THOUGHT PARTNERS
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farrahskeiky.com / @reallyfarrah
Farrah Skeiky is an Arab American photographer, creative director, and art framer based in Washington, DC. Her work celebrates those who make and do in their element, subcultures and underrepresented communities, and finding moments of closeness and connection in new places.
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Faryn Kelly is a multi-disciplinary freelance artist currently based in Washington, DC. Originally from Lexington, KY, Faryn graduated with a BFA in Dance from Wright State University in Dayton, OH. In DC, Faryn previously served as the lighting supervisor at Dance Place, and has worked with DMV companies in lighting design (PrioreDance, haus of bambi, Orange Grove Dance), costume design (Tariq Darrell O’Meally, American University, Heart Stück Bernie), and stage management (The Kennedy Center, Mosaic Theatre, Studio Theatre). Among her favorite things are travel, instant film, haute couture, space, and chocolate covered espresso beans.
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Born and raised in Houston, Texas to Vietnamese immigrant parents, Bach Mai developed a love for fashion and particularly haute couture at a young age. He began to study fashion and haute couture while in high school,and his first training was as an apprentice with the Houston Ballet. As he continued to explore his passion for dressmaking, Bach would make gowns for his cousin and classmates; they became his first muses.
He went on to study at Parsons School of Design where upon graduation he was nominated for Womenswear Designer of the Year. Following design experiences at Calvin Klein and Oscar de la Renta, he moved toParis and received a master’s degree in fashion design from the Institut Français de laMode.
Bach then designed for Prabal Gurung before joining the team at Maison Margiela under John Galliano during the development of the debut Spring/Summer 2015 Artisanal Haute Couture collection. He was taken under the wing of John Galliano and soon became First Design Assistant to the Creative Director with a focus on the Artisanal Haute Couture collections. It was at Maison Margiela, both through the tutelag eof his mentor and working with the couture ateliers, where Bach was able to further hone his craft and learn first-hand the true art of haute couture.Bach returned to New York from Paris in 2019 with the goal of creating his own eponymous brand which officially launched in late 2021.
Bach Mai is a luxury ready-to-wear and made-to-order collection that has couture aspirations, and the brand espouses a belief in irreverent glamour and unabashed femininity. The heart of the couture spirit lies in the relationship between designer and client, and what drives his design is the passion to make every person who allows him the honor of dressing them feel beautiful.
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Charles is curious about how dance and performance can create imaginary futures. In practice, Charles works with artists and performers as a dramaturg, aiming to be another curious mind for the creative research of an artist or team. A researcher, an audience member, a note taker, a writer, a wrangler, all of these can fall within this role. Charles loves to help bring rich detail to the world that is being created in a process; And to be apart from the process enough to ask questions that help to invite audiences in.
haus of bambi is made up of multifaceted and multitalented artists and friends. Rather than subcategorize everyone into separate departments and assigned roles, the haus’ structure honors the various ways the team supports haus of bambi’s mission to build community through art.
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Lemz makes the dance floor feel like both a home and an escape. As a DJ/producer, his club sets and original productions run the gamut from disco, house, techno – even a bit of top 40 pop when the time is right – plus he can read almost any crowd like an open book. Behind a pair of Technics since the age of 12, Lemz’s early foundation in the craft led to a seemingly effortless skill that belies his laser-driven focus and constant challenge to surprise, and thrill, his audiences. Born in California and raised in Baltimore, the now DC-resident has racked up an impressive roster of parties (BENT, Sleaze, Rough House) and residencies in our nation’s capital with seemingly no intention of slowing down. It may look like he wants to rule the scene, but he really just wants to make you dance.
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King Molasses (They/them) is a non-binary drag king and performing artist based in Washington DC. They were voted DC’s Best Drag King ‘21, ‘22, ‘23 by Washington Blade Magazine and 2023-2024 by the DC Drag Awards.
A DC-region native, Molasses debuted in 2018 and has since become a fixture in the nation’s capital performing arts and entertainment scene. Their drag is founded in mindfulness, black surrealism, and heritage-based movements that dare to create images of self-liberation. Their performance work has been commissioned for the John F. Kennedy Center, the National Portrait Gallery, Dance Place and the Baltimore Museum of Art. They have headlined 9:30 Club and Echostage and performed on the mainstage of DC Capital Pride.
Molasses has been featured in The Washington Post, NPR’s 1A, and was a featured artist in the Vox documentary Drag Kings, Explained by Drag Kings.
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Rebecca is an admin baddy with a heart of gold. Folx go to her for honest opinions and suggestions. She’ll “should” you til next Tuesday because ideas are free and taste best when shared.
She is currently the Individual Giving Manager for Dance Place in Washington D.C. because nothing says “I love the arts” more than money.
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Tariq Darrell O'Meally is an artist, producer, curator and community organizer searching for the power within introspection and vulnerability in the African American body. He has pursued the re-imagining of kinesthetic narratives as a means to resist and disrupt canonized stories that have perpetuated the dehumanization of marginalized groups, specifically black people. He seeks to synthesize those stories that will resonate in a way that is socially relevant, empathetic and impactful.
O’Meally is the creator, curator and lead producer of the BlackLight Summit. Blacklight is a convening that re-envisions dance performance as a conduit to galvanize the social imaginations, resilience and inventiveness of citizens, thinkers, activists and artists. In addition to his duties as a curator, Tariq is a working artist in the DMV. Currently, his work focuses on being a contemporary dance artist striving to transition into a post-contemporary context. That is to say that if contemporary work interacts with the fierce urgency of now; then post-contemporary exploration integrates what has happened, what is happening and what will happen, intersecting these concepts with the vulnerability and necessity of being human.
As a choreographer, O'Meally has presented his work at the John F. Kennedy Center, the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival and Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building, By The People Festival, The Clarice Smith 34th & 35th Annual Choreographer's Showcase, Mid-Atlantic North Gala at the American College Dance Association and Richmond Dance Festival. He is the Artistic Director of Tariq Darrell+the UNUM Dance Collective, a DMV-based collection of dance artists seeking to create doorways and windows leading to the seen and unseen, lived and living experiences of African Americans.
As an educator, O'Meally has been on faculty at Hollins University, the CityDance School & Conservatory and Dance Institute of Washington in addition to presenting as a guest lecturer at Coppin State University, Morgan State University, the National Gallery of Art, The Hirshhorn Museum and the French Embassy. O'Meally is the Founder/Director of the Dimensions Contemporary Dance Festival, which is a platform to promote, amplify and spread the various eclectic voices of DMV contemporary dance artists of color.
O’Meally has been chosen as a 2022 NDP Advisor 2021 Rubys Artist Grantee, 2020-2022 Artist-In-Residence at Dance Place and 2020 Site See Artists-in-Residence. In 2019 & 2021, O’Meally was an Art Omi Resident Artist, as well as a 2018-2019 Halcyon Arts Lab Fellow. He also was a 2018-19 Joe’s Movement Emporium NextLOOK Artist and Dance Place’s 2017-18 New Releases Commissioned Artist. He currently holds a BFA in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University.