Rising Tide
A collaborative evening of dance.
Rising Tide is a collaborative evening of dance and a celebration of the female choreographic voice that features the work of five local choreographers representing a wide variety of dance styles. Inspired by the proverb, “A rising tide lifts all boats” this is a performance which is simultaneously fierce and enfolding, challenging and uplifting.
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Our Story
Five dancemakers based in the Inland Northwest have come together to present an evening of dance at the Bing Crosby Theater, September 28th and 29th, 2023. They have bonded over a passion for dance and belief in the local dance community. The creative team is dedicated to creating opportunities that lift up the community and present beautiful and accessible dance.
Meet The Creative Team
CarliAnn Forthun-Bruner
Choreographer & Performer, Rising Tide
Melanie Huff
Choreographer & Performer, Rising Tide
Dancer, Vytal Movement Dance
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Melanie Rose Huff is a native of Chewelah
WA, where she received most of her training in classical ballet under the direction of Ann Marie Benedict. In 2015 she opened the Aaron Huff Memorial Cultural Center in her hometown, with the goal of providing a quality facility for arts instruction and to showcase the talents of the many local artists of all mediums. Melanie has been a member of Vytal Movement Dance since 2017, performing in works by Founding Director Vincas Greene, Artistic Director Lexie Powell, and choreographers and company members Hannah Donk and Lauren Hovik, as well as presenting her own choreographic work. She is excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the growing dance scene in Spokane. Melanie is also the award-winning author of several works of fiction and poetry and a full-time parent.
Sarah Glesk
Choreographer & Performer, Rising Tide
Faculty at Whitworth & Gonzaga Universities
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Sarah Glesk has been teaching and choreographing in Spokane, WA, since 2011. She is currently a dance adjunct faculty member at Gonzaga University since 2013, teaching contemporary/modern, ballet, and jazz, and at Whitworth University since 2018, teaching dance conditioning, introduction to dance, and choreography. Additionally, Sarah is a dance instructor at Spokane Ballet Studio and Artistry in Motion, where she teaches ballet, modern, and adult ballet.
Sarah earned a BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts, graduating Cum Laude in 2006, where she received several scholarships, including the Kreielsheimer Scholarship. She has performed in such works as Martha Graham’s “Diversion of Angels” and other significant choreographers in the Seattle area, including Deb Wolf, Pat Hon, Gerard Theoret, and Rainbow Fletcher. Her professional dance experience includes performances with Zoe Scofield and Juniper Shuey, Alloy Dance Project, Serendip, Vytal Movement, and the CanCan Castaways as a cabaret dancer and choreographer.
This past spring, she was the director of the
Gonzaga ACDA companies, where she set an original work that was presented at the American College Dance Association conference in Salt Lake City, UT. In 2021, she co-directed the Gonzaga Blue Repertory Dance Company, choreographing and collaborating with composer Annabella Gelmetti. In 2020, she was the rehearsal director for the Gonzaga Ballet Ensemble, featuring an original work by Kyle Davis, principal dancer of Pacific Northwest Ballet. Sarah has notable choreographic features in Gonzaga’s annual Spring Dance Concert, the Spokane Film Project, 50 Hour Slam, and a music video for Water Monster, which she performed in. She also collaborated and performed in a multi-media dance piece with CarliAnn Forthun-Bruner in 2019 and enjoys choreographing silly dances with her that they perform annually in Gonzaga’s 60x60
performance.
When Sarah is not dancing, teaching, or choreographing, she loves gardening, cleaning, and spending time with her family! And she looks forward to visits from Sylvie, her pet squirrel!
Monica Mota
Choreographer & Performer, Rising Tide
Artistic Director, Quiero Flamenco
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Monica Mota is Director of Quiero Flamenco. She created the company as a way to bring Flamenco to the Inland Northwest. To date, she has produced a performance each year since founding Quiero Flamenco in 2017 with 2019's show (Flamenco Aire) receiving a Spokane Arts grant and taking place at the Bing Crosby Theater.
She started dancing professionally as a ballet dancer with the New Mexico Ballet Company and as a modern dancer with the UNM Dance Company. When she was nineteen she attended her first Flamenco class and found her love. She has performed as a soloist for the Denver Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theatre, Oleaje Flamenco of Seattle, Chicas Patas of Spokane, Flamenco Denver, Solo Flamenco of Portland and Underground Flamenco of Denver. Additionally, Monica has performed her own solo choreography at On the Boards in Seattle.
Monica has trained under Sara de Luis of Pacific Northwest Ballet. She was fortunate to teach at the Pacific Northwest Ballet summer academy and coach Seattle Opera dancers. She had studied extensively in Spain and at the University of New Mexico where she earned her BA in Dance. She also earned a Masters in Teaching from Whitworth University.
She is now on a mission to produce and create dance opportunities for local dancers, starting with 12 Minutes Max Spokane.
Lexie Powell
Choreographer & Performer, Rising Tide
Artistic Director, Vytal Movement Dance
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Lexie Powell is a dancer, teacher and choreographer with a passion for education & the arts. Her love of dancing began with childhood ballet classes with the majority of her training taking place under the guidance of Ann Marie Benedict at Northern Ballet and Performing Arts. Later, she pursued dance at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA where she graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. Her degree emphasized both performance and choreography with a focus on modern technique. For her BFA capstone, Lexie had the pleasure of working with Natascha Greenwalt of Seattle who is the co-founder of Coriolis Dance.
Lexie joined Vytal Movement Dance in 2016 where she performed in a number of original works under the direction of Artistic Director Vincas Greene. In 2023 Lexie took on the role of Artistic Director of Vytal Movement Dance where she hopes to foster collaboration and continue to help grow the dance community in Spokane.