About the artists

Chitra Subramanian is a professional dancer, choreographer, and educator residing in Washington, DC.  A Pittsburgh native, and originally from South India, Chitra currently teaches, choreographs, and performs with an emerging collective of artists called chitra.MOVES. Her aesthetic draws from Hip Hop and Indian Classical foundations to tell stories, meaningfully engage unseen/new audiences, and elevate artists.

Chitra’s practice draws from deep community and relationship building from institutions that transformed her as a person. Her love for movement began in the vibrant, close-knit community of the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Pittsburgh, an institution that represents a refuge for Chitra’s immigrant family.  Chitra's learning began with her training in Bharathanatyam, an ancient Indian Classical Dance form.  She studied under the nationally and internationally renowned teacher, Jaya Mani at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Pittsburgh (and who still teaches there today).  At age 16, Chitra formally graduated through the rigorous performance of the “Arangetram,” the highest honor for those completing training.

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Alejandro Góngora is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of Corazón Folklorico DC, Inc. His mission is to create art with people and showcase Mexico’s rich cultural diversity and history through dance. Alejandro teaches and choreographs ballet folklórico as a means to create community con corazón in DC. Alejandro believes dance and culture should be equally accessible to all and is proud to offer free classes to the community. In each presentation, Alejandro leaves a little piece of Mexico for the audience to enjoy.

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Zoe Wampler (she/they) is a DC-based movement artist, educator, and arts administrator. Their work has been presented in-person and virtually through the ACDA Mid-Atlantic South Conference Gala (Raleigh, NC), Hind Gallery (Richmond, VA), Ascending Choreographers Showcase (Edgewood, MD), Koresh Artist Showcase (Philadelphia, PA), Dusklit Interactive Art Festival (Sugarloaf, NY), and Exquisite Frame (Washington, DC). She is continually in-process as a Movement Collaborator with Britta Joy Peterson on External Organ, a cumulative creative research project (DC). Other performance highlights include originating work as a Dancer and Collaborator with Snap Soup Dance (VA), as a guest performer with Extreme Lengths Productions in Filament at Georgetown GLOW (DC), and performing in Britta Joy Peterson’s Already There, an immersive dance film installation at the Kennedy Center REACH (DC). Zoe holds a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she was an Undergraduate Research + Innovation Grant recipient for Familial Movers/Foreign Stories; a virtual reality movement narrative.

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Lauren DeVera is a dancer, choreographer, certified life coach, host of the Thrive + Thread podcast, and wellness educator dedicated to empowering others to move and live with confidence and ease. She’s known for her warmth, infectious energy, and ability to make others feel at home in their bodies and spaces. Her diverse training and experiences have enabled her to educate, empower and entertain across various platforms. She received her degree in Dance Performance and Communications from Old Dominion University and has been teaching movement professionally for 12 years. A distinguished thought leader and educator in the arts community, her performance, curation, and teaching credits include The Kennedy Center, Howard Theatre, Dance Place, Culture Shock DC, World of Dance, BET, CW Network, George Washington University, Old Dominion University, NPR, and Dept. of Energy. Combining her love for people and movement, she created & founded The Lion’s Den, an inclusive community connecting people through dance, wellness, and self-expression.