Choreographers
Rose Amlin is a third year student majoring in dance and psychology. This is her first year choreographing for DMC and she is very excited to be experimenting with the medium of film for the first time. She has performed in UWDP and dance major's concerts and has choreographed for Influx and musicals at Lincoln High and Robert Eagle Staff middle school. In her free time she can be found absolutely shredding the gnar at Stevens Pass and having karaoke nights with her roommates. Thank you so much to the dancers, and to everyone who made this concert happen even in these most unprecedented of times!
Victoria Aukland is a queer, non-binary femme, dance artist who plans to graduate from the University of Washington in March with a BA in dance and sociology. Post-graduate they hope to go into dance activism and social Work. Through this isolating year, they would like to thank their cast for creating such a vulnerable and strong community that they have created in search of intimacy within ourselves and together. Andy, Fernando, Jessica, and Tania, you are the stars, and I am so glad to end my year working with you all.
Ieva Bračiulytė is a senior at the University of Washington who is graduating in June with a major in Dance and minors in Environmental Studies and Comparative History of Ideas. She doesn’t know what the future holds but her plans involve dancing and fighting for a livable planet. This is her second time choreographing for DMC, but her first time directing a dance film. She has had the honor to work with artists such as Yin Yue, Tracey Durbin, Katie Sherman, Lindsey McGill, Ching Ching Wong, Lucie Baker, Rachael Lincoln, Dani Tirrell and Majinn Mike O’Neal. Basically still a child at heart, Ieva’s favorite hobbies include gardening, reading outside, building with LEGOs, avoiding Zoom calls, and discovering more creative ways to mess up and messier ways to create. To David and Ana - thank you for all the time and heart you put into this project.
Emily Chen is a current dance major at the University of Washington. She graduated from the Guangxi Arts Academy and Beijing Dance Academy with a diploma in dance. Her main focus at the UW is choreography, composition and learning about American dance.
Raquel Gordon is a senior majoring in dance and creative writing. She is excited to be choreographing for her second Dance Majors Concert and her first dance film. She is looking forward to graduating in the spring and hopefully avoiding moving back in with her parents. In her free time, Raquel enjoys trying out new art forms, her most recent being stop motion animation which will also be her shortest lived. Raquel sings as a soprano with the University Chorale and serves as treasurer with the Dance Student Association. She hopes you enjoy the show!
Ainsleigh Orwin is a senior double majoring in Dance and Biology (Physiology). Before coming to the UW, she danced for 13 years at Village Dance Arts in Claremont, CA learning modern, jazz, ballet, and hip hop. While at the UW, she has expanded her love for dance by exploring improvisation and composition. Ainsleigh has also developed a passion for teaching dance while at the University of Washington and hopes to continue to teach post- graduation. She is very grateful to have participated in three previous shows at UW before the pandemic, and her experience in last years Dance Majors Concert encouraged her to choreograph this year. Ainsleigh is interested in exploring the crossover between her areas of study. She is inspired by the way that biology can apply to creating movement and understanding the body, as well as how movement can help students understand biological concepts. Ainsleigh hopes to continue experimenting with these concepts in future projects and endeavors.
Megan Sellman is a dancer, choreographer, and instructor from the Seattle area. She is finishing her final year of college studying dance and education, with a minor in anthropology. She trained at her local dance studio, alongside various color guard programs, most notably the Blue Devils Drum Corps. During her time at the university, she has served as the president of the Dance Student Association, worked as the Assistant for the Chamber Dance Company, and is currently finishing a honors research project connecting dance, education, and color guard. She is looking forward to continuing a career in dance after graduation, and is thankful for the generosity, creativity, and community in the Department of Dance.
Brooke Thimmig is a dance major and pre-med student in her senior year at the UW. She grew up in Dallas, Texas and has trained in many different dance styles including ballet, modern, jazz, tap, street styles, and African. This is Brooke’s first time choreographing and directing a film for the Dance Majors Concert. In her free time, Brooke performs in UW Dance concerts and serves as a Dance Student Association officer, the Student Representative on the Department of Dance’s Diversity Committee, and the Peer Health Educator for the department. She is currently working on her Dance Honors Thesis, researching the science and applications of fascia for dance movement and injury prevention. She also works as an Emergency Medical Technician for American Medical Response and enjoys watching true crime documentaries. Brooke is applying to medical school and hopes to serve her community as a physician in the future.
Alyssa Vacheron is a senior soon completing her degrees in environmental engineering and dance. This is her second time choreographing for the Dance Majors' Concert. She has also participated in many other concerts at the UW including the MFA concert and UW Dance Presents. She has been dancing since she could walk and began training primarily in ballet. Since entering college she has begun dancing in many other styles as well.
Contributing Artists
Jillian Bennett is a recent graduate who studied cinema and media studies at the University of Washington. She is currently interning at Super Purposes editing videos while also working part time at the Seattle Yacht Club. She hopes to pursue a job as Production Assistant and work her way up in the film industry.
David Comeaux was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Growing up playing with cameras, he spent his childhood making stuffed animal and LEGO stop motion animation. In his teens he started playing a lot of music, which quickly and naturally led to producing videos, albums, and logos for local projects. While studying at the University of Washington, David worked for the Classroom Technology and Events department, setting up professional audio systems for a variety of clients, including Jesse Jackson, Mitsubishi, Anthony Fantano, and many more. After college, he was an active producer in the Bellingham and Seattle music scenes. David is now a video editor/PA at Baker Built Works, show runner at Northwest Live, and Camp Director at Lankas Stovykla.
Saman Khan is studying political science at the University of Washington. She was eager to assist in the Dance Majors Concert as a costume designer because of her side passion for styling. She has an online blog where she explores popular fashion trends. Currently in her fourth year, Saman hopes to pursue a career in journalism after college. Outside of school, Saman enjoys thrifting, going out with friends, and finding new music to blast in the car.
Mikey MacFarlane (Videographer/Editor) is delighted to work with the creative mind of Megan Sellman on this film. He is currently a Freelancer in Seattle working on many different types of video productions. His favorite contributions to video productions include Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Three Busy Debras, and the Grains of Me dance film. He hopes to explore filming more dance films in the future. Aside from video production Mikey enjoys teaching the Kamiak High School Colorguard.
Brandon Olander (Composer) is a percussionist, composer, and educator from Tucson, Arizona. Brandon played snare drum for the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps for five years, and has since continued performing on drum set with his band, Droll. Aside from playing, composing, and teaching music, Brandon is active in local mutual aid groups which provide food and other resources to community members in acts of solidarity through non-hierarchical, horizontal decision-making.
Chelsea Shu is currently a senior at the UW studying biochemistry and global health. For the past four years, she has conducted biomedical research and started initiatives dedicated to combating interpersonal violence. Even though her focus is in science and medicine, she has always loved the arts. She currently runs Epiphany, a UW RSO dedicated to using art to improve student wellness on campus. In her free time, she enjoys oil painting, videography, and shredding the dance floor (horribly).
Dancers
Olivia Anderson is a junior studying dance and American ethnic studies. This is her 7th UW dance show! Lately you can catch her dancing for Alicia Mullikin in the cast of EL SUEÑO and carrying her cat Beanie around the house.
Talia Katayama Bass is an aspiring dance and psych major at the UW. She grew up in Seattle, Washington and has been dancing for six years. She has practiced ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and is beginning to learn African dance. This is Talia’s first year performing at the UW and she hopes to incorporate her experiences at the UW to contribute to her future career in occupational therapy. In her free time Talia enjoys making visual art and spending time outdoors.
Mikaela Ebbeson is a junior at the University of Washington, double majoring in dance and environmental studies. She has been dancing for 18 years and before coming to the UW, she trained in ballet, modern, tap, and jazz dance at Momentum Dance Academy in Burien. During her time at the UW she has performed in DMC ‘19, DMC ‘20, and UWDP ‘20.
Fernando Eizaguirre is a senior studying physics and dance. He enjoys painting, making things, and finding beauty in the little moments when things can breathe. After graduating, he hopes to explore the mysteries of the universe and deepen his connections to the people around him. He is very grateful to have been able to work with such a beautiful cast and choreographer for his final show at the UW!
Tania Nambo-Escobar took her first circus class at a flying trapeze tent in Georgetown in 2013, which sparked her interest in circus arts. She continues to study various forms of circus arts such as corde lisse and duo aerial. She has mainly studied African diasporic dance forms such as street & club styles and West African dances. In addition to her education in physical movement, Tania has studied American ethnic studies. She will begin nurse practitioner school in June 2021.
Hannah Flores is a third-year microbiology major, EOP Scholars Academy teaching assistant, and lavender latte fanatic from Kent, WA. Though formally trained in classical ballet, she loves expanding her horizons by pursuing opportunities in contemporary and modern dance, video production, and undergraduate research in the division of medical genetics. When not in the lab or the dance building, Hannah can be found learning and rehearsing music for Furmata, the UW's premier co-ed a cappella group.
Jessica Khaskheli is a senior, grateful to be dancing alongside studying physics. Her previous dance experience is in classical dance styles but through her time at the UW, she’s been able to explore interests in improv. This allowed her to feel more freedom in her movement, which has been a gateway to more honest self-expression and finally feeling seen.
Andy Lobkov is a graduating senior studying comparative history of ideas and dance. They are incredibly excited to be a part of the Dance Majors Concert, their first dance concert at the UW. Andy started their dance journey at the end of their freshman year by taking a beginning modern and ballet class, and since then kept coming back! They’re thankful for their fellow dancers and friends who have encouraged them throughout this process.
Giovanna Mangione is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in psychology. She has been dancing since she was three years old, and focuses in modern, ballet, and hip hop. She is a member of the contemporary dance group Aura, and post-graduation will be perusing her doula certification and license in relationship and family therapy.
Gabbi Masten is a third year pursuing a major in dance. During her time at the UW, Gabbi has performed in UW Dance Presents, MFA Concerts, Dance Majors Concerts, and Influx performances. When she is not dancing, Gabbi enjoys cooking and eating yummy food, practicing yoga, and seeking out sunshine.
Alyssa McLeod is in her first year at the UW. She began ballet at 8 years old in Whidbey Island, WA. She is involved with her church at home and enjoys teaching ballet and guitar to stay engaged with her community. She plans to major in Spanish and social work and minor in dance at the UW. She had a wonderful experience working on this piece and feels grateful that dance is being brought to audiences in unique ways during these times.
Analisa Murray is a sixth generation Seattleite who's been singing, acting, and dancing on the live stage since she was four years old. Now as an adult, she's been exploring more film and video projects. She graduated from the University of Washington in 2020 with a B.S. in neuroscience and a minor in chemistry. Oh, and she loves Green Day.
Nat Musenga is a freshman. She is an intended dance and design double major. She is a studier of many forms of dance, with a focus in ballet, contemporary, and tap. A dance enthusiast who never plans to stop.
Maisy Neill is a first year at the UW. Born in Los Angeles, this is her first year living in Seattle. Maisy has been dancing for the past 10 years and intends on double majoring in dance and psychology. She loved being a part of DMC and can’t wait to see what’s in store for her next at the UW!
Ariel Oswalt is pursuing a B.A. with a major in dance and a B.S. with a major in biology at the University of Washington (UW). She works at the UW’s Burke Museum where she handles and photographs fossils. Ariel is currently conducting research that investigates the impact of dance training on nutritional beliefs. She serves as a secretary for the Dance Student Association and dances in student-led and department-led performances and projects.
Camryn Phipps is a third year student at the University of Washington. She is pursuing a degree in marketing at the Foster School of Business and minoring in dance. Camryn has been dancing since childhood and is thankful for the opportunities to continue moving throughout her college experience.
CJ Rivera is a third year student at the University of Washington intending to earn double degrees in both nursing and dance. Her passion for dance started when she joined her high school's state and national award winning drill team. Though she has not received any studio training in the past, modern has quickly become her favorite style.
Juliet Romano-Olsen is a senior international studies major at the UW. The video performance was a brand new experience and she’s had a wonderful time with Rose, Mikaela, and Gabbi working on this project. After a year without dance classes or shows, it was awesome to be in the studio and moving in the same space as others again. Enjoy!
Haley Rundorff is a sophomore at the UW studying dance and neuroscience. She's from Edmonds, Washington, and grew up dancing at Barclay Shelton Dance Centre, studying ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, and hip hop. She’s been fortunate enough to have performed in INFLUX 2019 and UW Dance Presents 2021 in her time here, and is excited to continue dancing and performing at the UW.
Madison Shorter is a University of Washington alumni; she double majored in dance and gender, women & sexuality studies, and graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in June, 2020. She currently works as the Program Coordinator at Washington nonprofit, Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking. She collaborated with Megan Sellman several times during her time at the UW, and she is honored to be a part of Megan’s newest creation.
Elana Skeers is a sophomore dance major at the UW. This is her second UW performance and she found the process of creating dance films so fun and exciting. Prior to dancing at the UW, she has had the opportunity to work with various artists in California and New York as well as participate in shows organized by the Joffrey Ballet School, Inland Pacific Ballet School, and her home studio, Dance Dynamics.
Aliona Vakulchik is a double major in dance and business with a concentration in finance. She is in her second year at the UW and super excited to be a part of DMC! She is immensely grateful for any kind of dancing during this time.
Candy Yuan is a freshman this year at the UW originally from China. She is planning to double major in business and dance. She is so excited to be part of this performance and wants to thank you for watching!
Rachel Zuraek is a junior double majoring in creative writing and dance and minoring in education. They are from California and enjoy drinking iced coffee, playing board games, and baking.