Spring Dance Concert

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

Choreographed by Cheri Stokes

Movement Invention: Cheri Stokes and Cassidy Perry

Music Credit: Sound design by Cheri Stokes using music samples from Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Mary J. Blige and Notorius B.I.G. 

Costume Design: Cheri Stokes and Cassidy Perry 

Rehearsal Assistant: Lauren Jacobbe and Jessica Werfel

This solo infuses the ideas and perspectives of myself and Cassidy’s experiences with Hip-Hop Culture, Contemporary Dance, our movement lineage and histories, and weaving those experiences into the work.

Cassidy Perry

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.

Relentless

Choreographed by Casey Avaunt in collaboration with the dancers

Costume Design: Heidi Jo Schiemer

Music Credit: “Hotel Terminus” by Circus Marcus 

Casey Avaunt

Maggie Adams

Hannah Burnett

Gabrielle Cataldo

Phoebe Crumbine

Olivia Haskell

Molly Jenks

Olivia Lanter

Olivia Walton

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). 

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!

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.

Phoebe Crumbine

Phoebe Crumbine (BFA & BA, Elon University) is a multi-faceted artist and performer from Beverly, Massachusetts. She has been selected to perform works by Angelo Egarese, Elizabeth Parkinson, Mary Ann Lamb, Jacob Karr, Cindy Salgado, Kim Wolfe, Maurice Watson, Jiwon Ha, Shaleigh Comerford, Sara Ruth Tourek, and Ming Yung Lang. Her choreography was chosen to be presented at a mainstage production at Elon University. She was selected to study dance and perform in Florence, Italy where she performed in the Florence Dance Festival. She is trained vocally by Gretchen Bruesehoff. She is a candidate for a 500 hour comprehensive Pilates Certification. She is working towards her personal trainer certification. She wants to thank all of her mentors, teachers, family, and friends for supporting her and pushing her past what she thought she was capable of! phoebecrumbine.com IG: phoebecrumbine

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.

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.

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.

Girls In My Neighborhood

Choreographed by Alexandra Joye Warren in collaboration with the dancers

Video Projection: Jeremy Hyler

Music Credit: Unbearable (original composition) by Nicholas Rich, Autumn by Konovalov Music

Text Credit: James Baldwin (Excerpt from “The Struggle”), Angela Davis (Excerpt from “On Becoming an Activist”)

Alexandra Joye Warren

Caroline Boothe

Mackenzie Holub

Marissa Mahoney

Lia Kelly

Cassidy Perry

Alexandra Strouse

Madeline Trigilio

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Space Between, Within, Without

Choreographed by Gaspard Louis

Music Credit: Michael Wall

As movers, our natural instinct is to soak up the space around us. However, In the age of Covid-19, we find ourselves in situations where we’re forced to practice self-isolation and remain at a minimum 6 feet from one another. Space Between, Within, Without, is an exploration of the space, the air, and the joy of being able to move freely in an environment larger than 6 x 6 boundaries. 

Lilly Beaver

Jenna Kulacz

Lauren Mitchell

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.

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!

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!

Triggered

Choreographed by Renay Aumiller

Movement Invention: The dancers

Music Credit: “What’s Up?” by Linda Perry and “Listen Before I Go” instrumental by Billie Eilish & Finneas. Edited for the purposes of this performance.

Costume Design: Caitlin Duncan

Renay Aumiller

Kate Axness

Kiersten Borkert

Sarah DeSordi

Lily Herrin

Isabella Piccirilli

Arianna Shahin

Kayla Spalding

Tatum Wentworth

Renay Aumiller

Renay Aumiller has presented her choreography in festivals across United States, Sweden, United Kingdom, Canada, Pakistan, Serbia, Taiwan, and Italy as the artistic director/founder of RAD | Renay Aumiller Dances. She received over 20 grants, scholarships, and awards for her choreography projects and is a published scholar in the areas of dance education and undergraduate mentorship in the performing arts. Renay has been invited to present her scholarship on dance education at national and international conferences. Her education includes earning an MFA in Choreography from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in Dance Studies from UNC-Greensboro. She is an Associate Professor of Dance at Elon University, a Franklin Method Educator, and a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200).

Kate Axness

Katherine (Kate) Axness is a senior Dance Performance and Choreography major from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. She is also pursuing a Leadership Studies minor, a Chemistry Minor, and the Pre-Medicine track. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Salon, Red Circle Showcase, Fall Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert as well as choreographed for Red Circle Showcase and Salon. While studying abroad in Israel last semester, she took artistic and technical training courses at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in the disciplines of classical ballet, Cunningham technique, Gaga, contemporary, release technique, repertoire, and improvisation.

Kiersten Borkert

Kiersten Borkert is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is a senior at Elon. She is majoring in both Dance Performance and Choreography as well as Psychology. While at Elon, she has performed in works by Jen Guy Metcalf, Renay Aumiller, Ming-Lung Yang, Jason Aryeh, and Lauren Kearns, the latter with whom she traveled to Italy to perform in dance festivals in Florence and Pompeii. In 2019, Kiersten had her choreography selected to be in the Elon Dance Program’s DANCING IN THE LANDSCAPE performance. After graduation, she plans to continue dancing while pursuing her master’s degree in Counseling.

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!

Lily Herrin

Lily Herrin is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In her senior year here at Elon University, she is majoring in Dance Performance & Choreography with a double major in Arts Administration and a minor in Business. Lily has had the opportunity to perform in multiple dance concerts at Elon so far, as well as choreograph with her peers. Two summers ago, Lily also had the opportunity to spend a month in Florence, Italy studying, performing, and choreographing with other members of the Elon Dance Program. She is excited about continuing her dance education in her final year at Elon!

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.

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.

Kayla Spalding

Kayla Spalding is a dancer and choreographer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is a senior at Elon University, majoring in both Dance Performance and Choreography (BFA) and History (AB). During her time at Elon, she has performed in Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert all four years. Kayla has also presented work during the Dancing In The Landscape and the Fall Dance Concert at Elon. She also performed in both the Richmond Dance Festival and Florence Dance Festival this past year. Kayla is incredibly thankful for all her opportunities throughout her time at Elon!

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.

Kicking Glass

Choreographed by Jen Guy Metcalf in collaboration with the dancers and Eileena Boyce

Music Credit: “Metamorphosis No. 2” by Philip Glass, “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett, Kenny Laguna, Ritchie Cordell & Marty Kupersmith

Jen Guy Metcalf

Samantha Berger

Amanda Cousins

Katie Fulks

Hannah Giessler

Jenna Kulacz

Caroline Irmscher

Isabelle Mao

Lauren McCarthy

Sarah McNamee

Gaby Minionis

Emily Shade

Jen Guy Metcalf

Jen Guy Metcalf is an Associate Professor of Dance at Elon University. She earned an M.F.A. in Dance Choreography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a B.F.A. in Dance with a concentration in Ballet from Point Park University. After undergraduate school, she performed professionally with Bodiography Contemporary Ballet and for many independent choreographers. Metcalf is an award-winning choreographer and filmmaker who presented her work in the US, Ireland, Sweden, France, England, Turkey, Scotland, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands and Bosnia & Herzegovina. She is the founder and artistic director of  TERRANOVA Dance Theatre based in Greensboro, North Carolina

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.

Amanda Cousins

Amanda Cousins is a senior double major in Dance Performance & Choreography (BFA) and Biology (BA). She grew up in Chapel Hill, NC where she trained, competed, and taught at her local studio. Amanda has been in various Elon dance shows and student pieces as a performer, rehearsal assistant, and understudy. Over the summer, she had the opportunity to travel to Florence, Italy and performed at the Florence Dance Festival with other Elon Dancers. Amanda is very grateful for the opportunities Elon Dance has given her and is excited for her final main stage performance at Elon 

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

Emily Shade

Emily Shade is a Senior from Annapolis, Maryland, and is currently double majoring in Arts Administration and Dance Performance and Choreography at Elon University. Emily has performed in various Spring, Fall, and Senior Thesis dance concerts, as well as student choreography shows. In summer 2019, Emily performed in Italy, learning and dancing site-specific work at multiple dance festivals among Florence and Pompeii. Last spring, she worked as the production assistant for the Spring Dance Concert, Rites of Seasons. Emily is very grateful to be a part of the Elon Dance Program and is excited to perform in her last year.