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we empower & equip!
Lindsay Renea Benton
Lindsay Renea is a Performer, Choreographer and Educator with a background in concert dance, musical theatre, and dance on film. As an Ohio native, she has always had a strong affinity for movement and music. She earned a BFA in Dance and minor in Piano from Howard University in Washington D.C. During her senior year, she joined Garth Fagan Dance Company in Rochester, New York. As a senior principal dancer some of her most memorable moments include performing with the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Jessye Norman, the Ying Quartet, and William Chapman Nyaho. Throughout her career she has had the pleasure of performing works by many incredible choreographers including Christopher Huggins, Ronald K. Brown, Chuck Davis, Ayodele Casel, Dianne Harvey and Sherrill Berryman-Johnson. Lindsay has also had the honor of performing before dignitaries such as Zindzi Mandela, Dorothy Height, Laura Bush, Caroline Kennedy, and Reverend Mpho Tutu.
Her choreography has appeared on national and international stages including Muda Africa Dance Company in Tanzania, The Whispers "I Sing This Song" music video, The Debórah Show (TV Special) and Sean Penn's Haiti relief organization JP/HRO. Her work in theatre includes choreography for Nina Simone: Four Women (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Romeo & Juliet (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), and Crowns (Cultural Fusions Theater). Much of her Choreography lives and is shared on the concert stage through companies and festivals including Shona Shareef African Dance Company(PA), Lindsay Renea Dance Theatre(OH), Time 2 Dance Festival(Tanzania), Collegium of African Diaspora Dance(NC), La Femme Dance Festival(Illinois), ModArts Collective Thread(NY), and Alabama Minority Choreographer Festival.
When she is not choreographing and performing, Lindsay creates opportunities for her students to learn the art of dance by teaching Modern, Tap, West African, Jazz, Afro-Caribbean, Contemporary, Composition, Dance Production and Dance History. Her desire to inspire younger generations of dancers pushed her to earn her Master of Fine Arts degree in Choreography at Jacksonville University, Jacksonville Florida. She has served as an adjunct faculty member in the Dance Major program at Youngstown State University. It is with great pride that she founded The Lindsay Renea Foundation to bring the art of dance, creative wellness and cultural diversity to her hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. She uses her experience in many capacities to inform her work as Rehearsal Director for Komanse Dance Company in Atlanta, Georgia. She is currently an Alabama Council of the Arts Fellow in Dance and Choreography and serves as the first female Assistant Professor of Dance and Artistic Director of the BFA in Dance Program at Alabama State University.
Spring Joy Christensen
Spring Joy Christensen grew up in Nashville, TN. She found her passion for the performing arts at a very young age. Growing up in Music City offered her lots of performance opportunities such as dancing in a music video for contemporary christian artist, Pam Thum. She received arts scholarships to attend Green Hills School of Dance, Franklin School of Performing Arts, and Harpeth Hall. She was very active in her high school's dance and theater programs as well as her dance studio's award winning competition teams. She went on to receive academic and dance scholarships to attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. There she trained under Ron Tassone, Judith Leifer-Bentz, Kiesha Lalama, Marion Petrov, and Nicolas Petrov. During her time in Pittsburgh, Spring performed in several Student Choreography Showcases, Faculty Choreography Showcases, student films, as well as outside performances with Giant Jerk Productions. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, concentration in Jazz, with a minor in Psychology.
After college, Spring relocated to warmer weather in Georgia. She performed with Brent Smith's dance company, Ready for Action in Macon and Atlanta. She also worked on several film sets in Atlanta, credits include: music videos, Let It Shine, The Game, Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
From 2013-2016, Spring was the artistic director for Breaking Walls Dance Company. Breaking Walls provided performance, training, and choreography opportunities for young adults in the middle Georgia area. The focus was on collaborations between classically trained dancers and hip hop freestylers.
Spring has been teaching dance for 20 years. She is certified through Southern Association of Dance Masters in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Acrobatics. Spring also has Level 1 certification through Dance Educators of America in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Acrobatics, and Modern. She has won several Choreography Awards, Top overalls, and Judge's Awards at dance competitions. She likes to stay fresh in her choreography by attending dance conventions, online dance classes, as well as professional dance performances in Atlanta.
Latonya “Tootie” Boston
Dancer, performer, and choreographer, LaTonya Boston, hails from Dublin, Georgia. She completed her degree in Bachelor of Arts in Dance at Brenau University. Her training is in tap, jazz, hip-hop, and modern. She has had the privilege of studying under Gilda Loyd, Doctor Madia Cooper- Ashirfi, Michael Jablonski, and Nurzhan Kulybaev. Boston has had the opportunity of being selected to perform works created by well known choreographers such as Jennifer Archibald, Nicholas Palmquist, Owen Scarlett, and Joshua Blake Carter. Additionally, Boston has gained knowledge in the creative process while debuting her choreographic works during her tenure at Brenau both on stage and on screen. She is currently a member of The Tap Rebels, Atlanta’s International Professional Tap Dance Company.
Eryn Mitchell
Kyla Coakley
Kyla has been dancing for 13 years, competing for 8 and coaching for 3! She is an alumni of Dance Collective, and she also gets the opportunity to work with adults to expand their love for dance. She enjoys working with students who show an eagerness to learn as much as possible. Her favorite style of dance is ballet and she has spent the majority of her dance career focused on this technical genre. Her specialty in coaching is focusing in on each student’s individual needs to help the excel. Kyla is excited to work with your dancers this season!
Joi Rashaun
Joi Raushan was born and raised in Macon, Georgia. She began dancing at the age of 8 years old and began competing not too long after, training in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and modern. From ages 8 to 17, Joi traveled, performed, and competed in Atlanta, Orlando, and New York City numerous times. After graduating high school, Joi began working as an office assistant and teacher while attending Wesleyan College. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in education, she moved to Henry County for two years, returned to Macon in 2020, and began teaching jazz at her home studio. Joi’s mission is to foster the desire and passion to dance so any dancer may achieve their dreams.
Student Teachers
From left to right: Meghan Abram, Evalina McCool, Chloe Smith, & Arnae Hester