Micha Scott
Executive & 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.
photo by Devi Pride
Angela Chambers
Youth Program & Community Engagement Director
Angela Chambers, an Oakland native, raised in Berkeley, is a long time resident of Santa Cruz county where she has established her role as a deeply rooted community leader, fierce youth empowerment advocate, and dynamic dance artist. As an artist, Angela spent her youth performing Musical Theater. Upon moving to Santa Cruz to attend UCSC, Angela was introduced to formal dance training where she developed and expanded her knowledge of and relationship with dance not only as an art form, but as a tool for personal growth and as a catalyst for social change. At UCSC, Angela performed, directed and choreographed in many productions. After graduating in 2014 with a BA in Intensive Psychology and Dance, Angela further pursued her dance training with intensives and residencies and continues to work as a performer, choreographer, and now producer within the Santa Cruz/Bay Area dance communities. Alongside performing, Angela spends most of the season as a lead teacher and Community Engagement Director at the Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center (TWDCC) the only Black, female led non profit dance arts organization in the county, where she focuses on the development and commitment to their mission of access, equity, and excellence. She is also a seasonal teacher at Motion Pacific and a guest artist/choreographer at local universities, festivals, and productions. When not dancing, Angela, a Youth Protection Advocates in Dance (Y.P.A.D) certified Health and Wellness teacher, pursues her passion for elevating and supporting youth development and community activation as a mentor and coach for young dancers and as the director of the SCC Black Health Matters Initiative Youth Ambassador program. She also serves as the Program Manager and on the award winning Initiative’s advisory panel. To this end, Angela continues to find ways to successfully engage her dedication to community organizing, youth empowerment, and the power of dance & the performing arts.
Leah Carroll
Development Consultant
With over 20 years as an administrative professional and 10 years in nonprofit fundraising, no task is too big or too small, from managing schedules and travel for college professors to leading major gifts fundraising campaigns for nonprofits. What I love most about consulting is building relationships and acting as a bridge between stakeholders. I excel at organizing projects, developing fundraising strategies, and tracking deadlines, allowing my clients to focus on what truly matters. My success is largely due to the incredible teams I've worked with, and I shine brightest when collaborating toward a shared goal. I enjoy working with the amazing people at TWDCC.
Maha Taitano
Rental & Facilities Manager
Maha is a multimedia artist who works with all mediums including metals, wood, fabrics, papers, plastics and more. Maha was born in Baghdad, Iraq and lived in Beirut, Lebanon, Guåhan (Guam), and Morocco before her family finally settled in Alameda, California In 1983. In 2007 she earned a BA in Visual Arts University of California, Santa Cruz. In 2017 Maha returned to UC Santa Cruz to obtain a second Bachelor’s in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies. She recently completed an MFA in Visual Arts at Vermont College of the Fine Arts in February 2023. During her graduate program she focused on decolonizing her art practice and ideologies. Maha’s craft business also stems from a rooted indigenous research. She pulls from both Arab and predominantly Pacific Islander geometric patterns and designs to influence her woodworking. She has been involved with many artistic practices in Santa Cruz, from running the Y2K International Live Looping music festival to creating and performing fashion art pieces at the Pivot Art of Fashion shows. As a Tannery resident, who has raised both of her children here, she is an active community member at the Tannery Art Campus as well as Santa Cruz County as a whole.
Lisa Brenner
Production & Operations Director
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
Eric Forbes
Finance Manager
I have more than 20 years of nonprofit finance experience. As a TWDCC parent from nearly the beginning, I am proud to manage the finances of an organization like this one.
photo by Crystal Birns
Raina Sacksteder
Youth Program Administrator, Safety Support Staff
Raina began dancing at the age of 5 in the small town of Grass Valley, CA. She went on to train with schools across the country including Nevada City Ballet Academy, Holt Ballet Conservatory, Capitol Ballet Company, American Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, and LINES Ballet. She attended Reed College, where she studied biology and developed and performed several choreographic works while training in contemporary dance, and then obtained her master’s degree in microbiology from UCSC. She is now a performer, choreographer, and dance instructor in Santa Cruz and the surrounding areas. She is now a performer, choreographer, and dance instructor in Santa Cruz and the surrounding areas. She is happy to be part of the team at TWDCC!
Ava Barrett
Youth Teaching Associate, Safety Support Staff
