LUME CREATORS

MARYANN CHAVEZ

(She/Her)

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Co-Founder / Co-Director

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MARYANN CHAVEZ WAS BORN AND RAISED IN HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA. SHE HAS BEEN TRAINED IN ALL STYLES SUCH AS JAZZ, LYRICAL, BALLET, HIP HOP, CONTEMPORARY, AND SALSA. WHEN SHE WAS SIXTEEN SHE WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE PRESTIGIOUS ALVIN AILEY PROFESSIONAL SUMMER PROGRAM AND SPENT THE SUMMER STUDYING MODERN AND BALLET AND OFTEN HOPPED OVER TO BROADWAY DANCE CENTER FOR HER JAZZ, HIP HOP AND LYRICAL FIX. MARYANN WAS SIGNED TO HER FIRST DANCE AGENCY SHORTLY AFTER GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL AT THE AGE OF NINETEEN. SHE IS SIGNED TO BLOC AS A DANCER & TEACHER.

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MARYANN HAS OVERCOME MANY CHALLENGES PUT IN FRONT OF HER AS A DANCER AND CHOREOGRAPHER. SHE FIGHTS HER AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE, ENDOMETRIOSIS, ON THE DAILY AND HAS HAD TO FIGHT THROUGH FACIAL PARALYSIS WHEN DIAGNOSED WITH BELL'S PALSY. SHE WANTS TO SHOW HER STUDENTS AND MENTEES THAT NO MATTER WHAT CROSSES YOUR PATH YOU CAN GET THROUGH IT AND THRIVE. AT THE AGE OF 18, MARYANN WAS A COMPANY MEMBER OF MASH UP CONTEMPORARY, WHICH IS WHERE SHE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF BEING APART OF A GROUP THAT UPLIFTS EACH OTHER.

MARYANN HAS CREATED AND DEVELOPED DANCE COMPANIES AND TRAINING PROGRAMS HERE IN CALIFORNIA, NOW SHE IS VENTURING OUT TO CREATE ONE THAT SHE IS PROUD TO PRESENT HER IDEAS ALONG SIDE MONIKA. MARYANN TRAVELS AND TEACHES MASTERCLASSES FOR CONVENTIONS SUCH AS SOUL DE SOUL, THE BRIDGE, WORLD OF DANCE AND MUCH MORE. SHE HAS WEEKLY TEACHING SLOTS AT GENESIS STUDIOS, OFFSTAGE AND THE KPOP CENTER & OFTEN SUBS AT MILLENNIUM DANCE COMPLEX LA & TMILLY AND LOVES TO HOP ON THE SCHEDULE WHEN SHE TRAVELS TO VEGAS & NY. MARYANN IS SOUGHT OUT AND TRAVELS THROUGHOUT THE STATES TO TEACH & SET PIECES FOR COMPETITION TEAMS AND SOLOISTS.

MARYANN HAS WORKED WITH BRANDS AND ARTISTS SUCH AS ONE REPUBLIC, FOREVER 21, DISNEY CHANNEL, APPLE MUSIC, UNDER ARMOUR, BELLA POARCH, SOFIA CARSON AND SPLASH WATER. SHE HAS CHOREOGRAPHED FOR LIVE SHOWS AND MUSIC VIDEOS SUCH AS RAW ARTISTS ORANGE COUNTY, CLUB JETE, LA’S CHOREOGRAPHERS CARNIVAL, NAOMI WILD, WORLD OF DANCE, NICO NIEVES, DOMINO MUSIC, & MASHUP INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY FESTIVAL. IN 2017 AND 2018 SHE EARNED A SPOT AS FINALIST IN THE CAPEZIO A.C.E. AWARDS AND PRESENTED HER WORK ALONGSIDE SO MANY OTHER TALENTED CHOREOGRAPHERS!

MARYANN'S STYLE IS INNOVATIVE AND BLENDS HER CONTEMPORARY AND HIP HOP BACKGROUND INTO ONE. SHE LOVES TO CREATE MOVEMENT THAT TELLS STORIES AND IS RELATABLE TO HER AUDIENCE.

MONIKA FELICE SMITH

(She/Her)

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Co-Founder / Co-Director

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MONIKA FELICE SMITH IS A PROFESSIONAL CHOREOGRAPHER, DIRECTOR/MOVEMENT DIRECTOR, & DANCER RESIDING IN BOTH LOS ANGELES & NEW YORK. HAVING TRANSITIONED TO THE CONTEMPORARY & COMMERCIAL HIP HOP WORLD FROM CLASSICAL BALLET & POINTE, HER CHOREOGRAPHY BLENDS A FUSION OF TECHNICAL CONTEMPORARY & HIPHOP VIBES. TODAY, MONIKA’S CREDITS INCLUDE CHOREOGRAPHY & MOVEMENT DIRECTION FOR ARTISTS SUCH AS OLIVIA RODRIGO, FINNEAS, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, BELLA POARCH, ALESSIA CARA, TWENTY ONE PILOTS, ONE REPUBLIC, ASHE, BEBE REXHA, YOUNG THUG, GUNNA, DPR IAN, WOOSUNG, ANGEL OLSEN, SAM FISCHER, LENNON STELLA, WENGIE, INGRID ANDRESS, SKY KATZ (DISNEY), CITIZEN QUEEN, ROLE MODEL, WAZE & ODYSSEY, SAMM HENSHAW AND ADAM MELCHOR, TO NAME A FEW.

MONIKA’S WORK CAN BE SEEN IN FEATURE FILMS SUCH AS, MOTHER’S INSTINCT W/ ANNE HATHAWAY & JESSICA CHASTAIN (COMING SOON), THE RELATIONTRIP, HOODIE (COMING SOON) & LUNCH LADIES. HER WORK INCLUDES ADS & COMMERCIALS SUCH AS LULULEMON, SPYDER ATHLETICS FOR MILAN VIRTUAL FASHION WEEK, NIKE/JORDAN BRAND FOR TEYANA TAYLOR, JUSTFAB & FABLETICS FOR KELLY ROWLAND & LIZA KOSHY, FLAUNT MAGAZINE COVER SHOOT FOR JOEY KING & MAUDE APATOW, OCULUS VR, SIFT SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY, ADAY & SANS GENE.

MONIKA’S WORK HAS BEEN AWARDED THE WORLD CHOREOGRAPHY AWARD FOR “BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A COMMERCIAL” FOR SPYDER KOREA; NOMINATED FOR AN MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR FINNEAS’ LET’S FALL IN LOVE FOR THE NIGHT FOR “BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC VIDEO”, AS WELL AS UKMVA NOMINATION FOR “BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A VIDEO” & “BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC” FOR WAZE & ODYSSEY, TOMMY THEO, GEORGE MICHAEL & MARY J. BLIGE’S ALWAYS. MONIKA AND THE PRODUCTION TEAM WERE WINNERS OF THE “HOW THE HELL DID THEY DO THAT?” FOR ALWAYS MV AT SXSW 2021.

MONIKA’S DANCE CREDITS INCLUDE PARAMOUNT NETWORK’S MICHAEL JACKSON’S LIP SYNC BATTLE LIVE TRIBUTE, SPYDER ATHLETICS FOR MILAN & NYC FASHION WEEK 2020 & NY VIRTUAL FASHION WEEK 2021, MUSIC VIDEOS WITH ARTISTS SUCH AS MEGHAN TRAINOR, BELLA POARCH, JEREMIH, JAY ROCK, ELLE KING & SAM FISCHER, ALSO DANCING IN COMMERCIALS SUCH AS PRISM FOR SNAPCHAT AND PERFORMING AT THE STAPLES CENTER AS A MEMBER OF THE WNBA SPARKS CREW.

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MONIKA ENJOYS EDUCATING AND TRAINING DANCERS IN HER MASTERCLASSES AND PRIVATE TRAINING SESSIONS. HER STRENGTH LIES IN STORYTELLING; FUSING MOVEMENT WITH INTENTION & RAW EMOTION. SHE ENJOYS PLAYING WITH SHAPE, TEXTURE AND MUSICALITY, WHILE GROUNDING HER CHOREOGRAPHY WITH TECHNICAL ELEMENTS. MONIKA IS EXCITED TO SHARE AND INSTILL HER LOVE OF MOVEMENT WITH ALL AUDIENCES IN ALL FORMS.