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Dancers
Reilly Allen danced a lot when she was younger and this performance has renewed her love of it through a new form that is so much fun in every step. It has been amazing and given her a lot of joy that she is excited to share. She thanks Ben White for choreographing our fantastic piece, and her parents—love you!
Olivia Anderson is a senior double-majoring in dance and American ethnic studies. This is her eighth dance show at the UW! If you want to see her dance more, check out EL SUEÑO Dance Company and stay tuned for their dance film premiering March 25-27 at NW Film Forum.
Rose Amlin is a fourth-year student majoring in dance and psychology and is honored to be performing in UWDP for the fourth time. In her free time, she enjoys riding her bike to class, shredding the gnar at Stevens Pass, and watching “Survivor” with her roommate's cat.
Talia Katayama Bass is a senior majoring in disabilities studies and minoring in dance. She has been dancing for the past seven years. In the future, Talia aspires to bring her love of dance into her work as an occupational therapist through healing art.
Originally from San Diego, Emma Conrad is in her third year at the University of Washington where she is pursuing a BA in dance and a BS in psychology. At the UW she has had the honor of dancing with the Chamber Dance Company and in UWDP, the MFA Dance Concert, and the Dance Majors Concert.
Abigail Daglish is a freshman this year at the University of Washington. This is her first performance at the UW and her first time doing swing dance, but she has been doing various other types of dancing since she was three. Abigail loves to cook, read, dance, and travel.
Makayla Day is a third-year student studying dance and social work. She started dancing when she was three years old and has been trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and tap. She looks forward to dancing in her first swing dance performance!
Amaya Dickerson is a graduating senior this year at the UW, majoring in dance and minoring in diversity. She would like to thank her family, friends, and boyfriend for supporting her and her dance dreams. She is so thrilled to have been cast in UW Dance Presents and hopes you enjoy the show!
This is Hannah Dominguez’s first year and performance at the UW. Prior to this she has danced in various styles including ballet, hip hop, and jazz. This is her first time dancing swing. She has thoroughly enjoyed it and hopes to continue. She would like to thank her family for their love and support.
Madison Durand is a second-year graduate student in the physics PhD program. Outside of physics, Madison loves to bake, draw, and of course, dance!
Mikaela Ebbeson is a senior at the University of Washington, double majoring in dance and environmental studies. She has been dancing for 19 years and before coming to UW, she studied ballet, modern, tap, and jazz dance. During her time at the UW she has performed in the Dance Majors Concert every year, as well as UWDP ‘20.
Faith Elder began her dance training at the British Dancing Academy, learning ballet, tap, jazz, and modern dance. While at the UW, she has expanded into salsa, swing, and low fly. Faith is graduating from the UW in June 2022, completing a BA in political science with minors in dance and public policy.
Rong Fan is a Ph.D. student in the Civil Engineering Department. She is from China and has been living in Seattle for five years. She likes dancing and singing.
Olivia Feldman is a freshman majoring in Jewish studies and hoping to add a food systems major in the spring. She is always excited to try new things including swing dance.
Claire Freund is from Silverdale, WA and studying mechanical engineering as a junior. She graduated from the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and continued to pursue her love for dancing and the art of performing here at the UW.
Abigail Friend is a junior double-majoring in social work and sociology and minoring in dance. She grew up dancing in the Seattle area, training and competing in various styles. She has loved continuing her dance journey at the UW and is thrilled to be performing in her first departmental performance.
Reika Hattori is from Tokyo, Japan and this is her first performance in the US! What she has been learning from Etienne, Yaw, and all the amazing dancers, is that ‘Dance is Life!’ Through this process, Reika has finally found (and started to chase?) her dreams again, after once believing that her dreams had died. Her mission in this concert is to “BREATHE!”
Fran Herr is a senior at the UW majoring in dance and math. Fran started swing dancing when she was in high school and was excited to pick it up again for this performance. She would like to thank Ben White's bizarre commentary for keeping her going throughout this rehearsal process.
Helen Huang is a senior double majoring in dance and medical anthropology & global health, with a minor in Law, Societies, and Justice (LSJ). She has found a lot of joy in the Department of Dance at the UW. Post-graduation, she intends to take a gap year and then attend law school.
Katie Janis is a third-year dance major excited to dance in her third concert at the UW. She trained at The Dance Center of Walla Walla and loves choreographing musical theater in Walla Walla and with the Stage Notes at the UW. She is currently a math minor and is choreographing for the upcoming Dance Majors Concert.
Sanskriti Joshi is a first year Ph.D. student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. She took her first swing dance class in Fall 2021. In her free time, she enjoys baking, hiking and rock climbing.
Avery Kluck is from the Philippines and is currently a freshman intended on double majoring in business management, and biology. She has a background in acting and directing so it was nice exploring a different art form!
Ronan Lobkov is a graduating senior in dance. His interests include street and club dance, African dance, dance improvisation, and drag performance. He performed in the 2020 Dance Majors Concert and the 2020 MFA Dance Concert both on film. This will be Ronan’s first stage performance!
Fiona Lu was born in China and started ballet at the age of six. After moving to Canada at the age of 14, she joined Goh Ballet Academy and was first introduced to contemporary dance. For her first year at the UW in-person, she appreciates the opportunity to perform on stage again.
Colleen McKibben is a first-year student and is very excited to be in her first production at the UW. She hopes you enjoy the show!
Alyssa McLeod is in her second year at the UW. She enjoys many different styles of dance and finding freedom within such a classic artform. She plans to major in Spanish and social work and minor in dance at the UW. She feels grateful that dance is still being brought to audiences and affecting hearts today.
Tess McMillen is currently a freshman at the UW and excited to be in her first UW Department of Dance performance! Tess started dancing at age six, learning ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap. She is excited to perform a style of dance she has never done before and explore African dance!
Aaron Miller is a senior at the UW studying physics. He started learning Lindy Hop with the Swing Kids at the UW, an on-campus swing dance club, and he is now its co-president. Aaron also dances on a local private team, “The Rocket Butts,” and enjoys social dancing in Seattle’s rich swing dance scene as well as abroad.
Alicia Moore has been training in West African dance techniques for the last two years. She is originally trained in Hula and Tahitian dance.
Maisy Neill is a second-year student at the UW studying dance and psychology. She grew up near Los Angeles, California, where she trained in a variety of dance styles. This is Maisy's second time performing in UW Dance Presents, but her first UW Dance concert performing in front of a live audience!
Ariel Oswalt is a recent graduate of the University of Washington, where she earned a B.A. with a major in dance and a B.S. with a major in biology. In the future, she hopes to stay involved in dance, teach Pilates, and potentially attend physical therapy school.
Alexa Ray is eager to perform live after so much time away from the stage. She is a professional actress/singer and has been performing since she was nine. Her passion for movement has led her to teaching and she specializes in street styles, jazz, and Latin dance. Much love to her family y cariñito.
CJ Rivera is a fourth-year student at the University of Washington who began dancing at Decatur High School as part of the state and national title-winning drill team. She is receiving her Bachelor of Arts in dance this June and plans to continue her education to become a registered nurse.
Haley Rundorff (she/her) is in her third year at the UW, majoring in dance and biology. Though she has trained in a variety of dance styles over the years, this has been her first experience with swing, and she's having a great time. She hopes to continue dancing professionally after graduation.
Originally from Seattle, Olivia Sander spent three years at CU Boulder pursuing a dance BFA, during which time she worked with artists Erika Randall, Helanius J. Wilkins, and Uri Shafir, among others. She recently completed her dance degree at the UW and looks forward to immersing herself in the Seattle dance scene.
Elana Skeers is a junior dance major and applied math minor from Southern California. She began dancing at her home studio at a young age and continued her training at Inland Pacific and Joffrey Ballet schools. She’s excited to share her passion for dance again in a live performance.
Grace Song is a second-year physics graduate student. She didn't have much dance experience before this year but has been having a great time learning the basics of swing dance. In her free time, she likes to cook, read, and go rock climbing.
Joan Swartwood grew up in Seattle and is now a freshman at the UW, intending to major in linguistics. Last year, Joan graduated with honors from the National Honor Society for Dance Arts and was the 2021 recipient of the DEAW’s Artistic Merit, Leadership, and Academic Achievement Award.
Natalie Tassielli is so excited to be making her UW Dance debut this quarter! She grew up traveling and performing with her local dance team at Cascade Dance Academy where she trained in various styles. She is majoring in drama performance and mathematics and plans to continue performing as much as she can!
Mia Taylor is a senior at the UW double majoring in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology, and environmental science: wildlife conservation. She started dancing in 2013 in Park City, Utah, at Park City Dance Academy and later at Ballet West Academy.
Aliona Vakulchick is a junior, pursuing a double degree in dance and business. She has loved being a part of dance at the UW and could not imagine her college experience without this community. In her spare time, Aliona can be found outdoors, hanging out with friends, and most of all, dancing!
Kristin Vega is a biology major and dance minor and has been playing jazz since she was eleven. She’s incredibly excited to be able to share a different side of an art form she loves with you and hopes you enjoy the show!
Danika Vu is in her third year at the University of Washington. She is majoring in biochemistry and pursuing a minor in dance. She is very excited for people to get to see all the pieces everyone has been working very hard on.
Ashley Woodworth has been dancing since she was six years old. She is an industrial engineering major and enjoys sewing, baking, and reading in her free time. After a long hiatus from dancing, she is excited to get back into moving and performing with people again!
Mercedes Yango is a junior at the University of Washington, majoring in medical anthropology. Mercedes began dancing at age five and has dabbled in various genres. But her greatest passion is hip-hop! She’s now a part of the UW's hip-hop student association and is considering pursuing a major in dance.
Jiaxi Candy Yuan is currently a sophomore and her intended major is business and dance! Originally from China, Candy has been studying in the US for 4 years! In her spare time, she loves to dance, cook, photograph, shop, hang out with friends, and more! She is super excited about the show!
Hadi Yusri is a junior studying dance, statistics, and gender, women, and sexuality studies. Utilizing the elements of modern dance, ballet, and queer dances, he desires to reveal the unspoken ideas of darkness in life—to expect the unexpected, to imagine the imagined, and to “deeply see our self.”
Rachel Zuraek is a senior double-majoring in dance and creative writing. Rachel is from the Bay Area in California, where she grew up dancing at a competition studio. When she's not dancing, you can likely find Rachel at a coffee shop, at a bookstore, or petting dogs.
Collaborating Artists
Photographer, Steve Korn, has been photographing dancers for the University of Washington Department of Dance since 2007. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2021 Communication Arts Award of Excellence and was recently recognized by Lürzer's Archive as one of the top 200 Advertising Photographers in the world. Steve's work can be seen at SteveKornPhoto.com
Gabbi Masten recently returned from spending three months in the wilderness with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). She feels re-energized to finish out the last three-quarters of her dance major at the UW. Over the years, Gabbi has performed in various concerts put on by the Department of Dance, and as Vice President of the UW Dance Student Association (2019-2021), she helped put on student-produced shows and founded a program that facilitates the exploration of dance in the greater Seattle area. She is looking forward to expanding her stage-managing repertoire after working with Olympic Ballet Theatre for The Nutcracker and the filming of their spring production in 2021.
Warren Woo (he/him) is a photographer, videographer, movement instructor, and choreographer in the Seattle area. Website: warren-woo.com