6 Degrees

Toni Leago Valle

Artistic Director 6′

Choreographer, Dancer 

Company Manager, Karen Stokes Dance

University of Houston Dance Faculty

Toni Leago Valle has a three-fold career.  As Artistic Director and choreographer for 6’, she combines writing, acting, and dance to create multi-sensual works that challenge the audience to address current political and sociological issues.  Valle received a B.A. in Dance from University of Houston in 2000.  Valle has received two Individual Artist Grants from Houston Arts Alliance to produce It’s All Relative in 2002 and again in 2007 for her third evening-length concert, tetris, that premiered in January 2009.  As Resident Choreographer for Dancepatheatre, Valle premiered Glass Before Marriage, LifeSavor (2003); and Mockingbird (2004). As an individual choreographer, Valle premiered the solo, I Am Mother (2005), a white-painted goddess inspired by Japanese Butoh dance that Valle performed two weeks before she delivered her son, Dante. The goddess character was later adapted for Psophonia Dance Company’s Phantasia 2005 at the Hobby Center for Performing Arts.  Valle presented Interview for a Date/I Take My Clothes Off at the Big Range Dance Festival 2006, for the preview of CRACKED, her second evening length concert that premiered in December 2006 as a recipient of the DiverseWorks Artist Residency.  Her choreography has been seen at DiverseWorks, JCC, University of Houston, San Jacinto College, HSPVA/Houston, Freneticore Theatre’s Fringe Festival and various art openings and outdoor events.  In 2010, Valle premiered her new dance company, 6’ in Baptism. In 2012, Valle co-produced and co-choreographed Regifting Lions with Catalina Alexandra and Lynn Lane. In 2016, Valle presented an encore version of CRACKED.

Since 2004, Valle has partnered with vocalist Misha Penton in varous works, both as a collaborator and choreographer.  Penton has written and performed original music for CRACKED and performed text written by Valle in Mockingbird. Valle has  choreographed for Penton’s The Ottavia Project and Autumn Spectre. Most recently, Valle was featured in Penton’s experimental opera on film, The Captured Goddess in 2015.

As a performer, Valle is a current member and Company Manager of Karen Stokes Dance and Becky Valls & Company for Young Audiences.  Valle was also featured in four installments of Becky Valls’ Memoirs of the Sistahood Series. Since 2000, Valle has performed with Karen Stokes Dance, Dancepatheatre, Psophonia Dance Company, Divergence Vocal Theatre, Chapman Dance and Suchu Dance. Valle has been featured in numerous concerts, including Natural Acts in Artifical Water and Open Book, Open House by internationally known choreographer Stephan Koplowitz, A Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance, and Marta Lichlyter’s A Thin Line as part of the University of Houston’s Choreography in Action series on PBS.

For 12 years, Valle served as Project Coordinator of Dance Source Houston, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting dance. Valle coordinated the production of Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance at Miller Outdoor Theatre, maintained the dancesourcehouston.org website, the DSH Dance newsletter, the DSH marketing table, and the printed Dance Card.

The Austin-Houston Choreographer Exchange, Life Museum and two collaborations with Buffalo Bayou ArtPark are a few of the concerts Valle has co-produced.  Valle has offered administrative, production and promotional services for art organizations, such as Ad Deum Dance Company, Chapman Dance, BBAP, Divergence Vocal Theatre, Houston Ballet, Mercury Baroque Ensemble, Ars Lyrica, Psophonia Dance Company, Sandra Organ Dance Company, Leslie Scates, Society for the Performing Arts, Karen Stokes Dance, Suchu Dance, Vault, and many others.

Valle is also an adjunct faculty at University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance, where she teaches Dance Production, Marketing for Entrepreneurs, and Introduction to Dance, and is head of production for both the spring and fall dance concerts.

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