ROYA CARRERAS
Creative Director | Choreographer
is an Iranian-Hispanic artist, choreographer, and educator who works within commercial, film, and theatrical settings from New York City to Los Angeles. Her work challenges and unravels the depths of the female psyche, creating narratives that intertwine metaphor, magic realism, and memories from her childhood as a first generation American, using balletic tropes, visceral demeanor, and sexually charged imagery. On stage, Carreras’ work has been presented at the CURRENT SESSIONS, Dixon Place, Baruch Performing Arts Center, and The Green Building in New York City; in California, she has presented at Highways Performance Space, Electric Lodge Theater, Glenn Wallichs Theatre, Diavolo, Brockus Project Space, and BRAVA. She was a resident choreographer for Columbia Ballet Collaborative of Columbia University in 2015, and has taught ballet, contemporary, and improvisation at Peridance Capezio Center, American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Riverside Ballet Arts, Riverside City College, Pasadena Dance Theater, and Brockus Conservatory. As a performer, she has worked closely with Barak Marshall at BodyTraffic, Bryan Arias, Danielle Russo Performance Project, and Lux Boreal Danza Contemporanea in Tijuana, Mexico. Carreras holds a BFA in Dance with Honors from UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts, with additional training from The Ailey School and Springboard Danse Montreal.
ELISE RITZEL
Assistant to Director | Dancer
is a performer, arts administrator, and event coordinator residing in Brooklyn, NY. A native Pennsylvanian, Elise trained extensively in ballet and later received a BFA from Point Park University. Elise has trained and performed works under Trey McIntrye, Robyn Mineko Williams, Bryan Arias and Third Rail Projects among others. On screen, She has been featured in music videos for artists like Pussy Riot, Michael Blume and Wolf Colony under the movement direction of Roya Carreras. Elise works alongside Ms.Carreras as her assistant and principal dancer.