Rebecca French has been dancing and choreographing since 1995, when she began her ballet and modern dance studies at the University of Houston.  She joined Richard Hubscher's Easy Credit Theater in 1998 and performed for two years under the direction of the former Houston Ballet dancer.  Hubscher's work was often dark and disturbing, and impressed upon Rebecca the importance of avoiding the 'safe' route in dance.  She became determined to tell her own stories with choreography, and after meeting composer and filmmaker Robert Thoth in 2000, Rebecca became interested in the idea of multi-media dance.  The two formed FrenetiCore in 2000 and began performing original dance/film in small venues in the Houston area. 

After incorporating as a non-profit organization in 2003, FrenetiCore established a company of dancers and began mounting larger performances.  From 'The Sacred Harp,' a multi-media southern gothic morality play with live Shape Note Singing and simulated human sacrifice, to a film/dance theater recreation of George Orwell's '1984' with break-dancing Thought Police in gas masks, to 'Zomberina!' a full length dance-on-film about zombie ballerinas who exact revenge on the world of competition dance, FrenetiCore's productions challenge audience's preconceptions about the world around them, while clearly focusing on entertainment value.

Rebecca's approach to choreography is based on her study of theater and numerous dance disciplines--including modern dance, ballet, jazz, folk (African, Middle Eastern), ballroom, tap, hip-hop, and gymnastics.  She is most interested in highly theatrical work that entertains while expressing profound truths about the human condition.  If it doesn't move an audience to revelation,  anger, joy or action--it's not worth doing.

Rebecca has received numerous grants as an individual artist as well as for FrenetiCore.  In both 2004 and 2008, she was awarded an individual artist grant for choreography from the Houston Arts Alliance through the city of Houston.

Robert Thoth           Artistic/Technical Director

Robert Thoth is a self-described dilettante, a hands-on-everything auteur who fuses multiple disciplines to form lyrically broken dreamscapes.

Thoth co-founded FrenetiCore Dance Theater in 2000 and has since been creating film, narratives, and music for dance. Thoth's work with FrenetiCore has been deemed controversial and maligned by the conventional dance community due to its dark content, subversive undercurrents, and use of graphic/psychological violence. Thoth is a self-styled composer, multi-instrumentalist, filmographer, writer, graphic designer, and new-media artist.

As a filmographer, he prefers guerrilla filmmaking at unconventional locations to lend each performance a unique color and character.  Robert works alone with small inexpensive cameras, steadicams, cranes, and R.C. helicopters to achieve a balance between intimate performance and filmic quality. He has filmed dance in an abandoned federal building, houses gutted by fire, industrial warehouses, countless train yards, shopping malls, Wal-Marts, forgotten and decrepit recycling plants, the 100-foot tall dunes of a concrete crushing facility, and empty beaches. A deep love for urban architecture in decay paints his works in forlorn, poetic strokes. 

As a composer, Thoth prefers to record himself playing numerous instruments, then electronically layer and mix the various samples into cohesive works.  Thoth sings in styles ranging from gospel to metal, in addition to playing guitar, piano, clarinet, bass and accordion.

As a director and conceptual artist, Thoth pulls from life experiences and theatrical training to create and design shows that are professional, powerful, and innovative.  Writing the script, storyboarding, shooting and editing the film, composing and performing the music, and directing the cast onstage are all part of his skill set.  His passion for creating new work fuels FrenetiCore's mission to present exciting dance theater to Houston audiences and beyond.

Board of Directors 

Jodi Mclaughlin

Board President

Jodi McLaughlin worked in non-profit administration for almost a decade. She is the former Executive Director for the Khyber Centre for the Arts in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She recently returned to the Houston-area, where she works as a librarian. Jodi loves making art, especially anything textile-related, and engaging in local performing and visual arts activities.

Sara Smithback 

Secretary

Sara Smithback is a recent graduate of the University of Chicago. She loves dance, choreography, languages and baking.

Vice President -- Robert Thoth

Treasurer -- Rebecca French

Ted Viens

An avid supporter of the arts in Houston, Ted Viens has worked with FrenetiCore since its inception.  His skills include photography, lighting design, and theater construction, to name a few.

Laura Harrison

Laura Harrison has an MA in documentary filmmaking from Stanford University.  She worked for eight years in France as an editor on French feature films, has taught media literacy and video production, and has curated programs for the Aurora Picture Show.
 

Advisory Board

Frank Burt -- Radical Unity

Chad Crawford -- Writer/CA

Rob Davidson -- Kinetic Architecture/NY

Lisa Pearson -- Children's Theater