Boston Conservatory at Berklee

CLI Conservatory

Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Emma was born and raised in Hickory, North Carolina, where she began her dance training at the age of four. Training both in a competitive setting and with a pre-professional ballet company allowed her to develop a strong technical foundation and versatility as a dancer.

Emma joined The Academy of Dance & Fine Arts in the fall of 2021 and remained through her high school graduation in 2022.

Emma is currently pursuing a BFA in Contemporary Dance and a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). Her studies have exposed her to a wide range of techniques, including Cunningham, Limón, Horton, West African, partnering, ballet, and composition. She has performed works by José Limón, Pascal Rioult, Endalyn T. Outlaw, Ming Yang, Wesley Williams Jr., and Fernando Carrillo, further shaping her artistry and stage presence.

She has spent summers training with Jacob Jonas The Company, Bruce Wood Dance, Koresh Dance Company, UNCSA, and Nashville Ballet. At UNCSA, Emma continues to refine her technique while developing her artistic voice. After earning her BFA, she plans to pursue a Master’s degree in dance and hopes to join a contemporary dance company. She is passionate about sharing her love of dance through both performance and teaching.

Carly is a current junior at Marymount Manhattan College, pursuing her BFA in Dance with a concentration in Choreography.

She began her training at the Academy of Dance and Fine Arts and expanded her education through GagaLab, Orsolina, and “FLOCK” intensives.

Carly has worked with renowned choreographers including Tyne Stecklein, Melissa “MJ” Jackson, Aaron Loux, Caroline Lewis-Jones, Nancy Lushington, Thryn Saxon, “FLOCK,” and Chelsea Ainsworth.

As a company member with Caroline Lewis-Jones and Morgan Holton’s Unbound Dance Company, she performed in productions such as (in)finite and Unbeing.

In addition to her performance work, Carly serves as a professional assistant for Adrenaline and Revive dance conventions.

Ashley is a 2021 graduate of the Academy of Dance and Fine Arts (ADFA). Her pre-professional training included performing with Jason Janas’ Co.mitt’ed, Chloe Arnold’s Soul Talk, and representing the United States as a member of the American Tap Company at the IDO National Tap Dance Championships in Riesa, Germany.

Known for her dynamic stage presence and versatility, Ashley has a strong foundation in tap, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and lyrical. She has trained and performed with acclaimed companies including Unbound Dance Company and the American Tap Company, and has worked under the direction of industry leaders such as Caroline Lewis-Jones, Brian Friedman, and Anthony Morigerato.

As a dedicated educator and leader, Ashley has served as a professional assistant with RADIX, Revive, and Adrenaline conventions, as well as a teacher and judge with Epic Dance Showcase—mentoring and inspiring dancers nationwide.

A recent graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Dance and a concentration in Teaching, Ashley is currently pursuing her Master of Business Administration at Queens University.

Kaitlyn is a 15-year ADFA Company Member and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Choreography and Performance with a concentration in Dance Education. She also holds a Professional Educator’s License, enabling her to teach dance in K–12 schools.

While at UNCG, Kaitlyn worked as a research assistant with Dr. Teresa Helland, contributing to the book Leaping into Dance Literacy through The Language of Dance, which supports educators in teaching the Language of Dance through activity ideas and lesson plans. She also earned her certification in the Language of Dance Foundations 1 & 2 courses through the Language of Dance Center and plans to continue her studies by completing the LOD Master Practitioner A, B, and C courses.

Kaitlyn is currently a Secondary Dance Teacher at Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte and is collaborating with Dr. Helland on a chapter for the Handbook of Dance Education Research, edited by Overby, Lepczyk, and Green.

Maddy is an 8-year ADFA Company Member who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Dance Science and Exercise Science from Elon University.

She actively participates in tap intensives such as Tap Kids in Vermont, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, and the North Carolina Tap Ensemble in Chapel Hill. In 2021, Maddy was accepted as an Education Intern with Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, NC, where she now works full time.

We are proud to have been part of Maddy’s inspiring journey and look forward to seeing her continued success.

Hannah is an ADFA Company Member alumna who graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). Under the leadership of Susan Jaffe, she performed a diverse repertoire including works by Martha Graham, Trisha Brown, Kira Blazek, Kelly Maxner, and Marius Petipa.

Hannah enhanced her training by attending prestigious summer intensives such as the Kyoto International Dance Festival Workshop in Japan, Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, Ballet Austin, and the American Dance Festival.

She is currently working at Dance Place in Washington, D.C., and teaches ballet at a local studio in Virginia. Since 2017, Hannah has been a member of Gin Dance Company.

Cierra began her dance training at ADFA, where she studied until the age of 18. She went on to attend the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase, working with renowned artists such as Alexandra Damiani, Manuel Vignoulle, Blakely White-McGuire, Sarah Mettin, and Nejla Yatkin.

Her studies continued abroad at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. After graduating, Cierra moved to New York City, performing with Double Take Dance Co. and Durang Dance. During the pandemic, she relocated to Greenwich, Connecticut, where she managed a LYMBR studio for stretch therapy and danced with MiXt Dance Co. under Megan Williams and Teresa Perez-Ceccon, specializing in the Simonson technique.

Allie began her dance journey at the Academy of Dance and Fine Arts at age five and trained there for 13 years under instructors including Sadie Roberts-Doughten, Melissa Jackson, Dale Lam, and Cara Goodwin. After graduating high school in 2018, she attended East Carolina University’s Dance Program, earning her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography.

At ECU, Allie studied with faculty such as John Dixon, Teal Darkenwald, Tommi Galaska, and Jessica Teague, as well as notable guest artists. She discovered her passion for choreography through student-run shows, including the honor of choreographing If Not Here, Then Where? for the Spring Dance ’22 performance.

Following graduation, Allie taught at The Dance Attic in Wake Forest, NC, where she choreographed award-winning competition pieces and developed a strong passion for teaching technique and its athleticism. After three years, she has returned to her hometown of Mooresville, NC, with plans to continue her involvement in dance through studio work, freelance teaching, and choreography.

Kanon is an ADFA Company Member and graduate of East Carolina University, where she earned her BFA in Dance Performance, graduating Magna Cum Laude. In 2017, she founded looseKANONdance, a contemporary boutique company. Over the past decade, her company completed two choreographic residencies with Nimbus Dance Works and Brown Dance Company.

looseKANONdance has showcased work at prestigious New York City venues including the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, Peridance KNJ Theater, Martha Graham Studio Theater, and Center for Performance Research. Kanon was honored as an Eryc Taylor New Choreographers Grant Awardee. Most recently, she produced looseKANONdance’s sold-out show P L A S T I C, which received rave reviews and was notably featured by Playbill.

Will began his dance journey at ADFA as a young child, balancing sports and dance throughout his school years. As his technique developed, dance became a clear priority. He became an ADFA Company member and competed at events such as NUVO and NYCDA, gaining valuable performance experience.

In 2020, Will was accepted into the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), where he began a full-time high school curriculum that launched him into the professional dance world. He is currently a junior at UNCSA and plans to pursue a career in dance after graduation.

Melody began her formal dance training at the Academy of Dance and Fine Arts in North Carolina before earning an Associate Degree in Science, Magna Cum Laude, from the Visual Performing Arts Center. She deepened her technical foundation and artistic voice studying at Boston Conservatory at Berklee under Cathy Young and Tommy Neblett.

Her training includes prestigious summer intensives with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, RUBBERBAND, Bodytraffic, Countertechnique’s One Body One Career in Amsterdam, and Springboard Danse Montréal. While completing her BFA at Boston Conservatory in 2019, she danced with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Professional Program (2019–2020).

Melody has performed works by renowned choreographers such as William Forsythe, Doug Varone, Kyle Abraham, Spenser Theberge, Peter Chu, José Limón, Fernando Melo, Adam Barruch, Rena Butler, Bryan Arias, and Ryan Mason. In 2020, she joined Aszure Barton & Artists, performing Where The Form (WTF) and Tannhäuser at LA Opera. Since fall 2023, Melody has been performing with Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company under Jamila Glass. In 2024, she joined Zoe Juniper Company for a new project premiering in Seattle in 2025.

Amelia is a 13-year ADFA Company Member and freelance contemporary dancer based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally from North Carolina, Amelia began formal training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) high school contemporary dance program, continuing into college where they earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2019.

At UNCSA, Amelia performed works by Robyn Mineko Williams, Larry Keigwin, Shen Wei, and Martha Graham. They have furthered their training at international workshops including CounterTechnique’s One Body, One Career intensive, B12 Summer Dance Workshop, ImPulsTanz International Dance Festival, and Kyoto International Dance Workshop Festival. Since relocating to NYC, Amelia has performed with JKing Dance Company, Dance Visions NY, and Catherine Tharin.