Micha Scott
Artistic Director
Micha Scott has performed on stages around the world as a 13-year senior member of the renowned Garth Fagan Dance. Ms. Scott was a teacher at the Garth Fagan Dance School in Rochester, NY, and has taught master classes and workshops for the company worldwide. While in the company she performed leading roles in many of Mr. Fagan’s works, including ‘From Before’, ‘Collage For Romie’, 'Transition/Translation' and the seminal collaboration with trumpeter / composer Wynton Marsalis, ‘Griot New York’. She has been featured in Essence, Time Magazine, and Dance Magazine, and as a soloist in the PBS televised series Dance In America.
Ms. Scott currently lives in Santa Cruz, CA and is deeply involved in the dance community there. She is Artistic Director at Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center (since 2011), resident choreographer at Mountain School (since 2008), she is a lead teacher in Tandy Beal’s in-school residency dance program ArtSmart (since 2016). and a dance instructor at Dancenter (since 2008). Over the past 11 years she has also taught at Motion Pacific, Steps, No Limits, International Academy of Dance, Kirby School, Mount Madonna School, Monterey High School, Seaside High School, Cabrillo College, and has held the position of lecturer in dance at Santa Clara University (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015), the University of California at Santa Cruz (2012), and at the State University of New York at Brockport (2000). She has showcased her choreography in a family show titled ‘MICHA SCOTT DANCES’ and is Artistic Director of Empire Dance Company. Ms. Scott serves on the Black Health Matters Initiative Advisory Board, the Grants Committee for the Arts Council Santa Cruz, and is an Arts Commissioner for Santa Cruz County.
photo by Devi Pride
Angela Chambers
Community Engagement Director
Angela Chambers, an Oakland native, raised in Berkeley, spent most of her youth performing Musical Theater. Introduced to formal and contemporary training upon moving to Santa Cruz to attend UCSC, Angela has had the privilege to develop and expand her knowledge of (and relationship with) dance not only as an art form, but as a tool for personal growth and even as a catalyst for social change. At UCSC, Angela performed, directed and choreographed in many student and faculty-led productions; after graduating in 2014 with a BA in Intensive Psychology and Dance, Angela continues to work as a performer and choreographer within the Santa Cruz dance community and furthers her training through residencies and intensives – most recently with Shannon Mather, A.I.M, and Garth Fagan Dance. Alongside performing, Angela spends most of the season teaching at the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center and Motion Pacific. When not dancing, Angela pursues her passion for elevating and supporting youth development and community activation as a Y.P.A.D certified Health and Wellness teacher and as the Development Director/Programs Manager at TWDCC. Angela is also currently the Project Manager for the Black Health Matters Initiative and serves on the advisory panel. To this end, Angela is actively finding new ways to engage her dedication to community organizing, youth empowerment, and the performing arts.
Lisa Brenner
Facilities & Operations Manager
Lisa is thrilled to be a part of the TWDCC team. Her interest in arts facilitation weaves through stage management to internships at the Wooster Group and Dixon Place in New York, performances and collaborations in Santa Cruz and New York, and a string of Civic Liberal Arts and Humanities Fellowships aimed to bolster arts education and to foster nontraditional modes of collaboration between artistic collectives. Alongside her work at TWDCC, they can be spotted in local performances and dance classes.
photo by Crystal Birns
Emily Moran
Graphic Designer & Administrative Assistant
Emily Moran has been a member of TWDCC staff as an In-house Graphic Designer and Administrative Assistant since 2019. She is a TWDCC alumni and was of the first graduating class of TWDCC Company dancers. She is an aspiring ballet dancer, having attended intensive courses at Oklahoma City Ballet, Joffrey Academy, Bolshoi Ballet, and the Vaganova Ballet Academy.
Alyssa Woodbury
Youth/Facilities Support Staff
Alyssa is a theater artist, mover, and budding Santa Cruz arts community member. They studied acting, directing, and playwriting as an Original Works major at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. They’re interested in exploring the healing, expressive, and connective qualities of collaborative theater making. Having roots in community children’s theater, Alyssa is passionate about supporting performing arts opportunities for youth and is excited to be part of the TWDCC team! Current movement practices include juggling/clown, yoga, and attending classes at Santa Cruz Movement.
Eva Diop
Youth/Facilities Support Staff
