BODYTRAFFIC

Founded in 2007 by Lillian Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett, BODYTRAFFIC has surged to the forefront of the concert dance world. Named “the company of the future” by The Joyce Theater Foundation, Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch in 2013 and Best of Culture by the Los Angeles Times, the young company is already internationally recognized for their high quality of work.
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Co-Founder Lillian Barbeito has a BFA from The Juilliard School where she studied on a 4 year, full-tuition scholarship awarded by Tomorrow’s Leaders of America. Lillian had an extensive performance career that took her to Europe, New York, and then finally to Los Angeles, where she founded BODYTRAFFIC with Tina Berkett. She is passionate about mentoring dancers of all ages and abilities and has taught internationally for organizations such as CalArts, Idyllwild Arts Academy, L’Ecole de Danse de Quebec, Northwest Dance Project, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures and Loyola Marymount University where is currently on faculty.
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Co-Founder Tina Finkelman Berkett grew up in New York City. She trained with Michele Cuccaro Cain and attended Barnard College at Columbia University, graduating summa cum laude with degrees in math and economics. Upon graduation she joined Aszure Barton & Artists and performed with the company throughout the United States, including at Jacob’s Pillow and Spoleto festivals. Tina became Aszure Barton’s assistant and taught alongside Barton both in the US and abroad. She was a founding member of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Hell’s Kitchen Dance, where she also served as the company’s dancer liaison.
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In 2017, BODYTRAFFIC and NCCAkron designed a national nomination and application procedure for stakeholders and curators in the dance field who named 45 female choreographers from across the country as suggested applicants for a new Dancing Lab Residency to explore choreographic ideas with BODYTRAFFIC dancers. All choreographers were invited to apply, and a panel selected three finalists: Kimberly Bartosik (Brooklyn, NY); Helen Simoneau (Winston-Salem, NC); and Kate Wallich (Seattle, WA). These three women and BODYTRAFFIC came to NCCAkron in September 2017 for a week of experimentation, collaboration, and professional development.