Shaina Baira
 Co-Artistic Director

Shaina  was born and raised in Victoria, Texas and received her BFA in Dance at the University of Iowa. She completed her certification as a Movement Analyst at the Laban Institute of Movement Studies, and completed studies in religion and philosophy at the New York All Faiths Seminary International. She has performed and taught in Haiti, Israel, Italy the UK, Belgium,  and through the USA. She is an ordained Interfaith Minister and member of The Feath3r Theory. Currently Shaina is teaching dance at Wayne State University, is a Detroit based Wedding Officiant and actively serves as a mentor for young dancers. 

Originally from Carleton, MI. Bryan graduated from Wayne State University in 2011 with a B.F.A in dance. He has danced with Nicholas Leichter Dance, Brian Brooks Moving Company, David Dorfman Dance and ThirdRailProjects. He has performed and taught in places such as: Colombia, South Korea, Turkey, Tajikistan, and Armenia; as well as throughout the USA. Bryan is an active sound designer/musician, a member of The Feath3r Theory and is honored to have been selected as one of Dance Magazine's 'Top 25 to Watch' for 2013.

Bryan Baira
Co-Artistic Director

Eric Blovits

Eric is a Detroit based movement artist. He grew up in Saline, Michigan where he developed a passion for performing at a young age. Eric started his dance training at the age of 10 through breakdancing and street dance classes before getting enveloped into the world of contemporary and modern dance. He is currently pursuing a Dance BFA degree at Wayne State University, where he has continued to develop and refine his unique movement aesthetic. He has been honored to work with Baira and connects with the sheer honesty and connection to one’s core self embedded within the movement. Besides dance, Eric enjoys games, comedy, film, and animation.

Beth Graczyk

Beth Graczyk is a choreographer, performer, scientist and teacher. She brings over a decade of teaching nationally and internationally working with populations spanning from non-dancers to advanced professionals. She recently began teaching movement practices to artists with developmental and mental disabilities through Interact Theater in Minneapolis. Graczyk has performed throughout the United States and internationally in Japan, Ecuador, France and India for the past 17 years, and concurrently has contributed to 10 science publications in the field of cancer research. She co-directed the performance company Salt Horse in Seattle with Corrie Befort and Angelina Baldoz from 2008-2016. In NYC, her solo works have been presented by Gibney, La MaMa, Judson Church, Jack, Triskelion, CPR, Movement Research, Oye Group and through Pioneer Goes East Collective. As a performer, Graczyk has most recently danced for Raja Kelly, Sara Shelton Mann, Mark Haim, K.J. Holmes, and Jen Salk/Chase Angier.

John  is an actor, mover, creator who performs on screen and stage nationally and internationally. His works combine bboy and postmodern aesthetics, original music, singing, and experimental theater to unwind a complex urban disparity brought on by social and systemic failings. As the first person in his family born in the US, John is carving out and balancing his own identity within his family, cultural history, and an artistic landscape that doesn’t often highlight the experiences of lower income, multilingual, and queer expressions. Recent credits: The Trojan Women at La Mama dir. Andrei Serban, performing internationally with Miguel Gutierrez (This Bridge Called My A$$, Sadonna), MOTUS (PANORAMA), and Pilobolus. He is a graduate of the Terry Knickerbocker Studio and faculty at Peridance Contemporary Dance Center. John is a proud member of the Great Jones Rep Company of La Mama and G^2, an ongoing collaboration with Beth Graczyk which recently presented work at Judson Church and the Shanghai Tower in China.

John Maria Gutierrez

Trishawna Woods

Trishawna is a Detroit native  who navigates between the worlds of hip hop, contemporary, and club dances. She has won and competed in dance battles such as house vs jit, dance extension get down, who got tha props, and underground hip hop dance league. Whether Performing with BAIRA or Fresh Classics, she stays authentic to herself and her experiences. Continually learning and searching for information, she hopes to uplift and inspire those around her through her dance and passion. She enjoys reading, cooking, nature, and surprises.

Shannon White
 

Shannon is a Detroit-based artist with a love for shared experience, multimedia arts, vulnerability, movement and collaboration. She graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance from Wayne State University in 2019 and has since been making short films, free-lancing and working with BAIRA. Having trained in primarily contemporary, ballet and modern dance techniques, Shannon is exploring improvisation as a medium for introducing new styles into her vocabulary. Performing in Detroit, New York and Ohio, her current research includes abstraction of perception, collective consciousness, and the intertwining of scientific research about human energy fields with the individual spiritual process of self-discovery. Whether it be dancing, drawing, painting or photography, Shannon stays true to her passion for growth and discovery within the arts.