Flex Bios
Flex Dance Company was founded by artistic director Leslie Johnson in the Fall of 2008. Flex's nine members compose a uniquely talented contemporary dance company that strives to communicate interrelationships between its dancers, movement, and sound. Johnson's high energy choreography combines physicality and coordination that takes its audiences on engaging emotional journeys.
Leslie Johnson - Artistic Director
Leslie Johnson trained extensively in ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, tap, musical theater, and hip hop at Pamelot School of Dance in her hometown of Auburn, California for 15 years. As a young dancer she became part of a semi-professional dance company called Rhythm N' Motion that performed throughout the community and competed in Bay Area dance competitions. In her teens she was also part of Blueprint Dance Company for a season, and Valley Dance Ensemble---a company that performed at and hosted cancer benefits. In 2005 at the age of 18, Johnson earned an American Legion Auxiliary award for performance and involvement within her community. In 2007, she was honored with the Roberta Bristol Award for her commitment to the field of dance. In this same year, she had the privilege of assisting Sharon Took-Zozaya in her adaptive dance classes for adults with special needs. In 2008, she began dancing for Cid Pearlman's California Touring Project, performing both in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. In 2009, Leslie performed in New York City for Tawnya Kuzia who was a finalist for Capezio A.C.E. Award. In 2009 Leslie also proudly began her own dance company, Flex, that has had the opportunity to perform in a brain cancer benefit, the Cabrillo Music Festival, and the grand opening of the Tannery Art Center and the Crocker Theater in Santa Cruz. Johnson's choreography was showcased at a performance for up and coming choreographers in the Santa Cruz Area sponsored by The 418 Project. Leslie joined Rugged Dance Company under the direction of Tawnya Kuzia at its inception in 2009. Leslie also was awarded artist in residence at The 418 for the year of 2010 and was presented by Santa Cruz Dance to sold out shows two nights of May 2010 and again in November of 2011 at the new Motion at the Mill.
Leslie currently teaches at Motion Pacific and Santa Cruz Dance Company.
Molly Katzman
Molly Katzman first started dancing at the age of 12. She took a variety of dance classes including jazz, african, hip hop, ballet, and lyrical. She went on to dance throughout high school, including a summer at California State Summer School for the Arts. Molly went to Goucher College freshman year as a dance major, but after a year on the east coast, decided to come back to California. Molly has been dancing in Santa Cruz ever since, and has choreographed for the Cabrillo dance concerts, and danced with local choreographers such as Cid Pearlman and Cat Willis. Molly is excited to be a part of Flex Dance Company because of its innovative choreography and the dancers commitments to carrying out the complex themes created by director, Leslie Johnson.
Evan Adler
Evan Adler began studying dance at Cabrillo College and later joined Motion Pacific Dance Studio in 2007. Mentors David King, Cid Pearlman, Leslie Johnson, Cat Willis and Tandy Beal, have given Evan an opportunity to fully explore his potential in performing art. In 2009, he joined Flex Dance Company, where artistic director and choreographer, Leslie Johnson, explores new creative and contemporary movement. Evan received the “Tandy Beal Award” for Artistic Potential in Dance in 2009. At UCSC, he went on to work with Tandy Beal’s Mixed Nutz, and co-directed the University’s 18th dance production of Random with a Purpose. In 2010, Evan graduated from U.C. Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and hopes to continue his study of ethnic dance across the world. In July 2010, Evan was accepted to the Pilobolus Intensive in Connecticut and studied Pilobolus technique in their very first workshop. Evan continues to work with Beal on up-coming productions in 2010.
Melissa Wiley
Melissa Wiley began dancing at the age of four and has had consistent dance training in tap, jazz, hip-hop and classical ballet throughout her life thus far. Upon arriving in Santa Cruz to continue her studies at UCSC she began dancing with and teaching for Motion Pacific. In becoming more involved with the Santa Cruz dance scene Melissa began training in modern, contemporary and African styles of dance. By doing so she has been given several opportunities throughout the dance community, including choreographing for and performing in the Spring and Winter Cabrillo Dance Concerts, joining Cid Pearlman Performance Projects, becoming part of the ensemble cast for the 418 Project's 2009 Artist in Residence, Cat Willis and to be one of the first three artists in Up and Coming Choreographers Show produced by the 418 Project. Melissa joined Flex Dance Company in 2009 and has encountered a dance challenge that she truly relishes. She states, "I never thought I'd be dancing like this again. I'm doing things I didn't even do when I was dancing at sixteen!" She loves it.
Leesha Zieber
Leesha Zieber is a recent graduate of Harbor High. She has been actively involved in the Santa Cruz dance community for the past 13 years. In the summer of 2008 she was named a California Arts Scholar after completing the dance program at the California State Summer School for the Arts. Leesha is currently a freshman at San Francisco State University furthering her study of dance as well as mathematics. She is proud to be celebrating two years of dancing with Flex.
Sara Russell
Sara Russell has been active in the Santa Cruz dance community since 2005. She has trained in a variety of dance styles as well as worked as an assistant in Sharon Took-Zozaya’s integrated dance classes at Cabrillo College. In 2008 she was presented with the Roberta Bristol award for her dedicated service and contribution to the Cabrillo Dance Department. Sara joined FLEX Dance Company at its inception in 2009, and has since performed at the Grand Opening of the Tannery, the Cabrillo College Crocker Theater Opening Gala, various benefits, and most recently in FLEX’s full-length show “Telling Stories" and a sold out weekend of shows at the premeire season at Motion at the Mill.
Rachael Bianchi
Rachael Bianchi started dancing at the age of 5, training mostly in ballet and jazz in her hometown of West Point, CA. Through the ages 12-14, Rachael performed with the Sacramento Ballet Company in The Nutcracker and also studied ballet under Ron Cunningham, Artistic Director of The Sacramento Ballet. Rachael then became more interested in modern and contemporary dance styles, and began taking classes in Folsom, CA. Upon moving to Santa Cruz, she danced within the Cabrillo College dance program, taking classes with both Cid Pearlman and David King. Rachael joined Flex Dance Company in 2009 and with Flex has performed for the opening of the new Crocker Theater at Cabrillo, Cabrillo’s Music Festival, and 3+1+1 Choreographers Showcase at The 418 Project. After meeting fellow Flex members, she has gotten more involved with Motion Pacific and Santa Cruz Dance Company.
Sierrah Dietz
Sierrah Dietz was born in Santa Cruz and took her first dance class, ballet/tap combo, at Santa Cruz Dance Center when she was three years old. She did not revisit dance until her family moved to Nevada City where she studied jazz, hip-hop, ballet, and african styles. In high school Sierrah was accepted into the advanced dance program at Nevada Union High School, under the direction of Yelena Holt. In this program she began to explore choreography and performance as well as learned the benefits of dedication and hard work. During the summers Sierrah would travel to the bay area to take workshops with company directors such as, Scott Wells, Nina Haft, Joe Goode, and Ben Levy. after High School she attended San Francisco State University and graduated with a BA in Dance, and a certificate for Outstanding Choreography, while also performing a two year run with University Dance Theater, the on campus company. Sierrah has choreographed pieces that have been performed at Dancing in the Park, New Moves Student Choreography Showcase, and American College Dance Festival. After graduating College Sierrah became a member of CIA (Call It Art) a San Francisco dance company with artistic director Kyle Limin in Summer 2010. Sierrah danced as a guest with Flex in previous shows and was invited to join the company last year.
Carly Ostergaard
joined FLEX about a year ago after moving to Santa Cruz from a little town called Pioneer, about an hour south of Lake Tahoe. Carly has been dancing for the last fifteen years, and is trained in classical ballet, jazz, and contemporary. During her senior year in high school she taught an intermediate/advanced contemporary class, and she recently attended a week long American College Dance Festival (ACDF) in Wichita, Kansas. It was in Kansas where Carly was exposed to West African dance, upon returning to Santa Cruz Carly began West African classes at the 418, and hopes to cultivate this new found form. As of six months ago, Carly as well as other FLEX members have been traveling along with the Willy Woggle Circus based out of South Lake Tahoe to venues in San Francisco, Tahoe, and most recently a bluegrass festival in Placerville. Carly joined Flex for their sold out show at Motion at the Mill in November of 2011.
Chelsea Moreno
Coming Soon...
Eli Weinburg
Eli Weinburg danced and performed on 3 continents and is very happy to be dancing now in the Best Town this side of the Mississippi. Eli is in his first year with Flex Dance Company and thrilled to have the opportunity to be working with people of such magnitude and grace.