A large, detailed artistic representation of a tree with a mural of a woman with butterfly wings in place of its foliage. The butterfly wings are green with purple edges, and a human face and body are integrated into the center of the butterfly. The tree has intertwined roots and branches, with musical notes, a violin, and the words 'Ubud' and 'Melange' incorporated into the design. The background is light and plain.
A woman with shoulder-length curly black hair and light brown skin, wearing a black spaghetti strap top, smiling softly with a plain light-colored wall in the background.

Donna Ahmadi

Co-Producing Artistic Director

(she/her/hers)

Donna Laila Ahmadi’s work explores themes such as adoption, entomology, Butoh, puppetry, the human body, mycology, and the environment.  Donna earned her BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase College in 2000 and a clinical education from The Swedish Institute of Massage Therapy. Donna has danced for Steve Koplowitz, Alison Chase (Pilobolus and Apogee Arts), Andrew Marcus Performance, Brett Howard Company, Tarin Chaplin, Dianne Sichel, Michael Utoff, Red Hawk Indian Arts Council, Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, and Third Rail Projects. In 2003, she founded Mantis Dance Theater in New South Wales, Australia, as a site-specific and environmental dance company exploring boundaries between the human and plant world. She currently resides in North Riverdale with her husband, teenage son, and her many pets.

A woman with shoulder-length red hair, blue eyes, and freckles smiling, wearing a bright pink top, standing in front of a wooden wall.

Dianna Cortez

Co-Producing Artistic Director

(she/her/hers)

www.diannacortezvoice.com

Dianna Cortez is an Interdisciplinary Performance Artist (Actor/Singer/Director/Coach), Equity Eligible, based in New York City. Dianna has coached actors on and off-Broadway, as well as in Liverpool. At The New Group Theatre, she worked with Ethan Hawke, Ed Harris, Marisa Tomei, and Vincent D’Onofrio; also on Broadway with Sam Rockwell; and with Kim Cattrall in Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Janet Suzman, in Liverpool. She teaches at Circle in the Square Theatre School, Syracuse University/Tepper, Molloy/Cap 21, The Linklater Center, and in her private studio. From 2006 to 2010, she served as the Artistic Director of City Attic Theatre (C.A.T.) .Some InterArtworks include-“Hymn to Life'' by James Schuyler (poet) and David Skeist (composer/conductor), “Dans L’ombre: In the Shadows'', “A Fireside Celtic Christmas,” “Mi Amor, and The Queen Bee'', and three Award winning Arthouse Films “My Chamber”, “Plastic not Fantastic,” and “Chroma”. “A Safe House in Tenderloin” was performed in the Garment District in NYC. “Les Berceaux and The Lighthouse: Movement 1: A Mental Health Crisis” was performed at UNFIX NYC 2024.

A man with dark, curly hair and a beard taking a selfie on a balcony with a cityscape background.

Baltazar Cortez

(he/him)

Baltazar Cortez works as a technical crew member for Lucada Mélange. A grandson of the famous Dominican Merengue Saxophone player Ramón Garcia, he was raised in New York City, and music and movement were integral to his life. Carrying a boombox over his shoulder and using a cardboard box for his street performances, he was a “B-boy” (breakdancer) during the 1980s. This was a time when breakdancing gained popularity, notably alongside “The King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, who popularized the “moonwalk,” a dance move he learned from friends of his neighborhood crew. He also studied martial arts, including Kenpo Karate, Taekwondo, Krav Maga, and Boxing. As a Technician, he served as the assistant cameraman for the Award-winning film “My Chamber” and as the sound technician for “A Safe House in Tenderloin” in the Garment District’s Beyond Fashion window displays. He built a home studio soundproof room for audio recordings. He supports his family through his investment in all of the endeavors of Lucada Mélange.

A man with glasses and brown hair is serving a salad onto plates on a dining table in a cozy, decorated kitchen. There are bottles and a bowl of pearl onions on the table.

Luther Elliott

(he/him)

Close-up portrait of a woman with curly red hair, bright blue eyes, wearing red lipstick, large spiral earrings, a silver owl necklace, and a navy blue top with embroidery, smiling at the camera. 
Lauren M. Lowell

(she/her)

www.lowelldesigns.com

Lauren M. Lowell is a Professor and Head of Costume in the Illinois State University School of Theatre, Dance & Film. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Costume Design from the University of Georgia. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Michigan University with a major in General Theatre and double minors in Music and Broadcasting Television Production. She served as the resident Costume Designer for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival from 2003-2022. She has taught courses in Prague, Czech Republic (2011, 2019, 2023) and in Bangkok, Thailand (2016, 2020, 2024). Lauren is the author of the textbook DRESSING HISTORICAL CHARACTERS available via Waveland Press, Chicago. Lauren resides in Bloomington-Normal, IL with her two children, husband, two stepdaughters and a small crew of step-grandchildren.

A smiling man with glasses, a beard, and a floral jacket standing outdoors in fall with orange, yellow, and green leaves in the background. 
Derek J. Weagle

(they/them)

www.derekjweagle.com

Musician/Educator/Wearer-of-Many-Hats Derek J. Weagle (they/them) is a Brooklyn-based artist and healer invested in the disruption of social and academic barriers around classical music, as well as the preservation of music-making as an act of joyful humanness. With a practice rooted in syncretism, Derek can be found equally comfortable in roles ranging from conductor to composer, performer to teacher. They hold a B.M. in Music Education from UMass Lowell and an M.M. in Composition with a minor in Choral Conducting from New England Conservatory, as well as a Certificate in Sound Healing from the Sage Academy of Sound in Woodstock, NY. Current engagements include work as an independent Sound Healing Practitioner; Associate Conductor of the Queer Urban Orchestra; Assistant Conductor of Choral Chameleon; Artistic Director of the Adelphi University Vocal Ensemble; Founding Artistic Director of Bloom Sound Collective; Composer & Owner at Risanare Music; Board of Directors for the Refugee Orchestra Project. Their work as a composer has received recognition both nationally and internationally, including the American Prize in Composition, The International Horn Society, and the International Composition Competition Harelbeke.