MEET OUR 2025-2026 ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
Violet Moon (they/them) is a polymathic artist and working mental health professional. Their work explores the intersections of performance, healing, and storytelling—through movement, sound, visual art, and language. They began performing at age 10 in hip-hop concerts, festivals, and music videos across Los Angeles and later Houston, before training extensively in modern, post-modern, and ballet throughout Texas and the Southern California coast. At 18, Violet launched their professional career as an apprentice with Revolve Dance Company, later securing a guest artist contract with ARCOS Dance and performing works by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. They went on to become a founding member and soloist with LÉON Contemporary Dance Company, collaborating on original works by Dorrell Martin, Mike Esperanza, and Mario Zambrano.
After completing their Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Violet returned to dance with a focus on authentic movement, consent, ancestral connection, and body memory. A multi-time recipient of the City of Houston’s “Let Creativity Happen” grant and the METdance Floor Residency, they were a selected professional at Le Centre National de la Danse (CND) in Paris and selected for international study at P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels. Their work offers honest, embodied opportunities for performers and audiences to reflect on the stories, wounds, and relationships that shape them. Violet continues to create original, multi-medium work and facilitate community-centric workshops focused on trauma-informed care, arts accessibility, and collaborative practice. At the heart of it all is a devotion to authenticity, deep self-inquiry, and the ongoing dance of becoming.
Karmetra Shy is a Houston-based dance artist, actress, educator, and choreographer whose work blends street styles, theatrical storytelling, and social-emotional development. She earned her B.S. in Dance with a concentration in Secondary Education and a minor in Theater from Stephen F. Austin State University.
As an educator with nine years of teaching experience and the Founder/Executive Director of The Shyne Project 501(c)(3), Karmetra leads community arts programming that integrates dance, theatre, and overall wellness. She has performed with local companies including Unleashed Dance Company, Houston City Dance, NewEra Theatre Troupe, and Dance Houston, as well as international stages with Sense Company for Artistic Production and Broadway Theatre Joy Productions.
Across Alief ISD, Houston ISD, KIPP Houston Public Schools, The International School of Kuwait, and Performing Arts Houston, Karmetra has developed fine arts curricula that celebrate cultural diversity and artistic growth. Committed to lifelong learning, Karmetra studies street styles from the pioneers and hones her craft at The Studio for Actors Houston. Through every endeavor, she aims to inspire and connect communities in movement and performance.
Andrew Robert Smith is a Mexican-American dance artist, choreographer, and educator originally from Ingleside, Texas. He began his dance training under Jilissa Cotten and Nancy Sulik in Corpus Christi, and holds an MFA in Dance from Sam Houston State University and a BA in Dance Performance from the University of Texas–Pan American.
Andrew’s professional career has spanned concert, commercial, and theatrical stages, performing as a dancer and aerialist with Cedar Point Amusement Park, Carnival Cruise Lines, RWS Entertainment Group, Holland America Line, Regent Seven Seas, and Norwegian Creative Studios. He also performed as “Pepe” in West Side Story at A.D. Players at the George Theater and served as dance captain for Il Trovatore at Houston Grand Opera under choreographer Amy Hall Garner. He has performed in works by acclaimed choreographers including Nejla Yatkin, Nicole Von Arx, Adele Nickel, and Andy and Dionne Noble of NobleMotion Dance.
His choreography, which explores queer identity, masculinity, and Latinx cultural expression, has been presented at the Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival, Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival, 254 Dance-Fest, and Artists for Hope.
Andrew is also a third-generation comprehensive Pilates instructor, certified through the lineage of Lolita San Miguel under the mentorship of Tanya Swayze Miller, and is passionate about integrating somatic practices into dance training for longevity and wellness.
Join us in celebrating the 2025-26 Artists In Residence Violet Moon, Karmetra Shy, and Andrew Smith! This trio of dancemakers will receive ongoing mentorship, artistic and professional development, and a monetary stipend through the 9-month program. Each choreographer will create a new work to be presented in Barnstorm Dance Fest 2026, happening April 13-18 at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston, serving as the culmination of their residency term.
We are currently accepting applications for the 2025-2026 season. The deadline to apply is July 11, 2025. Round 2 interviews will be scheduled between June 21-25, 2025, and all applicants will be notified of final decisions in early August.
Dance Source Houston’s Artist-in-Residence program is open to Greater Houston dance artists of all genres. Artists are selected based upon their desire to push themselves and their work to new levels by taking risks and maximizing their time in the residency. The residency culminates with performances of new work created during Barnstorm Dance Fest. A maximum of three artists are selected for each AIR cohort.
APPLICATION OPEN NOW!
We are currently accepting applications for the 2025-2026 season. The deadline to apply is July 11, 2025.
Round 2 interviews will be scheduled between June 21-25, 2025, and all applicants will be notified of final decisions in early August.
2025-26 Program Overview
Program Resources
Residency artists receive:
- Access to professional development workshops
- Production and marketing plan assistance
- Grant application writing assistance
- Guaranteed performance spot in Barnstorm Dance Fest 2026
- $2,500 Residency stipend (May be used for studio/rehearsal space, artistic fees, costuming, additional professional/ creative development, etc.)
Please note that the residency program does not have a prescribed amount of studio time or an assigned studio space. Through cohort learning, we divert program resources directly to the artist, allowing them more agency in crafting a space solution that works best for their individual residency goals.
This year Dance Source Houston strongly encourages applications from solo artists and choreographers working with small casts to apply to the 2025-26 Artists In Residence cohort. Due to a projected reduction in funding to support this program, stipend amounts are lower than recent rounds. We recognize that our AIR program requires a high level of commitment and obligation on behalf of the participating artists.
While the monetary stipend has been reduced for this round, we strongly believe that our program’s non-financial resources, including professional development, mentorship, and cohort experience, provide sustained value that extends beyond the residency term.
Dance Source Houston remains steadfast in our commitment to compensating artists and maintaining transparency around our actions.
Program Requirements
Residency artists will be required to:
- Attend monthly meetings and feedback sessions with other resident artists from October 2025 – May 2026, scheduled for Sunday afternoons 3-6pm at Houston Met Dance (Specific dates TBD)
- Present at Open AIR on Sunday, February 1, 2026 3-6pm
- Attend SPARK (DSH Fundraiser and honors reception) on February 21, 2026 7-10pm
- Execute deadlines on production/marketing plan, press release, project budget, and other residency-related documents
- Create 10-15 minutes of new work to present at Barnstorm Dance Fest in April 2026
- Be available for tech/production week for culminating performances April 12-18, 2026
Program Eligibility
- Must be a dance artist currently based in the Greater Houston region, as defined by Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties
- Must be 18 or older and not currently enrolled in an academic program
- Artists must be current Dance Source Houston members at the Danceworker level or above. If selected, membership must be upgraded to the Independent Choreographer level or applicant must be the artistic leadership of a Dance Organization member company
- Artist may not have previously been a DSH Artist In Residence
Residency artists receive:
- Access to professional development workshops
- Production and marketing plan assistance
- Grant application writing assistance
- Guaranteed performance spot in Barnstorm Dance Fest 2026
- $2,500 Residency stipend (May be used for studio/rehearsal space, artistic fees, costuming, additional professional/ creative development, etc.)
Please note that the residency program does not have a prescribed amount of studio time or an assigned studio space. Through cohort learning, we divert program resources directly to the artist, allowing them more agency in crafting a space solution that works best for their individual residency goals.
This year Dance Source Houston strongly encourages applications from solo artists and choreographers working with small casts to apply to the 2025-26 Artists In Residence cohort. Due to a projected reduction in funding to support this program, stipend amounts are lower than recent rounds. We recognize that our AIR program requires a high level of commitment and obligation on behalf of the participating artists.
While the monetary stipend has been reduced for this round, we strongly believe that our program’s non-financial resources, including professional development, mentorship, and cohort experience, provide sustained value that extends beyond the residency term.
Dance Source Houston remains steadfast in our commitment to compensating artists and maintaining transparency around our actions.
Residency artists will be required to:
- Attend monthly meetings and feedback sessions with other resident artists from October 2025 – May 2026, scheduled for Sunday afternoons 3-6pm at Houston Met Dance (Specific dates TBD)
- Present at Open AIR on Sunday, February 1, 2026 3-6pm
- Attend SPARK (DSH Fundraiser and honors reception) on February 21, 2026 7-10pm
- Execute deadlines on production/marketing plan, press release, project budget, and other residency-related documents
- Create 10-15 minutes of new work to present at Barnstorm Dance Fest in April 2026
- Be available for tech/production week for culminating performances April 12-18, 2026
- Must be a dance artist currently based in the Greater Houston region, as defined by Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties
- Must be 18 or older and not currently enrolled in an academic program
- Artists must be current Dance Source Houston members at the Danceworker level or above. If selected, membership must be upgraded to the Independent Choreographer level or applicant must be the artistic leadership of a Dance Organization member company
- Artist may not have previously been a DSH Artist In Residence
Artists in Residence Alumni
Shanon Adame, Joel Aguilera, Jacquelyne Jay Boe, Adam Castaneda, Ashley Clos, Roberta Paixao Cortes, Keeley Dunnam, Amy Elizabeth, Ayan Felix, Rivkah French, Lindsay Gary, Kirstin Grbic, Laura Harrell, Lisa Harris, Jasmine Hearn, Loren Holmes, Ashley Horn, Laura Gutierrez, Abijan Johnson, Autumn Knight, Ty Lewis, Jennifer Mabus, Tempest McLendon, Alisa Mittin, Adele Nickel, Kemi OG, Kate Rash, Joel Rivera, Jakari Sherman, Paty Solórzano, Kalpana Subbarao, Felicia Thomas, Heather vonReichbauer, Lori Yuill and Uwazi Zamani