Meg Brooker is Artistic Director of Duncan Dance South and serves as Professor of Dance and Director of The School of Performing and Visual Arts at The University of Southern Mississippi. She is a founder and steering committee member of the Isadora Duncan International Symposium and a former member of Lori Belilove & Company, Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, NYC, where she also earned her Advanced Certification in Duncan dance. Duncan Dance South is a regional dance company focused on preserving and passing on the works of early modern dance artists Isadora Duncan and Florence Fleming Noyes and on creating new works rooted in these early modern dance techniques. Activities include masterclasses, workshops, residencies, and performances. Recent performances include Orpheus Reimagined in collaboration with Portara Ensemble, produced by Metro Dance and the Nature Conservancy at the Parthenon in Centennial Park, Nashville, TN, and Live at the Hunter, a concert produced by the Hunter Museum of American Art in response to the Power, Passion & Pose exhibit of dance photography by Ken Browar and Deborah Ory, NYC Dance Project. www.duncandancesouth.org

​Marah Bates received her Bachelor of Science degree in Theatre-Dance Performance from Illinois State University in 2016. She is currently the lead Teaching Artist and Director of Program Operations for The Pop-Up Project, a dance education non-profit based in Chattanooga, TN.  After graduating college, Marah moved to Nashville, TN where she continued her training with ViShun Dance Company, New Dialect and at MDC Nashville. She attends the Noyes Rhythm Dance Retreat each summer to continue her training and connection to movement. Along with her current director role, she is the head of the Normal Park Upper Dance Department for 4th-8th grade and she enjoys gardening, hiking, reading and spending time at home with her lovely spouse and two kitties.

​Kadie Cooper graduated with her B.S. in Dance from Middle Tennessee State University, where she performed with MTSU Dance Theatre in faculty and guest artist works, including works by choreographers Will Gill, Rebecca Steinberg, Daniel Gwirtzman, and Matt Pardo. Prior to MTSU, she trained at Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts and with Chattanooga Ballet. Kadie has performed with Duncan Dance South for seven years, in an array of venues from museums to stages and parks. In 2018, she danced Meg Brooker’s choreography Thel for the American College Dance Association Southeast Regional Gala concert. Now she is an artist in Atlanta teaching and experimenting. In 2022-2023 she danced with Immerse ATL, a contemporary mentorship, to dance and produce works with various companies and Atlanta based artists. Artist included with Immerse ATL are Sarah Hillmer, George Staib and Anna Bracewell. 

Louie Marin-Howard attended the University of Florida New World School of the Arts, under the direction of Daniel Lewis; on full scholarship. He received his B.F.A. with High Honors in 2005. Louie was a scholarship student of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, and Jennifer Muller/The Works School. He has performed with Dance NOW Miami, Freddick Bratcher and Co., Sasha Soreff Dance Theater, Amanda Selwyn Dance Theater, Paskal Rekoert/ Flexicurve, Graham II, and Carolyn Dorfman Dance (CDD), for whom he continues to coach and teach. Louie has taught regionally, nationally, and internationally; and is known for classes that explore the power, breath, speed, and passion of contemporary modern dance, and the demands of today’s repertory. Locally, Louie has taught Masterclasses at Chattanooga Center for the Creative Arts, Chattanooga Dance Theater, The Baylor School, Ballet Esprit, and Chattanooga Theatre Centre. In June of 2024, Louie was appointed Executive and Program Director of The Pop-up Project. He works closely with his incredible administrative team and TPUP Teaching Artists to make intentional and relevant impact in our community. The Pop-up Project is the BRIDGE in Dance Education for Hamilton County. Louie and the team are working tirelessly to provide and continue to foster the JOY of Dance through their accessible, age-appropriate, quality Dance Education program and curriculum.

Jess Ortega holds a bachelor’s degree in Dance from Middle Tennessee State University with a specialization in pedagogical theory. Jess has trained extensively in modern and contemporary styles with such artists as Sidra Bell, Matt Pardo, and Silva Laukkanen. She has performed with both the Pop Up Project and Duncan Dance South (DDS) for four years and has danced in a variety of settings including immersive events, long-form improvisation, and historical recreations. With DDS, Jess has performed in Orpheus Reimagined in collaboration with the Portera Ensemble and Dances of Freedom and Nature at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House in New Bedford, Massachusetts. She currently teaches with the Pop Up Project, using the Speaking Through Dance curriculum not only to facilitate interpersonal connection, but to foster a relationship between dancer and ecosystem. She and her students have explored class themes of beetles, floral growth, and natural disasters. Jess continues her education with the Noyes School of Rhythm in Portland, Connecticut and is working towards her DPT at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Hayden Turitto danced with Chattanooga Ballet from 2004-2014. They are a graduate of Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts, attending as a dance major in both middle and high school. They continued dancing with various companies and college groups, all of different styles, until 2022 when they began rehearsing and performing with The Pop Up Project. Building on their rigorous ballet background, Hayden now specializes in contemporary and improvisational movement. Hayden has also trained with the Noyes School of Rhythm since 2022. They are now also a teaching artist for The Pop Up Project’s Outreach Program and at Studio34. Photo by Rachel Porter.