ARIELA RIVERA is 13 years old and will be an eighth grader at Golda Meir Middle School. She has been dancing for 11 years and has been a member of DYPC for more than three years. Dance is one of Ariela’s greatest passions, and she loves exploring different styles of movement, with contemporary being her favorite. Ariela especially enjoys performing for an audience and sharing her love of dance with others. While she often performs in larger groups, she enjoys dancing with anyone and everyone! Outside of dance, Ariela enjoys baking, cooking, spending time with friends, and playing volleyball.

RUBY ADAMS will be an eighth grader at Golda Meir School. She loves dancing for fun and performing with Danceworks. Ruby enjoys exploring many different styles of dance, from hip hop to jazz, with contemporary being her favorite. Ruby especially loves performing on stage. She often performs in larger groups but also enjoys the opportunity to dance in duets and trios. Outside of dance, Ruby enjoys playing volleyball and soccer, baking, and spending time with her friends and family.

Belle Marks is a current senior dance major at Milwaukee High School of the Arts and a senior company member with Danceworks Youth Performance Company. She is a choreographer and dancer here in Milwaukee and has had a number of pieces showcased at MHSA. In addition to dancing, Belle is a trumpet player at school and performs in both school and community theater productions. She has most recently been seen as Anita in West Side Story. Belle is also currently working towards an Associates degree with UW-Green Bay.

At 17 years old, Brooke Thompson has been passionate about choreography for nearly half her life. She began creating dances for herself at age 10 and started choreographing for other dancers in eighth grade. During her junior year of high school, she premiered her first competition choreography and taught at Kehl’s Winter Intensive, where she discovered a passion for mentoring young dancers. Brooke is also the founder of Current Foundry Choreography, a brand dedicated to creating meaningful, authentic movement. As she enters her senior year, she is eager to continue choreographing, teaching, and inspiring others while pursuing opportunities to further develop her artistry and prepare for a future in dance.

ELLIE FANDREY is a senior in high school and has been dancing for 13 years, including the past five years with Life Dance Academy. She has spent the past year as a dance assistant and will be teaching dancers ages 5–7 during the upcoming season. Ellie has also assisted with the No Limits program, which provides dance opportunities for dancers with special needs. She especially enjoys seeing the dancers express their love and joy through movement. This upcoming season, Ellie is excited to serve as an Artistic Intern. Outside of dance, she enjoys spending time with friends, playing with her dogs, shopping, and watching her favorite shows.

Izabella Bredeson has been a student at Danceworks for fifteen years and a company member in Danceworks Youth Performance Company (DYPC) for ten years. Over those years, she learned technique in Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, and a little bit of tap. She loves to perform in dance and in theatre as well. She is a student at Ronald Reagan High School, where she will be going into her senior year. When she graduates, she hopes to go to school for Speech Pathology.

Kamiah is a 12-year-old dancer who has been dancing since she was 2 years old. She has been part of a competition dance team for the past five years and loves trying different styles of dance. She enjoys performing, learning new choreography, and challenging herself to grow as a dancer. At just 10 years old, she started creating her own choreography and discovered how much she enjoys putting her own ideas into dance. She has also had the opportunity to perform in The Nutcracker twice. Dance is something she truly loves and enjoys sharing with others.

Liam Rinderle is a 14-year-old freshman at Ronald Reagan High School and has been dancing for 12 years and around 8 years at Danceworks. He has a strong passion for dance, specifically the contemporary style. Outside of dance, he plays guitar, volleyball, collects plays vinyl records, and creates music. He aspires to be a choreographer, graphic designer, or musician in the future. He intends to continue dancing at Danceworks for as long as he can..

Mayra Zamora is a bilingual early childhood educator with Milwaukee Public Schools. She earned a bachelor’s degree in International Business before completing a post-baccalaureate program in Education, combining her diverse academic background with a passion for teaching young children. Beginning her career as a teacher aide, she later became a classroom teacher and has dedicated herself to fostering creativity and confidence in her students. For the past seven years, Mayra has prepared multi-age student groups for performances at school events and the annual Cantos de las Américas festival, creating original choreography for each production. Her dedication, creativity, and commitment to bilingual education inspire her students to express themselves through music, movement, and culture.

VALERIE is a competitive dancer at Life Dance Academy and has been choreographing since she was 13 years old. What began as a fun hobby quickly grew into a passion as she began creating choreography for dancers of various ages at her studio. At just 14, Valerie had the opportunity to choreograph a full group piece for a studio showcase. Now 17 and entering her senior year of high school, Valerie is excited to continue growing as both a dancer and choreographer. She hopes to pursue choreography in the future and create work for dance studios around the country.