Darnell Pierre Benjamin is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and community builder from Southern Louisiana. He earned his MFA in Acting from the University of Houston in 2009. Deeply rooted in art and activism, Darnell is known for his radical 2020 dance film 13th & Republic. Since 2009, he has worked with Pones as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, DEIA Ambassador, and board member. His directing credits include T-Room…The Musical, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, Sweat, and The Niceties. He’s choreographed for numerous Cincinnati arts organizations and teaches at Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University, and UC’s College-Conservatory of Music. A certified Michael Chekhov Technique educator, Darnell is also active in Actors Equity, Society of American Fight Directors, and Shakespeare Theatre Association. He serves on the boards of Treehouse Cincinnati, Stop the Stigma Productions, and Caracole. Guided by love and community, Darnell believes, like James Baldwin, that “great art can only be created out of love.
Hattie Clark finds it an honor to teach with Pones. They began dancing later in life and found it to be a form of expression that they needed. Teaching through Pones allows them to share this love of dance with others and to let individuals know it’s never too late to start dancing.
Ian Timothy Forsgren is a multidisciplinary movement artist dedicated to exploring the body as a source of connection, expression, and transformation. With a practice that bridges technique and intuition, Ian invites others to experience movement not only as physical exercise, but as a pathway into creativity, healing, and presence.
His work draws from a range of influences—dance technique, somatic awareness, and improvisational practice—woven together to create spaces where people can rediscover freedom in motion. Ian’s approach emphasizes curiosity, play, and embodied listening, encouraging movers of all levels to deepen their relationship with themselves and the world around them.
At the heart of Ian’s practice is the belief that movement is a language we all share—a way to cultivate resilience, express identity, and build community.
Camille Jones is a writer, dancer, choreographer, creative collaborator, and Sr. Program Manager at Elementz Cincinnati with 10+ years of professional writing and dance experience. Her dance work has led to appearances in film and featured choreography in commercial work, music videos, and stage performances. She is also co-founder of a black-women-led dance team called (CA)^2 (pronounced see-A-squared) dance crew. As a writer, Camille has created articles, blog posts, poetry, and hosted poetry workshops. Camille has commissioned work for major institutions such as the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Cincinnati Art Museum for the Whitfield Lovell and Kara Walker exhibits, respectively, as well as Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the BT Rise FIRE conference and bi3, to name a few. This year, Camille is excited to present her very first visual poetry album, a project that is grant-funded by the Ohio Arts Council. Camille graduated summa cum laude as a dual-degree major earning a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in English from the University of Cincinnati. Whenever possible, Camille works to combine creative mediums she loves: poetry and dance.
Marrow Kretzer is passionate about movement, anatomy, and the body. They were trained in contemporary and jazz from a young age and danced competitively across the Dayton, Ohio region. They would go on to pursue their 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training. Currently, Marrow works as a Licensed Massage Therapist, helping clients through manual therapy. They love to dance and are passionate to bring healing and joy-filled movement to the Cincinnati area!
Alexandra Leurck, a Cincy native is a multidimensional and interdisciplinary learner, artist, and person. She graduated from Miami University in Oxford, OH with a BA in Theatre and Arts Management/Entrepreneurship with minors in Dance and Women/Gender/Sexuality Studies. Her creative practices primarily lie within theatre, directing, dance, and performance art, focusing on crafting site-specific, immersive work in response to social justice and environmental issues. She believes art is a way to form bridges and strengthen awareness of the challenges and joys of our ever-changing world. She is also a RYT200 Yoga Instructor and aims to incorporate meditation, movement, and Yoga philosophy into arts in healing and various mindful spaces. She hopes to ignite feelings of empowerment, self-discovery, healing, and zest through dance and art. Leurck is proud to be teaching with Pones!
Mr. Make U Move is a Cincinnati-based hip-hop dancer, instructor, and creative director known for blending raw emotion with authentic street dance foundations. As the founder of Soul Syndicate, M3 is dedicated to preserving the true history of hip-hop dance while using movement as a pathway for healing, confidence, and community. With a background in performance, freestyle culture, and youth mentorship, he brings powerful storytelling to every class and project. M3’s mission is simple: inspire dancers to move with purpose, feel deeply, and embrace the rhythm that lives within them.
Ashley Olivia Matt is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. She has been dancing with Pones since 2012, making sight-specific works when she’s not on the proscenium stage, so she’s thrilled to finally have the opportunity to also teach through Laboratory of Movement! When Ashley isn’t dancing, she works in the Early Childhood School at the Mayerson JCC, where she’s been helping young minds grow since 2014. Ashley believes that any and all forms of art play an essential role in making the world a better place.
Kaci Matthews is a dancer and dance educator who is excited to teach with Pones. Dance is her biggest passion in life, and it brings her great joy to share that passion with others. She began teaching at 15 years old, just a year after she started taking formal dance lessons. Kaci views dance as a healing form of art that is meant to be shared, not restricted or used to exclude. Kaci recently earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and is thrilled to use dance as an instrument to help others.
Daimy McInroe has been dancing since she was three years old. In her teenage years, she decided she wanted to pursue ballet professionally. This led her to continue her dance education at a collegiate level. She received her BFA degree in Dance with an emphasis in Pedagogy from the Hartt School of Dance at the University of Hartford. Upon graduation, she was offered a company position at the Stavna Ballet in Richmond, VA. Daimy danced with Stavna for three seasons. She then made her way to Cincinnati where she now teaches for the Cincinnati Ballet. Daimy is very excited and grateful to be a part of Pones.
Sawyer Pardo is a dancer, playwright, dramaturg, and actor from Cincinnati. He received his degree from University of Roehampton, where he studied contemporary dance. He is currently a trainee with De La Dance Company. His credits include playwriting for the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, choreography for the Synergy Dance Series, and dramaturgy for the Cincinnati Opera. He also has extensive experience in facilitating arts education in both visual and performing arts. He is so happy to be with Pones teaching and dancing this year!
Zoë Peterson is an actor and award-winning playwright currently based in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2023, Zoë graduated with a BFA in Acting from CCM at the University of Cincinnati, in addition to a Minor in English and Screenwriting Certificate. Since graduation, Zoë has focused on works that center on puppetry and unique visuals, while maintaining a career in arts education. Zoë has premiered works at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival and Serials! At the Know Theatre- including the interactive horror-comedy series, Sally Salem, most recently seen in Kentucky at the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Storytelling Revolution Festival. Zoë currently works as a freelance artist and theatre educator; facilitating classes on acting, writing, and puppetry with a focus on sustainability. A character-driven artist with a particular interest in new works, horror and classical theatre, Zoë often looks for genre-bending or absurdist projects.
Chelsae Plageman is a Cincinnati native (and sister to Pones teacher Noelle) who has a deep value for the impact of somatic movement practices and dance on people’s lives. She hopes to bring joy to others through dance as a teaching artist for the Laboratory of Movement program.
Donna Rubin discovered her love of dance as a teenager when she started training in ballet, jazz and modern in Pittsburgh. She continued dedicated studies while earning her BFA in theater performance at CCM. Post undergrad she created choreography and direction for numerous productions in greater Cincinnati and later in SF. While living in SF she immersed herself in the wealth of dance training and performance opportunities available there. Donna has been working with children creatively throughout her life. She receives great joy in her work as a teaching artist for Pones and is honored to have helped develop a movement class for Pones’Art’s in Healing program, where she teaches healing movement to veterans. Donna believes Dance to be a powerful tool of Healing, Community, and Liberation.
Kylyn Schadewald is a dance teaching artist and preschool dance teacher with a lifelong passion for movement and performance. Kylyn has been dancing since the age of five and brings years of training and enthusiasm into every class she teaches. Kylyn is a graduate of Ohio Northern University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a minor in Dance. Dance has always been her passion, and she loves sharing that passion with young dancers, creating a joyful and encouraging environment where children can explore movement, creativity, and confidence.
Angela Schierberg is excited to be part of the Pones teaching team. She is a dancer, choreographer, and fitness & wellness coach. She has studied & performed in many different genres, & currently trains in salsa & other Latin dances. She believes movement can be a powerful tool for the mind, body, & soul.
To Jackie Smith, Pones is all about movement. Of course it’s about moving your body, but it’s so much more than that. Through Pones’ programs we help move people’s spirits, moods, social consciousness, and perspectives. As a teaching artist for Pones, Jackie has the opportunity to experience and help our community get up and get moving!
Garrett H. T. Steagall is an SCPA alumnus and holds a BFA in Classical and Contemporary Ballet from UC-CCM. As a professional dancer, certified yoga and Pilates teacher, massage therapist, and sound practitioner specializing in didgeridoo therapy, Garrett explores the intersection of neurology, movement, and human connection. With a background spanning classical ballet to martial arts (Tien Shan Pai Kung Fu), he brings a rich, multi-dimensional perspective to performance and somatic art. Garrett is thrilled to collaborate and create with the Pones team.
Grace Wagner works as a director, choreographer, creative collaborator, and more in the Cincinnati area and across the country. Working with organizations, like The Carnegie, Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Precision Arts Challenge, and The National Women’s Theatre Festival, she believes in bringing true compassion and communication through a variety of artistic mediums to every moment. Her love of dance and movement began in Cincinnati where she was born and raised. Studying and competing with tap, musical theatre, jazz, ballet, hip hop, and more from a very young age, Grace has always found movement to be the basis of her artistry and exploration. She hopes to ignite freedom to live in your own body through her teaching with Pones, as she has found mediation, joy, and expression through movement improvisation and dancing for one’s self later in life.
Pones Inc. 