About Robert Moses' KIN

Founded in 1995, RMK uses movement as the medium through which race, class, culture, and gender are used to voice the existence of our greater potential and unfulfilled possibilities. The diverse company is known for its eclectic movement vocabulary, demanding choreography, ferocious dancing, and provocative themes. Moses' focus on the expressiveness of the human body and his desire to speak with the voices of his African American heritage has produced works with regional, national, and international recognition. Moses has collaborated with prominent dancers, musicians, composers, sculptors, authors, poets, and designers to realize the concept of dance as a unifying art form. RMK has presented an annual home season in San Francisco since 1995 as well as international touring to New York's City Center's Fall for Dance Festival, OPEN LOOK St. Petersburg International Dance Festival (Russia), Serendipity Arts Festival (Kolkata, India), Jacob's Pillow, Bates Dance Festival, Colorado Dance Festival, Dance Center at Columbia College, University of South Florida, Dance Umbrella, ProArts Collective, Maine Festival, and more.

 

Robert Moses (Founder/Artistic Director)

Choreographer, Writer, and Composer Robert Moses has created numerous works of varying styles for his highly praised dance company, as well as composing many of the sound and narrative scores for those works. Moses has choreographed for dance, opera, and theater companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, San Francisco Opera, and Lorraine Hansberry Theater. He has taught at festivals and on college campuses throughout the US and internationally, including OPEN LOOK St. Petersburg International Dance Festival, Serendipity Arts Festival (Kolkata, India), Bates Dance Festival, UC Berkeley, and Stanford University.

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Monica C. Moses (Writer/Director of Can I Keep Just One?)
Monica C. Moses holds a Masters Degree in Social Work and is a current PhD candidate of Cultural Studies at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Her undergraduate work is also in Social Work with minor in Film Studies. She is founder, producer and director at Urban Noir Productions. Urban Noir Productions is known for the short film “That Loving Feeling” and the stage production of Urban Noir Project “From Slavery to the White House”. She is founder and director of Sankofa Cultural Center in Las Vegas, NV. There she created and facilitated workshops and classes to empower and support spiritual development. She currently works full time as a Medical Social Worker as she continues to PhD work and collaborate in the Arts. 

 

Monica feels that the struggle for equality will always reinvent itself and so will that of the “People”. 

 

Monica is very humble to collaborate with Robert Moses’ KIN on this beautiful project.

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Allen Willner (Lighting Designer)

Award winning lighting designer specializing in theater, dance, opera & musical productions. Collaborators include: The Erika Chong Shuch Performance Project, Shinichi Iova Koga and inkBoat, Rinde Eckert, Axis Dance Company, Kitka, Michael John Garces, Aaron Davidman, Anne Kaufman, Joanna Haigood and Zaccho Dance Company, Scott Wells and Dancers, The Jewish Theater, Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Intersection for the Arts,  Kate Weare, Deborah Slater Dance Theater,  ODC Dance, The Rova Saxophone Quartet, The Lorraine Hansberry Theater, Z-Space, Margo Hall and Marcus Shelby, Dan Wolf, Carla Kihlstedt, The Douglas Morrison Theater, Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Wayne Vitale, The Shotgun Players, Anne Bleuthenthal and Nanos Operetta.

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Crystaldawn Bell (Dancer)

Crystaldawn Bell is from Somis, California and graduated from California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Dance, Composition, and Performance. She has danced with Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, ODC, Labayen Dance/SF, Anne Bluethenthal and Dancers, Stranger Lover Dreamer, ahdanco, Paufve Dance, Todd Eckert, and Post:ballet. Crystaldawn joined RMK in 2010.

 

Vincent Chavez (Dancer)

Vincent Chavez hails from Albuquerque, NM. He trained at LINES Ballet Training Program, Ballet Hispanico, Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre, and Dance Theatre Southwest. He has danced with Nevada Ballet Theatre, Oakland Ballet Company, ZiRu Dance, Zikr Dance Ensemble, New Mexico Ballet Company, as well as, National and International touring as an independent Creative. Vincent joined RMK in 2012.

 

Iva Dixson (Dancer)

Iva Dixson originates from San Francisco, CA. She trained at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of The Arts with Elvia Marta and Andrea Hinman, as well as the Rome International Dance Academy, directed by Andrea Palombi and Sara Lourenco. Iva has danced with Vangelis Dance Company. She joined RMK in 2023.

 

Jenelle Gaerlan (they/she) (Dancer)

Jenelle Gaerlan is a multi-disciplined movement artist hailing from Portland, OR. They trained with Tracey Durbin (Luigi’s apprentice) as well as BodyVox's Junior Artist Generator (JAG) program. Jenelle has danced for BodyVox Dance Company under Emmy Award-winning choreographers Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland, DarVejon Jones Dance Ensemble, Nike Inc., SOULSKIN Dance, CandyBomber Productions at Stanford LIVE, and Concept o4. Along with her concert dance experiences, Jenelle proudly represents Assassins Crew, an international hip-hop collective dedicated to shedding light on community, loyalty and solidarity. Jenelle joined RMK in 2021.

 

Z Jackson (they/them/theirs) (Dancer)

Zaria Jackson, native to Hoover, Alabama, started their Classical Ballet training at Alabama Dance Academy. After attending the Alonzo King LINES Ballet | Training Program, Z joined SALT2, in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they performed works by Amy Gunter-Lolofie and Ching Ching Wong. They worked closely with Sidra Bell as a Fellow in her Summer MODULE; inspiring deep gratitude for movement, play, and composition. They hope to continue exploring this art form and breaking down societal expectations and stigmas that affect black - trans humans in dance. Z joined RMK in 2022.

 

Kaia Makihara (Dancer)

Kaia Makihara is a Los Angeles-based professional dancer from Sonoma County. After receiving his BFA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach, he performed with SF-based companies Robert Moses’ KIN, Kristen Damrow & Company, and GERALDCASELDANCE. Since relocating to LA, he began working with Micaela Taylor’s The TL Collective and has performed across the US and at international venues. Kaia has collaborated with artists such as JA Collective, Jessie Lee Thorne, Dolly Sfeir, Whyteberg, Kevin Williamson, Yayoi Kambara, Keith Johnson, and others. Kaia originally joined RMK in 2019 and is returning in 2023 as a guest artist.

 

Elena Martins (Dancer)

Elena Martins grew up in Massachusetts and received her early training at Donna Miceli Dance Center and The Academy of Ballet Arts. She went on to graduate from SUNY Buffalo with a BA in dance and a minor in speech and hearing science. She has performed extensively with companies on the east and west coast, including Prometheus Dance, Lorraine Chapman The Company, Axis Dance Company, RAWdance, CALI&CO dance, Bellwether Dance Project, and West Edge Opera among others. Elena Joined RMK in 2018.

 

Whitney Ross (Dancer)

Whitney Ross hails from Mountain View, CA and went on to graduate from UC Santa Barbara with a BFA in Dance and a BS in Biology. She has trained with and performed in works by prolific choreographers Ephrat Asherie, Cindy Salgado, and Sidra Bell, among others. Whitney joined RMK in 2023.

 

Nick Wagner (Dancer)

Nick Wagner is a contemporary/tap dancer and somatic healer from Kirkland, WA. He graduated from Chapman University with a BFA in dance performance and a minor in kinesiology. Nick is a certified massage therapist (CMT) and a level one Responsive Body practitioner. He has performed works by RAWdance, ZiRu Dance, and Marika Brussel. Nick joined RMK in 2022.

 

Juliann Witt (Dancer)

Juliann Witt grew up in the Bay Area and began her training at the California Academy of Performing Arts. She received her BFA in Dance Performance from SUNY Purchase. Since returning to San Francisco she has had the pleasure of dancing with many great artists including DTSF, Nol Simonse, Bellwether Dance Project, Fullstop Dance, Concept o4, RAWdance, Garrett + Moulton Productions and the San Francisco Symphony. Juliann first performed with RMK in 2015 and rejoined in 2020.

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