Gina Darlington

Founder & Executive Director

Gina has traveled to Ireland, Italy, Cuba, and throughout the southwestern United States, where she and the company have performed and taught. She has performed in multiple dance companies in Utah, Missouri, Nebraska, and Arizona. Gina was an Artist-in-Residence for the state of Arizona for several years & was the Director of Canyon Dance Academy in Flagstaff, AZ for twenty years. She was on faculty at Coconino Community College for twenty-three years and was also a guest teacher at the American College Dance Festival. Gina choreographed for Northern Arizona University Theater. She received her dance degree from Brigham Young University. Gina is also on the board of the Arizona Dance Coalition.  She served on the Arizona Department of Education (DOE) Committee to re-write the Arts Standards, and the Arizona DOE National Content Review Committee for Arts Assessments.  Gina keeps busy with her family including her fifteen beautiful grand-kids.

Jayne Lee

Founding Co-Director

Jayne Lee has choreographed more than 100 dances for companies worldwide. Classically trained as a dancer in London at The Place and at Juilliard in NYC, Jayne also danced and choreographed for London Contemporary Dance Theatre for 10 years and toured internationally. Jayne co-founded and co-directs both Human Nature Dance Theatre, a collaborative, interdisciplinary performance collective, and Canyon Movement Company. Jayne was an associate faculty member at Coconino Community College and she choreographs regularly for Northern Arizona University’s theatre department. She has been an Artist-in-Residence for Arizona Commission on the Arts and is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner®, with a private practice, and assists in the official London Feldenkrais training. Outside of the dance world, Jayne serves on the Board of Grand Canyon River Guides & still works on the river in the summers. Bringing her two worlds together, Jayne produced and directed the film DanceDownRiver, a tribute to wildness and water, filmed on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

Kristen McBride

Founding Co-Director, Emeritus

Kristen McBride is a founding member of Canyon Movement Company. She has danced with several modern dance companies & choreographers, including Funhouse Movement Theatre, Semaphore ZUZI! Move IT!, and with Liz Casebolt & Carly Condor. She was a guest choreographer for “Poetry in Motion” in Wexford, Ireland in 1997. Kristen received a Masters in Range Science and Management from the University of Arizona in 2001 and now works with her husband Scotty, for the US National Forest Service in Bend, Oregon.

Natalie Jones

President

Natalie Jones is currently a PhD student and graduate research assistant in the department of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Northern Arizona University. She grew up in Gainesville, FL and received her BA in Geology at the University of Pennsylvania. She started dancing at age 3 and trained primarily in ballet and jazz until college, where she fell in love with modern dance.  She first joined Canyon Movement Company in 2017. In addition to acting as the President of the Board, she also dances and choreographs with CMC.

Breanna Lengyel

Vice President

Breanna Lengyel is a health and wellness coach, specializing in mindfulness meditation and yoga. She has managed a variety of yoga programs at studios & other venues around Flagstaff, and provides private and small group coaching sessions in different styles of yoga & meditation, as well as beginning level dance & acro yoga. She has taught yoga at large-scale events including yoga at Michael Franti concerts. Originally from California, Breanna received her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego and enjoys helping others process their feelings and/or trauma through movement. In addition to serving as the Vice President of the Board, Breanna also manages the company of dancers, and acts as the Assistant Artistic Director for CMC.

Scott Sawyer

Treasurer

Scott Sawyer 

more info coming soon…

Jennifer Kotalik

Secretary

Jennifer Kotalik 

more info coming soon…