Performance Playbill
Beacon Dance
Presents
Moving Bodies/Moving Hearts/Moving Minds IV:
An evening of 4 new dances
April 10-12, 2026
The B Complex Gallery
1272 Murphy Avenue SW
Atlanta, GA
Playbill
True Middle
Choreography by Merryn McKeough, in collaboration with the dancers
Music by Steve Treseler, Antonio Sánchez, ML Buch, Nourished by Time, The Only Ones
Costumes by Merryn McKeough, with support from Caroline Alcott and Alyssa McCart
Performed by Caroline Alcott, Chi Rung Chan, Faith Fidgeon, Mia Shocket
The Last Rest Stop Before Jupiter
Choreographed by Lyrric Jackson
Music Composition by Dr. Nkululeko Zungu
Live chant “Song for Jupiter” written and composed by Lyrric Jackson
Costume Design by Bernard Jackson
Additional costuming by JLuxLabel
Performed by Lyrric Jackson and Dr. Nkululeko Zungu
10 Minute Intermission
Nothing More To Say
Choreography by Bibby Agbabiaka, in collaboration with the dancers
Music by Nasir Scott, Ragz Originale, Demae, Kendrick Lamar, Shiro Sagisu, Taro Umebayashi, Taro Umebayashi, Babatunde Olatunji, Harold Budd, Brian Eno, Nasir Scott
Costumes Designed by Bibby Agbabiaka, individual pieces supplied by Bibby and the dancers
Performed by Ilo Elder, Jaeda Samuel-McKnight and Bibby Agbabiaka
These are a few of my favorite…
Choreographic Direction by D. Patton White
Music by morimoto naoki, John d’Andrea, Michael Lloyd, Mitchell Parish, Peter DeRose, Luis Guglielmi, Mack David, Marcel Eugene Algeron, Charles Strouse, Johann Johannson
Costumes by D. Patton White and the performers
Performed by Leah Behm, Rose Shields, Matthew Smith, D. Patton White and Carly Wynans
Choreography by Merryn McKeough, in collaboration with the dancers
Music by Steve Treseler, Antonio Sánchez, ML Buch, Nourished by Time, The Only Ones
Costumes by Merryn McKeough, with support from Caroline Alcott and Alyssa McCart
Performed by Caroline Alcott, Chi Rung Chan, Faith Fidgeon, Mia Shocket
The Last Rest Stop Before Jupiter
Choreographed by Lyrric Jackson
Music Composition by Dr. Nkululeko Zungu
Live chant “Song for Jupiter” written and composed by Lyrric Jackson
Costume Design by Bernard Jackson
Additional costuming by JLuxLabel
Performed by Lyrric Jackson and Dr. Nkululeko Zungu
10 Minute Intermission
Nothing More To Say
Choreography by Bibby Agbabiaka, in collaboration with the dancers
Music by Nasir Scott, Ragz Originale, Demae, Kendrick Lamar, Shiro Sagisu, Taro Umebayashi, Taro Umebayashi, Babatunde Olatunji, Harold Budd, Brian Eno, Nasir Scott
Costumes Designed by Bibby Agbabiaka, individual pieces supplied by Bibby and the dancers
Performed by Ilo Elder, Jaeda Samuel-McKnight and Bibby Agbabiaka
These are a few of my favorite…
Choreographic Direction by D. Patton White
Music by morimoto naoki, John d’Andrea, Michael Lloyd, Mitchell Parish, Peter DeRose, Luis Guglielmi, Mack David, Marcel Eugene Algeron, Charles Strouse, Johann Johannson
Costumes by D. Patton White and the performers
Performed by Leah Behm, Rose Shields, Matthew Smith, D. Patton White and Carly Wynans
From the Artistic Director:
Welcome to our fourth annual Moving Bodies/Moving Hearts/Moving Minds Repertory Concert. These four new works at the intersection of Art and Activism offer a glimpse into the aesthetics and activism of four choreographers addressing social justice. Please join us for a brief talk back with the artists and audience following the performance each evening.
--Patton
Welcome to our fourth annual Moving Bodies/Moving Hearts/Moving Minds Repertory Concert. These four new works at the intersection of Art and Activism offer a glimpse into the aesthetics and activism of four choreographers addressing social justice. Please join us for a brief talk back with the artists and audience following the performance each evening.
--Patton
Technical Staff:
Lighting Design and Board Operator: Noah Hill
Sound Board Operator: Andre Lumpkin
Tech Crew: Andre Lumpkin, Sawyer Gray, Thales Lathrop, Gamble Everett, Courtney
Front of House:
Welcome Table: Nancy White
Concessions: Jacquelyn Pritz, Shannon Turner, Millicent Johnnie, Susan Keller, Lynn Hesse
Gate Attendants: Anne Wheeler, Kimberly Merritt, Chris McCord
Photographer: John Ramspott
Lighting Design and Board Operator: Noah Hill
Sound Board Operator: Andre Lumpkin
Tech Crew: Andre Lumpkin, Sawyer Gray, Thales Lathrop, Gamble Everett, Courtney
Front of House:
Welcome Table: Nancy White
Concessions: Jacquelyn Pritz, Shannon Turner, Millicent Johnnie, Susan Keller, Lynn Hesse
Gate Attendants: Anne Wheeler, Kimberly Merritt, Chris McCord
Photographer: John Ramspott
Beacon Dance Board of Directors 2025-2026
Eleanor Brownfield, Lynn Hesse, Susan Keller, Chris McCord, Kimberly Merritt, Jacquelyn Pritz, Ann Ritter, Alex Spitzer, D. Patton White
Eleanor Brownfield, Lynn Hesse, Susan Keller, Chris McCord, Kimberly Merritt, Jacquelyn Pritz, Ann Ritter, Alex Spitzer, D. Patton White
Artist Biographies
Habibulai ‘Bibby’ Agbabiaka (Choreographer and Performer)
Bibby Agbabiaka is an Atlanta-based dancer and multimedia artist from Lagos, Nigeria. He graduated from Emory University in 2024 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance and Marketing. There he was awarded the 2024 Budnick Award for Transformation Through Creativity. Since graduation, Bibby has immersed himself in the Atlanta dance community and continued his dance training under the Stage One Training Program with Creatives Rental Space Studio, particularly in the styles of Hip-Hop, Modern, Jazz, and Ballet. He has performed/participated at events such as the Groove2Musik Showcase, the LIFT showcase and the Haus of London Ball. Outside of dance, he practices in graphic design, audiovisual editing, and animation. As he continues on his journey, Bibby seeks to tell stories, through dance and other art forms, that link people together through familiar and unfamiliar experiences.
Caroline Alcott (Performer)
Caroline Alcott is an interdisciplinary movement artist based in Atlanta Georgia. She earned a BFA in Dance (May 2023) from the University of the Arts located in Philadelphia, PA. In the Fall of 2023, Caroline debuted her choreographic work in Atlanta as a recipient of the Meli Kaye Artist Residency. She has presented her choreography at dance festivals such as the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival (2024) and Fall for Fall (2024). Caroline is a company member of Atlanta’s site-specific dance company, Bautanzt Here, where she danced on the Atlanta Beltline as part of the company work, Avoiding Highways (2024). Caroline most recently performed with the Atlanta based artist, Meg Gourley, for the partial completion of her MFA from UWM entitled, In Light of These Regrets (2025). In the Summer of 2022, she spent a month in Italy studying and making performance art at the Santa Reparata International School of Art under the direction and guidance of Mara Flamm & Pietro Gagliano. Over the span of her artistic career, she has honed her skills in photography, film editing, visual arts, costume construction, performance art, and dance. Caroline has performed in works by notable artists including Jesse Zaritt, Curt Haworth, Ashlee Jo Ramsey Borunov, and Nadya Zeitlin.
Leah Behm (Performer)
Leah Behm (she/her) is a dance artist inspired by the connections and relationships between people and how that can shape the self. While she works as an event professional and bartender, having the opportunity to dance and collaborate with local artists and companies such as EXCAVATE BODY and Beacon Dance is what's truly meaningful to her. As a 2021 graduate from Emory, Leah cherishes being a part of the ever flourishing dance community in ATL and all of the amazing artists and humans she has the pleasure of knowing because of it.
Ilo Elder (Performer)
Ilo Elder (they/he) is an emerging Afro-Caribbean choreographer, performer, teacher, and dance researcher. As a recent honors graduate of Emory University, they've notably developed research into the embodied liberatory practices of Afro-diasporic dance. Their research, performance, and choreography has been recognized by Misty Copeland at Emory University, the American College Dance Association, Emory’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, Dance Magazine, and DanceATL. They have worked extensively with like-inspired artists including Julio Medina, Kevin Iega Jeff, and Andre D. Lumpkin (Beacon Dance 2024). Ilo remains inspired by artivism, believing it is an essential tool for rewriting, reclaiming, and unearthing stories of the diaspora.
Faith Fidgeon (Performer)
Faith Fidgeon is a dance artist currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Faith graduated from University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2022 with a BFA in Contemporary Dance and a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship. Faith has recently danced in staibdance's premiere of between dog and wolf, Shen Wei's premiere of Summary at the American Dance Festival, and a collaborative choreographic work with Fly On A Wall. In addition to stage performance, they have danced in circus performances, museum exhibitions, short films, and with Alliance Theater’s Theater for the Very Young. Faith’s current movement practices include countertechnique, release technique, improvisation, yoga, and clowning. Conceptually and aesthetically, they are interested in blurring the lines of theater and dance, repetition, duration, satire, and how performance shows up in our everyday lives.
Lyrric Jackson (Choreographer and Performer)
Lyrric Jackson is an American choreographer, multidisciplinary visual artist, and data scientist. Her work extends across art media via collaborative projects and special events on a global scale. She is currently researching the visceral personal principles of freedom, renewal, and change. Her choreographic work is grounded in contemplative practices and structured improvisation through the contemporary modern dance lens, and inspired by in-depth anthropological and sociological explorations. Lyrric received her Bachelors in Drama with a Concentration in Dance from Spelman College, holds a Masters in Arts Administration and a Masters of Fine Art in LXFM from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She is a National Geographic Certified Educator and an inaugural member of the Peace Studio’s PeaceBuilder Artists Cohort. Her work extends to local and global arts and educational institutions including Spelman College, Brenau University, Emory University, Ubumuntu Arts Festival, Maison Beaulier, and Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company in Kigali, Rwanda.
Lyrric is presenting a new dance work at the American College Dance Association’s 2026 Conference and recently presented a dance work entitled “Yesterday I Felt The Sun On My Face” at Spelman College for the Fall Spelman Dance Theatre 2025 concert. Her work “Psychedelic Strut: 62 + 62” premiered at Brenau University in April 2022 and restaged in Los Angeles, California for the 2024 Women in Dance Conference as a Selected Choreographer in residence with the California State University Northridge Dance Department, while the continuation of the series, “Psychedelic Strut: Red Eyes” premiered at Spelman College in Fall 2022. Her most recent dance work, “command[ME]n(o)t: An Effort to Understand & Surrender Everything”, premiered at the Fall 2022 Emory University Dance Concert. Lyrric is an artist resident at the B-Complex in Atlanta, Georgia, and is an Adjunct Instructor for the Spelman College Department of Dance Performance & Choreography.
Merryn McKeough (Choreographer)
Merryn McKeough is an Atlanta-based choreographer and movement artist. An Emory University graduate, Merryn danced with the Emory Dance Company for four years and presented work at ACDA, receiving highest honors in dance and movement studies. As a choreographer and/or performer, Merryn has worked with the Center for Puppetry Arts, Bautanzt Here, Dance Canvas, Beacon Dance, Fall for Fall Dance Festival, the Decatur Arts Festival, Chattanooga Dance Theatre, and The Goat Farm. Informed by work with Musicians & Movers and Atlanta’s vibrant contact improvisation community, Merryn’s approach to movement is rooted in play.
Jaeda Samuel-McKnight (Performer)
Jaeda Samuel-McKnight graduated from Emory University with a degree in Dance & Movement Studies and Mathematics. She is a recipient of the Questbridge National College Match Scholarship and served as President of Emory’s only all-female belly dance team, Zeebah, since her sophomore year. Jaeda is currently working hard to improve her belly dance skills as a member of Lotus Fusion Dance Ensemble at Atlanta Fusion Dance. Jaeda plans to continue choreographing/dancing professionally post-grad and eventually plans to pursue a J.D. degree and MFA in dance.
Rose Shields (Performer)
I'm Rose Shields, and I'm a Duluth, GA born Dance and Circus Artist who grew up loving music and dance thanks to my parents' and siblings' influence. I received my BFA in Dance from UNCSA. I have had the privilege to work with many talented artists and companies while living in Atlanta and I am forever grateful for them. I'll name a few of them here: Joanna Brooks, Kristyn McGeehan, T. Lang, Bubba Carr, Atarius Armstrong, Core Dance, The Off Centered Project, ELEMENT Circus, and of course, Beacon Dance! I'm grateful for all of you who have come out to see all of the incredible artists tonight. It is my belief that live performances and art works keep our humanity connected, informed, and inspired.
Mia Shocket
Mia Shocket is a dance artist based in Atlanta, GA. She graduated from Emory University in 2024 with highest honors in Dance and Movement Studies, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She is currently working with staibdance and Graham Shelor Dance while pursuing freelance projects. In addition to her work as a dancer, she teaches group fitness classes.
Matthew Smith (Performer)
Having started his dance career with Full Radius Dance in 2018 as an apprentice and joining as a company member in 2019 Matthew Smith is happy to continue performing with Beacon Dance.
Dr. Nkululeko ('Kuza) Zungu (Composer/Musician and Performer)
Dr. Nkululeko ('Kuza) Zungu is a queer South African futurist artist, composer, and sound artist whose work lives at the intersection of healing, ancestry, and emotional liberation. Blending isiZulu storytelling with avant-pop, trip-hop, electronic, deep house, and cinematic composition, he creates genre-fluid sonic worlds where vulnerability becomes a form of power. His artistry is rooted in a lifelong commitment to healing the Black inner child—a recurring thread that shapes both his sound and artistic purpose.
Born and raised in Cape Town and now based in Athens, Georgia, 'Kuza carries the spiritual weight of home in every melody he writes. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Georgia, with degrees from the University of Cape Town and the University of Northern Colorado, and additional studies at UCLA. Grounded in both classical training and experimental practice, his music merges lush harmonic language, textured arrangements, and futuristic production into a sound that feels both ancient and forward-looking.
'Kuza’s creative work explores the intersections of music, identity, embodiment, and communal healing. In Athens, he has collaborated closely with artists such as Lemuel “Life” LaRoche, examining the social and communal impact of sound through performance, dialogue, and interdisciplinary research. His compositions have been performed by ensembles such as Wet Ink and presented in spaces ranging from contemporary museums in Colorado to historic venues in Cape Town, situating his work across both academic and public-facing cultural landscapes.
Honesty sits at the core of 'Kuza’s artistry—the kind that exposes wounds, honors softness, and confronts generational silence. His songs explore fractured relationships, inherited trauma, identity formation, and the quiet resilience required to survive what seeks to silence you. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Sevdaliza, Moses Sumney, and South Africa’s deep house tradition, his sound is expansive, spiritual, and deeply human.
His latest single, “Symptoms of a Fatherless Child (They Will Never Be the Same),” continues his mission of transforming personal pain into sonic ritual. The title carries a deliberate double meaning—speaking both to the permanent impact of absence and the varied ways those symptoms manifest in each child. Through repetition, restraint, and haunting production, the song inhabits the space between grief and release, marking a turning point in his artistic journey: from longing to letting go, from survival to self-preservation.
Across composition, performance, and sound research, 'Kuza seeks not to add to the noise, but to listen—to harmonize with silence. With a growing catalog of original music, cinematic visuals, and an unmistakable artistic identity, he stands as a resonant voice for those navigating the intersections of Blackness, queerness, and healing. His art functions as a sanctuary—tender, futuristic, and fearless—offering permission to feel, to grieve, and to become.
D. Patton White (Choreographer, Performer)
D. Patton White has worked as a dancer and choreographer since 1982, for the stage, site-specific work, and dance for the camera. As Artistic/Administrative Director of Beacon Dance since 1990, he has sought innovative ways to bring art to the public, including site works throughout DeKalb County parks and nature centers, the High Museum of Art, in the former Sears building in Atlanta, in Freedom Park, at the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center, the B Complex in southwest Atlanta, the Emory University Campus, and on the Atlanta BeltLine. White was the Company Manager of Core Dance from 2008-2019, and currently teaches part time at Emory University. He has been an artist in residence at UNLV, Rice University, and Emory University, and has conducted numerous community residencies and his work has been funded by the NEA, South Arts, GCA, Florida Council on Arts & Culture, among others. He has been a member of Alternate ROOTS since 1997.
Carly Wynans (Performer)
Carly Wynans (she/they/he) is an Atlanta-based performer who had her choreographic debut in Beacon Dance's Moving Bodies/Moving Hearts/Moving Minds in 2023. A graduate of Emory University with degrees in Dance and Movement Studies and Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, Carly has performed in works by Corian Ellisor, Atarius Armstrong, Patton White, Leo Briggs, Gregory Catellier, and Jacque Pritz. Carly was honored to be Bates Dance Festival's 2023 Box Office Fellow, and she recently acted as the Stage Manager for Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre's Out of the Box II and Duality.
Habibulai ‘Bibby’ Agbabiaka (Choreographer and Performer)
Bibby Agbabiaka is an Atlanta-based dancer and multimedia artist from Lagos, Nigeria. He graduated from Emory University in 2024 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance and Marketing. There he was awarded the 2024 Budnick Award for Transformation Through Creativity. Since graduation, Bibby has immersed himself in the Atlanta dance community and continued his dance training under the Stage One Training Program with Creatives Rental Space Studio, particularly in the styles of Hip-Hop, Modern, Jazz, and Ballet. He has performed/participated at events such as the Groove2Musik Showcase, the LIFT showcase and the Haus of London Ball. Outside of dance, he practices in graphic design, audiovisual editing, and animation. As he continues on his journey, Bibby seeks to tell stories, through dance and other art forms, that link people together through familiar and unfamiliar experiences.
Caroline Alcott (Performer)
Caroline Alcott is an interdisciplinary movement artist based in Atlanta Georgia. She earned a BFA in Dance (May 2023) from the University of the Arts located in Philadelphia, PA. In the Fall of 2023, Caroline debuted her choreographic work in Atlanta as a recipient of the Meli Kaye Artist Residency. She has presented her choreography at dance festivals such as the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival (2024) and Fall for Fall (2024). Caroline is a company member of Atlanta’s site-specific dance company, Bautanzt Here, where she danced on the Atlanta Beltline as part of the company work, Avoiding Highways (2024). Caroline most recently performed with the Atlanta based artist, Meg Gourley, for the partial completion of her MFA from UWM entitled, In Light of These Regrets (2025). In the Summer of 2022, she spent a month in Italy studying and making performance art at the Santa Reparata International School of Art under the direction and guidance of Mara Flamm & Pietro Gagliano. Over the span of her artistic career, she has honed her skills in photography, film editing, visual arts, costume construction, performance art, and dance. Caroline has performed in works by notable artists including Jesse Zaritt, Curt Haworth, Ashlee Jo Ramsey Borunov, and Nadya Zeitlin.
Leah Behm (Performer)
Leah Behm (she/her) is a dance artist inspired by the connections and relationships between people and how that can shape the self. While she works as an event professional and bartender, having the opportunity to dance and collaborate with local artists and companies such as EXCAVATE BODY and Beacon Dance is what's truly meaningful to her. As a 2021 graduate from Emory, Leah cherishes being a part of the ever flourishing dance community in ATL and all of the amazing artists and humans she has the pleasure of knowing because of it.
Ilo Elder (Performer)
Ilo Elder (they/he) is an emerging Afro-Caribbean choreographer, performer, teacher, and dance researcher. As a recent honors graduate of Emory University, they've notably developed research into the embodied liberatory practices of Afro-diasporic dance. Their research, performance, and choreography has been recognized by Misty Copeland at Emory University, the American College Dance Association, Emory’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, Dance Magazine, and DanceATL. They have worked extensively with like-inspired artists including Julio Medina, Kevin Iega Jeff, and Andre D. Lumpkin (Beacon Dance 2024). Ilo remains inspired by artivism, believing it is an essential tool for rewriting, reclaiming, and unearthing stories of the diaspora.
Faith Fidgeon (Performer)
Faith Fidgeon is a dance artist currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Faith graduated from University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2022 with a BFA in Contemporary Dance and a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship. Faith has recently danced in staibdance's premiere of between dog and wolf, Shen Wei's premiere of Summary at the American Dance Festival, and a collaborative choreographic work with Fly On A Wall. In addition to stage performance, they have danced in circus performances, museum exhibitions, short films, and with Alliance Theater’s Theater for the Very Young. Faith’s current movement practices include countertechnique, release technique, improvisation, yoga, and clowning. Conceptually and aesthetically, they are interested in blurring the lines of theater and dance, repetition, duration, satire, and how performance shows up in our everyday lives.
Lyrric Jackson (Choreographer and Performer)
Lyrric Jackson is an American choreographer, multidisciplinary visual artist, and data scientist. Her work extends across art media via collaborative projects and special events on a global scale. She is currently researching the visceral personal principles of freedom, renewal, and change. Her choreographic work is grounded in contemplative practices and structured improvisation through the contemporary modern dance lens, and inspired by in-depth anthropological and sociological explorations. Lyrric received her Bachelors in Drama with a Concentration in Dance from Spelman College, holds a Masters in Arts Administration and a Masters of Fine Art in LXFM from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She is a National Geographic Certified Educator and an inaugural member of the Peace Studio’s PeaceBuilder Artists Cohort. Her work extends to local and global arts and educational institutions including Spelman College, Brenau University, Emory University, Ubumuntu Arts Festival, Maison Beaulier, and Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company in Kigali, Rwanda.
Lyrric is presenting a new dance work at the American College Dance Association’s 2026 Conference and recently presented a dance work entitled “Yesterday I Felt The Sun On My Face” at Spelman College for the Fall Spelman Dance Theatre 2025 concert. Her work “Psychedelic Strut: 62 + 62” premiered at Brenau University in April 2022 and restaged in Los Angeles, California for the 2024 Women in Dance Conference as a Selected Choreographer in residence with the California State University Northridge Dance Department, while the continuation of the series, “Psychedelic Strut: Red Eyes” premiered at Spelman College in Fall 2022. Her most recent dance work, “command[ME]n(o)t: An Effort to Understand & Surrender Everything”, premiered at the Fall 2022 Emory University Dance Concert. Lyrric is an artist resident at the B-Complex in Atlanta, Georgia, and is an Adjunct Instructor for the Spelman College Department of Dance Performance & Choreography.
Merryn McKeough (Choreographer)
Merryn McKeough is an Atlanta-based choreographer and movement artist. An Emory University graduate, Merryn danced with the Emory Dance Company for four years and presented work at ACDA, receiving highest honors in dance and movement studies. As a choreographer and/or performer, Merryn has worked with the Center for Puppetry Arts, Bautanzt Here, Dance Canvas, Beacon Dance, Fall for Fall Dance Festival, the Decatur Arts Festival, Chattanooga Dance Theatre, and The Goat Farm. Informed by work with Musicians & Movers and Atlanta’s vibrant contact improvisation community, Merryn’s approach to movement is rooted in play.
Jaeda Samuel-McKnight (Performer)
Jaeda Samuel-McKnight graduated from Emory University with a degree in Dance & Movement Studies and Mathematics. She is a recipient of the Questbridge National College Match Scholarship and served as President of Emory’s only all-female belly dance team, Zeebah, since her sophomore year. Jaeda is currently working hard to improve her belly dance skills as a member of Lotus Fusion Dance Ensemble at Atlanta Fusion Dance. Jaeda plans to continue choreographing/dancing professionally post-grad and eventually plans to pursue a J.D. degree and MFA in dance.
Rose Shields (Performer)
I'm Rose Shields, and I'm a Duluth, GA born Dance and Circus Artist who grew up loving music and dance thanks to my parents' and siblings' influence. I received my BFA in Dance from UNCSA. I have had the privilege to work with many talented artists and companies while living in Atlanta and I am forever grateful for them. I'll name a few of them here: Joanna Brooks, Kristyn McGeehan, T. Lang, Bubba Carr, Atarius Armstrong, Core Dance, The Off Centered Project, ELEMENT Circus, and of course, Beacon Dance! I'm grateful for all of you who have come out to see all of the incredible artists tonight. It is my belief that live performances and art works keep our humanity connected, informed, and inspired.
Mia Shocket
Mia Shocket is a dance artist based in Atlanta, GA. She graduated from Emory University in 2024 with highest honors in Dance and Movement Studies, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She is currently working with staibdance and Graham Shelor Dance while pursuing freelance projects. In addition to her work as a dancer, she teaches group fitness classes.
Matthew Smith (Performer)
Having started his dance career with Full Radius Dance in 2018 as an apprentice and joining as a company member in 2019 Matthew Smith is happy to continue performing with Beacon Dance.
Dr. Nkululeko ('Kuza) Zungu (Composer/Musician and Performer)
Dr. Nkululeko ('Kuza) Zungu is a queer South African futurist artist, composer, and sound artist whose work lives at the intersection of healing, ancestry, and emotional liberation. Blending isiZulu storytelling with avant-pop, trip-hop, electronic, deep house, and cinematic composition, he creates genre-fluid sonic worlds where vulnerability becomes a form of power. His artistry is rooted in a lifelong commitment to healing the Black inner child—a recurring thread that shapes both his sound and artistic purpose.
Born and raised in Cape Town and now based in Athens, Georgia, 'Kuza carries the spiritual weight of home in every melody he writes. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Georgia, with degrees from the University of Cape Town and the University of Northern Colorado, and additional studies at UCLA. Grounded in both classical training and experimental practice, his music merges lush harmonic language, textured arrangements, and futuristic production into a sound that feels both ancient and forward-looking.
'Kuza’s creative work explores the intersections of music, identity, embodiment, and communal healing. In Athens, he has collaborated closely with artists such as Lemuel “Life” LaRoche, examining the social and communal impact of sound through performance, dialogue, and interdisciplinary research. His compositions have been performed by ensembles such as Wet Ink and presented in spaces ranging from contemporary museums in Colorado to historic venues in Cape Town, situating his work across both academic and public-facing cultural landscapes.
Honesty sits at the core of 'Kuza’s artistry—the kind that exposes wounds, honors softness, and confronts generational silence. His songs explore fractured relationships, inherited trauma, identity formation, and the quiet resilience required to survive what seeks to silence you. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Sevdaliza, Moses Sumney, and South Africa’s deep house tradition, his sound is expansive, spiritual, and deeply human.
His latest single, “Symptoms of a Fatherless Child (They Will Never Be the Same),” continues his mission of transforming personal pain into sonic ritual. The title carries a deliberate double meaning—speaking both to the permanent impact of absence and the varied ways those symptoms manifest in each child. Through repetition, restraint, and haunting production, the song inhabits the space between grief and release, marking a turning point in his artistic journey: from longing to letting go, from survival to self-preservation.
Across composition, performance, and sound research, 'Kuza seeks not to add to the noise, but to listen—to harmonize with silence. With a growing catalog of original music, cinematic visuals, and an unmistakable artistic identity, he stands as a resonant voice for those navigating the intersections of Blackness, queerness, and healing. His art functions as a sanctuary—tender, futuristic, and fearless—offering permission to feel, to grieve, and to become.
D. Patton White (Choreographer, Performer)
D. Patton White has worked as a dancer and choreographer since 1982, for the stage, site-specific work, and dance for the camera. As Artistic/Administrative Director of Beacon Dance since 1990, he has sought innovative ways to bring art to the public, including site works throughout DeKalb County parks and nature centers, the High Museum of Art, in the former Sears building in Atlanta, in Freedom Park, at the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center, the B Complex in southwest Atlanta, the Emory University Campus, and on the Atlanta BeltLine. White was the Company Manager of Core Dance from 2008-2019, and currently teaches part time at Emory University. He has been an artist in residence at UNLV, Rice University, and Emory University, and has conducted numerous community residencies and his work has been funded by the NEA, South Arts, GCA, Florida Council on Arts & Culture, among others. He has been a member of Alternate ROOTS since 1997.
Carly Wynans (Performer)
Carly Wynans (she/they/he) is an Atlanta-based performer who had her choreographic debut in Beacon Dance's Moving Bodies/Moving Hearts/Moving Minds in 2023. A graduate of Emory University with degrees in Dance and Movement Studies and Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, Carly has performed in works by Corian Ellisor, Atarius Armstrong, Patton White, Leo Briggs, Gregory Catellier, and Jacque Pritz. Carly was honored to be Bates Dance Festival's 2023 Box Office Fellow, and she recently acted as the Stage Manager for Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre's Out of the Box II and Duality.
With Deepest Gratitude!
Our performances this weekend have been made possible by the generosity of our individual donors as well as several public funding agencies. Listing represents gifts made between July 1, 2025 and April 9, 2026. We sincerely regret any omissions.
Russell Berry, Eleanor Brownfield, Carol Calvert, Pauline Rose Clance, Trisha Clymore, Lisa Cottrell, Mary Locke Crofts, John and Martha England , Walter Evans, Anderson England, Rebecca England, Hans Friedrichsen, Lynn D. Hesse, Randy L. Hiers, Susan Keller, Dana Lupton, Bonnie Macdonald, Sybil McWilliams, Kimberly Merritt, Marsha Mitchiner, Kristin O'Neal and Greg Cattellier, Susan Rawlston, Elaine Roberts, Maxine and Franklin Smith in honor of Matthew Smith, Alex Spitzer, Cyndy Vaughan, Andy Weiskoff, Nancy White, D. Patton White
We also acknowledge that every artist and member of our technical crew for this production has contributed of their time that is above and beyond the amount of their financial compensation for this production.
This program is supported in part by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. Funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. .
Our performances this weekend have been made possible by the generosity of our individual donors as well as several public funding agencies. Listing represents gifts made between July 1, 2025 and April 9, 2026. We sincerely regret any omissions.
Russell Berry, Eleanor Brownfield, Carol Calvert, Pauline Rose Clance, Trisha Clymore, Lisa Cottrell, Mary Locke Crofts, John and Martha England , Walter Evans, Anderson England, Rebecca England, Hans Friedrichsen, Lynn D. Hesse, Randy L. Hiers, Susan Keller, Dana Lupton, Bonnie Macdonald, Sybil McWilliams, Kimberly Merritt, Marsha Mitchiner, Kristin O'Neal and Greg Cattellier, Susan Rawlston, Elaine Roberts, Maxine and Franklin Smith in honor of Matthew Smith, Alex Spitzer, Cyndy Vaughan, Andy Weiskoff, Nancy White, D. Patton White
We also acknowledge that every artist and member of our technical crew for this production has contributed of their time that is above and beyond the amount of their financial compensation for this production.
This program is supported in part by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. Funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. .
