Staff + Board
Wayne is a native Californian and as a co-founder is proud to continue his work with the Bay Area dance community as the executive director of Dancers’ Group. Hazzard is a leader in the service field who is known for his work with fiscal sponsorship and on new program development; and he was acknowledged as a 2015 Gerbode Professional Development Fellow. Before his manifold career in arts management, Hazzard had a distinguished 20-year career performing with many notable choreographers and companies including the Joe Goode Performance Group, Margaret Jenkins Dance Co, Ed Mock & Co, June Watanabe, Emily Keeler, Aaron Osborne and more. Coinciding with his life as a dancer, Hazzard has and continues to work as an advocate for dance. For his unique artistic vision, Hazzard has received numerous awards, including an Isadora Duncan Award for his innovation, dedication, and contribution to the field of dance. And a Sangam Arts 2018 Mosaic America Impact Award. Hazzard has served as an advisor and panelist with such organizations as the Center for Cultural Innovation, DanceUSA, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, City of San José Office of Cultural Affairs, and Dance Advance in Philadelphia.
Bay Area native, Andréa Spearman is a choreographer, performer, teacher, and student of a variety of modern-based movement with over 20 years of experience. Her background includes the study of modern dance, hip hop, jazz, west African, ballet, Haitian, Latin styles, worship dance, musical and dramatic theatre, music theory, dance composition, dance history and production. She has performed with/for Carla Service and Dance-A-Vision, SBAD Sacramento Black Art of Dance, Eastlake Music Festival, Saint Mary’s College of California, the National Council of Negro Women, Frick Impact Academy, Progressive National Baptist State Convention, Avon Inc., etc. Starting her own dance company in 2012, A. Spearman & Co. creates works that draw on a diverse set of deeply rooted cultural traditions and an eclectic mix of styles. In August 2017, as part of the critically acclaimed SOMArts exhibition and festival “The Black Woman is God”, the company performed their emotion grabbing, socio-political piece, “Justice/JUSTus”, addressing police violence against black women.
A Bay Area native, Shellie Jew graduated from UCLA and attended the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program. Shellie currently dances for eMotion Arts, and has performed with Alameda Civic Ballet, dawsondancesf, Garrett + Moulton Productions, Peninsula Ballet Theatre, and ZiRu Dance. She is also an administrative assistant for Kristin Damrow & Company.
2020 Board Members
Mary Armentrout
President; Artistic Director, Mary Armentrout Dance Theater
Gianna Bruno
Treasurer; Director of Alumni Leadership Initiatives, Education Pioneers
Leah Curran
Director of Operations, Oakland Ballet Company
Debby Kajiyama
Co-director, Navarrete x Kajiyama Dance Theater
Rasika Kumar
Software Engineer, Google; Dancer, Abhinaya Dance Company
Dana Lawton
Secretary; Department Chair for Performing Arts, Saint Mary’s College; Artistic Director, Dana Lawton Dances
Patricia Svilik
Senior Counsel, Global Intellectual Property Group, eBay
Wayne Hazzard, ex officio
Executive Director, Dancers’ Group
Heather Cooper
Dance Faculty
San Jose State University Choreographer-Performer
Rogelio Lopez
Artistic Director
Rogelio Lopez & Dancers
Dance Faculty
Saint Mary’s College
Advisory Board
Jose Maria Francos
Lighting Designer
Joanna Haigood
Artistic Director, ZACCHO Dance Theater
Anna Halprin
Choreographer, Dance Innovator
Keith Hennessy
Choreographer-performer-citizen, Circo Zero
Patricia Reedy
Founder and Director, Luna Dance Institute
Judy Smith
Founder, AXIS Dance Company
Ian Winters
Executive Director, Northern California Land Trust
