Anika Jones-Schoenbaum

Anika Jones began studying ballet, tap, and jazz at the age of five and has continuously explored dance throughout her life. She graduated with a BA in Hospitality Management and a Minor in Dance from New Mexico State University, where she was a member of the Contemporary Dance Theatre.  

In 2008, Anika began her aerial dance training through Project In Motion in New Mexico. She has had the opportunity to work with exquisite choreographers and perform across the US. In 2012, Anika moved to Austin to join Blue Lapis Light and has had the honor of collaborating on 20+ site-works under the artistic direction of Sally Jacques. She enjoys performing on aerial silks, corde lisse, spanish web, harness, nets, and continues to dance on the ground as well! In 2018, she was honored to be awarded Best Dancer by the Austin Critics Table for her performance in Belonging, Part One (2017).

In Austin Anika finds herself enjoying life through teaching at Pure Barre Austin, performing and teaching with BLL, performing and collaborating with Rapt Aerial Dance and the 11:11 project, and connecting with awesome people/causes. Her passion to learn through both training and teaching allows her to grow and continuously find the beauty in movement and inspiration through the possibilities of the human anatomy.

Susan Harkey

Susan Harkey has had the joy of dancing with Blue Lapis Light since 2012. She has a wide variety of movement training including aerial silks, harness, lyra, pole, partner acrobatics, modern dance, ballet, rock climbing, and yoga. She has performed with Blue Lapis Light in Heaven Earth One (2012 & 2013), Love’s Prayer (2012), East ~ West (2013), In Light (2014 & 2019), Edge of Grace (2015 & 2022), Radiance (2016), Belonging (2017 & 2018), Luminations (2018 & 2019), Beyond the Clouds (2020) and various other works. She's also had the pleasure of performing in and around Austin with Rapt Aerial Dance, Austin Community College, and Jennifer Sherburn. One of her greatest joys in life is sharing the gift of aerial dance through teaching at the Blue Lapis Light studio. When not in the air, she moonlights as a web developer.

Kari Burke

Kari Burke is an Austin based dancer, choreographer and somatic coach. She began dancing professionally at age 16 with modern and ballet dance companies, continued on to perform with artists like Rick Ross and Kanye West, and is entering her 13th year as an aerialist with Blue Lapis Light. Kari has choreographed and presented numerous works, including a tv show episode awarded an Emmy. She earned her dual BA in Dance Performance/Choreography and Psychology from Hope College. She then continued on to study behavioral coaching with Oxford Psychologists before starting her private somatic coaching practice. Kari is passionate about helping people find healing through movement, and is deeply honored to collaborate with Blue Lapis Light to create prayers for the planet.

JACK DUNLAP II

Jack is a quiet yet quirky military brat that began his dance journey at age 16. After Breakdancing for few years, he took his first ballet class at UT El Paso. Upon moving to Austin in 2011, Jack became more intrigued and began dancing modern. In 2015, he received the Austin Critics Table award alongside Alyson Dolan for Best Duet. He taught several levels of Cechetti ballet method at ONE Academy of Dance for 11 years and retired in 2022. He has recently started performing with Early Era Collective. Jack is stoked for yet another performance with Blue Lapis Light.

Katie Duran (Gunderson)

Katie is a dance artist in Austin, Texas. Her work is creative, academic, and interpersonal. She is most interested in creating dance and learning experiences that are universally designed for all. Dancer, educator, advocate: she is driven by her passion for community-building, and the belief that dance is for everyone.

Katie earned her BFA in Dance and UTeach Dance certification from the University of Texas. For five years, she served as assistant director and led the dance department at Westwood High School. Now as a curriculum mentor for UTeach Dance, she guides pre-service educators as they prepare for their entry into the field.

In addition to performing and teaching, Katie is a professional learning facilitator with MINDPOP, and also served as lead consultant for the first Day of Dance festival. She teaches and manages the office and the Student Teaching Assistant program at Alisa’s Dance Academy.

Katie has performed locally with Andrea Beckham Collaborative Dance, Shen Jun Movement Effect, BLiPSWiTCH, Jennifer Sherburn, and more. She is thrilled to take to the skies with Blue Lapis Light.

ROXANNE GAGE

Roxanne earned dance degrees from Kilgore College and the University of Texas at Austin. She is a former Kilgore College Rangerette Lieutenant and a Swingster (Elite jazz performance group). She is a faculty member of the Austin Community College Dance Department. She has toured & performed professionally with Sharir Dance Company, Andrea Beckham Collaborative Dance Company, Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company, and Blue Lapis Light. She danced in varied works by Yacov Sharir, Heywood “Woody” McGriff, Jose Bustamante, Ohad Naharin, David Dorfman, Doug Varone, Kathy Dunn Hamrick, Sally Jacques, and many more. She was the assistant choreographer in the movie Miss Congeniality with Sandra Bullock and most recently choreographed a dance scene for the HBO Series Love & Death with Elizabeth Olsen & Krysten Ritter. She is a dance instructor, choreographer, dance judge, and dance curriculum director for MA Dance based in Dallas, TX. She is on the planning and production committee for the Austin Dance Festival and the Director of the Austin Dance Festival Youth Edition. Roxy enjoys sharing her passion and love of dance with the universe.

ALYSSA JOHNSON

Founder and artistic director of Paracosm Dance, Alyssa is a multimedia dance and performance artist, instructor, and visual creator. After training with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, BANDALOOP, and UC Berkeley, she danced as a soloist with Peninsula Ballet Theater under the artistic direction of David Fonnegra, and performed in works by Copious Dance Theater’s Kat Roman, BrickaBrack Theater’s Gabriel Grilli, and Scott Wells & Dancers. She danced as a guest artist with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for Judith Jamison’s retirement tour and choreographed works under the direction of Joe Goode. For her excellence in dance scholarship and performance, she received the Julia Payne Dance scholarship in 2015. In Austin, Alyssa has danced with ARCOS Dance, Shakti Moves Dance Company, and Ventana Ballet; she is currently an aerialist with Blue Lapis Light, partner with Nana Ballet, and longtime collaborator with Camera Clay. 

She graduated from UC Berkeley with a double major in Dance & Performance Studies and Forensic Anthropology, using her pedagogical, anatomical, neurological, and osteological studies to further the integration of science and dance technique. With that, she has delved into the benefits of movement outside the dance world, working to get all humans moving for their physical and mental health.

Lisa Anne Kobdish

Born and raised in Austin, Lisa is a professional modern dance artist with appreciation for collaborative projects and high energy, athletic performance. Lisa studied at and received a B.F.A. in Dance from UT Austin, and later moved abroad to perform with Transitions Dance Company and complete an M.A. in Dance Performance from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in London. 

Following her time abroad Lisa moved to Brooklyn, NY to continue leading a creative life, developing ensemble work with Romulus NYC and Semillas Dance Collective, and performing for dance artists/ companies including Kristin Sudeikis Dance and Depth Dance. Upon relocating back in Austin she found herself in the teaching community, instructing Pilates and barre classes at Dancers Shape, studio dance at The Dance Works, and after school youth dance with the non-profit Leap of Joy. 

In 2016 Lisa became a company dancer with Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company and took the role of Administrative Assistant for Austin Dance Festival, as well as Co-Producer for ADF's "Dance on Film" events. Lisa is also glad to perform and collaborate in projects with prominent dance makers Shen Jun Movement Effect, Jennifer Sherburn, Rosalyn Nasky, Lindsay Taylor, Ellen Bartel, and Andrea Ariel Dance Theatre.

Lisa is honored to have a place in the Blue Lapis Light family- her premiere performance was in 2017 with "Belonging, Part One" as a window dancer, and continued that role in the 2018 reprise. In May 2019 she was thrilled to join the team for a debut performance in North Carolina for the Charlotte SHOUT! festival."

CLAY MOORE

Clay Moore grew up as a competitive dancer from Houston, TX. After graduating, he trained in Los Angeles and New York City and he has worked with the Edge Performing Arts, Mark Morris Dance, J&D entertainment, Micky Kurz and, Dorrell Martin. Prior to landing in ATX he worked and traveled with Showbiz Talent and Mark of Excellence, national dance competition companies. Now an Austin based choreographer and performer, a current company member with Blue Lapis Light where he trains and performs in aerial apparatus. He has been featured in works with ARCOS Dance, BLiPSWiTCH, Jennifer Sherburn, Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company, and more. He is a performer and tours during the winter with Lightwire Theater based in New Orleans. Clay has been featured in local ATX musicians music videos Including Tomar & the FCs and Danny Golden. Clay shares his passion for movement by teaching and choreographing with non-profit groups and schools in the AISD, LISD.

AMY MYERS

Amy received her BFA in Ballet and Modern Dance from TCU. As a performer/choreographer, she has had the opportunity to present work all over Texas, the US, and Europe with many local companies/choreographers including (but not limited to) Blue Lapis Light, Aeriel Dance Theatre, Ellen Bartel Dance Collective, Ready Set Go, Jennifer Sherburn, Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth, BlipSwitch, Sky Candy, Woven Feet, and Rapt. She has also danced and/or choreographed for several musicians including Kesha, Band of Heathens, Linen Closet, Sorne, Technicolor Hearts, Nightdrive, Walker Lukens, and others. Amy is also a Certified Yoga Instructor, Licensed Massage Therapist, and creator of Amy's Apothecary.

Ivry Newsome

Ivry Newsome received his BFA in Dance in May 1995 from the University of Texas at Austin. Already performing professionally with local dance companies like New Afrikan Dance Company, Kinesis, Mosaic Dance Body and Conservatory Dance Theatre, Austin felt like home. Ivry began working with Sally Jacques Productions appearing in Probe One: Impossible Destiny and many other productions over the years. In 2001, he joined Pointillism Jazz Consort, a New American Jazz Company based in Washington DC. He currently serves as Executive Director and Principal Company Member for UNESCO Cultural Ambassador Company. “Dance is a gift that allows the artist to speak and learn more about this human experience and create beauty through movement… I honor The Gift of Dance in each of us.”

Jun “Sunny” Shen

Jun Shen (Sunny) started formal dance training during high school, where he learned ballet, Chinese classical opera dance, and Chinese folk dance. In 2001, he graduated with his BA in dance at Beijing Capital Normal University. Sunny earned his MFA in Dance from UT Austin in 2016. Sunny is the Founder and Artistic Director of Austin-based Shen Jun Movement Effect.

Sunny has choreographed and performed worldwide at dance festivals including Guangdong Modern Dance Festival, Grand Performances (LA), Dance Salad Festival (Houston), Busan International Dance Festival. In his early career, Sunny joined Wuxi Song & Dance Troupe and later choreographed and danced for Beijing Dance LDTX. He has collaborated with many artists and dance companies including Willy Tsao, Scot Putman, Charles Anderson, Hugo Dalton, Wang Jianwei, Hou Ying, Jennifer Sherburn, Ziru production, Alonzo-King Lines Ballet Training Program, Ellen Bartel Dance Collection, Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company. Sunny has also instructed dance locally and internationally. He has taught dance at Sansori High School and April Rain School of Chinese Dance, and currently teaches as an Assistant Professor at Austin Community College.

In June  2017, Sunny formally joined Blue Lapis Light as a principal dancer and choreographer. In 2018, he was awarded Best Dancer by the Austin Critics Table for his performance in Belonging, Part One (2017).