Rachana Rao is a distinguished Indian classical dancer celebrated for her seamless mastery of Bharatanatyam, the Karanas, and Kuchipudi. Her artistry is marked by expressive storytelling, rhythmic precision, and a graceful synthesis of tradition and modernity. Through her performances, Rachana transcends cultural and geographical boundaries—offering audiences a timeless experience rooted in classical heritage yet resonant with contemporary relevance.

Internationally, she has graced prominent stages, including her performance as an IndianRaga Fellow (2019) at the historic Howdy Modi event in Houston, Texas. Rachana’s commitment to artistic exchange extends beyond performance—she has conducted global workshops with Aalaap and Samarpan, fostering resilience and creativity within the dance community during the pandemic.

In 2025, she continues her artistic evolution as an Agora Cohort Artist for the Seeds Festival and as a featured artist in the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Elevator Project, alongside appearances at Over the Bridges Arts – Burning Women Festival and the Texas Dance Improvisation Festival. With over 500 performances across India and the United States, Rachana’s work thrives at the intersection of intercultural collaboration, pedagogy, and performance.

Her contributions to the arts have earned her numerous honors, including the Yuva Prathibha Award and Yuva Prathibha Ratyotsava Award from the Government of Karnataka, the ICCR Dance Scholarship, and the Natya Mayuri Award from the Gadag Culture Department. A Graded Artist of Doordarshan (Hyderabad and Bangalore) and an Empaneled Artist with Sankalp, Delhi, Rachana continues to dedicate her practice to preserving, evolving, and sharing the rich legacy of Indian classical dance.

Kat Lozano (they/them) is a queer multidisciplinary artist based in Dallas, TX, with a background in theatre-making, acting, and design. Their work has appeared on stages across the metroplex, including Second Thought Theatre, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Shakespeare Dallas, and Theatre Three. They also work as a voice actor with Crunchyroll and have appeared in commercials and print ads for brands like HEB and Nutella. Kat is currently a part of the 2025 Second Thought: Thought Process Playwriting Cohort, a year-long development program for emerging playwrights. Kat’s goal as an AMOC Artist in Residence is to uplift other queer voices by curating a welcoming space that both challenges industry norms and ignites further conversation for change when it comes to expanding representation in the theatre.

Calvin J Walker is an award-winning filmmaker based in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Calvin has been active in the independent film world since 2012. During that time, he’s written for producers from various parts of the world. He’s directed a multitude of projects within the webseries and short film space. Calvin’s casting agency WM Casting Group is becoming one of the go to agencies for production companies looking to cast diverse talent. Calvin's greatest work of art is his beautiful family.

Devon "Vonnie" Smith (b.1991, Northside Milwaukee, WI) is a research-based cultural worker, who uses various modes of documentary production to preserve Black diasporic histories, with intentions of disrupting and dismantling systems of erasure. His cinema practice deviates from conventional forms of storytelling and narrative, and instead utilizes experiential aesthetics to engage viewers and participants in the work. Smith is currently based in Dallas-Fort Worth with his wife and three children. He is a Professor of Practice in Film Production at SMU.

Smith has shown work at Milwaukee Short Film Festival in Milwaukee, WI; Milwaukee Film Festival in Milwaukee, WI; Gallery 400 in Chicago, IL; Hayti Heritage Film Festival in Durham, NC; Experimental Tuesdays at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, WI; National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.; Violet Crown Theatre in Dallas, TX; Angelika Theatre in Dallas, TX; and the Luminal Theatre in Brooklyn, NY.

Lauren Urso Gray is an actor, singer, and voice teacher based in Dallas, TX. Her performance career has taken her across the globe from Tianjin, China to New York City’s 54 Below and to acclaimed regional stages including the Fort Worth Opera, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Theatre Three, Theatre Arlington, Garland Summer Musicals, and Firehouse Theatre.

A passionate crossover artist, Lauren brings a dynamic range to her work, performing everything from opera and musical theatre to pop and contemporary styles. As the founder of Your Authentic Voice, she is passionate about helping singers discover, trust, and celebrate their own unique sound. Through her work as a teacher and creative mentor, she aims to foster confidence, authenticity, and artistry in every student.

Lauren holds a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre and a Bachelor of Music Vocal Performance from Oklahoma City University.

Bao Nghi Ngo is a self-taught, first-generation Asian American artist based in Dallas, Texas.

Working primarily with alternative photographic processes, Ngo explores the fragile terrain of memory, identity, and healing. Her practice often merges cyanotype, weaving, and mixed-media experimentation to investigate how images can fracture, fade, and reassemble over time.

Ngo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from the University of North Texas, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude as a Distinguished Honors College Scholar. Her undergraduate thesis, Lost in Time: An Arts-Based Autoethnographic Inquiry into Traumatic Brain Injuries, stemmed from her own experience with a brain injury — a formative event that continues to inform her art. Through slow, tactile processes, she transforms the act of remembering into a study of resilience and care.

Her work has been exhibited across Texas, including in ART214 Biennial Juried Exhibition through the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, The 9th Annual Texas Juried Exhibition at Artspace111, Colorplay at the Dallas Center for Photography, Apophenia at ICOSA Collective, and Ginger Roots at 400h Gallery.

Ngo is currently an Artist in Residence at The Cedars Union (Cohort V) and is participating in the 2nd Annual Cedars Union Printmaking Micro-Residency in 2025, followed by the AiR: Underground residency at Arts Mission Oak Cliff in 2026.

Through her practice, Ngo turns vulnerability into language, creating spaces where art and science,body and memory, coexist in quiet dialogue.