creative team
The people shaping the vision and holding the work
alexander jones
Alexander Jones, founder and artistic director of the downtown St. Pete international nonprofit dance+ company projectALCHEMY, is a graduate of University of South Florida, recent MFA graduate Hollins University studying dance. Jones received training from the LINES Ballet BFA Program under direction of Marina Hotchkiss. He has had the opportunity to work with Alonzo King, Bill T. Jones in Serenade/The Proposition, and Doug Varone in The Rite of Spring. He has performed in Tunisia, Africa with the University of South Florida on behalf of the American Embassy and the Tunisian Dance Federation. A native Floridian, Jones is a proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association and current performer at Walt Disney World in stage shows such as Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas, Dream Along with Mickey, Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage . He is an alumnus of ArchCore40 in NYC and works closely with choreographer Jennifer Archibald as her choreographer assistant in the Florida Dance Festival. In 2012, he choreographed and directed his first evening length work entitled First You, Then The Rest at the Studio@620 in St. Petersburg, FL. In the Spring of 2013, Jones joined Yow Dance Company and had the honor of choreographing works for the company for both Spring Into Dance and the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Later that Fall, he returned to the Studio@620 to premiere his second evening-length work, Contact. Jones participated in Project GenYes! at the Studio@620 made possible by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation premiering his third evening-length work, Uncovered: Power of the Being at the Studio@620. In 2016, Jones became the Artistic Director of Collective Soles Dance making it his mission to connect the Tampa Bay area through collaboration. The following year Alex was one of the resident choreographers at the Florida Dance Festival where he premiered his latest work behind the Front. Jones is on faculty as an adjunct professor at the University of Tampa teaching techniques classes that help students prepare for both concert and commercial stages. Community and collaboration are at the forefront of Jones’s dance works with the company, as well as in and around St. Pete. He served as the Dance Artists in Residence at the Studio@620, assisting in dance programming alongside Bob Devin Jones.
founder. artistic director.
marcus wehby
Marcus Wehby is a versatile arts administrator and stage manager with over 25 years of experience spanning nonprofit leadership, theatrical production, real estate management, and hospitality operations. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Marcus holds a B.A. in Theatre Management with an emphasis in Musical Theatre and Dance from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is an Equity Membership Candidate with Actors’ Equity Association.
Most recently, Marcus served as Managing Director at The Studio@620 in St. Petersburg, FL, where he managed a $500,000 annual operating budget, led high-impact fundraising efforts, and curated year-round programming in the visual and performing arts. During his time at 620, he worked closely with and was mentored by the center’s co-founder, Bob Devin Jones. Under Bob’s guidance, Marcus developed a collaborative and community-rooted approach to leadership, contributing meaningfully to St. Pete’s dynamic cultural landscape.
Marcus’s professional background also includes property and office management at All South Properties, Inc., where he oversaw multi-property accounting, tenant relations, and operational logistics. Prior to that, he worked with The Walt Disney Company, managing high-volume food & beverage operations across multiple locations, leading teams of over 150 cast members, and earning multiple Disney Quarterly Awards for outstanding service and leadership. His early arts administration experience includes a tenure as Company Manager for Florida Dance Theatre, where he handled payroll, grant budgeting, production logistics, and board reporting for both the professional company and its affiliated school.
As an artist himself in stage tech, Marcus believes in empowering artists to reveal themselves fully—regardless of the medium. He brings to projectALCHEMY a deep love for the performing arts in St. Pete, a strong commitment to service, and a wealth of organizational knowledge. He is excited to stretch himself in this new venture as Executive Director and to support the company’s mission to create, collaborate, and transform.
executive director
company/production managersarah hamilton
Sarah Hamilton is a multidisciplinary dance artist, arts administrator, and technical production professional based in Tampa Bay. With a foundation in both creative and technical practices, she brings a holistic perspective to her work—merging performance, choreography, stage management, and arts operations to support collaborative projects.
She holds an A.A. in Dance from Florida State College at Jacksonville and a B.A. in Dance Studies with a Dance Medicine & Science Certificate from the University of South Florida. Sarah has performed in works by Talani Torres, Rebecca Levy, Tanesha Payne, Ellie Barrett, Teena Marie Custer, Andee Scott, and Alexander Jones, and has studied internationally with contemporary artists in Paris, France.
Since joining projectALCHEMY in 2020, Sarah has played a key role in the company’s growth, expanding her work into company operations and technical production as its Company & Production Manager. She now leads technical operations with the same artistry, precision, and collaborative spirit she developed through dance, bringing a choreographer’s sense of rhythm and spatial awareness to every production she supports.
costume designerhilka “iky” standridge
My name is Hilka, but family and friends know me as Iky. I truly love the performing arts, especially dance. Since I was young, I always looked for ways to be creative and bring my ideas to reality. I began creating and sewing my own Halloween costumes at an early age, with my mother at my side, teaching all the tricks of the seamstress trade. Luckily, my daughter became a beautiful dancer and through her years of dance school I volunteered my skills designing and styling costumes for performances dating back to 2002 and still going strong. Costume Design, Wardrobe styling, Makeup and hair styling to transform performers into their characters is a true passion. I now have the privilege to collaborate with Alex Jones and Project Alchemy, where I can continue to construct, create, dance a little and share my knowledge, visions and passion with amazing dancers, beautiful people and most of all, my incredibly talented, beautiful, amazing daughter.
board of directors
Alexander Jones, President
Bob Devin Jones, Vice President
Samantha Jones Barnes, Secretary & Treasurer
Eugenie Bondurant
John French