The Team
Leadership and Staff
Allison Orr
Founder & Artistic Director
Show BioFrom sanitation workers to firefighters, power linemen to maintenance teams, Allison Orr creates award-winning choreography with the people whose work sustains our everyday lives. Inspired by the beauty and virtuosity in the movement of labor, and building on her background in anthropology and social work, Allison has honed a methodology of ethnographic choreography that engages community members as co-authors and performers in the creation of large-scale civic spectacles. Challenging audiences to expand notions of dance and performer, her dances have been performed for audiences of 60 to 6,000+.
In recent years, Allison has been named a MacDowell Fellow, a Dance | USA Fellow in Social Change, a Doris Duke United States Artist Fellow, Best Choreographer by The Austin Chronicle, Most Outstanding Choreographer by the Austin Critics Table, one of Tribeza Magazine’s Top 10 Austinites, and one of eight “Extraordinary Texans” by Texas Highways Magazine. Her large-scale work The Trash Project was named a #1 Arts Event by the Austin American-Statesman, #1 Dance Event by The Austin Chronicle, and Most Outstanding Dance Concert by the Austin Critics Table. It is also the subject of a feature-length documentary film entitled Trash Dance.
Allison has been commissioned three times by the Fusebox Festival and was the single US choreographer selected by the Kyoto Arts Center as part of the National Performance Network’s Asian Exchange program. A guest artist for numerous dance programs including Williams College, Wake Forest University, the University of Maryland, and Texas A&M, Allison has been a Mellon Foundation Creative Campus Scholar at the Center for the Arts of Wesleyan University. Her work has been funded by the City of Austin, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Doris Duke Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mid-America Arts Alliance, the MAP Fund, The New England Foundation for the Arts, Engaging Dance Audiences/Dance USA, numerous foundations, and the City of Venice, Italy.
Currently a Distinguished Fellow of the College of Environment at Wesleyan University, Allison directed The Artist in the City — a hands-on course in her community-based dance-making practice where Wesleyan students embedded within the local water/wastewater department to create collaborative artistic projects with city employees. Allison has also taught children, adults over 65, and people with disabilities. Before founding Forklift Danceworks in 2001, Allison danced and studied with Deborah Hay and MacArthur Award winner Liz Lerman. She holds an MFA in Choreography and Performance from Mills College and a BA in Anthropology from Wake Forest University. Allison is a fourth generation Texan and lives in Austin with her husband and two children.
You can find and follow Allison on Twitter.
Lisa Byrd
Organizational Strategist
Show BioLisa Byrd’s interest lies in exploring the intersection of the arts, civic engagement, community activism and cultural preservation. Lisa has a 30+ year career in the arts with roles ranging from audio engineering and production management to providing organizational leadership as production director for dance companies and executive leadership for community based arts organizations. Lisa has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Penn State University and a Masters Degree in Theater History and Criticism from Texas State University. She continued her studies in leadership and organizing with Marshall Ganz’s Leadership, Organizing and Action, an Executive Education program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Public Policy.
Utilizing her leadership skills as well as her skills as a community organizer, Lisa developed what is now Texas’ only African American cultural district, Six Square: Austin’s Black Cultural Heritage District. Lisa continues her work using a collaborative learning model in partnership with artists and arts organizations and those interested in public policy and civic action. Her current collaborative partnerships include Civic Arts and Forklift Danceworks on projects that center the arts as an organizing pathway to addressing civic life.
Over the years Lisa’s work has been recognized for its positive impact on communities she has engaged. In 2015 she received the Dewey Award from SXSW Conference. The award is given as an acknowledgement to the honoree’s dedication to creating positive and lasting change in their communities. In 2016 she received an award for her leadership as a community partner from the University of Texas at Austin’s Division on Diversity and Community Engagement. And, in 2017 she received the Ada DeBlanc Simond Trailblazer Award from the Austin Black Democrats. Lisa is also very proud to have been elected in 2019 to the Community Education Council representing District 3 for the New York City Department of Education.
Francis Rodriguez
Choreographer & Program Coordinator
Show BioFrancis Rodriguez (she/her) is a dance maker, performer and educator currently based in Austin, Texas. Originally from the Rio Grande Valley, she holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance from The University of Texas at Austin and is a graduate of the UTeach Dance program. Francis’ journey with Forklift Danceworks began in the summer of 2018 as an Artistic Intern for Dove Springs Swims/Nadamos Dove Springs. Since then, she has collaborated on Austin FC Collaboration (2021), Dances for Dogs and People Who Walk Them (2022), The Way of Water: Waller Creek (2022), and the ongoing Leaps & Bounds creative movement program.
Qainta Harris
Director of Development and Communications
Show BioQainta Harris is a native of Dallas, TX and holds a B.A. in Women’s Studies & Psychology from Southwestern University. Her distinguished career in nonprofit development began in Austin over 25 years ago. She has held integral roles within various esteemed institutions across diverse sectors, from Community Health to Higher Education where she specialized in event planning, volunteer management and recruitment, and major donor relations and stewardship. After more than a decade of dedicated service in the nonprofit realm, Qainta transitioned her career trajectory to become a Registered Nurse, while continuing to be an active volunteer for Texas Organ Sharing Alliance, Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She served on her Alma Mater’s Alumni Board and was a dedicated board member and board President for ATX Kids Club. She is a recipient of Alpha Phi Omega’s Alumni Professional Service Award and is a 2024 awardee of AFP’s Fundraiser of Color Scholarship. Now, after more than 15 years in the medical field serving as a charge nurse and a hospital Quality Manager, Qainta has renewed her initial passion for nonprofit strategy and relationship cultivation by joining Forklift Danceworks as their first Director of Development and Communications, where she brings her wealth of experience and expertise to steer the organization towards further growth and impact.
Rachael Garbowski
Associate Director of Development and Communications
Show BioRachael Garbowski is a seasoned professional in the nonprofit sector, specializing in development, strategic partnerships, and community building. Previously serving as the Director of Development for both Big Medium and AIA Austin, she has played a pivotal role in supporting artists and fostering artistic communities in Austin and across Texas. Rachael has also held key roles in various organizations, including serving as Managing Director of Austin EMS Relief Fund, Corporate Relations Manager for The Contemporary Austin, and Director of Development for Texas Land Conservancy. With a background that includes a BA in Art History and Theater from Bates College, as well as formative years at Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School, Rachael’s commitment to the arts is deeply ingrained. She is currently dividing her time between Brooklyn and Austin, where she has resided for over a decade. From 2021 to 2023 she owned and operated Ani’s Day & Night, a hybrid coffee shop, bar, community space, and event venue, reflecting her commitment to creating inclusive spaces for connection and creativity. She is excited to embark on her new role as Institutional Giving Manager with Forklift Danceworks.
Jennifer Berrong
Development and Communications Manager
Show BioJennifer Berrong is a dedicated professional in the nonprofit sector, specializing in marketing, communications, and development. With over five years of experience working with Central Texas nonprofit organizations such as Great Springs Project, Barton Springs Conservancy, and The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, Jennifer is committed to advancing initiatives that promote environmental conservation and community engagement. Her expertise in strategic communications and grants management enables her to craft compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.
Jennifer holds a BBA in Marketing from Texas State University and has built a career focused on blending creativity with strategic planning to enhance organizational impact. As Development and Communications Manager at Forklift Danceworks, Jennifer leads the organization’s marketing and communications efforts, driving initiatives that further Forklift’s mission and expand its reach within the community.
Marina Garbalena
Development and Communications Associate
Show BioMarina Garbalena is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and development specialist from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. She has collaborated with institutions like the National Dance Institute and Kids Excel El Paso, where she served as co-artistic director and program coordinator. Marina also co-founded Mountain Movement Dance Company, showcasing her work at events such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Currently based in Austin, she contributes to Forklift Danceworks’ outreach and community impact through her work in development and communications.
Marina remains deeply connected to her roots in the El Paso/Juárez region, visiting often to spend time with her family and support the local arts scene, while actively engaging with Austin’s dynamic music and arts communities.
Emily Morgan
Research Fellow
Show BioEmily Morgan (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in dance, working on her dissertation on community dance practices at Texas Woman’s University. When she finishes her dissertation, she is eager to delve back into her own community dance practices while continuing to write about others’ work on the subject. Emily lives in Fort Collins, CO, where she is the Director of Dance and an Associate Professor at Colorado State University. She has taught, performed, and presented her work throughout the United States and internationally. Whenever possible, she loves to be outside with her husband, two children, and dog.
Damian Flores
Digital Media Coordinator
Show BioBorn and raised in Austin Tx, Damian comes from a background of film. At 18 years old, he wrote and co-directed his first short film and debuted it at the Cannes Film Festival. Since then, he has continued to work on his craft, exploring other avenues of visual media in commercials, music videos, and feature films. Damian has done work for Microsoft, Capital Metro, Austin FC, E4youth, I ACT, DAWA and others. “I enjoy the process of filming and editing, but I love having the ability to turn a life’s moment into a beautiful story”.
Collaborating Artists
Rachel Nayer
Choreographer
Show BioBorn and raised in Austin, TX, Rachel Nayer is a performance artist, choreographer, and yoga teacher. In 2018, Rachel completed her undergraduate degree with honors in both Performance/Choreography and Environmental Science at Scripps College in Claremont, California. She is passionate about using the body as a tool for communication, celebration, community building, and acknowledgment. Rachel first joined the Forklift team in the summer of 2018 for Dove Springs Swims/Nadamos Dove Springs, and since then has collaborated on Givens Swims(2019), The Way of Water: Waller Creek (2022), and The Way of Water: Onion Creek (2023/24).
Stephen Pruitt
Production Designer
Show BioStephen Pruitt has been working as a photographer, designer, writer, director and performer since getting his first camera in high school. After studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati, he switched directions by spending two years at Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati working under several well know directors and playwrights, including Lee Blessing, Edward Albee and Rebecca Miller. Shortly after, he began designing lighting and sets and became interested in dance, becoming the resident designer for Cincinnati’s Contemporary Dance Theater, where he worked with many nationally known Dance groups and choreographers including Parsons Dance, Urban Bush Women, Doug Varone, David Dorfman and many others.
Since moving to Austin in 1997, Stephen has worked as a freelance Lighting, Scenic, and Video designer, collaborating with many of Austin’s biggest and most creative theater and dance groups including Forklift Danceworks, Tapestry Dance Company, Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance (as resident production designer for all three), Trouble Puppet Theater (resident lighting designer), and Rude Mechs (company member) as well as Andrea Ariel Dance Theatre, Conspirare, Scottish Rite Theater, Salvage Vanguard Theater, Physical Plant Theater, and St Edwards University. His company, Fluxion Scenic and Light, has produced and designed many seminal Austin events, including Austin Film Society’s Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards, the Mayor’s party at City Hall for First Night, and opening night parties for Cirque du Soleil’s first two Austin Premieres. In addition to his work in Austin, Stephen tours and travels frequently and also produces performance work through Catastrophe Theory Arts.
Stephen has received many nominations and awards from Austin’s critics and arts community including each of his collaborations with Forklift, and is the only designer in Austin to be nominated for Critic’s Table and B. Iden Payne Awards in both the Scenic Design and Lighting Design categories, and his work is routinely recognized in the many end of year top ten lists. In the past couple years, Stephen has been spending more time on his photography work, with recent shows at Prizer Arts and Letters, and Link & Pin Gallery. All of his work in various media can be found at www.stephenpruitt.net
Graham Reynolds
Composer
Show BioCalled “the quintessential modern composer” by the London Independent, Austin, Texas based composer-bandleader-improviser Graham Reynolds records and performs music for film, theater, dance, television, rock clubs, and concert halls with collaborators across a multitude of disciplines. He recently scored Richard Linklater’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Annapurna Pictures) with Cate Blanchett, Kristen Wiig, and Laurence Fishburne, Happy Jail (Netflix), Stop Hitting Yourself (Lincoln Center Theater), Out of Her Mind (BBC), Grimm Tales (Ballet Austin), and a multi-year commission from Ballroom Marfa, The Marfa Triptych, culminating in his Creative Capital Award winning project Pancho Villa from a Safe Distance, a bilingual cross-border opera created with librettists Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol (Mexico City) and director Shawn Sides (Rude Mechs) and staged in over a dozen cities in North America.
As Artistic Director of the non-profit Golden Hornet, Graham spearheads efforts that draw on both the collaborative spirit of rock bands and the composer-led nature of classical music, with a focus on commissioning new music, fostering young and emerging composers, and presenting adventurous works in non-traditional settings. These endeavors include the The Sound of Science alongside Kronos Quartet’s longtime cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, and most recently MXTX: A Cross-Border Exchange; a multi-faceted project comprised of a live performance, album, remixes, and open-source audio sample library involving more than 40 artists from Texas and Mexico.
Reynolds leads the jazz-based but far-reaching Golden Arm Trio, is a company member with the internationally acclaimed Rude Mechs theater collective, and is a resident composer with Salvage Vanguard Theater and Forklift Danceworks. His accolades include a Creative Capital Award, an Independent Music Award, two Frederick R. Loewe Music Theatre Awards, ten Austin Critics Table Awards, the John Bustin Award, multiple Austin Chronicle ‘Best Composer’ wins, and a B. Iden Payne Award. MARFA: A Country & Western Big Band Suite (Fall 2019) broke into the top 100 on the NACC radio charts along with a track premiere in Billboard. In 2020, Graham signed with London-based record label Fire Records and released his original score for Alfred Hitchcock’s silent classic, The Lodger, with a forthcoming album of original material in 2024. Find out more at grahamreynolds.com.
Vanessa Burden
Guest Musical Artist
Show BioVanessa Burden is a Multidisciplinary Creator, Visionary and Party Starter.
Originally hailing from Houston, Texas, Vanessa earned her degree in Audio Engineering from San Jacinto College.
Vanessa produced and hosted Beats of Burden, a Latin music show on KOOP 91.7fm from 2011-2017. The show’s legacy lives on in each curated set that explores anything from mambo to salsa to baile funk and cumbiatronica. Her musical style is a journey through time and space while keeping the listener on their toes. When not DJing, she can be found performing with local Latin psych rockers, Los Alcos, or cutting a rug on a dancefloor near you!
Orión García
Guest Musical Artist
Show BioOrión García is, at heart, an artist in every sense of the word. Orión García as the Dj has been performing and producing music for over 20 years. As a curator, he is the owner and founder of the art and music collective Peligrosa, a latin party that celebrated their 15 year anniversary in 2022. Peligrosa recently became the official DJ of the Austin FC MLS team. He holds and runs one of Austin’s longest running weeklies in east Austin at Volstead. The producer, engineer, and promoter works on his label, Discos Peligrosa, producing records and events supporting new and emerging artists. On occasion he will perform live with drum machines and samplers. Orión is also a visual artist, producing music videos, performs visuals live, and creates 3D art using a combination of generative art and 3D softwares. He also enjoys repairing and tinkering with electronics, creating unique devices for controlling music and visuals. He loves arts and crafts nights, listens to really sad old music, and is a burgeoning woodworker 🙂
DJ GL
Guest Musical Artist
Show BioDJ GL is a musician from Austin Texas. DJ GL specializes in electronic soundscapes with danceable beats.