Baltimore Theatre Project Presents Resident Artist
VTDance/Vincent E Thomas in
Good Trouble (excerpts)
May 9th at 7pm
May 10th at 2pm
Vincent E Thomas, Artistic Director/Choreographer
Jay Herzog, Light Designer
Tony Byrd, Company Manager
El Pusateri, Stage Manager
Prelude/Frustration
Music: J. S. Bach
Text: Martin Luther King, Jr
Performer: Tom Resseguier
Suite Amore
Music: Dave Ballou Trio, Rafeal Mendez, Marvin Gaye, Astor Piazzolla
Performers: Tony Byrd, Amaya Hamilton, London Lobban, Jhayvince Manglangit, Tom Resseguier, Brianna Santiago*, Asya Shaw
Dis’ Land
Music: Dave Ballou Trio, Sharon & Dap Kings
Projection Design: Sujan Shrestha
Text : Michelle A. Nelson (aka Love the poet)
Performers: Vincent E Thomas, Michelle A. Nelson
Good Trouble (excerpts)
Music: Maria Thompson Corley, George Gershwin, Julia Perry, Serge Rachmaninov, Florence B. Price
Projection Design: Chris Carcione
Performers: Tony Byrd, Dylan Duran*, Iindira Ismaeli-Robinson*, Jhayvince Manglangit, London Lobban, Amaya Hamilton, Tom Resseguier, Brianna Santiago*, Asya Shaw, Jaelyn Simmons*
*Company Apprentices
Artist Bios:
VTDance is multi-dimensional building on the use of contemporary dance, improvisation, text/ movement, a variety of sound sources, and collaborations with other artists, including dancers, musicians, poets, visual artists, and others [to be discovered]. These ideas coupled with witty, poignant, athletic and gestural movement are the rich palette for VTDance. www.vtdance.org
Vincent E. Thomas received his MFA in Dance from Florida State University and a BME in Music from the University of South Carolina. He has danced with Dance Repertory Theatre (FSU), Randy James Dance Works (NY/NJ), EDGEWORKS Dance Theater (DC), and Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (MD). His choreography has been presented at various national and international venues including DUMBO Festival (NY), Velocity Festival (DC), Modern Moves Festival (DC), Philly Fringe (PA), Edinburgh Fringe Festival (UK-Scotland), Barcelona and Madrid, Spain, Avignon, France, Athens, Greece, Bari, Italy, Copenhagen, Denmark, Shanghai, Taipei, and Singapore. He received rave reviews for his performance of “Come Change” (2012) and “iWitness” (2014) in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland). Theater credits: Movement Coach/Choreographer for Everyman Theater’s Brother’s Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney in Baltimore, MD (2012), Mosaic Theatre’s Unexplored Interior by Jay Sander in Washington, DC (2015), and Everyman Theater’s Los Otros by Ellen Fitzhugh in Baltimore, MD (2017), Associate Choreographer/Movement Coach for Williamstown Theater Festival’s Most Happy in Concert in Williamstown, MA (2022) directed by Daniel Fish, and Mosaic Theatre’s Art of Care by Derek Goldman in Washington, DC (2024). He is the Artistic Director/Choreographer of the national touring What’s Going On project (2016-2019). Vincent was awarded the 2011-2012 Towson University Student Government Association Faculty Member of the Year, a 2014-2015 NextLook Artist for the University of Maryland College Park and Joe’s Movement Emporium, a 2012-13 American Dance Institute Incubator Artist (MD), a finalist for several Baker Artist Awards, the 2017 Pola Nirenska Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance (DC), the 2019 University System of Maryland Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship & Creative Activity, the 2020 MDEA Living Legacy Award, a 2021 William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund Awardee, a 2022 Baker Award Finalist, and a 2023 Black History Month Honoree for Richland District II (SC). Vincent is the Associate Choreographer for the INTELLIGENCE Opera, written and conceived by Jake Heggie, Gene Sheer, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, premiere at Houston Grand Opera. He is the co-choreographer for SCAT! The Complex Lives of Al and Dot- Dot and Al Zollar with Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. He is an Urban Bush Women BOLD Facilitator, faculty member for the UBW Summer Institutes (NY), and Professor of Dance at Towson University (MD).
Jay Herzog came to Baltimore in 1994 to teach lighting design at Towson University. The first play he designed was here at Theatre Project. 31 years later he is still at it and honored to be on the Phillip Arnoult stage. Phillip and Jay did a lot of theatre making over the years. Jay has designed in NYC where he learned how to ride a bike, eat the best deli hotdogs and cut his teeth doing theatre. He has worked regionally and internationally and was the resident lighting designer at the Everyman Theatre for 24 years doing over 50 plays. He is the recipient of the Helen Hayes award for best lighting design in Washington DC . On the side, Jay loves working with dog rescues and is a transplant recipient who advocates for organ donation. He is here doing this concert because he greatly admires the artists in this company and what they say to the world.
El Pusateri is currently a junior at Towson University studying Dance Performance and Choreography, and Spanish Language. They are a multifaceted dancer that has trained in many styles and in many programs, including studying at the Peridance Center, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and the American Dance Festival. Through Towson and outside volunteer work they have crew experience running lights, projection, backstage crewing, and stage managing, and its one of their favorite things to do! They are delighted to be working with the VT Dance Company for this show, and hope you enjoy!
Nicholas Boone is a theatre technician that has been working at Baltimore Theatre Project for almost two years. He’s worked on many different projects in that time, including Alex and Olmsted’s Really Quite a Lot of Mechanisms, 10 Billion Sapiens, and Luh Ya, Hear? He’s very excited to be part of yet another production here at his favorite venue, and to help the cogs of theatre and dance to keep spinning!
Sujan Shrestha (Projection Designer) is an associate professor at the University of Baltimore, where he teaches in the Simulation and Game Design program. Sujan was the projection designer for the Dance Place’s production of What’s Going On.
Michelle Antoinette Nelson, also known as LOVE the poet, is a versatile career creative with a passion for storytelling, performance, and fashion. As a poet, host, custom hat maker, and author, she has made significant contributions to national and international art scenes.
Michelle has previously appeared on CNN, authored the books “Black Marks on White Paper” and “Own Your Capacity: H.E.A.L.T.H. is Power,” and received the GBCA Baker Artist B-grant award. She has also received The 2016 “Baltimore Legend” Crown award, released multiple spoken word CDs and performed at prestigious venues like the Orpheum Theatre, the Smithsonian(s), and university campuses nationwide.
Michelle is renowned for her dynamic stage presence, having starred in her one-woman play “God’s Country,” as a producer, host, and performer for the Punany Poets, and founder of BE FREE Fridays open mic series. Her commitment to fostering creativity is evident in her current work as a Professor of hat making at Maryland Institute College of Art, as an Urban Arts Leadership Program Fellow, and the creator of “Live Lyrics!” creative writing workshops. She has also served as an MC for Red Bull Amaphiko, Summit, The Outside Festival, Cielos, The Medicine Show, and for The Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival, where she also serves on the National Executive Board of Directors.
Chris Carcione (Projection Designer) Chris Carcione is a multi-disciplinary theater artist and projection designer. Recent local credits include Dawn at Everyman Theatre, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Next to Normal at Iron Crow Theatre. He has worked on productions at La MaMa ETC, The Chicago International Puppet Festival, Bard Summerscape, The New York State Puppet Festival, and Quintessence Theatre Group, among others. Chris is an Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Towson University.
Tony Byrd began performing with VTDance in 2005. Over twenty years later, he continues to be honored to be part of this experience. He received his Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health from Maryland University of Integrative Health and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Towson University. He apprenticed with Koresh Dance Company (Philadelphia, PA) and has participated in multiple repertory workshops conducted by Ultima Vez (Brussels, BE). His choreography has been featured in Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Annual Choreographers’ Showcase and Baltimore-based Iron Crow Theatre’s Home Poe Show. Diorama, a piece combining dance, aerial acts, and live painting, was co-created and choreographed by Byrd as part of Baltimore’s inaugural Light City Festival.
Dylan Duran (Apprentice) was born and raised in Denver, CO. She began her dance training in classical Ballet at the age of three with Dance Conservatory of Denver under the direction of Jennifer Micek and Cori Winchester. Dylan deepened her dance education at Denver School of the Arts for middle and high school, with notable instructors such as Terrell Davis, Jennifer Howard, Christopher Paige-Saunders, Jarett Rashad, and Lisa Engelken, studying primarily Ballet, Modern, and Jazz. Now, Dylan attends Towson University as a student double majoring in Dance Performance & Choreography and Forensic Chemistry on the Trace Evidence & Drug Analysis Track in the Honors College. At Towson, she studies under the guidance of Catherine Horta-Hayden, Vincent E. Thomas, Robert Kleinendorst, Caroline Rocker-Barnes, Runqiao Du, and Alison Seidenstricker. Throughout her young dance career she has attended summer intensives with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Colorado State University as well as the Snowy Range Summer Dance Festival and the Tisch Summer Dance Program at New York University, performing works by Paul Taylor and José Limón, and studying under Chalvar Monteiro, Robert Kleinendorst, Indah Mariana, Kellye Saunders, and Keith Sauders. Dylan is extremely excited to participate in her first season with VTDance!
Amaya Hamilton is a DMV creative who started her dance training over a decade ago in Hagerstown, MD under Kelly Moreland and Sierra Jimenez at Dancin’ Time Studios. There she was exposed to a variety of styles including ballet, hip hop, jazz, and contemporary dance, and competed at numerous competitions including but not limited to Starpower, Monsters of Hip Hop, Backstage, and Tremaine Dance. In 2019, Hamilton auditioned and was accepted into the dance program at Barbara Ingram School for the Arts under the direction of Andrea Masciocchi and Kaleah Barr, continuing her dance studies, development of her artistic voice, as well as exploring modern and tap dance. After being awarded the most outstanding dancer and graduating in 2023, she had no doubt that dance was her calling which led her to Towson University to pursue her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance and Choreography. Since studying at TU, Amaya has joined the Towson Dance Company, studying and performing advanced compositions by Tracie Burton, Robert Kleinendorst, Caroline Rocher-Barnes, and Juan Rodriguez. In addition, she has received valuable dance training from Catherine Horta-Hayden, Runqiao Du, Nicole Martinell, Linda Denise Fisher-Harrel, and more. In 2025, Amaya was invited to join VTDance II as an apprentice under direction of Vincent Thomas, and it is here that she is currently gaining priceless experience about the world of dance that knows no bounds.
Indira Ismaeli-Robinson (Apprentice) is an emerging artist where her passion for dance began in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She sharpened her craft at the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School, attending both middle and high school there. During her junior year, she joined Reed Dance II under the direction of Greer Reed and Kontara Morphis, performing extensively throughout the Pittsburgh area. Currently, Indira is completing a double major at Towson University, earning a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography alongside a BS in Exercise Science. She has broadened her artistic range by attending prestigious summer intensives such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and the Bates Dance Festival, while also studying historic works and performing with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. Throughout college she has performed in the Black Choreographers Festival for two consecutive years, collaborating with a range of choreographers. Indira most recently performed a work choreographed by Caroline Rocher-Barnes at the International Association of Blacks in Dance in Atlanta, Georgia. Indira has trained extensively in Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Somatics, improvisation, and aerial dance under the mentorship of renowned artists including Tracie Burton Hopper, Catherine Horta-Hayden, Caroline Rocher-Barnes, Vincent Thomas, Robert Klinendorst, among others. She is currently based in the DMV area.
London Lobban was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She began her ballet training at the age of 9 with the Ballet Theatre of Maryland in Annapolis, Maryland. She then expanded her dance training with Dance Expressions Dance Studio, where she trained in jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop, modern, and contemporary. During her years at Dance expressions she was able to train with incredible artists such as Lorraine Graves, Elisa Clark, Brandon Ellis, and Nick Anthony. London is now a senior at Towson University studying Dance Performance/Choreography. She is currently in her Senior year finishing with her third semester a part of the Towson University Dance company show, which has given her a very diverse movement background. London is also in her second season with VTDance II.
JhayVince Manlangit is a dancer born in the Philippines. He began his training under Vicki Tchanque, Brandye Lee, Caroline Rocher Barnes, Kevin Veiga, and Jessica Featherson. At Towson University, he studies with Alison Seidenstricker, Caroline Rocher Barnes, Robert Kleinendorst, Runqiao Du, and Tracie Burton. A two-time American Dance Festival Merit Scholarship recipient, he joined VTDance Company in December 2023 as an apprentice and was later promoted to VTDance II, performing in Lookin’ Bach and Love Land Legacy, which debuted at the Jacob’s Pillow Summer Dance Festival in 2025. In November 2025, he joined Janusphere Dance Company and performed Lucky Number 5, choreographed by Darion Smith.
Tom Resseguier studied ballet at the Ballettschule des Hamburg Ballett, where he took his first steps into the neoclassical repertoire through John Neumeier’s style, before joining the Junior Ballet at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in France in 2016. There, he performed, among others, pieces by William Forsythe, Jean Guizerix, Yong Geol Kim, José Martinez and Douglas Becker.During this time, he started to work for the Compagnie Illicite Bayonne under the direction of choreographer Fabio Lopez. He then went on to dance for the Ballet de l’Opéra de Metz in 2018, before joining the Compagnie Par Terre for the creation of À Mon Bel Amour, a contemporary piece by choreographer Anne Nguyen. During this time, he also worked as a freelance dancer and actor on various other projects, including the French TV series L’Opéra and the Netflix short film Anima choreographed by Damien Jalet.Tom Resseguier also has a passion for astronomy and earned a dual bachelor in mathematics and physics, as well as a master in astrophysics, both from Sorbonne Université in Paris. This is what led him to move to the US in 2022 to pursue a PhD in Astrophysics at Johns Hopkins University, where he currently works on dark matter and gravitational lensing.
Brianna Santiago (Apprentice) is a native of Frederick Maryland and has been dancing since the age of three. She is currently projected to graduate from Towson University located in Baltimore Maryland in Spring 2026 with dual degrees in Performance and Choreography dance and Psychology. Brianna is trained in various styles of dance including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, and modern and is Cecchetti Ballet certified in Pre-Professional Grades I–IV and Professional Grade V. She has attended various summer intensives including David Dorfman Summer Intensive, American Dance Festival, Ruth Page School of Dance, Dance Theater of Harlem, Morton Street School of Dance, and Cecchetti Council of America. Brianna has also presented Somatic work based on the Laban technique in Geneva, New York, and Baltimore, Maryland, alongside Towson University professor Alison Seidenstricker. Brianna is deeply passionate about combining her love of psychology and dance, often finding ways to integrate movement into therapy. Brianna Santiago is an incredibly dedicated and passionate dancer who loves to spread her love and joy for dance.
Asya Shaw Baltimore native, Asya Melan Shaw-Ebert (she/her), is a dance performer, somatic practitioner, and movement-based teaching artist. In 2022 she received her Master of Science in Dance/Movement Therapy degree from Sarah Lawrence College, and is a proud alumna of Towson University and Baltimore School for the Arts. Throughout her career and studies, she has had the pleasure of working with Linda Denise Fisher-Harrell, Diedre Dawkins, AileyCamp Baltimore, Vincent Thomas & VT Dance, Rickey Tripp, and Camille A. Brown & Dancers. Additional credits include The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Metropolitan Opera), Samson and Delilah (The Dallas Opera), and After Midnight (Norwegian Cruise Lines). On screen credits include an appearance on Season 17 of America’s Got Talent (NBC) and Season 3 of Harlem (Amazon Prime).
Jaelyn Simmons (Apprentice) began dancing at the age of three, discovering her passion for expression through movement under the guidance of Susan Ina in Linthicum. She later continued her training at Edna Lee Dance Studio under Ashley Canterna Hardy. Jaelyn has trained in a wide range of styles, including ballet, pointe, tap, lyrical, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, musical theatre, modern, and acrobatics. From 2018 to 2020, Jaelyn attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where she performed in The Nutcracker and Expressions. Beyond Baltimore School for the Arts, she has performed in numerous Maryland Festival Ballet productions, including The Nutcracker, The Bald Ballerina’s (Maggie Kudirka) No One Can Survive Alone benefit concert, and performances with SweetBird Productions (formerly Bad Boys of Ballet). She has furthered her training through summer intensives with The Joffrey Ballet, Inside Chicago, The Washington Ballet, The Kirov Academy, Maryland Youth Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Paul Taylor, and SweetBird Productions. Passionate about dance and physical wellness, Jaelyn holds certifications in Acrobatic Arts and Progressing Ballet Technique. She is currently pursuing a dual major in Dance Choreography and Performance and Exercise Science at Towson University, where she continues to explore how choreography communicates complex ideas through movement. At Towson, she has worked with artists including Susan Mann, Catherine Horta-Hayden, Caroline Rocher-Barnes, Runqiao Du, Vincent Thomas, and Robert Klinendorst.
Special Thank You
Vincent E Thomas/VTDance extends a deep and hearty bouquet of gratitude for the Friends of VTDance, the Universal, Tangible, Essential donors and supporters, Towson University Dept of Dance, Elias Brzezinski (company member/rehearsal assistant), TU Modern Repertory (fall 2025), Hector Quintero, Tom Casella, El Pusateri, Joseph Glenn, Dwayne Hess, Brian Johnson, Tony Byrd, Alexis Brown, Elyse Hayden (photographer), Greg & Jeff of Spirits of Mt. Vernon, Kevin Brown (Nancy’s of SNAC), and theatre crew John McAfee, Jay Herzog, Nick Boone, Amy Duran, Delaney May, Corinne Murphy, and Olivia Zacarias (Assistant Lighting Designer).
