Dance Source Houston is excited to present the 32nd edition of Mind The Gap, continuing the organization’s 20th anniversary season. This program will feature contemporary dance works by local choreographers including Jasmine Hearn, Persi Mey, Violet Moon, Robbie Moore, Stacy Skolnik and Shizu Yasuda (Ad Deum Dance Company). 

Mind The Gap is a collaboration between Dance Source Houston and Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston that provides choreographers with a performance platform and the opportunity to expand their production, marketing, and audience development capacities. Begun in 2017, Mind The Gap has supported over 130 dancemakers from across Greater Houston working in a range of dance forms.

MEET THE CHOREOGRAPHERS

Jasmine Hearn, born and raised on occupied lands now known as Houston, TX, is an interdisciplinary artist, teacher, doula, performer, and organizer. They currently are leading Memory Fleet - a continually expanding, episodic, migrating performance supported by the New England Foundation of the Arts with a National Dance Project grant award (2024). Jasmine is a recipient of a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award (2023), Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon Polsky Rome Prize in Design with collaborator Athena Kokoronis of Domestic Performance Agency (2023), a Creative Capital Award (2022), a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship (2019), New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Awards for Outstanding Performer (2021, 2017), and Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants (2022, 2017). They have been awarded residencies through SummerStages at Institute for Contemporary Arts, Boston, MA; Pittsburgh Foundation, Pittsburgh, PA; and the Camargo Foundation, Cassis, France.

Persi Mey is a movement artist creating for both stage and film. Their work is informed by a variety of athletic styles including: contemporary, breaking, tap, jazz, modern, muay thai, and ballet. Currently, they’re performing both as an independent artist and as a company member of Urban Souls Dance Company, and creating work as a resident artist at Houston Met Dance. Persi grew up in Clawson, Michigan and relocated to Houston in 2022 after spending a couple of years in Kansas City, Missouri. They received their BFA in Contemporary Dance from Indiana University. During their undergrad, they also had the opportunity to spend a year studying on scholarship at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.

Violet Moon (they/them) is a polymathic artist who has performed across the United States as a selected dance artist, soloist, and touring company member. They are a City of Houston and Houston Arts Alliance Let Creativity Happen grant recipient and have had their paintings featured across the city. They write, sing, make music, craft, and value the process of Natalie Rogers’ model of Creative Connection. Recently, Violet has been exploring movement and artistry beyond conditioned Western structures. Their work is driven by a hope of dismantling indoctrination and the hierarchy of privilege to honor cultural and ancestral movement patterns. They are passionate about creating meaningful experiences that translate stories of pain, pleasure, and loss into something honest, resonant, and human. Their accomplishments include a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, somatic and expressive arts therapy training, guest dance artist contracts, international residencies, and a loyalty to their creative practice. Rooted in a deep reverence for the ever-evolving Self, Violet remains devoted to life’s dance.

Robbie Moore grew up dancing from age six in Houston, Texas, where he attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In 2010, he was named Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Robbie graduated from the Juilliard School in 2014. Robbie toured internationally with L.A. Dance Project, under the direction of Benjamin Millepied, from 2015-2017. In 2017, Robbie moved to Belgium to work for Eastman - Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, where he continues to collaborate. In Antwerp, he trained under Anna Rubau to become a certified True-Pilates instructor. Robbie worked as Resident Choreographer from 2020-2021 and continues still as a Guest Artist with Houston Contemporary Dance Company. In 2022, he performed and toured with Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève. In 2023, he appeared in Iconoloclast’s commercial ad for Lady Gaga x Dom Pérignon directed by Yoann Lemoine. In June 2024, Robbie performed aboard the MS Europa 2 cruise ship in Norway for a one-night-only production by an Alexander Ekman. He currently resides in Houston working as a freelance dancer, Pilates instructor, movement coach and choreographer.

Stacy Skolnik grew up dancing from age 3 in Houston, TX where she trained at Margot Marshall ballet studio. She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Stacy graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in May of 2014. Stacy was a former company member of Gaspard&Dancers in Durham, NC. We showcased a new work at Duke University, which led to being apart of the APAP conference held at the Lincoln Center in NYC. In 2016, Stacy moved back to Houston, TX where she became a founding member of Open Dance Project. She also became Stotts certified Pilates teacher during that time. She has become teaching all forms of group fitness and focused on Pilates training at the Houstonian Club and other places in the greater Houston area. Performing with the company for over 7 years, she decided to pursue a freelance career and recently has choreographed/performed her own work. Her works have been showcased twice through Dance Source Houston’s, Mind the Gap. She continues to teach and share her dance/Pilates knowledge for all ages and is in the midst of creating and new projects to hopefully be performed!

Shizu Yasuda started her dance training at Sakiko Ichinomiya Ballet School in Japan. After she moved to New York, she performed with several choreographers and dance companies such as Slam and Sensedance Company. She joined Ad Deum Dance Company in 2004. She danced as a principal dancer with the company and performed at numerous dance events nationally and internationally. She was awarded as one of the stunning performers by Dance Houston – City Wide Dance Festival 2008. In 2013, she was invited to Minsk in Belarus as a guest dancer and judge by Chelz Extreme Games. As a dance teacher, she has been teaching Modern and Ballet classes in the Houston dance community at such places as Ad Deum Dance Company, Houston Ballet Academy summer intensive (Modern only), Mitsi Dancing School, Payne Academy of Ballet, Studio of Dance, West University Dance Center and Houston Academy of Dance. Her choreographic works have been presented at “East Meets West” at Miller Outdoor Theater since 2008. In 2014, she became an artistic director of Ad Deum II. She has completed her MFA in Dance from Jacksonville University and serves as Professor of Dance/Choreographer for Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Ad Deum Dance Company is a moving force of contemporary dance and physical theatre. Pure passion, grace, and elite athleticism abound as these artists explore the mysteries of faith, the wonders of life, and the brokenness and beauty of our world through the art of dance. Ad Deum embraces the imaginative and creative freedom of the body, soul, and spirit of mankind as the signature of God’s design upon humanity. Ad Deum has received outstanding reviews for local and national performances, as well as international tours to Poland, Austria, Great Britain, France, Thailand, Japan, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Canada.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3 at 7:30 PM

Join choreographers, dancers, and fellow patrons for a post-show reception on stage to celebrate the Mind The Gap 32 program artists and Dance Source Houston's 20th year. 

RUNTIME:
Approximately one hour

Reception to Follow

TICKETS:
Pay-What-You-Can
$15 to $35

Ticketed income is equally split between the choreographers. Your ticket purchase, at any level, increases the amount of funds available to be redistributed directly to the artists.

LIVESTREAM/VIDEO-ON-DEMAND

DON'T MISS THE SHOW!!
Purhase the Livestream or Video-on-Demand access.

Livestream will begin at 7:30 PM CDTVideo on Demand will be available to watch until midnight on Sunday, December 15.

Please note that each ticket is subject to a $3 service fee at checkout.

GENERAL INFORMATION

*Online sales will end 30 minutes prior to the scheduled curtain time. At this time tickets may be purchased in-person at the box office.

The box office opens 2 hours prior to the performance time for WILL CALL and walkup sales.

No refunds or cancellations available after purchase.

Why am I being charged a $3 per ticket service fee? CLICK HERE for details.

Parking: For information on area parking click HERE.

Area Restaurants & Bars: CLICK HERE for a list of area restaurants and bars.