Underground DanceWorks (UDW)U
Company Members
Charles Tyson is artistic director and founder of Underground DanceWorks (UDW), an Eclectifunk-based dance company currently entering its thirteenth season in Philadelphia. He is also the artistic director of the ETC. Performance Series at the Community Education Center (CEC) in West Philadelphia.
Charles received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from Temple University in the summer of 2000. His work has been performed, viewed and loved all over Philadelphia as well as Atlantic City, San Diego, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City and Wuhan, China. In 2003, Charles and UDW were awarded the Incubator for Talented Youth Award by the Atlantic City Dance Theatre. In 2006, Charles & UDW became founding members of the Indigenous Pitch Dance Collective under the artistic direction of Lisa Welsh.
In 2009, Charles was selected to present Whispers In My Left Ear/Salt Over My Left Shoulder for the Temple University Alumni Dance Showcase in October. He premiered Transitional Period as part of the 2010 New Edge Mix, produced by the Community Education Center (CEC.)
He choreographed the multi-media theatrical production of Lynch Quietly, written by Marc Miller and directed by Michael Leland for the 2010 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. In 2012 he created a brand new work entitled No White Horses…No Happy Endings on the SHARP dance Company. He also produced Indigenous Pitch dance Collective’s production entitled “Reflexions” in which he gathered some of the hottest performers in Philadelphia including Michael T. Roberts, Itola Byrd and SHARP Dance Company. “Reflexions” also saw the premiere of UDW’s full length work entitled Wishes, Wants & Haves.
His performance credits include: Persona Zenobia Dance Ensemble, Kariamu & Company: Traditions, Paule Turner, Tania Isaac, Sean Curran, Michael Roberts, A.D.D. Dance Company, New LEJA Dances, the Company, Dancefusion, International Ballet Theatre, The Philadelphia Civic Ballet Company, The Brooks-Lytle Jazz Ensemble, Anne-Marie Mulgrew & Dancers Company, Indigenous Pitch Dance Collective, Stephen Welsh/SWERVE, Tap Team Two & Company, Group Motion’s “Spiel Uhr” Series and Libertine Ball XI.
Charles is also an actor, poet, comedian, playwright, filmmaker and aspiring novelist. He is currently on faculty at the Gwendolyn Bye Dance Center, where he teaches jazz, hip hop and EclectiFunk.
Eisa Jackson began dancing at the age of four and received her pre-professional dance training at DANCE! by Debra DiNote in Turnersville, NJ. She then went on to attend Temple University in Philadelphia, PA where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and graduated summa cum laude.
She has apprenticed with the River North Dance Company in Chicago and danced with the Atlantic City Dance Theatre under the direction of Patti Harris, New LEJA Dances, Tania Isaac Dance, Melissa Rector and Myra Bazell.
She is a founding member of Underground DanceWorks (UDW.)
Anhthi "Maria" Nguyen is a graduate of Drexel University’s Dance Program with a Bachelor of Science. There, she has had the opportunity to work with resident artists such as Marienella Boan, Jumatatu Poe, Meredith Rainey, Whit MacLaughlin, and Kun-Yang Lin. After graduation she was an apprentice with Olive Prince Dance for their 2010 Live Arts piece “I desire.” She has also performed with Group Motion and Dancefusion. Currently, she is a lyrical and ballet instructor at Elite Dance Academy and an understudy with Dancefusion. She is also a company member of Charles Tyson Jr.’s Underground DanceWorks.
Kate Rast received her BFA from The University of the Arts, along with training at The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Jeanne Ruddy Dance and the AmericanDance Festival. Kate is a member of Dancefusion and SHARP Dance Company in Philadelphia. She also performs with Underground Dance Works and Anne Marie Mulgrew & Company and is joining Jeanne Ruddy Dance for its farewell season. Kate previously danced with Between Movement Contemporary Dance Company and was a guest artist with Esse Eficionado. Kate makes frequent trips to Guatemala, to teach and perform with ArteProyecto. Along with performing, Kate brings ballroom dance to the Philadelphia as Education Liaison and Teaching Artist for Dancing Classrooms Philly.
Lauren Sion graduated with a B.A in Dance from Muhlenberg College in 2008 with Magna Cum Laude Honors. She attended Drexel University for one year, where she was part of the Drexel Dance Ensemble and when she transferred to Muhlenberg College to major in dance she performed and choreographed in numerous shows. Since then she has gone on to teach dance in several places throughout the Lehigh Valley and is proud to be a full-time teacher at Nardi Dance Studios in Easton, PA. She has performed solos at various dance events and has had the pleasure of performing with Annex Dance Company, Serendipity Dance Ensemble, hersouldances modern dance projects, and Eng and Friends Dance Company. Currently, she also dances with coEXISTdance Company in the Philadelphia area, Fusion Dance Company in Fogelsville PA, and Sarah Carlson's DanceLink in the Lehigh Valley. She also recently performed choreography in Brooklyn, NY and Philadelphia, PA by Morgan Chambers of Pink Hair Affair in "INFLUX" - a performance exchange of dance works between Philadelphia and New York dancers. She is thrilled to be in her 2nd season with Underground DanceWorks!
Kalila Kingsford Smith, a Philadelphia native, graduated with high honors from The University of Michigan with a BFA in Dance and a BA in Anthropology. While at Michigan, she performed in many guest artists’ choreography, including Paul Taylor’s “Le Sacre Du Printempts (The Rehearsal)” restaged by Ruth Andrien and “The Summit” choreographed by Dianne McIntyre, as well as various faculty and student choreography. Trained in modern, ballet, and jazz, she attended Gwendolyn Bye Dance Center where she now teaches modern and ballet to children and adults.
An aspiring choreographer, she spends her time developing her choreographic portfolio and collaborating with directors to create dance for theater. Also a writer for the online publication thINKingDANCE, she dances on the page, relishing the challenge of translating movement and experience into intriguing and accessible prose. She is also a facilitator for
Dance4Life Philly, an education program designed to inspire youth to dance and learn about HIV/AIDS. Since returning to Philly, she has had the opportunity to perform with Dianne McIntyre, Michael T. Roberts, Sophia Rabinovitz, Dancefusion, Underground DanceWorks, and Awaken Performing Arts / Productions, where she also debuted as an
actress.
Stephanie Vasta has been dancing since the age of five. She is a graduate of Penn State University, with a Bachelor’s in Psychological and Social Sciences. During her four years at Penn State Abington, she participated in the University’s Dance Company as a dancer and student choreographer and she has moved on to become one of the company’s Associate Directors. Stephanie dances professionally with Vada Dance Collective, Contempra Dance Theater, and Underground DanceWorks. In July 2006, she was fortunate enough to tour Poland with Contempra. She performs extensively throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding areas.
Lauren A Williams, a native of Washington DC, has resided in Philadelphia for five years. A dancer since birth, she has finally found a place where she can hone and perfect her art. Lauren graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts in 2005 as a dance major. In 2009, she received her BA in Theater from Temple University. Lauren has danced with many around the city of Philadelphia, including Sambrooka Productions, Dance Fusion, and SWERVE and Underground Dance Works (under Indigenous Pitch). Lauren is currently developing her own dance company, RenZoku DanceWorks, in the Philadelphia area.