About Us

Alyce Finwall - Artistic Director

E-mail: afdancetheater@gmail.com 



Alyce Finwall started Alyce Finwall Dance Theater in 1999, developing a uniquely creative and theatrical style, noted for having a "fierce fluidity in performance and a brooding surrealism in the choreography" by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and an "impressive and accomplished choreographic symphony" by the SF Examiner.  Alyce's work is a visceral exploration into often surreal landscapes and time that expand upon her interest in perception and identity. Her work is often described as "painterly" and "emotional", as well as "abstract".  These qualities are reflective of her interests in painting and printmaking which she studied as an undergrad.  She has produced over 35 original works in the company's twelve-year history and has had the great pleasure of collaborating with many diverse artists on works for both stage and film.   Her work has been performed throughout the U.S. and in Europe, and has received numerous grants and awards.  Alyce's wide ranging dance career began with the Minneapolis based avant-garde company, Ballet of the Dolls, where she performed in over 20 original ballets in her six years with the company and was its first ever guest choreographer.  She has also danced with Rincones & Company in Washington, DC and has studied with the Cullberg Ballet in Sweden (under invitation from artistic director Lena Wennergren-Juras), the Cunniingham Dance Company (under a Jerome Foundation scholarship)  and with many wonderful teachers of ballet and contemporary techniques in NYC, Minneapolis, DC and San Francisco.  She has also worked extensively in film, music videos and fashion, and was a co-founder of the popular burlesque group "Les Femmes Cabaret" which performed regularly at the iconic 1st Avenue in Minneapolis.  AFDT originated in Minneapolis, then after six years being part of the New York City dance community, Alyce Finwall Dance Theater is now located in San Francisco where she recently completed her MFA from Mills College.  AFDT has been presented at such venues as P.S. 122, The Joyce SoHo, Dance Theater Workshop, Dixon Place, 92nd Street Y on 42nd Street, Cunningham Theater, White Wave Theater, The Cowell Theater, The Southern Theater and The Garage Theater.  Alyce has also taught and choreographed for college and pre-professional programs such as the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Radford University, Cedar Crest College and Mills College.

Jason Hoopes - Composer

Jason is a bassist/multi-instrumentalist, improviser, and composer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was born and raised in the mountains of northern California and began his musical life as a self-taught rock musician. After completing undergraduate studies at Southern Oregon University, Jason attended Mills College where he received both a Master of Arts degree in Music Composition and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Performance and Literature. While at Mills, Jason studied with Fred Frith, Joëlle Léandre, Roscoe Mitchell, India Cooke, Zeena Parkins, John Bischoff, and Shelley Senter among many other distinguished artists. In 2008, Jason's large ensemble work "the ebb" earned the Elizabeth Mills Crothers award for Outstanding Composition. He has performed with many artists including Fred Frith, India Cooke, Gino Robair, Lesli Dalaba, Gail Brand, Johanna Borchert, and Shayna Dunkelman.  Recently, Jason has turned his attention to composing for modern dance, working with Molissa Fenley, Alyce Finwall, Sophia Leiby, Jan Jennings, Rhiannon Kirby and Lavinia Vago among others. Jason is currently the bassist in bay area bands The Atomic Bomb Audition, Jack O' The Clock, powerdove, Host Family, The Brine, and continues to perform in a wide range of ensembles. He is also a teacher, writer, painter, and loves standing in the wind.

Carson Whitley - Composer

Encephalous, absurdist, plunderphonic musician, media mangler, Oakland resident, and spatial audio enthusiast. Carson Whitley has been organizing 'fluctuations of air pressure over time' ever since collective observation collapsed the wave-functions leading to his creation. A composer/perfomer/programmer, he holds a BA in Music Synthesis from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and is currently in the process of completing an MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills College. His music was once described as "never static, always evolving, while simultaneously riding the edge of madness and terror".

Vivian Aragon - Dancer

Vivian was born in Guatemala and raised in Pacifica, CA. She holds a BFA in Dance and a BA in Art History from Purchase College, State University of New York. She also trained at Rotterdam Dance Academy in the Netherlands and Susan Hayward School of Dancing in Montara, CA. She has performed with Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Black Diamond Ballet Theatre, MenLowe Ballet, Napa Valley Ballet, Samantha Giron Dance Project, Alyce Finwall Dance Theater, Katie Faulkner/ Little Seismic Dance Company, and as a guest artist with Robert Moses Kin and ODC/Dance.

Julia Hollas - Dancer

Julia currently dances with Alyce Finwall Dance Theater and Dandelion Dancetheater and is an alumna of the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance.  Julia grew up in New Mexico, where she trained with Moving People Dance Theatre, the Santa Fe Dance Foundation (School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet), and Dance Arts Los Alamos.  While earning her degree in Mass Communications at the University of Utah, Julia also studied with the Ballet Department and Department of Modern Dance.  Since moving to San Francisco in 2006, she has performed with the SF Conservatory of Dance Performance Company, punkkiCo, and Amy Lewis's Push Up Something Hidden, and currently splits her time between teaching, performance, and administrative work with the Conservatory and Dandelion Dancetheater