Jacksonville Dance Theatre (JDT) is a contemporary dance and performance company based in Jacksonville, FL. JDT is led by Katie McCaughan (Executive Director), Rebecca R. Levy (Artistic Director), and Tiffany S. Santiero (Creative Director).  Each spring, JDT produces its Annual Repertory Concert at the historic Florida Theatre in Jacksonville's urban core. In addition to local performances, JDT also has a touring season. The dance company has performed at the Dance Gallery Festival (New York City, NY and Huntsville, TX), where JDT won the Audience Choice Award (2014), MixMatch Dance Festival (Santa Monica, CA), and the Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival (Chicago, IL).  JDT was a 2016 recipient of a PNC Arts Alive grant, which was the first year PNC extended the grant program to the state of Florida.  

Executive Director, Katie McCaughan, is a dancer, performer, and educator. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Katie holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington and a Master's Degree in Dance Education from New York University. While living in Washington, Katie was involved with Seattle's dance community as a performer, administrator, producer, and educator.  Velocity Dance Center, one of the busiest and most innovative contemporary dance spaces in the Pacific Northwest, served as the hub of involvement for Katie. 

Katie has committed herself to the ongoing study of contemporary dance techniques, including composition, contemplative dance practice, authentic movement, choreography, and improvisation.  As an educator and choreographer, Katie has led workshops at schools and theaters around the United States, including The Chicago Academy for the Arts (Chicago, IL) and The Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University (New York, NY).  Additionally, Katie is a certified teacher of the Simonson Technique and a certified practitioner of SOMA Bodywork.  

Katie is in her sixth year as the Director of Dance at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Dance at Jacksonville University.  Her creative, therapeutic, and educational work is shaped by her interest in the body as symbol, vessel, and home.  

There is a high probability that you are on a first name basis with Shawana Brooks if you are involved in Jacksonville's creative community.  Even if you do not know her by name, chances are you have seen Shawana in attendance at events that serve Jacksonville's arts and culture sector.   No matter what the scale or location of an event, Shawana is someone who is always impecibly dressed.  At such events, you will notice Shawana's warm smile as she fondly greets someone with whom she is acquanted, which is by no means a short list of individuals.

Shawana radiates creativity.  She is a poet, storyteller, and devout advocate for the arts.  As an advocate, Shawana passionately campaigns for progression of not only the arts and culture sector, but the city at large, by way of inclusion of both women and minorities.  

​As a profession, Shawana works for the Jacksonville Public Library (JPL).  She is the Arts and Culture Developer and part of a team of individuals that oversees the Jax Makerspace (JMS), which is located on the first floor of the library's Main branch.  If you are unfamiliar with the term makerspace, a makerspace is a collaborative space where people can gather to create, invent, and learn, which is why a public library is an optimal location for such a valuable community resource.

Shawana also is a guest contributor to the Cummer Museum of Art and Garden's blog. 

​Every Friday, Tony Allegretti records a segment titled "Hot Ticket" for WJCT.  The segment features weekend events pertaining to art and culture. Tune in to 89.9 FM on Friday mornings to hear the "Hot Ticket" when it airs, or read the transcription here.

Kirie is the Japanese art of paper-cutting. Hiromi Moneyhun, who moved to Jacksonville in 2004 from her hometown of Kyoto, Japan, is a practitioner of this form of art. Hiromi creates through a process of addition by subtraction.  She doesn't add layers to a paper or canvas using pens, markers, or paint.  Instead, she cuts away from a sheet of paper using a blade.  When finished, what remains of the paper is an incredibly detailed outline, often depicting the female form, insects, or msystical creatures. 

Hiromi's paper of choice is black in color and her finished cutouts mimic thick inked lines.  The pieces are mounted away from the wall when exhibited.  As a result of being mounted this way, pieces cast shadows onto the wall, creating a sense of depth.  When viewing her work, it's easy to lose yourself while marveling at both the actual cutout as well as the shadow produced.  ​

​Long Road Projects (LRP), founded by Aaron Levi Garvey and Stevie Covart Garvey, is a 501c3 non-profit artist residency and edition publishing program.  Residency programs invite artists to take up residence in a specific city, outsite of their regular home and studio environments.  Traditionally, these programs provide artists with time for reflection, research, exhibition, and the ability to produce new bodies of work.  By participating in these programs, artists are able to immerse themselves in a new environment, be influenced/inspired by (and influence/inspire) the people they meet, and engage with communities.

Since its inception in December 2015, LRP has hosted four artists in Jacksonville, Lala Abaddon (New York, July-August 2016), Gamaliel Rodriguez (Puerto Rico, October 2016), Joshua Short (California, December 2016), and Tameka Norris (Iowa, December 2016).  While in residence, each artists works with Jacksonville's resources and creative community to conceive a limited edition project.  Upon their completion, each edition is made available for sale through LPR's website.

There is an art to story telling, and Barbara Colaciello is a seasoned veteran in that art. Barbara uses words to create emotion, convey meanings, and tell a narative.  Barbara's craft is not limited to verbal communication.  The body plays an integral role in how we communicate with others, and Barbara has a deep understanding of this. 

Barbara herself has an interesting story to tell.  She has made Jacksonville her home, and by all means she has been adopted by Jacksonville's creative community as an insider.  However, her roots originated in New York City.  Barbara lived in an era of New York when the streets of Manhattan were a dark and gritty place and the City was experiencing an economic collapse.  Something grew from this decay - a vibrant art scene which largely impacted proceeding generations of artists.  From Pop Art to Punk Rock, New York loomed as a place where everything was happening, or was going to happen. 

Barbara's brother, Bob, worked as a writer for iconic artist Andy Warhol at "Interview Magazine." In 1971, Bob brought Andy to Barbara's family home in Rockville Centre, New York.  Barbara, who even in her youth was an outgoing storyteller, enterteined Andy and his entourage.  Barbara's personality and humor left a lasting impression on Andy, which led to Barbara herself later acquiring a job at "Interview." 

A perversion is something corrupted from its original form into something entirely different. This is what Carl Rosen and Sam Bilheimer set out to accomplish when they formed Perversion Magazine.  Their objective was to corrupt society's preconceived notion of normalcy, especially as it relates to art, literature, culture, and journalism. 

Since the conception of Perversion, the staff has operated under a simple philosophy, create content that they themselves would want to read. In doing so, they are able to fully commit themselves to their work and stand behind the product they produce.