Safos Dance Theatre is a small emerging non-profit dance company founded in Tucson, AZ in 2009.
We collaborate with other Latinx serving and/or AZ-based organizations to offer programs that fulfill our mission. 

Erica Acevedo-Ontiveros has a PhD in Theatre Performance of the Americas from Arizona State University. She examines Azteca, Flamenco, and Mexican Folklórico dance and how these dance forms relate to expressions of Mexican and Chicanx identity. She has performed as both a dancer and actor, and is a professional stage manager in Phoenix, Albuquerque, and California. Erica currently teaches film and theatre at Benedictine University and Chandler-Gilbert Community College. She received her Master of Arts degree in Dance History and Criticism along with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance with a focus on Flamenco at the University of New Mexico. She remains a member of Kalpulli Ehecatl, comunidad del viento, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received her first Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American and Latinx Studies at UC Santa Cruz where she started her dance journey with Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker who has traveled to more than 80 countries - from Cuba to Cambodia and Kiribati to Tibet - capturing images as the lead photographer for Rick Steve’s Europe and Lonely Planet travel guides. He has hosted six seasons of travel shows for Lonely Planet, the National Geographic Adventure Channel, Discovery Asia, the Travel Channel and the BBC across Latin America, Europe and Asia. His editorial work has been featured in Lux, Forbes and The Wall Street Journal, and he is the cover photographer for MovieMaker Magazine in Los Angeles. His film and photo clients include the Space Needle, the Gates Foundation, 3 Form, the Clinton Foundation and the United Nations. He has photographed such luminaries as Stephen Hawking, Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek, Kenneth Branagh, Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama and Sting. A graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinema, Bonuccelli is a dual American / Italian citizen, and is currently working on an art book of his best European travel images from the past 20 years.

Clint Bryson is a lighting designer, technical director and educator working in theatre and dance for companies in Arizona and California. Previous collaborators include The Rogue Theatre, Arizona Repertory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Zuzi Dance, Safos Dance Theatre, NEW ARTiculations, The University of Arizona School of Theatre, Borderlands Theatre Company, Catalina Foothills High School and California Shakespeare Festival at CSU Pomona. In addition to freelance design projects, Clint is the technical director and a lecturer for the Theatre and Dance Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, overseeing the technical elements of department productions and teaching courses in design, management, and production.

 Wesley’s animation and multimedia work has been included in exhibitions such as the Museo de Arte Nogales, MOCA Tucson, Yavapai College, and the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport. Her 2018 experimental video work, “Prototype”, received an official selection into the WomenCinemakers Biennale and the Sharjah Film Platform. She has been awarded grants and residencies from organizations such as the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona, The Puffin Foundation, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Springboard for the Arts, Santa Fe Art Institute, and Franconia Sculpture Park. Wesley is honored to be a member of the Stories from Home team. To see more of her work, visit wesleyfawcettcreigh.com.

Delia Denise Ibañez is a multidisciplinary artist and administrator based in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Delia’s personal body of work, Process in Place, has four branches - workbooks, residencies, collections, and workshops - which all intertwine to form networks of inquisitive creative action directly impacted by geographical context. As the child of Alvaro Ibañez, a Colombian-born visual artist and graphic designer, and Denise DeVries, a writer and translator, Delia gained the family value for supporting access to the arts in rural communities. Delia holds a BA in Performance and Movement and received a certification in Socially Engaged Practice in Design and the Arts from Arizona State University which has supported them in their administrative work with Arizona Commission on the Arts, Safos Dance Theatre, and the family business: A-Ibañez Art Design. Delia has been a member of the 2022 Latinxtensions National Cohort by David Herrera Performance Company and the Anti-Oppressive Dialogue for dancers. They are currently collaborating with Greybox Collective utilizing their Trauma Informed Creative Practices model, and William Sterling Walker.

Mary Leopo is a Mexican American dancer, choreographer, content creator, and costume designer. Her first steps toward dance training began at The Wooden Floor. In the following years, her dance education continued at Santa Ana College. Recently, she earned herBachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from CSU Long Beach. Mary’s education doesn’t stop at institutions. She has broadened her experience as a scholarship recipient with Backhausdance, Limón Dance Company, Bill Evans, Acts of Matter, Pilobolus, and Jacob Jonas The Company. At CSULB, Mary worked closely with costume designer Kelsey Vidic to create costumes for Dance Productions in 2021 and 2022. This year, Mary has designed costumes for Imprints Dance Company directed by Hannah Millar, and Safos Dance Theatre directed by Yvonne Montoya. As of now, Mary is open to collaborating with other artists for future projects and working to make dance accessible to all.

Salvador Martínez-Montoya is a 14-year-old 8th grade student at Dodge Traditional Magnet Middle School in Tucson, AZ. A member of the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus for the past seven years, Salvador toured internationally with the Boys Chorus in 2022 performing in Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales. In 2023, he performed the role of Ragazzi in Arizona Opera’s production of “Tosca.” In addition to singing, Salvador plays the piano, the euphonium, and composes dubstep and hardbass music in his spare time. Salvador is a collaborating artist in the Motherhood and the Performing Arts (MPA) Project that he created with his mother Yvonne Montoya in 2015. As a part of the MPA Project, he appeared in six dance films, both as a dancer and musician, co-facilitated parent and child movement workshops, and currently co-authors MPA Project’s new travel blog.

Samuel Peña is a Tempe-based composer and performer whose passion for connecting with people from diverse backgrounds serves as a catalyst for his composition process. In addition to composing, Peña maintains an active performance career in multiple ensembles. He is the founder and director of AZ Beat Lab, an organization that teaches beat making to youth using a collaborative, process-driven approach that explores both electronic and folkloric rhythmic styles. Samuel also serves as the music director for the Urban Arts Ensemble at Arizona State University where he co-facilitates improvisation of urban music and movement for musicians and dancers. As a bi-racial Mexican American, music has been the vehicle where he has found healing bridges between his dual-lived experience, most specifically in composing music for movement. Peña has written a wide variety of music for Latinx choreographers such as the music performed at Jacob's Pillow. He has also composed the theme music for numerous podcasts such as Word Play Café. Through his compositions, Samuel creates cross-cultural bridges that deepen understanding and build relationships among choreographers, dancers and audiences --- with the overarching goal of encouraging respect and enhancing connectivity.

Kelsey Vidic began her career in costumes by interning with Brevard Music Center, STAGES St. Louis, Gomez-Gracia in London and the Santa Fe Opera. She received an MFA in Costume Design at the University of Texas at Austin. Working with bodies, textiles and space opened doors to work with companies such as the Intel Corporation, Kevin Williamson+Co and LA Contemporary Dance Company. Kelsey currently works as the Costume Designer and Manager for the Dance Department at California State University, Long Beach. She would like to give a special thank you to her community, without them this project would not have been possible. Visit her website for more: kelseyvidic.com.

Pattern-makers

Erika Hansen, Melissa Mata, Kelsey Vidic

Stitchers

Melissa Mata, Erika Hansen, Kelsey Vidic, Robert Huerta, Mary Leopo, Daniel Miramontes, Kevin Holland, Teresa Declines