NANCY REED
Choreographer and Dancer
Nancy Reed graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. While there, she danced with the Second Avenue Dance Company, performing in an original piece by Milton Meyers and in Paul Taylor's Esplanade. After NYU Nancy moved to New Orleans where she danced with the New Orleans Modern Dance Company and with Rapides InterArts Group. Nancy has danced with Annamaura Silverblatt since 2015, including performing Annamaura's piece Metamorphosis in the Northeast Choreographers Festival in Providence, RI. Nancy is thrilled to be a founding member of Balliamo. When not dancing, Nancy is a school-based Occupational Therapist and a group exercise instructor. She is also a proud Mom of Sam and Max and a grateful daughter of Sandra and Barrie.
CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON
Poet Laureate, Providence, RI
Christopher Johnson is an artist and educator based in Providence, RI. His passion for performance art began with winning numerous awards as a Slam Poet. Christopher’s spoken word poetry has been influenced by artists such as Yusuf Komunyakaa, Amiri Baraka, Sonya Sanchez, Nikki Geovanni, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac, and Charles Bukowski. Over the years, his performances have grown to included storytelling, music, and dance. They have become theatrical experiences exploring issues such as race, incarceration, and mental illness. Most recently, Christopher was a collaborator in the creation and performance of Freedom Project, a devised performance focusing on the affects of mass incarceration. His current project, New and Dangerous Ideas, tackles race and police, with the goal to put everyone on the level of human. In other words, Christopher seeks to decriminalize race and humanize the police. Community building and education are at the center of all of Christopher’s work. Expression is his activism.
KEVIN "BIG LUX" LOWTHER
Business Manager, Music Director
Kevin graduated from West Point with a BS in languages and University of Miami with an MBA. A Classically trained violinist, he has jazz, country and hip-hop influences that allow him to blend styles and provide fresh new takes on music of every genre.
An army veteran, he has deployed and performed all over the world, coming to his own as a busker on the streets of Korea. As a soloist, he toured in Korea and was featured on Armed Forces Network television and radio as well as the Korea Times. He has dragged his violin with him on tours to Germany, Iraq and most recently, Afghanistan. As comfortable playing on stage as he is on the floor or on top of the bar, his performances are as unforgettable as his music. He is a musician, teacher, social justice activist and a business leader in his community and is thrilled to call Balliamo home.
