Teatro Salvaje

An artist at heart and photojournalist by profession, Johnathon Henninger (aka Baruch de la Pardo) has toiled in the state of Connecticut with a camera in hand for over five years. Currently shooting both photo and video for the Record Journal in Meriden, CT, he uses both mediums to great effect, documenting the community daily. He is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. Johnathon has won several awards for his work, most recently the first place feature photo award in the Society of Professional Journalists 2006 Excellence in Journalism competition.

Dominik has been performing, designing and building magic all his life. He's also a highly sought out lighting designer. Dominik has toured Australia and New Zealand with the World Festival of Magic, and was the assistant tech-director for Wizardz dinner theatre at Universal Studios Hollywood. Currently he’s an assistant stage manager at the World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, that is when he’s not lighting a new musical, building an original magic illusion or producing short films for GAFF (Grand And Finite Films), of which he’s a founding member.

Having grown up with a special effects genius for a father, Dominik was exposed to all sorts of impossible things and creations. “NO” was never an option. If it didn’t exist then invent it and create it. A favourite Chinese proverb states, “Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.”

Dominik has been developing a brand new show for the stage, The Mystic Travelz of Sebastian Kraine. The story of the travelz of the mystic Sebastian Kraine. He explores and travels through other dimensions, hopefully finding his way home. Dominik has developed totally original illusions and effects for this show. The style of the show hasn’t been seen since the early part of the 20th century. Story telling was a common aspect of early magicians performances, but here Dominik has taken a story and
made it into a full length stage production rather than a small vignette.

A quiet yet unstoppable power, and usually a behind-the-scenes gal, Brandy would like to thank Jorge Davies, the director of Teatro Salvaje for inviting her to perform on the screen and forever document her residency in Joshua Tree.

Today Brandy resides in Los Angeles where she maintains a successful healing practice based in Beverly Hills. She is an ordained minister and practitioner of various healing modalities including Pranic & Theta Healing, Massage Therapy, and Trauma Release work. Her work is highly intuitive as people consult her when they need to move through emotional blocks and make life-scale decisions. She is known for helping people get to the heart of the matter and creating real change.

Brandy is also very passionate about sportbikes and is currently seeking sponsorship for her vision of combining healing and two-wheeling. She can be reached at (818) 645-8668 for more information or appointments.

Elena Iguina

Born and raised on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. There, while majoring in biology, I took acting as a hobby and starred in various plays, including Fahrenheit 451 and Tres (Three). It was on the stage that I found my place in life. Upon this discovery I quickly packed my belongings and came to Los Angeles to study drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After graduation I booked several commercials for the Latin and American market such as, Allstate, Jack In The Box, AT&T, American Airlines and Nissan. It wasn’t long when I ventured into the film industry and had the opportunity to work with Ben Stiller and the Farrelly Bros in the movie The Heartbreak Kid. One day I received a phone call from a Puerto Rican production company, Isla Films, who extended to me an invitation to be part of their next film, Manuela y Manuel. This project, starring the Mexican actor Humberto Busto (Amores Perros) and directed by Raúl Marchand (12 Horas), was the first Puerto Rican movie to participate in the AFI Film Fest. This comedy, full of heart, passion and misunderstandings, premiered at the festival in Hollywood, California, and was very well received by audiences, critics and filmmakers everywhere.

At some point during this journey I realized that the Hollywood industry, while good for my pocket, wasn’t nourishing for my thespian soul. I got lost in the typical, depressing Hollywood world, “struggling actress during the day, professional restaurant hostess at night”. But then, a window opened up. Don McLeod, my incredible Butoh teacher, invited me to be part of a small, fun but wonderful project… Teatro Salvaje. Didn’t take a second to say “YES!” and embark on this magical journey. I quit my job and headed towards Joshua Tree with Matt, John and Brandy. I enjoyed three days surrounded by art, good karma, laughter, great food (thanks Celene) and amazing people (Jorge, Dominik y mi niña, Rocío…mwah!). These three days fueled me up with a great energy that will last a lifetime. Gracias!

“Dame un momento para probar de qué estoy hecho, soy el que va cuesta arriba, soy el que va al acecho. …y no pienso regresar con las manos vacías, con lamentos, con un sueño sin culminar. No quiero irme concediendo otra victoria a esta ciudad!”

Rocio Perez

Rocio was born in Santiago, Chile on January 1st, 1981 and started her dance career at the age of 10 with intense classical ballet training. After 7 years, she became one of the best dancers in the academy, but it didn't matter how much she loved dancing, she got tired of following the strict structure of movements of ballet and started to look for something that would give her more freedom while performing.

After trying many dance disciplines, including exotic ones, she was introduced to Butoh in 1999, by Carla Lobos, the amazing Chilean performer and instructor. This changed her life and the way she felt about dance. She performed in Chile several times with her butoh dance group, and after almost a year of training, she moved with her son and boyfriend to Los Angeles, California. Here she met people involved with butoh, including Don McLeod, and got to perform with him a three show season called Sacred Madness at the Santa Monica Playhouse in 2003. Rocio participated in a variety of art projects, including music videos, independent movies and art festivals. After many performances, she met Jorge Davies, and got invited to participate in his independent film Teatro Salvaje, where she played a gypsy butoh dancer. Currently she's training with Oguri in the Body Weather Laboratory in Venice,California.

Richard Weekley

Richard was born in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1945. Co founder/co-editor of Volume Number Magazine from 1983-2000, he won the Teacher of the Year Award for teaching Creative Writing in the William S. Hart Union High School District in Los Angeles County in 1999. He retired after forty years in 2007 and now devotes his time to his writing and his publishing company, Los Angeles Poets’ Press. The Literary Review, The MacGuffin, The Midwest Quarterly, Poetry LA, Queen's Quarterly, Wisconsin Review, West Coast Review, Bitterroot, CQ, Crosscurrents and Pudding are a sampling of the journals that have published his poetry. He is listed in A Directory of American Poets and Writers compiled by Poets & Writers, Inc., and is the winner of various prizes including Black Bear Publication's International Chapbook Competition. He was a visiting artist at Mount Saint Mary's College and California Institute of the Arts, as well as at many coffee houses, literary groups and colleges. He’s been a guest on several AM and FM radio programs. Although published internationally in four countries, Richard continues to counsel his dog Bubba not to bark at unseen skateboarders and himself not to make shopping lists for insect repellent or toilet paper during zazen. Richard’s Zen teacher tells him: “To study Zen is to study the self -- to study the self is to forget the self.”

"Richard Weekley is a buddha with sax in hand; his tender never-ending tune will help us heal our lives." -- Peter Levitt, Finger Painting on the Moon.

Joanna Shapiro

Joanna is a freelance reality and game show producer whose recent credits include “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”, “The World Series of Blackjack”, and “Identity.” She started off as an actress, studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, but Teatro Salvaje marks her debut as a magician’s assistant.

Celene de Miranda

Celene started her on-stage life in 1976 at the age of 6, when she acted as MC, introducing her grandparents Marais and Miranda at one of their singing engagements at the outdoor ISOMATA amphitheater in Idyllwild, CA. Since then, she has pursued all avenues of the performing arts, taking pleasure in each form's unique energies. As a young woman, she trained as a classical mime with Richmond Shepard, and performed in community plays and musicals throughout her early adulthood, including Godspell, Grease, and It's a Mad Mad World. In 1989 she wrote and performed "Smiles and Pieces" a one-woman show performed at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she then had the good fortune to meet Don McLeod, also performing there, who graciously shared his mime teachings and encouraged her in her artistic development. In 1990 she studied improvisational theater with Bay Area Theater Sports in San Francisco, and in 1992 she joined the dance troupe of Jacqueline McCormick as one of the principle dancers. In 2001 she performed as a movement artist in the butoh dance film, "Dancing out of Darkness", shot on location in the magic of the Joshua Tree desert. She just happens to be married to Jorge Davies, director-producer-editor of the film Teatro Salvaje. Teatro Salvaje is her second film appearance. Coincidence? We think not.

Don McLeod

Don was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His dynamic style of physical theatre and butoh was developed by his training with a number of the world's leading artists including Marcel Marceau, Etienne Decroux, Jerzy Grotowski and Sankai Juku. Don's interest in butoh began during his many trips to Japan, which began in the late 70's. His butoh style has developed after many years studying the techniques of Japan's leading butoh artists including Kazuo Ohno, Yoko Ashikawa, Akaji Maro and most recently with Yukio Waguri, who passed on the "secret" teachings of Tatsumi Hijikata and his Butoh Fu techniques.

McLeod went on to form his own professional company and also began appearing in films, television and solo concerts throughout the U.S.. In 1974 he was selected as a resident performing artist at the World's Fair in Washington, and then was picked to be a featured part of singer Diana Ross's World Tour. As a movement artist and actor, McLeod has appeared in many feature films, television shows and commercials. His film roles include the bizarre lead werewolf in The Howling, the over-sexed gorilla in Trading Places, and a physicist/gorilla in The Man With Two Brains. He doubled for Jack Nicholson in the Devil transformation scenes from Witches of Eastwick, played Peter Pan's Shadow in Hook, a gorilla in Born To Be Wild, Quasimodo in Naked Gun 2½ and a starring role (as a female gorilla) in Mom Can I Keep Her. He also co-starred in Jorge Davies' first butoh feature film, Dancing Out of Darkness. Many will remember Don as the suitcase-smashing gorilla on the award-winning American Tourister Luggage ads on TV.

Don is a long-time student and practitioner of the Asian arts including Zen, Taoism, Advaita Vedanta. He is also an award-winning Haiku poet an non-fiction writer. He lives in Los Angeles with his cat Benny.