Entertainers
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Cathy Schwartz
Originally from Miami, Florida, Cathy moved to Atlanta in 1998. She lives in East Cobb with her husband Jeff and three children Darby, Ryan, and Janie. When looking for an entertainment company for her daughter Darby’s Bat Mitzvah in 2003, Contagious Entertainment’s name kept coming up. Cathy hired Contagious for her daughter and then for her son. In the spring of 2004, she was responsible for organizing and chairing Temple Kol Emeth’s silent auction, a fashion show to raise money for the temple pre-school. This fundraiser exceeded expectations by tripling the amount raised in the past. Cathy has now been working for the company for six years and is in charge of Sales/Marketing. With her Masters of Social Work degree, organizing and planning her older two children’s Bar Mitzvahs, she has found that she is able to help her clients in various ways. By the time her clients have their parties, they are ready to enjoy all that Contagious has to offer.
References:
- Laura Lea Dressler (Romeo) 423-505-7735
- Amy Barocas (Ayce) 404-790-0913
- Karyn Parker (Romeo) 770-864-4646
- Betsy Hopper (Mello) 770-722-7356
- Beth Cohen (Mello) 478-474-1221
- Helen Blasé (Mello) 678-495-6323
D. Norris
D. Norris is a native of Atlanta, GA. He obtained a degree in Business Management from Alabama State Univ. He began his acting career by assisting friends who wrote plays. Then, Norris moved on to being cast for church plays. He has depicted diverse roles in stage plays and movies – sometime assuming multiple roles within a single performance. Norris is able to convey the dialects of Southern, Jamaican, Latin and an elderly man. His skills include (but aren't limited to) directing, stage managing, and being an award-winning spoken word artist and hip hop choreographer. Norris started choreographing in high school. D. has choreographed and danced for numerous theater and stage performances across the globe including Miami, San Diego, Montreal, and Mexico. He has worked with various artists including Mary Mary and Dirk Chaney (R.I.P.). Among the dance companies he's been affiliated with are Culture Shock Atlanta, Infinite Movement Dance, CHOSEN, and Contagious Entertainment. “Mr. D” taught an award-winning, teen hip hop class at the Conservatory of Dance and Fine Arts in Decatur, GA. He currently teaches an always-packed cardio hip hop class at Dance 101. D. Norris started Adrenaline Entertainment in 2007 to promote artistic expressions such as music, dance, choreography and acting. AE’s services includes providing dance fitness classes, private dance lessons, choreographer/judge for auditions, and editing audio tracks for performances. www.adrenaline-ent.com.
Erin Larkin
On the dance floor, you know her as Soleil; behind the scenes she is Erin Larkin. A native of Richmond, VA, Erin has been a part of Contagious Entertainment for five of the six years she has lived in Atlanta. She has held various hats within the company. She comes to the events as an interactive entertainer with 15 years of dance experience. Her work goes beyond the dance floor to the Contagious office, where she coordinates the company dancers. You will now see her on the marketing side of Contagious to produce a spectacular event. Erin has attended events as a vendor and client contact, and will continue to do so. When she is not with Contagious, she is a full-time sign language interpreter within Cobb County schools. Her love for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children grows everyday.
Mesha Rainey
Mesha Rainey is born and raised from Decatur, GA. On the stage, you know her as "Chyna." She has been dancing for over 20 years. She brings dance experience in tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, salsa, and African. She teaches hip hop classes for adults and pre-teens at various dance studios in the Atlanta area. She has been a part of organizations such as the Atlanta Vision, GA Mustangs, Culture shock Atlanta, and the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. She served as the dance director/coordinator of the GA Prowl. Outside of dancing, Mesha is a middle school math teacher, and serves as a math tutor.