Directors
Lisa Clements began her early training with a regional company in California and then as an apprentice with Sacramento Ballet until she attended BYU on scholarship. While pursuing BA and MA degrees in dance, she performed and toured with BYU Theater Ballet Co, under the direction of Yi Qi Cheng and Mark Lanham. Lisa received awards for teaching, choreography, and writing in addition to the Dancers’ Choice and Leona Holbrook awards. During her 30 plus years of teaching, she taught at BYU, was Assistant Director of the Youth Artists program at BYU, and directed ballet programs at various studios. Lisa danced professionally with UCDT (now known as Odyssey) under Daryl Yeager and received the 2017 Audience Choice award for choreography at the Red Rock Dance Festival.
Currently, Lisa helps with the administration of St. George Dance Company, serves on their board, and is the Red Rock Dance Festival Director. Still teaching, she enjoys mentoring students at DSU and those in the SGDC Youth Artists program by sharing her passion for refined technique and artistry. Lisa is also owner/designer of Tutu Art and Dance Costumes. She loves working with her daughter to direct this production for the 3rd time and feels that it has been a blessing and a privilege to be a witness of the Savior through what she loves!
Andrielle Davidson was raised in St. George, and has always been passionate about ballet. In her teen years she grew a love for choreographing and producing. At the age of 17 she produced the first - very small - edition of a Nativity Ballet on a chapel stage. Andrielle studied Ballet and Folk dance at BYU and performed with a folk dance team and choreographed with the Ballet Showcase Company. In 2018, she went on tour with the Sino-American Creative Performance Exchange to Shanghai and Beijing as a performer, choreographer and acting director. Seeing her work on an international stage inspired her to pursue more creative projects. Later that year, she and her mother, Lisa Clements, worked together to produce the second edition of Hope of the World, a Dance Nativity Concert and hope to bring it to the stage every year. Andrielle studied massage therapy and now specializes in massage for dancers. She has been enjoying the last few seasons dancing with St George Dance Company and now manages and teaches for the SGDC Youth Artists Program.
Additional Choreographers: Rachel Holman, Jenny Mair, Avree Walker, and Elizabeth Stich (updated bios coming)
Principle Performers
Growing up in Farmington, UT, Erica received her early training at Clytie Adam’s School of
Ballet and the Ballet West Conservatory. She received the prestigious William F. Christensen
scholarship to the University of Utah and danced principal roles with the Utah Ballet. She was
a member of Odyssey Dance Theater from 2009-2014, and continues to perform with them as
a guest artist. Erica has also performed in 12 seasons (29 shows!) at the Tuacahn
Amphitheater. She has danced in Taiwan, Switzerland, Paris, London, Istanbul, Germany,
and Japan where she spent a year dancing the roles of Wendy and Snow White in the original
cast of “One Man’s Dream II” at Tokyo Disneyland. Other favorite roles include: Victoria
(Cats), Dream Laurie (Oklahoma!), Duvay (Starlight Express), Mary Bailey (It’s a Wonderful
Life), a featured Rockette in Disney’s High School Musical 3, and especially enjoys the roles
of Mrs. Frankenstein (Thriller), Dance Beyond the Grave (Thriller), Snow Queen and
Sugarplum Fairy (The Nutcracker) because she often gets to dance those roles with her
favorite partner, her husband, Troy. Erica is humbled to be part of this very special show for a
third time, and is thrilled to be dancing with Troy again! Much love to her sweet boys Hunter
and Bryce, and to Mom & Dad for all the dance lessons, and now, babysitting so that she
can continue to do what she loves!
Erica Bryce dances the role of Mary
Troy McGee dances the role of Joseph
Growing up in Houston, Troy started dancing at the age of 12, and a few years later expanded his training to the Houston Ballet Academy. He attended dance competitions and regional ballet festivals as well as performing as a guest artist for various companies around the country. At the age of 19 he received a year long scholarship to the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. While he was on scholarship he was mentored by, and traveled the country assisting, Doug Caldwell, Mandy Moore, Dee Caspary, and Mark Meismer. He was a member of Terry Beeman's Performance Company, Adam Parson's C. Dance Company, and Justin Giles' Soul Escape. Troy also performed with and appeared in music videos for Lenny Kravitz, Pink, and Avril Lavigne. In 2008 Troy joined Odyssey Dance Theatre where he discovered more than a new found love for dance, he met the woman who would become his wife, Erica Bryce and they've spent the rest of their careers dancing together. They've toured parts of Europe and Turkey with Odyssey, performed in 10 seasons together at Tuacahn Amphitheatre, and performed together in Westside Studio's "The Nutcracker". Troy is excited to be performing this role, telling such a beautiful story with this wonderful cast, and getting to dance with Erica again. Much love to their sweet baby boy Hunter, who helps to add an additional emotional element to this story.
HOPE OF THE WORLD
A NATIVITY of MUSIC and DANCE
SAVE THE DATE NOVEMBER 2023
Reviews from Patrons and Performers
“It was so beautifully done and very touching in the portrayal of the birth of Christ, in a way that I had not seen and in ways that I had not appreciated before. One of my favorite scenes is the portrayal of Joseph when struggling with what was happening with Mary, then Gabriel appears, and later Mary enters. It brought me tears for several minutes each time I experienced it. I loved the production from the first scene to the last note and couldn't help hiding in the wings of the stage to watch it from start to finish. I was grateful that I had decided to sacrifice a little time at a busy season to experience such a wonderful treasure in adoration of the Savior and those important souls that played a key part in His birth.” ~Shane Johansen
“It’s so beautiful and original to see the Nativity danced. It’s so refreshing at Christmas time to see something so meaningful and good. I felt like the quality of the choreography, dancing and singing was amazing!!!
People that I brought (that I thought maybe it would be a little too artistic for them) absolutely loved it. I’ve never heard of anybody coming to the show and not loving it.”
“Narrative, musical score, live accompaniment, collaboration, powerful storytelling”
“Beautifully spiritual, a different approach to the story”
“The message! I loved being involved with this celebration!"