Dance Tempe: Residencies & Performance

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Dance Tempe is an annual program that brings together professional dance artists and Flyer: Dance Tempe. Feb 02, 7 pm at Tempe Center for the Arts. high school student dancers. Three local dance professionals are chosen through a panel selection process to fulfill residencies in all six Tempe Union High School District schools every Fall. The choreographic works created in the residencies premiere in the culminating Dance Tempe Showcase at Tempe Center for the Arts. The showcase also features an additional piece by each high school and performances by the resident artists’ professional companies.

While supporting young dancers as they enter potential careers in the performing arts, Dance Tempe also fosters the development of local dance educators and professional dance artists by providing a platform to share knowledge, create and present work.

Mark your calendar!

Dance Tempe Showcase
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Feb. 2, 2027
Tempe Center for the Arts
700 W Rio Salado Pkwy, Tempe

Meet the 2026-27 Resident Artists

Alexis "La"Covarrubio
@lalainthelab
Marcos de Niza and Mountain Pointe

Lala teaches the Hip Hop Basics class at The Jukebox Grounds and has been growing the class for the last three years. She’s had the opportunity to participate in local showcases such as The Phoenix Move Dance Showcase, Life in Motion, and Blacktinx. She’s also contributed to competitive pieces performed by Jukebox Family at ASU Sol Power 2025 (1st place), Prelude Las Vegas 2025 (1st place), Prelude Las Vegas 2026 (3rd place), Bustagroove 2026 (previously known as Body Rock), and Redbull Show Your Style 2025.

With experience in multiple facets like choreographing, performing, competing, and battling, Lala speaks to the many different paths available for pursuing dance professionally. She has been able to teach dance in formal academic settings and community venue to students of all different ages and backgrounds. Whether the students have never been on a stage or have been performing for years, Lala brings the knowledge and experience to recognize the level of her students and develop a work that pushes them while highlighting their strengths.

Shean "Sheanye" Bautista
@shean.bautista
Tempe High and McClintock

Shean “Sheanye” is a professional dance artist whose work bridges the street dance cultures of HipHop and Popping with formal college dance training. He trained, competed, and collaborated with street dance communities across northern, central, and southern California. Simultaneously, in 2020, he earned his associate’s degree in dance from Modesto Junior College, receiving multiple 1st‑place choreography awards and performing at nationally recognized ACDA events, including Scottsdale Community College and the San Jose State Gala.

In 2021, Sheanye relocated from Modesto, California to Phoenix, Arizona to pursue his professional dance career. He expanded his artistic portfolio by contributing to both the Competitive Street Dance and Contemporary concert communities, steadily building a reputation based off HipHop, versatility, and community engagement. After three years of dedicated work, he was crowned the Red Bull Dance Your Style Phoenix Champion in spring 2024 and flown to Utah to represent the Arizona street dance community. His professional performance credits include world‑renowned stages such as Coachella, Usher Super Bowl Halftime Show, and Shambhala, a musical festival in Canada.

Sheanye has established a meaningful dance legacy in Arizona, defined by integrity, artistry, and leadership. His work ranges from teaching and choreographing in studio environments to performing in theaters and major music festivals, as well as competing and judging within the street dance community. In 2024, he founded Good2Go, a street dance crew that is dedicated to creating a positive impact through street dance culture. Additionally, Good2Grow, Good2Go's youth group was established in 2025, with goals to create pathways for the youth to also become professional dancers.

Takela King
@kingtakela
Corona del Sol and Desert Vista

Takela is a dynamic movement artist and choreographer from Phoenix, Arizona. Takela's creative work explores the complexities of humanity and interpersonal interaction. These ideas are brought to life by contemporary and hip hop choreography often utilizing improvisational dance structures as a starting place. She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Certificate in Ethics from Arizona State University, where she worked with Adam McKinney, The Dance Exchange, Alicia Nascimiento, and Liz Lerman's Wicked Bodies. Currently, Takela continues to perform and connect communities as a freelance creative with The Be Kind People Project, Depth Dance, Nuebox, Blending the Moves Dance Festival, and other local choreographers.

In addition to her dance work, Takela is skilled in dance production work at all levels. She has stage-managed, designed lighting, and operated sound for numerous dance productions including Breaking Ground Dance Festival, Crying Over Spilled Onions, Pachanga Collective’s Our Truth, and most recently Methods of Madness Dance Theater.

The work that Takela creates is research based and reflective. At a time in students' lives where they are asked to find their own identity, her work asks that students take this journey through movement. Takela hopes to provide students with contemporary and hip hop training while physicalizing topics like identity, community, awareness, and navigating an ever-changing world.

Previous Resident Artists

History

Desert Vista High School performance

The first seeds of today’s program were planted way back in 2008. That year, more than 100 high school students would spend the day at Tempe Center for the Arts learning about careers in the arts from professionals in the field (“Arts Career Day”). As the program evolved, a need for mentorship and professional development in the dance field became apparent. For several years, high school dance students spent the day at the TCA taking workshops and learning form dance professionals. Over COVID-19, a new realization was made when the program adapted to have professional dancers going directly into to the schools (virtually at first and then in-person). High Schools include: Tempe High, McClintock, Marcos de Niza, Mountain Pointe, Desert Vista and Corona del Sol.

Now, the professional dancers teach and develop choreography during the fall semester in each of the six Tempe Union High School District schools. They hold workshops for all grades, as well as set choreography on the advanced students in preparation for the Dance Tempe showcase.

Pieces set by the resident artists premiere as part of the Dance Tempe Student & Resident Artist Showcase at the Tempe Center for the Arts in January. The showcase also features additional pieces by each school and pieces by the resident artists and their professional companies.

The program is run by Tempe Community Arts in partnership with Tempe Union High School District. Special thanks to Tempe Center for the Arts for its support of the program overall.

Testimonials

Resident artist testimonials:

Dance Tempe_Billy Hardiman

"This program was integral in forming my identity as a movement artist and finding my voice after completing my BFA in Dance from Arizona State University. It allowed an opportunity for me to choreograph, set choreography, work within the school system and contribute to the growth of the younger generation. This intergenerational comradery is necessary for our communities to grow in their understanding of how important the arts are. Thank you, Tempe Arts + Culture, for bridging much needed communities, the artists and our future artists. "
- Zakiya Johnson, Resident Artist

Dance Workshop with Spencer Dennis "As a resident artist, Dance Tempe connected me to my community in ways I didn’t expect. Through this program I connected with many students and was able to provide my insight on how they could continue to engage with dance and the arts at large even after their high school experience. Dance Tempe also provided me the opportunity to invest back into our local arts community with funding to assist in hiring dancers and musicians. The connections I made through Dance Tempe have now become deeper collaborations and have inspired me to continue to create new work for our community."
- Spencer Dennis, Resident Artist

Resident Artist Allison Liedman leading a workshop "This was truly one of the most fulfilling teaching experiences I have ever had. From the workshops, to rehearsals, to performance, every moment was a well-oiled machine filled with joy and excitement. I feel so lucky to have been able to share my art with my community in such a meaningful way. The high school dancers taught me so much in my time with them. I am so grateful to them, to their teachers, and to the entire team that made this program possible!"
- Allison Liedman, Resident Artist