Company

COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES

Grace Cannon (she/her) trained as a baby ballerina and tap kid. She continued with jazz, modern, and ballroom as a teen and adult. Cannon performed and choreographed with community theater, Glade Dance, NACHMODC, and SylviDances/Sylvana Christopher original productions. She encourages everyone to always accept an invitation to dance.

Sylvana Christopher (she/her) is a DC native. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography from The Ohio State University. She is the Artistic Director of SylviDances. She educates youth in the art of dance at Dance Place, Inspired Child, and Sitar Arts Center. She is also a first grade dance teacher at Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School. Christopher is curious about international dance forms, spiritual movement, improvisation, and dance in healing spaces. She is a graduate of the ICONS Choreographic Institute’s Smart program. She choreographed work for Arts United of Washington, Bowen McCauley Dance, DancEthos, Glade Dance, and Word Dance Theater. She made works for Capital Fringe and taught at Duke Ellington School for the Arts. She collaborated with Gallaudet Model Secondary School for the Deaf, Howard Community College, and St. Columba’s Church. She is open to choreographic commissions!

Aaron Jackson is thrilled to be dancing with SylviDances. Before reuniting with Sylvana Christopher, Aaron performed with 17th Street Dance. He also performed with DancEthos and the DC Cowboys, just to name a few. He earned his BA in Dance. He studied at the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland in College Park. He feels nothing but gratitude to be back on stage. He brings a philosophy of loving the audience to every performance he is fortunate enough to be a part of.

Rachel Lawal is a DC-based modern dancer and choreographer, co-founder of Vigorous Roots. She is a native New Yorker. In her youth, she trained in the Humphrey Technique in modern and classical ballet. She attended the Brooklyn College Center for the Performing Arts, USDAN Center for the Arts, and Alvin Ailey summer intensive. Rachel is passionate about movement, and besides dancing practices Pilates, animal flow techniques, and yoga. As a Polestar Pilates trained instructor, Rachel enjoys helping people of all ages, body types, and backgrounds move better. She guides them in finding their own ease and strength. She also teaches modern dance and is an Authorized Scolio-Pilates® practitioner.

Maggie Lockhart (she/her) Titanium/Ceramic hipped dancer seen in NYC, VA, MD, DC and beyond. Loud, jubilant, scarf wielding dance educator with movers ages 2-85.  Wildly in love wife and mama who snuck into Baryshnikov’s dressing room circa 2003. Front row cheering section for all things SylviDances.

Keith Macadandang Born and raised in Hawaii, Keith Macadangdang is a modern contemporary dancer. He has a degree in dance and business from Western Oregon University. He has performed in DC, Maryland, Hawaii, Washington State and Oregon throughout his 12 years of dance. Keith started as a self-taught Hip Hop dancer. He created performances for his high school assemblies. Later, he learned different styles from WOU. He has danced for Darryl Thomas, Rainbow Dance Theatre, Cynthia Garner, ClancyWorks, Light Switch Dance Theatre, and SylviDances.

Deanna Woodman (they/she) is a queer, nonbinary choreographer and performer based in Washington, DC since 2018. A California native, they trained in the Bay Area. They performed with the Bay Area’s Teen Dance Company. They also performed with Mark Foehringer’s Dance Project and at Radio Disney promotional events. During college, Deanna was a company member of ArtistEDGE and the Natasha Cartlitz Dance Ensemble. Since relocating to DC, they have choreographed for NACHMODC and the Dance Canvas Festival. They also served as a guest soloist for Gallaudet’s Dance Company. As a SylviDances company member, Deanna regularly performs throughout the DC area. Deanna enjoys building inclusive dance communities and weaving activism for social justice through their artistic practice.

SylviDances, founded in 2016, is a DC dance company that engages the community with accessible dance theater work. We choreograph and collaborate on works that speak to the human condition. SylviDances curates 5X5, a paired down showing of fresh dance works by 5 choreographers. 

Behind the scenes support includes: Robert Cannon (photography) and David Dowling (photography and videography).