Domino Affect Dance Company

The Company

Michael Farmer Photography

Larry Domino Photography	Christina Marie Domino (Founder/Director) Christina is a Southern California native with a BA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach. During her time there, Christina studied under Ron Brown, Karen Clippinger, Keith Johnson, Sharon Kinney, Susan McLain, Sophie Monat and Andy Vaca. She earned the Dramatic Allied Arts Guild Scholarship in Dance in 2005 and had the most memorable opportunity to perform in the National American College Dance Festival in 2006 in Sacramento and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in Louie Cornejo's work of lost/HALVES. Christina continued to study dance through workshops in New York with Doug Varone and Dancers and in Southern California with San Diego Dance Theater and Malashock Dance. She has worked with the Panurgy Dance Project as assistant director/choreographer, Oxford Street Dance Theater as choreographer/dancer and with the LA Contemporary Dance Company as a guest dancer. Christina was nominated with Chris Cano for their performance in Louie Cornejo's 'lost/HALVES' for the 2007 Lestor Horton Awards. She has also performed in projects including 'San Diego Trolley Dances', '3 Choreographers/3 Cities' with Louie Cornejo, Holly Johnston's Emerging Artist Showcase, and with DADC in Baharah Ebrahimzadeh's 'Play House Collective' and Patricia Garza's 'Soapbox' and 'Fusion' events. Christina has worked with students at Brentwood High School to showcase her choreography and DADC's repertory work 'Living Room Hippos' for their Spring Concert in 2011. Christina founded Domino Affect Dance Company in the Fall of 2007. It is her pleasure to keep this journey alive and couldn’t do it without her dedicated members and their collaboration. Earlier this year, Christina became an organizing partner for Dancing With Long Beach. Outside of dance, she is an accredited event planner and owner of Considerate Done Event Design. Christina thanks her family, friends and Nick for all their support in her dancing endeavors.
Michael Farmer Photography	Donica Schmidt (Assistant Director) Donica Schmidt is originally from Arroyo Grande, California where she grew up dancing and participating in community theater at the Studio of Performing Arts.  She had an amazing training experience in dance at Cal State Long Beach, graduating with her BFA of Dance in 2007.  Out of school, she helped establish Domino Affect Dance Company and is an original company member of Andy Vaca’s Jazzworks.  Exploring other outlets of movement therapy, Donica received her 200 hour yoga certification through Yoga Works in 2008 and currently teaches through the Long Beach area.  She has also studied the MELT Hand and Foot treatment techniques and has been trained in Thai Yoga Massage through Ritam Healing Arts.  Donica is now a student at Yo San University studying acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.  She is so grateful to be apart of DADC and to stay connected with the arts community.
Larry Domino Photography	Jessica Wenz (Secretary) Jessica Wenz grew up in Chandler, Arizona. With a passion to dance and live somewhere new, she moved to Long Beach, California to pursue the busiest, best time of her life. She graduated from California State University, Long Beach in 2007 with honors and received a BA in Dance and BS in Business Management. She received the Outstanding Business Graduate Award out of her graduating class. She also, choreographed and performed throughout her studies at CSULB. Jessica worked with Lauren Nalepa and Christina Domino in the Panurgy Dance Project in 2007. She toured California in '3 Choreographers/3 cities' with Louie Cornejo and other CSULB alumnus. She worked with Amythyst Fritzler in a new work, Four, that premiered in September 2009. Jessica has furthered her dance studies and performance experience at various intensives such as Holly Johnston's Summer Intensive in L.A., LACDC's Dance Intensive in L.A., and twice with Doug Varone and Dancer's in Westchester, New York. After graduating college, Jessica went on to manage at lululemon athletica, Newport Beach and helped to create Domino Affect Dance Company in 2007. In the summer of 2009, Jessica attained a 200 hour yoga teaching certification from Yoga Works. In the fall of 2009, Jessica moved back to Arizona to welcome Kylie, her niece, into the world and spend more time with family. She had no intentions of leaving DADC, so she racks up the flyer miles and visits her friends to dance monthly and is so honored to be able to do so. Currently, Jessica is working on pre-requisite's to apply to Northern Arizona University's Doctorate program for Physical Therapy. Jessica is a founding member of Domino Affect Dance Company and is so fortunate to continually dance with her dear friends.
Michael Farmer Photography	Darcy Wells (Dancer) Darcy Wells is a native to California who began studying ballet and jazz at the Roseville School of Dance. She has also received training at the Ballet West summer program in Utah and the Long Beach Ballet summer program. In 2003 Miss Wells went on to attend California State University Long Beach. During her time she explored modern dance and was featured in her peers choreography. While in the Dance Department she performed works created by Douglas Neilson, Andrew Vaca and various MFA Students. She then completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in 2008.    Upon graduating Darcy volunteered at the Ethnic Dance Festival Auditions in San Francisco, CA. Performed in The 2009 Orange County Choreographer’s Showcase and became a company member of The Domino Affect Dance Company. She plans on continuing her dancing by working with local artists and looks forward to the future.
Larry Domino Photography	Natalie Hurter (Dancer) Natalie Hurter enjoys movement and dance and has studied the art in some way for as long as she can remember. She eventually discovered modern dance at Riverside Community College, which opened up a whole new world for her. Later, under the mentorship of many wonderful instructors she went on to achieve a B.A. in Dance from California State University Long Beach. While attending CSULB, her original choreography “Change Font to Wingding” was selected for performance at the American College Dance Festival. Natalie is honored to be a member of the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, which she continues doing projects with. Natalie lives in Long Beach and finds great happiness in teaching Pilates full time and traveling the world as much as she can. Natalie is pleased to be part of Domino Affect Dance Company and to be surrounded and inspired by such talented artists.
	Cristina LoBue (Dancer) Cristina LoBue was born and raised in Southern California. At the age of 5, she was so shy she refused to participate in her tumbling class, and made her mother take her out. In elementary school, she was a gymnast for 4 years. She was a late bloomer in terms of dance, and she didn't really begin dancing until she was a junior in high school. She began exploring different forms of dance at El Camino College in Torrance, and moved on to earn a BA in Dance from the University of California, Irvine in June of 2009. She is an up and coming Pilates instructor, and she is so excited to be dancing with all the lovely ladies that is Domino Affect!
Larry Domino Photography	Leah Robinson (Dancer) Leah is a California native who began her dance training in Nevada City at the age of five.  She continued dancing through high school and had the opportunity to perform with the Sacramento Ballet several times.  She graduated with a BFA in dance from California State University Long Beach in 2008 where she had the pleasure of performing works by Andrew Vacca and many of her peers.  She recently received her certificate in Diagnostic Medical Sonography and now works as an ultrasound technician.
	Melanie Johnson (House Manager/Treasurer) Melanie was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.  As a child, she played softball, volleyball, basketball and was a Girl Scout for seven years.  Melanie joined her high school Crew Team for 2 years and learned what hard work meant right off the back!  Melanie then moved to Southern California, where attended California State University, Long Beach and graduated with a BA in Communication Studies in 2005. After graduation she moved to New York for 1 1/2 years and experienced life on the east coast.  Melanie moved back to Long Beach, married her best friend JaCarri and became a nanny for three years.  She went back to school to receive her Preschool Master Teacher Certificate, as her goal is to one day own her own family child care.  Melanie loves being a part of the "business" side of DADC.  She enjoys being the House Manager at the performances by greeting all the guests, running the house and loves helping with all the fundraisers!