Pulse: Cast and Creative Team

Nait Bigler (Lighting Designer – Pulsars: Opening/Interludes, Line Dance) is an M.F.A. in Theatre student with a specialization in live design and production (lighting design) at The University of Texas at Austin. Bigler earned their B.F.A. in Entertainment Lighting Design and Production from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, focusing primarily on lighting for dance. They value authenticity and personality in their work and wish to inspire audiences to do what they love, even when they are scared. 

Cinthia Chen (Projection Designer – Pulsars: Opening/Interludes, Inside) is a first-year M.F.A. in Theatre student with a specialization in live design and production (integrated media for live performance). She is a member of the Obie award-winning company, Theater Mitu, and was a 2025-26 Lincoln Center Collider Fellow. Video projection design credits include Salesman 之死 (Connelly Theater), Language City (Little Island), OKUNI (Theater Row), The Healing Shipment (La Mama) and American (tele)visions (New York Theater Workshop, asst. designer). 

Joseph Crawford (Lighting Designer – Inside, Almost Human) is a first-year M.F.A. in Theatre student with a specialization in live design and production (lighting design). Before moving to Austin, Crawford was a freelance designer based out of Atlanta, GA. His work focused around and in the American South. 

Valeria Nuñez Estrada (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a fourth-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance (production) and B.A. in Government double-major. Recent credits include Assistant Scenic Designer for Dance Repertory Theatre: EQUINOX (2026), Assistant Scenic Designer for UT New Theatre: Diet of Worms, Ordinary Time (2026), Assistant Technical Director and Assistant Prop Manager for This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing (2025), Assistant Scenic Design for Dance Repertory Theatre: Rooted in Motion (2025) and Co-Scenic Designer for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2024). 

Marjani Forté-Saunders (Choreographer – Inside) is a three-time Bessie Award-winning choreographer, performer, teaching artist, mother and 2023 United States Artists Fellow. Her credits include the Metropolitan Opera’s El Niño, Chicken Soup 2025 at DanspaceProject and Dreaming Zenzile Off-Broadway. She co-founded 7NMS with Everett Saunders and is the Visioning Founder of Art x Power, a platform supporting resilient futures for Black radically experimenting artists through investment, innovation and purpose-driven creative practice. (she/her) 

Amanda Geyer (Costume Designer – Almost Human, Line Dance) is a second-year M.F.A. in Theatre student with a specialization in live design and production (costume design). Prior to her time at The University of Texas at Austin, Geyer worked as a Costume Fellow at Berkeley Repertory Theatre for the 2024-2025 season. She has also worked as a Costume and Wardrobe Technician at Utah Festival Opera, The REV Theatre Company, Round House Theatre and The Santa Fe Opera. 

Gustavo A. Hernández (Scenic Designer) is a Colombian architect and first-year M.F.A. in Theatre student with a specialization in live design and production (scene design) at The University of Texas at Austin. He holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in Architecture from The National University of Colombia. 

Gabriela Hernandez (Stage Manager) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance (design and technology) major. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include stage managing Ain’t No Mo and Dance Repertory Theatre's Points of Intersection. Her favorite credits include stage managing DRT: Cyphers and assistant stage managing Ballet Austin's In Motion: An Evening with Stephen Mills and A Midsummer Night's Dream. This is her seventh production with The University of Texas at Austin. 

Yuheng (Kitty) Jiang (Costume Designer – Pulsars: Opening/Interludes, Inside) is an M.F.A. in Theatre student with a specialization in live design and production (costume design). She actively designs costumes for theatre, dance and film projects. She is interested in exploring the narrative power of clothing and how it can support stories and movements in different ways. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include DRT: EQUINOX (Spring, Sprang, Sprung). Film credits include Sapo and Timeless. 

Eva Jimenez (Sound Designer) is a third-year student at The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Fine Arts, majoring in Arts and Entertainment Technologies with a minor in Advertising and a specialization in audio. She enjoys not only the result, but the process of story-telling through sound, making it her goal to remind the world how important and powerful sound is and can be.

Math Judson (Composer – Pulsars: Opening) is a composer, solo artist and professional drummer. He earned a B.F.A. in Jazz Studies - Percussion at NIU near Chicago, Illinois. After a cruise ship orchestra contract, he relocated to Austin, Texas and landed an artist residency at Studio1916. Currently, he is active in many avenues of the music industry including performing, audio engineering, composing, accompanying dance classes, teaching privately, founding The Percussive Approach, leading a jazz group and working as a session drummer. 

Gesel R. Mason (Artistic Director; Choreographer – Pulsars: Opening/Interludes) is Artistic Director of Gesel Mason Performance Projects and Professor of Dance at UT Austin. Her projects—including No Boundaries, supported by the NEA and NEH, and Yes, And, supported by Texas Performing Arts and Fusebox Festival—explore embodied knowledge, memory, connection, and collective imagination. Honors include Texas’s inaugural 2026 Creative Capital State of the Art Prize, a 2025 Dance/USA Artist Fellowship and a 2019 Rauschenberg residency. Her work has been presented at the Kennedy Center, Jacob’s Pillow, American Dance Festival and Bates Dance Festival.

Lourine Mokoro (Assistant Costume Designer) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has worked for last year’s Fall DRT show and Ain’t No Mo’. She is excited to jump back in!

Jo Molina (Assistant Stage Manager) 

Grace Mondy (Technical Director)

Joe Morales (Projection Designer – Pulsars: Opening/Interludes, Almost Human) 

Mason Ousley (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance (design and technology) major at The University of Texas at Austin. His background primarily consists of scenic design and fabrication. His recent projects include The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Texas Theatre and Dance), Mean Girls (Majestic Empire Foundation) and multiple University Theatre Guild shows.

Polina Pinchevksy (Assistant Projection Designer)  is an M.F.A. in Theatre student with a specialization in live design and production.

Magdalena Jarkowiec Riley (Choreographer – Line Dance) is an artist, teacher and psychotherapist who lives in Austin, Texas. Her art practice centers mostly around soft sculpture and dance which often intersect in unusual installations. She loves humor and is interested in the strangeness of life, particularly the strangeness of being a physical form. Memory and kinship are also major themes in her work, a reflection of her immigrant childhood which was colored by the persistent absence of the old world.  

Vershawn Sanders-Ward (Choreographer – Almost Human) is a visionary leader, choreographer, educator and ARTIVIST whose practice centers Afro-Contemporary dance, cultural stewardship and social change. As Founding Artistic Director and CEO of Red Clay Dance Company, she draws from African diasporic dance traditions while supporting their continued evolution through the leadership, voices and cultural knowledge of the communities that created them. A Walder Foundation Platform Awardee, Dance/USA Artist and Leadership Fellow and 2025 Chicagoan of the Year in Dance, she serves on the Dance/USA Board of Trustees. 

Jonathan Um (Composer – Pulsars: Interludes) - aka “UM?” - is a musical artist and creative facilitator bridging music, dance, storytelling and emerging media. He has an extensive background in all forms of music and sound, and he has been credited in many records and works from the Los Angeles recording industry all the way to New York and its varying art exhibits. 

Rosie Adams (Dancer – Line Dance; Archival Team) is from Denton, Texas. She is a transfer student from Kilgore College and is a current B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in dance education. At Kilgore College, she was part of the World-Famous Kilgore College Rangerettes and Industry Dance Company in the Kilgore College Dance Department. Her recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Shadow Puppets (EQUINOX 2025) and Against the Dying Light (Evolution 2025). 

Beatrice Anguiano (Dancer – Almost Human) is a B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She is from Dallas, Texas and trained with Groundworks Dance Company. Recent works with the Department of Theatre and Dance include the Freshman Showcase (Bulwark, 2025), the Choreography 1 performance (Third Law, 2025) and the Choreography 2 performance (Haze, 2026).

Olivia Asay (Dancer – Line Dance) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in performance and choreography at The University of Texas at Austin, where she also pursues a B.S. in Advertising from the Moody College of Communication. Texas Theatre and Dance credits include Evolution (2026), and this is her first production with Dance Repertory Theatre. 

Jeremy Benavides (Dancer – Pulsars: Opening/Interludes) is a B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in performance and choreography at The University of Texas at Austin. His artistic practice centers on contemporary dance, ballet, choreography, theatrical performance, physical storytelling and interdisciplinary collaboration. His previous work at UT Austin includes performing as María Antonieta Pons in La Liga de la Decencia (2023), serving as Associate Choreographer for Ride the Cyclone (2023), performing in Lone. Lean. Less. as part of EQUINOX, and creating Evolution (2026) as a student choreographer for a collaborative concert and film screening. He has also performed in Wild Hearts and Other Ecologies and continues to explore movement through contemporary, ballet, improvisation and theatrical performance.

Andrea Bernal (Dancer – Line Dance, Inside) is a third-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Her recent credits with Dance Repertory Theatre include Gesel Mason's Spring, Sprang, Sprung and Joel Valentín-Martínez's Dreams in the Mist. She is currently choreographing around Central Texas with high school drill teams, and this will be her third performance with Dance Repertory Theatre. 

Ariyana Bogan (Dancer – Line Dance) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance major with a minor in Arts Management and Administration at The University of Texas at Austin. She is originally from Houston, Texas and has a background in various dance styles, including hip-hop, jazz and contemporary. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include 10 + 1 (Points of Intersection, 2024), Evolution (2024), where to go from here (CYPHERS, 2024), Lone.Lean.Less and The Altar of Humanity: The Convocation, The Resolution, The Benediction (EQUINOX, 2025), The Golden Hour by Giuliana Velez and Saada Diggs (Cohen New Works Festival, 2025), Evolution (2025) and Spring, Sprang, Sprung (EQUINOX, 2026). 

Paulina Cuenca (Dancer, Rehearsal Assistant – Inside) is a B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in performance and choreography and a minor in Arts Management and Administration at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Marrow (Evolution 2026), Spring, Sprang, Sprung (EQUINOX 2026), Ohr (Rooted In Motion, 2025) and Estorbo Público (M.F.A. Thesis 2025). She recently worked with NW Dance Project, BODYTRAFFIC L.A. and Zeitgeist Dance Theatre.

Lauren Dorsett (Dancer – Line Dance) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance and B.S. in Kinesiology and Exercise Science double-major on the Pre-Physical Therapy track at The University of Texas at Austin. Originally from Katy, Texas, she trained in a variety of techniques. Her recent performance credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Points of Intersection (2024), CYPHERS (2024) and EQUINOX (2025). Additional creative and festival credits include the Cohen New Works Festival (2024), the American College Dance Association (ACDA), regional and national conferences (2024, 2025, 2026) and Break-In Dance Fest (2025, 2026).

Emma Flores (Dancer – Line Dance) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She is from Austin, Texas, where she grew up doing competitive dance and musical theatre. She now trains street styles, with an emphasis in hip-hop. She most recently danced in DRT's Equinox (2026) and choreographed competitive sets for Isang Mahal (2026) hosted by PhilSA and Collegiate Hip-Hop Showcase (2026) hosted by Olympic B-boy, Jeffro (2026).

Audrey Friloux (Dancer – Line Dance) is a B.F.A in Dance major pursuing a double minor in Professional Sales and Business Development and Arts Management and Administration at The University of Texas at Austin. She grew up dancing competitively and now teaches and choreographs for students in Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Rooted in Motion (2025), EQUINOX (2025, 2026), Evolution (2025) and CYPHERS (2024). 

Sydney Gladden (Dancer – Line Dance) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance and B.S. in Kinesiology and Health double-major at The University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in Round Rock, Texas and trained intensively with Rise Dance Collective. During her time at The University of Texas, she has performed in works by Angel Blanco and Sinclair Emoghene and is excited to be appearing in Dance Repertory Theater for the third time. 

Madi Gonzalez (Dancer – Almost Human) is a B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in dance education at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Spring Sprang Sprung, choreographed by Gesel Mason (Equinox 2026), and Weight of Faith, choreographed by Iyalochà Nadia Milad Issa (M.F.A. thesis piece, 2026). 

Bryli Lee Jameson (Dancer – Inside, Line Dance) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in performance and choreography at The University of Texas at Austin. From the Dallas, Texas area, she has an extensive background in modern, contemporary and African diasporic dance styles. Her credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Evolution (2024), CYPHERS (2024), EQUINOX (2025), Rooted In Motion (2025) and EQUINOX (2026). 

Marcel Johnson (Dancer – Almost Human, Line Dance) is a third-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. They are a San Jacinto College Alum, where they studied modern, jazz, ballet, movement improvisation, choreography and performance, earning an Associate of Arts in Dance. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Un/leaven by Bayleigh Cragun (2025), Agape Love by Iyalochá Nadia Milad Issa (EQUINOX, 2025) and Weight of Faith by Iyalochá Nadia Milad Issa (2026). 

Giovanni Ledezma (Dancer – Almost Human) is a third-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. He comes from an expansive dance background, starting with ballet folklórico for over 6 years, then exploring various styles which include Caribbean, heels, contemporary, jazz, West African and even hip-hop. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Mé Duniya (Rooted In Motion, 2025), Cabaret (2025) and Vacíos (EQUINOX, 2025). 

Julia Leitner (Dancer – Line Dance) is a B.F.A. in Dance and B.A. in Sociology double-major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has an extensive background in dance and has been dancing for the past 16 years. Leitner’s recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Ohr (Makaila Natividad), Un Intento (Angel Blanco), Lone.Lean.Less (Quilian “Cue” Arnold) and Evolution. 

Viviana Lopez-Stern (Dancer – Pulsars: Opening/Interludes, Inside) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. At the age of six, she began dancing with Ballet Folkórico MariCruz, based in East Austin, under the direction of Maria and Alicia Ramirez. This dance form, along with ballet and contemporary, have been formative in her dance training. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Sovereign Shoulders (2026), EQUINOX (2026) and Evolution (2026). 

Hannah Lunoff (Dancer – Line Dance) is a B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in dance education. She grew up in Austin, Texas and trained with various artists and companies in the greater Austin area. This is her first show with Dance Repertory Theatre, but she has been part of Freshman Showcase (Bulwark, 2025) and a Choreography 1 performance (Rituals, 2025) during her time at The University of Texas at Austin.   

Siah Maslo (Dancer – Line Dance) 

Kate Mooney (Dancer – Inside) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She is also pursuing three minors in Arts Administration and Management, Media Studies and Media and Entertainment Industries. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Rooted In Motion (2025), EQUINOX (2025), CYPHERS (2024) and UT Dance Action's S.E.E.D. (2024, 2023). 

Kelei Navejar-Eubanks (Dancer – Line Dance) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include performing in M.F.A. graduate Angel Blanco’s piece set on the first-year cohort of dance majors. 

Braxton Nguyen (Dancer – Line Dance) is a B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in dance education at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Dreams in the Mist and I Am Here from EQUINOX. 

Christian Ortega (Dancer – Almost Human, Line Dance; Rehearsal Assistant – Line Dance) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Victor in Cabaret (2025), EQUINOX (2025) and CYPHERS (2024). 

Cassidy Perry (Dancer, Rehearsal Assistant – Pulsars: Opening/Interludes; Archival Team) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance and B.A. in Sociology double-major with minors in Radio-Television-Film, Law, Justice, and Society, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. She is from Maryland and has an extensive background in numerous styles of dance. Some of her Texas Theatre and Dance credits include Points Of Intersection (2024), CYPHERS (2024), EQUINOX (2025), The Cohen New Works Festival in Quiet Tears of Roses (2025), Rooted In Motion (2025), Evolution (2025, 2026) and EQUINOX (2026). 

Grace Pittman (Dancer – Inside) is a B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She began dancing at the age of three and has trained and performed as a competitive dancer in a variety of styles. This is her first performance with Texas Theatre and Dance. Pittman is excited to continue developing her artistry through performance, collaboration and exploration of movement at The University of Texas at Austin. 

Hailey Potter (Dancer – Line Dance) is a third-year B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in dance education at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Dreams in the Mist (EQUINOX, 2026), Wild Hearts and Other Ecologies (Rooted In Motion, 2025) and Evolution (2025). 

Madeline Rodriguez (Dancer – Inside) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She is from Weslaco, Texas, where she trained and competed at Palm Valley Gymnastics and Dance for 14 years in various styles, including contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, ballet, tap, pointe and commercial dance. This is her second performance with Dance Repertory Theatre. Recent credits include Evolution (2026) and EQUINOX (2026). 

Zoë Van Osten (Understudy, Rehearsal Assistant – Almost Human; Archival Team) is a third-year B.F.A. in Dance and B.S. in Public Relations double-major at The University of Texas at Austin. Originally from Cedar Park, Texas, Van Osten grew up as a competitive dancer, training in hip-hop, jazz, ballet and contemporary. Her early career includes touring with Celebrity Dance and HEAT conventions. She is a second-year member of the UT Dance Team, competing at NDA College Nationals in the D1A Hip Hop and Jazz divisions. Her recent performance credits include Rooted In Motion (2025). 

Natalie Vargas (Dancer – Inside) is a B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in performance and choreography. Her training in various dance styles has led her to compete in prestigious competitions, including NDA Nationals and World of Dance, where her team recently earned second place. She currently teaches and choreographs throughout the Austin area. Recent performances with Texas Theatre Dance include Nadia Milad Issa's Agape Love (EQUINOX 2025), Sinclair Emoghene's Me Duniya (Rooted In Motion 2025) and Joel Valentín-Martínez's Dreams in the Mist (EQUINOX 2026). 

Julia Vickers (Dancer – Line Dance) is a B.F.A. in Dance major with a minor in Educational Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include I am here (EQUINOX, 2026), Molded Flesh and Marrow (Evolution, 2026), Wild Hearts and Other Ecologies (Rooted In Motion, 2025) and Seeking Solace and This was never yours to name (Evolution, 2025). She has participated in the Cohen New Works Festival and multiple student-led campus projects.

Jalissa Vitalis (Dancer, Rehearsal Assistant – Almost Human) is a B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a versatile dancer who has trained in ballet, hip hop, contemporary and more. With years of performing, her love for dance has grown even stronger. Over the years, Vitalis has performed in concerts, competitions and recitals with many guest artists. She enjoys using her artistic abilities to express her love for dance to an audience.

Kendall Wenmohs (Dancer – Pulsars: Opening/Interludes) is a B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in Houston, TX where she began her dance training at the age of two.. She has an extensive background in concert dance and competition dance. Recent credits include performances with the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In addition to this, she has performed in various summer intensive shows with the Joffrey Ballet School and The Dance Awards. She has also performed in DRT’s CYPHERS, EQUINOX and Rooted In Motion.

Bailey Whiteman (Dancer - Almost Human, Pulsars: Opening/Interludes) is a B.F.A. in Dance major with a concentration in performance and choreography at The University of Texas at Austin. Her background reflects a long-standing dedication to the performing arts. She has participated in numerous competitions and concert dance performances, including recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance such as the First-Year Performance, Presente, Dance Repertory Theatre’s Me Duniya as well as Dance Repertory Theatre's Dreams in the Mist.