I thought the performance was stunning.
– Danceworks Patron –
It was a privilege to be a member of the audience.
DANCEWORKS PERFORMANCE MKE
Danceworks Performance MKE is the resident professional company. They are an ensemble of performing artists with dynamically different movement training and experiences that uses its diverse breadth of techniques to strengthen the virtuosity of art making through dance performance. The group maintains a commitment to celebrating the vitality and diversity of the Milwaukee arts community, creating works with curiosity and rigor, heightening the voices and talents of our skilled performers and community members.
Danceworks Performance MKE strives to make its work relevant and accessible to a wide range of audience members by regularly performing and teaching workshops and residencies in diverse communities throughout Southeastern Wisconsin.
MEET THE CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
Christal Wagner and Gina Laurenzi are the Co-Artistic team leading Danceworks Performance MKE. The pair have 10+ years of experience with the company and have been dancing side by side since 2013. Gina and Christal share their creative efforts across 3 companies: Danceworks Performance MKE, Danceworks Apprentice MKE, and Danceworks Intergenerational Performance Company.
GINA LAURENZI
A mover, maker, researcher and educator, Gina Laurenzi (she/her) graduated from the University of WI-Milwaukee where she earned her MFA in dance. Before beginning her chapter in Milwaukee, Gina was awarded a full merit scholarship to train at Giordano Dance Chicago, later performing with Giordano II and Inaside Chicago Dance, among other Chicago artists. For seven years, Laurenzi owned and operated Laurenzi Dance (Kenosha, WI). In her hometown of Kenosha, Laurenzi presented work regularly and mentored many local artists of all ages. Choreographing for many arts organizations every season, Laurenzi has set work on dancers of the UW-Milwaukee Dance Dept., Water Street Dance Milwaukee, Danceworks Youth Performance Company (DYPC), Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE), Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Makaroff Youth Ballet (Appleton, WI), Carthage dance students and the Milwaukee Ballet’s Pre-Professional Program students. Since living in Milwaukee, Laurenzi has been able to perform the works of Daniel Burkholder, Simone Ferro, Marie Gillespie, Dani Kuepper, Deb Loewen, Jenni Reinke, Dan Schuchart, Dawn Springer, Christal Wagner, and Morgan Williams. Currently performing with Wild Space, DPMKE and Hyperlocal MKE, Laurenzi works to maintain an active performance calendar and connections with many artists in the dance community. Laurenzi is presently a lecturer at the University of WI-Milwaukee and co-artistic director of Danceworks where she enjoys engaging in collaborative projects, working with artists of all ages, and building creative works of dance.
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.
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!
MEET THE ARTISTS OF DPMKE
KATELYN ALTMANN
KATELYN ALTMANN
Katelyn Altmann (she/her) is a movement-based artist, choreographer, and improviser currently residing in Milwaukee, WI. She graduated with distinguished honors, receiving her BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts. Katelyn has performed in the works of Esther Baker-Tarpaga, Esmé Boyce, Daniel Burkholder, Simone Ferro, Melanie George, Maria Gillespie, Joe Goode, Holly Johnston, Dani Kuepper, Gina Laurenzi, Debra Loewen, Dan Schuchart, and Dawn Springer, Christal Wagner and worked has with artists such as Irene Dowd, Kathleen Hermesdorf, KJ Holmes, andIshmael Huston-Jones among others. She is a current performance and collaborative artist with DanceworksPerformance MKE(DPMKE), and Li Chiao Ping Dance, Wild Space Dance Company, and Gina Laurenzi Dance Project(GLDP).
Katelyn has presented both her solo and collaborative work throughout Milwaukee, Chicago, Seattle, and New York. Her work, “soft ground, stiff shoulder” was selected to be presented at the American College Dance Association’s North Central Conference. In 2019, with the help of the National Endowment for the Arts grant, Katelyn collaborated with Joe Goode to create a dance film, which was presented at the North Central ACDA Conference. She has also furthered her movement training by attending intensives such as Milwaukee Ballet, GALLIM, Point Park University, Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation, Kegwin + Company, Bates Dance Festival/Gibney Connect, and Moving Queries (Set/Go, Lower Left). During her time at UW-Milwaukee, Altmann received two Undergraduate Research Fellowships immersed in movement research. 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 fifth season with Danceworks Performance MKE.
ZOE MEI GLISE
ZOE MEI GLISE
Zoe Mei Glise is a choreographer, performer, and movement-based artist born in China and located in Milwaukee, WI. She is currently a company member with Danceworks Performance Company (DPMKE), Wild Space Dance Company, and the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project (GLDP). Previously, Zoe danced as a company member with Madison Contemporary 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. Throughout her years at UWM, Zoe worked with several guest artists and faculty members in performances and master classes including Mair Culbreth, Parijat Desai, Emma Draves, Yumelia Garcia, Joe Goode, Gina Laurenzi, Marina Magalhães, Caitlin Mahon, Tatiana Malinkine, Dan Schuchart, Kia Smith, and more. In 2019, with the help of the National Endowment for the Arts grant, Zoe collaborated with Joe Goode to create a dance film, “Real Words” which was presented at the North Central American College Dance Association (ACDA).
Zoe has presented her work throughout Wisconsin, Montana, and Paris, France. In the summer of 2022, Zoe was selected to travel to Paris, France to attend the Camping Residency at the Centre National de le Danse, where her work, “what was, what is” was performed. Her solo, “blood, DNA, connection” was presented at the 2020 and 2021 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Zoe has been selected numerous times to choreograph for Danceworks’ Get It Out There concerts in Milwaukee, WI, as well as for performances with La Crosse Dance Centre in La Crosse, WI. Zoe has also attended multiple summer intensives in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Utah, and New York, working with companies such as the Joffrey Ballet, Wasatch Contemporary Dance, Nova Linea Contemporary Dance, and the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts. Most recently, Zoe presented her debut evening length performance, “Uncommon Ground” held at Adventure Rock Milwaukee, as a way to blend her two passions—dance and rock climbing.
GRETA JENKINS
GRETA JENKINS
Greta Jenkins 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
Jessica Lueck 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. Jessica also performs with Wildspace Company as a Freelance artist and has started her third with Danceworks Performance MKE.
KAITLYN MOORE
KAITLYN MOORE
Kaitlyn Moore 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.
CUAHTLI RAMÍREZ CASTRO
CUAHTLI 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
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). In April 2024, she directed and choreographed her own evening-legth performance, For The Wolves. 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.
TESSA RITCHEY
TESSA RITCHEY
Tessa Ritchey (she/her) was born and raised in Walworth, Wisconsin, where she trained at The Dance Factory. She graduated from The University of Iowa in 2018 with a B. F. A in Dance Performance and Choreography. Tessa has furthered her training by attending intensives such as American Dance Festival, ELSCO Dance Intensive, NW Dance Projects Five Dance Days, the Gypsy Project and Water Street Dance Festival. While in College Tessa apprenticed for Dance In the Parks, in Chicago, where she was able to perform and help run the shows. Along with performance experience, she has had multiple of her own choreographic works produced by the university, one of which was selected to perform at the 2018 ACDA North Central Conference. After college, Tessa has had her work presented at the College of DuPage’s Choreographic Showcase, MADCO 2’s Dare To Dance, Trifecta’s A New Light, the Iowa Dance Festival, Emergence, SMUSH Moves Vol. 7, JELLO and MKE Fringe. Tessa has had the privilege of working with Alluvion, a Chicago Dance Company, premiering a work in 2019 as well as this 2023. Tessa has accepted the position of Artistic Director for Alluvion, a Chicago based dance company, where she has previously set work on them in 2019 & 2023. This will be her first season as Artistic Director and is excited for the growth that will come with this role. Tessa has been a Company Dancer with Danceworks Performance MKE for three seasons now.
ISAAC JERIN ROBERTSON
ISAAC JERIN ROBERTSON
Isaac Jerin Robertson (He/They) has been passionately involved in the art of dance and dance making for over 17 years. Robertson first started their training in post modern and Graham styles under the direction of Lisa Andrea Thurrell and Robert E. Cleary. Isaac also studied classical ballet at Madison Ballet under the direction of W. Earl Smith. Later, from 2010-2014, Robertson danced with Kanopy DanceCompany for four seasons. They attended summer dance programs on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. As an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Isaac studied contemporary dance and choreography from 2014-2017. Isaac Jerin has been a company dancer with Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE) since 2018. Robertson toured with DPMKE to the 2022 Making Space Festival held by TBD dance collective based in Omaha, Nebraska. Isaac continues to create work, teach movement and dance in Milwaukee. Isaac is currently back at UW-Milwaukee to finish their BFA.
ELISABETH ROSKOPF
ELISABETH ROSKOPF
Elisabeth Roskopf 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 graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano and a minor in Dance. She is a company member of Li Chiao-Ping Dance, Danceworks Performance MKE, the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and a performance collaborator with Wild Space Dance Company. She has also performed and collaborated with Marlene Skog Dance, Dawn Springer Dance Projects, Catey Ott Dance Collective, Montauk Project [più mosso], and Lake Arts Project. Elisabeth co-produced and performed in her screendance work, Provenance: A Letter to My Daughter, with her collaborators, Li Chiao-Ping as the director and choreographer and Christal Wagner as the cinematographer and editor. The film features Elisabeth’s story as a transracial and transnational adoptee and received a Best Direction Award from the 2023 Experimental, Dance and Music Film Festival. In addition to her performing, she is a ballet and contemporary teacher and choreographer in the Greater Milwaukee Area. She teaches ballet and modern classes as a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she is currently earning her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance. Elisabeth is the Founder and Creative Director of Dance For Diversity, an annual screendance project series that is made explicitly for Artists of Color to elevate their unique voices and share their stories of identity through dance-making and performance work. For this inaugural season, DFD is partnering with Danceworks, Inc. Recently, she signed on as a model and actress with The Belle Agency in hopes that she can create greater representation for herself, her daughter, and other Asian Americans in the film industry.
HALLE SIVERTSON
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. She is now a performing artist in her fourth season with Danceworks Performance MKE and a member of Gina Laurenzi Dance Project.
GABI SUSTACHE
GABI SUSTACHE
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
Rachel Alford
Anya Kluesner
Anya Kluesner is a Milwaukee based Artist currently studying Studio Art, Art History, and Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dance has always been a part of Anya’s life, growing up at a studio in their hometown, Madison, WI. They have experience performing, teaching, and choreographing a variety of styles and ages; most notably working with Ultimate Leap Dance Center as a guest choreographer for both the 2023, and 2024-25 competition seasons. Anya has also performed with the University of Oregon Dance Department (2022-23), under choreographers Hannah Victoria Thomas, Zoe Vander Hyde, and Shannon Mockli. After attending Water Street Dance Festival in 2023, Anya has found joy in the community at Danceworks, and is excited to be a part of their Apprentice Company.
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.
Jamie Riddle (she/her)
Jamie Riddle (she/her) is a contemporary dancer, choreographer, and massage therapist based in Milwaukee, WI. Jamie currently dances with Wild Space Dance Company, Danceworks Apprentice Company, and Fable Dance Company. Jamie graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography with minors in Somatics and Business in December 2023. During her time at UWM, Jamie performed in works by Debra Loewen, Simone Ferro, Maria Gillespie, Ari Christopher, Rae Zimmerli, Lia Smith-Redmann, McKenna Coartney, and more. Jamie has also had the opportunity to perform with DPMKE, DanceCircus, and Studio K Flamenco.
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. Kayla has become involved in the Milwaukee dance community through classes at Danceworks and Milwaukee Ballet Theater as well as performing in UWM’s Upstart, Kim Miller’s Social Choreography, and Danceworks’ GIOT. She is excited to start her journey with the Danceworks Apprentice Company.
Katie Speltz
Katie Speltz is a Milwaukee-based dancer and choreographer originally from Winona, MN. She is currently pursuing her BFA in dance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has traveled throughout the United States assisting Celebrity Conventions. Additionally, she has attended events across North America with Intrigue Dance Intensive as a senior “True Performer,” performing with the faculty.
At UWM, she has performed in the works of guest artists Aysha Upchurch, Alfonso Cervera, Kia Smith, as well as numerous faculty. She has also performed with Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and in shows under the direction of Jasmine Uras, Ashley Ray Garcia, and Zoe Mei Glise. Her choreographic work has been presented in UWM’s Dance Student Organization’s Dance Collective, and has won awards at competitions around the country.
Shannon Stanczak
Shannon Stanczak is a Milwaukee based dancer and choreographer who attended University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, graduating in 2021 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in contemporary dance performance and choreography, with a minor in studio art. At UW-M, she had the opportunity to perform under Simone Ferro, Dan Schuchart, Andrea Burkholder, Mair Culbreth and many others. Shannon had the privilege to work with the Flockworks and with Symbiosis in their SANCTA performance. She is currently dancing with WildSpace Dance Company and the DanceWorks Apprentice Company.
Rae Zimmerli (she/her)
Rae Zimmerli (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and photographer from Overland Park, Kansas. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2024, earning a BFA in dance and minors in photography and geography. 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.
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.
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.
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.
TORI ISAAC
Victoria “Tori” Isaac is a dancer, educator, and creator based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A dancer of 18 years, Tori began cultivating her training under the mentorship of Yesenia Valverde at the Valverde School of Performing Arts in Southern California. Relocating to the Midwest, she then continued under Cait Jones of Transcendance Dance Studios in Oak Park, Illinois before pursuing dance collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Sociology. Tori has performed extensively throughout the West Coast and Midwest and has taught dance and movement education in a variety of settings, including primary schools, youth detention centers, and collegiate institutions. She is currently an outreach teaching artist with Danceworks MKE and a company member of Danceworks on Tap and Panadanza Dance Company. She is also a graduate student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
HOLLY HEISDORF
Holly Heisdorf 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!
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.
NIKKI PLATT
Nikki Platt has been dancing since the age of two at many of the most prestigious dance studios around the mid-west and east coast. Nikki attended Columbia College Chicago, where she studied musical theater and dance. In 2001, she made her way to NYC under scholarship and attended Broadway Dance Center where she obtained her expertise on the Broadway stage. She had the honor and privilege to work and dance with some of the hottest choreographers in “The Big Apple.” Nikki credits her tap skills to Lane Alexander, Mike Minery, Savion Glover, Michelle Dorrance, the late Gregory Hines and many more! Nikki has also directed and choreographed numerous musical productions with local groups in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine, and the Chicago area.
GABI SUSTACHE
Gabi Sustache, 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.
ANGELA WEIDNER
Angela Weidner began dancing at the age of three and hasn’t stopped since! She is versed in many styles, but she primarily focuses on jazz, tap with past foci on hip hop and dance team. Angela trained in the Madison, WI area for 15 years, competing at regional and national levels. In 2013, she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Economics from UW-Milwaukee, minoring in Actuarial Science, Math, and Business. She is a proud alumni of the UW-Milwaukee Panther Dance Team, and she professionally danced for both the Milwaukee Brewer’s Diamond Dancers and the Milwaukee Buck’s Dancers. She has been choreographing, teaching, and coaching for numerous Milwaukee-based studios and high school dance teams throughout Wisconsin since 2010. In more recent years, Angela has been grateful to be a member of the Danceworks faculty in various capacities: Development and Programs Coordinator, Studio Faculty, Mad Hot Teaching Artist, Performer in the Ignite Hip Hop and Danceworks on Tap showcases, and member of Danceworks Performance MKE from 2019-2022. She especially loves sharing her love and passion for dance, as well as the lessons/values/healing it can instill, throughout the MKE community.
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, 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 email Artistic Director, Christal Wagner at christalw@danceworksmke.org or call at (414) 277-8480.
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.