Born and raised in Taiwan, Mei-kuang Chen received her early dance training in Chinese classical dance and folk dance as well as ballet and modern dance. Seeking further dance education, Ms. Chen has since received her BFA from Ohio State University and her MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ms. Chen joined Hedwig Dances in Chicago from 1999-2007 and became the Artistic Associate for the company in 2003. Ms. Chen received the prestigious Ruth Page Dance Award from the Chicago Dance Coalition.  Ms. Chen also taught Mandarin Chinese at Proviso Math and Science Academy from 2007-2010. Currently on the dance faculty at Loyola University and The Academy of Movement and Music, Ms. Chen is truly grateful for the good fortune to be surrounded by so many wonderful colleagues and students. Performing with MOMENTA is the icing on the cake!

Tatiana Castañeda is a dancer, singer and actor originally from Oak Park, Illinois. She has trained extensively in ballet, modern, jazz and contemporary dance at The Academy of Movement and Music, The San Francisco Conservatory of Dance and Point Park University. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance from Point Park University in the spring of 2020. Tatiana has performed works by Chloe Jensen, Libby Westra, Matthew Powell, Dominic Walsh, Jay Kirk, Marius Petipa restaged by Susan Stowe, Randy Duncan, Monte Rezell and was a swing for the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center’s 2019 production of In the Heights with choreography by Kiesha Lalama. She currently teaches ballet and jazz at The Academy of Movement and Music and is an apprentice with Aerial Dance Chicago under the direction of Chloe Jensen. Tatiana grew up dancing with MOMENTA and is excited to get to work with them again.

Julia Cox has been a dancer since the young age of 2. She danced for MOMENTA as a teenager through her early 20s. Julia attended Northern Illinois University for dance and choreography studying with Randall Newsom and Judy Chitwood. During her 20s her health took a turn. She developed dynamic and invisible neurological disabilities that kept her from dancing. After years of trying to manage her health, at 30 years old she came back to dance and choreography as well as co-teaching for Every Body Can Dance workshops. It was with the love and encouragement from company members, mentors, and her new dance partner, Robby Williams, who also is a dancer with disabilities, who helped reignite her passion for dancing. Nowadays she is only able to choreograph after her neurological conditions worsened. Julia has been able to excel with her physically integrated choreography. In 2020 Julia was nominated for a 3Arts Award and is one of the recipients of the 2021 3Arts Make a Wave Grant for Chicago based artists. In 2022, Julia collaborated with international composer, Rlyan Gleave, to create a new dance work for Crossing Borders and Counter Balance. She also received the Ginger Lane Fellowship Award for supporting choreographers with disabilities in 2023. Julia’s choreography has been performed virtually in MOMENTA’s  Dancing at a Distance, and all over Chicago. Other than dance, Julia is a certified Pilates teacher, teaching virtually. She loves her plants, hanging with her dog, and playing music with her husband. She is forever grateful for her dance community and family for the continued support in her life. 

Deborah Goodman began her dance training at Northern Illinois University. In 1990, she moved to New York to study at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance where she received a full scholarship and took park in the reconstruction of Ms. Graham’s original work, “Prelude to Action” from Sketches from Chronicle, and performed in the reconstruction of Martha Graham’s Panorama. From 1998-2005, Deborah had the great pleasure to work with Yuriko as her assistant and demonstrator. While in New York, she performed with Richard Move, Sandra Kaufmann Dance, Goldhuber & Latsky, Pearl Lang Dance Theater, Colleen Heffernan and Lacy James’ Merriminne dancers, among others. Deborah has served on the faculty of the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, New York University, Long Island University, The Connecticut Conservatory of the Performing Arts and Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts. In 2006, Deborah moved back to Chicago where she dances for MOMENTA. She serves on the faculties of The Chicago Academy for the Arts, Loyola University Chicago and The Academy of Movement and Music, Oak Park.

Kris Lenzo has been national champion in wheelchair basketball and wheelchair track several times. He first performed with MOMENTA in 2003 in Larry Ippel's Sharing the Moment. He has performed at Spring to Dance St. Louis (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013), Dance Chicago, Duets for my Valentine, Bodies of Work Festival of Disability Arts and Culture (2006 & 2013), CounterBalance, the Chicago Disability Pride Parade, and Chicago LIVE at Navy Pier. Kris is a teacher in MOMENTA 's EveryBody Can Dance! (EBCD) workshops and a 2015 3Arts awardee.

Gina Sigismondi began her formal dance training in Oak Park at the Academy of Movement and Music. Gina danced on scholarship for 4 years at Northern Illinois University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance. Her professional experience includes dancing for Chicago area independent choreographers Paula Frasz, Kirby Reed, Winifred Haun, Sarita Smith Childs, Sandra Kaufmann and as a member of Fox River Dance Company, MOMENTA Repertory Ensemble and MOMENTA. She has taught ballet, jazz, modern, creative movement and physical fitness. Gina is currently teaching students ranging in age from pre-school to adult at the Academy of Movement and Music. She continues to perform and choreograph for MOMENTA.

Robby Williams is a wheelchair user and has been dancing with MOMENTA since fall 2019. Before wheelchair life, Robby was dancing Argentine Tango with Balboa and Lindy with Nicole Wood and Desiree Roffers and was a fitness enthusiast/coach-in-training. A survivor of gunshot wounds and a spinal cord injury he has jumped head-first into the disabled community.  During intense PT/OT at SRALab, he was introduced to MOMENTA Dance Company by one of his therapists. Robby attended the 2nd Annual Chicago Inclusive Dance Festival and was invited to an EveryBody Can Dance workshop. During the workshop, Robby was paired with Julia Cox, a great area dancer with whom he felt he moved naturally.  Robby and Julia were asked to work with Sarah Najera and Kris Lenzo to create a piece that would become Sarah’s “Duet in C Major.” Robby is exploring what he can do to give back to the community through MOMENTA’s school outreach program, ReinventAbility’s outreach program, and working with Tango 21 Dance Theater to find where tango and disability can meet.  Robby is also exploring the other arts in the disabled community through his poetry. Robby is grateful to his wife, family, friends and the community for making this transition in his life an incredible exploration. Robby is also a MOMENTA Board Member.