Rosie Herrera

Cecilia Benitez was born and raised in Miami, Florida, where she currently resides. She earned her BFA in dance from Point Park University in 2020. In the spring of 2019, she studied abroad in Madrid, Spain at the Conservatorio de Danza Superior “María de Avíla”. Upon graduation she worked as a freelance artist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania performing with an improvisation-based company The Pillow Project under the direction of Pearlann Porter. She also served as the lead dancer and rehearsal director in the original production of “Milton” choreographed by Kaylin Horgan. Now a freelance artist based in Miami, she dances for Rosie Herrera Dance Theater while teaching, dancing, and choreographing for Syncopate Collective. Her dance films have been featured in both ScreenDance Miami and the 305 & Havana International Improv Fest. Her choreography has been commissioned by Miami Light Project’s “Here and Now” program, Pioneer Winter’s “Grass Stains”, and Bistoury Physical Theater and Film for the 305 & Havana International Improv Fest. When not dancing you can find her reading, biking, writing letters, or making Cuban coffee.

Liony Garcia is originally from Isabela de Sagua, Cuba. He received his BFA in Dance performance from New World School of the Arts in Miami. He has danced with Freddick Bratcher and Company and Brigid Baker’s Whole Project.  As a member of Los Angeles based repertory company BodyTraffic, Liony has premiered new work by choreographers Guy Weizman and Roni Haver (Club Guy and Roni). Liony is a founding member of Rosie Herrera Dance Theater and continues to create his own work throughout Miami. His new solo work “in Lieu of flowers” just recently premiered at the Miami Light Box to rave reviews.

Barbara Caridad Meulener was born and raised in Miami, FL. She attended Florida State University and attained her Bachelor in Social Work while performing seasonally on and off campus, including a rendition of “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf”, directed by Giltrecia Head. Upon their return to Miami, Barbara is dancing with Pioneer Winter Collective and Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre. They have presented their work “The Body is the First Altar” in PWC’s Grass Stains and has recently premiered her first short, dance film “GOZA”. Barbara is devoted to discovering ways to use artistic creation as a catalyst and facilitator for social and political liberation.

Victoria Mora is a dance artist whose path bridges the worlds of movement and medicine. She earned her BFA in Dance from The University of Texas at Austin in 2013 and later pursued her MS in Physician Assistant Studies from Baylor College of Medicine in 2021. As a performer and collaborator, Victoria has worked with numerous dance companies across the country including Ad Deum, Moving Ethos, The Ramdance Movement, and SAXYN Dance Works. She is currently based in Miami, performing with Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre. Through her diverse experiences, Victoria has found herself most inspired by creative environments that foster collaboration and inquiry – spaces where the cultivation of authenticity and artistic voice are central to the creative process.

Gerardo Pilatti has been presenting his avant-garde performances in Miami since arriving from Argentina in 2002.  As a performer he has worked with Octavio Campos and playwright David Rohn. Also an accomplished designer and makeup artist, he has designed wardrobe and makeup for the premiere of “1000 Homosexuals” at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts as well as productions for Miami New Drama in The Colony Theater on Miami Beach. He has developed a cult following for his original nightclub variety acts and is a founding member of Rosie Herrera Dance Theater.

Claudia-Lynn Rightmire is a multidisciplinary artist, creating within mediums of dance, writing, theater, and visual art. Claudia-Lynn holds an Honors summa cum laude BA from Roger Williams University, is a certified health coach, and is currently teaching at Gibney Dance in NYC, and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Claudia is an artist with Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre, David Dorfman Dance, and INSPIRIT Dance with Christal Brown, and has worked with Andrew Schneider, NYC Children’s Theater, Third Rail Projects, Kinesis Project, Sarasota Contemporary, Moving Ethos, and others. She has been a guest artist and educator at many institutions, nationally and internationally. In 2021, Claudia formed cs movement projects, a performance art company, alongside her partner, Simon Thomas-Train. Claudia is driven by storytelling, voice, shadow, and being a parent.

Katie Stirman is a multi-disciplinary artist from Miami, FL. She joined Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre in 2010 and collaborates in the creation repertory. Katie collaborates with a vast array of artists from different disciplines, entering rolls as dramaturge, artistic director, choreographer, performer, and designer. Artists including Rosie Herrera, Tatiana Bagaova, Gerri Houlihan, Monica Lopez De Vistoria, Christina Petterson, Magnus Sodamin, Hattie Mae Williams, Jenna Balfe, Paula Wilson, Raquel Glottman, Helado Negro, Dim Past, and Kandi Stirman. She had a performance residency in 2012 at the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center of Miami with The Donkey Show: A Midsummer’s Night’s Disco. She received her first grant in 2017 through Miami Light Project that launched her exploration into set design. During the pandemic, one collaboration branched to artistic swimming with Monica Lopez De Victoria where she served as dramaturge and choreographer in her O’ Miami commissioned performance, “Submerging Geometry” 2021-22.  Her newest collaboration had launched her into the sculptural field; designing, project managing, and fabricating large scale rope sculptures with rope artist and treasured mother, Kandi Stirman, installed in sailing yachts, hotels, and restaurants internationally.

Britney Tokumoto is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii and trained at Mid Pacific School of the Arts in Honolulu. She received her BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College in 2012. In NYC, she has danced with Bare Dance Company, Colectivo Dos Zeta, Denisa Musilova, Schoen Movement Company, Steps Ensemble, and Tami Stronach. In Miami, she has danced with Abel Berenguer, Adele Myers and Dancers, Ivonne Batanero, Sandra Ramy, Sandra Portal Andreu, and Roxana Barba. In 2020, Britney and Loren Davidson were commissioned as Here and Now artists at Miami Light Project. Britney has been with Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre since 2018, and it has felt like coming home ever since.