Performance NEws
Something bold is always in motion at Danceworks. From the powerful storytelling of Danceworks Performance MKE to the enriching development of mature young artists in the Danceworks Youth Performance Company, the bold and experimental creations of the DanceLAB Series, and the community connections of the Danceworks Intergenerational Performance Company, our stages pulse with creativity. Step inside for the latest performances, premieres, and behind-the-scenes moments from Milwaukee’s home for dance.
Meet The NEW CReative Team
From left to right, Katelyn Altmann, Cuauhtli Ramírez Castro, Ashley Ray Garcia, Zoe Mei Glise
Danceworks Performance MKE is proud to announce the launch of new Artistic Coordinator positions within the professional company. These roles were created to offer company members meaningful leadership experience in both artistic and administrative areas, while supporting the broad scope of performance initiatives for emerging and established artists.
“I thought the performance was stunning.
It was a privilege to be a member of the audience.”
DANCEWORKS PERFORMANCE MKE
Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE) is the resident professional dance company of Danceworks, Inc., based in Milwaukee, WI. The ensemble is composed of performing artists whose movement practices and collaborative processes center on meaningful dialogue between dancers, choreographers, and artistic partners. All performers contribute significantly to the creative process, the conversation, and the final product.
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The company’s technical training spans contemporary forms such as modern, ballet, contact improvisation, and dance theatre, as well as rhythmic traditions including African dance, jazz, hip hop, and tap. This breadth of stylistic training is a defining characteristic of DPMKE’s artistic identity and a vital component of its creative process, enabling the company to create original, multifaceted works that reflect the vibrancy and complexity of contemporary dance influenced by diverse dance forms and live performance traditions.
DPMKE maintains a strong commitment to celebrating the diversity of Milwaukee’s arts community, creating work with curiosity and rigor in collaboration with its skilled performers, community members, and a wide range of local nonprofits and performance groups. The 2025–2026 season is co-led by the creative team of Katelyn Altmann, Cuauhtli Ramírez Castro, Ashley Ray Garcia, and Zoe Mei Glise, under the artistic direction of Christal Wagner.
MEET THE ARTISTS
THE CREATIVE TEAM
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Christal Wagner
Christal Wagner (she/they) is an Alumna of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee dance department (BFA) where she is also adjunct faculty. She is a screendance artist and has produced work as a cinematographer, performer, editor and director for Joe Goode, Josh Halverson, Maria Gillespie, Danceworks Inc, Milwaukee Dance Theatre Network, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, UWM Dance, The Saint Kate Arts Hotel, The Cactus Club, and Li Chiao-Ping Dance where she was a 2020 SEED Creation Fund grant recipient. Christal is the artistic director of Danceworks Performance MKE and has danced for Your Mother Dances, Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, Dawn Springer Dance Projects, Skylight Music Theatre and spent 14 years as a company member with DPMKE. Christal is a cofounder of the music and dance trio Cadance Collective, co-creating pieces through processes where music and dance are worked on simultaneously through improvisational practices and original soundscapes. In 2020 Christal Wagner became the Saint Kate Art Hotel’s FIRST artist in co-residence. She is the recipient of 8 Wisconsin Jerry Awards for her work in musical theatre and has choreographed over 20 musicals in the city of Milwaukee. Christal’s mission is to support and elevate the voices of her community, collaborators, and fellow artists.
ARTISTIC COORDINATOR
Development and Partnerships
Zoe Mei Glise
Zoe Mei Glise (she/her) is a movement-based artist born in China and located in Milwaukee, WI. She is Danceworks’ Development and Partnerships Artistic Coordinator and dances professionally with Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE), Wild Space Dance Company, and Gina Laurenzi Dance Project (GLDP). Zoe earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she worked with artists including Daniel Burkholder, Mair Culbreth, Parijat Desai, Emma Draves, Yumelia Garcia, Maria Gillespie, Gina Laurenzi, Marina Magalhães, Caitlin Mahon, Tatiana Malinkine,Dan Schuchart, Christal Wagner, and Joe Goode, with whom she created “Real Words”, a dance film supported by an NEA grant that was presented at the North Central American College Dance Association (ACDA).
Previously, Zoe has danced and performed professionally with Madison Contemporary Dance, Nova Linea Contemporary Dance, and Studio K Flamenco, and has presented her individual works nationally and internationally at the Emergence Festival (Chicago, IL), Dance for Hope MKE (Milwaukee, WI), National Conference on Undergraduate Research (Bozeman, MT), Get It Out There (Milwaukee, WI), and at the Centre National de la Dance (Paris, France) as part of the Camping Residency.
Zoe has furthered her training through intensives with Joffrey Ballet (New York, NY), Wasatch Contemporary Dance (Provo, UT), Bandaloop (San Francisco, CA), Stewart/Owen Dance (Asheville, NC), Nova Linea Contemporary Dance (Waukesha, WI), and the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (Winona, MN). In fall of 2025, she was one of four artists selected to create work for the Wisconsin Dance Council’s Emerging Artist Mentorship Program. Most notably, in September 2024, Zoe premiered her debut evening-length work, “Uncommon Ground”, which blended her two passions–dance and rock climbing.
ARTISTIC COORDINATOR
Creative Programs
Cuauhtli Ramírez Castro
Cuauhtli Ramirez Castro (he/they) is a Mexican performing artist and dancer. They studied Performing Arts at the University of Guanajuato having a multidisciplinary approach, combining contemporary dance and acting techniques in his training. They have performed at the International Cervantino Festival (2016), as well as the Guanajuato International Film Festival (2015). They graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography (2021). During their time in Milwaukee, they have performed and collaborated in works by Maria Gillespie, Emma Draves, Bernard Brown, Li Chiao Ping, Joe Goode, Mair Culbreth, Amanda Lee, Cedar Becher, etc. In 2023 They were one of eight artists selected to co-create work for Dance for Diversity, an screen dance project by Elizabeth Roskopf with the intention of uplifting the voices of bipoc artists. They currently dance with Danceworks Performance MKE and Wild Space Dance Company.
ARTISTIC COORDINATOR
Operations & Production
Ashley Ray Garcia
Ashley Ray Garcia is a dancer and choreographer from Michigan. She received her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During her time at UWM, she has worked with Maria Gillespie, Simeone Ferro, Mair Culbreth, Daniel Burkholder, Anthony “YNOT” Denaro, Melissa Anderson, Dani Kuepper, Dan Schuchart, Caitlin Mahon, and Marina Magalhães. 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), ACDA and Get It Out There MKE (Wisconsin), Collage Dance Festival, and RAD Fest (Michigan). In April 2024, she directed and choreographed her own evening-length performance, For The Wolves. She has always had a passion for creating community and supporting dancers in her independent projects. At the end of 2024, she was selected by the Wisconsin Dance Council as one of three to present work for the Emerging Artist concert at the beginning of 2025.
Her most recent works have been choreographed on Wild Space Dance Company, Danceworks Performance MKE Company, and Fable Dance Company. Ashley is currently a company member and has collaborated with Wild Space Dance Company, Danceworks Performance Company, and various freelance artists and projects. In the summer of 2025, she joined the faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp to teach modern technique, pre-pointe, modern rep, and composition/improv workshops. She has also taught workshops and master classes in Michigan, Wisconsin, France, and the Czech Republic. Garcia enjoys choreographing, performing, and improvising, and looks forward to gaining knowledge through both exploration and experience. She is also a published author of her poetry book, Forget-Me-Not, which has been featured in various dance performances.
LIGHTING DESIGN
COLIN GAWRONSKI
Colin Gawronski is a lighting designer 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, Milwaukee Ballet, Wildspace, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Studio K Flamenco, Aarambh Khatak, and In Tandem Theatre. Colin has also worked with Theatre Lila, Third Avenue Playworks and Forward Theater. Favorite productions include: Three Other Sisters, Stew, Out of Many One, Rusalka, ‘Neath the Hills of Bastogne, /ˌmaskəˈrād/, Dutchman, Black Nativity, Secrets from the Wide Sky, The Nether, A Room Shaped Story, Daddy Long Legs, Spalding Grey: Stories Left to Tell, Stories From a Life, The Glass Menagerie, Serendipity, Birds of North America, Romeo and Juliet: A Theatre Lila Invention, Lamps For My Family, and Vagabondare.Give Love Always.
THE DANCERS
KATELYN ALTMANN
Katelyn Altmann Katelyn Altmann (she/her) is a movement-based artist, choreographer, and educator currently residing in Milwaukee, WI. She graduated summa cum laude, receiving her BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts. She has served on faculty in the UW–Milwaukee Department of Dance, guest taught at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and led masterclasses across the United States in contemporary dance practices, composition, and improvisation, with additional specialization in site-specific work, contact improvisation, and improvisation for performance. As a performer, she has appeared in works by Larry Keigwin, Joe Goode, Daniel Burkholder, Maria Gillespie, Simone Ferro, Mair Culbreth, Holly Johnston, Debra Loewen, Dan Schuchart, Dawn Springer, Esther Baker-Tarpaga, and Christal Wagner, and has collaborated with artists such as Shura Baryshnikov, Kathleen Hermesdorf, Irene Dowd, and Ishmael Houston-Jones, among others. She is a current performance and collaborative artist with Wild Space Dance Company, Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE), Li Chiao Ping Dance (LCPD), Hyperlocal MKE and Gina Laurenzi Dance Project (GLDP).
Katelyn has presented both her solo and collaborative work at Gibney(NY), RAD Fest(MI), Velocity(WA), Milwaukee Fringe Festival(WI), SEED Festival(WI), Get It Out There(WI), and was a selected choreographic winner for the Wisconsin Dance Council’s Dance Festival(22′-24′). In 2019, her work, “soft ground, stiff shoulder” was selected to be presented at the American College Dance Association’s North Central Conference and with the help of the National Endowment for the Arts, Altmann collaborated with Joe Goode to create a dance film, Real Words which was presented at the 2020 North Central ACDA Conference. She furthered her movement education at the Milwaukee Ballet, Point Park University, Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation, GALLIM, Keigwin + Company, Bates Dance Festival, Gibney, and Moving Queries (Set/Go, Lower Left). In 2025, Altmann choreographed and directed an evening length work, IN WAKE with live accompaniment by Allen Russell. Most recently, she received a fellowship for intensive study under the artistic direction of LILLIAN BARBEITO, founder of BODYTRAFFIC. 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, connection, and attunement. This is Katelyn’s seventh season with Danceworks Performance MKE.
ZOE MEI GLISE
Zoe Mei Glise (she/her) is a movement-based artist born in China and located in Milwaukee, WI. She is Danceworks’ Development and Partnerships Artistic Coordinator and dances professionally with Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE), Wild Space Dance Company, and Gina Laurenzi Dance Project (GLDP). Zoe earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she worked with artists including Daniel Burkholder, Mair Culbreth, Parijat Desai, Emma Draves, Yumelia Garcia, Maria Gillespie, Gina Laurenzi, Marina Magalhães, Caitlin Mahon, Tatiana Malinkine, Dan Schuchart, Christal Wagner, and Joe Goode, with whom she created “Real Words”, a dance film supported by an NEA grant that was presented at the North Central American College Dance Association (ACDA).
Previously, Zoe has danced and performed professionally with Madison Contemporary Dance, Nova Linea Contemporary Dance, and Studio K Flamenco, and has presented her individual works nationally and internationally at the Emergence Festival (Chicago, IL), Dance for Hope MKE (Milwaukee, WI), National Conference on Undergraduate Research (Bozeman, MT), Get It Out There (Milwaukee, WI), and at the Centre National de la Dance (Paris, France) as part of the Camping Residency.
Zoe has furthered her training through intensives with Joffrey Ballet (New York, NY), Wasatch Contemporary Dance (Provo, UT), Bandaloop (San Francisco, CA), Stewart/Owen Dance (Asheville, NC), Nova Linea Contemporary Dance (Waukesha, WI), and the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (Winona, MN). In fall of 2025, she was one of four artists selected to create work for the Wisconsin Dance Council’s Emerging Artist Mentorship Program. Most notably, in September 2024, Zoe premiered her debut evening-length work, “Uncommon Ground”, which blended her two passions–dance and rock climbing.
CUAUHTLI RAMÍREZ CASTRO
Cuauhtli Ramirez Castro (he/they) is a Mexican performing artist and dancer. They studied Performing Arts at the University of Guanajuato having a multidisciplinary approach, combining contemporary dance and acting techniques in his training. They have performed at the International Cervantino Festival (2016), as well as the Guanajuato International Film Festival (2015). They graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography (2021). During their time in Milwaukee, they have performed and collaborated in works by Maria Gillespie, Emma Draves, Bernard Brown, Li Chiao Ping, Joe Goode, Mair Culbreth, Amanda Lee, Cedar Becher, etc. In 2023 They were one of eight artists selected to co-create work for Dance for Diversity, an screen dance project by Elizabeth Roskopf with the intention of uplifting the voices of bipoc artists. They currently dance with Danceworks Performance MKE and Wild Space Dance Company.
ASHLEY RAY GARCIA
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. During her time at UWM, she has worked with Maria Gillespie, Simeone Ferro, Mair Culbreth, Daniel Burkholder, Anthony “YNOT” Denaro, Melissa Anderson, Dani Kuepper, Dan Schuchart, Caitlin Mahon, and Marina Magalhães. 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). In April 2024, she directed and choreographed her own evening-length performance, For The Wolves. She has always had a passion for creating community and supporting dancers in her independent projects. At the end of 2024, she was selected by the Wisconsin Dance Council as one of three to present work for the Emerging Artist concert at the beginning of 2025.
Her most recent works have been choreographed on Wild Space Dance Company, Danceworks Performance MKE Company, and Fable Dance Company. Ashley is currently a company member and has collaborated with Wild Space Dance Company, Danceworks Performance Company, and various freelance artists and projects. In the summer of 2025, she joined the faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp to teach modern technique, pre-pointe, modern rep, and composition/improv workshops. She has also taught workshops and master classes in Michigan, Wisconsin, France, and the Czech Republic. Garcia enjoys choreographing, performing, and improvising, and looks forward to gaining knowledge through both exploration and experience. She is also a published author of her poetry book, Forget-Me-Not, which has been featured in various dance performances.
GRETA JENKINS
Greta Jenkins (she/her) is a dance artist, choreographer, personal trainer and business owner. She’s been a Milwaukee resident for three years and grew up dancing in northern kentucky. She received her BFA in dance performance from Ball State University. While in school Greta had the opportunity to learn and perform the repertoire piece “Steps in the Street” by the Martha Graham Dance Company. Greta is also a company artist and rehearsal director with THREE POINT PROJECT. She’s performed with THREE POINT PROJECT artists in MashUp Contemporary Dance Company’s International Women’s Day Dance Festival as well as Geometry Dance Company’s season show WALK ON, both performances in Los Angeles. Greta is also the owner and founder of her personal training business Lifted by Greta where she aims to create a space where every person can embrace their pursuit of improved movement, strength, and confidence in their body’s unique quality of life. This is Greta’s third season with Danceworks Performance MKE.
JESSICA LUECK
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 HighSchool 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 including Milwaukee Ballet and Alvin Ailey II Company and more. She is currently a dance instructor at B.Inspired dance, where she teaches numerous styles of dance to both Recreational and competitive students. She weekly teaches Barre Workout through the Wisconsin Althetic Club. Jessica also performs with Wildspace Company as a Freelance artist and is in her fourth season with Danceworks Performance MKE.
KAITLYN MOORE
Kaitlyn Moore (she/her) is a Milwaukee-based dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She graduated from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2020 with a BA in Dance as well as a minor in Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies. She has a passion for both performance and teaching and is able to continue both in Milwaukee and surrounding areas. Her passion for performance continued with opportunities such as dancing professionally as a Milwaukee Bucks Dancer as well as performing with musicians like Bell Biv DeVoe, Riolanza and WebsterX. Throughout her time at UW-Milwaukee, she had the opportunity to study under many talented professors and guest artists such as Mair Culbreth, Emma Draves, and Caitlin Mahon. Along with her training at UWM, Kaitlyn has trained with a variety of different companies, programs, and classes throughout Los Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and Salt Lake City. Kaitlyn is thrilled to have this be her third season with DPMKE.
ELISABETH ROSKOPF 이지영
Elisabeth Roskopf 이지영 (She/ her) is a dancer, performer, choreographer, educator, pianist, and a mother to her daughter, Alina. Elisabeth was born in South Korea and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, where she began dancing at the age of 6. She is a company member of Danceworks Performance MKE, Li Chiao-Ping Dance, the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and a performance/choreography collaborator with Wild Space Dance Company.
Elisabeth received her Bachelor of Arts in Piano and a minor in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She is currently earning her Master of Fine Arts in Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), where she is honored to be a recipient of the Graduate Student Excellence Fellowship award. At UWM, she began her career in academia as a lecturer in the Department of Dance and became a graduate teaching assistant while performing and studying under the distinguished professors and guest artists such as Maria Gillespie, Daniel Burkholder, Mair Culbreth, Dan Schuchart, Dawn Springer, Deb Loewen, Mauriah Donegan Kraker, Vershawn Sanders-Ward, Jan Erkert, Alexandra Beller, Kevin Williamson, Teresa VanDenend Sorge, and Sooyeon Lee.
Elisabeth co-produced and performed in “Provenance: A Letter to My Daughter,” an award-winning screendance work created with director/choreographer Li Chiao-Ping and cinematographer/editor Christal Wagner. This dance film has been selected to be screened in various film festivals nationally and internationally, such as the 2024 Incheon International Short Film Festival (Finalist for Best Short Film), 2024 Busan New Wave Short Film Festival (Best Editing Award), 2023 Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival (Best Direction Award), and the 2023 Milwaukee Film Festival, to name a few.
Elisabeth is the Founder and Creative Director of Dance For Diversity, an annual screendance project that is made explicitly for Artists of Color to share their voices and stories of identity through their dance-making and performance work. Elisabeth’s choreographic work creates a platform for Adoptees and BIPOC Dance Artists to have a place to be visible in the fullness of their identity and authenticity while fostering a sense of belonging permanently.
Her research encompasses autoethnography in movement through storytelling that creates a path for her embodied subjectivity. She links her corporeal experiences through cultural studies, post-colonial studies, and embodied cultural memory. As a Korean American Dance Artist, she is dedicated to creating meaningful change through her embodied dance scholarship and contributions in the field of dance and the Greater Milwaukee Community.
HALLE SIVERTSON
Halle Sivertson (she/her) is a Milwaukee-based dancer and choreographer whose foundation in ballet has evolved into a diverse exploration of contemporary and modern styles. After dancing for 14 years at the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet, she graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a degree in Contemporary Dance Performance & Choreography. Through UWM she has had the opportunity to research dance and music in Brazil, as well as collaborate with and perform in the works of notable artists such as Daniel Burkholder, Gina Laurenzi, Emma Draves, Dawn Springer, and Maria Gillespie. After graduation, she performed for two years with the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and is now in her fifth season as a performing artist with Danceworks Performance MKE.
GABI SUSTACHE – TURNER
Gabi Sustache is a Milwaukee native, is a performer, choreographer, and dance educator. A recent graduate from UW-Milwaukee, where she received her Bachelors of Arts in dance from the program in Spring of 2020. In addition to being a member of Danceworks Performance MKE, she is also a company member with Danceworks On Tap, Danceworks’ resident tap dance company. Gabi enjoys performing with various Milwaukee-based hip hop crews, and was recently a guest performer with the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project. Her choreography has been featured as part of Danceworks’ DanceLAB concert series Ignite: A Hip Hop Dance Experience from 2013-19, Get It Out There 2016-19, Milwaukee Bucks halftime performances, for several high school musical theater productions in and around the Milwaukee area and was selected in 2019 to be adjudicated at the American College Dance Association’s North Central Conference. Gabi joined the Danceworks faculty in 2014 where she teaches studio classes. You can also find Gabi teaching in the community for the Danceworks Mad Hot Rhythm program in addition to other workshops and residency work.
DANCEWORKS APPRENTICE MKE
RACHEL ALFORD
(she / her)
Rachel Alford is a Milwaukee-based dancer and registered dance/movement therapist. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Western Michigan University in 2020. Rachel has always been drawn to dance and movement as a door to explore, express, and process emotions and form meaningful connections within the self and with others through the embodied experience. Her passion and belief in the power of dance to bring about healing, and a desire to share this with others, led her to pursue further education in the field of dance/movement therapy. In 2023, she graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a Master of Science in Dance/Movement Therapy. After graduation, she accepted a position as a dance/movement therapist at a behavioral health hospital in Southeast Wisconsin. Rachel began taking classes at Danceworks in 2024 as a self-care practice and a way to find a sense of community while living and working in a new city. She joined the Danceworks Apprentice Company in fall of 2024 and is excited to continue exploring, creating, and performing alongside fellow apprentice company members for a second season. Rachel also currently works as a teaching artist for Danceworks’ community outreach programs.
DIANNE KOTSONIS (She/they)
Dianne Kotsonis (She/they) is an artist living in the Milwaukee area. Graduating in 2019, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in dance from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, along with certificates in Pilates and business. After graduation Dianne joined Li Chiao-Ping Dance as a performer and Special Projects Manager for two years, during which time she also taught Pilates in the Madison area. After a short hiatus from performing and reestablishing her relationship to art through the animation program at Milwaukee Area Technical College, Dianne is ready to take the stage once again with the Danceworks Apprentice Company.
KAYLA SIEDLECKI
(she / her)
Kayla Siedlecki (she/her) is a Milwaukee-based artist originally from West Chester, PA. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2022 with degrees in Actuarial Math and Finance. At the University of Pittsburgh, she continued her dance studies through classes at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and as a performer and choreographer in student-run clubs. During her time in Milwaukee, Kayla has performed with Catey Ott Dance Collective, UWM’s Upstart, Kim Miller’s Social Choreography, and Danceworks’ GIOT. She is honored and excited to perform with DAPC for a second season.
RAE ZIMMERLI
(she/her)
Rae Zimmerli (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and photographer raised in Overland Park, Kansas and living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee with a BFA in contemporary performance and choreography and has performed with Wildspace Dance Company, is an apprentice for Danceworks MKE, and artistic director of Fable Dance Company. Her choreographic work has been presented at Milwaukee Fringe Festival, American College Dance Association, Danceworks MKE, Camping Dance Festival (Paris, FR), 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, Wisconsin Dance Council, dance competitions and others. Her fine-art photography has been featured at Leenhouts Art Gallery, Focus Art Gallery, La Gente Art Gallery, the Tim Murphy Art Gallery, and UWM’s Union Art Gallery where her piece She Who Shows the Way (photography version) was purchased for UWM’s permanent collection.
HISTORY
Danceworks Performance Company was founded in 1997 by a group of talented young dancer/choreographers who spilled from the halls of the UW-Milwaukee dance program and onto the Milwaukee dance scene. These dancers included Anina Bacon, Becky Blong, Cynthia Collins-Sinotte, Joan Fernandez, Andrea Hill, Jen Moore, Laura Teska and Sarah Wilbur, and they shared three things. First, they had been trained by the faculty of the UWM dance program (Marcia Ruth Parsons, Ed Burgess, Janet Lilly and Ferne Caulker) as well as a series of stellar visitors to the program. They also shared an interest in staying in Milwaukee to create and perform their own work. Finally, they envisioned a company of dancer/choreographers, a highly trained ensemble that supported several distinct voices within a shared aesthetic. The Danceworks board of directors invited Sarah Wilbur to become the artistic director of Danceworks Performance Company, the first contemporary dance group to emerge in Milwaukee in over a decade.
Less than a year after Danceworks Performance Company’s debut, Dani Kuepper became a member of the new company, immediately establishing herself as an up and coming choreographic talent. After many years of collaboration, Sarah Wilbur and Dani Kuepper became Co-Artistic Directors in 2006, sharing choreographic responsibility and artistic vision. Since Sarah Wilbur’s 2007 move to the west coast, Dani Kuepper has taken the reins of leadership as the Artistic Director and has maintained and grown collaborative partnerships during her tenure.
As of July 2019, Danceworks Performance Company (DPC) became Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE). The name change is a reflection of the group’s desire to rebrand itself as a performance ensemble that is represented by artists trained in a variety of dance styles as diverse as Ballet, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Jazz, African, Swing, Salsa and more! The artists that represent Danceworks Performance MKE onstage are the same artists that teach dance in the Danceworks Studio as well as in schools and community centers all over the city of Milwaukee. DPMKE artists are making an impactful difference in the Milwaukee community every day, by inspiring audiences with virtuosic skill onstage and empowering students of all ages to dance!
DANCEWORKS ON TAP
Danceworks On Tap (DOT) is a collective of dancers dedicated to sustaining tap dance as a recognized art form. DOT, Danceworks resident tap company was established in 2000 by Patrick Kendall and Danceworks founder Amy Brinkman Sustache. Through education, performance and by making tap dance accessible to the community, DOT hopes to contribute to the preservation of this truly American dance form.
HISTORY
Danceworks On Tap was founded in 2000 by Amy Brinkman-Sustache and Patrick Kendall. Since then, the goal has been to sustain tap dance as a recognized art form through presentations, performances and community outreach events.
MEET THE ARTISTS OF DOT
AMY BRINKMAN SUSTACHE
As a founding member of Danceworks, Amy Brinkman-Sustache had a long history with the organization as an instructor, choreographer, and administrator. Danceworks was established in 1992 and in 1998 Amy became the first Studio Director. She served as the Education Director for the organization from its inception through 2024. In her role, Amy oversaw studio and outreach faculty and developed programs and curricula. Danceworks 50+ program, School Day Off Workshops and Summer Creative Art Camps are a few of the programs that Amy implemented over 25 years ago that still impact hundreds of participants each year.
Amy developed and implemented creative movement-based programs for older adults that take place in the community. After years of working with older adults in the Milwaukee area, Amy was invited to present on the importance of movement for adults with a range of cognitive conditions at a conference for staff and family caregivers at an Alzheimer’s conference in 2004. In 2012 she was invited to present on the benefits of movement for aging adults for the Milwaukee Public Television series; Community Conversations. Recognizing a growing need for programming for active older adults on-site at the studio Amy developed Danceworks 50+ Initiative program which gained recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts. This program currently offers two levels of ballet and three levels of tap dance each week as part of Danceworks’ adult class offering.
As a performer, Amy had an extensive background in both dance and musical theater and has the opportunity to perform throughout Europe, California, Florida, and the Midwest.
As an educator, Amy developed a dance curriculum for Pius XI High School Theatre Arts program where she taught and choreographed concert dance and musical theatre from 1992-2000. She had the privilege to serve on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette University, Dance Masters of Wisconsin and Chicago and has been on faculty at Danceworks since helping to found the organization.
Amy dedicated much of the last 30 years toward sustaining tap dance as a recognizable art form through education and performances. In 2000 Amy founded Danceworks on Tap (DOT), Danceworks resident tap company. Amy was thrilled to have the opportunity to integrate tap dance into one of Danceworks largest programs to date, Mad Hot Rhythm (formerly known as Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap.) She also served as the state representative for the International Tap Association.
NICOLE CREW
Nicole Crew has been dancing from the age of three. Pursuing her passion for dance, she earned a dual BA in Dance and Elementary Education at Hope College in Michigan. She taught middle and high school Dance at Manatee School for the Arts, and the Sarasota Ballet Academy in Florida. Returning home to Milwaukee, she taught in a variety of roles at Danceworks from 2009-2012. She danced with Danceworks on Tap for the 2011 season. Although Nicole stepped back from teaching to spend time with her kids, she remained busy choreographing and teaching dance at Cedarburg High School for years. Besides homeschooling her children, and hosting regular dance parties in her kitchen, she is also teaching adult tap classes at the Cedarburg Cultural Center these days. She is delighted to fill her soul dancing with Danceworks On Tap once again this season!
KATHLEEN GRUSENSKI
Kathleen Grusenski first joined the Danceworks team in 2008. As the Studio Manager, she oversees Summer Camps, School Day Off Workshops, the Work Study Program and the Student Showcase. She serves on the faculty for studio classes, IMAP, and MHBT, and is a member of Danceworks On Tap. Kathleen earned her BS degree in Bio
FAITH HALASKA
Faith Halaska is a seasoned performer, movement artist, innovative choreographer, and
passionate dance educator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from San Francisco State
University, a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and is a
certified fitness instructor in both STOTT Pilates and Les Mills BodyCombat. She is the owner
and operator of Creative Sole LLC with which she runs a variety of weekly classes and unique
dance events in the Lake Country area. Faith’s extensive list of performing accolades includes
Gainesville Ballet, GA; Embaje Dance Company, CA; Imagine Dance Company, MN and
Danceworks on Tap, WI. Throughout her career she has held several administrative and
educational positions including Adjunct Professor of Dance for Carthage College; UWM
Parkside, Dance Director of the Myles Reif Performing Arts Center; Education & Outreach
Coordinator for Danceworks Inc; Director of Danceworks Youth Performance Company; and
board panelist for the MN State Arts Board. In addition to her life as an artist Mrs. Halaska is a
wife and proud mother to four amazing children who provide her with the inspiration she applies to each artistic endeavor she explores. Faith is excited to be back dancing with DOT for this special performance that is near and dear to her heart.
HOLLY SWENSON
Holly Swenson has been a part of Danceworks On Tap since 2012. She completed her BBA in finance and BA in dance from the University of Iowa and recently obtained her MBA in Finance from Concordia University Wisconsin. Holly is currently employed as the Finance Director at GMR Marketing and is also a faculty member at Nancy Dianne Studio of Dance. Additionally, Holly serves as the Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Dance Masters of Wisconsin.
KATE KRAUSE-BLAHA
Kate Krause-Blaha first performed with Danceworks On Tap as a guest artist in the summer of 2016, and officially joined as a company member in 2017. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Journalism (double major) in 2009, and Masters in Library and Information Science in 2015. Kate taught for Danceworks Mad Hot Rhythm (formerly Danceworks Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap) for 7 years, and now spends her days as the Lead Youth Services Librarian at the New Berlin Public Library where she gets to share her love of dance, movement, and physical literacy to children in a different atmosphere!
KELLY KOTECKI – ESCORCIA
Kelly Kotecki-Escorcia is a founding member of Danceworks On Tap. She attended UW-Milwaukee earning a BFA in dance with a K-12 certification. She has been on faculty at Danceworks since 2000 teaching and working in many roles throughout the organization. Currently, Kelly is also starting her 15th year teaching in the MPS school district at Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts sharing her love of dance with young creative minds.
RACHEL PAYDEN
Rachel Payden is a music, movement, and poetry lover. She first connected with Danceworks in 2006 as a student, staff and teaching faculty member, and remains a part of the Danceworks on Tap performance company! She received a Master of Divinity degree with a Concentration in Chaplaincy Studies from Chicago Theological Seminary in 2020 and she values communities where story-sharing and creative expression support person-centered care. Rachel is currently the Manager of Student Formation & Community Engagement at Chicago Theological Seminary.
ANNETTE SMEDEMA
Annette Smedema is a dancer and physical therapist who graduated from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in December 2012 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance/Choreography and graduated with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2018. Currently, she works in inpatient rehab at the Milwaukee VA medical center. She incorporates as much dancing as she can with the veteran’s she works with and (typically) they love it just as much as her! She has been tapping and choreographing with Danceworks On Tap since 2010 and is so happy to be tapping again this summer. In addition to being a tapper, Annette has a modern dance background and has performed with Elizabeth Johnson’s company, Your Mother Dances.
GABI SUSTACHE-TURNER
Gabi Sustache-Turner, a Milwaukee native, is a performer, choreographer, and dance educator. A recent graduate from UW-Milwaukee, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the program in the Spring of 2020. She is currently a member of Danceworks On Tap, Danceworks’ resident tap dance company, and Danceworks Performance MKE. Gabi also enjoys performing with various Milwaukee-based hip hop crews, including S.A.I.N.T.S. She has had the opportunity to perform at events such as the 2019 Milwaukee Sports Awards and Summerfest. Her choreography has been featured at Milwaukee Bucks halftime performances, for several high school musical theater productions in and around the Milwaukee area and was selected in 2019 to be adjudicated at the American College Dance Association’s North Central Conference. In addition to being on the faculty at Danceworks, Gabi is also an instructor in the dance departments at Marquette University and UW-Milwaukee.
TINA WOZNIAK
Tina Wozniak attended the University of Minnesota Twin Cities where she earned her BFA in dance in 2001. She was the director of the Pius XI High School dance program in Milwaukee from 2002-2010 and the Bradford High School Dance Department in Kenosha, WI from 2010-2019. She is currently the Assistant Principal at Grandview High School in Milwaukee, WI. Tina has been a member of Danceworks On Tap since 2003.
DANCEWORKS YOUTH PERFORMANCE COMPANY
Danceworks Youth Performance Company (DYPC) is a company of Milwaukee-area dancers, ages 7-18, including Danceworks Minis and a Junior and Senior Company. The youth company participates in 2 larger format performances a year, the Winter Showcase and the Summer Showcase. The group prepares performance material for outreach events in the community and also guest performs on concerts featuring Danceworks Performance MKE’s professional company.
DYPC MISSION
It is the goal of Danceworks Youth Performance Company to provide young artists of Milwaukee and the surrounding areas with quality dance training, new and exciting performance opportunities, and a connection to the larger arts community that ignites a lifelong interest and participation in the arts.
Within Danceworks Youth Performance Company, we strive to nurture and develop the body and spirit through dance technique, fitness, physical discipline and self-expression. Modeled after the professional company, Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE), DYPC members train in the art form year-round and participate in a season of dance events and concerts. Participating in DYPC is a great opportunity for young dancers to rehearse and train together, while enjoying unique performance experiences!
AUDITIONS
Auditions for DYPC occur in June each year. Please check back for updates on the next audition date or email the director, Gabi Sustache-Turner, for more information.
DANCEWORKS INTERGENERATIONAL PERFORMANCE COMPANY
Danceworks Intergenerational Performance Company (DIPC), formerly 50+ Performance Workshop, is a company of community dancers with a desire to explore movement and performance. The current group is made up of participants spanning several generations and a shared passion for movement. The ensemble explores dance-making, improvisation and performance concepts led by Studio Manager and DPMKE company member, Gina Laurenzi. Dances are performed in concert collaborations with resident dance companies, Danceworks Performance MKE and Danceworks Youth Performance Company.
This performance company is by invitation only and we do not allow students to drop in to a class as we do in our other classes. If you are interested in being involved in DIPC and would like more information, please Get in touch with the Directors, Christal Wagner and Gina Laurenzi.
MEET THE ARTISTS OF DIPC
BOB BALDERSON
Bob Balderson has been taking classes at Danceworks for over 20 years. He has been in four DANCEWORKS ON TAP shows, including two solos and two duets with Lamont Johnson.
TIA BUDYAK
Tia Budyak had grown up surrounded by a household filled with singers, instrumentalists and artists that carried throughout her life in different ways. She has always loved dancing since they were in middle school, but never had an opportunity to pursue dance until her freshman year of high school when she joined her school’s dance club, “F-Steps.” They gained experience in learning, teaching, and performing by being in that club and they loved every second of it. That was when dance had become an even bigger passion in her life.
Danceworks is the first studio they had gone to for further dance experience and she’s enjoyed every second of her time in this community. She has taken hip-hop, ballet, contemporary, K-pop, and a couple musical theater and jazz classes during her time here at Danceworks.
They’ve been at Danceworks since March of 2024 and have performed in “Rhythmworks” with the jazz and K-pop groups. She is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of DIPC as the youngest member and is excited to see what the future entails in her journey with dance!
JULIE BOROUCHOFF
Julie Borouchoff was born and raised on the farmland of Jefferson County, Wisconsin. Her first dance experience was her German Grandpa teaching her to dance the polka when she was 5 years old. Julie loved to polka, yet she yearned for other dance experiences. She attended Marquette University and graduated with a Theatre/Dance degree. Tap dancing became her favorite dance style. In the 1990’s she discovered DANCEWORKS Milwaukee. So many wonderful teachers and different styles of dance. Julie found a place as an assistant with the MAD HOT RHYTHM program. Her participation with DIPC has been a life changing experience and has helped to ease her back into movement and dance after a spinal cord injury.
TRACEY GESSNER
Tracey is excited to be returning to performing again after a long hiatus. She completed a BA in dance at Columbia College Chicago, but since then life has taken her in a different direction. Previously a stay-at-home-mom to two amazing (now fully grown) children, she is now enjoying her rediscovery of dance at Danceworks and DIPC.
Tracey is also an avid long distance runner, having completed over 50 marathons and ultramarathons. You could say movement has always played an important part in her life! She would like to thank Danceworks for the opportunity to perform on stage again for the first time in over 20 years.
KATRINA HJELMGREN
Katrina Hjelmgren has been dancing most of her life and has performed in many types of performances over the years, many of which have been with or through Danceworks. In most of these performances, Katrina has performed alongside her father, Tom Hjelmgren, including a duet they choreographed together. She has also performed at the Renaissance Faire through the Guilde of St. George (The Queen’s Court) and has been in many performances of The Nutcracker and Carmina Burana through her previous studio. She is also very interested in photography and manipulating images through photoshop.
TOM C. HJELMGREN
“Danceworks is an enchanted place. I’ve learned so much from the incredibly talented, kind, and passionate artists that teach here. I’ve also had the unparalleled pleasure of seeing my wife Janice and our two daughters study and perform here.
Dance is movement. Movement is life. As days pass these moments of momentum become more precious. The opportunity to move with these young dancers, strong and focused and seemingly immortal is a gift. An elixir that imbues us, albeit fleetingly, with that same sense of abandon. Of freedom. Of flight.” – Tom C. Hjelmgren
JEANNE KOLLEMEYER
Jeanne Kollmeyer has always had a strong desire to dance, but the opportunity wasn’t there for her. After watching a group of women perform in her daughter’s recital, she decided to start taking tap lessons. Thus, began her now 28 year dance journey.
Jeanne has been taking tap and ballet classes at Danceworks for over 10 years, and she is thrilled to be a member of the Intergenerational Performance Company. Jeanne has also assisted in the Mad Hot Rhythm program and performed in Danceworks on Tap several years ago. When she’s not dancing, she loves teaching visual arts, painting with acrylics and enjoying city life.
JUDY ZOELZER LEVINE
Judy Zoelzer Levine started dancing in college which led to a BFA degree. She has not stopped dancing, continuing to study ballet and yoga. She has performed with Danceworks in assorted productions since 2017.
RAE BU LUCK
Rae Bu Luck (THEY/SHE) is delighted to join DIPC for the Autumn 2024 showcase. They hold a BFA from UWM where they studied Visual Art, Dance and Art History. Rae has been creating and performing in the world of arts since childhood. As an adult, she has performed in theatre, dance, modeling and music shows. Some notable works that they enjoyed most include dancing and acting with The Quasimondo Physical Theatre in both NYC and Milwaukee, Kathryn Caesar’s “Emily” and Selena Milewski’s “The Dance of Moon and Buckets” in MKE Fringe, various short films and music videos directed by Jacyln Poeshel, and most recently performing in Danceworks “Ignite” (hip-hop solo) and “Rhythmworks (kpop & jazz groups).” Rae is currently editing her band, Duzt’s (pronounced dust) first music video which she wrote, choreographed and directed, to be released in 2025. Her band has also composed music for 53212 presents and has performed worldwide in Thailand, India, Cambodia and more. In November, Rae will continue their studies in dance, music, yoga and foreign languages in her 4th world tour lasting 5 months. Rae is honored to have gained valuable teaching and dance skills through working with Danceworks in MadHot, Generations and weekly classes which she carries with her into her work as a 500-hr Certified Yoga Teacher and multi-faced human, these past 9 years.
MARY ANN MITCHELL
For five decades, Mary Ann Mitchell lived her passion as a psychotherapist using words in the art of therapy. Her only dance experience had been in the Latin dance world with her husband.
Now a community of dancers has carried her into her seventh decade. Instead of words, Mary Ann is living in an exciting community where expression and communication is through movement. Being a member of DIPC since it’s inception with Dani Kuepper has even given her the opportunity to perform.
Mary Ann would like to thank her dear dancing comrades and Dani, Kim, Christal, and Gina for leading the group on.
TAKARAH MEYER
As a Lawrence university’s Girl choir alumni, Takarah has always had a passion and love for the arts beginning at a young age. Takarah has transitioned to focus on her dance journey, and can’t wait to see what’s in the store for the future.
ANNIE WEGNER LeFORT
Annie Wegner LeFort is the founder of EatMoveMKE, a company that promotes mindful eating, daily movement practice, and community building in our city. She has been teaching yoga for 5+ years and dancing in Milwaukee since 2018 with Panadanza’s student dance company and since 2022 with DIPC. Annie has been performing with Samba da Vida MKE since 2019. She has performed with the Community Spirit Choir lead by Kiran “Q the Sun” Vedula, participated in Pina Bausch’s The Nelken-Line: MKE, “Gendhing in the Garden” at Lynden Sculpture Garden. She has trained with Capoeira Nago and practices with Acroyoga Milwaukee. Annie believes that there is a dancer in everyone if they give themselves permission to explore and play.
DanceLAB
Danceworks DanceLAB is an experimental performance initiative dedicated to pushing artists and audiences to expand their thinking about dance as an art form.
DanceLAB MISSION
The focus of DanceLAB is on collaboration, fusion of forms and current trends in the field. Many DanceLAB events include educational components to encourage artist-to-audience dialogue and participation. Danceworks DanceLAB honors and nurtures the development of new works by dance artists by offering year-round opportunities in the form of performances, internships, mentorships, space access and advocacy for artists serving the Milwaukee community. We stay on the lookout for talented emerging or established dance artists.