REBECCA JOHNSON

Executive Director

Rebecca Johnson had her early dance training on the East Coast in a Royal Academy of Dance ballet school near Boston. She discovered modern dance in 1985 and began performing professionally with Moving West Dance Company at the age of 14. Rebecca earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Dance and English Literature from Rutgers University. While in residence in New Jersey and New York City she performed in companies directed by Michael Gary and Val Suarez. Rebecca completed her Master of Education degree from the University of New Hampshire in 2001. Rebecca migrated west to California in 1999 and since then has performed with Nina Haft & Company, Paufve Dance, Abigail Hosein’s ahdanco, Rogelio Lopez & Dancers and Dana Lawton Dances amongst others. She was the Managing Director of Shawl-Anderson Dance Center from 2008-2014 after seven years of teaching modern for teens and adults at the Center as well as serving on the board. Rebecca became the Executive Director of Shawl-Anderson in January 2015. Rebecca’s administration background includes work with a range of non-profit organizations, both in social services and the arts, as well as private consulting work for numerous individuals and companies in the areas of fundraising, marketing, event production, publicity and graphic design. She also serves as adjunct faculty at Saint Mary’s College in Orinda, CA for the Master of Fine Arts program in Dance.

JILL RANDALL

Artistic Director

Jill Randall (she/her) has been a part of the Shawl-Anderson Dance Center community since 1998. During the past 23 years in the Bay Area, she has worked as a performer, teaching artist, arts administrator, and writer. Her experience in dance is wide and varied, from teaching dance in public schools to directing festivals. Jill is passionate about the many ways that dance can be a part of the East Bay community and what dance can offer youth and adults alike.As a performer, she has worked extensively with Nina Haft & Company, Paufve Dance, Martt Lawrence, and Dana Lawton. As a teaching artist, she has worked in K-12 public and independent schools and at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. She received the Herbst Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in 2013 for her work at The Hamlin School in San Francisco. With Bridget Frederick, Jill co-founded and co-directed the Dance IS Festival for 7 years in Berkeley. The festival brought together professional artists, college departments, and high school students to dialogue and perform together, involving nearly 100 artists each year. Jill was the Director of Education for the Lincoln Center Institute affiliate in Berkeley from 2004-2006 and then became the first Assistant Director of Shawl-Anderson Dance Center in 2006. From 2006-2010, Jill expanded the Center’s offerings and enrollment for both youth and adults, restarted the master class program with visiting artists, and created the Dance Up Close/East Bay performance series. Jill’s writing covers a variety of topics including careers in dance, dance education, and arts integration. Jill currently writes for Dance Teacher and her own sites, Life as a Modern Dancer and Dancing Words (about children’s books on dance). Jill received her BFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah and her MFA in Creative Practice: Dance at Saint Mary’s College.

APRIL TAYLOR

Administrative Manager

Movement, breath and flow are three things that inspire APRIL C. TAYLOR, a Bay Area transplant from Los Angeles who graduated from Mills College with a BA in Women's Studies and Dance. A performing and ritual artist, as well as a trained actor/singer/dancer, she has been performing her entire life and working in a variety of artistic areas. Her passion for the expressive arts and education have led her to teach children and adults for the past twelve years at Bay Area schools and studios. The focus of April's teaching is Dance For All, a program that she is developing that emphasizes awareness, acceptance, and expression for all bodies and all ages. A graduate of CIIS's Sound, Voice and Music Healing Certification program, she adds the magik of sound to her love of teaching. A life-long yoga practitioner, April recently completed  certification through “It’s Yoga, Kids” in San Francisco and has been teaching yoga classes to children and families in the Bay Area and at West Coast festivals.

KIMBERLY MEBANE

Staff Support (Human Resources) Consultant

Kimberly comes to us from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles as the Senior Director of Human Resources| Payroll and Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI). She has over 15 years of experience in the Non-profit, Human Resources and Operations specter. During that time, she served as the Director of Human Resources for Santa Teresita Medical Center in Duarte, CA; Assistant General Manager- Human Resources for Paradies Shops, Los Angeles; Manager of Human Resources for Charles R. Drew University of Science & Medicine in Watts, CA; and Director of Human Resources for Burbank Community YMCA. Kimberly brings a wealth of practical knowledge, skills and employee/employer engagement expertise to SADC. She acquired her Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelor of Management-HRM from the University of Phoenix,  an Associate of Arts-Interior (Workplace/ Ergonomics) Design- Brooks College, and Associate of Science-Sociology from El Camino College. Kimberly also holds certifications in Human Resources Management from California State University Dominguez Hills and is also a Certified Notary Public.

ASHLEY GAYLE

Administrative Asssociate

Ashley Gayle graduated from UC Irvine with a B.F.A in Dance Performance and minor in Business Management in 2012. After moving back home to the Bay Area, she has performed with Alayo Dance Company, PUSH Dance Company, LV Dance Collective, David Herrera Dance Company, Mix’d Ingrdnts, and Urban Jazz Dance Company. She regularly teaches youth and adults throughout the Bay Area and is also the Co-Director of Visceral Roots Dance Company. Learn more about Ashley at her website.

RUBY GIZZI

Administrative Asssociate

Ruby began studying hip hop at SADC with Jessica Wolf in 2008 but has been in the Shawl Anderson community for most of her life through her mother, a long time SADC dancer and dance educator. Ruby continued dancing at Destiny Arts, and was a member  of the Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company for two years. Through Destiny she was also lucky enough to do some work with Bandaloop. Ruby was a California Arts Scholar in poetry, is obsessed with art history, and is currently finishing her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She is continuously awed by the power of dance. 

DENEKA SIU

Administrative Associate

Deneka graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2019–earning her BA in Literature and Theater Studies. Now she spends her time honing a number of personal crafts like writing poetry, playing the ukulele, and dancing. Her passion for community-building and art has set her on a lifelong investigation of how these worlds co-create such invaluable and rich social experiences. Additionally, she is a parrot enthusiast.

LISA TENORIO

Administrative Asssociate

Lisa Tenorio is a dancer, choreographer, yogi, equestrian and native of Guam. With every class, she aims to offer a practice that is at once invigorating and safe, thoughtful and lighthearted, challenging and compassionate. Lisa has worked with students of all ages and believes yoga can be beneficial to anyone, at any stage of life. She enjoys helping students integrate yoga into their lives in practical, meaningful ways and invites her students to honor their own uniqueness in their exploration of the yogic path. Lisa holds an MFA in Dance from Saint Mary’s College of CA, presenting her thesis performance as a site-specific work at Montara State Beach. (Photo credit: Manny Crisostomo)