Collaborative Roots

Ann Law engages in the creative process daily. She began making dances with a yardstick and her cat Panther in her Southern California backyard when she was four years old. She has also made dances in San Francisco, Miami, Philadelphia, New York City and for the last 30 years, in Chattanooga Tennessee. She received her MA in Dance Education from UNC Greensboro and her BA in Dance from Mills College. She is also certified in Pilates and Kinetic Awareness, a form of somatic education. She has received many awards including Chattanooga’s Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award, UNC Greensboro’s Distinguished Alumni Award in Dance Education, Tennessee Association of Dance Outstanding Dance Educator and Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship award. An improvisational dancer, dance educator and arts activist, she is Executive Director of Contemporary Performing Arts of Chattanooga (CoPAC) and Founder of Barking Legs Theater. For the past 29 years, she has led CoPAC at Barking Legs Theater in providing a supportive space to encourage both emerging and established artists, growing thoughtful audiences, and cultivating strong community art activism. Ann also serves on several non-profit boards both in Chattanooga and New York City. During her time in Chattanooga, Ann has taught creative movement at Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences, movement for actors at Chattanooga State Community College, and dance at Barking Legs Theater. In 2015, after years of teaching dance, Ann developed and designed Full Circle TAP (Teaching Artists Program) to support artists in their desire and quest to become teaching artists. She designs art education curricula that engage and transform students into critical thinkers capable of social change. Ann believes that by strengthening life skills, communicating, and learning through the creative process, the experience of the arts directly relates to academic achievement. Whether through CoPAC projects, performances at Barking Legs Theater, arts education curriculum, or mentoring artists, Ann fosters diverse, new, and transformative arts experiences for everyone. She truly believes that the arts are essential to our lives. She has been inclusive, embraces novelty and change, and reaches out to all areas of her community. Ann stays grounded in the practice of not knowing.

Kyle is no stranger to the stage. He began his journey as a child with shows at school and local community theaters. He then joined the Chattanooga Boys Choir where he got to tour the country, as well as getting to participate in the national touring cast of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" as part of the Children's Choir as a singer and featured dancer. He has trained in New York City as well as at the famous Stagedoor Manor in Loch Sheldrake, New York. He has been fortunate enough to tour the US, Canada, and Germany performing. Favorite parts include Tateh in "Ragtime", Albin/Zaza in "La Cage Aux Folles", Dan in "Next to Normal", and Hannibal in "The Curious Savage". He also was a company member with Chattanooga Ballet where he performed new works as well as parts in "Giselle", "Don Quixote", and "The Nutcracker". He has directed, choreographed, stage managed, and costumed many local shows. He is also the head of the wardrobe team for IATSE Local 140 Stagehand Union. Kyle joined up with Ann Law and Barking Legs Theater during their "Anything Goes" anniversary shows, and is honored to be a part of such a talented group of artists! For Kyle, Collaborative Roots represents an opportunity to make change in our community with action through art. When not performing Kyle likes to spend time with his amazing fiance Chris and their family of fur children.

Aaron "Cherokee" Ellison was born and raised in Chattanooga. His performance credits include dancing with Chattanooga hip hop group the Hot Boys which served as an opening act for Three Six Mafia and other Hangtime events. He had a speaking role in the movie Remember the Titans. He continued to sharpen his skills at Barking Legs Theater. Cherokee currently studies Capoeira Angola Palmares under Mestre Gulliver. He and his wife own Move N Groove Kidz- a movement/music company that offers classes at preschools and k-12 schools. They also founded/direct MNGK Garvey Program a non profit that offers movement/music to children at participating preschools for free as well as Capoeira Chattanooga which offers free or low cost classes to ages 6 and up.

Monica Ellison was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. She earned a BFA in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University. Highlights of her professional performance credits include ensemble work with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2 (Dayton, OH), principal work with Balance Dance Theatre (Brooklyn, NY), and guest work with Sudden Enlightenment Theatre (Queens, NY) including a performance in Seoul, Korea. Her last work before heading south was at the North Shore Music Theatre Company (Beverly, MA) as an ensemble dancer in the off-broadway production of Susan Stroman's CONTACT directed by Tome´Cousin. She and her husband Coach Cherokee own Move N Groove Kidz- a mobile movement with music enrichment program that offers classes on site at preschools and in k-12 schools. They also founded/direct MNGK Garvey Program, a non profit that offers the Move N Groove Kidz preschool program to children at participating child care centers for free and also offer Capoeira Chattanooga programming. Since 2021 she has rededicated herself to dancing for herself by dancing every single day. You can follow her own instagram at createyourdancelife.

Jessi Faircloth is a mover, writer, social worker, and visual artist from Chattanooga, TN. Her definition of dance involves the somatic representation of the psychosomatic body. She is classically trained in Ballet and Modern dance but her joy and passion lies within Postmodernism and improvisation. Jessi’s current work is focused on the shared connection between bodies in space and her relation to queer embodiment. Jessi values the process of creating work, exploring social justice issues, and being in community with other artists.

Kenneth Glatt AKA K.G. has been dancing since the age of 5 impersonating his idol Michael Jackson. Around the age of 15 he started to take the dance world more serious and become more active in the dance community. For the last 10 years he has been dancing professionally, with appearances in Atlanta jams, local performances, major productions like "The WIZ", performances for River Bend, Go Fest for the Mayor and many more. All of these things lead him to producing his own show called "show your passion" where he encourages local artists to perform and show what their passion is!

Beth Markham Herring is a Chattanooga native and grew up dancing with Chattanooga Ballet and Ballet Tennessee. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Modern Dance from SUNY-Purchase in 1992, the same year she met her friend and mentor, Ann Law. Beth has studied, worked, and performed with Ann off and on over the past 30 years. Beth was also a member of Anonymity Dance Company in Charleston SC from 1994-1997. She is a physical therapist and is the Site Director at Ascension Living Alexian PACE, a nursing home alternative program. For the past 10 years she has studied Taiji with Dr. Zibin Guo and is a member of Adaptive Tai Chi International (ATCI), serving as Secretary. ATCI is a non-profit organization whose mission is “creating and promoting specialized Tai Chi programs to improve health and quality of life for people with disabilities." She teaches Adapted Tai Chi to Veterans through Dr. Guo’s Applied Tai Chi program. Beth is married to her husband Tom, with whom she has 2 sons, Brock and Ian.

Kenny Alika Keawekane has been performing, teaching, and choreographing professionally for the past 12 years. Jack of all trades, master of none, he is constantly striving to be a better performer/artist, engulfing himself in other types and styles of venues and dance, learning what he can from music and video editing, costume and prop design to technical and stage direction. He loves all forms of art and creativity and loves collaborations with other artists or styles of art and dance. He has performed and assisted choreography for numerous theater shows including Rocky Horror Picture Show (choreographed and played Dr. Frankenfurter), Hairspray and Grease and has donated his time to numerous charities teaching dance or performing including Chattanooga Cares, American Cancer Society, Special Olympics, Tennessee Valley Pride, and many more. Being apart of “The Floor Is Yours” & “Wide Open Floor” at the Barking Legs Theater, he was introduced to his previous dance company, WEAVE, where he performed for the Chattanooga Roller Girls half time show and Palate to Palette Events. Through his dance crew, COMMIX, he has performed at the Hunter Museum and various other local gigs. And with the help of The Pop-Up Project, he has been part of some amazing experiences including the “Big 9 Art Bash” at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, “AmuseUm: License to Thrill” Fundraiser for the Creative Discovery Museum, the Abandoned Arts Project and appearing in their dance film “The Light We Share.” He has been on Eric Paslay’s “High Class” and other local artists' music videos including Kindora Camp and Call Me Spinster, commercials including TUL pens, Rezli, and Perception Kayaks, and has danced on stage for Lizzo, Mya, and more. He is on summer break from teaching and choreographing for the Coffee County High School’s Center Stage Singers and the Advanced Hip Hop Class at the Chattanooga Dance Theater. He performs under the persona, “Panda,” and helps host intermission games at DragRave at The Wanderlinger Brewing Company, performs in Kreature Von Tonic’s “Kreature Feature,” and many other alternative drag venues. His Queer House, “House of Quartz,” (Mix of queer arts) is in the infant stage but part of their group has helped in the creation of “Tracing Abandoned Tracks.” Born in Maui, Hawaii and raised in Pennsylvania, he currently resides in Chattanooga, TN. with his partner, Jesse, and their two fur babies, Chewie and She-Ra. He works as a land surveyor for Beginning Point Surveys. He has volunteered his time for local community planning groups including Southeast Community Planning Group and the MSM Taskforce, both groups geared towards educating and promoting positive sexual health in the local community. He is an Ambassador for CEMPA and helps his husband at community events for Choice Health Network. He has also held two titles (Mr. BearBust 2018 & Mr. North American Bear 2018) that he represented and traveled all over the Southeast USA to educate, promote, and raise money for local charities. He is currently working towards competing at World Bear in Orlando for Mr. World Cub 2022 this upcoming fall. His hobbies include crafting, folding origami, poi ball spinning and other flow art toys, playing video games, skiing, going to festivals and events, binge watching TV Shows and DANCING!

Kenny has enjoyed working on the “Tracing Abandoned Tracks” Film. He has had the pleasure of scouting for locations, finding costumes, helping with the sound score and working with a cast of amazing, diverse artists. Working with these beautiful individuals has helped him find a positive outlet for his creativity, growth, and sharing of ideas, stories, and hardships which helped in the development of the film. He is very excited for the next set of projects for the Collaborative Roots and being able to help create and mold activism and performing art together during this period in time. He can not thank Ann Law enough for helping to create a safe space to breathe, connect, share, inspire, and grow as an eclectic artist.

Kevon aka Novek Newi aka Image has been dancing since the age of 10 in hopes to map out healing through motion and words. At the age of 17 he took dance to new levels while also participating in various community events. The last few years and experience lead to Novek becoming the Founder of Feels Doetry Production. A collaborative production that helps artist express themselves beyond the means of mere words. This Production has become a family and will eventually grow to all corners of the world.