The Seventh Night Sky – By Thang Dao

Thang Dao is a Vietnamese American choreographer, educator, and dance artist whose work explores the intersections of movement, ritual, identity, memory, and cultural inheritance. His choreography draws from contemporary dance, classical ballet, Vietnamese traditions, and diasporic experience, creating works that move between the intimate and the mythic.

Dao’s choreography has been commissioned and presented by leading dance companies and institutions including Ballet Austin, Sacramento Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ballet Austin TWO, Ailey II, Ballet X, Philadanco, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Pegasus Contemporary Ballet, and universities across the United States and internationally. His work has also been presented through Jacob’s Pillow and other prominent dance platforms.

A recipient of a Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship and Special Project Grant, Dao was also a finalist for the Vilcek Prize. He holds an MFA from Hollins University, an MA from New York University, and a BFA from The Juilliard School and Boston Conservatory.

As an educator, Dao is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he teaches ballet, choreography, dance history, and interdisciplinary approaches to dance-making. His artistic research investigates dance as a language—examining how gesture, rhythm, ritual, and the body can communicate histories and cultural knowledge beyond words.

Dao’s choreography is ultimately an invitation to experience the body as both archive and storyteller—where ancestral memory and contemporary imagination meet.

Vanessa Hoang Hughes is an actor and theater reviewer for CTX Live Theatre. She is a sophomore at LASA. ZACH: Once (Iriana), What the Constitution Means to Me (Debater). AISD Summer Theatre Series: Mary Poppins (Jane Banks), Shrek: the Musical (Pinocchio) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: (Charlie Bucket) Frozen (Young Elsa). FILM: Pizza My Heart (Sam), Equality Texas PSA (Voiceover), Apple (Principal Child). ADDITIONAL CREDITS: 3 years Zach PPC, 2 years Jackson Holtkamp Voice Lessons. Special thanks to Mom and Dad!

Duy Tran is a Vietnamese-born composer and music producer whose work spans film, television, concert music, commercial media, and popular music. He was an Associate Producer on the Grammy-nominated album Mythologies II, and has collaborated extensively with Grammy-winning soprano Sangeeta Kaur as Music Director for PBS’s Front and Center: Sangeeta Kaur and Friends and Co-Producer of her Aurora concert at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. His music has been featured in films showcased at Sundance, Cannes, and HollyShorts Film Festival, and his credits include work for Apple TV+, Netflix, Nestlé, Sony, Samsung, La Roche-Posay, and Vietjet Air He has also produced numerous hit songs in Vietnam, with releases collectively reaching millions of views and streams. Duy is a Composition Instructor at Musicians Institute in Hollywood and holds a Master of Music in Screen Scoring from the University of Southern California. He also produced the 2023 and 2024 Fourth of July celebrations commemorating U.S. independence, hosted by the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Hanoi (Vietnam).

The music of award-winning composer James G. Lindsay has been championed by some of the country’s most distinguished artists, including members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. His original compositions have been broadcast by WCNY Classic FM radio, and his film scores have premiered at festivals including DOC NYC, the Madrid International Film Festival, the NICE (France) International Film Festival, the Boston International Film Festival, and several others. His commercial music has been broadcast internationally and his jingle “Hand in Hand” was selected as the corporate theme for IZZI TELECOM, Mexico. James holds degrees in music performance and composition from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, New York University, and the Mannes College of Music. James also enjoys teaching, and shares his passion for music through private piano and composition lessons.

Miriam Jurgensen is a native Austinite who fondly remembers attending the school shows of Ballet Austin’s The Nutcracker and Peter and the Wolf. Early exposure to the arts can lead to unexpected and amazing career choices. She has worked as a costume designer, draper, stitcher, crafts person, and dresser for theatre, dance, opera, film, and television in both the US and England. Miriam was previously the Head of Wardrobe for Ballet Austin TWO. She was the costume designer and constructor for Ballet Austin TWO’s Maria and the Mouse Deer choreographed by Alexa Capareda and Donde Van Las Mariposas choreographed by Jimmy Orrante as well as Ballet Austin’s BUBBLEGUM choreographed by Stephen Mills and multiple contemporary works for Ballet Austin TWO and the Butler Fellowship Program.

She holds an MFA in Costume Technology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and BAs in Theater Arts Technology and Graphic Design from St. Edward’s University.

Jessica received her BFA in Film and Video from the School of Visual Arts in New York with a specialty in costume design and construction. Instilled from an early age with a passion for the arts and a love of sewing passed down by her grandmother, she has gone on to build costumes for dance, opera, theatre, film, and television, as well as specialty costumes for musicians, fashion shows, photo shoots, and events. In 2023 she brought her 25+ years of sewing experience to join Ballet Austin’s costume shop, where you might pop in on a given day to find her deeply engaged in anything from repairing delicate tutus to brushing and manicuring Nutcracker rats.

Outside of Ballet Austin, Jessica is a textile artist who has been featured in multiple galleries nationally and taught various fiber arts workshops locally. Since 2017, she has also co-designed and constructed costumes for the Museum of Human Achievement’s annual holiday musical.

Erin Earle Fleming serves as Director of Production and Resident Lighting Designer at Ballet Austin, where she oversees the production and technical realization of the company’s performances. Her work spans dance, opera, and theatre stages around the world. A proud member of USA 829, she has collaborated with renowned choreographers and directors on productions from Bruce Wood Dance in Dallas to the Mariinsky Theatre in Russia, and from Houston’s Hobby Center to La MaMa in New York.

Outside of Ballet Austin, her portfolio includes lighting designs for Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker (Ballet Lubbock); Florencia en el Amazonas (Opera de Tenerife); Star Crossed and Violin Concerto in D (Texas Ballet Theatre); and GHOST and Slip Zone (Bruce Wood Dance). In addition to her professional design work, Erin has shared her expertise as an educator, serving as adjunct faculty and guest lecturer at institutions including Mississippi State University, the University of Texas at Austin, and her alma mater, St. Edward’s University.

Holding an MFA in Design from Yale University’s School of Drama, Erin brings a thoughtful blend of artistic vision, technical expertise, production leadership, and storytelling to every project she undertakes.

A multi-faceted visual artist, educator, art administrator, curator, and entrepreneur based in Austin, TX, I explore identity, connection, and cultural influence through creative practice, exhibition curation, art education, and entrepreneurship. Drawing on my artistic research on identity, I apply insights to foster meaningful engagement with the arts across communities, classrooms, and public spaces. I also create thoughtful business models and branding that honor Korean culture, emphasizing authenticity and cultural storytelling in every aspect of my entrepreneurial work.

Patrick and Holly Crowley / DDP Productions – Fabrication and Design Company
These two Austinites have graced many stages together designing and building sets for more than fifty companies over the past 17 years. Known for their professionalism and perseverance, this dynamic duo will leave you awestruck with their grace and simplicity. They have been nominated for several B. Iden Payne and Austin Critics Table Awards over the years for Set Design and Prop Design. Their selected credits include- Ballet Austin: The Nutcrackers (Fabrication), Grimm Tales (Fabrication/Scenic Art Supervisor), Exit Wounds (Fabrication/Scenic Art Supervisor), The Sleeping Beauty (Caraboose Sleigh), POE/A Tale of Madness (Design/build of the pendulum) Ballet Austin TWO: Donde van las Mariposas (Set Fabrication); Maria and the Mouse Deer (Set Designers/Fabrication) Long Center for The Performing Arts: Greater Austin High School Musical Theatre Awards 2014 (Grand Staircase/Podiums/Step & Repeat); Summer Stock Austin 2016 /Set Fabrication- The Addams Family Musical, Carnival!, and The Steadfast Tin Soldier Austin Opera: Fidelio (Backdrops and Portal); Sweeney Todd – (Passerelle/Scenic Charge) Austin Symphony: Leonard Bernstein’s Mass 100th Celebration (Technical Director/Fabrication/Painting Supervisor). Other companies/clients: Beyond Exhibitions/Paquin Entertainment USA – Beyond Van Gogh USA Tour/The Normal Studio (Turn-key build/ 9 Sets), The Alchemy Theatre, Penfold Theatre, The Aurora Arts Theatre, The Frank Erwin Center, Austin Playhouse, Southwestern University (The Outdoor Stage 2021 build out), The Fairmont Hotel, Theatre en Bloc, Salvage Vanguard Theater, Pollyanna Theatre Co., Street Corner Arts, KLRU, PSAV, Corpus Christi Ballet, and more.

In the nineties, Holly spent her summers up north working for Maine State Music Theatre as a carpenter and doing internships for Broadway tours. During the year, she performed at Fort Worth Opera as a chorus member. By 1999, she transferred to Southwest Texas State University, graduated, and moved to Austin. Over the years, she lived and worked in many cities throughout the United States auditioning at Austin Musical Theatre, teaching high school, working as a lighting technician, scenic charge, carpenter, and dresser for Broadway tours, Rock and Roll, Ballet, and Opera companies. In 2009, she met the love of her life, Patrick, and the DDP venture began. Holly holds a BA in Music-Vocal Performance and a BA in Theatre-Design. Holly is a member and trainer with I.A.T.S.E. #205, USITT, and has served as a member of The B. Iden Payne Council. Holly is currently CEO/Director of Production for DDP Production Services.

Born and raised in Austin, Patrick started his career at Zach Scott Theatre in 1976 taking his first theatre class at 9 years old with Don Day. By the time he was 19, he was hired as Master Carpenter for Zilker Summer Musicals and Props Construction for Austin Lyric Opera under the tutelage of Steve Parks at the University of Texas. In his free time, Patrick taught Technical Lab for Theatre at the ACC Rio Grande Campus. In 1989, he started rigging at the Frank Erwin Center, and within a year hired on as the Touring Manager with a local Austin band named Near Dark, moving him to New York City and living on St. Mark’s Place. In 1992 he started touring professionally with Adam Ant. Other tours included ZZ TOP, Bob Dylan, The Wallflowers, Slipknot, Jay-Z, Smoke Out Festival w/Snoop Dogg and Cypress Hill, and many more artists. In 2003 he was hired as General Manager for Spectrum Production Services and both toured and oversaw the Rental and Touring branches of the company. Over the years he traveled coast to coast setting up both hydraulic and conventional staging, managing logistics and maintenance of the trucks, and overseeing all production riders for both the Minnesota and the Las Vegas offices. After touring, Patrick returned to Texas to finish his degree. While attending classes, he was hired on as the Technical Director/Shop Foreman/Lab Instructor for the Department of Theatre and Dance at SWT. In 2009, he met the love of his life, Holly, and they started DDP at The Aurora Arts Theatre. Patrick holds a BFA in Directing-Summa Cum Laude. Patrick is currently a Production Supervisor at The Long Center for The Performing Arts. He is also a member and trainer with I.A.T.S.E. #205, and Artistic Director/Technical Director for DDP Production Services.