Dancing in the Landscape

Director’s Note

In years past, Dancing in the Landscape was performed in various locations around our beautiful campus, allowing audience members to travel to each site to view these works. This year, we have re- conceptualized the format of this production in light of Covid-19 and have captured the pieces on film. At first, the challenges we faced as a team seemed daunting. Not only did we have to re-envision our choreography for film, but we had to grapple with dancers going into quarantine in addition to conducting socially distanced rehearsals (no small feat for an arts medium based on physical connection). At the same time, these challenges opened many new doors for us. We had the good fortune to work with Professor J McMerty in the School of Communications, who helped us to create works beyond what we previously imagined. As a result, we have been able to stay true to the mission of Dancing in the Landscape, which is to create innovative pieces in non-traditional spaces. These limitations provided the choreographers and performers with the opportunity to develop a sense of flexibility and inventive strategizing, which will undoubtedly serve all of us in our future endeavors. As a result, the pieces in this production showcase original, creative, and powerful works of art. This year’s production features pieces from four talented student choreographers: Arianna Shahin, Mackenzie Holub, Hannah West, and Sarah DeSordi. Each of their chorographic works demonstrates unique, thoughtful engagements with nature and the architecture around campus. From these pieces, there emerges a sense of joy, collaboration, hopefulness, and resiliency. The show also highlights the brilliant works of Professors Jiwon Ha, Alexandra Joye Warren, and Amy Beasley. Thank you so much for tuning in. We hope you enjoy this performance.

Sincerely,
Casey Avaunt

Special Thanks

Lauren Kearns, Jen Guy Metcalf, Renay Aumiller, David McGraw, Will Roberson, J. McMerty, Tony Spielberg, Kimberly Rippy, Lauren Jacobbe

Pieces

Root Systems

Choreographer: Amy Beasley in collaboration with the dancers

Music Credit: “KS” by Michael Wall

Amy Beasley

Hannah Kieserman

Isabelle Mao

Lauren McCarthy

Olivia Lanter

Gaby Minionis

Amy Beasley

Amy Love Beasley is a dance artist and educator. She is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dance at Elon University and has been on faculty at UNC Greensboro, Wake Forest University, and UNC School of the Arts’ Summer Intensive. Her work has been performed at Elon University, the Greensboro Fringe Festival, UNC Greensboro, FSC-Jacksonville, Wake Forest University, the North Carolina Dance Festival, UNC School of the Arts, Art-o-Matic in Washington, DC and through Waxworks and at the Center for Performance Research, in Brooklyn, NY. She has had the good fortune of performing for many inspiring artists, of being in a community with amazing teachers, students, and colleagues, and of being a mother to her favorite little mover and shaker, Josie.

Hannah Kieserman

Hannah Kieserman is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is currently a freshman at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography. She trained at the Institute of Dance Artistry located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania for the past 15 years and has completed a pre-college summer program at the University of the Arts earning 3 credits.

Isabelle Mao

Isabelle Mao is a native from Chicago, Illinois. She is currently a sophomore at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and minoring in Exercise Science. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape and Spring Dance Concert. Isabelle is excited to continue her training and to grow as a dancer and performer at Elon this coming year!

Lauren McCarthy

Lauryn McCarthy is originally from Portland, Oregon. She is currently a first-year at Elon University, pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography. She has trained under the Jefferson Dancers, a pre-professional company. Through the Jefferson Dancers Lauryn got to perform over 50 times a year including traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the National High School Dance Festival and the South of France to take class as well as perform.

Olivia Lanter

Olivia Lanter is a senior pursuing a double major in BFA Dance Performance & Choreography and BA Psychology with a minor in neuroscience. She is a proud St. Louis native and began dancing at the age of two. Besides dancing in numerous dance concerts on campus, she has also studied dance nationally and internationally. She spent the Summer of 2022 in Florence, Italy, where she performed in the Florence Dance Festival. Olivia also spent last summer with world-renowned choreographers and completed an internship with Clear Talent Group Agency in Los Angeles. She is grateful for the opportunity to complete dance neuropsychological research at Elon and presented her findings at the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. Ultimately, Olivia is excited to pursue commercial dance after graduation this May.

Gaby Minionis

Gaby is a senior at Elon, working towards her BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography, BA in Arts Administration and BS in Sport Management. Originally from Fairfax, VA, she performed with the Burke Civic Ballet for 7 seasons. As a former member of The Movement Studios in Springfield, VA, she traveled and competed nationally and trained with Kathryn McCormick, Dejan Tubic and Kyle Robinson of DMI. While dancing at Elon, Gaby has performed in multiple shows including: Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert and Black History Month Concert. She proudly represented Elon University at the Accademia Europea di Firenze while performing “Catching Light” by Laura Kerns in Florence, Italy. Currently, Gaby is choreographing for studios in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Barrier

Choreographer: Casey Avaunt in collaboration with the dancers

Music Credit: “Eden Kaput” by Circus Marcus

Casey Avaunt

Trey Phillips

Isabella Sessa

Maya Simmons

Madeline Trigilio

Jessica Werfel

Casey Avaunt

Casey Avaunt received an MFA in Choreography from Taipei National University of the Arts and a PhD in Dance Studies from The University of California, Riverside. Her work has been performed at a number of venues around the globe including the Sheung Wan Civic Center (Hong Kong), The Joyce Theater (New York City), the National Experimental Theater (Taipei), Meridian Gallery (San Francisco), and the 21st Major Network Cities Asia Festival (Bangkok). She has held residencies at The Taipei Artist Village (Taiwan) and Cité internationale des arts (Paris, France). 

Trey Phillips

Trey Phillips is a native of Covington, Georgia. He is currently a freshman at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography. Trey trained with Covington Regional Ballet for 4 years as well as attended New York University’s summer intensive in 2019. He has completed an internship at the Newton County Arts Association.

Isabella Sessa

Isabella Sessa was born and raised in Monmouth County, New Jersey. She is currently a senior at Elon University double majoring in Dance Performance & Choreography and Arts Administration with a Business Administration minor. At Elon, Isabella will be performing in Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, The Matriarchy: Stories of Womankind, and her senior thesis production this year! This past spring semester, Isabella trained in Florence, Italy at the Florence Dance Center to continue her dance education. She is so excited to be dancing with her peers for one last time!

Maya Simmons

Maya Simmons is a senior from Atlanta, Georgia. She will be earning her B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and B.A. in English this spring. She is proud to have performed with the Florence Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, Ash and Elm Dance Co., NC Dance Project, and in a multitude of performances here at Elon every semester. She is grateful to have had her choreographic work presented in Fall Dance Concert 2022 and Dancing in the Landscape 2023! She is so excited to perform in her final Black History Month!

Madeline Trigilio

Madeline Trigilio is a senior Dance Performance and Choreography and Arts Administration double major, with a minor in Business Administration. Madeline is native of Georgetown, MA, and has been dancing since the age of two. Throughout her career, she has performed across the United States and in Florence, Italy. She made her professional choreographic debut with Ash & Elm Dance Co. in 2022., and is making her directorial debut this March with her show, The Matriarchy. Madeline is looking forward to pursuing a career in arts administration while keeping dance in her life in new forms.

Jessica Werfel

Jessica is a senior from Virginia, pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and B.A. in Arts Administration. She studied abroad at the Florence Dance Center in Italy in Spring 2023. She has danced professionally with Krista Tucker Insights Modern Dance Company, DHH Collaborative, and the Fairfax Ballet. Jessica’s choreography “Just Becoming” was selected to be in Elon’s Dancing in the Landscape performance of 2022. She is also conducting undergraduate research on dance improvisation, to be presented Spring 2024 in the Rhoades Grant Dance Concert. She is thrilled to be performing in Spring Dance Concert this year!

Perceiving is Behaving

Choreographer: Mackenzie Holub

Music Credit: Crowd Talking (Youtube Audio Library), Nature Bird Sounds (BurghRecords)

Mackenzie Holub

Cassidy Perry

Lauren Weinberg

Mackenzie Holub

Mackenzie Holub is originally from Springfield, VA. She is currently a senior pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.A. in Arts Administration. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concerts and Spring Dance Concerts. During her time at Elon, she has interned with the Los Angeles Ballet and McDonald Selznick Associates Agency, having most recently completed the Elon in LA program this past summer. She is also currently working on her Pilates mat and reformer certification.

Cassidy Perry

Cassidy Perry is a native of Stone Mountain, Georgia. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and Minors in Entrepreneurship, Business Administration, and Exercise Science. She trained with Phusion Dance Company for 11 years as a pre-professional artist and has attended summer intensives, including Dance Theater of Harlem and Atlanta Dance Experience. At Elon, she has performed in a number of dance concerts. She was also able to dance abroad over Winter Term during which she studied West African dance and culture in Ghana.

Lauren Weinberg

Lauren Weinberg is a native of San Antonio, Texas and currently, a senior at Elon University. She is pursuing a double major with a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.S in Dance Science, along with a minor in Exercise Science. She studied at San Antonio Dance Academy for ten years along with San Antonio Metropolitan Dance Company for four years. She has attended summer intensives with American Ballet Theater, The Joffrey Ballet, and Point Park University. During her undergraduate career, Lauren has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, Black History Dance Concert, Student Fellowship Productions and various student works. She has also choreographed in the Red Circle Showcase and her first mainstage choreography piece, Just A Number, was performed in this year’s Fall Dance Concert. Just A Number¸ was selected through an adjudicating process, to be performed and compete in the Richmond Dance Festival in May. Lauren is also a Club Pilates Apprentice and will be fully certified in Pilate’s mat and equipment by graduation!

Fathomless Lives

Choreographer: Arianna Shahin

Music Credit: “38 Clock Gears” by Michael Wall (edited by Arianna Shahin)

Lydia Buckius

Jenna Kulacz

Caroline Irmscher

Katie Lorber

Erica Samaras

Arianna Shahin

Lydia Buckius

Lydia Buckius is a Dance Performance and Choreography (BFA) and Dance Science (BS) double major from Lancaster, PA. She danced at VYIBA for the entirety of her senior year (2018-2019) and continued training at VYIBA during her Post-Graduate year at Linden Hall (2019-2020). She performed in The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker where she danced in the Doll Scene, Snow Scene, Spanish, Arabian, Marzipan, Waltz, and as Mother Ginger. In the Summer of 2019, Lydia attended the Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensive in NYC and was accepted to the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet's Summer Intensive for the Summer of 2020.

Jenna Kulacz

Jenna Kulacz is a native of Westchester, New York. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography. She has a passion for health and wellness and is a certified yoga instructor. Performance credits include Elon’s Fall Dance Concert and Spring Dance Concert, ACDA, where she performed a duet representing Elon and had her piece selected to be featured in the 2020 Choreography Showcase and the CAPEZIO 125th ANNIVERSARY GALA. She has also performed professionally for Christal Brown’s INSPIRIT In Arts Across America: A Live Virtual Performance with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Jenna is grateful for the talented and dedicated artists who have supported her growth as a dancer and is excited for the future!

Caroline Irmscher

Caroline Irmscher is a senior Dance Performance and Choreography and Communication Design double major from Mississippi. At Elon, she has performed in Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and various student works. She has also had her choreographic work presented in Fall Dance Concert (2021). This past summer, Caroline was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy, and continue her dance training at the Florence Dance Center.

Katie Lorber

Katie Lorber, is a senior from Westchester, NY, pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography/B.S. in Dance Science. Previously, Katie attended Seven Star School of Performing Arts for 13 years and trained at the NYU Tisch School for the Arts in the summer of 2019. Katie was selected to the United States Tap Team five times competing in the World Tap Dance Championships in Riesa, Germany, both a soloist and group dancer. Previous Elon Performances: Fall Dance Concert (2019), the Black History Month Dance Concert: Communion (2020), Rites of Seasons (2020), and Spring Dance Concert (2021).

Erica Samaras

Erica Samaras is a native of Milford, Connecticut. She is currently a sophomore at Elon University pursing a B.A in Communication Design and Strategic Communications. She trained with Ballet Etudes in Norwalk, Connecticut for her high school years. She has attended summer intensive programs with Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, and American Ballet Theater.

Arianna Shahin

Arianna Shahin is a senior at Elon University, double majoring in BFA Dance Performance & Choreography and Accounting while minoring in Finance. She is from Ambler, Pennsylvania where she trained in an array of dance genres. Arianna has studied at prestigious summer intensives including American Dance Festival, Paul Taylor American Dance, and NYU Tisch. At Elon, Arianna has performed under faculty including Renay Aumiller, Jen Guy-Metcalf, Keisha Wall and guest artist, Ming-Lung Yang. She has presented her choreographic work at New Century Dance Project. Arianna intends to critique social injustices and raise issues to awareness through performance and choreography.

Glimmer

Choreographer: Casey Avaunt in collaboration with the dancers

Music Credit: “Arch City”

Casey Avaunt

Samantha Berger

Cat Beal

Alyssa Degler

Katie Fulks

Hannah Giessler

Makayla Kanerviko

Tatum Wentworth

Casey Avaunt

Casey Avaunt received an MFA in Choreography from Taipei National University of the Arts and a PhD in Dance Studies from The University of California, Riverside. Her work has been performed at a number of venues around the globe including the Sheung Wan Civic Center (Hong Kong), The Joyce Theater (New York City), the National Experimental Theater (Taipei), Meridian Gallery (San Francisco), and the 21st Major Network Cities Asia Festival (Bangkok). She has held residencies at The Taipei Artist Village (Taiwan) and Cité internationale des arts (Paris, France). 

Samantha Berger

Samantha Berger is a senior from Westfield, NJ. She began dancing at the age of five and started training seriously in high school when she attended the Academy for Performing Arts. Samantha is currently pursuing her BFA in Performance and Choreography and BA in Arts Administration with minors in Business Administration and Professional Sales. At Elon, she has had the opportunity to perform in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and many student works. Last spring, Samantha was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy, and continue her dance training at the Florence Dance Center.

Cat Beal

Cat Beal is currently a Senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance and a B.A. in Strategic Communications. She has danced in the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival; Elon's Dancing in the Landscape 2019 - 2022, Rites of Seasons, Elon's Fall Dance; and a restaging of Fosse's Sing Sing Sing at UNCSA. She also took part in Elon B.F.A. Acting's Trojan Barbie and The Wolves, as well as dancing in Elon Cares and AOIBHNESS. She teaches at and has choreographed for Center Stage on Main in Gibsonville, NC, and leads group exercise classes for Cone Health and Campus RecWell.

Alyssa Degler

Alyssa Degler was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. She is currently a Senior at Elon University pursuing a B.S. in Dance Science and a B.A. in Psychology. She is a certified Yoga instructor from Om Shanti Yoga. Right now, she is researching the effects of ableism on college students with invisible disabilities, and aspires to work in dance movement therapy post grad.

Katie Fulks

Katie is a proud native of Huntington, West Virginia and senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.A. in Arts Administration. At Elon, she has performed choreography by Christal Brown, Casey Avaunt, Jen Guy Metcalf, and Amy Beasley. Katie had the extreme pleasure to perform in Elon Music Theatre’s production of 42nd Street. This summer, Katie performed in Tarzan the musical, Honey in the Rock, and Romeo and Juliet with Theatre West Virginia. Katie is also a researcher studying the propaganda potential of ballet choreography with a focus on Soviet Union ballets.

Hannah Giessler

Hannah Giessler, a senior from Virginia, is pursuing a double major with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a BA in Psychology. She has had the privilege of performing in Dancing In The Landscape, Spring Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Fall Dance Concert, and numerous other pieces within and outside of the program. Hannah would like to thank her family, both at home and those she found here, for all of their support. She would also like to thank you for coming to her last mainstage show! Enjoy!

Makayla Kanerviko

Makayla Kanerviko is a native of Syracuse, New York. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.S.B.A in Entrepreneurship. During her time at Elon, she has performed in the Fall Dance Concert, Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert, and various other student works. She is excited to perform in the Fall Dance Concert and looks forward to the rest of her senior season!

Tatum Wentworth

Tatum Wentworth is a native of South Kingstown, Rhode Island. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.A in Arts Administration with a minor in Business Administration. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month, Spring Dance Concert, and various student works. Tatum is very excited to perform again this year and is grateful for all of the opportunities that Elon Performing Arts Department provides.

Just Because

Choreographer: Hannah West

Caroline Boothe

Caroline Bernardon

Mackenzie Holub

Katie Lorber

Lia Kelly

Cassidy Perry

Alex Pouloutides

Isabella Piccirilli

Hannah West

Caroline Boothe

Caroline Boothe is a native of Chester, New Jersey. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance and a B.S in Accounting. She has performed in Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month, and student choreographed research projects/pieces. She has presented choreography in Fall Dance Concert and will be choreographing for this year's Fall Dance Concert.

Caroline Bernardon

Caroline Bernardon is a native of Madison, New Jersey and is currently living in Naples, Florida. She is a Senior Dance Performance & Choreography Major with minors in Exercise Science and Biology. In addition to pursuing a career in dance, and as a certified yoga instructor, she will be attending graduate school in the fall for her Masters of Science in Nutrition. Caroline is so thankful for her four years at Elon and is looking forward to her last main stage performance!

Mackenzie Holub

Mackenzie Holub is originally from Springfield, VA. She is currently a senior pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.A. in Arts Administration. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concerts and Spring Dance Concerts. During her time at Elon, she has interned with the Los Angeles Ballet and McDonald Selznick Associates Agency, having most recently completed the Elon in LA program this past summer. She is also currently working on her Pilates mat and reformer certification.

Katie Lorber

Katie Lorber, is a senior from Westchester, NY, pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography/B.S. in Dance Science. Previously, Katie attended Seven Star School of Performing Arts for 13 years and trained at the NYU Tisch School for the Arts in the summer of 2019. Katie was selected to the United States Tap Team five times competing in the World Tap Dance Championships in Riesa, Germany, both a soloist and group dancer. Previous Elon Performances: Fall Dance Concert (2019), the Black History Month Dance Concert: Communion (2020), Rites of Seasons (2020), and Spring Dance Concert (2021).

Lia Kelly

Lia Kelly is a Senior Dance Performance & Choreography and Communications Design double major from Buffalo, New York. She has performed in and been a part of Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and various student works. She spent this past summer studying in Florence, Italy where she furthered her training at Florence Dance Center. Her choreographic work is also being presented in Fall Dance Concert (2022). She is so grateful to be a part of the dance program and looks forward to the rest of her time at Elon.

Cassidy Perry

Cassidy Perry is a native of Stone Mountain, Georgia. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and Minors in Entrepreneurship, Business Administration, and Exercise Science. She trained with Phusion Dance Company for 11 years as a pre-professional artist and has attended summer intensives, including Dance Theater of Harlem and Atlanta Dance Experience. At Elon, she has performed in a number of dance concerts. She was also able to dance abroad over Winter Term during which she studied West African dance and culture in Ghana.

Alex Pouloutides

Alex is a senior BFA music theatre major and is thrilled to be making her Elon MT debut in 42nd Street. She has previously appeared on the McCrary Stage in the 2020 spring dance concert Rite Of Seasons. She would like to thank Professor Matos, Ken, Sara, Nina, Gene, and Deb for their support, as well as LK and the dance department. She is so grateful to her mom, dad, and sister for their love and encouragement throughout this process. When in doubt, tap it out.

Isabella Piccirilli

Isabella is a senior Dance Performance/Choreography and Political Science double major. She is also a contracted cadet in the ROTC program here at Elon, where she will commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army this Spring 2023. She has been fortunate to perform pieces by guest choreographers Leah Wilks, Ashley Lindsay, and Maurice Watson, and pieces by faculty such as Casey Avaunt, Keshia Wall, and Renay Aumiller. She is very excited to perform in her very last Fall Dance Concert and finish her final year here at Elon.

Hannah West

Hannah West is from St. Augustine, Florida. She is in her final year at Elon University. At Elon, Hannah is working to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography. She has participated in faculty-directed dance concerts, worked with guest choreographers, presented her own works, and performed abroad in Florence, Italy with The Kearns Dance Project. She’s also currently working to receive her certificate in classical Pilates. Hannah is very excited to continue exploring the amazing opportunities Elon provides.

Miss Education

Choreographer: Alexandra Joye Warren in collaboration with the dancers

Music Credit: “Body Transformation” by Nicholas Rich

Alexandra Joye Warren

Victoria Cataldo

Olivia Walton

Alexandra Joye Warren

Alexandra Joye Warren is the Founding Artistic Director of JOYEMOVEMENT dance and an Assistant Professor of Music Theatre program at Elon University. She was recently selected as a Artist-In-Residence for Creative Greensboro and the North Carolina Dance Festival. Alexandra has completed post-graduate studies at the Yale Summer Directing Intensive, Leadership Initiative Project for Emerging Directors, and at Germaine Acogny’s L’Ecole De Sables in Senegal. She is a contributing author in the newly released book Dance in Musical Theatre: A History of the Body in Movement. Recent projects include Love Notes (Artistic Director and Choreographer) and A Wicked Silence: A Choreoplay (Playwright, Director, Choreographer).

Victoria Cataldo

Victoria Cataldo is a dancer from Boston, MA currently completing her B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography and B.A. in Strategic Communications at Elon University. Prior to her time at Elon, she performed internationally as a member of the Northeast Ballet Conservatory, under the Artistic Direction of Denise Cecere and Joseph Jeffries. She has performed in works choreographed and staged by Denise Cecere, Joseph Jeffries, Rhonda Miller, Jeremy Ruth-Howes, Jen Guy-Metcalf, Clarice Young, Alexandra Joye Warren and Renay Aumiller, among others and in Elon’s Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert.

Olivia Walton

Olivia is a native of Wilmington, North Carolina. She is a senior pursuing a BFA in Dance and a BA in Arts Administration with a minor in Business Administration. At Elon, she has worked with various guest artists, such as Gallim and Kira Blazek Ziaii, faculty, and student choreographers in performances throughout the year, both on film and the stage. Recently Olivia participated in the DanceJerusalem Program at Hebrew University in the Spring of 2020, where she worked with past members of the prestigious Batsheva Dance Company. Olivia would like to thank her Elon family for everything and more.

Chukje (축제)

Choreographer: Jiwon Ha

Music Credit: “I Go” by Justin Eberhart

Jiwon Ha

Maggie Adams

Haley Asbury

Sofia Ballance

Lilly Beaver

Lydia Buckius

Madison Boyer

Hannah Burnett

Gabrielle Cataldo

Sophie David

Jiwon Ha

Born and raised in Busan, South Korea, Jiwon dances and teaches in multiple forms of dance - contemporary, ballet, modern, and Korean folk dance. That passion for dance has allowed her to dance, teach, choreograph, and organize events in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea. Jiwon currently lives in North Carolina where she teaches dance at Elon University.

Maggie Adams

Maggie Adams is a Senior BFA Dance Performance and Choreography major originally from Mount Airy, Maryland. Prior to Elon, Maggie spent six years as a part of the Mid Maryland Performing Arts Center’s pre-professional company, FX. Through FX she has trained in a variety of styles. Dance has given Maggie many traveling opportunities which include dancing at the In Motion Dance Studio in Bermuda, the Florence Dance Center in Italy, completing internships with L.A. Dance Project and RoyalFlux in Los Angeles, and performing in Ireland and Scotland with Dance Unbound. In the summer of 2022, she attended the GUS Giordano College/ Pro Summer Intensive on scholarship and in 2019 she was a full scholarship attendee at Slippery Rock University’s Summer Dance Intensive, FORGE. This semester at Elon, Maggie is excited to perform in Dancing in the Landscape, the Fall Dance Concert, BHM Concert, and the Spring Dance Concert. She looks forward to seeing what the world of dance has in store for her post-graduation!

Haley Asbury

Haley Asbury is a senior from Morris County, NJ earning a dual degree in BFA Dance Performance & Choreography and BA in Arts Administration. During her time at Elon, Haley has had several opportunities to perform works by guest artists in the Fall Dance Concert and Spring Dance Concert. During her spring semester of junior year, she studied abroad at the Florence Dance Center in Florence, Italy. Haley is grateful to be a choreographer in the show this year, and is excited to share what her and her dancers have created.

Sofia Ballance

Sofia Ballance is a first-year student pursuing a major in Dance Performance and Choreography. Sofia is from Potomac, Maryland, and has been dancing since she was 5 years old. This fall semester, she will be performing in Dancing in the Landscape. Sofia is very excited to meet new people and further continue her dance education at Elon University.

Lilly Beaver

Lilly, a native of Kannapolis, NC is a senior Dance Performance & Choreography and Psychology major. Lilly’s performance credits include Elon’s Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month, Fall, and Spring Dance Concerts, along with Elon Cares, ADF’s Footprints, NCDF’s Residency Showing, and JOYEMOVEMENT’s Love Notes. She has presented work in the Fall Dance Concert and numerous festivals and is excited to present work in this year’s Dancing in the Landscape. Lilly has enjoyed working with various guest artists, faculty, and student choreographers. She is grateful to be an apprentice with the JOYEMOVEMENT dance company and a teacher at Miss Kim's.

Lydia Buckius

Lydia Buckius is a Dance Performance and Choreography (BFA) and Dance Science (BS) double major from Lancaster, PA. She danced at VYIBA for the entirety of her senior year (2018-2019) and continued training at VYIBA during her Post-Graduate year at Linden Hall (2019-2020). She performed in The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker where she danced in the Doll Scene, Snow Scene, Spanish, Arabian, Marzipan, Waltz, and as Mother Ginger. In the Summer of 2019, Lydia attended the Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensive in NYC and was accepted to the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet's Summer Intensive for the Summer of 2020.

Madison Boyer

Madi is a third year Dance Science and Exercise Science double major from Jackson, New Jersey. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert. She will also be conducting Dance Science Research for her Honors Thesis, with help of her mentor Professor Kearns. She is so eager to perform in her first in-person Black History Month Dance Concert and is thankful for the opportunities that the dance program has given her.

Hannah Burnett

Hannah Burnett is a senior from Beverly, Massachusetts pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography with a minor in Photography. While at Elon, she has performed in Dancing in the Landscape (2020, 2021, 2022), Fall Dance Concert (2021, 2022), Spring Dance Concert (2021, 2022), and a multitude of student-choreographed pieces. Hannah is grateful to have studied abroad in Florence, Italy last spring and performed choreography by Angelo Egarese. She also performed work by Brian Brooks at ADF this summer. Hannah is appreciative of all past performance opportunities and looks forward to dancing with her peers for one last year at Elon. 

Gabrielle Cataldo

Gabrielle Cataldo, a native of Jamison, Pennsylvania, is a senior pursuing two degrees in Dance Performance and Choreography (B.F.A.), Arts Administration (B.A.), and a minor in Business Administration. Last spring, she performed a work by Angelo Egarese in Florence, Italy through her study-abroad program. She is excited to have the opportunity to perform again in Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert. Gabrielle wants to thank her family for their constant support and love, without them none of this would be possible. She is very excited to take the stage for one last year at Elon.

Sophie David

Sophie David grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts and is in her senior year at Elon University. She is pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography, a BA in Arts Administration, and a minor in Business Administration. While at Elon, Sophie has had the opportunity to perform in works by Casey Avaunt, Courtney Liu, Jen Guy Metcalf, Ming Lung Yang, Jiwon Ha, and many others. She has also choreographed several dance pieces in various styles for student choreography showings and club performances. Sophie is so excited to perform in Lee Edwards’ piece in the 2023 Fall Dance Concert!

Milk’s Favorite Cookie

Choreographer: Sarah DeSordi

Music Credit: “Colours” by Hannah Hooper, Sean Gadd, Rabin, Ryan and Christian Tyler

Caroline Bernardon

Sarah DeSordi

Olivia Haskell

Molly Jenks

Marissa Mahoney

Sarah McNamee

Lauren Mitchell

Cassidy Perry

Eliana Sakin

Alexandra Strouse

Hannah West

Caroline Bernardon

Caroline Bernardon is a native of Madison, New Jersey and is currently living in Naples, Florida. She is a Senior Dance Performance & Choreography Major with minors in Exercise Science and Biology. In addition to pursuing a career in dance, and as a certified yoga instructor, she will be attending graduate school in the fall for her Masters of Science in Nutrition. Caroline is so thankful for her four years at Elon and is looking forward to her last main stage performance!

Sarah DeSordi

Sarah DeSordi is a Senior at Elon University earning her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography, BS in Dance Science and BS in Exercise Science. Before choosing to study dance in a collegiate setting, she trained at her home studio in New Jersey. Her time at Elon thus far has consisted of performing in multiple dance concerts, site-specific works, and student choreography-research projects in addition to presenting choreographic works of her own. She was even able to further her performance experience and dance training by studying in Florence, Italy. She is excited to pursue an intersection of her interests in both choreography and human performance through art and wellness!

Olivia Haskell

Olivia Haskell is a fourth year student working to complete her B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and her BA in Psychology. She spends her summers teaching and choreographing at her home studio on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. During her time at Elon University, she has performed in various Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Senior Fellows Performances, and American College Dance Association. She is excited to continue dancing through her last year at Elon.

Molly Jenks

Molly Jenks is a senior pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography, a B.A. in Journalism, and a minor in International and Global Studies at Elon University. Molly trained at the School of Richmond Ballet, American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Florence Dance Center, and American Dance Festival. Performance credits include Indonesian choreographer Alisa Soelaeman’s Transference 2.0, Jen Guy Metcalf’s All the Light We Cannot See, Keshia Wall’s Darling Betty, and Lauren Kearns’s Rites of Seasons. Molly is thrilled to be part of Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month, and Spring Dance Concert this season.

Marissa Mahoney

Marissa Mahoney is from Naples, Florida. She is a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography, B.A. in Strategic Communications, and a minor in Creative Writing. Marissa’s choreography was featured in the American College Dance Association Southeast Regional Gala and she is excited to showcase her work in the 2020 Fall Dance Concert. Marissa has completed internships at the Merce Cunningham Trust in NYC and Avalon Artists Group in LA. She is also the president of Elon DanceWorks, as well as an office assistant to the head of the performing arts department.

Sarah McNamee

Sarah McNamee is a senior majoring in Dance Performance and Choreography and Exercise Science. From Charlotte, NC, she danced at Dance Productions and graduated from Northwest School of the Arts as a dance major. At Elon, she has performed in Dancing in the Landscape in 2017 and 2019, Echoes: the Spring Dance Concert in 2018, Chroma: the Spring Dance Concert in 2019, the Research Fellows show in 2019, and the Fall Dance Concert in 2019. She also spent a summer performing in Florence, Italy. Sarah is excited to spend her senior year with a great group of dancers and faculty!

Lauren Mitchell

Lauren Mitchell, from Sparta, New Jersey, is a senior at Elon pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and B.S. in Dance Science. She has worked with various faculty and student choreographers in performances throughout the years, both on film and stage. During the summer of 2019 she had the incredible opportunity to travel and study abroad in Florence, Italy, training at the Florence Dance Center. This year she is working towards her goals of becoming a pediatric occupational therapist and dance teacher, where she will get to work with kids while continuing her passion for dance!

Cassidy Perry

Cassidy Perry is a native of Stone Mountain, Georgia. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and Minors in Entrepreneurship, Business Administration, and Exercise Science. She trained with Phusion Dance Company for 11 years as a pre-professional artist and has attended summer intensives, including Dance Theater of Harlem and Atlanta Dance Experience. At Elon, she has performed in a number of dance concerts. She was also able to dance abroad over Winter Term during which she studied West African dance and culture in Ghana.

Eliana Sakin

Eliana Sakin is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. She is a senior pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.A in Arts Administration. In her first three years at Elon, Eliana has had the opportunity to perform in Rites of Seasons, Chroma, Black History Month Dance Concert, as well as work with student and faculty choreographers in Dancing in the Landscape. Eliana has also performed with Africa Alive Dance Company in Ghana as well as site-specific works by Lauren Kearns in Florence, Italy. She is so thankful for all of her experiences at Elon and can’t wait for what her senior year brings!

Alexandra Strouse

Alexandra Love Strouse is a senior at Elon University, pursuing her B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and B.A. in Strategic Communications. Alexandra has performed as an Apprentice with JOYEMOVEMENT, dance company in Greensboro, North Carolina, under the direction of Alexandra Joye Warren. At Elon, she has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Concert, College Fellows Concert, Red Circle Showcase, and Spring Dance Concert. At Elon, Alexandra has presented her choreography in Dancing in the Landscape and Red Circle Showcase. Alexandra was recently awarded the Elon Outstanding Senior Dance Performance and Choreography Award. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Alexandra studied dance with the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, the Inertia Dance Company, and The Moving Company Dance Center. Alexandra was awarded the Maryland All-State Dance Award and the Carver Unsung Hero Dance Award. Her training has also included summer intensive programs with The Ailey School and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. The past two summers, Alexandra has worked as the Ailey Extension Workshop Coordinator and Intern with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This summer, she also worked as the Marketing/Public Relations Intern with the Durham Performing Arts Center.

Hannah West

Hannah West is from St. Augustine, Florida. She is in her final year at Elon University. At Elon, Hannah is working to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography. She has participated in faculty-directed dance concerts, worked with guest choreographers, presented her own works, and performed abroad in Florence, Italy with The Kearns Dance Project. She’s also currently working to receive her certificate in classical Pilates. Hannah is very excited to continue exploring the amazing opportunities Elon provides.

Film Crew

Jasmine Simmons

Jordan Young

Connor Thomas

Baldwin Sappenfield

JD Grant

Mallory Siegenthaler

Bios

Amy Beasley

Jiwon Ha

Casey Avaunt

Alexandra Joye Warren

Maggie Adams

Haley Asbury

Sofia Ballance

Samantha Berger

Cat Beal

Caroline Boothe

Caroline Bernardon

Lilly Beaver

Lydia Buckius

Madison Boyer

Hannah Burnett

Victoria Cataldo

Gabrielle Cataldo

Alyssa Degler

Sarah DeSordi

Sophie David

Katie Fulks

Olivia Haskell

Hannah Giessler

Mackenzie Holub

Molly Jenks

Hannah Kieserman

Jenna Kulacz

Caroline Irmscher

Makayla Kanerviko

Katie Lorber

Marissa Mahoney

Isabelle Mao

Lia Kelly

Lauren McCarthy

Sarah McNamee

Olivia Lanter

Lauren Mitchell

Cassidy Perry

Gaby Minionis

Trey Phillips

Alex Pouloutides

Isabella Piccirilli

Eliana Sakin

Erica Samaras

Isabella Sessa

Arianna Shahin

Alexandra Strouse

Maya Simmons

Madeline Trigilio

Olivia Walton

Tatum Wentworth

Hannah West

Lauren Weinberg

Jessica Werfel

Amy Beasley

Amy Love Beasley is a dance artist and educator. She is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dance at Elon University and has been on faculty at UNC Greensboro, Wake Forest University, and UNC School of the Arts’ Summer Intensive. Her work has been performed at Elon University, the Greensboro Fringe Festival, UNC Greensboro, FSC-Jacksonville, Wake Forest University, the North Carolina Dance Festival, UNC School of the Arts, Art-o-Matic in Washington, DC and through Waxworks and at the Center for Performance Research, in Brooklyn, NY. She has had the good fortune of performing for many inspiring artists, of being in a community with amazing teachers, students, and colleagues, and of being a mother to her favorite little mover and shaker, Josie.

Jiwon Ha

Born and raised in Busan, South Korea, Jiwon dances and teaches in multiple forms of dance - contemporary, ballet, modern, and Korean folk dance. That passion for dance has allowed her to dance, teach, choreograph, and organize events in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea. Jiwon currently lives in North Carolina where she teaches dance at Elon University.

Casey Avaunt

Casey Avaunt received an MFA in Choreography from Taipei National University of the Arts and a PhD in Dance Studies from The University of California, Riverside. Her work has been performed at a number of venues around the globe including the Sheung Wan Civic Center (Hong Kong), The Joyce Theater (New York City), the National Experimental Theater (Taipei), Meridian Gallery (San Francisco), and the 21st Major Network Cities Asia Festival (Bangkok). She has held residencies at The Taipei Artist Village (Taiwan) and Cité internationale des arts (Paris, France). 

Alexandra Joye Warren

Alexandra Joye Warren is the Founding Artistic Director of JOYEMOVEMENT dance and an Assistant Professor of Music Theatre program at Elon University. She was recently selected as a Artist-In-Residence for Creative Greensboro and the North Carolina Dance Festival. Alexandra has completed post-graduate studies at the Yale Summer Directing Intensive, Leadership Initiative Project for Emerging Directors, and at Germaine Acogny’s L’Ecole De Sables in Senegal. She is a contributing author in the newly released book Dance in Musical Theatre: A History of the Body in Movement. Recent projects include Love Notes (Artistic Director and Choreographer) and A Wicked Silence: A Choreoplay (Playwright, Director, Choreographer).

Maggie Adams

Maggie Adams is a Senior BFA Dance Performance and Choreography major originally from Mount Airy, Maryland. Prior to Elon, Maggie spent six years as a part of the Mid Maryland Performing Arts Center’s pre-professional company, FX. Through FX she has trained in a variety of styles. Dance has given Maggie many traveling opportunities which include dancing at the In Motion Dance Studio in Bermuda, the Florence Dance Center in Italy, completing internships with L.A. Dance Project and RoyalFlux in Los Angeles, and performing in Ireland and Scotland with Dance Unbound. In the summer of 2022, she attended the GUS Giordano College/ Pro Summer Intensive on scholarship and in 2019 she was a full scholarship attendee at Slippery Rock University’s Summer Dance Intensive, FORGE. This semester at Elon, Maggie is excited to perform in Dancing in the Landscape, the Fall Dance Concert, BHM Concert, and the Spring Dance Concert. She looks forward to seeing what the world of dance has in store for her post-graduation!

Haley Asbury

Haley Asbury is a senior from Morris County, NJ earning a dual degree in BFA Dance Performance & Choreography and BA in Arts Administration. During her time at Elon, Haley has had several opportunities to perform works by guest artists in the Fall Dance Concert and Spring Dance Concert. During her spring semester of junior year, she studied abroad at the Florence Dance Center in Florence, Italy. Haley is grateful to be a choreographer in the show this year, and is excited to share what her and her dancers have created.

Sofia Ballance

Sofia Ballance is a first-year student pursuing a major in Dance Performance and Choreography. Sofia is from Potomac, Maryland, and has been dancing since she was 5 years old. This fall semester, she will be performing in Dancing in the Landscape. Sofia is very excited to meet new people and further continue her dance education at Elon University.

Samantha Berger

Samantha Berger is a senior from Westfield, NJ. She began dancing at the age of five and started training seriously in high school when she attended the Academy for Performing Arts. Samantha is currently pursuing her BFA in Performance and Choreography and BA in Arts Administration with minors in Business Administration and Professional Sales. At Elon, she has had the opportunity to perform in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and many student works. Last spring, Samantha was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy, and continue her dance training at the Florence Dance Center.

Cat Beal

Cat Beal is currently a Senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance and a B.A. in Strategic Communications. She has danced in the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival; Elon's Dancing in the Landscape 2019 - 2022, Rites of Seasons, Elon's Fall Dance; and a restaging of Fosse's Sing Sing Sing at UNCSA. She also took part in Elon B.F.A. Acting's Trojan Barbie and The Wolves, as well as dancing in Elon Cares and AOIBHNESS. She teaches at and has choreographed for Center Stage on Main in Gibsonville, NC, and leads group exercise classes for Cone Health and Campus RecWell.

Caroline Boothe

Caroline Boothe is a native of Chester, New Jersey. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance and a B.S in Accounting. She has performed in Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month, and student choreographed research projects/pieces. She has presented choreography in Fall Dance Concert and will be choreographing for this year's Fall Dance Concert.

Caroline Bernardon

Caroline Bernardon is a native of Madison, New Jersey and is currently living in Naples, Florida. She is a Senior Dance Performance & Choreography Major with minors in Exercise Science and Biology. In addition to pursuing a career in dance, and as a certified yoga instructor, she will be attending graduate school in the fall for her Masters of Science in Nutrition. Caroline is so thankful for her four years at Elon and is looking forward to her last main stage performance!

Lilly Beaver

Lilly, a native of Kannapolis, NC is a senior Dance Performance & Choreography and Psychology major. Lilly’s performance credits include Elon’s Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month, Fall, and Spring Dance Concerts, along with Elon Cares, ADF’s Footprints, NCDF’s Residency Showing, and JOYEMOVEMENT’s Love Notes. She has presented work in the Fall Dance Concert and numerous festivals and is excited to present work in this year’s Dancing in the Landscape. Lilly has enjoyed working with various guest artists, faculty, and student choreographers. She is grateful to be an apprentice with the JOYEMOVEMENT dance company and a teacher at Miss Kim's.

Lydia Buckius

Lydia Buckius is a Dance Performance and Choreography (BFA) and Dance Science (BS) double major from Lancaster, PA. She danced at VYIBA for the entirety of her senior year (2018-2019) and continued training at VYIBA during her Post-Graduate year at Linden Hall (2019-2020). She performed in The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker where she danced in the Doll Scene, Snow Scene, Spanish, Arabian, Marzipan, Waltz, and as Mother Ginger. In the Summer of 2019, Lydia attended the Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensive in NYC and was accepted to the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet's Summer Intensive for the Summer of 2020.

Madison Boyer

Madi is a third year Dance Science and Exercise Science double major from Jackson, New Jersey. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert. She will also be conducting Dance Science Research for her Honors Thesis, with help of her mentor Professor Kearns. She is so eager to perform in her first in-person Black History Month Dance Concert and is thankful for the opportunities that the dance program has given her.

Hannah Burnett

Hannah Burnett is a senior from Beverly, Massachusetts pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography with a minor in Photography. While at Elon, she has performed in Dancing in the Landscape (2020, 2021, 2022), Fall Dance Concert (2021, 2022), Spring Dance Concert (2021, 2022), and a multitude of student-choreographed pieces. Hannah is grateful to have studied abroad in Florence, Italy last spring and performed choreography by Angelo Egarese. She also performed work by Brian Brooks at ADF this summer. Hannah is appreciative of all past performance opportunities and looks forward to dancing with her peers for one last year at Elon. 

Victoria Cataldo

Victoria Cataldo is a dancer from Boston, MA currently completing her B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography and B.A. in Strategic Communications at Elon University. Prior to her time at Elon, she performed internationally as a member of the Northeast Ballet Conservatory, under the Artistic Direction of Denise Cecere and Joseph Jeffries. She has performed in works choreographed and staged by Denise Cecere, Joseph Jeffries, Rhonda Miller, Jeremy Ruth-Howes, Jen Guy-Metcalf, Clarice Young, Alexandra Joye Warren and Renay Aumiller, among others and in Elon’s Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert.

Gabrielle Cataldo

Gabrielle Cataldo, a native of Jamison, Pennsylvania, is a senior pursuing two degrees in Dance Performance and Choreography (B.F.A.), Arts Administration (B.A.), and a minor in Business Administration. Last spring, she performed a work by Angelo Egarese in Florence, Italy through her study-abroad program. She is excited to have the opportunity to perform again in Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert. Gabrielle wants to thank her family for their constant support and love, without them none of this would be possible. She is very excited to take the stage for one last year at Elon.

Alyssa Degler

Alyssa Degler was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. She is currently a Senior at Elon University pursuing a B.S. in Dance Science and a B.A. in Psychology. She is a certified Yoga instructor from Om Shanti Yoga. Right now, she is researching the effects of ableism on college students with invisible disabilities, and aspires to work in dance movement therapy post grad.

Sarah DeSordi

Sarah DeSordi is a Senior at Elon University earning her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography, BS in Dance Science and BS in Exercise Science. Before choosing to study dance in a collegiate setting, she trained at her home studio in New Jersey. Her time at Elon thus far has consisted of performing in multiple dance concerts, site-specific works, and student choreography-research projects in addition to presenting choreographic works of her own. She was even able to further her performance experience and dance training by studying in Florence, Italy. She is excited to pursue an intersection of her interests in both choreography and human performance through art and wellness!

Sophie David

Sophie David grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts and is in her senior year at Elon University. She is pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography, a BA in Arts Administration, and a minor in Business Administration. While at Elon, Sophie has had the opportunity to perform in works by Casey Avaunt, Courtney Liu, Jen Guy Metcalf, Ming Lung Yang, Jiwon Ha, and many others. She has also choreographed several dance pieces in various styles for student choreography showings and club performances. Sophie is so excited to perform in Lee Edwards’ piece in the 2023 Fall Dance Concert!

Katie Fulks

Katie is a proud native of Huntington, West Virginia and senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.A. in Arts Administration. At Elon, she has performed choreography by Christal Brown, Casey Avaunt, Jen Guy Metcalf, and Amy Beasley. Katie had the extreme pleasure to perform in Elon Music Theatre’s production of 42nd Street. This summer, Katie performed in Tarzan the musical, Honey in the Rock, and Romeo and Juliet with Theatre West Virginia. Katie is also a researcher studying the propaganda potential of ballet choreography with a focus on Soviet Union ballets.

Olivia Haskell

Olivia Haskell is a fourth year student working to complete her B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and her BA in Psychology. She spends her summers teaching and choreographing at her home studio on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. During her time at Elon University, she has performed in various Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Senior Fellows Performances, and American College Dance Association. She is excited to continue dancing through her last year at Elon.

Hannah Giessler

Hannah Giessler, a senior from Virginia, is pursuing a double major with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a BA in Psychology. She has had the privilege of performing in Dancing In The Landscape, Spring Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Fall Dance Concert, and numerous other pieces within and outside of the program. Hannah would like to thank her family, both at home and those she found here, for all of their support. She would also like to thank you for coming to her last mainstage show! Enjoy!

Mackenzie Holub

Mackenzie Holub is originally from Springfield, VA. She is currently a senior pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.A. in Arts Administration. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concerts and Spring Dance Concerts. During her time at Elon, she has interned with the Los Angeles Ballet and McDonald Selznick Associates Agency, having most recently completed the Elon in LA program this past summer. She is also currently working on her Pilates mat and reformer certification.

Molly Jenks

Molly Jenks is a senior pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography, a B.A. in Journalism, and a minor in International and Global Studies at Elon University. Molly trained at the School of Richmond Ballet, American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Florence Dance Center, and American Dance Festival. Performance credits include Indonesian choreographer Alisa Soelaeman’s Transference 2.0, Jen Guy Metcalf’s All the Light We Cannot See, Keshia Wall’s Darling Betty, and Lauren Kearns’s Rites of Seasons. Molly is thrilled to be part of Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month, and Spring Dance Concert this season.

Hannah Kieserman

Hannah Kieserman is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is currently a freshman at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography. She trained at the Institute of Dance Artistry located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania for the past 15 years and has completed a pre-college summer program at the University of the Arts earning 3 credits.

Jenna Kulacz

Jenna Kulacz is a native of Westchester, New York. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography. She has a passion for health and wellness and is a certified yoga instructor. Performance credits include Elon’s Fall Dance Concert and Spring Dance Concert, ACDA, where she performed a duet representing Elon and had her piece selected to be featured in the 2020 Choreography Showcase and the CAPEZIO 125th ANNIVERSARY GALA. She has also performed professionally for Christal Brown’s INSPIRIT In Arts Across America: A Live Virtual Performance with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Jenna is grateful for the talented and dedicated artists who have supported her growth as a dancer and is excited for the future!

Caroline Irmscher

Caroline Irmscher is a senior Dance Performance and Choreography and Communication Design double major from Mississippi. At Elon, she has performed in Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and various student works. She has also had her choreographic work presented in Fall Dance Concert (2021). This past summer, Caroline was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy, and continue her dance training at the Florence Dance Center.

Makayla Kanerviko

Makayla Kanerviko is a native of Syracuse, New York. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.S.B.A in Entrepreneurship. During her time at Elon, she has performed in the Fall Dance Concert, Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert, and various other student works. She is excited to perform in the Fall Dance Concert and looks forward to the rest of her senior season!

Katie Lorber

Katie Lorber, is a senior from Westchester, NY, pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography/B.S. in Dance Science. Previously, Katie attended Seven Star School of Performing Arts for 13 years and trained at the NYU Tisch School for the Arts in the summer of 2019. Katie was selected to the United States Tap Team five times competing in the World Tap Dance Championships in Riesa, Germany, both a soloist and group dancer. Previous Elon Performances: Fall Dance Concert (2019), the Black History Month Dance Concert: Communion (2020), Rites of Seasons (2020), and Spring Dance Concert (2021).

Marissa Mahoney

Marissa Mahoney is from Naples, Florida. She is a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography, B.A. in Strategic Communications, and a minor in Creative Writing. Marissa’s choreography was featured in the American College Dance Association Southeast Regional Gala and she is excited to showcase her work in the 2020 Fall Dance Concert. Marissa has completed internships at the Merce Cunningham Trust in NYC and Avalon Artists Group in LA. She is also the president of Elon DanceWorks, as well as an office assistant to the head of the performing arts department.

Isabelle Mao

Isabelle Mao is a native from Chicago, Illinois. She is currently a sophomore at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and minoring in Exercise Science. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape and Spring Dance Concert. Isabelle is excited to continue her training and to grow as a dancer and performer at Elon this coming year!

Lia Kelly

Lia Kelly is a Senior Dance Performance & Choreography and Communications Design double major from Buffalo, New York. She has performed in and been a part of Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and various student works. She spent this past summer studying in Florence, Italy where she furthered her training at Florence Dance Center. Her choreographic work is also being presented in Fall Dance Concert (2022). She is so grateful to be a part of the dance program and looks forward to the rest of her time at Elon.

Lauren McCarthy

Lauryn McCarthy is originally from Portland, Oregon. She is currently a first-year at Elon University, pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography. She has trained under the Jefferson Dancers, a pre-professional company. Through the Jefferson Dancers Lauryn got to perform over 50 times a year including traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the National High School Dance Festival and the South of France to take class as well as perform.

Sarah McNamee

Sarah McNamee is a senior majoring in Dance Performance and Choreography and Exercise Science. From Charlotte, NC, she danced at Dance Productions and graduated from Northwest School of the Arts as a dance major. At Elon, she has performed in Dancing in the Landscape in 2017 and 2019, Echoes: the Spring Dance Concert in 2018, Chroma: the Spring Dance Concert in 2019, the Research Fellows show in 2019, and the Fall Dance Concert in 2019. She also spent a summer performing in Florence, Italy. Sarah is excited to spend her senior year with a great group of dancers and faculty!

Olivia Lanter

Olivia Lanter is a senior pursuing a double major in BFA Dance Performance & Choreography and BA Psychology with a minor in neuroscience. She is a proud St. Louis native and began dancing at the age of two. Besides dancing in numerous dance concerts on campus, she has also studied dance nationally and internationally. She spent the Summer of 2022 in Florence, Italy, where she performed in the Florence Dance Festival. Olivia also spent last summer with world-renowned choreographers and completed an internship with Clear Talent Group Agency in Los Angeles. She is grateful for the opportunity to complete dance neuropsychological research at Elon and presented her findings at the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. Ultimately, Olivia is excited to pursue commercial dance after graduation this May.

Lauren Mitchell

Lauren Mitchell, from Sparta, New Jersey, is a senior at Elon pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and B.S. in Dance Science. She has worked with various faculty and student choreographers in performances throughout the years, both on film and stage. During the summer of 2019 she had the incredible opportunity to travel and study abroad in Florence, Italy, training at the Florence Dance Center. This year she is working towards her goals of becoming a pediatric occupational therapist and dance teacher, where she will get to work with kids while continuing her passion for dance!

Cassidy Perry

Cassidy Perry is a native of Stone Mountain, Georgia. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and Minors in Entrepreneurship, Business Administration, and Exercise Science. She trained with Phusion Dance Company for 11 years as a pre-professional artist and has attended summer intensives, including Dance Theater of Harlem and Atlanta Dance Experience. At Elon, she has performed in a number of dance concerts. She was also able to dance abroad over Winter Term during which she studied West African dance and culture in Ghana.

Gaby Minionis

Gaby is a senior at Elon, working towards her BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography, BA in Arts Administration and BS in Sport Management. Originally from Fairfax, VA, she performed with the Burke Civic Ballet for 7 seasons. As a former member of The Movement Studios in Springfield, VA, she traveled and competed nationally and trained with Kathryn McCormick, Dejan Tubic and Kyle Robinson of DMI. While dancing at Elon, Gaby has performed in multiple shows including: Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert and Black History Month Concert. She proudly represented Elon University at the Accademia Europea di Firenze while performing “Catching Light” by Laura Kerns in Florence, Italy. Currently, Gaby is choreographing for studios in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Trey Phillips

Trey Phillips is a native of Covington, Georgia. He is currently a freshman at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography. Trey trained with Covington Regional Ballet for 4 years as well as attended New York University’s summer intensive in 2019. He has completed an internship at the Newton County Arts Association.

Alex Pouloutides

Alex is a senior BFA music theatre major and is thrilled to be making her Elon MT debut in 42nd Street. She has previously appeared on the McCrary Stage in the 2020 spring dance concert Rite Of Seasons. She would like to thank Professor Matos, Ken, Sara, Nina, Gene, and Deb for their support, as well as LK and the dance department. She is so grateful to her mom, dad, and sister for their love and encouragement throughout this process. When in doubt, tap it out.

Isabella Piccirilli

Isabella is a senior Dance Performance/Choreography and Political Science double major. She is also a contracted cadet in the ROTC program here at Elon, where she will commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army this Spring 2023. She has been fortunate to perform pieces by guest choreographers Leah Wilks, Ashley Lindsay, and Maurice Watson, and pieces by faculty such as Casey Avaunt, Keshia Wall, and Renay Aumiller. She is very excited to perform in her very last Fall Dance Concert and finish her final year here at Elon.

Eliana Sakin

Eliana Sakin is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. She is a senior pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.A in Arts Administration. In her first three years at Elon, Eliana has had the opportunity to perform in Rites of Seasons, Chroma, Black History Month Dance Concert, as well as work with student and faculty choreographers in Dancing in the Landscape. Eliana has also performed with Africa Alive Dance Company in Ghana as well as site-specific works by Lauren Kearns in Florence, Italy. She is so thankful for all of her experiences at Elon and can’t wait for what her senior year brings!

Erica Samaras

Erica Samaras is a native of Milford, Connecticut. She is currently a sophomore at Elon University pursing a B.A in Communication Design and Strategic Communications. She trained with Ballet Etudes in Norwalk, Connecticut for her high school years. She has attended summer intensive programs with Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, and American Ballet Theater.

Isabella Sessa

Isabella Sessa was born and raised in Monmouth County, New Jersey. She is currently a senior at Elon University double majoring in Dance Performance & Choreography and Arts Administration with a Business Administration minor. At Elon, Isabella will be performing in Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, The Matriarchy: Stories of Womankind, and her senior thesis production this year! This past spring semester, Isabella trained in Florence, Italy at the Florence Dance Center to continue her dance education. She is so excited to be dancing with her peers for one last time!

Arianna Shahin

Arianna Shahin is a senior at Elon University, double majoring in BFA Dance Performance & Choreography and Accounting while minoring in Finance. She is from Ambler, Pennsylvania where she trained in an array of dance genres. Arianna has studied at prestigious summer intensives including American Dance Festival, Paul Taylor American Dance, and NYU Tisch. At Elon, Arianna has performed under faculty including Renay Aumiller, Jen Guy-Metcalf, Keisha Wall and guest artist, Ming-Lung Yang. She has presented her choreographic work at New Century Dance Project. Arianna intends to critique social injustices and raise issues to awareness through performance and choreography.

Alexandra Strouse

Alexandra Love Strouse is a senior at Elon University, pursuing her B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and B.A. in Strategic Communications. Alexandra has performed as an Apprentice with JOYEMOVEMENT, dance company in Greensboro, North Carolina, under the direction of Alexandra Joye Warren. At Elon, she has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Concert, College Fellows Concert, Red Circle Showcase, and Spring Dance Concert. At Elon, Alexandra has presented her choreography in Dancing in the Landscape and Red Circle Showcase. Alexandra was recently awarded the Elon Outstanding Senior Dance Performance and Choreography Award. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Alexandra studied dance with the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, the Inertia Dance Company, and The Moving Company Dance Center. Alexandra was awarded the Maryland All-State Dance Award and the Carver Unsung Hero Dance Award. Her training has also included summer intensive programs with The Ailey School and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. The past two summers, Alexandra has worked as the Ailey Extension Workshop Coordinator and Intern with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This summer, she also worked as the Marketing/Public Relations Intern with the Durham Performing Arts Center.

Maya Simmons

Maya Simmons is a senior from Atlanta, Georgia. She will be earning her B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and B.A. in English this spring. She is proud to have performed with the Florence Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, Ash and Elm Dance Co., NC Dance Project, and in a multitude of performances here at Elon every semester. She is grateful to have had her choreographic work presented in Fall Dance Concert 2022 and Dancing in the Landscape 2023! She is so excited to perform in her final Black History Month!

Madeline Trigilio

Madeline Trigilio is a senior Dance Performance and Choreography and Arts Administration double major, with a minor in Business Administration. Madeline is native of Georgetown, MA, and has been dancing since the age of two. Throughout her career, she has performed across the United States and in Florence, Italy. She made her professional choreographic debut with Ash & Elm Dance Co. in 2022., and is making her directorial debut this March with her show, The Matriarchy. Madeline is looking forward to pursuing a career in arts administration while keeping dance in her life in new forms.

Olivia Walton

Olivia is a native of Wilmington, North Carolina. She is a senior pursuing a BFA in Dance and a BA in Arts Administration with a minor in Business Administration. At Elon, she has worked with various guest artists, such as Gallim and Kira Blazek Ziaii, faculty, and student choreographers in performances throughout the year, both on film and the stage. Recently Olivia participated in the DanceJerusalem Program at Hebrew University in the Spring of 2020, where she worked with past members of the prestigious Batsheva Dance Company. Olivia would like to thank her Elon family for everything and more.

Tatum Wentworth

Tatum Wentworth is a native of South Kingstown, Rhode Island. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.A in Arts Administration with a minor in Business Administration. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month, Spring Dance Concert, and various student works. Tatum is very excited to perform again this year and is grateful for all of the opportunities that Elon Performing Arts Department provides.

Hannah West

Hannah West is from St. Augustine, Florida. She is in her final year at Elon University. At Elon, Hannah is working to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography. She has participated in faculty-directed dance concerts, worked with guest choreographers, presented her own works, and performed abroad in Florence, Italy with The Kearns Dance Project. She’s also currently working to receive her certificate in classical Pilates. Hannah is very excited to continue exploring the amazing opportunities Elon provides.

Lauren Weinberg

Lauren Weinberg is a native of San Antonio, Texas and currently, a senior at Elon University. She is pursuing a double major with a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.S in Dance Science, along with a minor in Exercise Science. She studied at San Antonio Dance Academy for ten years along with San Antonio Metropolitan Dance Company for four years. She has attended summer intensives with American Ballet Theater, The Joffrey Ballet, and Point Park University. During her undergraduate career, Lauren has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, Black History Dance Concert, Student Fellowship Productions and various student works. She has also choreographed in the Red Circle Showcase and her first mainstage choreography piece, Just A Number, was performed in this year’s Fall Dance Concert. Just A Number¸ was selected through an adjudicating process, to be performed and compete in the Richmond Dance Festival in May. Lauren is also a Club Pilates Apprentice and will be fully certified in Pilate’s mat and equipment by graduation!

Jessica Werfel

Jessica is a senior from Virginia, pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and B.A. in Arts Administration. She studied abroad at the Florence Dance Center in Italy in Spring 2023. She has danced professionally with Krista Tucker Insights Modern Dance Company, DHH Collaborative, and the Fairfax Ballet. Jessica’s choreography “Just Becoming” was selected to be in Elon’s Dancing in the Landscape performance of 2022. She is also conducting undergraduate research on dance improvisation, to be presented Spring 2024 in the Rhoades Grant Dance Concert. She is thrilled to be performing in Spring Dance Concert this year!