Halie Bahr (she/hers) is a dance artist, educator, and scholar who researches the socio-political implications of trauma in the creative process. She loves creating both performances and educational communities that are playful, sincere, candy-colored bright, visceral, over-the-top spectacles that pull at our heartstrings or make us re-think our world.

She has presented work and performed nationally in venues such as Movement Research at the Judson Church (New York, NY), The Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN), Links Hall (Chicago, IL), among many others. Halie is a Professor of Dance at Hamline University, and is the Associate Director and Editor of loveDANCEmore, a dance publication committed to forwarding the professional work of experimental dance artists. She has held professorships within a variety of higher education contexts, including Davidson College, University of Kentucky, Southern Utah University, and the University of Utah Prison Education Project, which provides higher education to students currently incarcerated in the Utah State Prison. Halie holds her MFA from the University of Utah, BFA from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and is a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysts (CLMA). She recently published scholarship with Dance Studies Association (2025, vol. 43), and was awarded the Utah Division of Arts & Museums Performing Arts Fellowship (2024) for her distinguished professional career advancement within the State of Utah. For more information, visit www.haliebahr.org.

Mike Esperanza is a multifaceted creative force, celebrated for his transformative contributions to the world of dance and choreography. With an innate ability to merge contemporary aesthetics with authentic storytelling, Mike has captivated audiences worldwide.

As an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and artistic director, Mike has choreographed for renowned educational programs and companies such as WhimW’him, Noble Motion, LACDC, Urbanity, and Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, leaving an indelible mark on the dance landscape. Mike’s work has been described as “bold, athletic movement and theatricality – the latter clearly the coming together of Esperanza’s many talents – the company epitomizes the dance of the new millennium: shape-shifting, vernacular-blending with a prescient focus on the brave new world in which we live.” ~ Jessica Abrams, Explore Dance. Mike recently danced for Ariana Grande at the 2024 Met Gala as well as her music video “Yes, and?”

Mandy Herrick makes art with her moving body.  She is a certified Global Somatics® Practitioner with a B.A. in Theatre/Dance from Luther College. She co-creates site-responsive work with WEdances Movement Collaborative, recently performing at Wormfarm Institute's FarmArt D'Tour, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, and a commissioned work through Springboard for the Arts in Fergus Falls, MN.

She is the founder of Bodies of Water Movement Arts, a creative dance program based in driftless Wisconsin. Her artistic vision is rooted in how the body materializes relationships with the wild, the forgotten and the unknown.