DANCER, ASSITANT DRAMATURG

Rachel Cox Culver is a dance artist based in Austin, TX. Culver performs with Ventana Ballet, NobleMotion Dance and Sea Legs Dance, along with various freelance projects throughout Texas. Formerly, she danced with Nicolay Dance Works and as an apprentice with Bruce Wood Dance. Culver holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Sam Houston State University. She hails from Elida, NM where she studied classical and contemporary ballet and spent her summers studying with the Kirov Academy of Ballet, among others. When out of the studio, Rachel loves to spend time with her husband Gabriel and her dog, Chief.

DANCER

Kanami, originally from Tokyo, Japan, started dancing ballet at the age of three in Portland, Oregon. Upon returning back to Japan, she went to Noriko Kobayashi Ballet Academy and The Tokyo Ballet School to further her classical ballet training. In high school, she enrolled in professional program at the Quinte Ballet School of Canada, where she studied various dance styles, including ballet, modern, jazz and hip hop. After graduating with the honors, she went to The University of Texas at Austin, Theater and Dance Department. Majoring in Dance, she worked with various American choreographers including Charles O. Anderson, Alex Ketley, Abby Zbikowski, Kate Watson-Wallace and Sidra Bell. Upon graduation, she returned back to Japan and has performed in many projects by choreographers including Pichet Klunchun, Kota Yamazaki, Kazuyuki Futami, and Naoya Aoki and also choreographed her own work. Her solo work, "Optimize Obligation" was selected for Barnstorm Dance Festival Digital Edition 2020.

Currently, Kanami is in Austin as a freelance dancer and has performed in productions by Ventana Ballet, Sea Legs Dance, Early Era Collective and other individual projects. Kanami loves the dance community in Austin and is so happy to be part of it.

DANCER

Meggie Belisle is a mover, a mother, and a lover of listening. She is the founder and Artistic Director of Mei/Co. Dance and has performed, choreographed, and taught nationally and internationally.

As a performer, Meggie has danced with Ad Deum Dance Company, Ingredients Dance Company, Arise Dance Company in The Netherlands, Roxey Ballet, Ad Deum Dance Company, Open Sky Arts Collective, The Next Stage Project, and various projects in NYC.

Meggie’s choreography has traveled from Texas to NYC and throughout various parts of Europe. She graduated with a BFA in dance from Belhaven University. Meggie is passionate about sharing her art with others and dancing alongside her favorite dance partner, her daughter, Zuli.

DANCER

Lisa is an Austin, Tx unicorn with a BFA in Dance from UT Austin, and an MA in Dance Performance from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London. She lived, taught and produced dance/theater work in NYC, performing with companies including Kristin Sudeikis Dance and Depth Dance. In Austin, Lisa works with various artists including Blue Lapis Light, Ventana Ballet, Jennifer Sherburn, BLiPSWiTCH, Ellen Bartel and Andrea Ariel Dance Theatre, and frequently produces choreography and adjudicates for the McCallum HS Dance Department. Lisa was a KDH company member from 2016 through 2022, and simultaneously worked alongside Austin Dance Festival to co-produce the "Dance on Film" screenings. Most recently she has been a co-producer and performer in “Dance Carousel” and looks forward to more seasons of this. For Lisa it has been a profound experience and total honor to work with Ty and the glorious cast of “From Inferno to Americana”!

Photo by Stephen Pruitt

DANCER, ASSISTANT DRAMATURG

Elaine Fields is a dance artist, yoga, and barre fitness instructor in Austin, TX. She started her professional career in Phoenix, AZ, with the Graham-based company, Center Dance Ensemble, for the late Frances Cohen and Diane McNeal Hunt before moving to Houston as a freelance artist, performing for Jenifer Mabus and Heather VonReichbauer, among others. She is beyond excited, thankful, and humbled to be performing for TY&CO with all of these amazing artists!

DANCER

Connor Timpe graduated from UT Austin with a BFA in dance, after which he performed with various companies in Texas including Arcos, NunaMaana and Galveston Ballet. During a brief break due to covid, he persued his other passion in tech and currently works as a full time software developer. He is now balancing his 9-5 while performing with Ty Grainor and Sea Legs dance. He is so thankful for the wonderful Austin and First Street Studio community who are willing to work around his schedule.

DANCER

Laura Corral was born and raised in far west Texas where she developed her love for movement, and music. Laura received most of her dance training in her hometown of El Paso. She had the opportunity to dive into Limón technique with the Limón Institute where she trained with Alan Danielson, Becky Brown, Risa Steinberg, Kathryn Altar, Belinda McGuire, and Ryoko Kudo. She has had the opportunity to perform works by several choreographers; among her favorites: Doris Humphrey, José Limón, Martha Graham, Maxine Steinman, Ila Conoley Paladino, and Emily Morgan. She founded Mountain Movement Dance Company (MMDC) based in El Paso, TX which was invited to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017. Upon her move to ATX, she collaborated with members of MMDC and visual artists from the Juarez/El Paso region to bring Ruta, an exploratory duet danced inside a school bus converted into a mobile art gallery, to the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.

While working on her BFA at the University of Texas at El Paso, Laura explored acting through university classes/productions and The Border Theatre. Laura was cast as a lead actress in a feature film by Centennial films “I See a Darkness”; which was an official selection in 2020 for Austin Revolution Film Festival, El Paso Film Festival, and the 32nd Girona Film Festival in Spain.

Laura is currently working towards her Master’s in Recreational Therapy where she can mesh her various life experiences and passions to work with people of all abilities to pursue their best quality of life. She is beyond grateful and honored to be a part of this cast of generous, lovely humans!

DANCER

Jordan Gilbertson is a movement artist and instructor currently located in Austin, Texas. She is currently pursuing her B.F.A. in dance and B.S. in physics at the University of Texas at Austin and is set to graduate in May of 2024. She is originally from Houston Texas, where she attended high school for performing and visual arts. While in Austin and at the University of Texas at Austin, Jordan has trained under Charles Anderson, Erica Gionfriddo (EG), Gesel Mason, Dorothy O’Shea Overbey, Leah Cox, Magda Riley, and Rachel Meador. As a member of UT’s Dance Repertory Theatre (DRT), she has performed in works by Ido Tadmor, Jesse Zaritt, Charles Anderson, Erica Gionfriddo, Gesel Mason, and Dorothy O’Shea Overbey. She has also served as the rehearsal assistant for Charles Anderson. Other recent performance credits include Common Conservatory’s Create & Perform and American Dance Festival’s Footprints.