Asymmetrical balance
Choreography: Justin Brock
Performers: Tara Barekat, Justin Brock, Sam Kedziora, Mackenzie McLean, Jonah Perez-Lopez
Music: Kensuke Ushio
Assistant: Antonio Hernandez
Tara Barekat
Tara Barekat is a Tampa, Florida-based artist whose work is rooted in movement and inquiry. She is an alumna of both the University of South Florida and Hillsborough Community College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in criminology while simultaneously cultivating her passion for dance. Her movement training centers on modern, contemporary, and ballet techniques, with a growing emphasis on choreography. Looking ahead, Tara plans to pursue her interests in the intersection of art, justice, and human experience, viewing both fields as complementary practices demanding a commitment to growth.
Justin Brock
Justin Brock is a Florida-based dancer and choreographer, graduated from Harrison School for the Arts. He began his formal dance training at Highland School of Dance under Hayley Stewart and Alexander Jones in Lakeland, Florida. Justin is a current company artist with projectAlchemy, his project based performances includes Sound-hi as part of BEACON and The Good Peaches with American Stage and The Florida Orchestra. His choreographic works include Effeminate, Arboreal Cover, Travelers, and Undergrowth Implosion, which was featured as part of Momentum at the Dalí Museum. In addition to his company work, Justin has performed a solo, Schimacy, with Atlas Modern Ballet and participated in DELVE with Stewart/Owen Dance, where he received a full scholarship. His training also includes instruction from Christina Acosta and Richard Ploch at Hillsborough Community College.
Sam Kendziora
Sam Kedziora began her training as a competitive dancer, a foundation that led her to earn a BFA in Modern Dance Studies with a minor in Psychology from the University of South Florida. She has trained in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, Gaga, Pom, heels, and more. After graduating in 2022, she continued her studies abroad before moving to Chicago to perform and train with Solarium Dance Company and Trifecta Dance Collective. While in Chicago, she began her yoga certification and expanded her practice through a wide range of teachers and styles. Sam has also traveled to Paris, Berlin, Helsinki, Kraków, Amsterdam, and Northern Israel to further her artistic development. She is now based in Tampa Bay, dancing with projectALCHEMY and REVolutions Dance Company, and remains committed to exploring and growing in her artistry both locally and internationally.
Mackenzie McLean
Mackenzie McLean is a Tampa Bay native. She graduated from Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School. Mackenzie is currently a company member of Tampa City Ballet and Broadway on the Bay and has recently started her own nonprofit “Pinellas Dance Collective”. She has recently performed in shows such as DAP festival of Italy, Carmen, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and A Very Broadway Christmas. She is currently a ballet and contemporary instructor at several dance studios in the Tampa Bay area, including Arts Conservatory for Teens, Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School, and the Patel Conservatory. She has attended numerous intensive training programs across the United States, collaborating with companies such as DAP Festival in Pietrasanta, Italy, Alonzo King LINES, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Duncan Cooper, and the Orlando Ballet School.
Jonah Perez-Lopez
Jonah Perez-Lopez is an artist originally from Orlando, Florida and graduated with a BFA from the University of South Florida. He is a company member of projectAlchemy in St. Pete and he aims to stay grounded in his values; continuing to show the community the dance as inspired by everything around him. Jonah will be performing in two separate works this evening.
