Diana Movius - Founder/Artistic Director - Adult Faculty
Diana Movius (Artistic Director, Founder, & Choreographer) was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. She trained with Patricia McBride at the Charlotte Ballet (formerly named North Carolina Dance Theater) and continued her dance studies at Stanford University, where she earned a BA and MA in Anthropology and minor in Dance. In 2018, she earned her choreographic certification from the International Consortium for the Advancement of Choreography. In Washington, DC, Movius’ work has been presented by Atlas Performing Arts Center, the Kennedy Center, Dance Place, Dance Loft, and others. Her Glacier: A Climate Change Ballet toured nationally to San Francisco (2018) and New York City (2019) as the first ballet to be presented as part of international climate conferences. Glacier and other works by Movius have been critically acclaimed in the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, DanceInforma, Reuters, Observer.com, and other outlets. Movius is the Founder of Dance Loft on 14, the flagship dance center of Moveius Contemporary Ballet, in addition to being a climate policy expert at Climate Advisers.
Alvaro Palau - Associate Artistic Director - Adult Faculty
Alvaro Palau of Cali, Colombia, received his training at the Colombian Ballet Institute, Incolballet as well as workshops in Cuba, in New York with David Howard, and at the Houston School of Ballet. Mr. Palau danced soloist and principal roles and has had roles created for him with The Washington Ballet for 12 years, ARKA Ballet, Carolina Ballet Theatre, National Ballet of Venezuela, and the Cali Ballet in his native Colombia. Mr. Palau toured extensively internationally with all of the ballet companies above, in addition to dancing in festivals such as the Havana Festival in Cuba; Festivals in Rome and Florence in Italy; the Umbrella Festival in South Africa; the International Festival in Miami, Florida; the AIDS Foundation in Austin, Texas; and performances at the White House and in the Memorial Day show in Washington, D.C. Awards include 1st prize at the Arts Competition in Colombia, as well as being nominated for Best Classical Dancer at Casa del Artista in Venezuela. He has performed and choreographed works for Gala Hispanic Theatre, Source Theater Idomeneo Opera, and Dance Loft on 14th. Mr. Palau has taught numerous ballet outreach programs and summer workshops. He is currently faculty at Séber Method Academy, faculty at Catholic University of America, and the Dance Loft 14 adult program.
Sona Kharatian - Artistic Advisor - Trainee Faculty
Sona Kharatian spent 24 seasons with The Washington Ballet. She has danced with Orlando Ballet, Ballet Hawail, the Trey McIntyre Project, and Copenhagen International Ballet. She was a regular guest artist with ARKA Ballet under the direction of Roudolf Kharatian, and has performed as a featured principal with the National Ballet of Armenia and Ballet 2021.
Kharatian has performed roles in works by George Balanchine, Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Choo San Goh, Antony Tudor, Septime Webre, Nacho Duato, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Christopher Wheeldon, Trey McIntyre, Nicolo Fonte, Alexei Ratmansky, Roudolf Kharatian, William Forsythe, Jirí Kylián, Hans van Manen, Frederick Asthon, Edward Liang, Alejandro Cerrudo and others. Notable roles include Juliet in Romeo + Juliet, Giselle and Myrtha in Giselle, Carmen in Carmen, the Red Queen in ALICE (in wonderland), Myrtle in The Great Gatsby, and Lady Brett Ashley in Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises, among others. In addition to her work as a dancer, Kharatian teaches at The Washington School of Ballet and other schools in the Washington. D.C. area, as well as coaching and staging works internationally. Kharatian began her ballet training at the Choreographic Institute in Yerevan, Armenia, and later studied al the Kirov Academy of Ballet and The Washington School of Ballet. Kharatian is a two-time recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award.
Kami McCracken - Programs Manager - Youth Faculty
Kamillia McCracken (Ballet Master and Dancer) was raised in Richland, WA where she began her dance training with the Mid-Columbia Ballet under Debra Rogo. Outside of MCB, Kamillia supplemented her training and received various scholarships from programs including Pacific Northwest Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Colorado Conservatory of Dance, and Alonzo King Lines Ballet. She attended Point Park University on artistic scholarship, graduating in 2019 with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance, concentrating in ballet. She joined Moveius Contemporary Ballet, located in Washington D.C. during the summer of 2019, performing works choreographed by artistic director Diana Movius.
With Moveius, she has performed leading roles with the company in works by Diana Movius, Alvaro Palau, and others. Kamillia joined the Dance Loft staff full time in January 2024 as Adult and Youth Programs Manager as well as the Moveius Company Manager. She has produced Dance Loft’s last two years of their production of the Nutcracker, integrating the adult and youth dance community of the DMV.
Elizabeth Watson - Adult Faculty
Elizabeth Watson (Choreographer and Dancer) earned her BA in Dance and Choreography from Mercyhurst University in 2010 and her MFA in Dance from the University of Arizona in 2015. She has performed as a soloist and ensemble dancer with Ballet Theatre of Ohio, Artifact Dance Project, District Dance Company, Therese Gahl & Company, and Gin Dance Company. Elizabeth has served on the Board of Directors for numerous DMV-based dance organizations and works full-time as a Manager at Eagle Hill Consulting. This is Elizabeth’s third season with Moveius.
Yao Odamtten - Adult Faculty
Fondly known as “Mr. Yao”, Yao E. Odamtten (pronounced oh-DAM-tin) believes in the power of dance to transform lives and communities. His career spans the worlds of high fashion/brand development (Yves Saint Laurent/Whirlpool Corp.), international development (United Nations/World Bank, IMF), and education; but his most profound calling involves youth and adults in under-resourced communities, where dance and integrative medicine become tools for resilience, wellness, and social change.
Originally from Ghana, Mr. Yao began training in Afro-Caribbean movement before studying ballet, modern, and global dance at Hamilton College. He furthered his technical training with Garth Fagan (The Lion King), Desmond Richardson (The Ailey School), and Dr. Elana Anderson (Deeply Rooted Dance Theater), specializing in Horton, Limón, Bartenieff, and Release Techniques. He served as Youth Dance Manager for Bono’s Heartland of America Tour, and has taught for The Washington School of Ballet, Maryland Youth Ballet, and conservatories in Germany and Cuba.
He is a graduate of Hamilton College (BA-World Politics), Johns Hopkins SAIS (MA-Int’l Relations/Int'l Public Policy), Stanford School of Medicine (Health Nutrition & Psychosocial Counseling), and Howard University School of Social Work (MSW). Mr. Yao approaches every studio, classroom, workshop, and exam room with the belief that movement builds not only artists, but whole human beings—capable of reimagining and reshaping the world.
Angel Ramirez - Adult and Youth Faculty
Angel Ramirez, a queer Latino dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist from El Salvador, is based in the DMV. A graduate of the CityDance Conservatory, he trained under Lorraine Spieler, Stanislav Issaev, Robert Priore, and Keith Thomas. In 2023, he earned a diploma in choreography from the ICONS Choreographic Dance Institute at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, where he premiered his contemporary ballet, Renacimiento. Ramirez has performed works by Bruce Wood Dance, Koresh Dance, and Focus Cia de Dança, as well as choreographers including Earl Mosley, Robert J. Priore, and Gabriel Mata. His choreography has been presented at the Kennedy Center, Strathmore, Atlas, and Dance Place. He currently teaches youth and adult classes at Dance Loft on 14 and with DCPS.
Ellie Conrad - Adult and Youth Faculty
Ellie Conrad started her dance training in her hometown of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, but fell in love with dance at the University of Iowa Youth Ballet, where she studied from elementary through high school. Following high school, she attended Iowa State University to obtain a degree in Global Resource Systems, Agriculture and Society, and Spanish. In addition to her academic pursuits, she studied ballet and modern, performed with local and guest artists including Kristin Damrow & Company, and choreographed new works, including a piece selected by faculty for the annual university showcase. Since graduating, Ellie has performed with Momentum Dance Theatre, Contemporary Dance Theatre, Aru Dell’Arte, and Moveius Contemporary Ballet. She has taught at Dance Loft on 14th since 2023.
Kevin Malone - Adult Faculty
Kevin Thomas Malone, a native of Washington, DC, has taught on staff at Jyla’s School of Dance, Metropolitan School of The Arts, Katherine Smith Contemporary Dance Ensemble, Dance Institute of Washington (DIW) and Ballet Nouveau. Kevin has choreographed contemporary ballet solos for dancers representing the Ukraine and the U.S who competed in the 2006 International Ballet competition and the Youth America Grand Prix. A graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts (DESA) and the University of the Arts with a BFA in modern dance, Kevin has had additional training at the Ailey School, the Washington School of Ballet and the Adrian Bolton Dance Company. He was also a principal company member with Philadanco, touring the U.S., Europe, Canada, Asia and the Caribbean, and taught for the Rock School of the Pennsylvania, the Alvin Ailey Dance Camp, DESA and Ballet Royale Academy. Kevin served as Associate Artistic Director for the Bermuda Dance Company and DIW.
Under Mr. Malone Artistic Mentorship and Coaching his students are currently performing in American Ballet Theater, Alvin Ailey, Philadanco, Deeply Rooted as well as the National tour of The Lion King. Kevin enjoys pouring into the lives of aspiring artist of all ages and creating meaningful choreography that raises social awareness while leaving positive impact on audiences globally to promote Diverse , Equitable and Inclusive Art for all to appreciate
Brandon Marcelas Dozier - Adult Faculty
Brandon Marcelas Dozier is a dynamic and versatile professional, excelling in dance performance, choreography, creative direction, and film production. With a career spanning over a decade, Brandon currently performs as a high-profile dancer for the Washington Commanders, helping the team achieve top rankings in Game Entertainment Satisfaction Growth and other growth metrics. His work has garnered industry recognition, including being a Finalist and Official Selection at the ARFF Paris International Awards 2022 and winning Best Set Design at the Universal Movie Awards 2021.
Brandon has also directed and produced award-nominated films with Cinema Black LLC & Brains Concept Studios showcasing his expertise in creating compelling visual content. His extensive background in Technical Direction for Theaters & Performing Arts Organizations in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area further highlights his versatility. Known for his innovative approach to storytelling through movement, Brandon has also mentored and trained professional dancers at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Dance Institute of Washington, Joy of Motion Dance Center, Ballet Nova, and more. Brandon furthers his efforts in community through career advancement opportunities booking actors, models, and dancers in his area for films, live performances, music videos, and more. He is passionate about bridging the worlds of live performance, film, and digital media to create powerful, engaging experiences.