, and hip hop over her fifteen-year duration at SmarttSteps
studio in her hometown of Hendersonville, Tennessee. Adriane continued dancing at The University of Memphis. Over the last five years, she has performed in various faculty and student dance concerts with The University of Memphis Dance Department, as well as Metal Velvet Dance Project, Breeding Ground Dance Collective, and Project: Motion. Adriane is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at The University of Memphis. This will be her fourth season with Project: Motion.
Ondine Geary has studied, taught, and performed modern dance in the U.S. and abroad. Ondine graduated with honors in 1999 from Kenyon College with a B.A. in Sociology. In
2002, she founded Breeding Ground Dance Collective, an organization whose mission is to nurture improvisational modern dance in Memphis. In 2003, she was awarded the Tennessee Arts Commission's Individual Artist Fellowship in Dance. She was invited to become a member of Southern Artistry in 2004, an online registry that showcases outstanding Southern artists and arts organizations. In 2005, Ondine studied dance and choreography in London, and became a certified Pilates instructor through Ellie Herman studios. She is very proud to be back in Memphis, teaching and dancing with Project: Motion. photo by Dan Ball
Ernestine Hayes began dancing in her hometown of Kansas
City, Missouri. In 1992, she participated in Ailey Camp, a summer program sponsored by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre which introduces inner-city youth to the art of dance. She attended high school at Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts, and also at Overton High School in Memphis. She participated in Overton’s optional dance program and graduated in 1997. During college at University of Tennessee at Martin, Ernestine minored in Dance and graduated with honors with a Bachelors of Science in Animal Science. This will be Ernestine’s fourth season with Project: Motion.
Erin D. Healy
graduated from the University of Memphis in 1997 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance and Theatre. She has attended summer dance intensive studies with Mark Taylor at Dance Alloy in Pittsburg, PA and Bill Evans at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM. Erin is currently the Physical Education and Health teacher at Immaculate Conception Cathedral School in midtown Memphis. Before joining I.C.C.S., Erin was a teaching artist for various arts organizations such as Wolf Trapp Start Smart Dance program, The Crittenden Arts Council, and The Memphis Arts Council’s Center for Arts Education. Erin is very interested in promoting body awareness and proper body alignment to all of her students. Erin has enjoyed dancing and c horeographing for Project: Motion, Metal Velvet Dance Project, Breeding Ground, Memphis Dance Group, and Freak Engine. This will be Erin’s third season with Project: Motion.
Delilah Heck started dancing at age 3 and took classes in ballet, tap and jazz as a child on Long Island. She began studying modern dance as an undergraduate at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. She graduated in 1997 with a BA in geology and has worked for many years as a production editor for the American Institute of Physics. After moving to Memphis in 2007, she began taking classes with Project:Motion and then joined the collective. This will be her second season with Project:Motion.
Sarah Ledbetter is a native Memphian dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker who left home, lived
far and wide, and came back to delta soil for inspiration. In 1999, she earned her B.S. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. Her work uses text, improvisation, live and/or original music, and elements of theater, brought together in a visceral and irreverant physical language. She has worked with Project:Motion for 6 seasons as a performer, presenter, and video artist, as well as teaching technique. Her last short film, DAMMI IL LA, won multiple awards internationally, and her first feature film will be produced by Paper Moon Films, with the music of local duo Deering & Down, in 2010.
Heidi Leyshon is a graduate of The University of Memphis where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Ministry Arts, and was
an active participant in the Dance Department. As part of her degree, Heidi developed Postures of Worship. This movement workshop was presented at the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Regional Methodist Ministers Conference in Memphis, Memphis Theological Seminary's Return Beat, Arts in Worship Conference in 2007, and the 2008 Christian Community Health Fellowship conference in Nashville . Heidi has performed with Opera Memphis and Breeding Ground Dance Collective, and choreographed and performed with Project: Motion. Heidi is also chair of the Outreach Committee for Project: Motion, and has toured in Memphis area schools with Project: Motion's River Dreams. Heidi has worked with the Memphis Arts Council as a teaching artist and is currently teaching ballet, creative movement, liturgical dance, and dance exercise at Hope and Healing, a ministry of the Church Health Center. This will be Heidi’s sixth season with Project: Motion.
Jamie Mann is an alumnus of The University of Memphis where he received a B.F.A. in Theatre. He also received
his M.F.A. from the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver, Colorado. Jamie has also performed for theatres in Richmond, VA; Denver, CO; and Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, CA. While in Los Angeles, he was the teaching assistant for 4 years in Cindera Che's "Movement for Actors" class at Edge Performing Arts Complex, as well as an assistant to Janet Fitzgerald in her "CEx" acting/jazz based dance class for 2 years. Since returning to Memphis in 2007, Jamie starred in the title role in Theatre Memphis' production of Othello. He also worked on Peter Pan and The Exonerated (Delbert Tibbs) at Playhouse on the Square. He also made his Hattiloo Theatre stage debut as Tom, in I Ain't Yo' Uncle. In 2007-08, Jamie was cast as Oberon in Theatre Memphis' A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Macduff in Hattiloo Theatre's Macbeth. Jamie will also be performing in Project: Motion’s 20th anniversary show, Muscle Memory, in May 2008. When not gracing the stage, Jamie is an adjunct faculty member at Rhodes College and on staff at Carpenter/Sullivan/Sossaman Advertising. This will be Jamie’s second season with Project: Motion.
Amanda Martinson graduated from the University of
Arkansas School of Architecture in May 2007 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, and is currently in the process of acquiring an architecture license. During her studies, she worked with many Internationally award wining architects and artists, and traveled extensively including a semester spent in Rome, Italy. She began dancing at age two with small, local studios taking classes in ballet and tap then later in jazz and hip-hop. She continued to study ballet and modern dance while attending the University of Arkansas, and finds inspiration for her art and design work through dance. This will be Amanda's second season with Project: Motion.
Jenni Nettleton graduated from Queens University in Charlotte NC with a BA in
English and Theatre in 2006, and she will be graduating this spring from the University of Memphis with a Masters in Liberal Studies in Dramatic Literature. She began dancing ballet at the age of four, and with her father in the military she spent much of her life moving around and dancing with various dance schools throughout the United States. Continuing this amazing endeavor in modern dance she is incredibly excited to be rejoining, in her second season, the talented dancers of Project: Motion.
Jamie Scott is a graduate of Belhaven College,
where she received her B.A. in Humanities with a minor in Dance. She studied for two years at the Ballet Memphis School, and one year with the Ballet Memphis Junior Company. While at Belhaven, Jamie performed in physical theatre abroad in Japan and India. She has taken master classes that encompassed members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Her emphasis is mostly on the different techniques of modern dance, though Jamie has also studied ballet, jazz, tap and African dance. Jamie will perform in Project: Motion’s 20th anniversary show, Muscle Memory, in May 2008. This will be Jamie’s second season with Project: Motion.
Erin Walter began her ballet training with Judy and Michael Tevlin at Memphis Ballet. She attended
intensive summer sessions at Ft. Wayne Ballet, Burklyn Ballet Theater in Vermont and at the San Francisco Ballet School. She performed with Youth Concert Ballet and Tennessee Ballet. Her roles included Arabian, lead Mirleton and the Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, and solos in Les Sylphides, Raymonda and The Colors of Mozart. Recently, she appeared in Our Own Voice’s productions of Cycles and Birth. Erin has taught for Children's Ballet since 2004 and she works as an analyst, writer and editor for The Right Brain People, a consumer psychology firm in Memphis. This is Erin's second season with Project: Motion.
Christie Walters received a B.F.A. in Theatre and Dance from the University of Memphis in 2000. Her love of dance began at age 3 with classes and performances through Patricia Williams and Performing Arts in tap, jazz, and ballet. Her concentration in college was modern dance, where she performed and choreographed for student and faculty dance concerts. Also through the University of Memphis Dance Department, she participated in outreach programs in local hospitals and schools. She has taught Discover Dance classes at Hope and Healing, Kids on the Move Classes and Special Kids Art Camps at Ballet Memphis. She is currently an Assistant at a promotional products company. This is her first season with Project: Motion.
