Nakoma has been dancing in the Kentuckiana area for over 20 years.  She attended YPAS as a dance major while completing extracurricular training and performance at the University of Louisville Dance Academy.  She went on to graduate from UK with a minor in dance after completing 2 dance concerts and serving as dance captain in UK Opera Theatre's "Ragtime!".  Since graduating, she has trained and performed professionally with the Louisville Ballet, Waterworks Dance Theatre, Keene Dance Theatre, and Ambo Dance Theatre.  Nakoma's fierce advocacy for the local artistic community combined with her passion for growth and education led her to teaching dance during high school, and she never looked back!   She loves helping students find joy in movement, and creating the mind-body connection in young dancers.  Teaching allows her to play with choreographic concepts and find new inspiration often; she loves to understand how her dancers want to move, so she can create movement phrases that both work with and challenge their natural tendencies.  Nakoma currently teaches ballet, pointe, and modern classes at Dance Works Studio in New Albany, and she gratefully subs for Ambo classes.

MAC first encountered dance in a semester long class offered through a local youth alliance. Though this initial exposure only lasted a short season, it was enough to spark a lifelong love and curiosity. Throughout the remainder of their scholastic career, MAC found additional opportunities to study in various dance programs. Upon moving to Louisville, KY in 2007, MAC again searched around to see where to find that old love. MAC has studied ballet, bollywood, modern, and aerial dance forms, and has enjoyed performing with various troops over the years. They are excited to partner with Ambo Dance Theater to continue exploring the artistic world of dance.

Lydia Fletcher has been dancing for over 20 years, beginning when she was two-years old. She has trained in contemporary, modern, ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, pom, and improvisation. Lydia grew up at various competition dance studios across St. Louis, in addition to dancing on her high-school dance team and training with AshleyLiane Dance Company’s pre-professional program. When she moved to Lexington to attend the University of Kentucky, she continued her dance training by taking modern, improvisation, and jazz classes with the Department of Theater and Dance. After graduation she immersed herself in the professional dance world of Kentucky, and currently performs with Allegro Dance Project and The Collected Few Dance Project as well as Ambo Dance Theater. Her passion for challenge and movement exploration has also led her to train at Sora Aerial Arts, where she trains and performs on silks, sling, lyra, rope, and pole. Lydia’s passion for movement drives her to continue exploring dance, and she loves creative space found within Ambo Dance Theater!

JD grew up training in Ballet and Tap from a young age and performing alongside her parents and sister in Opera and Musical. They trained in Theatre and Dance at Point Park University where they started directing and producing site specific and devised theatre. JD has spent time living in New York and Philadelphia, exploring Butoh, Contact Improv, Post-Modern, Improvisational dance, and Tap. She has performed and directed political and ritual theatre with the Carnival de Resistance and the Caravan Stage Company, a nomadic tallship theatre. JD has also directed five fully staged Operas and a film. Locally their choreography and movement direction has been seen in Afterculture Theatre’s Who Holds the Devil (Lexington, KY 2020).

For full portfolio visit: jdfrost22.wixsite.com/portfolio