Alumni Highlights

Cover Photo: Tristian Griffin: Photo by David Pugh

All photos below provided by alumni

---

Catherine Row  BFA ’14

TCU Academic Journey: 

BFA Ballet with Educational Studies Minor

Since Graduation:

• Performed with Ballet San Antonio and Festival Ballet of North Central Texas.
• Since 2016, serves as Educational Programs Manager with Texas Ballet Theater, where she oversees the company’s community enrichment and engagement programming, as well as the Summer Intensive and National Audition Tour.
• Choreographed a ballet work on behalf of Texas Ballet Theater School for FWISD’s I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA Dance Ensemble.
• Currently leads the ballet faculty and teaches intermediate and advanced ballet at Studio of MoveMINT in Fort Worth, Texas.

 

---

Kelly Todd BFA ’11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since Graduation:

• Performed with zoe|juniper, Johannes Weiland, Broadway Asia, and Punchdrunk and currently performs with critically acclaimed, off-broadway show Sleep No More NYC.
• Choreography has been commissioned by Steven Holl and Meow Wolf and showcased in Texas, California, New  Mexico, and New York.
• Her choreography has been awarded the Keshet Makers Space Residency, LEIMAY Fellowship, Brooklyn Arts Fund Grant, and New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Choreography.
• She is currently in development for an environmental dance film series that brings awareness to the National Parks and Monuments.

 

 

---

Kenta Taniguchi  BFA ’17

 

TCU Academic Journey:

BFA Ballet

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since Graduation:

• Company member with the Eugene Ballet Company under direction of Toni Pimble.
• Has toured across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska in various performances.
• Has been a part of different guest works including Stephen Mill’s Hamlet and Val Caniparoli’s Tutto Eccetto il Lavandino.
• Danced in collaboration with the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, Pink Martini, and has been invited
  to dance at the McCallum Theatre Choreography Festival in Palm Desert, California.
• Afforded the opportunity to choreograph with Eugene Ballet company members and the Eugene Ballet Academy Youth
  company members.
• Has guest taught and performed in his home state of Arizona.

 

 

---

Lisa Draskovich-Long BFA ’92

 

TCU Academic Journey:

BFA Ballet

 

 

 

Since Graduation:

• Choreographer, dancer, educator and licensed massage therapist.
• For thirteen years she danced professionally for Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and was a principal dancer with Dance Kaleidoscope, under the artistic direction of David Hochoy, for eight years. She has created roles in works by Donald Byrd, Kevin Iega Jeff, George Faison, Chuck Davis, and Jin Xing and has performed works by Talley Beatty, Andre George, Donald McKayle, Ricardo Melendez, Milton Meyers, Cleo Parker Robinson, and Dereque Whitters.
• Lisa’s concert choreography has been produced at: Segerstrom Center, Highways Performance Space, DUMBO
  Dance Festival and SoloDuo Festivals NYC, Inaside Dance Chicago, Jacksonville Dance Theatre, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
• Her piece, “Into the Rose” was the first dance allowed to be presented within the labyrinth
  at Chartres Cathedral and is being further presented in labyrinths around the globe.
• In 2012 her choreography for Chevrolet won fourth place in MOFILM’s Las Vegas competition. Backstage described her work as “imaginative and inspired.”
  She holds an MFA in choreography from CalArts and an AA in occupational therapy form Swedish Institute NYC.
• She has taught at CalArts, UCLA, and Butler University.
• At CSU Fullerton, Lisa teaches modern technique, anatomy/kinesiology for dancers, composition, and theory and critique.
• Lisa works from a belief that as physical and energetic creatures we reach our ultimate potential when these systems flow seamlessly together.

 

---

Geneva Aboites BFA ’07

TCU Academic Journey:

BFA Ballet and Modern Dance

After Graduation:

• Assistant Director/teacher at Christian based dance studio, Devotion in Motion, in Fort Worth, TX from 2007-2009.
• Married TCU alumni (Jonathan Aboites) in June 2009 whose job began to move them around starting in
  Indianapolis, IN where she was on dance faculty at Expressenz Dance Center for 1 year.
• Moved to McKinney, TX from 2010-2013 where she taught ballet in Plano,TX at Gotta Dance.
• Moved to Illinois in 2013 and had a son in October of 2015. They currently reside in the far west suburbs of Chicago in Geneva, IL where she continues to teach dance to all ages at local dance studios.

 

---

Erin Johnson  BFA ’16

 

TCU Academic Journey:

BFA Ballet with General Business Minor; Nordan Scholarship recipient

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since Graduation:

• Spent two years as an Apprentice at Eugene Ballet and was promoted to Company Dancer in 2018.
• Has danced over 100 shows of The Nutcracker in three years, and toured to over five states, including Alaska.
• Performed in multiple shows with Instaballet, a non-profit that facilitates crowd-sourced choreography. Wehave even created ballets with Bridgeway House, a local school for children with autism.
• Fallen in love with everything about the Pacific Northwest!
  

  Photo by Colton West Photography

 

---

Tristian Griffin BFA ’14

 

TCU Academic Journey:

BFA Ballet with English minor

 

 

 

 

Since Graduation:

• Company member of Garth Fagan Dance for 3 years; recently performed with Metropolitan Opera (NY) and Lyric Opera (KS) as well as Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, Company E, and Kansas City’s Friends of Alvin Ailey.
• Performed in extraordinary venues: Ebony Repertory Theatre (L.A.), Joyce Theatre (N.Y.C.), Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (N.Y.C.), the Kennedy Center (D.C.), Jacob’s Pillow (MA), and Kauffman Center (KCMO).
• Recently presented an evening-length immersive production, Palimpsest: Interactive Art Performance Series.  Commissioned by Charlotte Street Foundation and ArtsKC.  Worked with 10 dancers and collaborated with a poet, 3 singers, photographer, and videographer.  All shows were sold out but will be bringing Palimpsest back to Kansas City and soon a national tour.

 

 

---

Allison Armfield BFA ’17

TCU Academic Journey:

BFA Modern Dance with General Business Minor

Editor-in-Chief of the Horned Frog Yearbook

Photographer

 

 

 

Since Graduation:

• Moved to New York City
  

  Photo by Allison Armfield

• Studio Manager for Lois Greenfield, internationally renowned dance photographer.
• Founded and directs non-profit, project based dance company, Golden Hour Dance.
• Choreography chosen for Eisenhower Dance Festival Choreography Showcase.