A Glorious Movement — Bodies in Joy, Voices Rising

The Glorious Way She Moves

A Glorious Movement — Bodies in Joy, Voices Rising is a multidisciplinary collaboration that brings together the reflections of Barbara Felix’s muses embodied by Jennifer Edmonds-Jones, Amber Ortega, Tanesha Payne and Moria Joy Small in a four-part journey of vulnerability, empowerment, and collective joy. The interactive performance weaves movement, voice, framed by the evocative poetry of Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, and undertones of song by Aralyn Solei and Shelly Lares.  The experience unfolds as a ritual of hope and unity at a time when women need it most.

The performance is sponsored by Women & Their Work and Roberta “Nina’ Hassele. The audio is produced by Barbara Felix and Shellshock Records with the generous support of Centro San Antonio ‘Art Everywhere Project’ and Luminaria San Antonio 2025 Working Artist Fund For Women sponsored by The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation. 

 

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

POETRY READING

Andrea ‘Vocab’ Sanderson is the fifth City of San Antonio Poet Laureate Emeritus 2020 to 2023. Her performance style is a powerful fusion of spoken word, hip hop, and rhythm and blues. She is the Arts Education Coordinator for the Carver Community Cultural Center and has taught creative writing workshops, performance, and featured with her original poetry from local venues to internationally in Abu Dhabi. Some of her awards include: Literary Excellence Award by Gemini Ink 2024. Best Local Poet 2024, 2023, and 2021 by the San Antonio Current. Best Literary Advocate 2020 by San Antonio Magazine. Vocab has had the distinct honor of opening up for the late great Nikki Giovanni, Dr. Cornel West, and Phylicia Rashad. She has public artwork collaborations in several places in the San Antonio area including: Peacock Alley, E. Commerce Street, and the San Antonio International Airport to name a few.

Vocab’s debut book is entitled: She Lives In Music, published by Flower Song Press, February 2020. Her second poetry collection, The Seasoned Woman is available on Gnashing Teeth Publishing. Her music is available on all music streaming sites. 

CONTEMPORARY MOVEMENT

Jennifer Edmonds-Jones extensive career in the arts can be attributed to her tireless quest for knowledge and self-discovery. Her consummate passion and reverence for the arts coupled with a fervent commitment to the San Antonio community led her to the founding of Bridges: Creating Artistic Community in 2016. Bridges is an arts service organization that partners with artists, organizations, and community leaders on new and developing projects to artistically serve the community. Performer, choreographer, director, educator, administrator, film, video, theater, outreach, and advocate are a few hashtags that describe Jennifer’s career. Her greatest career highlight is her life role as a wife and mother of her 2 daughters.

Amber Ortega is a Queer Xicana-Tejana, choreographer, writer, educator, and the Coordinator for the International Folk Culture Center at Our Lady of the Lake University. Ortega researches and explores embodiment, technology, and the epistemology of dance. She is a guest lecturer, offering transdisciplinary approaches from dance perspectives. Her embodied writing research is currently supported by the Michigan-based Croft Residency for 2024 & 2025, she is the first Artist-in-Residence for A-SonGlo Foundation’s Texas writers residency. Her works, “Mycelium” (Somos Xicanas Anthology published by Riot of Roses Publishing House) and “WATERHEATDREAMPLACE” (published by OyeDrum), have been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and Best of the Web.

Tanesha Payne (she/they) is a movement artist who performs, creates, educates, and passionately advocates for dance. She holds an MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University and a BFA in Dance Studies from Texas State University. Founder of sumRset Movement, a contemporary dance company in San Antonio, TX, Tanesha merges academic insight with personal experience to make dance accessible while upholding its integrity. She fosters inclusive spaces and connections within her community that transcend boundaries. Her commitment to arts integration sparks curiosity and understanding across all walks of life.

Moria Joy Small started dancing when she was 18 years old, after years of organized sports. She began training and eventually decided to get her Bachelors degree in Dance and Certificate in Creative Writing at the University of Texas. Along the way she danced and worked in support of local art and artists. After finishing her time with UT in 2025 she moved to Kansas to train in classical modern techniques at the Storling Conservatory. She continues to pursue dance and opportunities to choreograph. “It’s never too late to pursue what Jesus has placed in your heart.”

MUSICAL VOCALS

Solei (Aralyn Hilliard) is a singer-songwriter and graduating senior at Howard University whose artistry blends soul, jazz, and intimate storytelling. Raised in Texas and shaped by early performance experiences on large stages, she has spent the last several years developing her sound across the U.S. and abroad. Fresh off opening Howard Homecoming, she continues to focus on creating emotionally resonant, community-centered music. Solei joins her Aunt Barbara Felix on the Glorious Way She Moves project with a commitment to authenticity, warmth, and intentional creative collaboration.

SOUNDTRACK

Shelly Lares, known as “Little Miss Dynamite,” is a Tejano music icon whose powerful voice and heartfelt performances shaped the genre for over 43 years. With more than 25 albums, countless awards, and tours across the U.S. and beyond, she remains one of Tejano’s most respected and beloved artists. In 2023, Shelly transitioned from performing to new creative ventures, launching her own label and studio, Shellshock Records 3. She now produces, composes, and offers services including artist development, vocal coaching, marketing, and management. Shelly also supports Harmony Hospice Care through music and made history as UTSA’s first Artist in Residence, teaching studio audio, mentoring students, and expanding into film and series composition.