Jessie Feller and Julia Sabangan co-founded VaBanG! where they both choreograph and perform their own works.
Jessie Feller
Jessie was born in Manhattan and grew up in San Rafael, CA. She began dancing at the age of three at Marin Ballet and continued her advanced training at Marin Dance Theatre. She has had the privilege of performing works by such choreographers as Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Steve Rooks, Kathy Wildberger, Paul Mosley, Miriam Mahdaviani, Kim Dooley, Abby Saxon and Martha Tobias, Cynthia Pepper, Melinda Bach, Lynn Cox, Lynn Morton, Val Caniparoli, Larry Pech, David Palmer, and Annie Rosenthal. Jessie was also an elite rhythmic gymnast with Alair Rhythmics, placing 4th in the nation at the age of twelve.
Jessie earned her BA in Urban Studies and Hispanic Studies from Vassar College where she also danced and choreographed for Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre. It was there she met co-founder Julia Sabangan. Jessie finished her MSc (Masters) in Environment and Development Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science in August 2008 and is a part-time international development consultant. In addition, she is the assistant manager and part-time dance teacher at Roco Dance & Fitness in Mill Valley, CA.
Julia Sabangan
Julia Sabangan was born and raised in New York City. She has studied at the Harkness Dance Center at the 92nd Street Y, the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Merce Cunningham Dance Studio, and Vassar College, where she earned her BA in Classics and met VaBang! co-founder Jessie Feller. Julia has danced and choreographed for Vassar Repertory Dance Theater and performed most recently with Susan Venel Trio, Jeanette Stoner, MELD Danceworks, Kimberly Portis, Janis Brenner and Dancers, Susan Hefner and Dancers and Coastline Dance Company. Julia has performed in works by such choreographers as Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Randy James, Sean Curran, Maia Claire-Garrison, Joanna Mendl-Shaw, Elio Pomare, Steve Rooks, Kathy Wildberger, Jill Echo, and Paul Mosley. Julia co-founded VaBang! Dance Company in 2007, a bi-coastal modern dance company born out of New York and San Francisco with her longtime friend Jessie Feller. She is pleased to be choreographing, dancing, and touring throughout the country with her company.
NYC Company:
Kristin Licata
Kristin Licata has a BFA from Fordham University/Alvin Ailey, where she performed works of Alvin Ailey and Joyce Trisler as well as working with choreographers William Forsythe, Robert Battle, Sean Curran, and Elise Monte. Post graduation, she danced for Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II, Vox Lumiere and in the film Jaaneman. Currently, she is freelancing with Covenant Ballet Theatre, Valerie Green/Dance Entropy, Felice Lesser Dance Theater, Regina Nejman and Co., and WongDance.
Jessica Herring
Jessica Herring is originally from Denver, Colorado and is a graduate of the Denver School of the Arts (DSA). While at DSA, Jessica had the opportunity to train with dancers from Colorado Ballet, David Taylor Dance Theater, Kim Robards Dance, and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. Following high school, Jessica attended Skidmore College, where she completed a double major in dance and psychology and graduated Summa Cum Laude.
Since graduation, Jessica has had the opportunity to continue training with various artists in New York and California, including: Summer Rhatigan, Chiharu Shibata, Robert Moses, Alex Ketley, Jennifer Archibald, Susan Klein, Athena Malloy, Fabio De Silva, and others at Dance New Amsterdam. Recently Jessica completed her Pilates certification and had the opportunity to Perform with York Dance Works last year.
Katie Aggen
Katie Aggen is originally from Camarillo, California. She attended UC Santa Cruz receiving her BA in Community Studies with College Honors. Katie began her professional career in Los Angeles where she danced with Carol Solomon Dance and then San Francisco where she performed with Company Chaddick, Dance Elixir, EmSpace and Strong Current. After receiving her Pilates Certification in November 2004, Katie moved to New York where she had the pleasure of working with Chris Ferris & Dancers, Jana Hicks and Marijke Eliasberg/The Next Stage Project, Randy James Dance Works and Isabel Gotzwosky & Friends. In 2008, Katie returned to San Francisco and danced for Printz Dance Project, Dance Continuum SF and Strong Current. Katie is currently residing in NYC where she dances for: IG&F, TNSP, KDNY and VaBang! Katie joined VaBang! in June 2008 and is pleased to be dancing with them on both the East and West Coasts.
Erica Frankel
Erica Frankel is from Snellville, GA and has studied at the North Carolina
School of the Arts, Virginia School of the Arts, and the Salzburg
Experimental Academy of Dance, where she performed repertory by William
Forsythe. She also spent two summers at the School at Jacob’s Pillow under
the direction of Chet Walker and received her BFA in Dance from The Tisch
School of the Arts at NYU in 2008, where she performed in works by Trisha
Brown, Jessica Lang, Gus Solomons Jr., and Cherylyn Lagagnino. She has
performed in New York City with Meredith Monk, Philip Montana, Ilana Webber
Dance, Layard Thompson, and Yin Yue. Regional credits include *The Music Man
* (AEA) and *Wagon Wheel* (Planet Connections Theater Festivity). Erica has
been privileged to perform at venues such as Lincoln Center and the
Guggenheim, and currently dances with Belinda He/SINecdoche Dance, and
Vabang! Dance Company.
SF Company:
Josie Garthwaite
Born in Oakland, Calif. and raised in West Marin, Josie trained in classical ballet and Graham technique at Marin Ballet in San Rafael. She holds a bachelor’s in dance and journalism from New York University and a master’s in communication from Stanford University. Josie enjoyed performing works by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane, William Forsythe, and Deborah Jowitt while training with Andrea E. Woods, Gus Solomons Jr., Johannes Wieland and others at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She later performed throughout New England as a member of BoSoma, InFlux Dance and Boston Dance Company. She returned to California in 2007, joining the Printz Dance Project in January 2008 and VaBang! in 2009. When not dancing, Josie blogs about clean technology for a startup in San Francisco.
Barbara Lankamp
Canadian born and raised, Barb Lankamp is a graduate of the Arts Canterbury Dance Program in Ottawa Ontario. Post-graduation, Barb continued her studies at the University of Guelph, completing a BA in International Development Studies. Throughout her four years at university, Barb studied under the mentorship of David Earle and performed with Dancetheatre David Earle.
Beginning in 2005 Barb performed with the Synergy Dance Company and also began to pursue her own choreographic works. Mosaic (2006) was showcased at the Toronto International Dance Festival for which Barb was selected to perform as the emerging artist of the series.
New to the Bay area as of May 2008, Barb’s San Francisco debut starts with VaBang! Barb is also a member of the Carlitz Dance Company and works as a dance and fitness teacher in the city.
Alumnae:
Meghan Frederick
Emmaly Wiederholt
Lauren Hope Melusky