Current Directors

Jess Shell and Lindsay Winthrop are excited to be co-directors and continue to grow the vision of Tobacco Road Dance Productions founders, Stephanie Woodbeck and Bill Commander.

Jess Shell

Jess Shell is a North Carolina Native. She is a somatic based choreographer, dancer, and teacher. She holds a BA in Dance from Sarah Lawrence College, and an MFA in Choreography from UNCG. Her research includes somatic based choreography, and more recently she finds inspiration in astronomy. Jess is also interested in the intersection of somatics, ritual, and site specific dance.. Her work has been performed in North Carolina, New York, and Italy. She is the co-director of Tobacco Road Dance Productions. Jess teaches dance in the Upper School at Carolina Friends School. She is also a licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist and brings her extensive anatomical knowledge to her process. Jess loves the collaborative process and is proud to be on this journey with her creative partner Lindsay Winthrop.

Lindsay Winthrop

Lindsay Winthrop is a local dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Raleigh, North Carolina. A recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she holds an MFA in choreography and a BFA in dance education from East Carolina University. Lindsay teaches movement at Raleigh Oak Charter School and is co-owner of Tobacco Road Dance Productions. She has presented dance works in local festivals, including Emergence, the North Carolina Dance Festival, Sites in the City, and Tour in Motion for the Wake Forest Dance Festival. Currently excited about experiential and experimental performances, Lindsay enjoys exploring sensory movement through the use of elements. In continual search of choreographic findings, she is invested in studying the transformation of space by utilizing sensory experiences, natural materials, and energies incited by human bodies. Lindsay is honored to continue this organization with friend and collaborator Jess Shell.