KO&Co. Dancers
Taryn Johnson | Esther LaPointe | Beth Rankin Loy | Paige McKinney
Kimberly McManaway | Catherine Palmier | Taylor Young | Erin Zintek
Pat Germann | Chane Gilbert | Jessica Hightower |Shannon Parsons
CURRENT MEMBERS
Taryn Johnson, with a BA in Applied Linguistics & Spanish, teaches dance at the Center for Movement Arts, Multnomah Athletic Club and the People for Parks FAST program at Reynolds Middle School. Taryn has been seen onstage with the Agnieszka Laska Dancers, with whom she toured Mexico and Poland, as a movement choir member in 2008's TBA festival presentation of The City Dance Project, and in LizzieMoves' Daisy B's Exploding Red Tomatoes.
Esther LaPointe made her fist debut on the stage as a young child in Laramie, Wyoming. She went on to University of Oregon where she received a bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Movement Science. She has had the pleasure of performing with local choreographers such as Katherine Egan, Faith Hunt-Levine, and Linda Austin.
Beth Rankin Loy, after starting off as a Colts Color Guard, toured with DCI & WGI world finalist color guards which landed her in Portland. Since then, she has danced with Kinetic Images and Spug Motion. She recently danced with the Portland Opera in Aida. She also teaches hip hop classes for kids at Grand Finale Studio in Gladstone.
Paige McKinney was born in Alaska and began her dance training at the University of Oregon. In Portland she has choreographed for Hand 2 Mouth Theatre and Sojourn Theatre, winning a Drammy award for Best Choreography for Sojourn’s “7 Great Loves.” Recent performances include Ten Tiny Dances #16 at the South Waterfront and “City Dance” in the 2008 TBA Festival. In addition to performing her own work, Paige has danced with Catherine Egan and Linda Austin.
Kimberly McManaway began her modern dance training at the University of California at Davis where she choreographed and performed with Nexus Modern Dance Collective and performed in works by Linda Bair. In 2005, she moved to Portland to study naturopathic medicine at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland. After taking a six-year hiatus from the stage, she is thrilled to be dancing again.
Catherine Palmier studied West African Dance with Norma Claire, Koffi Koko, Hawa Kouyate, Moustapha Bangoura and Elsa Wolliaston. Catherine also studied for five years at the Professional Dance Institute in Paris for contemporary, modern and jazz. In Paris, Catherine danced in several dance companies such has Norma Claire, Dorongoma and WonTan Nara. Since moving to Portland, Catherine also dances with the local company Sebe Kan and teaches African dance classes weekly.
Taylor Young immigrated to Portland after graduating from Carleton College in Minnesota. He discovered dance during his sophomore year there while studying English with a focus in African Studies. Since graduating, Taylor performed with and choreographed for the Semaphore Repertory Dance Company as well as working with independent choreographers in Minneapolis.
Erin Zintek, originally from Milwaukee WI, recently graduated from the University of Iowa with a BFA in dance where she worked with Dan Stark, Alan Sener, Jennifer Kayle, George de la Pena, Armando Duarte, and Charlotte Adams as well as dancing with UI's Dancers In Company. This past summer, she traveled to Brazil to study capoiera and dance with the company Bale Folclorico. She has danced with Charlotte Adams and Dancers, and also performed with David Dorfman and Dancers, and Bill Young.
PAST MEMBERS
Pat Germann double-majored in dance and anthropology at Washington University in St Louis. In Portland, she choreographed and performed for Agnieszka Laska Dancers before joining KO&Co. Pat currently lives in Washington, D.C., where she serves as the 2009 Dance Manager of Artomatic, a month-long multimedia arts festival. Pat designed and built KO&Co.'s website.
Chane Gilbert, born in Gallop, NM, was raised on dance and soccer, track, tennis, trampoline, stunting, gymnastics, jazz, and tap and she also had a stint as a cheerleader and aerobics instructor. After recommitting to dance, Gilbert has since taught and choreographed dances for foster care youth, interns and performed at Idapalooza in ‘05 & ’06.
Jessica Hightower, originally from Colorado, received her high school diploma and BFA in dance from North Carolina School for the Arts. She has had the intense joy of dancing, acting, choreographing, and teaching in France, Japan, Australia, and all across the United States. Jessica moved to Portland in 2007 and is also a dancer for Oslund+Co.
Shannon Parsons received a BA in Dance from the University of Oregon. Trained in ballet, modern, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, tap, improvisation, and African dance, she coaches the Liberty High School dance team in Hillsboro, OR. Parsons’ Unspoken, a collaboration with DJ Ultra, built on improvisation based in movement initiations, limitations and collaborations.