Jarret Blinkhorn got his start in the Horror genre, producing feature films such as “The Mind’s Eye” for RLJ Films and “Midnighters” for IFC Midnight while also directing, editing and scoring his own short films like “Signal To Noise” and “They’re Closing In” which earned him the 2015 Directorial Discovery Award at RI Film Festival. Jarret is currently the owner of JB Horn Film, a wedding filmmaking solo venture that was awarded…

Jacqui DeFrança is a Maine based dance artist originally from Massachusetts. She is a graduate from Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles where she received a B.A. in Dance. She has had the pleasure of performing at venues such as: Ailey Citigroup Theater, St. Mark's Church, Joe's Pub, Milk Studios, Dixon Place, Lightbox, Engine and SPACE Gallery.

Rich Ferri is a director of photography based in Rhode Island with a focus on commercial, fashion, music, and documentary films. Prior to 2016, Rich worked in education and advocacy for Rhode Island high school students. Since 2016, Rich has worked independently and in collaboration with production companies to produce content for a wide range of artists, musicians, brands, and advocacy organizations.

Anna Highsmith is a ceramic artist and teacher based in Rhode Island. Her work is handbuilt, inspired by the connections between people and the connections between people and nature. Sustainability is a key part of her studio processes, which are low-waste, low-water, and fueled by renewable energy.

Cyrus Highsmith is a letter drawer, teacher, author, graphic artist, and creator of Occupant Fonts. He teaches type design at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He wrote and illustrated the acclaimed primer Inside Paragraphs: Typographic Fundamentals. In 2015, he received the Gerrit Noordzij Prize for extraordinary contributions to the fields of type design, typography, and type education. In 2017, he became Creative Director for Latin Type Development at Morisawa USA.

Scott McPheeters (he/him) is a queer, interdisciplinary dance artist and educator currently based in Maine. He co-directs a dance and video installation company, Subcircle, and is a co-founder of Subcircle Residency located on a farm in Biddeford, ME. He worked as a professional dancer in Philadelphia for fifteen years where he performed regularly with companies including Nichole Canuso Dance Company, Kun-Yang Lin / Dancers, Enchantment Theatre Company, and Subcircle…

Jenna Pollack is a collaborative dance professional, educator, and cultural organizer. She is currently a graduate candidate in Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago specializing in community economic development, and a Research Assistant at the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement. Most recently Jenna was an Arts Envoy to the U.S. Embassy in Colombia in collaboration with the University of Caldas, and was an Assistant Professor of Dance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Visiting Lecturer at Salem State University…

Andy Russ is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and active generalist. He currently lives in Providence, RI, where he is the Artistic Director of Passive Aggressive Novelty Company.

Dallas raised and Boston based, Jessi Stegall is a dance artist and applied ethicist working at the intersection of art & health. She trained as an actor at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Repertory Company Theatre, and Emerson College. She began her dance career in 2019 when she met Ilya Vidrin…

MorganEve Swain is an independent musician living in a barn in the woods of New England. A violinist since the age of three, she uses strings primarily to compose original music for dance, story, film, and her band The Huntress and Holder of Hands. When she’s not playing them, MorganEve repairs violins and bows at her home-shop and teaches violin to children using the Suzuki methodology…

Dr. Ilya Vidrin is a performer, educator, and researcher at the intersection of performing arts, philosophy, and interactive media. Born into a refugee family, Dr. Vidrin’s research and artistic practice engages with the complex ethics of human interaction, including the embodiment of care, cultural competence, and social responsibility…

Learn more about the dancers who have helped to shape akb & co