About
Staff List
Tonia Barber - Executive Director
TONIA BARBER formed a New York based entertainment company in 1998 called POP.403. The company's first endeavor was investing in the independent filmTumbleweeds, which was released worldwide by New Line after competing at Sundance in 1999. The next year Barber produced Interstate 84, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was sold worldwide. Barber then Executive Produced the racecar indie, QuattroNoza, which was in competition at Sundance 2003 and won best cinematography. After moving to Los Angeles 2003, Barber wrote, directed and produced the short film, RAW that premiered at Sundance 2005 and screened at the AFI FEST 2005.
Barber started her career as a dancer with the Joffrey Ballet in New York City and continued on to the Broadway stage. Her credits include “42nd Street” and was an original cast member in Tommy Tunes” Nine-timeTony winner “The Will Roger’s Follies.” She has also staged and choreographed numerous plays, commercials and industrials.
Sarah Elgart - Director of Artistic Development
SARAH ELGART is an award-winning director and choreographer known for her work in stage, circus, film/television, site-specific and alternative venues. She has created choreography for a range of actors and recording artists, and worked with iconic directors including Catherine Hardwicke, Bob Giraldi, David Lynch and Anton Corbijn. From 1991-94, Sarah oversaw all aspects of the music performance numbers, music videos, and directed segments for the Disney Channel’s New Mickey Mouse Club. Her stage and site-work has been commissioned by major venues internationally. Sarah has worked extensively creating dance-theater and film within communities including transitional homeless women, maximum-security inmates, children facing illness, and more. From 1990-95, she ran the group MADRES, with residents of LA’s oldest shelter for transitionally homeless women, where she also founded La Boca Performance Space. MADRES toured to Europe and performed in venues including the Mark Taper Forum and National Women’s Theater Festival. Sarah was Co-Founder of Make a Film Foundation where she produced “Put it in a Book”, a short film by the award winning director Rodrigo Garcia, and this past year she directed a PSA that garnered an Emmy nomination. Sarah is a director member of the Directors’ Guild of America, an alumna and fellow of the American Film Institute DWW, and a founding member of Alliance of Women Directors. Her work is seen frequently under the auspice of Arrogant Elbow Productions.
Mallory Russo - Festival Coordinator
MALLORY RUSSO is the Production Director and a guest choreographer for Beverly Hills High School Advanced Dance Theatre Company. Last season, she produced Dance Company’s first-ever volunteer holiday performance for the Starlight Foundation at CBS Studios. The Starlight Foundation is a non-profit organization, providing entertainment and activities for children with severe illnesses, living in and out of hospitals.
Russo studied at University of Iowa and Columbia College Chicago. In 2010 she graduated from Columbia, Cum Laude, with a BA in Dance and Choreography. Before moving to Los Angeles, she performed at the American College Dance Festival and with various Chicago indie companies, such as the Laboratory Dancers, Open Space Project and The Inconvenience. Since moving to Los Angeles, she has shown new work at Anatomy Riot and Max 10. As well as producing, choreographing and performing in Transient Truths, a collaborative dance event at Live Arts Los Angeles, featuring film, live music, fine art and photography. Russo consistently seeks new opportunities to become involved in the many facets of the dance community and is thrilled to be a part of the Dance Camera West team.
Corinne Bourdeau - 360 Degree Communications, PR
CORINNE BOURDEAU is the President and Founder of 360 Degree Communications, a boutique marketing and public relations company that specialize in film festivals, the performing arts, independent films, and creating signature events. 360 Degree Communications boasts strong expertise in marketing performing arts and cultural events. 360 has worked on the Academy Award winning film The Cove, as well as the films Buck, First Position, Pina, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, and Bottle Shock, among others. Additionally, the 360 team has worked on prestigious performing arts projects & festivals such as; The Idyllwild Arts Academy Summer Program, The Good Food Festival & Conference, The American Express wine&dineLA Program, and The Esalen Social Change Film Festival.
Before she started 360 Degree Communications, Corinne was the Associate Publisher for Los Angeles Magazine and a top level publishing executive at Fairchild Publications. Bourdeau has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Boston University and a Masters Degree in Depth Psychology, and Mythology from The Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Lynette Kessler - Emeritus Director
In founding Dance Camera West in 2001, Lynette Kessler launched a film festival that has become a vital part of LA’s evolving cultural landscape. An accomplished dancer, choreographer, and media artist with a MFA in dance from the University of Michigan and a BFA in dance from York University in Toronto, her innovative collaborations and dances for the screen have been shown in film and video festivals worldwide. “In showcasing a new medium that combines dance aesthetics with advanced cinematic technologies, each festival has made a strong statement on the current aesthetics of this evolving art form, presenting an overview of contemporary offerings of some of the most exotic experiments involving dance and the camera.”
Amy Kramer Counterintuity, Graphics and Online Marketing
Margo Katz CPA
