Richard Jessup

FOUNDing Producer | producing president

Richard H Jessup has been Producing, Directing, Choreographing and Teaching Dance since 1982. He has focused his work in the genres of Musical Theatre (Richard was the Artistic Director of Rogue Music Theatre in Southern Oregon for 11 years, and has directed and/or choreographed over 110 productions); Dance Instruction (he co-directed the Jessup/Jenkins Dance Studio in Seattle); and Concert Dance (Richard was the founding member of Seattle’s Against the Grain/MEN IN DANCE, and is the Producing President for the organizations MEN IN DANCE Festival, now in its 26th year). Some of Richard’s other favorite things to do include massage, hiking, travel, and eating coffee-flavored ice cream.

Raymond Houle

Producer | vice president

Ray’s fascination with movement was the catalyst for his falling in love with dance. Finding his niche in the 1970’s led to performing, teaching, and choreographing. A high point was going to New York and dancing on Broadway in 1989.

Ray has a double major in Psychology and Theater. Using his wide knowledge of movement and his work in research at the UW helped create and implement exercise formats for populations with disabilities. He has been a certified Pilates instructor in the Classical style for over 20 years and currently works at the world-renown Atlas Pilates of Seattle.

Deborah Wolf

Producer | Artistic director

Deborah Wolf was Artistic Director, Resident Choreographer and dancer for Concert Dance Company of Boston, New England’s premiere modern repertory company, performing works by over 50 choreographers including Merce Cunningham, Laura Dean,Bebe Miller, and Mark Morris. A recipient of a Massachusetts Artist Foundation Fellowship and seven Finalist Awards in choreography, she has also received grants from National Endowment for the Arts, Boston and Somerville Arts Councils, and in Seattle by 4Culture, Artist Trust, and the Bossak-Heilbron Charitable Foundation. She has created work for Boston Ballet’s International Choreographers Showcase, Boston Symphony Youth Concerts, and numerous other New England companies. Producer and performer of her own choreography through WolfWorks, she has also been produced by Boston Dance Umbrella, Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside/Out Series, Seattle International Dance Festival, Rockhopper Dance, MEN IN DANCE, Velocity’s Under Construction and Strictly Seattle, Full Tilt, Composer/Choreographer, Bellingham Repertory, and On the Board’s 12 MinMax Mainstage and Northwest NewWorks. Teaching credits include Harvard University, Rhode Island College, Boston Ballet, and the State University of New York at Brockport. Deborah was Professor of Dance at Cornish College of the Arts from 1992-2022, and recently granted Emeritus Faculty status. She has also served as President ofthe Board of Directors of d9 Dance Collective, and as a member of Velocity’s Board of Directors.

Don McCormick

Treasurer

Judi Fisher

Communications coordinator

Personal Statement:

As a life-long recreational dancer, I was overjoyed when Richard Jessup became our teacher at Spectrum Dance. After seeing Men In Dance perform many years ago, being a part of the support group was on the top of my list. I started training in the early 50's with Theater School of Dance started by Giovanni Giglio and Henriette Hansen. Later they built the studio that is now the home of Exit Space's The Nest in Green Lake. They taught all the forms of dance required to be a performer, ballet, jazz, tap, Flamenco, modern, acrobatics and more. Although professional dance was not in my destiny, I was trained to savor many dance styles for the rest of my life.

Kince de Vera

PRODUCER | Production assistant

Kince de Vera (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist and community catalyst living and working in Seattle, Washington. A Filipino immigrant, Kince’s US training includes instruction at Mencia-Pikieris School of Dance and New World School of the Arts in Miami, Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, and multiple dance intensives under the Velocity Dance Center umbrella.

In his pursuit of truth in his various art forms, he uses his dance background to create work centered around the intersection of identities. These works have been featured as part of Dimsum Dialogues at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, the Self-Esteem Salon at 601Artspace in Manhattan, Seattle Pridefest, and multiple years of Pride ASIA Fest, amongst others.

Kince’s art is currently focused around mental health and helping others through his work.
Follow Kince’s work at instagram.com/thislilgecko