Costume design is an important part of Rocha's work. It adds a necessary visual element that is usually conceptualized in the beginning of each creative process. At times, the costumes are manipulated, transformed or used as a prop. Collaborators that Jenny has worked with include Fatima Rocha, Sandra Rocha, Jillian Hollis and Laurie Tyrol.

Joseph Rivas is a NYC based music producer/engineer/composer. He produces in the genres of electronic, rock, hip-hop, and sound for film. He is also involved in web design and video production. For Rocha Dance Theater, he has edited and remixed all music for The Painted Ladies repertory, created two short films for the production of Mandorla, designed the website, is an artistic advisor to Jenny’s work and serves on the board of directors. www.beatinstinct.com

“And what a brilliant stroke to include a Chaplinesque video montage, designed and produced by Joseph Rivas, to slam home and underline the theme of the exploitation of the arts and the plight of struggling artists in today’s culture!” – Sue Salko, theater critic

Sandra Rocha is a Brooklyn based artist and works out of her studio in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn. She graduated from Rhode Island College with a BFA in Painting and recently studied Textile/Surface Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She has exhibited her work at the Jan Larsen Gallery, the Art Student’s League of NY, the Brooklyn Waterfront Artist’s Coalition and the Dumbo Arts Festival. For Rocha Dance Theater, she co-designed and created 15 costumes for the production of Mandorla.

“ the ensemble dons white hooded jumpsuits decorated with expletive punctuation, turning the stage into a jumble of implied curse words as the performers whirl and shake.” – Amy Pearsall, NYtheater.com

One Ring Zero is led by Michael Hearst and Joshua Camp. The band has released seven albums including the acclaimed literary collaboration As Smart As We Are, which features songs with lyrics contributed by such authors as Jonathan Lethem, Margaret Atwood, Paul Auster, Dave Eggers, A.M. Homes, Rick Moody, Neil Gaiman, and Denis Johnson. Their most recent album, Planets, is a collection of new compositions to represent the solar system and beyond. One Ring Zero has performed at music venues and cultural institutions including the Whitney Museum of Art, Central Park Summer Stage, The Kennedy Center, Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, Spring Scream in Taiwan, Era in Tokyo, New Morning in Paris, The Chicago World Music Festival, and the Fundacion Principe de Asturia in Spain. The band’s music has been featured in dance concerts, films, television, animations, fashion shows, and NPR programming including This American Life, Fresh Air, and Morning Edition. Currently One Ring Zero is working on The Recipe Project. For Rocha Dance Theater, One Ring Zero performs live accompaniment for the production, Mandorla. www.oneringzero.com.

“Brooklyn indie outfit One Ring Zero mixes touches of klezmer with theremin, brass and, gasp, brains, to create records that have attracted wide critical acclaim.” -The Washington Post

Amy Hessler (Painted Lady, dancer) grew up in a small town outside Richmond, VA and started dancing after the first time she saw a tutu. She then began her training at The Richmond Ballet and has been dancing and performing ever since. Amy moved to NYC after graduating from Virginia Tech in 2007 and has been loving life as an actor and dancer. Amy has been dancing with Jenny Rocha and her Painted Ladies at the Floating Kabarette since July 2010. www.amyhessler.com

Jillian Hollis (Painted Lady, dancer & artistic advisor) is a graduate of Point Park University. She grew up in Syracuse NY and studied at the Center of Ballet and Dance Arts. Jillian has been working with Rocha Dance Theater since 2004. In a New York Times review, Jennifer Dunning described Ms Hollis as "blithely irrepressible" for her work with Rocha. Jillian has performed in numerous theater, cabaret and comedy venues in NYC and Brooklyn. Some favorites include Galapagos Art Space with Jenny Rocha and Her Painted Ladies, The Highline Ballroom with Lady Rizo and the Assettes, and The Bowery Poetry Club with The Chi Ciones. Other artist she performs with include Heidi Latsky Dance, Carrie Ahern, Incidents Physical Theater and Heather Harrington. Jillian is also a private Pilates instructor.

Molly Merkler (Painted Lady, dancer) is originally from Indiana and started her dance training at the Fort Wayne Ballet at the age of 5. In 2001, she moved to New York City to attend Tisch School of the Arts where she recieved her BFA in dance in 2004. She has performed with companies including Jessy Smith/POW!, adamscherdance, Operation CMYK and LaurenHale and Company. In 2011 she co-founded The Good To Go Girls, a comical trio of dancing good girls. Molly is also a member of the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, a political marching band providing the soundtrack to the revolution. (www.rudemechanicalorchestra.org). She works as a yoga instructor. She has had the pleasure of performing with RDT since 2007.

Jessy Smith (Painted Lady) grew up dancing in woodsy Hudson, Ohio and went on to receive a BFA in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has performed live with Larry Keigwin and Company, Cleo Mack Dance Project, Zvi Dance, Lady Rizo and the Assettes, and Bombergirl and the Mechanic and has also been featured in music videos for Gordon Voidwell, Ben Lerman and My M.O. Her colorful choreography has been presented at numerous venues including DTW, Le Poisson Rouge, Joe’s Pub, the Brooklyn Lyceum, Galapagos Art Space and the Here Arts Center. She is a teaching artist at the 3rd Street Music School Settlement and is Assistant Director of the After School Program at the Calhoun School. Smith joined Jenny Rocha and her Painted Ladies in 2006.

Lesley Garrison (dancer) is from Swansea, Ilinois. She studied at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, the Rotterdamse Dansacademie in Rotterdam, Nederland and holds a B.F.A. from the State University of New York at Purchase. She has performed with the Erica Essner Performance Co-op, John Heginbotham, the Kevin Wynn Collection, Neel Verdoorn, Nelly Van Bommel's NØA Dance, and Sidra Bell Dance New York. She joined the Mark Morris Dance Group as an apprentice in April 2011. Lesley teaches at The School at The Mark Morris Dance Center. She is thrilled to be performing in her first work with Rocha Dance Theater.

Jamie Graham (dancer) is a Nashville native and received her B.F.A. in Dance and B.A. in English Literature at Webster University, St. Louis. She completed one year of post-graduate study at the Rotterdamse Dansacademie, Netherlands. Since living in New York, she has performed with Lynn Barr, Jen Kosky, Juliana May and Stephanie Sleeper and is currently working with Naomi Goldberg/ Dances for a Variable Population and Ready to (Blank) under the direction of Amy Larimer.

Karesia Batan (dancer) has danced for a range of NYC companies such as Roxanne Lola Movement Machine, Allie Tsypin, Poliglot Theater, Katja Loher, Nancy Meehan Dance Company, Schmantze Theatre, Neville Dance Theatre, and VESSEL. Performance venues include West End Theatre, St. Cecilia’s Convent, DNA, Judson Church, BAX, 92nd St. Y, and St. Mark's. Karesia also choreographs and co-founded The Moves Project, an outdoor performance series. Currently, she is creating a dance performance premiering June 17 & 18 at Triskelion Arts. www.karesia.com.

Alisa Fendley (dancer) is excited to be performing with Rocha Dance Theater, Racoco Productions, and Grounded Aerial. She earned a B.F.A. in Dance and a B.A. in English from New York University and is founder of Fingerprints Projects, a company exploring the intersection of dance, poetry, and film. Her choreography has been presented at The Raw Festival DanceNOW[NYC], The Rover SoHo, The Hatch Presenting Series, Triskelion Arts Comedy in Dance Festival, and The Tank. Check out www.fendleysfingerprints for more.

Stephanie Franck (dancer, company assistant) is thrilled to be a part of her first Rocha Dance Theater production. Since graduating from Roger Williams University, Stephanie has performed with Turning House Dance in Providence, RI and had a supporting role in the film, "Children of Providence".

Stephanie Lane (dancer) is pleased to be working with Rocha Dance Theater for the first time. In NYC, she also dances with Ani Javian. She has performed her dance theater solo piece, "The Dinner Scene," based on Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse, in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Shanghai. Her theater company, Hole in the Sky Productions, will be taking their new show, "Dr. Apple's Last Lecture," to the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival for the month of August. She graduated from Barnard College in 2009.

Andrea Mathias (dancer) hails from The Motor City where she performed with the Macomb Ballet Company in her early years, and later graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in Dance, as well as a pre-medical co-concentration. She has performed in works by Paul Taylor, Carolyn Dorfman, Elizabeth Streb, Leyya Tawil, and Amy Chavasse, among others. Since moving to NYC, Andrea has performed as a guest dancer with Jody Sperling's Time Lapse Dance company as well as Emily Berry's B3W. She's also a founding member of DAMAGEDANCE.

Katherine Moore (dancer) graduated from Hope College in Holland, MI in 2010. After graduating, she attended the American Dance Festival as a graphic design intern. She then moved to NYC and began a marketing internship with The Joyce Theater. She currently works at DANY Studios, and in addition to dancing with Jenny Rocha, she has been presenting her own work at venues such as Greenspace and Movement Research. She is excited to be in New York exploring her passions.

Karina Mudd (dancer) grew up dancing in Woodside, CA and then attended Connecticut College, where she studied with David Dorfman, Lisa Race, Adele Myers, Heidi Henderson, Shani Collins, and Robyne Watkin. She also performed works by Isadora Duncan, Nicholas Leichter, Monica Bill Barnes, and Laura Dean (a reconstruction of Sky Light). Karina graduated with a BA in Dance and Sociology-based Human Relations, and is now living in New York and dancing for BE Dance Collective as well as Rocha Dance Theater.

Darlisa Wajid-Ali (dancer) is from Washington, D.C. and graduated from Manhattanville College with a B.A. in Dance and Theatre. She has been trained in many styles including Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Classical Indian, West African and Bollywood. In addition to Rocha Dance Theatre, Darlisa is also dancing with Agise and Dancers and Parijat Desai Dance Company.

Sarah Walkowicz (dancer) studied under Connecticut College’s amazing faculty, Shani Collins, David Dorfman, Heidi Henderson, Adele Myers, Lisa Race, Lan-Lan Wang and Robyne Watkin. In addition, she has worked with Monica Bill-Barnes, Andy LeBeau, Roger Bellman, Nicolas Leichter, Colleen Thomas and Carrie Tron. Having performed at ACDFA in 2010, she also attended the Bates Dance Festival where she studied with Omar Carrum, Chris Aiken & Shonja Mirk-Robeles. She is so excited to be a part of Mandorla and would like to thank everyone involved for making the process such a special one, as well as her parents for their constant love and support.