Frozen Angels
Choreography: Sarah Walston Phillips in collaboration with performers
Performers: Cynthia Clark, Baylie Dockins, Nicholas Garlo, Kate Gierke, Antonio Hernandez, Troy Martin, Makenzie McLean, Drew Travis Robinson, Sarah Walston Phillips
Music: Max Richter, Nils Frahm, Lobomyr Melnyk
Costumes: Sarah Walston Phillips and Cynthia Walston
Note: Frozen Angels is a work that is inspired by an exhibit of Greek figure sculptures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. These works of art are on display in a room with windows on the ceiling that allow light to bathe them in a glorious manner, yet upon detailed inspection their cracks and imperfections become pronounced with shadow. This dance work embodies the breaking apart of these characters and their stories in an exploration of how myth and lore reveal truths about our human nature.
ATLAS Modern Ballet is a creation-based dance company focused on bringing new performance art to local audiences in Tampa Bay and beyond. The company seeks to share the art of movement through bodily mappings of experiences across spaces in a contemporary movement language that pulls at the seams of ballet. ATLAS uses balletic movement vocabulary to expand tradition into modern concepts with choreography that incorporates pointe work and contemporary dance methods. With a focus on innovation and igniting conversations, creative works aim to investigate the shifting of human experiences as they evolve through familiar or new patterns. We aim to excite and engage diverse communities by bringing them together through shared experiences of art.
Antonio Hernandez
Antonio Hernandez is from Fort Myers, Florida. After graduating from Lehigh Senior High School Center for the Arts and training at Footnotes Dance and Music Studio, he moved to the Tampa area and continued his dance training at Hillsborough Community College for the next three years under the head of Christina Acosta. He’s been a part of numerous student choreography and faculty showcases choreographed by Jessica Williamson, Helen French, Richard Ploch, Julie Harlan, Sea Lee, Christina Acosta, Bianca Russell, and Sarah Walston Phillips. Antonio has recently joined ATLAS Modern Ballet in their second season as an apprentice member. He also spends his time at Tampa Bay Rhythmics as a ballet and contemporary instructor. While getting his associate’s in dance, he’s also been studying the art of motion media. He desires to combine his love of filmmaking and dance into a theatrical experience for others to relate to and be seen on the big screen.
Baylie Dockins
Baylie Dockins began her dance training and competitive career at Dance In Motion in Abilene, Kansas. At the age of thirteen Dockins switched her focus from competitive training to classical ballet under the direction of Mara Klenda. She has attended many prestigious summer intensives including Kansas City Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet, and Milwaukee Ballet. After graduating high school, Dockins relocated to Tampa, Florida where she joined Tampa Ballet Theatre. During her time there she danced multiple Principal roles including Tinkerbell in Tampa Ballet Theatre's world premiere of "Peter Pan" as well as, Odile/Black Swan in Tampa Ballet Theatre's first production of "Swan Lake". Dockins has performed with Brandon Ballet of Brandon, Florida as a Principal Professional Artist in productions such as "Nutcracker" and "Giselle". She also works with Tampa City Ballet as a guest artist and preformed in their world premiere of "Carmen". In 2022, Dockins became a founding member of Atlas Modern Ballet of Tampa, Florida and has had the pleasure of performing in multiple festivals with the company. Outside of preforming professionally, Dockins travels with Prestige National Talent Competition as a judge and convention teacher. Dockins is adjunct faculty for the dance program at Pinellas County Center of the Arts at Gibbs High School, in St. Petersburg, Florida, teaching faculty at Contempo School of Dance in Lutz, Florida, and a teaching artist for Dance - Next Generation under Sarasota Ballet, in Sarasota, Florida.
Cynthia Clark
Cynthia Clark began her dance training at age nine with Gulf Coast Dancenter in Clearwater, Florida. During her time there, she was a member of their resident dance company Gulf Coast Dance Theater. After moving to St. Petersburg, Florida, she continued her ballet training at St. Petersburg Ballet Conservatory. Cynthia has attended various professional training programs, including Atlanta Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Duncan Cooper, Alvin Ailey, and Peter Chu. She currently takes class at St. Petersburg College and is working toward a degree in civil engineering.
Drew Travis Robinson
Raised in Largo, Florida, Drew Travis Robinson began his journey with Tutterow Dance Academy before majoring in Dance at both the Pinellas County Center for the Arts (PCCA) at Gibbs High School, and later at the University of Arizona with a focus on Modern and Education. During his time in Arizona, Drew was a frequent guest of Artifact Dance Project, provided instruction across multiple award-winning studios, was an Ambassador of Dance for African American Student Affairs receiving Chaka Khan, was selected by Colin Connor to perform at the Jose Limon International Dance Festival, and assisted in the research and development of various projects involving motion capture for dance preservation. Following university, Drew was honored to both choreograph and perform for multiple companies across Florida while continuing to educate for stage, class, and competition. Drew is currently part of Prestige National Talent Competition & Convention - touring nationally as both judge and instructor - while also an inaugural member of both ATLAS Modern Ballet & Broadway on the Bay, adjunct faculty at his alma mater of PCCA, and a teaching artist with Sarasota Ballet's Dance The Next Generation & Sarasota Ballet School.
Kate Gierke
Kate Gierke grew up in the Chicagoland area, and is currently a professional dancer in Tampa with Atlas Modern Ballet. Kate is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a BFA in Modern Dance Performance. Kate has performed pieces choreographed by Michael Foley, Jeanne Travers, Bliss Kohlmyer, Andee Scott, Christian Denice, Nicole Von Arx, Lizzie Mackenzie, Rebecca McLindon, Jackie Nowicki and Lauren Blane. Kate was a choreographer for three pieces in USF’s student choreography showcase. Kate participated in the Dance Awards Las Vegas 2019 as a best dancer finalist and attended numerous intensives including: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance Chicago, The Cambrians, Engage, LINK, BODYTRAFFIC and USF Dance in Paris.
Mackenizie McLean
Mackenzie McLean is 18 years old from Tampa, Florida. She is currently enrolled at St Petersburg College. She started her dance training at her local competition studio at three years old. She has recently graduated from Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School. For the past five years, Mackenzie has trained with the Academy of Ballet Arts to gain a strong ballet base while also being on FYI Dance Company’s competition team. Mackenzie is currently a member of ATLAS Modern Ballet as an apprentice for their second season. She is also teaching ballet and contemporary teacher for FYI Dance Company. She has attended many intensive summer programs with companies such as Alonzo King LINES, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Duncan Cooper, and the Orlando Ballet School.
Nicholas Garlo
Nicholas Garlo is a highly accomplished dancer and choreographer with a diverse and extensive background in the world of dance. His journey began in southern Florida, where he received his technical training before furthering his studies at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College in New York. There, Nicholas earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance and a minor in Arts Management, graduating Cum Laude in May of 2017 and being honored with the prestigious Bert Terborgh award.
Throughout his academic years, Nicholas expanded his skills by participating in various summer intensives, including the Netherlands Dance Theater, Arts Umbrella, Joffrey, Juilliard, Jacob's Pillow, Springboard, Launch, and more. He also broadened his horizons through a semester abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan.
Post-graduation, Nicholas embarked on a successful professional career, starting with Ballet Quad Cities in Rock Island, Illinois. He further honed his craft in the professional program at Hubbard Street. Nicholas also worked with Cocodaco Dance Project in Chicago and the Ballet Florida company. Notably, he performed at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel-Aviv for Roderick George with kNoname Artist and participated in the 'Dance Festival München' in Germany under Jasmine Ellis.
Nicholas dedicated five seasons to the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in Israel, where he had the opportunity to tour internationally. During his time with the Kibbutz, Nicholas also taught repertory, company auditions, master classes and workshops within Israel and abroad. While there; he also choreographed his own works on dancers from the main company of KCDC for two different festivals and set repertory on the Masa (a five month dance journey program under the Kibbutz Company), as well as choreographed two of his own works on the Masa, set a solo he created on a dancer in the professional program: Maslool in Tel Aviv, and mostly recently just finished choreographing a solo for a senior at Loyola University Chicago.
Having recently relocated back to Florida, specifically in the Tampa Bay area, Nicholas Garlo is excited to immerse himself in the local arts community. His wealth of experience, passion for dance, and commitment to artistic expression make him a valuable and dynamic addition to the vibrant dance scene in his new home.
Sarah Walston Phillips
Sarah Walston Phillips is a professional dancer, choreographer and instructor based out of Tampa, FL. She is the Artistic Director and Founder of ATLAS Modern Ballet, a new professional performance company serving the Tampa community. Sarah graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of South Florida in 2015. At the University of South Florida, she had the privilege of working with and performing works by choreographers such as Alonzo King, Maurice Causey, Robert Moses and Jennifer Archibald among many other guests and faculty members. After graduating from USF, she spent five seasons as a company member at Florida Dance Theatre where she performed and created new repertory presented by the company in Lakeland, FL and on tour. At FDT she performed principal roles in original narrative ballets and The Nutcracker, as well as in contemporary works by company directors and guests such as Jerry Opdenaker and Gregory Dolbashian. Following her time at FDT, Sarah was a member of Tampa City Ballet for two seasons as a performer, guest choreographer, and company class instructor. Sarah’s choreography has been presented in multiple festivals across the United States and internationally. She has choreographed for Florida Southern College and Hillsborough Community College's Dance Departments, where she is Adjunct Ballet and Modern Faculty. Sarah graduated Summa Cum Laude in the Spring of 2022 from Jacksonville University with her MFA in Choreography.
Troy Martin
A Tampa native, Troy Martin began his dance journey at only eight years old at his hometown studio, Centerstage Dance Academy. After years focusing in hip hop, his interests broadened to include ballet and contemporary. Troy next attended and graduated from the dance program at Blake High School’s School of the Arts, where he first discovered and began to nurture a passion for modern dance. He found new inspiration on the stage, translating the language of dance for diverse audiences. This passion sent him down to Miami, where he continued to train at the New World School of the Arts. Due to COVID-19, Troy was forced to cut his academic training short and return home to Tampa in 2020. Nonetheless he continued to engage in performance and teaching alongside many talented peers at Song and Dance Inc., Tampa City Ballet, and Atlas Modern Ballet. Today, Troy was recently accepted into the dance program at the University of South Florida to continue completing his BFA in dance. He still practices as a freelance dancer and looks forward to continuing to create, collaborate, and help others feel inspired and balanced through dance.
