Courtney, Amy Nevius, Leah Watson, Michelle Dexter


Michelle Dexter (Director)
Michelle is a co-founder of Perpetual Motion/Modern Dance Oklahoma, Inc and is adjunct faculty at the University of Central Oklahoma.  She completed her Master of Fine Arts in Dance at Texas Woman's University in May 2005 and her BA in Dance at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2001.  Michelle has studied professionally at various institutions such as the Bill Evans summer intensives, the Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago and Dance New Amsterdam in New York City.


During her tenure at TWU, Michelle was awarded the Excellence in Choreography scholarship.  Michelle has choreographed and performed for numerous concerts and festivals, including four American College Dance Festivals, where her piece “Echoes” was selected for the 2007 ACDFA Gala concert and as well as her piece "In the Wake" in 2004.  She was also commissioned to choreograph a work that was performed at the National Mental Health Association's Annual Conference in Washington D.C. in 2000. 


As Artistic Director of Perpetual Motion, Michelle has produced several concerts including the first annual Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival that took place on August 11 and 12, 2006.  She has participated in several public school residencies and after school programs and most recently served as a coordinator and teaching artist for the “Dancewise” project, a pilot dance education program for the Putnam City School District in Oklahoma City.  Michelle has been commissoned to set choreography at Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University, and Muscle Memory Dance Theatre.

Michelle Dexter, Photo by Sean McClintock

Becca Carter
Becca recieved her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance Performance from the University of Oklahoma.  She recieved her Masters of Physician Assistant Studies from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and is currently working in Oklahoma City as a physician assistant specializing in general pediatrics.  She is also currently pursuing a degree in viticulture and enology and hopes to one day open a small Oklahoma winery.  Becca was raised in Houston, TX where she started training in dance and gymnastics at an early age.  She attended the Houston Ballet Academy and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. While attending OU, she recieved the Mary Kay Harrison dance scholarship, the Scott Solmon modern dance choreography scholarship, the Bufflalo Mask Award, and the Outstanting Senior Award in Dance. She has attended the American Dance Festival's summer program in North Carolina twice and the Kansas Dance Festival.  While performing with OU's Modern Repertory Dance Theater, she toured in Paraguay where her piece "A Different Look" was showcased.  She has also recently danced with the Hartel Dance Group.  Becca is extremely excited to be dancing again and would like to thank her family and Michael Schmedt for their unwavering love and support.


Becca Carter


Rebekah Hampton
Rebekah is currently a staff instructor for the School of Ballet Oklahoma, Dance Unlimited, and Academy of Ballet and Theatre Arts in Edmond, OK.  She was recently on staff at Bellevue Dance Center and Charles Harding School of the Arts in Nashville, TN and performed for 2 seasons with the Nashville-based, modern dance company, Epiphany.  While her principle forms are classical ballet and modern dance, Rebekah's multi-disciplinary training includes jazz, tap, hip-hop, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, martial arts, weaponry, stage combat, physical conditioning, drama & mime.

Growing up in Edmond, OK, she trained with A.R.T.S., Metro School of Fine Arts, the Oklahoma Arts Institute and Ballet Oklahoma before moving to Jacksonville, FL to tour nationally & internationally for 3 years with Renascent Productions where, in addition to being a principle performer & choreographer, she was also the creator & director of Renascent School of the Arts.  Rebekah has over 13 years experience teaching all ages and all levels in ballet, jazz, modern dance & body conditioning, and has been brought in as a guest instructor for various studios and workshops in Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee & Kentucky.

Rebekah Hampton, Photo by Sean McClintock


Kayla Jenkins
recently received her BFA in Dance Performance from the University of Central Oklahoma where she was also a member of the Kaleidoscope Dance Company. She has also danced for the OKC Yard Dawgz arena football dance team for the past four years. Her teaching experience includes Victory School of the Arts, Legacy Ministries, and National Dance Alliance along with choreography for Unfold, Resonation, and Wait Praise and Worship DVD's affliated with Victory Church. Kayla's solo work "Inside" was selected for the 2007 American College Dance Festival at Texas Christian University. She is currently serving as a teaching artist for the 2007 Dancewise project through the Putnam City School District. This is her first season with Perpetual Motion.


Kayla Jenkins

Kimberly Kieffer-Williams (Aerial Arts Director)
is a graduate of the University of South Florida where she studied Middle Eastern Humanities and Dance.  She started dancing in college to improve her posture and was hooked for life. Kimberly has danced with many companies prior to moving to Oklahoma including Commotion Dance Theater in Florida, and Zuzi Move It, O-T-O Dance and New Articulations Dance Theater in Arizona. Before setting forth from Florida Kimberly discovered  aerial dance.   Combining aerial movement and apparatus with  traditional modern dance has become Kimberly's passion.  Kimberly  is incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity to bring  aerial dance to Oklahoma City.

Kim Kieffer-Williams, Photo by Sean McClintock

Amy Nevius (Founding Member)
Amy is currently the co-director of Dance Dimensions, a new dance studio in southwest OKC.  Dance Dimensions is an expansion of a community outreach dance program through OKC Parks and Recreation.  She completed her B.A. in Dance in 2001 at the University of Central Oklahoma.  Amy is a teaching artist through the OKC Arts Council and has participated in many projects including Play in the Park, Special Populations, and a partnership with A Chance to Change.  She has been the Director of Dance at multiple locations including Sellers Community Center and Oklahoma Gold Gymnastics as well as teaching at Victory School of the Arts and Academy of Dance Arts.  Her choreography has been performed at The University of Central Oklahoma, Northeastern State University, New Mexico State University, and more.

Amy Nevius, Photo by Sean McClintock


Nichelle Reed
(Board President)
Nichelle is the new Director of Dance at Centennial High School in Oklahoma City. She received her BFA in Dance Education from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2000.  She was the F. Ann Shanks Performing Dance Award Recipient while at UCO and has received scholarship to study with Bill Evans Summer Dance Workshops.  She has taught at Classen School of Advanced Studies, Emerson Outreach Program and has been the Director and Founder of Yukon High School Dance and Yukon Community Education Dance Program.  Nichelle was also a roster member of Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma City Arts Council and her choreography has been performed at The University of Central Oklahoma, New Mexico State University and North Eastern State University.

Jessica Taylor

Jessica is completing her Master of Arts in Dance Education, K-12 certification, from the State University of New York at Brockport. Jessica resides in Oklahoma and teaches at Modern Dance Arts in Norman. She recently taught at Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts in Buffalo, NY. Since 1995, Jessica has been teaching and choreographing workshops and musicals in public schools, dance studios and churches in Chicago, Utah and Upstate New York areas. While at SUNY Brockport, she held the position of Graduate Teaching Assistant. Jessica has worked intensively with the Chicago Festival Ballet and Bill Evans. Jessica founded the contemporary dance company, Rhema, and the children’s performing dance company, Rhema Youth. This is her first season with Perpetual Motion.


Jessica Taylor, Photo by Sean McClintock

Rebecca vonBargen (Rehearsal Director)
Rebecca began singing and making dances with her sister and any/all pop singers of the 80's. She is a native of California and a graduate of Arizona State University, where she received a B.A. in Spanish. She completed her post-Baccalaureate studies at the University of Houston and currently holds certificates in Secondary Spanish education in Texas and Oklahoma. She currently resides in Norman where she teaches Spanish at Norman High School.  As a dancer and choreographer, Rebecca has performed for many years from California, to Houston and Austin, with such companies as Suchu Dance, Psophonia, Planet Funk, Leslie Scates, and Ariel Dance Theatre. In Houston, while performing with Planet Funk, her Latin Ballroom choreography was featured nationally as part of the Kohler Company trade show tour. She has also performed at the Texas Contemporary Dance Festival and the Houston Pink Ribbons Project at the Blackwood Institute. Her dance style is influenced by her study of various concentrations, including Modern, Jazz, Hip-hop, Latin Ballroom dance, and gymnastics. Rebecca is in her third season with Perpetual Motion, and wants to thank her second family (the vonBargens) for lending their support in every way to her dance career in Oklahoma.

Rebecca vonBargen, Photo by Sean McClintock

Leah Watson
Leah received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Modern Dance Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma.  While attending OU, she performed with the Modern Dance Repertoire and was the recipient of the Mary Clark Miley Scholarship and the Choctaw Nation Scholarship.  Leah was raised in Altus, Oklahoma where her interest in dance was nourished by her mother Jackie Watson.  In Altus, Leah studied ballet, jazz and tap from Leah Wall at Off the Wall Productions.  In high school, Leah attended the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute where she studied with Clay Taliaferro and Kevin Mentor.  Leah also studied on scholarship at the Urban Bush Women Summer Dance Institute in Tallahassee, Florida where she studied West African, contact improvisation and community building through the arts.  Leah has performed in Florida, California, and Hawaii as well as numerous cities throughout the Midwest.  Leah is in her third performance season with Perpetual Motion.

Leah Watson, Phtot by Sean McClintock