Performer and Collaborator Bios
Lacee Buckholz (performer) is a junior at Towson University who will be graduating in 2023 with a BFA in dance performance and choreography. Lacee has performed with Towson University’s Dance Company and is so excited to be dancing with Deep Vision.
Islam Elshahat (reciter) is an Associate Professor in Accounting at Towson University (TU). Prior to TU, he was an Adjunct Faculty member at Florida International University where he also received his Ph.D. He received his MBA in Business/Finance at the Arab Academy for Science & Tech. His areas of expertise are capital market research, bankruptcy prediction, social responsibility, and financial accounting.
Aizad Kamal (performer) is an international student from Malaysia. Aizad is currently pursuing his master's in Clinical Psychology with a focus on Neuroscience. During his free time, he enjoys playing badminton, guitar, or practicing his silat (martial arts from Malaysia/Indonesia) skills. Aizad has been practicing meditation ever since he was a child and Sufism meditation has become part of his life because it is part of his tradition and cultural identity. Assalamualikum (peace be upon you).
Nicole Martinell (choreographer/performer) is an artist, educator, and mother. As the Founder of Deep Vision, she choreographed over 25 works, created 2 outreach programs, co-founded the AKIMBO Dance Festival, and designed and shared numerous workshops throughout the community. She was a recipient of the Maryland Baker Artist Award and received a Teacher of the Year Award from the Maryland Dance Education Association. Martinell has an MFA in Dance from Texas Woman’s University and is certified as a Teacher of the Alexander Technique as well as in Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies. She is on faculty at Towson University.
Paula McCabe (vocalist) was the first female cantor and soloist at Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. Paula sang in Rome, Torino, France and for St. John Paul II in Baltimore. She soloed with Harford Choral Society, Choral Arts Society and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Meyerhoff. Musical theater credits: Sound of Music, Kiss Me Kate, The King and I, Babes in Toyland, Naughty Marietta. Opera credits: Carmen, The Merry Widow.
Ayanna Miranda (reciter) a Muslim American raised in the Midwest. Ms. Miranda has worked and lived in Maryland for 17 years. She has worked in the field of Environmental Engineering for 28 years. Ms. Miranda is a member of the Sisters Quran Study Group that is based in the DMV. Ms. Miranda is involved in interfaith work and serves as a Board of Trustees member for the Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake (IPC).
Sade’ Morgan (dancer) is an emerging artist from Prince George's County, Maryland where she began training at Suitland High School and MODAS Dance. She is a Dance Performance and Choreography major at Towson University holding many leadership roles and affiliations. She is currently a Zumba instructor at TU Campus Recreation and an administrative assistant for MODAS Dance Summer Intensive.
Heather M. Mork (lighting designer) is thrilled to make her return to live events! Heather holds a B.S. in Theatre, Design and Production from Towson University and is currently pursuing a M.A. in Emerging Media from Loyola University Maryland. She has designed for Deep Vision since 2012 and worked with many other dance companies throughout the area. Heather is thrilled to return from the pandemic with this production and hopes you enjoy the show. 143
Timothy Nohe (composer) is an artist, composer and educator engaging traditional and electronic media in civic life and public places. His work has been focused upon sustainability and place, and musical and video works for dance and performance. He was named a 2021-2022 Fellow of the American Council on Education at Franklin and Marshall College. He served as a 2006 Fulbright Senior Scholar in Australia. Nohe has presented his work in a range of venues from the Louvre Museum, Centre Pompidou to the Smithsonian Institution, The Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York and The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
Chelsea Patten (performer/rehearsal director) is a Junior at Towson University who will be graduating with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a BA in psychology. Chelsea has trained extensively in modern and ballet under prestigious artists and has also had the pleasure of being a part of Towson University's dance company.
Moustapha Pemy (performer) received his Masters in Mathematics at the University of Yaoundé 1 in Cameroon (1998). In 2001 he completed the Diploma Program of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy. In 2005, he received a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Georgia. He then spent a year at the Centre for Research in Scientific Computation at North Carolina State University as a research assistant and at the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute in NC. In 2006, he joined the Department of Mathematics of Towson University where he is a full professor.
Shelly Purdy (percussionist) is a contemporary percussionist and teaching artist from Maryland, where she has for the past decade been committed to presenting new and experimental music. Her sonic explorations tend to favor the mingling of found objects with more traditional instruments and an affinity for chance and silence whenever possible. Purdy regularly plays with such acts as the percussion quartet; Umbilicus, and the science/music ensemble; The Inverse Square Trio. Purdy also has been studying Javanese & Balinese Gamelan under the tutelage of Prof Gina Beck and is a board member for The High Zero Foundation and 2640 Collective.
Jamahl Rahmaan (choreographer/performer) is a flamenco and experiential movement artist. He enjoys collaborating with other movement artists, performing solos, and moving outside of the traditional boundaries of flamenco dance. Jamahl has a rich history of performing in and around the Baltimore area.
Kendra Shapanus (costume designer) designs, makes and coordinates costumes for theater, dance and opera productions around Baltimore. In 2021, she became a seamstress for the Baltimore Ravens. She has an MFA in costume design and construction from Temple University. When she’s not at a rehearsal or sewing, she might be on a trail ride at Tranquillity Manor Farm.
Natalia Smith (performer) is a student from NY working towards her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance at Towson University. She started training at Coupe Theatre Studio before shifting to competitive dance Anita Ehrler’s Dance Extensions. She has trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, tap, hip-hop, and musical theater.
Baylee Wong (performer) is a junior at Towson University pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography, along with a K-12 Dance Education concentration. Baylee has trained in ballet, modern, jazz, and ballroom under various artists. She aspires to perform and travel the world and open her own dance studio.
Will Yager (bassist) is a bassist/improviser committed to experimental music, improvisation, and collaborating with living composers. He is a founding member of the chamber duo LIGAMENT and improvising trio Wombat. Performance highlights include the ESS Quarantine Concerts, 2021 International Society of Bassists’ Convention, Oh My Ears Festival, Big Ears Festival, Feed Me Weird Things, New Music on the Point, Cortona Sessions for New Music, and the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival, where he was a Robert Black Double Bass Fellow.
Homayra Ziad (storyteller/reciter) is a scholar-activist, writer, and community-engaged educator who believes that spiritual communities are a powerful resource in creating a just, ethical and vibrant civic space. Homayra directs the Program in Islamic Studies at Johns Hopkins University and serves as Board President of the ACLU of Maryland. She is on the core team of 99 Clay Vessels: The Muslim Women Storytelling Project, and collaborates on projects at the intersection of art, religion, wellness, and justice. She is co-editor of Words to Live By: Sacred Sources for Interreligious Engagement (Orbis Press, 2018).