Dancers

Rehearsal Mistress Danella Bedford

Daniella is originally from the United Kingdom, where she started dancing at her local school at the age of six, competing in many festivals and dancing in several amateur dramatic productions. She went on to further her dance studies in London at the Royal Ballet School, where she was head student. She graduated in 1993, receiving her Teaching Diploma with distinction under the direction of Valerie Adams, and remained an additional year fulfilling the position offered to her as Assistant Director. In 1994 she moved to Charlotte, N.C., where she taught at North Carolina Dance Theater and the Charlotte School of Ballet. She performed there with the Charlotte Youth Ballet where her roles included Columbine, Lead Rose, and lead Mirliton in Nutcracker. Her Musical Theater credits include Annie Get Your Gun, Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Once Upon A Mattress, and Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Song and Dance. She is currently a principal teacher of dance at Conchita Espinosa Academy. This is her tenth season with Momentum. She has created many roles for Momentum, including One Hour Before Dawn, The Tyranny of Beauty, Jungle, Birds Flying in Warped Time, Movimento Feroz, Anguished Cry, Black Feeling, Shadows and Accumulations I & II, and many others.

Soloist Barbie Freeman

Barbie is a native of Alexandria, VA, where she trained with various schools, including Chris Collins Dance Studio, Stamaker Dance Studio and the Russell School of Ballet, while performing with the Fairfax Ballet. She received summer training at the Joffrey School in NYC and studied dance at Shenandoah University. She moved to New York to train on scholarship at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and later relocated to Philadelphia to dance with Philadanco II and study at the Pennsylvania Ballet while pursuing pre-med studies at Temple University. She has also studied at the University of South Florida in Tampa and performed at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. In addition to her dance career, she recently completed a degree in Biology from FIU and is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Biology at FIU. She has performed in classical repertory such as the Nutcracker and Paquita as well as original choreography by Christopher Gillis, Thomas Russell, Fred Benjamin, Keith Lee, Lynne Wimmer, Gretchen Ward-Warren, and Sandra Robinson-Waldrop among others. For Momentum she has created roles in Jungle, Birds Flying in Warped Time, Black Feeling, Shadows and Accumulations II, The Tyranny of Beauty, and roles in many children’s works.

Lisa Ogonowski

Lisa has performed with the Georgia Ballet in Marietta, GA, Bacchus Productions in Atlanta, and Brandywine Ballet Company in Westchester, PA. She holds a BFA in Dance from Texas Christian University, where she received the Nordan Fine Arts Scholarship. She also attended North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC and Studio Harmonic in Paris, France where she studied under Lucienne Denance. At TCU, she performed works by Fernando Bujones, Paul Taylor and David Curwen. She has performed featured roles in Mary Poppins, Swan Lake and the Nutcracker. She has taught at The Georgia Ballet, Conyers School of Ballet, Cartersville School of Ballet and has participated in summer workshops at Austin Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts and the Hartford Ballet. She is currently pursuing a degree in physical therapy at the University of Miami. This is her third season with Momentum, where she has created roles in Delma Iles’ Grow and Mandala, as well as Odman Felix’s Harum and Josee Garant’s Voices. In addition, she dances leading roles in several of Momentum’s children’s works.

Amy Larue

Amy has studied ballet, modern dance, jazz, tap, musical theatre and voice. She formerly was an apprentice to MADCO (Modern American Dance Company) in St. Louis, performing with them for two years, including an appearance at fFIDA in Toronto in 2005. She holds a B.A. in dance and performing arts from Lindenwood University in St. Charles MO where her choreography was chosen for performance at the American College Dance Festival at Washington University in 2004. Her musical theatre credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Working, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Footloose (female lead), Nine, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. She created the choreography for the musical Nine at Lindenwood University in 2005.  This is her third season with Momentum where she has created roles in Delma Iles’ Grow and Mandala, as well as Odman Felix’s Harum and Josee Garant’s Voices. In addition, she dances leading roles in several of Momentum’s children’s works.

Liliana Martinez

Liliana is a native of CienFuegos, Cuba where she participated in theater and singing as well as gymnastics and swimming. She immigrated to the US at the age of 15 and started studying ballet in Miami that year at Ballet Academy of Miami under Tony Catanzarro. She later studied with the internationally acclaimed Cuban ballerina Rosario Suarez at Rosario Suarez Dance Academy. There she performed in selections from the classical repertory such as the doll in Coppelia as well as performing in Ms. Suarez’s original work Cecelia Valdes. She studied at New World School of the Arts and recently completed the BFA program in dance at Florida International University. She danced with Momentum from 2004-2007 and returns to the company this season after a two-year leave of absence to complete her college degree.

Amber Wortham

Amber is a returning dancer who performed with Momentum 1993-1994, starting with the company when she was still in high school. She created roles in Requiem, A Dance With Balls and Desert. After leaving Momentum, she joined the U.S. Air Force for five and a half years, serving in military intelligence and as a Hebrew linguist. During that time, she continued dancing and took up martial arts, eventually receiving her black belt in the Korean martial art Kuk Suol Won. After leaving the Air Force, she received a BS Degree in Communications and is currently a personal trainer.

Nicole Diaz

Nicole is one of the best products of the Miami-Dade County Public School System’s outstanding Dance Program. She graduated from Ferguson High School in 2007, where she studied with former Momentum dancer Shana Wexler. She was accepted as an apprentice to Momentum in fall of 2007 and was promoted to full company member in 2008. She has danced in Delma Iles’ Grow! and Highway, and Odman Felix’s Harum. In addition she has been given featured roles in several of Momentum’s children’s works. She is currently studying Physical Therapy at Miami Dade College.

Vaughn Newman

Vaughn was born in Philadelphia, PA where he began dancing at William Penn Arts Charter.  Later, Freedom Theater and Philadanco became his formal introduction to the dance world.  But it wasn’t until he came to Miami that he realized his passion is in dance.  During his training at New World School of the Arts he performed works by Anna Sokolow, Merce Cunningham, Jennifer Muller, and works of Sean Curran. Along with community organizations and various grant programs he teaches dance throughout South Florida for inner-city community centers and public schools, encouraging youths through the arts and dance.  His personal artistry fuses his life’s experiences, humanly encounters, spoken word and dance with local artist and venues as a platform for higher consciousness in the Arts. Aside from Momentum and Brazz Dance Theater, Vaughn is currently working various solo projects here in South Florida. This is Vaughn’s first season with Momentum. He also conducts Momentum’s educational dance program at South Miami Middle School.

Leslie Morris

Leslie is originally from Miami and is excited to be in her first season with Momentum.  She trained at the Miami Conservatory of Ballet and In Motion Dance Center and has studied contemporary jazz, modern, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, and high kick.  Throughout high school and college, Leslie performed and competed with the Miami Palmetto Chatonettes and FIU Golden Dazzlers dance teams, respectively.  She has choreographed and performed pieces in the South Florida Easter Pageant, and danced works by Monica Garcia, Constance McIntyre, and Roberto Dias.  While earning a bachelor of science in biology and a master’s degree in science education at Florida International University, Leslie took as many dance classes as possible with teachers Diego Salterini, Gary Lund, and Mariana Alvarez.  Leslie now teaches middle school science and coaches sailing in Coconut Grove.