KATELYN ALTMANN (SHE/HER)

Katelyn Altmann (she/her) is a Milwaukee-based movement artist, choreographer, and educator with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee’s Peck School for the Arts. She has taught at UW-Milwaukee and UW-Madison, and actively performs and choreographs within the local and regional community. Altmann has collaborated with renowned artists such as Daniel Burkholder, Joe Goode, and Esther Baker-Tarpaga, and her work has been presented in Milwaukee, Chicago, Seattle, and New York. Her piece *soft ground, stiff shoulder* was featured at the American College Dance Association’s North Central Conference. With support from the NEA, she worked with Joe Goode on a dance film presented at the 2019 ACDA Conference. Altmann has furthered her training through intensives such as GALLIM, Bates Dance Festival, Milwaukee Ballet Summer Intensive and the Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation. She is a current artist with Danceworks Performance MKE, Li Chiao Ping Dance, and Wild Space Dance Company.

SIMON ANDREAS

Simon Andreas, a Milwaukee-based dancer and choreographer, returns to Danceworks with a new modern piece reflecting on childhood memories.  A UWM graduate, he’s had the privilege of performing works by renowned choreographers like Reggie Wilson, Alonzo King, Uri Sands, Alwin Nikolais, and David Neumann. His dance journey has taken him from Milwaukee companies like Danceworks, Your Mother Dances, and Wild Space Dance Company to stages in Minneapolis with Concerto Dance and Rhythmically Speaking, as well as Brazil alongside Ballet Folclórico da Bahia, and even to New York City creating with Pilobolus. Now, he’s grateful to be back in his hometown, sharing his latest creation and looking forward to starting his own company.

CALLA BEVERLY

Calla Beverly, born and raised in Spring Grove, Illinois, now attends UW-Milwaukee as a dance major and is pursing her career in occupational therapy as well. Calla currently is a dance teacher as well as choreographer and hopes to share her work more this upcoming year.

KOREE BROSIG

Koree Brosig is a dancer and choreographer from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Koree has loved dance since before she could walk. She began her journey at Shirley Van’s Dance Studio in Green Bay, at 2 years old, where she stayed until she graduated in 2021. From there, she continued her dance career at UW-Milwaukee where she is currently pursuing her BFA in Contemporary Choreography and Performance and Pilates Certification.  Through college Koree has worked with Maria Gillespie, Mair Culbreth, Dawn Springer, Daniel Burkholder, Lauren Fleury, Mckenna Smith and Grace Winkel. Koree has performed in The Nutcracker as Clara, Ashley Ray Garcia’s For the Wolves, UWM Spring Dances and UWM Winter Dances. She has most recently showcased her choreography in Danceworks Get It Out There, UWM’s Dance Collective and UWM’s New Dancemakers: Emanation.

MADISON CURTIS

Madison Curtis is an instructor, choreographer, and dancer currently working in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She started dance at the age of three with Starz Dance Academy. Throughout her All-Star life she has been awarded many accomplishments, including being a World Champion in Senior Pom 2017. Madison then continued her training after high school at The American Musical Dramatic Academy of the Performing Arts (AMDA), where she studied dance theater for a year in New York City. Madison graduated college from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on December 15th, 2024 with her B.F.A. in Contemporary Dance Performance. While at UWM, Madison has been a part of the official Panther Dance Team for three years and has performed in faculty dance concerts, working with Richard Brandon Ashworth, Dan Schuchart, and Daniel Burkholder. Madison also is an instructor at Badgerette Pom Pon Inc. and has been a part of the company for 3 summers. When Madison is teaching dancers, she wants her students to leave feeling proud that they had the courage to dance today and create an environment that is safe and welcoming to all dancers. Madison hopes her class will be uplifting and a learning atmosphere because she believes the students can teach her just as much as she can teach the dancers. Currently she is building her choreography portfolio. Madison has choreographed for studios and has had multiple works shown at UWM. Madison’s passion for dance drives her everyday to become the best teacher possible.

MALLORY EBBENS

Mallory Ebbens is a passionate performer, choreographer, and dance educator from Appleton, Wisconsin. Currently based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mallory is earning her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance as well as a Somatics minor at the University of Wisconsin –Milwaukee. As a choreographer and a dance educator at Inspire Dance Studio, Mallory believes in creating an inclusive and supportive environment for her dancers while creating work that moves and inspires audience members. Mallory has had the opportunity to perform in the 2019 Walt Disney World Holiday Spectacular parade, and she has also performed in works from notable dance choreographers, Kate Jabolonski and Ceaser Salinas at Chicago’s National Association of Dance Masters. 

Colin Gawronski

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

TRACEY GESSNER

Tracey Gessner 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.

Zoe GLISE (She/Her)

Zoe Mei Glise is a choreographer, performer, and movement-based artist born in China and located in Milwaukee, WI. She is a company member with Danceworks Performance Company, Wild Space Dance Company, and the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project. Previously, Zoe danced as a company member with Madison 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 including Mair Culbreth, Parijat Desai, Emma Draves, Gina Laurenzi, Marina Magalhães, Caitlin Mahon, Dan Schuchart, and more. In 2019, with the National Endowment for the Arts grant, Zoe collaborated with Joe Goode to create a dance film, “Real Words”, presented at the North Central American College Dance Association (ACDA). Most recently, Zoe presented her debut evening length performance, “Uncommon Ground”.

MAYA HIRSIG-SMITH

Maya Hirsig-Smith: I am a passionate dancer and artist whose work is deeply influenced by my personal journey through movement. Dance has been a transformative outlet for self-expression, allowing me to communicate emotions and experiences that words often can’t capture. My practice is rooted in exploring the physicality of movement, rhythm, and connection—both to myself and others. Through dance, I delve into themes of growth, resilience, and the power of vulnerability, using the body as a medium to tell stories of personal transformation. I am constantly inspired by the intersection of technique and raw emotion, and my work seeks to push the boundaries of what dance can convey. Presenting in Get It Out There offers an exciting opportunity to share the depth of my experience with a wider audience, inviting them to witness the raw, emotional power of dance as a form of storytelling. I hope to inspire others to explore their own potential for expression through movement, showing how dance can be both a personal and collective journey.

TOM HJELMGREN

Tom Hjelmgren
DPMKE Showcase: ‘Sobriquet’ (5/2022)
‘Thunder Domestic’, streamed performance, direction – Zack Schorsch, (5/2021)
‘Tokens of Appreciation’, Video Performance, choreographer – Dani Kuepper, (7/2020)
Danceworks: ‘Handel’s Bestiary’, choreography – Dani Kuepper (6/2017)
National Center for Creative Aging: director – Anne Basting (7/2016)
Li Chiao Ping Dance: ‘Fluid Measure’, choreography – Li Chiao Ping, (6/2016)
Quasi Mondo Physical Theater: ‘Animolecules’ (2/2016)
Danceworks: ‘Fairy Queen Fantasy’, Choreography – Dani Kuepper (6/2015)
Studied at Hubbard Street Dance Studio and Giordano Dance Chicago – 1976-1983
Performed in amateur and professional productions in the Chicago Metro Area – 1976-1983
Studied at Danceworks – 2011 to Present.
Performance credits in Milwaukee include:
DIPC Showcase: choreography, Christal Wagner, Laurenzi, Wegner Lefort, Hjelmgren, (10/2024)
GIOT Showcase: ’87’, choreography – Tom Hjelmgren, (3/2024)
Joint performance: DIPC/Bel Canto, (11/2023)
GIOT Showcase: ‘Perfectly Imperfect’, choreography – Annie Wegner Lefort (10/2023)
DPMKE: ‘Sonder’, choreography – Gina Laurenzi (1/2022)

CATEY OTT THOMPSON

Catey Ott Thompson, director of Catey Ott Dance Collective since 2005, has a BFA and MFA in dance from UWM. Catey resides in Milwaukee after dancing in NYC for 14 years with Soundance, Heidi Latsky, Allyson Green, Sean Curran, Bill Young, Li Chiao-Ping, Eun Jung Choi, and many others. She has performed at Danspace Project/St. Mark’s Church, 92Y, DNA, Gibney Dance, Green Space, BAX, Solar One, The Flea, and Muller/The Works Studio in NYC. In Milwaukee, CODC regularly performs and presents works at Danceworks Studio, MKE Fringe Fest, UW-Madison, UWM, Marquette University, Milwaukee Ballet, Wisconsin Dance Council, and others. Catey has been a dance faculty member at Marquette University for 10 years and is currently teaching a wide variety of classes at Milwaukee Ballet School and Academy, including the Adult Dance and Fitness Program (ADF.) 

CHARLOTTE REYNOLDS

Charlotte Reynolds is a dance artist, performer, administrator, teacher, and student currently working in Milwaukee. Growing up in Chicago, Charlotte moved to Milwaukee to pursue dance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Here, she has performed in dance concerts, dance films, competed at UDA nationals, and ACDA, choreographed artistic pieces, and competitive dance routines. Today, Charlotte is a dance teacher and coach at Lake Country All-Star Dance, a teacher at a Christian non-profit Above The Clouds, and a choreographer for many studios in the Milwaukee area. Charlotte’s goal as an artist is to invoke, involve, and intrigue the audience with interesting, rhythmic, dynamic and memorable movements. 

JULIA RICHTER

Julia Richter holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Ed, Minor in Dance, and a Masters Degree; Integrating Arts in Education. She became a certified Lifeforming Leadership Coach and received certification in Mindfulness, Social Emotional Learning and Positive Intelligence. Julia taught 4th grade in Kenosha Unified for many years and has been teaching outreach programming for Danceworks since 2009, with Mad Hot Rhythm being one of her absolute favorites! Julia always had a passion for music and dance, and helping others to believe in themselves to reach their fullest potential. She feels blessed to be able to enrich our youth through the 3 goals of the Mad Hot Rhythm program: (1.) To build and improve relationships in the classroom (2.) To improve focus/attention and social awareness, and (3.) To increase interest in the arts.

KAYLA SIEDLECKI

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 strengthened 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 with Danceworks’ Apprentice Company. Additionally during her time in MIlwaukee, she has performed in UWM’s Upstart, Kim Miller’s Social Choreography, and Danceworks’ GIOT. 

LIA SMITH-REDMANN (SHE/HER)

Lia Smith-Redmann is a Wisconsin-based artist, dancer, and writer. She studied dance and theatre throughout the Five College Consortium in Massachusetts and is currently pursuing her BAs in Dance and English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is a collaborating artist with Hyperlocal MKE, a guest choreographer for Fable Dance Company, a recipient of two Undergraduate Research Fellowships under the direction of Maria Gillespie, and a former member of Ballo Dance Company and Laughing Tiger Tai Chi in Door County. She has had the privilege of performing the works of choreographers such as Alfonso Cervera, Maria Gillespie, Daniel Burkholder, and Dan Schuchart. Her work has been performed at Still Inspired Future Artists (Chicago), the American College Dance Association, Hampshire College, Peck School of the Arts’ Dance Collective, Danceworks’ Get It Out There, and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Theatre Festival.

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. Previously, she traveled throughout the United States assisting faculty at Celebrity Conventions. At UWM, she has performed in the works of guest artists Vershawn Sanders-Ward, 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 New Dancemakers, UWM’s Dance Student Organization’s Dance Collective, and at competitions across the country. Most recently she has been performing with Danceworks MKE Apprentice Company.

LIBBY STECKMESSER

Libby Steckmesser (she/her) is a dancer, researcher, and choreographer, who graduated with a BFA in contemporary performance and choreography with a minor in somatics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her dance training began in 2006 at the Jean Wolfmeyer School of Dance in Manitowoc, WI, gaining knowledge in dance forms such as jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, and hip-hop. She has since collaborated with artists such as Maria Gillespie, Simone Ferro, DeMar Walker, Parijat Desai, Marina Magalhaes, Dan Schuchart, Rich Ashworth, and Kim Miller, where modern/contemporary, African diaspora, and improvisation is now a part of her practice. She has performed in UWM’s Winterdances and Springdances shows, Dance Works’ “Get It Out There,” UWM’s Dancemakers, Zoe Glise’s “Uncommon Ground,” Sculpture Milwaukee with Kim Miller, and with companies such as Hyperlocal MKE and the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project. In November 2023, she completed her senior thesis project and was given the opportunity to showcase her work at the American College Dance Association in Northfield, MN in March 2024. She has studied and performed at the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, as well as in Paris, France at the Camping Dance Festival in 2022. She had been researching and working alongside Maria Gillespie in her Student Undergrad Research Fellowship “Wild Tongue,” which explores the intersection of translation and improvisational 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.

adelaide wateski

Adelaide Wateski, with 19 years of dance experience, is a passionate mover/choreographer, currently based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is currently studying at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Performance and Choreography and has honed her skills on and off the stage. As an educator, Adelaide is dedicated to nurturing dancers, emphasizing the feeling of dance over the aesthetics. She believes in creating an inclusive and supportive environment where all humans can explore their relationship with dance and technique. 

ANGELA WEIDNER

ANGELA (ALGRIM) WEIDNER began dancing at the age of three and hasn’t stopped since. She is versed in many styles, but she primarily focuses on authentic improvisation, jazz, tap with past foci on hip hop, ballet 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, Business, and Math. She is a proud alumni of the UW-Milwaukee Panther Dance Team, and she professionally danced for both the Milwaukee Brewers Diamond Dancers and the Milwaukee Bucks Dancers. She has been choreographing, performing, 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 such as Studio Faculty, Mad Hot Teaching Artist, Performer in the Ignite Hip Hop and Danceworks On Tap showcases, and member of Danceworks Performance MKE (2019-2022). Angela additionally was gifted the roles of dancing the lead Peter Pan, and being Assistant Director to Colleen Kehl for Stageworks Productions Inc.’s Peter Pan Ballet (2025).

In 2022, she ventured into learning ways to heal the human spirit. This allowed her access to tools such as: emotional intelligence training, cultivating present moment awareness, core-belief & mindset work, natural remedies, art therapy (this includes dance!), and beyond! After seeing how beneficial energy healing was for her, Angela became certified in facilitating a form of quantum energy healing, Guided Energy Medicine, through the Sacred Oak Academy. She has also worked with many wisdom keepers along the way. This has allowed her to show up even more authentically in her being, dancing, teaching–bringing good vibes, healing, fun, and safety to the room. She loves sharing her love and passion for dance, as well as the lessons/values/healing it can instill, throughout the community.

Beyond *dance life* she enjoys time with her husband and kitty. Both being artists, they create with many modalities in a way that feels right way with nature and unity 🙂