Artistic Director of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company since 2013, Daniel Charon has been active as a choreographer, teacher, and performer for over twenty-five years. While based in New York City, Daniel maintained a project-based company and primarily danced with Doug Varone and Dancers (1999-2010) and the Limón Dance Company (1997-1999). He is a BFA graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and an MFA graduate of the California Institute of the Arts in Choreography and Integrated Media. As Ririe-Woodbury’s Artistic Director, Daniel has created over 20 original works for the stage, gallery installations, and has designed video for his and other choreographers’ works. As an independent choreographer he has presented multiple full evening concerts in New York City, has been produced by various theaters, and has been commissioned to choreograph new works for many companies, universities, and festivals around the country. Daniel has choreographed The Pearl Fishers, Aida, Moby-Dick, and La Traviata at the Utah Opera. Daniel has taught master classes and workshops nationally and internationally and has taught at the Metropolitan Opera, the Bates Dance Festival, Salt Dance Fest, North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Comprehensive, Varone Summer Dance Workshops, and Limón Summer Workshops. He has been a guest artist and adjunct instructor at numerous universities. Daniel has staged the works of José Limón, Jirí Kylián, and Doug Varone at schools and companies around the world.

Thom has worked in the arts non-profit sector for 11 years in communications, outreach, and leadership roles for dance companies across the United States. From 2019 – 2023, Thom worked for The Rosin Box Project in San Diego as the organization’s inaugural Executive Director. Through his work, the company grew from a $30,000 to $500,000 budget and engaged students across Southern California in numerous dance education workshops. Thom is most proud of TRBP’s outreach program success,, as well as the integration of TRBP into its present home in Liberty Station, a historic naval training center and reclaimed arts district in the heart of San Diego. Thom has presented on the topics of social media and dance education to the Board of Directors at Arts for Learning, The San Diego Arts Empower Mega-Conference, and San Diego Unified School District. He has previously served on the communications committee for AERO San Diego, as well as on the executive committee for Rising Arts Leaders of San Diego. Thom currently sits on the advisory Board for Vanguard Culture, a cultural arts organization serving the San Diego/Tijuana region. Thom has also served on the Board of Directors for Smashworks Dance, a dance and social advocacy organization based in New York City. Thom is a former professional dancer and performed for Milwaukee Ballet II, Grand Rapids Ballet, The Big Muddy Dance Company, The Muny, and Malashock Dance. In his downtime he enjoys hiking and camping with his dog, Zoey.

Ai began dancing at the age of four in Tokyo, Japan, where she received several national dance awards. After coming to the U.S., she earned a BFA in Modern Dance at the University of Utah. Following graduation, Ai apprenticed for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in New York City, and danced professionally with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company for eight seasons in Salt Lake City between 2000 and 2008. In 2009 she danced her way to New Zealand, where she acquired a Master of Creative and Performing Arts degree. Throughout her career, Ai has enjoyed teaching students of all ages and abilities, both nationally and internationally. In the state of Utah, she has served as Adjunct Faculty at Utah Valley University, taught creative dance for the University of Utah’s Tanner Dance, as well as modern dance technique for the Ballet West Academy. She is thrilled to have returned to Ririe-Woodbury in 2014 as Education Director, and looks forward to an adventurous future with the company.

A life-long Utahan born and raised on a dairy farm, Kirt has been involved in the arts since his riveting performance of Lysander in his fourth-grade production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A former member of Actors’ Equity Association, he has acted in or directed over 50 plays/musicals, readings, and fundraising performances. His favorite onstage moments have all been at Plan-B Theatre, where he also served as a pro bono graphic designer and marketing consultant. Kirt’s administrative career began with The Clements Group, one of the most successful non-profit advancement consulting firms in the country, where he spent 10 years learning the ins and outs and ups and downs of non-profit management and fundraising. He spent the next decade putting that knowledge into practice as Executive Director of Davis Arts Council which, during his decade-long tenure, quadrupled in size, becoming the largest multi-disciplinary arts non-profit between Davis County and the Idaho border. He has also worked as COO/Creative Guru of Dr. Pam Enterprises (a suite of pet care and veterinary businesses), Human Resources Manager of House of Hope, and Executive Director of Safe Harbor Crisis Center, as well as serving on the boards of Utah AIDS Foundation and Theatre Arts Conservatory. Kirt lives in Salt Lake City with his husband of many (many!) years, Jerry Rapier, their son Oscar, and their dogs Gus and Lulu. He is honored and humbled to join Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company.