O-Jak Bridge Art & Dance Festival 2024

Nov 16th @7:30 pm

Nov 17th @3:30 pm

November 16th & 17th, 2024

Broadway Performance Hall

Seattle, WA

presented by

MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective

Adage Ballet Academy

The Festival

Founded by MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective in 2022.

In 2024, O-Jak Bridge Festival Team is very excited to announce that The MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective (MMDC) and Adage Ballet Academy (ABA) are collaborating to present a new format of O-Jak Bridge Festival, marking their second year together.

It will engage the audience in a multicultural performance art experience, featuring dancers from the MMDC & ABA as well as guest dancers and choreographers from the broader community. Together we will experience not just a night of incredible entertainment and art, but also create an opportunity for us all to get together to share a new appreciation for our diverse cultures and heritage.

About the Name

O-Jak Bridge refers to the bridge that birds (crows and magpies) make once a year to connect the male and female main characters in a Korean traditional fairy tale. O-Jak Bridge is the setting for Korea’s most famous love story, in which a couple is forced to live on either side of the Milky Way, only to be reunited when crows & magpies form a bridge.

About the Show 2024

We are thrilled to present a unique adaptation to the timeless tales from One Thousand and One Nights at this year's O-Jak Bridge Art & Dance Festival. Our story features Scheherazade, the enchanting storyteller, who weaves her magic in the imaginary kingdom of "Far Far Far Away."

In our retelling, the queen leaves the king for her new love, leaving him heartbroken and sad. Scheherazade steps in, comforting the king with her captivating stories over a thousand nights. Through her tales, the king's sorrow turns to joy, and he eventually falls in love with Scheherazade. Their love blossoms, and they marry, bringing a beautiful conclusion to our tale.

The nightly stories told by Scheherazade will provide a framing device that enables the production to showcase a diverse set of cultures through an exploration of various dance and performing arts styles. Each story will be a window into different traditions and artistic expressions, offering audiences a rich tapestry of performances that highlight the beauty and diversity of cultures from around the world.

Join us for an evening of mesmerizing performances and storytelling that will transport you to a world of magic and wonder.

Choreographers

Featured Artists
Poster Image, Editorial Photography | Jiamin Zhu JaJasgarden
Live painting, Japanese calligraphy | Hakurei Ito
Wearable Art Fashion Show, House of Ju Ju | Ju Ju Dang
Korean Modern Wearable Art | Mooa Kang

The O-Jak Bridge Dance and Art Festival 2024 lineup:

MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective

MiYoung Margolis - Founder, Artistic Director & Choreographer

Claudia Chang

Tatiana Linardopoulou

JaeWon Moon

Stephanie Su

HyunJung Jin

MinSoo Kim

Staphany G Olalde

Colleen McKibben

Kate Roche-Sudar

Adage Ballet Academy (Click)

Abby Jayne DeAngelo - Owner of ABA & Principal Dancer, Scheherazade

Guillaume Basso - Artistic Director & Choreographer, Principal Dancer

ABA Advanced Dancers

ABA Junior Dancers

Guest Dance Company

Korean Traditional Dance Company, MORADO

Christie Lee: Morado Director

MinSoo Kim, HyunJung (Rachel) Jin,

Gumnyo Jin, Samantha Chang

Guest Dancer

Mario Manansala has loved moving to the beat of the music from a young age. He has trained in various styles, including ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, modern, tap, lyrical, and musical theater dance. Mario has danced with Moscow Ballet and has attended summer courses with Joffrey Ballet School, ECB, MDA, and International Ballet Theater. He was accepted into Oregon Ballet Theatre School’s and Joffrey Ballet School’s year-round programs on scholarships. He joined Continuum Dance Company in 2019 and Syncopation Dance Company in 2020, and he currently dances at the Olympic Ballet Theater. Mario had the pleasure of working with Deborah Hadley, Eva Stone, Julie Tobiason, Nastya Gnatyshyn (from Moscow Ballet), Nicole Ciapponi (from Joffery Ballet), Josie Welsh (ballet red), Donald Byrd, John Selya, and other notable individuals. He has guested with Ballet Hawaii and IBT. He has participated in dance events such as CHOP SHOP: Bodies of Work, BoostMeUP, Dance to Make a Difference, and has performed in professional music videos and commercials.

Featured Choreographers

Tap Dance | Kathryn Hightower

Dr. Kathryn Hightower has been a dancer since she could walk and

has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, Butoh, Croatian folk dance, and more.

Over the last six years, tap has been her main form,

thanks to the excellent mentorship of Mark Mendonca. She is a classically trained musician,

mainly in clarinet, with extensive experience in steel drums and music theory.

Kathryn has performed and choreographed all over the Pacific Northwest,

including The Paramount, On the Boards, Seattle Center, and Velocity Dance Center.

She has a Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a Teaching Endorsement

from the University of Washington. As a leader, she founded and directed

a modern dance company for five years, produced a women’s art festival for a decade,

and is a founding member of a new Seattle-based tap collective.

Kathryn has been teaching dance to all ages for about sixteen years.

Her teaching philosophies are, “progress, not perfection,” and “dance is for everybody.” She is passionate about teaching adults, to help them reclaim confidence and build community. In addition to dance, Kathryn is a Naturopathic Doctor. She utilizes her knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and mental health to promote safe and inclusive dance spaces.

Indian Traditional Dance | Ankita Das & Suma Mondal

Ankita Das - Ankita has been dancing Bharatnatyam for over a decade and performing at local events around Seattle.

She completed her graduation recital last year and is currently exploring opportunities to choreograph. Dance,

to her is exploring deeper within herself and expressing it with rhythm and movement.

Apart from dancing, she loves to read, paint and travel to seek new inspiration and experience.

Suma Mondal - Suma has been a part of Urvasi Dance Ensemble under the direction of Guru Dr. Ratna Roy,

eminent Odissi dancer and scholar. Suma also runs her own dance school “La-Bonyo School of Dance” in Redmond.

She performs extensively throughout Pacific NW, and has also performed in Vancouver (Canada) and India.

Under Dr. Ratna Roy’s guidance, she has been learning the unique Mahari style of Odissi since 2012.

She works at Sound Generations, a Seattle-based non-profit, as a Program Director.

She also volunteers to mentor a group of schoolteachers and students from rural Bengal in India

Street Dance | Ben Chi

Ben ‘Heartbreaker’ Chi began dancing in 2007. Originally from Hawaii he moved to Seattle 3 years ago.

He took his first Hip Hop class shortly after discovering breakdancing videos on Youtube. Afte

r a year of choreography based studio dances, he focused on Popping and Breaking for the next 8 years.

In 2016, inspired by Rina Pellerin, he shifted his main dance style to Waacking under the tutelage and training of Tracey Wong.

As an active member of the street dance community he competes in battles across the North West.

He continues to train with his crew, Just Us, his goal being to create a unique battle style of Waacking, Breaking, and Popping.

Featured Artists

Poster Image, Editorial Photography | Jiamin Zhu Click JaJa's Garden - Jiamin Zhu (jajasgarden.com)

'Faceless' Photo Image Credits & Info

Model: @nelly_hukuo

Dress: @dreamdressesbypmn

Crown: @carbickovacrowns

Mask: @in_a_dream16

Photo was taken at low light, ISO 10000, corrected with Denoise AI from @topazlabs

Photography: @jajasgarden

Live painting, Japanese calligraphy | Hakurei Ito

Born in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Hakurei completed all calligraphy courses in elementary and junior high school. After graduating from high school and graduating from a graphic design school, she joined a logo design company as a graphic designer. After moving to Portland, Oregon in 2011, She began studying calligraphy again and became a member of Daigo Sekko Works. Study under a teacher. Since 2020, She has been studying under Master Futo Suzuki, representative of Bokutensha Japan. She has been exhibited in many exhibitions and continues to learn to further progress.

Sogen Exhibition 2nd Category Award - Won twice, selected four times

Mainichi Calligraphy Exhibition Award

Hakurei Shodo (Click)

Wearable Art Fashion Show, House of Ju Ju | Ju Ju Dang (Click)

Juju Dang is a Seattle-based creative with deep Canadian prairie roots. Since 2016, she has been crafting vibrant, colorful fluid acrylic pieces that reflect her inner energy and spirit. Over the years, Juju has developed her own unique painting style, pouring and layering paints with a mix of careful precision and organic flow. Her "Fleeting Magic" series features limited edition prints capturing macro moments of her fluid art's natural evolution. Beyond visual arts, Juju is the founder of House of Juju, a fashion line that highlights BIPOC talent on the runway. With a PhD in Oral Biology from the University of Washington, Juju is also deeply involved in Seattle's fashion and film communities. She founded Vietology Magazine, where she serves as editor-in-chief, further showcasing her commitment to elevating underrepresented voices and celebrating diverse creativity across disciplines.

Korean Modern Wearable Art | Mooa Kang (Click)

Mooa Kang (b. 1992, Seoul, Korea) is a multidisciplinary artist focused on painting, sculpture,

functional objects, and textiles. Interested in exploring the relationship between nature, color,

and the body, Kang reimagines the organic curvilinear imagery found in nature’s footprint

and female bodies, transforming them into vibrant expressions of abstraction.

Kang sees bodies as a dynamic space where personal identity intersects

with sociocultural stereotypes, and she aims to provoke contemplation of our societal dynamics

by drawing parallels with the survival tactics observed in nature.

Kang holds an MDes in Interior Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design as well as an MFA and a BFA in Korean Painting, both from Ewha Womans University. Kang’s selected group exhibitions include: WOMEN, Gallery B612, Seattle (2024); Body Expansion, Ewha Art Center, Seoul (2019), and So Please Listen and Just Hear Me, Horim Art Center, Seoul (2019), among others. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the RISD Nature Lab, the National Library of Korea, and Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital.

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