Davalois Fearon Dance (DFD) was founded in 2016 by Davalois Fearon, with the mission to push artistic and social boundaries by creating multidisciplinary works that confront difficult issues and prompt contemplation. Fearon brings her diverse movement vocabulary, hailed by critics for its “tenacious virtuosity,” to collaborations with diverse creators including poet Patricia Smith, multi-reedist Mike McGinnis, fashion photographer Nigel HoSang, interdisciplinary artist Andre Zachery, and visual artist Deborah Castillo. Her critically acclaimed choreography has been presented nationally and internationally, and at prestigious venues such as the Joyce Theater and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. DFD has received recurring support from the Bronx Council on the Arts, and foundational support from the MuKha Arts & Science Foundation and the Mayer Foundation. The company was selected to participate in the DanceMotion USA Professional Development Follow-on Program in 2017 and received arts administration and professional development support from Pentacle from 2017 to 2019.

​MORGAN ANDERSON (Rehearsal Director & Dancer)  originally from Erie, PA, began her dance training at Erie Dance Conservatory under the direction of Sarah Purvis. Morgan continued her studies with a BFA from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance with a semester in Perth, Australia at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Morgan has performed works by Stephen Petronio, Merce Cunningham, Mark Morris, Nelly VanBommel, Xiaoxiong Zhang, and Ori Flomin. She has performed with DANCE IQUAIL!, Nicholas Andre Dance Theater, Michael James New York, and Magnus Works. Morgan has started the collaborative collectives the Big Evil Collective in 2013 and Skyline Seventy-Seven in 2014.

​NJERI RUTHERFORD (Dancer & Development Associate) is a Detroit, MI native with a B.A in Dance and Communication Arts from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC. Since her move to NYC she has furthered her career in dance performance, administration, and choreography. Since her move to the Big Apple Njeri has worked with Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, and The Yard. Njeri has danced professionally for The Wanda Project, O’Toole & Dancers, ‘Adikted to Dance’ Dance Company and Dance The Yard. She has also choreographed for several festivals and conferences including Charlotte Dance Festival, American College Dance Association and A.R.T on the Vine. Currently she works, as a freelance dance artist and is the Development Associate at Movement Research.
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Photo by Hayim Heron

​MIKAILA WARE (Dancer) at the age of five, began taking dance classes at a recreational center on the military base of Fort Stewart Georgia. Upon her parents’ military retirement, Mikaila’s family settled in Ellenwood, Georgia where she furthered her training at Price Performing Arts Center and Dekalb School of the Arts. Mikaila then went on to expand her range at intensives such as Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and obtaining her B.F.A in Dance at Florida State University. As a NY-based movement artist, Mikaila has worked in the mediums of dance and film, through collaboration, with choreographers and directors such as Kayla Farrish(Decent Structures Arts), André Zachery(Renegade Performance Group), Johnnie Cruise Mercer(TheREDprojectNYC), and Max Rothman (Monticello Park Productions) with Dubois A’keen. Mikaila’s performances have been featured in articles such as the NY Times, Dance Magazine, Dance Enthusiast, and Danspace Project. Additionally, Mikaila worked both administratively and creatively through the completion of the Accessibility Partnerships and Programs Fellowship at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Furthermore, Mikaila is an alumna of the Diversity in Arts Leadership program with the Arts and Business Council of New York. She is currently a company member with Urban Bush Women and Davalois Fearon Dance.