Meet the Team
Founder,
Executive Artistic Director, non-voting Board member
Nadya Zeitlin (she / her)
In her works, Nadya weaves dance and theatre into the environment, creating a unique language to tell meaningful and visually engaging stories in unconventional spaces.
Learn more about Nadya HERE:
Bautanzt Here is currently a project-based company, and we usually have new cast for each work.
Performers for the upcoming work will be announced soon.
FOUNDING COMPANY MEMBERS:
Raina Mitchell & Jacquelyn Pritz.
Guest artists that we were lucky to create with:
Gianna Mercandetti, Maria McNiece, Kellie Vinal, Sally O'Grady,
Amber Bradshaw, Jacob LaVoie, Meg Gourley, Christina Massad,
Julie Feracota, Porter Grubbs, Jenna Latham, Ellie Tsutchiya, Jenn Klammer,
Susan Keller, Frankie Mulinix (Vandellous), Kiera O'Reilly,
Shea Carponter-Broderick, Nicolas Hopkin,
Gabby Duncan, Lindsay Duncan, Angelita Itzanami, Merryn McKeough,
Meaghan Novoa, Rose Shields, Jodie Jernigan,
Cailan Orn, Sarah Stokes, Brian Chappel Crosby,
Kendall Alexander, Katie Watkins.
BAUTANZT HERE BOARD
Anicka Austin (she / her)
Secretary
Anicka Austin is an interdisciplinary artist who primarily works with experimental movement and archival material. Her work has been supported by Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (2022-2023), Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center (2022-2023), and Fulton County Arts and Culture (2017) and exhibited at Zuckerman Museum of Art’s Fine Arts Gallery (2018, GA), the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (2018, ATL) and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (2021).
She was an Ansley Park Distinguished Fellow at the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences in 2017, a 2015-2018 Lucky Penny Work Room resident artist, and 2021-2022 Art on the Atlanta Beltline Scholar-in-Residence. She works as an archivist at Emory University’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (ATL).
Alexis Hauk (she / her)
Vice Chair
Alexis is delighted to bring her passion for quality writing, incisive editing, and strategic creative storytelling to the Bautanzt Here Board. A Decatur native, she moved back to Atlanta in 2018 after living and working for a decade in Boston, Washington D.C., New York, and Los Angeles (in that order!). By day, she currently serves as associate communications director at Emory’s Heart and Vascular Center. Immediately prior to that, she worked as a health communications specialist on CDC’s COVID-19 Response for almost two years. By night/on weekends, she contributes frequent arts and culture coverage and theater criticism to ArtsATL and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is also a member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
As a former full-time journalist, Alexis has written and edited for daily newspapers, alt-weeklies, trade publications, arts and culture blogs, and national magazines. Some of these included the Atlantic, Mental Floss, Washington City Paper, and TIME. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Emory University in English/Creative Writing and a master’s degree from Emerson College in Publishing and Writing. In her spare time, she is an avid traveler, science nerd, new experience seeker, film buff, and comedy connoisseur. She and her husband are proud to be raising two saucy cats and a dog.
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Berk Özbarlas (he / him)
Board Member
Berk was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, a city rich in history and culture. Its vibrant tapestry ignited his passion for expression during his high school years, nurtured by renowned painters Mehmet Guleryuz and Yusuf Taktak, resulting in some of his abstract painting works being displayed in local art exhibitions.
His passion for visual art cultivated an interest in creative writing, honed through crafting stories that move you and he was fortunate to have his short stories and articles about politics and society published in local magazines. Currently he is working on a movie script.
His Social Anthropology degree deepened his understanding of the stories woven into movement, developing his skills in critical thinking while accelerated Turkish Literature classes in the Masters program revealed the narrative threads shaping our world.
As an entrepreneur, building a successful business at age 18 from scratch taught him how to turn ideas into action and strategies into realities. His business involved international traveling to tradeshows, exporting goods to the U.S. and UK, being responsible for tens of tile manufacturers, and later in his career his business transitioned into managing online stores and websites, designing high end home decor products and their distribution.
He moved to the U.S. when he was 30, and his academic background, coupled with his artistic spirit, fueled his engagement in Atlanta's art scene. He didn't just watch but used his organizational skills and passion to orchestrate charity events featuring Modern dance, Jazz music, Electronic music, raising funds for local youth programs such as children in need and the homeless, helped ignite a new generation's artistic voice.
He wants to bring this can-do spirit to the board, eager to help this phenomenal dance company soar. Whether by securing resources or forging partnerships, he is dedicated to using his skills to amplify their voice and propel them to even greater heights.
Jacquelyn Pritz (she / her)
Treasurer
Jacquelyn (Jacque) Pritz is an Atlanta based choreographer, dancer and arts administrator. She recently launched Catching Mangoes Dance with the goal to share and uplift hyphenated American stories by creating meaningful artistic experiences. Jacque’s choreography is autoethnographic, often examining her personal identity and life experiences as a Filipino-American woman, embodying her study of Filipino/Filipino American culture and history, and connecting with people through the spirit of kapwa.
Jacque’s works have been presented at various festivals, performances and events in Georgia, New York and Florida. She has garnered recognition with prestigious residencies, including the Meli Kaye and Rise City Dance programs, and has been commissioned by esteemed organizations such as Beacon Dance and Kalayaan Atlanta. Currently, Jacque is program coordinator at Emory Arts of Emory University and a freelance project manager. She is a founding member of DanceATL and on the board of several arts organizations in Atlanta. Jacque's commitment to diversity and inclusion in the arts is underscored by her recognition as a 2022 National Leader of Color fellow.
Jacque is a freelance dance artist and has performed for Beacon Dance, ALA Dance, Bautanzt Here, SOMOS, Dance Canvas, and several independent choreographers. She holds a BFA in Dance and BSBA in Marketing from the University of Florida. In her free time, Jacque enjoys exploring other movement means (she’s currently into hot yoga), cooking plant-based recipes, traveling, and snuggling with her dog named Oakley and bearded dragon named Remi. Jacque Pritz embodies professionalism, artistic excellence, and a profound commitment to advancing the transformative power of dance, not only in the artistic realm but also as a catalyst for positive societal change.
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Sammy Spriggs (she / her)
Chair
Samantha Spriggs is an Atlanta based independent dance artist, educator and mom to three daughters. Her choreographic work has been presented in Chicago, New York, Dallas, and Atlanta, and has been adjudicated at the American College Dance Festival. Sammy has presented research at the Society of Dance History Scholars/Congress on Research and Dance conference, and has experience in technical theater and sound design for dance and theater productions. Her choreography and teaching work emphasize the intersections between performing arts and social justice.
She believes that dance and arts education cultivates strength, confidence, empathy and provides the tools necessary to be a good human.
Sammy is on faculty at Dance Foundry teaching Modern Technique, Adult Ballet and Creative Movement, and teaches in the Middle School at The Friends School of Atlanta. For the past two years she has served as the Operations Manager for DanceATL, and overseen programming and initiatives in support of Atlanta's Dance Community.