With the vision of diversifying the artistic voices being presented in professional dance, growing opportunities for artists in the region, and attracting new audiences, Dance Canvas successfully accomplishes our mission through three program areas of service: Choreographer Career Development, Youth Outreach/Leadership, and Community Engagement. Since 2008, Dance Canvas has been an integral part of developing artistic opportunities for dancers in metro Atlanta. Through our Choreographer Career Development Initiative, they have provided employment, resources and presented over 100 new works by 126 emerging professional choreographers. They have featured over 300 professional dancers and performed for over 20,000 Atlanta audiences.

Angela Harris is a choreographer, Director and the Executive Artistic Director of Dance Canvas, Inc., a career development organization for emerging professional choreographers and youth. Angela is originally from Baltimore, MD and a graduate of The Baltimore School for the Arts. She trained, Dance Theater of Harlem, School of the Hartford Ballet & Eglevsky Ballet. She attended Mercyhurst College and City College of New York, earning a B.A. in Journalism, while dancing on a full ballet scholarship, Steps on Broadway in NYC. Angela danced professionally with The Georgia Ballet, Columbia City Ballet and Urban Ballet Theater. She has choreographed for companies and academies, including The Georgia Ballet, Steps on Broadway, Ballet Lubbock and Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute. Her theater choreographic credits include 110 in the Shade (Theatrical Outfit); The First Noel (True Colors Theater Company); Bridges of Madison County (Aurora Theatre). Angela was one of five Inaugural National Visiting Fellows, the School of American Ballet. In 2017, she received a SDCF Observership and worked with Tony Award winning director/choreographer, Susan Stroman, on the new musical, Little Dancer, during its Broadway Lab. As a director and through Dance Canvas, Angela has been a catalyst, consultant, and resource for numerous new dance organizations and artists. Angela has developed programs for the City of Atlanta's Office of Cultural Affairs, Usher's New Look Foundation, and the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation. Angela served on the national Emerging Leaders Council for Americans for the Arts and was a member of the 2014 class of Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta. She received the 2011 National Emerging Leader Award from Americans for the Arts and American Express. Most recently, Angela was a 2021 Women in the Arts and Business Honoree through Synchronicity Theater. Angela is currently on faculty, Emory University and is a ballet instructor, Dekalb School for the Arts & Academy of Ballet.

Indya Childs is from Atlanta, Ga and received her BA in dance from Kennesaw State University. She has danced professionally locally and nationally, performing with Ballethnic Dance Company and Dance Canvas. She also has been a dancer for many photo shoots for internationally acclaimed photographer, Richard Calmes. Before the pandemic, Indya was living in New York and dancing with Abby Z and The New Utility. She is currently the Director of the Peace, Love, and Dance Project organization which officially launched in September 2020.

Tamara Irving is a dancer, choreographer, and educator. An Atlanta native, Tamara received her training with Cubie Burke, Teri Axam, Gary Harrison, Roscoe Sales, Shen Wei and is an alumna of North Atlanta High School Center for the Arts. After graduating from Howard University with a Marketing degree, she returned to Atlanta and was selected to join the Atlanta Hawks Dance Team and become the resident choreographer for the Atlanta Hawks Jr. Dance Team. She was a dancer in the premiere casts of both the Hamburg Germany Company and the Cheetah US National Tour of Disney’s The Lion King. She has also been a featured dancer with The Atlanta Opera. Tamara currently is the dance director, North Atlanta High School (NAHS) and coach for the Varsity Dance Team, NA Dance Company. She was proud to be North Atlanta High School’s 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year. In 2020, Tamara was selected to be one of the Inaugural choreographers for Dance Canvas/Atlanta Contemporary's Summer Choreographic Residency, where she premiered her new work, 'By Faith'. Tamara received her Master of Arts in Dance Education from University of North Carolina, Greensboro in May 2017. She is a proud wife and mom of 2 beautiful daughters and a son! Tamara believes that her gift is to inspire others through dance and that movement can come from anything!

Mary Beth Stinson is a professional dancer, choreographer, and director originally from Kennesaw, Ga. Growing up, she danced with Great Gig Dance Company before studying, the University of Georgia. Throughout middle and high school, Mary Beth had training from many well-known tap dancers that shaped and mentored her into the dancer she is today. She was chosen from many applicants around the United States to attend a prestigious tap workshop in New York City called Tap Kids. She also won a scholarship to attend SLIDE with Mike Minery and Anthony Morigerato to perform, the prestigious Roseland Theatre in New York City. Mary Beth later went on to further study dance, the University of Georgia, where she earned a BFA in Dance as well as a teaching certification in Dance for K-12., UGA, she was a dance major who performed as a member of CORE aerial and dance company and a member of CADE:NCE performing ensemble. Mary Beth teaches many genres of dance to all ages around Georgia. She has not only taught, private studios, but community centers, and public schools. She also enjoys setting choreography on many musical theater companies, such as Blake Cooper Productions and Agape Players. In addition, she fell in love with teaching dance in public high school when doing her student teaching with Ellen Tshudy, the lead teacher for dance,, Brookwood High School in Gwinnett County. Mary Beth is the current Dance Director, Archer High School, where she teaches dance 140 students every day and creates two large dance productions a year. She is the Artistic Director of The Tap Rebels, Atlanta’s only professional tap company, under the direction of founder, Vanessa Zabari. She currently performs professionally in the Atlanta area and is thrilled to be back with Dance Canvas.

Dana Woodruff, originally from Norwich, VT , began her dance training with Joseph and Victoria DeChiazza, professors of Dance, Dartmouth College. After eleven years of studying Ballet (French Technique), Modern (Limon Based) and Jazz (Jack Cole Based), Dana went on to Adelphi University to receive her B.F.A. in Dance. She trained with Norman Walker, Carmen de Lavallade, Loren Hightower, Rochelle Zide-Booth and Regina Larkin. After graduation, she attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts to earn an M.F.A. in Dance. She performed works by Gus Solomons Jr., Mark Morris, and Ann Carlson and trained with Jenny Way (Twyla Tharp), Gwen Welliver (Doug Varone), Jim Martin, Phyllis Lamhut (Nikolais), Mark Haim, Jackie Villamil, Deborah Jowitt and Kaye Cummings. During her second year, NYU, Dana joined the Joyce Trisler Danscompany, performing Trisler works in NYC and multiple venues in the Northeast. After graduating, she performed with Cherylyn Lavagnino, Imago Dance Theatre, and formed her own collaborative company called Ground Floor Dance. Since moving to Atlanta, Dana has taught Ballet and Modern technique to dancers of all ages. She has taught, the Georgia Academy of Dance, The Studio Atlanta Dance, Academy of Ballet in Norcross and Bravo Dance Centre. She was a part time professor of dance, Kennesaw State University from 2011-17. Dana serves as Professional Development Manager for Dance Canvas, an Atlanta based company that promotes and produces choreographers. During Dance Canvas’ Summer Intensive, Dana teaches Ballet and Modern technique and Choreography. She has produced her own choreography in the Atlanta area since 2003.