Scott Bennett-Fundraising Expert
Scott Bennett resides in Swartz Creek, MI with his wife Amanda and their 11yr old son Jaxson. He has been instructing color & winter guards for over 20 years. His passion started when he was in grade school and had flourished into a full time teaching career.
Scott’s marching experience includes: Swartz Creek Color Guard, Eclipse Winterguard, Cincinnati Tradition Drum and Bugle Corps (OH)
His teaching experience includes: Swartz Creek HS, Odyssey Winterguard (Founder), Grand Blanc HS, Carman- Ainsworth HS, Harper Woods HS, Lamphere HS, Woodhaven HS, Tetjyan Winterguard, Terre Haute North HS (IN), Paris HS (IL), Charleston HS (IL), Pioneer Drum & Bugle Corps (WI), Concordia University (MI).
Scott is thankful for his mentors; Joe Leroux, Ja’Malh Wallace and Jen Wilson.
Scott’s philosophy has always been: “It’s NOT the placement that counts, it’s the TIME and EFFORT you put into your score!”
Doug Courter-Culture & Motivation Mentor
Iggi has been marching, spinning, dancing, and doing theater since the age of 7. He grew up in farm country in the middle of Michigan before moving to the Detroit Metro area during 6th grade. He attended Lakeland High School and helped take the marching band to their first M.C.B.A Flight II gold medal at State Championships in 1991. He went on to march with the Northern Aurora Drum and Bugle corp for two summers playing the contrabass (Tuba). He then attended college where he graduated with degrees in music and sociology.
Iggi’s life changed for the better through his marching arts experience. Hoping to inspire the next generation of dreamers by utilizing the wealth of knowledge he brings from the marching band, color guard world, theater, and non-profit sector.
Orange would be his favorite color. His passion for playing with and collecting Legos can be seen all around his townhouse. He currently works in the field of housing, managing a Section 8 waitlist for a host of properties in Taylor, MI. In his free time he loves spending time with his friends, exploring new locals with his boyfriend, hiking, binge watching TV, and napping!!!
Connor Lindenmuth-Beginner\Intermediate Level Training Mentor
Connor has been spinning since the winter of 2017. Their first and only season spinning in the MCGC was spent with Odin Winterguard. From there, they went on to spin with Cincinnati Tradition in 2018 and 2019. Connor has instructed for multiple winter groups, such as Odin, Resurgence, Valkyrie, and Thurston Winterguards; as well as the fall groups at Milford and Thurston High School’s respectively. They are so excited for this new opportunity and look forward to seeing the art that we will all create together!
Issa Lewis-Beginner Level Training Expert
Issa Lewis is the color guard captionhead at Otsego High School in Otsego, MI and the director of Allegan County Ensemble Winter Guard. When she’s not teaching color guards, she’s teaching English and public speaking at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, MI, or spending time with her family. She loves white cheddar popcorn, peanut butter M&Ms, and root beer.
Zach Bez-Movement
Zach Bez is a Michigan native, and a proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association. He received a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Arts from Western Michigan University with a concentration of Music Theatre Performance. After, He just join the acclaimed Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers on board Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Symphony. He has performed all over the high seas. He has performed at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, working with the likes of Karma Camp (Signature Theatre) and Jennifer Jancuska (Broadway’s Hamilton). Some of his favorite credits are Newsies (La Mirada), Chicago (Folsom, CA), and Cabaret (Starring Joey McIntyre). He has taught at Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, as well as all over Midwest. He strives each of his students to showcase technique, artistry and showmanship throughout his classes
Conan Hayward-Beginner\Intermediate Level Training Mentor
Hello! My name is Conan Hayward and I use he/him and they/them pronouns. I started spinning with Fusion Winterguard in 2014, and have since spun 5 winter seasons and 4 fall seasons. After high school, I attended Central Michigan University, joining Metamorphosis winter guard for the winter seasons and the Chippewa Marching Band for the fall. Of the 9 total seasons, I have been guard captain for 3. I began coaching color guard at Avondale Highschool in 2021 and we were able to score a Division 1 at the MSBOA festival!
Guard has been a safe, welcoming place for me where I felt I could really express myself. My goal is to make sure I can create that same place for others.
I’m beyond excited to dream up something special with everyone this year!
Erin Miller-Founding Affiliate
Erin Miller is the Marching Band and competition Guard coach at West Laurens High School. Along with being the previous One Act Play director she has pioneered the first competition Winterguard in her school system and one of the few in the middle Georgia area. She has competed for two years in the SAPA circuit. She teaches high school science along with a guard performance arts class. Here her students not only perform at half time with the band but also create an annual theater showcase for the community that brings awareness to the diversity of this great sport of the performance arts that we call guard. Many of her students have gone on to spin at college or with groups that compete at Winter Guard International (WGI). Erin is part of a circus troupe that dances, spins fire, aerial Lyra hoop and aerial silks along with poi and flags. She has been aiding with, coaching and directing in the performance arts industry for ten years. She is an advocate for the teaching and learning of the performance arts for the youth and the phenomenal impact they can have on their emotional growth and development. She is bringing awareness to this outlet in her small town community and hopes to give her young performers a chance to thrive and flourish in the sport of the arts world
Phil Rumley-A Class Mentor
Phil Rumley currently resides in Madison Heights, Michigan with his wife Jen and their two sons Jackson and Matthew.
Phil’s performance experience started at Troy Athens High School in the marching band and ALIAS winter guard. He went on to perform with the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps as a trumpet player in 1996 and the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps in ‘97 & ‘99 in the color guard. He also performed with Spirit of Windsor Winterguard (A Class) in 1997 and Every-Body Winterguard (World Class) in ‘98 & ‘99.
His teaching experience includes Troy Athens High School (‘03-‘06), Hazel Park High School (‘06-‘07), Walled Lake Central High School (‘06-‘07), West Bloomfield High School (‘08-‘09), Lake Orion High School (‘10-‘12), Lamphere High School (‘12-‘17), Ancora Winter Guard (‘10), and Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps (‘01-‘02).
He has served in many roles in the marching arts activity such as marching instructor, brass instructor, flag tech, drill designer, choreographer, mentor, and guard director.
Phil has been on a brief hiatus from color guard (since the birth of his second child in 2018) but is *very* much looking forward to getting back to work and continuing to learn, grow, and give back to the color guard community.
Robert Jordan-Intermediate/Advanced Level Training expert
Robert Jordan, also known as ‘ThatGuyWhoSpins’, is a professional color guard performer, designer, and educator living in St. Louis, Missouri that has traveled around the world spreading his passion for the art. He has marched with RCC Marching Tigers, Gold Drum and Bugle Corps, Fantasia Winterguard, and The Blue Devils, where he won two world championships and two George Zingali “Best Color Guard” awards.
Robert has also worked with multiple international groups and circuits including Colorguard Indonesia where he instilled a technical foundation throughout their equipment training, BMZ Indoor from Costa Rica where he helped expand their variety of skill sets through technique in choreography, Pride of The Netherlands where he helped choreograph and stage parts of their 2022 production, and many more.
Aside from traveling around the world teaching color guard, Robert instructed 5 schools and 9 groups on a weekly basis in the Southern California area from 2013 – 2021. He was the Caption Head at Citrus Hill High School (HSAA, Scholastic AAA), Valley View High School (HSA), and Redlands East Valley High School (Scholastic AA), while working as a weapon technician and choreographer at Etiwanda High School (Scholastic AAA, Scholastic AA, & Scholastic Open). He also has experience teaching younger age groups, where he was a technician at Palm Desert Charter Middle School (Scholastic RA, Scholastic A).
Robert currently works with over 50 programs over 16 states and 4 countries throughout the middle school, regional, A, Open, and World classes year round on top of doing clinics, intensives, and camps. He also has over 75 private lesson students he teaches monthly alongside teaching other educators and performers in the community how to campaign effectively and market themselves properly on social media through their performance art.
Robert is extremely excited to be a part of this project and hopes the Evoke Performance Collective can help guide educators in the right direction, give a home to students looking for that extra push in the activity, and create a consistent model of growth for regional circuits everywhere.
Kamerin Hull
I am a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I am an arts admin major with a minor in music. Regarding my guard history, I participated in my high school Guard for 6 years and have been training in the activity ever since. Whether I have been attending dca guard clinics or on a gym floor in the winter, the passion continues to drive my need for growth and creativity. Currently, I am the Guard instructor for a high school in the triad area of North Carolina. I’m super excited to be on this EVOKE journey and can’t wait to share everything I can with all of you!
Evoke Performance Collective 