Current Dance Artists

Matthew Armstrong

Matthew Armstrong

Matthew joined Malashock Dance in 2022.  He was born and raised in Redding, California.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dance from the University of California, San Diego.  Matthew was the recipient of the 2010-2011 Best Male Performer of the National Contemporary Dance Competition Award INBA / UAM of Mexico City.  He has danced with Lux Boreal Dance Company(2011 – 2022) and currently dances with San Diego Dance Theater.  He has choreographed works for San Diego State University and The PGK Dance Project.  Matthew is also the co-founder and co-director of ConnectArte Multidisciplinary Space, an independent alternative studio/forum offering performances, workshops, and master classes for the community of Tijuana, Baja California.

https://linktr.ee/matthew.armst013

Lauren Christie

Lauren Christie

Lauren joined Malashock Dance in 2019. She grew up in Memphis, TN, where she trained at the Ballet Memphis School. Lauren earned her BA with Honors in Public Communication and French Language with a minor in Dance from American University in Washington, DC. Upon graduation, she was awarded the Evelyn Swarthout Hayes Award for her contributions to the arts. While living in the DC area, Lauren was a company dancer with Christopher K. Morgan & Artists (2012-2018), as well as Alight Dance Theater, Jane Franklin Dance, and Bowen McCauley Dance, with whom she performed at the Kennedy Center and the Guangdong Dance Festival (China). Since moving to San Diego, Lauren has danced with San Diego Dance Theater (2018-present) and Malashock Dance (2019-present), and is a founding member of DISCO RIOT. She has also worked with Blythe Barton, Monica Bill Barnes, Erica Buechner, Tristian Griffin, Jean Isaacs, Zaquia Mahler Salinas, Khamla Somphanh, Gina Bolles Sorenson and Kyle Sorenson, among many other artists. In addition to her work as a performing artist, Lauren is a dance and yoga instructor.

  @lauren___christie

Jessica Rabanzo-Flores

Jessica Rabanzo-Flores

This is Jessica’s first season with the company.  She was born and raised in San Diego, CA where she trained and performed with Eveoke Dance Theatre.  Jessica holds a Bachelor’s degrees in Dance and Sociology from UC Irvine and had the honor to perform legendary works from the late Donald McKayle with UCI’s Etude Ensemble.  Most recently she has performed works by Khamla Somphanh, Cecily Holcombe, Blythe Barton and Erica Buechner and has started choreographing for the dancers at Mesa College.  Jessica is a certified trauma-informed personal trainer and founded her own dance-inspired fitness method Untitled Movement in January 2019 in New York City.

  @jessrabaflo // @untitledmovement

www.untitledmovement.com

Natalia Hill

Natalia Hill

Natalia joined Malashock Dance in 2020.  She was born in Bogotá, Colombia, adopted and raised in Manheim, PA.  She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Modern Dance Education from the University of the Arts.  Natalia has performed works commissioned for the company by Blythe Barton, Araceli Carrero, Tristian Griffin, Caryn Ipapo- Glass, Joey Lister, Christopher K. Morgan, Jessica Robanzo-Flores, and Lavina Rich. She has also danced with Dance Envoy(Florence,Italy), Vox Dance Theater(Los Angeles,CA), Continuum Dance Project, The PGK Dance Project and many choreographers for various events and shows in San Diego and Los Angeles. She has also performed in regional musicals such as Will Rogers Follies, Peter Pan, Annie, and Evita. If she isn’t dancing you can find Natalia surfing or rocking the stage with Natalia and The Hills.

 

  @natalia_hill

Joseph Lister

Joseph Lister

Joey joined Malashock Dance in 2022.  He received his training at Temecula Ballet and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Experimental Choreography from UC Riverside.  Joey has performed works commissioned for the company by Rachel Catalano, Lavina Rich and Araceli Carrera. Joey has been commissioned to create work by Malashock Dance, Avocado Dance Theatre, CalliOpus Contemporary and Evolution Dance Company.  In 2018, he trained in character dance and ballet in Russia at Ballet School of Voronezh in 2018

  @brosephlister_

Micah Parra

Micah Parra

This is Micah’s first season with Malashock Dance. She was born and raised in Vancouver, WA where she danced with Virtuosity Performing Arts and Groove Nation. She has since continued her training in intensive programs with NW Dance Project, The TL Collective, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.  Micah was the recipient of Disco Riot’s 2022 Space Residency Program. She has performed works created by Alysia Johnson, Adam McGaw, James Gregg, Kameron Saunders and Ashley Green. Micah’s other passions include but are not limited to aerial pole, duo trapeze and visual/tactile arts.

  @micahparra

Chelsea Zeffiro

Chelsea Zeffiro

Chelsea Zeffiro joined Malashock Dance in the spring of 2022.  She holds an MFA from the University of the Arts and BA from the University of Southern California. Chelsea received a Fellowship in Dance from UArts (Philadelphia, PA) in 2018/2019. She was the 2018 winner of San Diego Dance Theater’s Young Choreographer’s Prize and was awarded for her Solo Performance at Vienna Int’l Ballet Festival in 2016. Chelsea has performed works commissioned for the company by John Malashock, Lavina Rich, Zaquia Salinas, Rachel Catalano, Natalia Hill, Christopher K. Morgan, and Tristian Griffin.  She has choreographed for Coronado Playhouse, WoW Festival, LAX Festival, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego-La Jolla, DISCO RIOT, University of the Arts School of Dance, and SDDT’s Live Arts Festival. Chelsea has lived, taught and developed work in France at Mains d’Oeuvres (Paris) and Institut Chorégraphique International (Montpellier). She is Dance and Theater Faculty at Coronado School of the Arts and co-founded/curated 40 NORTH Dance Film Festival from 2015-2019.

@chelsea_zeffiro          www.chelseazeffiro.com

Marshall Whitely

Marshall Whitely

Born in Fairbanks, AK, and raised in San Diego, CA, Marshall was a nationally-ranked ice hockey player by the age of 9. While attending the San Diego School for Creative and Performing Arts, he developed his interest in theatrical and innovative works. At the age of 13, he began training at the San Diego Academy of Ballet. He later trained and performed for two years at the Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy in Orange County before moving to the Washington School of Ballet in D.C. on scholarship. 

After working his way up through TWB Studio Company, Marshall had the opportunity to audition for and later join American Ballet Theater (ABT), in New York.

During his time with ABT, he performed in classics such as Don Quixote, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, and La Bayadere. He also helped create/was featured in neoclassical ballets like Whipped Cream, Songs of Bukovina, The Firebird, and Daphnis and Chloe. His performances have taken him all over the United States, through Canada and South America. He has also toured overseas: from Paris to Oman, Hong Kong to Singapore, and to Cape Town, South Africa.

In the future, Marshall hopes to invite fresh audiences to our ballet culture by broadening the genre palette, and at present strives to bring a sense of joy to every class he teaches or takes.

 

Nicholas McGhee

Nicholas McGhee

Nick McGhee started dancing at 15 at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, CA. After attending Mira Costa College, he received his BFA in dance from Cal State Long Beach. While attending his undergrad, Nick had the opportunity to perform for several highly esteemed choreographers such as Keith Johnson, Kevin Williamson, and Micaela Taylor. Nick dances for the LITVAKdance company based in Encinitas, CA. Nick has had the privilege to work with Josh Manculich, Ronen Izhaki, Chuck Wilt, Rebecca Margolick, and Ido Gidron. He has also performed in the CDC fest in Orlando, FL, and in the Seattle International Dance Festival. Nick also works as a bartender at California Pizza Kitchen, he does graphic design and is currently studying to achieve his master’s in psychotherapy.

 

Professional dancers interested in auditioning for the company CLICK HERE

Upcoming Events

Check out a schedule of our upcoming performances and events.