Ahmed Asi is a MA/PhD student in the Theatre department at UC Santa Barbara, and a Chancellor's International Fellow of the Graduate Division. He holds a BA in Theater and Dance from Colby College (Waterville, ME), and a diploma in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (London, UK). He has been the recipient of a Davis Foundation Projects for Peace grant, working with students of mixed and migratory background in Germany and France; and has experience teaching theatre in his native country of Pakistan.
odyssey team members
Joe Caldwell returns for his second year working with The Odyssey Project. He graduated with a degree in theater from UCSB where he now works as the Lighting and Sound Supervisor for the department of Theater and Dance.
Brittany Castillo – Dance Choreographer
Brittany Castillo was born in Porterville California. Her first love of the arts came at the young age of three when she started dancing. It was with the art form of dance that Brittany started to understand and love the way the body could move. Brittany has studied ballet, tap, jazz, hip -hop, cheerleading, yoga, Pilates, modern, lyrical, contemporary, and improvisational dance for most of her life. Brittany has sustained an unwavering passion for dance over the years. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California Santa Barbara in dance. Through her years at UCSB she studied various art forms of dance and theater. This is where she begun to teach dance seriously to students at different elementary schools in Santa Barbara, CA. She also taught dance for the City of Santa Barbara Carrillo Recreation Center.
Brittany also has a great love for sports. Playing such sports as basketball, soccer, swimming, water polo, and track and field helped her realize how important it was for her to push herself physically and mentally. She has the strong conviction that personal training has the power to change a person’s life through helping them achieve personal goals and gain confidence.
Today she owns and operates a boutique gym in Santa Barbara called “Evoke Fitness.” She also operates a company called “Wanna Dance and Cheer” where she is the Santa Barbara Assistant Director. This company offers dance, cheerleading and exercises programs to over nine elementary schools in the Santa Barbara region and eight elementary schools throughout Southern California as well. These after school enrichment programs inspire local students and help them find their creative voices. Through this company she is fulfilling her dream of inspiring kids to be creative and confident.
Recently, Brittany went and lived in Koh Samui, Thailand where she completed a twenty-eight day intensive yoga program under the direction of Master Konstantin Miachin at Vikasa Yoga. In Thailand, she was given the privilege of teaching meditation and yoga. This was her first international teaching gig. The experience changed Brittany’s life and she is now dedicating most of her life work to the exploration of Vikasa Yoga and other styles.
Brittany would like to thank all of her mentors and teachers for inspiring her to dream big. She has been able to achieve her goals because was taught that all of her gifts were valuable in this world. She is excited to be apart of The Odyssey Project. It is in collaboration with others where she feels most at home.