Jessica “DiBa” Bennett

Teaches: All Levels Improv, Vinyasa Yoga

Jessica Bennett aka DiBa studied at the Canton Ballet for 14 years and then completed a dual degree at Ohio State University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Modern Dance & Choreography and a Bachelors of Art in Psychology. While studying at OSU, Jessica trained with professors who were principal dancers of Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, and Pina Bausch. After completing her undergrad studies, she danced professionally with TUPACO Dance, Lori Belilove, High Jinx, Anna and the Annadroids, and the Backspace Performance Ensemble. In 2009, Jessica moved to NYC to continue dancing for Backspace and developed more collaborations with companies like Amy Campbell's Crooked Mouth Dance Company and Davon Chance Dance, the Kloons production company, and musicians including Yula Beeri, Basement Batman, and Fashion Week, as well as several drag artists like Thorgy Thor and Acid Betty. Jessica's dance career also led to her curiosity in Yoga, and she completed her 200 hr RYT at Yoga Vida NYC, a program grounded in Vinyasa with influences of Ashtanga. After 5 years living the NYC life, she decided to move to Los Angeles where she became the choreographer for Fugitive Kind Live Theater under the direction of Ovation award-winning director Amanda McCraven. Jessica performed in the ensemble and choreographed dances for Shine Darkly, Illyria, and also co-produced and performed in Fugitive's first full-evening dance work My Sister was the First to Fly. Since moving back to Ohio, she has become assistant director of the Cleveland Dance Project. Aside from assistant directing, she has danced and choreographed for several CDP showcases, and she continues to teach contemporary and improv classes for the organization. When she isn’t working with CDP, she is a certified yoga teacher focused on vinyasa and prenatal yoga, teaches Contact Improv at Yoga Central in Canton, is a teaching artist for Artful Living & Learning, is a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at the University of Akron, and mothers two beautiful children and a yorkie poo.