Artistic Team
Francisco Gella
Founding Artistic Director
Santa Fe, NM
Francisco Gella’s distinguished twenty-five-year career as a compelling dancer, award-winning choreographer, and widely recognized dance educator, began when he took his first formal dance class during his freshman year at the age of nineteen. His innovative choreography and highly effective teaching methods are sought after by professional companies, universities, arts high schools conservatories, and studios across North America and around the globe. In addition to teaching dancers and students, Francisco is frequently invited to train other teachers in effective pedagogical methods with a proven holistic approach – focusing on the intersection of technical, artistic, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of dancers.
A 1996 graduate with a BA in dance from the University of Washington, Francisco is a past company member with the Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO); Repertory Dance Theater; and Ballet Pacifica. He has been a guest performer with Spectrum Dance Theater; Chamber Dance Company; Seattle Opera; Pennsylvania Ballet; California Ballet; Laguna Dance Festival; and the National Choreographers Initiative. In 1998, Francisco performed as a principal soloist at the Closing Ceremonies of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics in Japan and was featured in a PBS Dance in America Special in Daniel Ezralow’s holiday satirical work entitled The X-mas Philes.
Vladimir Conde Reche
Artistic Associate
Albuquerque, NM
A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Vladimir Conde Reche is a dance artist, choreographer, and educator whose work bridges classical and contemporary movement practices. He holds a BFA from The Juilliard School and an MFA in Choreography from the University of Iowa, and is currently a Professor of Dance in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of New Mexico.
Vladimir’s professional dance career spans over three decades and includes performing with renowned companies such as Cisne Negro Dance Company and Ballet Stagium, as well as collaborations with artists and institutions across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. His artistic journey has taken him to countries including Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Colombia, England, Germany, Italy, Mongolia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, the United States, and Uruguay. A formative experience in his career was a workshop with Ohad Naharin and the Batsheva Dance Company in Israel, where he immersed himself in the expressive and physical depth of the Gaga movement language.
Professional Company Members: Summer 2025 Season
We were thrilled to welcome back ZDT professional company members this past summer following a hiatus since 2021 when we paused after the COVID pandemic to build our Trainee program and the organizational infrastructure to sustain the company for the long term. Three out of our four company members are Zeitgeist alumni, returning to the stage in New Mexico.
In addition to performing in the August 2 ‘Lineage’ concert, our four professionals enjoyed teaching, mentoring, and engaging with our local communities here in New Mexico.
Rachel Harris
Rachel Harris is a dancer, choreographer, and director for stage, film, and immersive theater based in New York City. The North Carolina native graduated Cum Laude from the University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance under Jodie Gates where she performed the works of William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, Paul Taylor, Jiřà Kylián, Barak Marshall, d Sabela Grimes, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and more. She has recently performed as a principal soloist in The Listeners at Chicago Lyric Opera and Life and Trust Emursive Productions. Her credits also include Metropolitan Opera, Parsons Dance, NVA and Guests, Traverse City Dance Project, Zeitgeist Dance Theatre, and Monica Bill Barnes & Company. Rachel is a 2023 Bessie Award Nominee for Outstanding Performer.
A choreographer in her own right, Rachel’s work has been commissioned by The Kennedy Center, Howard University, Traverse City Dance Project, and International Association of Blacks in Dance. She has most notably been named Howard University’s Emerging Choreographer to Watch, Gibney Dance Converge2Emerge Film Grant Recipient, and a Professional Choreographer Finalist for New Century Dance Project. Rachel's creative exploration fuses her architectural design interest with contemporary and social dance practices to create and present work for film and stage.
Anne Kim
Anne Kim is a dancer and choreographer from Los Angeles, California. She began her dance training at the Marat Daukayev School of Ballet under the direction of Marat Daukayev and Hasmik Amirian. After graduating from the LA County High School for the Arts, Anne received a full scholarship to attend the BFA program at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Building on the experiences gained at the Boston Conservatory, Anne transferred to the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in 2018, completing her BFA in Dance and her Master of Science in Gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
She has had the privilege of training and performing works by many renowned artists, including William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Aszure Barton, Barak Marshall, Jermaine Spivey, Jiri Kylian, Hope Boykin, Yusha Marie-Sorzano, and Bret Easterling, among others. As a professional freelance artist, Anne has been invited to perform and collaborate at various esteemed residences and productions. Anne was awarded the 2023-2024 Emerging Artist Fellowship by the California Arts Council and Los Angeles Performance Practice. Most recently, Anne was selected by the renowned Goethe Institute to create, develop, and curate an original exhibition aimed at uplifting the MacArthur Park/Westlake neighborhood in Los Angeles. “Voices of Experience" spotlighted extraordinary women in her community through a multidisciplinary, intergenerational, and immersive exhibition that featured storytelling through dance and film.
Cam Archie
Cam Archie (any pronouns) is a 2025 graduate of Point Park University, earning a BFA in Dance and pursuing a master's in education (PreK-4) beginning in Fall 2025. Born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA, Cam began rigorous dance training at the age of four at their home studio and continued through age fourteen, after which they were accepted into a performing arts school to deepen their practice.
Throughout high school and college, Cam developed a versatile foundation in modern, ballet, jazz, and various cultural dance forms. During their time at Point Park, they had the opportunity to work with esteemed choreographers including Jason McDole, Rennie Harris, Staycee Pearl, Crystal Frazier, Jess Hendricks, Martha Nichols, and Karla Garcia.
Cam is deeply inspired by the vibrancy of life and the richness of Black identity. Their work is rooted in a desire to explore and honor Black artistry—seeking freedom through movement and expression and using the body as a vessel for storytelling. They are moved by the beauty of human experience and draw inspiration from their surroundings, celebrating the complexities and connections that make life meaningful.
Sophia Oddi
Sophia Oddi is a dancer and choreographer based in Los Angeles. She is an inaugural graduate of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance under the direction of Jodie Gates and William Forsythe, and an alumni of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. She has performed for TU Dance, Yusha Marie-Sorzano, Zeitgeist Dance Theatre, and ISHIDA Dance Company. Sophia has choreographed for AdidasxSNS, music videos, and recently was the assistant choreographer under Laura Miller for the upcoming Smurfs movie. This year, she choreographed and produced her first split-bill show in Los Angeles.
Our Charter Professional Company: 2020/2021
Zeitgeist Dance Theatre launched just months before the start of an unexpected worldwide pandemic in March 2020. Faced with a decision following the hiring of these dancers just before in January, the company's leadership decided to move forward despite many unknowns. Our inaugural company members boldly moved forward with us and our new professional company was born.
Following a completely virtual season in the summer of 2020 and a hybrid season in the summer of 2021 with these company members, most of these talented professionals landed full-time positions with year-round companies as the performing arts world opened up once again. At this time, ZDT moved its energies into developing our Summer Company Experience program with over 40 Trainees. With this program now flying high, Zeitgeist will begin reintroducing our professional company in the summers of 2025 and 2026.
As we reflect on our company’s journey to date, we are incredibly grateful for these seven artists who committed to establishing something very special during a difficult time.
Cameron Cofrancesco
Rachel Harris
Eileen Kim
Sophia Oddi
Benjamin Peralta
Alessandra De
Paolantonio
Jacalyn Tatro
Administrative Team
Jeffrey Hoffman
Founding Executive Director
Santa Fe, NM
Jeffrey’s career as an arts and education administrator spans nearly thirty years. He is a recognized leader and innovator in organizational development and capacity building. Jeffrey’s extensive experience gained from being a collegiate Assistant Director of Admissions, Program Director, Marketing Director, Dean of Students, performing arts administrator, and business leader gives him comprehensive knowledge of organizational structures and policies, personnel management, as well as a strong working knowledge of dance culture and practice. Jeffrey received his Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Mennonite University in 1991, his Masters in Higher Education Administration from Colorado State University in 1996, and studied Higher Education Leadership at the University of Southern California.
Since 2015, he has served as CEO and Managing Director for Francisco Gella Dance Works and is currently the Executive Director of Zeitgeist Dance Theatre. Jeffrey currently resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Tara Debevec Mier
Operations Manager
Santa Fe, NM
Tara Debevec Mier, a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Saint Mary’s College of California earning a B.A. in Performing Arts Dance, with an emphasis on Arts Administration and Management, boasts a four-decade-long career that has taken her across the United States, Europe, and New Zealand. Her deep love for dance is reflected in her diverse knowledge as a performer, instructor, mentor, choreographer, production manager, and artistic director.
Beyond her performance career, Tara possesses extensive experience in managing and directing dance training programs and producing dance performance events. Her many leadership roles include; Assistant Artistic Director and Interim Artistic Director at the National Dance Institute of New Mexico; Artistic Director of Moving People Dance; Talent Scout, Choreographer, and Rehearsal Captain for Celebrity Enterprise Corporate Entertainment; Young Children’s Program Director for Now We’re Dancin’; and the Owner/Artistic Director of Tara’s Dance Academy.
Currently residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Tara teaches at Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, is the Operations Manager for Zeitgeist Dance Theatre and Program Coordinator for Francisco Gella Dance Works.