As a performer, I love being a part of a new work, and the community that is developed within that creative process. It is my mission as a dancer to soak up the atmosphere of the group, vision of the choreographer, and work tirelessly to bring their vision to life. 

Reach out so we can collaborate!

2023

The Cultivation of Yield is directed by Award-winning filmmaker and SPARK! company member Zachary Burns. This film documents how this creative exploration blossomed into the free public performance of YIELD: We Belong to the Land to a sold-out crowd at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in May 2022. Premiering at the 2023 deadCenter Film Festival!

2022

YIELD | WE BELONG TO THE LAND is an immersive, free performance centered on place, love and belonging in OKC. A collaborative poem created by the Oklahoma City community is transformed into dance, music, theater and visual art across 10 weeks of no-cost, ASL-interpreted public workshops.

Conceived & Directed by Nicole Poole & Jessica Ray; developed by the SPARK! Creative Lab Company, Extended Family of Artists, and the Community of OKC. Commissioned by Oklahoma Contemporary and inspired by "Nature, Sweet Nature" by artist Maren Hassinger.

YIELD is funded in part by Oklahoma Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.

Video by Zachary Burns With: J. Cruise Berry, Zachary Burns, Chelsea Nicole Thompson-Bushong, Changing FrEQuencies, Leslie Hensley AKA Balthazar, Nicholas Klein, Angel Little, James Metcalfe, Aaron Michael, Hui Cha Poos, Jessica Ray, Zach Seat, Chris "Twix" Shepard, Tony Tee AKA DJ Nymasis. With extended family of artists Jacob Leighton Burns, Nicole Emmons, Jake Kelley and Kiona Millirons.

ALL YIELD EVENTS ARE PRESENTED FREE OF CHARGE THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF FOUNDING SPONSORS GLENNA & DICK TANENBAUM.

2021

NOTES ON SURVIVAL, which had its premiere at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, is directed by Marie Casimir, Notes on Survival, is a multimedia performance that shifts the dancers and audience between moments of protest, rest, and pure joy. Anchored in both the public and private experiences of Black Oklahoman Womxn activists, this dance-theater piece questions if Black Womxn can and should save us. We gather across time and space to share notes about what it means to truly be free in the fight for racial and gender equity.

-Marie Casimir

SPARK! Creative Lab, Inc. began as a 2021 pilot that paid artists living wages to innovate for the common good of the OKC community. The success of our pilot program has led to the formation of a standalone 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, whose mission is to rethink public engagement with the arts, expand the creative capacity of Oklahoma City, explore cultural creative expression, and value artists & cultural workers. SPARK! Creative Lab, Inc. is driven by our aspirations and hopes for our community, working to live and promote the conditions we want to spark and create in ourselves and others. Led by Executive Director Nicole Poole, our core company are dancers, musicians, actors, djs and visual/performance artists from diverse backgrounds and cultures who explore deep collaboration to create contemporary performance centered on redefining community.

2020

VIRTUAL HAPPENINGS

BRAIN BLOW is a work that examines the state of our minds surviving the pandemic and the election.

Concept + Direction: Jessica Ray

Direction: Nate Reininga

Choreography by Jessica Ray in collaboration with the dancers

Dancers: Ashli Bickford, Megan Guinta, Nina Chong-Jiminez, Jessica Ray & Cayla Simpson

Videography: Nate Reininga, Ashli Bickford & Cody Buesing

Editing: Jessica Ray

Produced by: Dance into Deliverance/JKARISCREATIVE

STREAM

Concept/Art/Movement/Video/Editing: Jessica Ray

Music: Dive Reflex Service

2019

SPEAK THROUGH MOVEMENT

A split bill concert created by MATHETA Dance. Dance into Deliverance presented three new works and shared a sold out evening of dance.

SKIN I’M IN

premiered March 2019

Director: Cody Buesing Produced by Rethink Films

Director of Photography: Steve DiCasa

Choreographer: Ashli Bickford

Dancers: Ashli Bickford, Cherylynn Tsushima, Jessica Ray

Grips: Austin Bening, Nate Reininga

Editor: Cody Buesing

Costume Design: PingPing Clothing

Colorist: Seth Applebaum

GHOST FUNK ORCHESTRA https://www.ghostfunkorchestra.com

2018

ECHO

Premiered November 2, 2018

Cast: Ashli Bickford and Jessica Ray

Music: F INGERS

BLACK BEING: ITERATIONS 1 & 2

Premiered October 22, 2018

Cast: Ashley Brown and Jessica Ray

Music: Franz Liszt

SOUNDSTEP II

SLM Dances in collaboration with Viola Yip and BKSD

Premiered October 12, 2018

Music: Viola Yip

COLLABORATIONS IN DANCE FESTIVAL AT TRISKELION ARTS

CAKE with SLM Dances

Performed September 21, 2018

WORKING SEPARATELY TOGETHER

Premiered May 19, 2018

Cast: Julie- Batson Carter, Nina Chong, Kyla Ranney, Jessica Ray, Amber Schmiesing

Music: The Chemical Brothers

THREE SANDBURG SONGS

a dance collaboration with The Dance Collective and The Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT. 

Premiered February 2018.

Collaborating Artists:

Lydia McClain- Vocalist

Elizabeth R. Austin- Composer/Pianist

Dancers: Julie Batson-Carter, Jessica Ray

2017

BLACK BEING: NEW CREATION REPLICA

November 2017

Actors Fund Arts Center at The Awakening Movements 5th Anniversary Fall Concert.

S C H I S M

August 2017.

This short is a collaboration with the musician David Engelhard. It is an abstract take on having disagreements, and working together to find common ground.

Choreography and Direction: Jessica Ray
Dancers: Nina Chong, Jessica Ray
Music: David Engelhard
Video by: Ashli Bickford and Nate Reigninga
Editing: Jessica Ray
Produced by: Dance into Deliverance

ACCIDENTAL MOVEMENT BENEFIT

March 2017

CULTure

January 2017

Six Degrees Dance: Six Degrees Of Separation Reflections.

Dance into Deliverance: CULture.

2016

PROGRESSION: A DANCE FILM

A Dance into Deliverance film. A partial response to the 2016 election, a contribution to honoring those who keep running the race for equality and getting the necessary work done.

Progress takes time and it means hitting tons of walls. In some conversations you have with others you may hit some walls. Love those people, empathize, and hear them.

Be encouraged, and don't give up the fight for justice, even when it seems you have to start right back at the beginning.

Dancers: Ashli Bickford, Julie Batson-Carter, Jessica Ray

Choreographer: Jessica Ray

Director: Jessica Ray

Cinematography: Steve Zavitz

Camera Assistant: Lily Yang

Edit & Color Grade: Jessica Ray

Music: Dominic Marcella

PARTAKE

November 2016.

Choreography: Devin Oshiro

4th Annual Awakening Movement Concert.

THREE BOROUGHS

September 2016

Visual Artist: Tracie Hervy.

Movement Direction and concept: Chloe Chotrani

Currents: A Dance Film

June 2016.

Currents is an original dance film.

Dancers: Ashli Bickford, Carly Jurman Cherylynn Tsushima, Eric Berey, Jessica Ray

Choreographer: Ashli Bickford

Director: Cody Buesing

Title Designer: Laura Gwynn

Cinematography, Edit & Color Grade: Cody Buesing

Music: Quartz by TV On The Radio

Produced by Rethink Films.

REPAIRING PERMISSIONS

GRIT: Gibney Repertory Initiative for Tomorrow

May 2016

Choreography and Movement Direction: Mariangela Lopez.