Meet the Team
The Heart of the Action. Learn more about our hardworking team, dedicated to bring art created by Vicki Chelf to life on the stage and share the untold stories of the women of the resistance in WWII.
Vicki is a fine arts graduate of the Ringling School of Art and Design. She also studied classical techniques with Charlie Miano at the Southern Atelier.
She has had one-person shows in Sarasota, Florida; Fairfield, Iowa; Paris, France; and Val-David, Quebec. Her work has been shown in the Galerie Martine Moisine in Paris, Meridian Gallery in London, Swanson Contemporary in Louisville and Objects and Images in New York.
She worked for The Ringling Brothers Circus as a foam carver and scenic painter, and was the assistant to bronze master Jeff Marks, who cast the work of super-realist sculptor Duane Hanson.
Vicki is the creator of the "Bug People Project," a series of children’s books with illustration and audio, as well as a dozen cookbooks published in both English and French. She hosted and co-hosted a radio show on WSLR in Sarasota for several years. Vicki lives in Sarasota, Florida, where she has organized art-based community fundraising events for Second Heart Homes and for Ukraine. She is represented by Paul Sykes at Art Avenue.
Click here to visit Vicki's portfolio website.
​
MEET
VICKI CHELF
MEET WARREN SLIM WILLIAMS
Chance, circumstance, and a spiritual mindset led Slim to work in various musical fields and with a multitude of collaborators. He has had the privilege to share the stage with artists including Smokey Robinson, Oscar Peterson, Daniel Lavoie, The Neville Brothers and Joe Cocker, to name a few.
​
As a Musical Director, Williams has been involved with some colossal projects such as the Atlanta Olympic Games TV special, The World Basketball Championships in Toronto, and five years with the "Just For Laughs" International Comedy Festival working with such greats as Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Bernie Mac, Cedric the Entertainer and Joy Behar.
​
Slim has also established himself as a seasoned actor by having over thirty films under his belt acting alongside such names as: Pam Grier, Nick Nolte, Roy Dupuis, Vanessa Williams, Morris Chestnut, Alan Alda. He held principal roles in the films Jack Paradise (with Roy Dupuis) which showcased his French speaking and acting ability; multi-award winning short film Next Floor, directed by Denis Villeneuve with the musical score by Williams; and most recently, Lee Daniels’ new film: The United States vs Billie Holiday, where not only did he have a principal role but was also the on-set musical director.
Brenda Boone is President of Human Solutions and Board Chair of Women of Resistance. She has loved and supported the performing arts since the 1980s with her start at the Metropolitan Center, Boston. She is a producer of the Broadway play Purlie Victorious.
MEET
BRENDA BOONE
MEET
CAROLYN
MICHEL
Carolyn Michel has appeared on Broadway with Sid Caesar in “Sid Caesar & Company” and she won the Best Actress Film Award at the Oniros Film Festival in Italy for "Katia." Carolyn has been a resident actor at the Asolo Repertory Theatre for 24 seasons in roles like: Silda in Other Desert Cities; Kate in Broadway Bound; Becky Felderman in Morningstar; Miss Moffat in The Corn is Green; Maggie in Hobson’s Choice; Marjorie Taub in Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; Boo in The Last Night of Ballyhoo; Helga in Deathtrap; and lead roles in The Imaginary Invalid, Sisters Rosensweig, Brighton Beach Memoirs, I’m Not Rappaport, among others.
At Florida Studio Theatre, she appeared in five one-woman plays: all five characters in Family Secrets; Rose in Rose; Dorothy Parker: One Foot in Scarsdale; Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe; and Ann Landers in Lady With All the Answers. Florida Studio Theatre’s appearances include: Sylvia the dog in Sylvia, Lillian Hellman in Cakewalk, Don’t Dress For Dinner, Learned Ladies, The Heir Transparent, The Triumph of Love, and Execution of Justice.
Carolyn has performed in theatres throughout the country, with Cape Playhouse and Peterborough Players among her favorites. In addition, she has volunteered to produce and/or emcee benefits to raise funds for many non-profits. She lives with the love of her life—husband/director Howard Millman and their cat Mortie.
Hailing from Staunton, VA, James Jordan developed an early love of music in his father’s Presbyterian church, which led him towards musical theatre opportunities, and eventually into the dance studios of The Richmond Ballet and NC School of the Arts.
Kansas City, MO then became his artistic base for the next 35 years as dancer, teacher and rehearsal director while performance opportunities in operas, ballets and various concerts took him regularly to Santa Fe, New York, and various points in the northeast.
James also embraced an interim period of public relations and event planning for public television and various non-profits before a ballet staging project brought him to the Sarasota Ballet. After five years there as ballet master, James transitioned to the world of art & antiques but has kept his feet in the dance world as an occasional performer and choreographer for his solo projects and beyond.
He relishes the collaborative opportunities that Sarasota’s artistic community continues to inspire like Vicki Chelf’s powerful “Women of Resistance” project.
MEET
JAMES JORDAN
MEET BRENTNEY J.
Brentney J. is a dancer/choreographer from Atlanta, GA, and an alumna of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Although she received her BS in Chemistry and MPH Certification from Georgia State University, her best chemistry has always been on the stage.
She has been featured in television and film projects such as HBO's Bessie, Bolden, and Real Housewives of Atlanta, but her love for performing thrives on the stage. Her niche for musical theatre has allowed her to perform in shows including Chicago, Ain't Misbehavin, In The Heights, Guys and Dolls, and so much more. Oftentimes, you can find her performing at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota, Florida.
Brentney J. alongside fiancé and performer extraordinaire, Brian L. Boyd, launched M.A.D. Music Acting Dance, Inc. This organization is a 501(c)3 performing arts education organization, whose mission is to educate, create, and inspire art through music, acting, and dance. Her hope is to create triple-threat performers who can take their talents anywhere!
Brentney J. Is honored and excited to be a part of the Women of Resistance as a dancer/choreographer. She is a woman who dares to encourage positive change in her community, just as the women in this series accomplished.
Born in a small city in the foothills of the Himalayas, Megha’s fascination with the expressive world of dance started as early as a 4-year-old kid, well before the YouTube era. A self-taught dancer at that age, she then went on to formalize her training under the guidance of eminent gurus, mastering intricate footwork, graceful expressions, and the rich storytelling that defines classical Indian dance, Kathak. A dentist by training from India, she earned her MPH from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and life brought her to Florida in 2011. She brought her Indian roots, and her love for dance and seamlessly blended the vibrant traditions of Bollywood and classical Indian dance with the American melting pot.
Her electrifying performances, characterized by high-energy moves and colorful costumes, quickly caught the attention of audiences as she performed at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, cultural events in Tampa, Orlando, and in and around Florida with her dance troupe.
Megha’s commitment to cultural exchanges shines through her various productions where she conceptualizes and choreographs mesmerizing dance dramas that weave together the stories, music, and dances of India.
In addition to her dance endeavors, Megha serves as the President of the Indian Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating and preserving the rich tapestry of Indian culture in America. Megha is honored to be a small part of a huge empowering project like Women of Resistance nd to bring its inspiring narratives to our audience.
MEET
MEGHA VAID
MEET
SUZANNE CAESAR
Founder of Rhythm For Life™, accomplished dancer/choreographer and dance producer, Suzanne Caesar, has worked with Broadway performers, mambo world champion Richard Diaz, is an award-winning Irish dancer, and personally received a handwritten letter of
recommendation from jazz dance legend, Luigi.
After touring abroad, Suzanne received her MA in Dance from NYU while pregnant with her first child. Considered the original innovator in prenatal dance, she produced The Prenatal Belly Dance Workout DVD, endorsed by the March of Dimes, and has been featured on Discovery Health, Foxnews.com, SELF, Pilates Style Magazine and more.
​
Excerpts from her most recent work, The HERA Odyssey, have been performed at The Hudson Guild Theatre, Shine On Cabaret, Reflections of the Feminine Soul art opening in NYC, as well as the Hyatt Regency Sarasota, where she now resides full time.
Suzanne has been working with women in dance for over 20 years, and feels it is an honor and a privilege to be a part of such a fascinating project, and in the company of the Women of Resistance.
Tania Vergara Perez is a Cuban American master teacher and choreographer based in Sarasota, FL.
​
At age eight she entered the School of Arts in Camagüey, Cuba. On graduating in 1986, she began her work as a ballet professor while continuing her studies, and in 1996 she received a Bachelor of Dance Arts with honors at the prestigious Institute of Superior Arts in Havana, Cuba.
​
In 2002, she founded her own company, Endedans Contemporary Ballet, where she continued as artistic director and choreographer until 2014. Initially a small-format group presenting work closer to theatrical dance, the Endedans style evolved into a melding of contemporary ballet, theater, and contemporary dance, and the original small group expanded to 22 dancers who garnered many awards and quickly became known as an outstanding presence in the lively Cuban dance world. This fruitful period allowed Ms. Vergara to bring her art to different national and international stages, even as the company became renowned and beloved in her native Cuba.
​
In 2008, she received one of her greatest honors, the Ibero-American Choreography Award granted by the General Society of Authors and Writers of Spain (SGAE) and the National Ballet of Cuba. Her choreography has won numerous other international awards, including various first place and best ensemble awards for YAGP participants; the Anacoana Distinction “Flor de Oro,” granted by the Igneri Foundation in the Dominican Republic; and the Villanueva award in choreography granted by the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC).
​
From 2008 to 2014 Ms. Vergara traveled to Mexico, Germany, Venezuela, Martinique, and the Dominican Republic as the leader of Endedans Contemporary Ballet. Her choreographic work also appeared on stages in Johannesburg, South Africa; the Varna Festival in Bulgaria; the Tokyo World Ballet Festival in Japan; and the Dance Festival of Guyana.
​
At the end of 2014, Ms. Vergara moved to the United State, where her master classes and workshops have been in high demand, and she has taught widely at dance schools and companies in Florida, California, New Jersey, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, among other locations. She is a master teacher on the faculty of the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School and at Sarasota Contemporary Dance; and is a popular guest choreographer for professional dance companies, including the Milwaukee Ballet, the Kentucky Ballet, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, the Sarasota Opera, the National Ballet of Cuba, and the National Ballet Company of Costa Rica.
​
Since receiving her US citizenship in 2021, it has been her dream to relaunch her company, and under the fiscal sponsorship of Sarasota Contemporary Dance, in March 2023, Endedans Contemporary Ballet (USA) premieres with her work “Voices That Move Me,” inspired by women writers worldwide Premier. Within the framework of the Sarasota Rising Festival 2023 (Kickoff Fundraiser) at the Art Ovation Hotel, she premieres his second choreography with Endedans “Occupational Therapy” choreographic piece that was also exhibited at the Sarasota Art Museum.
MEET
Tania Vergara Perez
Help Tell Their Stories
941-928-3426 | Contact Us
WOMEN OF RESISTANCE IS A 501(C)(3) CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION. THE FLORIDA CENTER MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED BY THE FLORIDA SOLICITATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS ACT. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION #CH74160 AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.