KATELYN ALTMANN (SHE/HER)

Katelyn Altmann (she/her) is a movement-based artist, choreographer, and improvisor from Milwaukee, WI. She graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography from the UW-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts and currently serves as adjunct faculty for the UW-Milwaukee Department of Dance. Her choreographic work has been shown at Velocity(WA), Gibney(NY), Danceworks(WI), MYARTS(WI), Milwaukee Fringe Festival(WI), Dance Masters of Wisconsin(WI) and the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters(IL). Her work, “soft ground, stiff shoulder” was selected to be presented at the 2019 ACDA conference. She is a current performance and collaborative artist with Wild Space Dance Company, Danceworks Performance MKE, Li Chiao Ping Dance, Gina Laurenzi Dance Project and Hyperlocal MKE. Katelyn’s work lives in embodied study, tested and realized through creation processes, improvisational strategies and performance. This takes shape through porous embodiment, visceral play, collaboration and radical attunement. 

JO BROCKWAY (SHE/HER)

Jo Brockway (she/her) is originally from Wisconsin, where she danced in Water Street Dance Milwaukee’s trainee program for the 2021 to 2022 season. In the summer of 2022 she moved to Chicago for a year dancing with Common Conservatory. In March of 2023, She performed in MashUp Contemporary Dance’s 7th annual International Women’s Day Festival, with choreography by Ashley Tomaszewski. Since 2023 Jo has been a company member and now rehearsal director of Three Point Project, which is under the direction of Ashley Tomaszewski. With Three Point Project, Jo had the opportunity to return to LA and perform in Geometry Dance’s show “WALK ON”. Jo believes that every artist can be their unique selves and that is what creates the real magic.

KOREE BROSIG

Koree Brosig is a dancer, choreographer and artist based in Wisconsin. She started dancing at two years old when her mom noticed she loved music and couldn’t sit still. She started her training at Shirley Vans Dance Studio in Green Bay and eventually joined The Dance Company until she graduated high school. Koree gained a love for show choir and performing arts in high school and worked as a choreography assistant under the Performing Arts Doctor for these art forms. Koree is now pursuing a BFA in dance with a Pilates Certificate at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She has collaborated with many choreographers and dancers such as Maria Gillespie, Mair Culbreth, Dawn Springer, Carmit Bachar and Menina Fortunato.  

Jay Carter

Jay (Janiya) Carter is currently a junior dance major at UWM and comes from a contemporary modern background. Jay studies street styles and African Dance while also serving as a member of the Kpop dance team and UWM student org, Komet. Komet executes covers of Kpop songs where the goal is Kpop appreciation and having fun in exploring the style. Jay is studying solo Kpop covers and broadening her knowledge of dance in general through curiosity and choreography. 

Alecia Corey and Jaime Erickson

Alecia Corey and Jaime Erickson are a dancing duo who met in college and have been inseparable since. This is their 3rd duet that they have presented together. They enjoy working with each other because of their friendship but also for the collaborative creative process they have. When working on choreography they can almost read each other’s minds of what should happen next. They appreciate this opportunity to showcase their dance. 

AUDREY DUDEK

Audrey Dudek is a dancer, and choreographer based in Milwaukee where she is currently pursuing her Bachelors of Arts in dance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Throughout her time at UWM she has had the opportunity to create her own choreographic works and collaborated with faculty choreographers Simone Ferro, Daniel Burkholder, Dawn Springer, Mair Culbreth and Gina Laurenzi. She has studied and trained in multiple styles including ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop. Audrey also worked alongside MFA dance student, Sarah Holmes, as an assistant choreographer for her work in UWM’s MFA concert, Upstart. She recently premiered choreography for Danceworks Get It Out There concert, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Dance Student Organization’s Dance Collective concert. Audrey is passionate about choreographing, and performing and is excited to gain more experience through exploration and collaboration. 

Kasey Eckhardt

Kasey Eckhardt is a BFA dance major in contemporary performance and choreography at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While at UWM she has performed in works by Maria Gillespie, Gina Laurenzi, Aysha Upchurch, and Daniel Burkholder. Kasey has previously performed in two pieces by Ashley Ray Garcia which were shown at Danceworks’ “Get it Out There”. Other performances she has done include many student choreographed works at UWM such as New Dancemakers and the student organization run concert, Dance Collective. Last spring she performed in Ashley Ray Garcia’s For The Wolves concert. This is her first time choreographing for Get It Out There and she hopes to showcase more work in the future. 

Ashley Ray Garcia (SHE/HER)

Ashley Ray Garcia (she/her) is a dancer and choreographer from Michigan. She received her BFA in Dance-Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Through her love of traveling, she has had the opportunity to perform in France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. Garcia has shown work at Central de La Danse (Paris, France), Get It Out There MKE (Wisconsin), Collage Dance Festival, and RAD Fest (Michigan). She is currently a company member of Wild Space Dance Company and Danceworks Performance Company while choreographing independently. Garcia enjoys choreographing, performing, and improvisation and looks forward to gaining knowledge through both exploring and experience. She also is a published author of her poetry book, Forget-Me-Not.

Colin Gawronski

Colin Gawronski is a lighting designer and theatrical technician native to Milwaukee who has worked extensively with Danceworks, Inc, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Sunstone Studios and Black Arts MKE/Bronzeville. They have worked with other local companies such as Renaissance Theaterworks, Wildspace, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and In Tandem Theatre. Colin has also worked with Theatre Lila, Third Avenue Playworks and Forward Theater. Favorite productions include: Stew, Out of Many One, ‘Neath the Hills of Bastogne, /maskəˈrād/, Dutchman, Black Nativity, Romeo & Juliet: A Theatre Lila Invention, Secrets From the Wide Sky, Daddy Long Legs, Spalding Grey: Stories Left to Tell, Stories From a Life, The Glass Menagerie, Serendipity, Birds of North America, My Fair Lady, Lamps For My Family, and Vagabondare.Give Love Always.

Zoe GLISE (She/Her)

Zoe Glise (she/her) is a performer, and movement-based artist born in China and located in Milwaukee, WI. She is a company member with Danceworks Performance Company, Wild Space Dance Company, and the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project. Previously, Zoe danced as a company member with Madison Contamporary Dance, and was Nova Linea Contemporary Dance’s first company apprentice. Zoe received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Performance and Choreography at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2022. In 2019, with the National Endowment for the Arts grant, Zoe collaborated with Joe Goode and other students to create a dance film; presented at the North Central American College Dance Association. In 2022, Zoe was selected to travel to Paris, France to attend the Camping Residency at the Centre National de la Danse, where she trained, taught, and performed. Most recently, Zoe created her own evening length performance, Uncommon Ground, presented at Adventure Rock MKE.

Jessica Lueck (SHE/HER)

Jessica Lueck (she/her) is a dancer currently based in Milwaukee, WI. Through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee she has attained two degrees, one in Dance Performance and Choreography and the other in Information System and Technology. Through the duration of her time at UWM, she has studied modern, ballet, jazz, improvisation, composition, Alexander technique, laban movement analysis, applied anatomy, and numerous other master classes. She has also performed in works created for several UW-Milwaukee Faculty Shows, working with Artists such as Emma Draves, Daniel Burkholder, Maria Gillespie, Deb Loewen, Parijat Desai and Dawn Springer. Jessica has also studied abroad in 2022 through the Centre national de la Danse in Paris, France. In 2023, she attended SALT Link dance festival in Utah, working with Christian Denice and Nicole Von Arx. Before attending UWM, she has had training from the Milwaukee high school of the Arts, where she studied modern, ballet, pointe and composition under Sandra Jordan and Dean Drews, with additional instructors such as Amie Ferrante and Petr Zahradníček assisting in her training. She has also had numerous Master classes during this period with companies such as Milwaukee Ballet, Alvin Ailey II Company and more. Jessica currently performs with Wildspace Company as a Freelance artist and will be starting her third season with Danceworks Performance MKE.

Casey Joan Kollman

Casey Joan Kollman is a singer, dancer, actor, songwriter and voice teacher who recently graduated from Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music with two performing arts degrees. Their passion for both music and performing arts can be found amongst all of her projects; such as directing the Vocal Jazz ensemble in college, teaching voice locally, or sending demos to her sound engineer & music producer friends. Casey Joan has also won several awards for her singing, namely the Schubert Club Thelma Hunter award. She also has had the privilege of being a finalist in many NATS competitions and the Mississippi Opera Musical Theatre Young Artist competition. Casey Joan has always been a collaborative performer, who values collective creation due to her choral roots. Passionate & ambitious, Casey Joan continues to strive for a professional career as a singer, actor & dancer. 

Catey Ott Thompson

Catey Ott Thompson, director of Catey Ott Dance Collective since 2005, has a BFA and MFA in dance from UWM. Catey resides in Milwaukee after dancing in NYC for 14 years with Soundance, Heidi Latsky, Allyson Green, Sean Curran, Bill Young, Li Chiao-Ping, Eun Jung Choi, and as well as having CODC presented all over NYC. In Milwaukee, CODC regularly performs at Danceworks Studio, MKE Fringe Fest, UW-Madison, UWM, Marquette University, Milwaukee Ballet, Wisconsin Dance Council, and others. Catey was a faculty member at Marquette University for 9 years and is currently teaching a wide range of classes at Milwaukee Ballet School and Academy, Pre-Pro Program, and MBII.

Maya Paletta
(She/Her)

Maya Paletta (she/her) is thrilled to be making her Milwaukee choreography debut with Danceworks! This past spring she graduated with her BFA in Acting, minor in Dance from Northern Illinois University. Favorite NIU credits include She Kills Monsters (Agnes Evans) and Big Love (Olympia). For the last three months Maya has been working as a Trainee with Water Street Dance MKE under the direction of Morgan Williams. There she had works set on her by Kate Alava and Shanira Delgado. This summer she also danced with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in their Create Intensive where she had works set on her by Cyrie Topete, Krista Ellensohn, Gianna Burright, and Alexander Anderson. She has also done intensives with Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre performing works by Nicole Clarke-Springer, Gary Abbott, Kevin Iega Jeffs, and Tracey Franklin. Thanks to her family, friends, and all who support the arts! Instagram @mayapapaya5678

Gayle Rocz
(she/her)

Gayle Rocz (she/her) is a dance artist, scholar, and educator currently based in Omaha, Nebraska. Gayle graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Gayle is a company member of tbd. dance collective, and has danced with them since 2021. She has worked with many nationally and internationally recognized choreographers both during and after college, including: Jenna Riegel, Jennifer Nugent, Kayvon Pourazar, Lauren Simpson, Haley Koastas, and Alexa Capareda. Gayle regularly contributes choreography for tbd. dance collective, and recently premiered a work at the Iowa Choreography Festival in August of 2024. She is an educator and choreographer at Dedication Dance Co. in Omaha, which is a local youth dance studio for emerging artists.

Lia Smith-Redmann (She/Her)

Lia Smith-Redmann is a Wisconsin-based artist, dancer, and writer. She studied dance and theatre throughout the Five College Consortium in Massachusetts and is currently pursuing her BAs in Dance and English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she is an Undergraduate Research Fellow under the direction of Maria Gillespie. She is a collaborating artist with Hyperlocal MKE and a former member of Ballo Dance Company and Laughing Tiger Tai Chi in Door County, where she also provides production support for Death’s Door Dance Festival and the Door Community Auditorium. She has had the privilege of performing the works of choreographers such as Alfonso Cervera, Maria Gillespie, and Daniel Burkholder. Her work has been performed at Hampshire College, the Peck School of the Arts’ Dance Collective Showcase, Danceworks’ Get It Out There, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Theatre Festival, and the New Dramaworks Short Play Festival.

Natalie Stehly (She/Her)

Natalie Stehly is a dancer, maker, and educator. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earning her BFA in Dance. During her time in Urbana, she had the pleasure of performing in works by Kendra Portier, Mauriah Kraker, Leah Wilks, Charli Brissey, Renée Wadleigh, Nico Brown, Linda Lehovec, Paige Cunningham-Caldarella and Rachel Rizzuto, and additionally working with faculty members Jennifer Monson, Abby Zbikowski, Kirstie Simons, Sara Hook, Tere O’Connor among others. Natalie is passionate about dance education and notably has taught at Dancewave, School at Peridance, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and La Crosse Dance Centre. She currently teaches at Milwaukee Ballet School and Academy and Tamarack Waldorf. In addition to teaching dance, Natalie is a 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher and certified Children’s Yoga Instructor. Her choreography and teaching practices are interwoven with her love for improvisation and somatic practices, such as the Alexander Technique. Her choreographic work has been presented at Current Showcase (Current Take.5 and Current Take.3 in Brooklyn, NY), Green Space’s Fertile Ground Showcase (Queens, NY), Dancewave Community Showcase (Brooklyn, NY), through Dancewave Company Program at New York Live Arts (New York, NY), and her recent work “where you go” was selected to be performed at Wisconsin Dance Council’s Mini Dance Festival.

Lavanyaa Surendar

Lavanyaa Surendar Bharathanatyam Dancer/ Curator/ Arts & Cultural Director/ Committed to developing a happy community through Arts. Ultimately to contribute to shaping the future of arts + culture, creating space for new creative processes, new ways of storytelling, new voices and developing artistic talent in the community, Lavanyaa is committed to innovation and revolution of the arts sector for the benefit of all.

Having a certification in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University, Lavanyaa specializes in ‘Neuroaesthetics’. She is a Midwest Emmy award nominee under the category of  ‘Outstanding Instructional Content’  for her work with PBS and she has written several articles among which,”” while-we-experience-art-sports-do-we-feel-connected-to-something-large-why?“” has been featured in Neo narthaki.

She also developed a dance based workout ‘Art & Anatomy’, that premiered in Lawrence University, Appleton. She was also an active member of ‘The New york Dance Talks’ and has presented ‘Abigyan Shakuntalum’ at the conference. She works closely with the American Mental Health Organization to use Arts as interventional treatment. She also developed a dance based workout ‘Art & Anatomy’, that premiered in Lawrence University, Appleton. She was also an active member of ‘The Newyork Dance Talks’ and has presented ‘Abigyan Shakuntalum’ at the conference. She works closely with the American Mental Health Organization to use Arts as interventional treatment.

Rae Zimmerli (she/her)

Rae Zimmerli (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and photographer from Overland Park, Kansas. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee earning a BFA in contemporary performance and choreography. Her choreographic work engages with fables, folklore, and mythology, told through a feminist perspective. Her choreographic work has been presented at Milwaukee Fringe Festival, American College Dance Association, Camping Dance Festival, Chicago Danztheatre, and more. She has performed work by Kia Smith, Katy Pyle, YNOT, Simone Ferro, Dawn Springer, Maria Gillespie, Dan Schuchart, Gina Laurenzi, Jaclyn Brown, and others. As a photographer, Rae specializes in dance photography and portraiture and has been hired by Danceworks MKE, Wild Space Dance Company, Fly Dance Competition, and others. Her fine-art photography has been featured at UWM’s Union Art Gallery, Leenhouts Art Gallery, Focus Art Gallery, La Gente Art Gallery, and the Tim Murphy Art Gallery.