Local Motion Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to the belief that all people benefit from moving their bodies and having the opportunity to partake in creative experiences. Our participants are diverse in age, race, ethnicity, income, body type, gender, and sexual orientation. Their relationship to dance ranges from dance appreciator to student to professional. Our work is not limited to a specific audience, but rather geared to bring all types of people together.
We believe we have a responsibility as educators and artists to increase people's understanding of dance and its physical, cognitive, emotional, and social benefits. We see a need in communities for an expanded definition of dance, one that does not limit access, but rather offers and educates its population in the many ways to engage with dance. We continue to research and develop programming that is in line with needed social change, inclusive and culturally relevant practices, progressive educational philosophies, and current trends in the field of dance. We are dedicated to curating new and exciting experiences for our community by bringing people together in collective movement experiences.
ARTISTS/EDUCATORS, STAFF & BOARD
Sara Lavan
Founder, Executive/Artistic Director, Teaching Artist
Sara Lavan is the founder of Local Motion Project where she serves as Executive and Artistic Director. She creates, curates, and facilitates programming including adult movement classes, continuing education, youth dance classes, creative community workshops, and school residencies. Here she is the director of the LMP Collective, a multigenerational dance company, and the LMP Youth ensemble. Her dance training began in Sandy Hook/Newtown Connecticut studying ballet with Marsah Ismailoff Mark. Her experience was creative, positive and encouraged artistry. These beginnings set her on a dance path that was dynamic and never felt limited. Sara received her BA from New York University. In New York she studied with many with Igal Perry and Deborah Damast being the most influential on her journey, and showing up in her teaching and creating to this day. When she moved to Alexandria VA, she was b fortunate to learn from, dance with, and choreograph for Choreographers Collaboration Project which has been an essential part of her growth as an artist. Sara received her Pilates training at the Kane School of Core Integration. She has continuing education from Kinected Pilates Center, Balanced Body University, Franklin Method with Eric Franklin, BrainDance developed by Anne Green Gilbert, Pregnancy and Postpartum fitness with Debora Goodman, MSPT, arts integration from the University of Delaware, Language of Dance (LOD) from 92nd Street Y, dance integration from Kennedy Center’s Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) program, and National Dance Education Organization (NDEO). Sara has been published in Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher, and Dance Studio Life. She has presented at NDEO conferences, partnered with Smithsonian Institute and Folklife Festival on programming, and facilitated professional development for Arena Stage. She is currently a teaching artist with the Kennedy Center’s CETA program and Teaching Artists Present online library, as well as Encore University, an online program for aging creatively. Contact: slavan@localmotionproject.org
Rebecca Weiss
Director of Marketing and Digital Media, Teaching Artist
Cameron Estes
Director of Youth and Family Programs, Teaching Artist
Cameron teaches Creative Dance for LMP. Originally from Raleigh, NC, Cameron was quite literally ‘raised on a farm.’ Growing up as a participant and competitor in equine sports and activities, Cameron was introduced to movement at the age of fifteen through the marching arts. From there, her love for dance, movement, and color guard took off. While performing in the DCI and WGI circuits, Cameron also attended Western Carolina University earning a BA in Classics and a minor in dance. Since graduating, she has taught and performed with color guards across the country with groups such as First Flight World and Bluecoats Indoor. Cameron has a passion for introducing movement to young people; in addition to teaching at LMP, she brings color guard to local neighborhoods in the hopes of bringing opportunity to places that it wouldn’t otherwise be brought. She coaches and choreographs for local high school groups and enjoys performing when her schedule allows. Cameron always aims to be a light to her students in the hopes that movement can be the refuge for them that it always has been for her.
Christine Heckel
Operations Assistant, Teaching Artist, Private Pilates Instructor
Christine teaches Mind-Body Ballet and Private Pilates at LMP. She grew up in Tucson, Arizona and since then has devoted 20+ years to the art of classical ballet as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. In 2009 Christine was introduced to Pilates and found it provided strength and control in her dance technique, as well as a method to both prevent and rehabilitate injuries. Her desire to share this with her students led to continuing her studies of movement, anatomy, and kinesiology through a contemporary, anatomical approach to Pilates. She studied at Balance Pilates Training Center in Richmond, Virginia and obtained her full certification as a STOTT PILATES® Certified Instructor in 2011. This includes training in all levels of Matwork, Reformer, Cadillac, Stability Chair, and Barrels as well as training in the use of props and exercise modifications through the Injuries and Special Populations (ISP) course. Christine is a Merrithew™ Lead Instructor Trainer specializing in offering STOTT PILATES® certification courses to aspiring Pilates instructors. She is also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. She currently teaches at multiple studios throughout NoVA, and is Owner/Operator of Breathe Pilates Place in La Plata, MD. She currently practices multiple aerial arts including: flying trapeze, lyra, acrobatic partner balancing, and dance trapeze. She has practiced yoga for 15 years and believes that the mind/body/spirit connection is at the core of all forms of movement. Learn about Christine's work with Breathe Pilates Place.
Marina Cridge
Teaching Artist
Hannah Redding
Teaching Artist
Hannah is a ballet teacher who has lived and trained all over the east coast. From early on her passion for dance has been in teaching and is dedicated to helping dancers love their craft. Hannah has been teaching for seven years in Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Virginia. She was assistant director at Riverwalk Youth Ballet in North Carolina and is certified in Progressive Ballet Technique (PBT), and innovative conditioning and body strengthening program used to enhance technique and help with injury prevention. She has developed and facilitated intensives, camps and productions,, including choreography for an original musical in North Carolina. She has trained dancers and choreographed for competition teams of all levels, including the Young American Grand Prix (YAGP), an international ballet competition. She is currently working on her degree in sociology and plans on focusing on dance in her education.
Tabata Vara
Teaching Artist
Cierra Kaler-Jones
Teaching Artist
Beth Tiegs
Teaching Artist
Devon "Steel Toe" Wallace
Teaching Artist
Silvia Burstein-Hendi
Teaching Artist
Silvia teaches Adult Ballet at LMP. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she studied at the National School of Dance, obtaining her degree as National Teacher, and studied at the prestigious Teatro Colon where she obtained her Diploma as Professional Dancer. Ms. Burstein performed extensively in Canada with Le Ballet Classique de Montreal, Theatre Ballet of Canada, P.M. Ottawa Jazz and Le Groupe Lab (Le Groupe de la Place Royale). Ms. Burstein’s teaching experience includes Le Groupe de la Place Royale, Elaine Hunter Dance School, Le Petit Ballet, Dance Educators, Atelier de Dance Carole Brouard, and Ottawa University. She choreographs and performs with Choreographers Collaboration Project.
Jason James
Teaching Artist
Lauren DeVera
Teaching Artist
Lauren teaches Hip-Hop at Local Motion Project. She is a certified life coach, trauma-informed wellness facilitator, dance educator, and choreographer dedicated to empowering others through movement, mindfulness, introspection, and self-care. She received her degree in Dance Performance and Communications from Old Dominion University and has been teaching professionally for 11 years. A distinguished thought leader in the arts community with performance and teaching credits including The Kennedy Center, Howard Theatre, Dance Place DC, Culture Shock DC, World of Dance, BET, CW Network, George Washington University, NPR, and Dept. of Energy. Combining her love for people and the arts, she created & founded The Lion’s Den, an inclusive community connecting through movement, wellness, and self-expression. A passionate self-care facilitator, Lauren thrives in hosting workshops and wellness events centered around connection, transformation, and living on purpose. She's the host and creator of the Thrive + Thread podcast, a sacred soul space for others to lean into healing, self-love, personal growth, and creativity. You can find her reading, writing, and drinking coffee in her free time. She is honored to be on the LMP staff and adores her students! (BA, RYT 200, CAPP, MSBR-T, CLC, MFT) Learn about Lauren's work with The Lion's Den.
Kelly Postula
Teaching Artist
Melody Dillon
Teaching Artist
Melody teaches youth Ballet for LMP. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet and Modern Dance from Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. While at Belhaven, she studied under numerous experts in the field of dance including former professionals from The Royal Ballet and Houston Ballet. Melody has extensive training and experience in ballet, modern, and contemporary, and performed numerous roles both on stage and working in production. Melody has danced professionally with The Limelight Collective in Berlin, Germany and Todd Rosenlieb Dance in Norfolk, Virginia. In addition to performing, Melody has a heart for teaching and desires to walk alongside dancers of all ages to help them become the best dancers they can be. When Melody isn’t dancing, you can usually find her in community theater productions, doing yoga, or walking her dog!
Renee Miller
Teaching Artist
Renee teaches Aerial Hammock at LMP. She has been practicing aerial yoga, hammock and acrobatics since 2012 and teaching aerial hammock at LMP since 2015. She has completed level 1 and 2 training, and has worked as an aerial teacher trainer. Given the choice, she would spend most of her time upside down. With adults her classes are anatomically focused explorations of movement and action in the body. When teaching children she embraces fun, age appropriate yoga that encourages kids to develop healthy and peaceful minds and bodies. Her sense of humor infuses her approach to life, including her practice and teaching. By approaching the asana practice in a humorous, playful and light-hearted way, she hopes to find the depth of human experience that we all share.
Renee Campbell
Teaching Artist
Jeneen Piccuirro
Teaching Artist
Baakari Wilder
Teaching Artist
Baakari is internationally known for starring in the Broadway musical Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk. He received a Bessie Award for his performance, and later assumed the lead role for a year. He has also received the Pola Nirenska Award for achievement in dance. Baakari's dancing has delighted audiences around the world in places such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, France, Africa, Brazil, Germany, Japan, and Russia. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre from the University of Maryland at College Park. He shares his knowledge of tap dancing through his role as assistant artistic director of the Washington D.C. based company Capitol Tap.
Grace Matson
Work-Study
Shauntay Williams
Work-Study
Shauntay is a native of New York City, born and raised in Brooklyn having lived in Manhattan, Staten Island and Harlem USA. She currently resides with her wife in Virginia.
Shauntay has enjoyed living a patchwork quilt life, she’s performed professionally as an actress on stage, film (TV and Cinema) and she’s worked as a standardized patient/client performing many roles for different organizations including medical schools and law firms utilizing her acting skills as a teaching tool for communication and other profession specific skill such as bedside manner. She’s worked for three different companies as a certified hypnotherapist, when it was still quite under the radar. She has done adoption case management among other social service work over the years. She worked as a monitor engineer for Record Books, a fitness instructor landing contracts with The NYC Department of Health and at Senior Citizen Centers. Basically, there is not much that Shauntay has not done in her endeavor to learn explore and grow in this lifetime. She has a BA in Sociology Human Based Relations, She became an Interfaith Minister with All Faiths Seminary International with Rabbi Gelberman and continues to learn and explore ways to live creatively and fully.
Shauntay has walked across hot coals twice, climbed up to the top of a telephone pole and jumped off, fallen backwards off a platform into the arms of strangers and even took an arial class!!!! Her love for dance has led her to study many forms from ballet, Graham, Horton, Dunham, Simonson Jazz, African Dance, Middle Eastern (bellydance), Haitian Dance, Pole Dance, NIA Dance- ok, anything with Dance in it she’s tried.
Shauntay loves exploring and playing!
Viktoria Colón
Work-Study
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Brenna Cooley, President
Meg Williams, Treasurer
Samia Byrd
Kelsey Issacs
Freda Briggman
Ashley Price