Liv Morrow
Quixotic Fusion's Master Instructor Lindsey Olivia Morrow is an aerialist, contortionist, and painter from Tennessee. She began dance and gymnastic classes at age four, and by the age of eight realized her natural inclination toward contortion and performing. The culmination of classes lead to talent shows and performances and in 2006 She was invited to New York City to complete an apprenticeship with Firefly Aerial Dance (now the New York Circus Arts Academy). She returned to Tennessee to complete her Bachelor's degree in fine arts by 2008 and joined Pendulum Dance Theatre in Portland, OR a few months later. Through Pendulum she received training from world renown Mongolian contortionist Tsengelmaa Byambadorj and flexibility coach Alixa Sutton. Pendulum also booked her for special events for Cirque Du Soleil, Intel, and the Portland Art Museum. She has toured with Aerial Experience Productions for their productions of "AD-33," "Imagine Christmas," and "Stories from the Shack" and was featured with AEP in commercials for LG. Liv first performed with Quixotic Fusion in 2010, and is thrilled to relocate to Kansas City to utilize her skills for the growth of the Quixotic school.
Artist in Residence Summer 2012: Lani Gordon
Lani Gordon is an inspired and dedicated movement artist and holistic practitioner. With a life long passion for the art of expression through movement she has studied in Aerial Dance, Fire Dance, Modern Dance, Yoga, Aerial Yoga, Acroyoga, Poi, Hoop, Middle Eastern dance and more. She has performed with Future Simple Project, The String Cheese Incident, Cirque USA, Cosmic Fire, Govinda, Eoto, Las Estrallas, Aircat Aerial, Lynx and Janover and many more. She loves sharing her passion for movement and exploration and has taught for many companies in California and Colorado including Aerial Fabric Acrobatics, Aircat Aerial, The Snowflake Circus, Circus Mecca and the Shiny Mountain Waldorf School circus program. Lani loves inspiring others to find expression and liberation through movement and sees the art that she does as an ecstatic celebration for life.
Laura Jones
Laura Jones was born and raised in Hamilton, Montana, where she began dancing at age six. When she was 14, Laura received a scholarship to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts, where she majored in ballet for all four years of high school. Laura then danced professionally with the second company of the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and with the Missouri Contemporary Ballet. Since moving to Kansas City in 2008, Laura has been a principal dancer and a choreographer with Quixotic.
Devan Smith
Devan Smith is from Lees Summit, Missouri . A dancer since the age of three, Devan has trained and performed in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, contemporary, and hip-hop. She majored in Modern and Ballet in the Conservatory at the University of Kansas City Missouri. She won Top Gun Hip Hop three consecutive years at NDA (National Dance Alliance) camp and has been a member of NDA on college and high school level for five years. Devan has won numerous awards as a dancer and choreographer including the National Championship in hip-hop at Lindenwood University at UDA, two state championships for Lees Summit North's dance team, and scholarships to New York City Dance Alliance. Devan won the Future Star Award and was featured in Dance Spirit Magazine, has danced in an auto insurance commercial, is the face of OXYjEN dance wear by Jennifer Balanga, and featured on Parisi coffee packaging. She performed in Afternoon of the Faun at UMKC choreographed by Jerri Kumery. She has performed with the cast members of the Broadway show Wicked for a benefit show and worked with many choreographers including, Mia Michaels, Travis Wall, Many Castro, Chris Moss, Gary Abbott, NYCDA faculty, and more. Devan has been a member of Quixotic Fusion for two years, performing as a dancer and aerialist in hand loop, gyroscope, and net acts.
Megan Stockman is native to Kansas City. She has studied dance in Kansas City, New York, Chicago, Los Angles and Dallas. She trained ballet with Kansas Regional ballet, an RDA honor company under Kathy and Dennis Landsman. She has worked with choreographers such as Sonya Tayeh, Tokyo Kevin Inouye, Keelan Whitmore, Judi Rice, Robert Battle, and Gary Abbott. She is currently working with Quixotic Fusion as a dancer, choreographer, and aerialist. Megan Stockman has performed in a variety of Kansas City venues including Yardley Hall, Midland Theater, Madrid Theater, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and has traveled to cities such as Boulder, Providence, St.Louis, and Anehiem. Her most recent choreographic works include ‘what is this’ the opening group number to Quixotic Fusion’s Paix Revuse which was a high energy dance inspired by unique pop music flare and high fashion ; Undercurrent, a collaboration with Brittany Duskin (also a Quixotic member) involving the integration between dance and performance technology. Megan Stockman has developed a unique and effective dance style evolving her experience from ballet, modern and hip hop. Her esthetic goes beyond technique to share a deeper understanding of dance and music. She brings her dance background and strength into the air doing aerial silks, trapeze, lyra, wall dancing, and aerial triangle. She continues to develop all new works on custom built aerial apparatuses.
Brie Blakeman (Luna Breeze) has been teaching beginner to advanced hula-hoop classes in Kansas City and nationally since 2006. She has taught at Bella Performing Art Studio (2006), Sunshine Yoga (2006-2007), Scott Fitness (2007), City In Motion Dance Theatre (2007-2011), Pembroke Elementary (2011), Learning2Fly Circus Center (2010-2011) and Quixotic Performance Studios (Present), and teaches at several renowned Hula-Hoop retreats every year. Luna is a full time performer specializing in traditional circus style hula-hoop performance and aerial fabrics. She began her performance career in 2006 with Kaivalya Hoop Dancers from Denver Colorado and has toured as far an India contracted by Samsung Mobile to promote the 2008 Olympics. In 2010 her company Luna Breeze Performance Art received an award as an honored Kansas City performance company from Kansas City Arts Coalition, where she was selected to perform at a distinguished award ceremony. Luna is constantly immersing herself in studies of dance, acrobatics, yoga, conditioning and all things circus. She spends her days managing her company, training for performance and studying the human body to insure that her students and she advance efficiently, safely and happily weather performer or hobbyist!
Jenny Prohaska
Jenny Prohaska is from Leawood, Kansas. She has a background in trapeze, aerial silks, lyra, and swing. Her training background prior to aerial arts included competitive cheerleading, dance, and theater. She has performed and competed internationally for the past two years. Jenny is most passionate about teaching aerial skills to beginners and seeing the progression and confidence it brings to her students.
Zonte “Jigsaw” Warren was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Jigsaw has been dancing for 17yrs and is still continuing to grow in the art of dance. He created an all street dance company known as Jigsaw Production in 2010 and is still growing and spreading tthroughout Kansas City and the Midwest today. Jigsaw first started popping at the age of 17 but has been in love with dancing since he was a young child. With his passion for street dance, he created internationally known events such as “Best of the Best International Street Dance Competition”, “Jam Fest Dance Competition” and Street Jam Live where well-known dancers from around the world come to the heart of America, Kansas City, to meet, learn and battle against each other. Jigsaw has learned from master dancers who taught and worked with Micheal Jackson, Janet Jackson, Chris Brown, Missy Eliot, Justin Timberlake and more. He has also traveled around the world such as LA, NY, Chicago, Omaha, Atlanta, Korea, France and more to study dance and the street dance culture to better himself and also help others. His passion for this culture has brought him to create Jigsaw Production, which is now working with the school districts and community as an after school programs in Kansas City to educate the right history, terms, styles, and culture of street dance. He teaches the difference between choreography and freestyle dancing, the difference in street styles and names, how to freestyle, how to pick up and create your own choreography, rhythm and dance, technique, how to be strong, how to be solid and much more. Giving everyone the opportunity to better themselves and become more well rounded in the art of dance period. Class should be called "Street Dance Class" but not (hip hop). Providing styles: Hip Hop, Popping, New Style, House, Rhythm and Dance, Krumping, choreography and more.
Brandon Draper
Since moving to Kansas City in 2006, Brandon Draper has quickly become one of the
most sought after musicians in the U.S. In addition to freelancing and teaching, he
currently performs on percussion and drum set with Quixotic, Alaturka, Flamenco Mio,
Brandon Draper Group, Free Band Radio, and solo with Organic Proof.
Draper has performed at many festivals, universities, and concert halls throughout North
America. His extensive resume includes performances with both the New Mexico and
Santa Fe Symphony Orchestras and the Kansas City Symphony. In contemporary and
jazz settings, Draper has performed and/or recorded with Ottmar Liebert, DJ Logic,
Particle, Donna Summer, Mose Allison, Steve Coleman, Dick Oatts, Mike Moreno,
Bobby Watson, and Kevin Hays. Most recently he performed in the critically acclaimed
world premiere of the new hiphop musical Venice in Los Angeles Fall 2010, and
premiered his original composition “Bass Darabukas” with Quixotic and the Kansas City
Symphony in Spring of 2011.
As an educator, Draper has taught at the University of New Mexico, University of
Missouri Kansas City, East Mountain High School, multiple high schools throughout the
Midwest and Southwest as a clinician and as world and marching percussion consultant.
He has led master-classes at the Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion in Kansas,
Nebraska, and New Mexico, and performed at the Percussive Arts Society International
Convention. He has also led workshops at Music Educators Association conferences in
New Mexico, Kansas, and Missouri.
Currently Draper is on music faculty at the University of Kansas, percussion director
at Shawnee Mission West High School, and music director at Kansas City Academy.
He holds a Bachelors degree in percussion performance from Bethany College, and a
Masters of Music with distinction from the University of New Mexico.