Masha Maddux
Mariya “Masha” Dashkina Maddux is a professional concert dance performer and a dance educator. A native of Kiev, Ukraine she was first introduced to dance through the classical Vaganova ballet technique. After moving to the United States she studied under the direction of Ruth Weisen at the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet of Miami, FL, and ultimately graduated summa cum laude with her BFA from New World School of the Arts under the directorship of Daniel Lewis. Ms. Dashkina Maddux joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2007 and rose to the rank of principal dancer, performing major roles in classical Graham repertoire along with works created by some of the most influential contemporary choreographers. She has been featured in Dance Magazine’s “Dancer’s Choice”, and also appeared in projects including the newly released Martha Graham Dance Technique DVD, directed by Miki Orihara and Susan Kikuchi, and in a feature film Fall to Rise, written and directed by Jayce Bartok.
In addition to performing, Ms. Dashkina Maddux has collaborated with photographers to capture the art of dance. Most recently her image was selected for the cover of the Dior Magazine issue #26 and The Art of Movement, a highly anticipated book conceived and created by the founders of NYC Dance Project, Ken Browar and Deborah Ory.
Ms. Dashkina Maddux is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Wake Forest Dance Festival, a free and open to the public day of dance, based in Wake Forest, NC. She is one of the founding members of Movement Migration, a dance collective of seasoned artists based in Charlotte, NC founded and directed by Kim Jones, and is an ambassador for the Dancing Angels Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to help passionate and committed young dancers fulfill their dreams. In the summer of 2018, Ms. Dashkina Maddux received the Alto Jonio Best Dancer Award in Calabria, Italy.
Masha is the director of Wake Forest Dance Festival. Wake Forest Dance Festival is a one day, FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC family friendly event, scheduled on Saturday, September 29, 2018 in the Town of Wake Forest, NC at beautiful E. Carroll Joyner Park. The event will feature international, national and regional professional dancers, along with local advanced dance performers. This year the event will pay tribute to the American Dance Festival based in Durham, NC. Heralded as “One of the nation’s most important institutions” by the New York Times and as “The world’s greatest dance festival” by the New York Post, the American Dance Festival’s sustained record of creative achievement is indivisible from the history of modern dance. Since 1934, ADF has remained committed to serving the needs of dance, dancers, choreographers, and professionals in dance-related fields.
With ADF being such an integral part of the dance community here in North Carolina we will celebrate its contribution to the art of dance for over 84 years around the world, 40 years here in our North Carolina, and highlight ADF’s incredible lineage of dance history showcasing a diversity of genres, performers, choreographers and music.
This project was conceived my Masha Maddux, who founded the Festival in 2017 and is currently directing the event. The Festival is thrilled to be bringing together artists of high caliber to the community and was incredibly honored to have Movement Migration's own Kim Jones and E.E. Balcos perform at the inaugural event in 2017. Read more →
