Dance Alumni
Michelle Avery
Class of 2005
Hometown: Wakefield, MA
Personal or Professional Website URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-avery-phd-33b63b20/
Michelle is the Senior Director of Investor Relations and Patient Engagement at Summit
Therapeutics, which focuses on developing new antibiotics. In her free time, Michelle
is an avid ballroom competitor, dancing the waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot
and quickstep all over the US.
Ali Kenner Brodsky
Class of 1998
Major(s): Dance/Psychology
Hometown: Cranston, RI
Personal or Professional Website URL: http://www.alikennerbrodsky.com/
Ali Kenner Brodsky, artistic director of ali kenner brodsky & co., has been a Catalyst
Artist at the Dance Complex, MA, Choreographer in Residence at the Joyce SoHo, Bates
Dance Festival and The Croft Residency: Ground for Art. She was a recipient of the
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Choreography Fellowship and has received support
from NEFA. Her dance film, between silences, was named “Best Dance Short” at the
Jacksonville Dance Film Festival, FL. Ali is on faculty at Roger Williams University.
Tamika Byer
Class of 1995/1996
Hometown: Mountain View, CA
Major(s): Dance
Although I currently work in the IT/technology space as a contractor at Google, I
still have a goal to open my own dance school. I'm currently working on Ensemble School
of the Arts. I've also helped establish a non-profit organization, Giving with Grace, supporting women and young girls.
Jackie Courchene
Class of 2016
Hometown: Houston, TX
After graduating, Jackie moved to San Antonio, TX where she became a resident choreographer
for the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet. In 2017 she was awarded the San Antonio Dance
Umbrella’s Emerging Artist scholarship for her work as a teacher, choreographer, and
performer in San Antonio. Once in Austin, she began teaching at Balance Dance Studios
and its sister school The Dance Spot. In addition, Jackie still creates freelance
work and currently performs with Articulate Austin and Lisa Nicks and her Band of
Wild Ponies.
Emily Craver
Class of 2011
Major(s): Dance
Hometown: Framingham, MA
Personal or Professional Website URL: www.emilybcraver.com
Emily Craver is a current Graduate Teaching Associate at the Ohio State University,
pursuing an MFA in dance. Her company, The Little Streams, has been thrice presented
at Triskelion Arts and has performed at The Comedy in Dance Festival, Chen Dance Center's
newsteps Festival, The PIT, and Westfest's All Over Westbeth. She performs with Trainor
Dance, CabinFeverLiveArt, and St Fortune Productions. She currently lives in Columbus,
Ohio but often frequents other cities in constant pursuit of dancing and making.
Brendan Duggan
Class of 2010
Major: Dance
Hometown: Amherst, NH
Personal or Professional Website URL: bduggan.com
Duggan has performed with Gallim Dance, Loni Landon, Danielle Russo, Third Rail Projects, and most recently, Punchdrunk’s "Sleep No More". As a choreographer, Duggan served as Co-Director of LoudHoundMovement before establishing himself as an independent choreographer. His work has been presented throughout New York and has been commissioned for SALT Dance, Western Michigan University, Whim W’Him Dance, and Treefort Music Festival. Duggan has also served as faculty at Peridance Center and Gibney Dance, as well as a guest artist at Western Michigan University, BYU, Skidmore College, and Marymount Manhattan College, among others.
Lynda Erbs
Class of 2004
Major(s): Spanish Lit./Dance
Hometown: Washington, CT
Upon graduation Lynda toured as a lighting supervisor/production stage manager with several professional dance companies based out of NYC such as, Stephen Petronio Company, Battleworks Dance Company, Parsons, and New York City Ballet. She then started working large stadium ceremonies such as the PanAmerica Games, the Caribbean Games, and the London Olympics. For the last five years she has helped produce the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show. Most recently she has been directing productions produced by Lincoln Center, while she continues to produce events throughout NYC.
Rebecca Greenbaum-Goodhart
Class of 2011
Major(s): Dance, minor in Biology
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Personal or Professional Website URL: rebeccahopegreenbaum.com
After graduating from Skidmore, I went on to receive my MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where I was a Graduate Assistant. I have freelanced for many contemporary ballet and modern companies and choreographers in NYC, as well as danced for the Jamal Jackson Dance Company for the past seven years. I have taught dance at Saint Ann’s School, Creative Arts Studio, and Nacre Dance. I currently teach Classical Pilates in NYC. I am married to Skidmore alum, Jacob Goodhart, whom I met in the dance department.
Ariel Grossman
Class of 2004
Major(s): Dance, Minor: Women's Studies
Hometown: New York City, currently living in Jersey City NJ
Personal or Professional Website URL: www.arielrivkadance.com
Ariel has 3 children: Eva, Max and Ariel Rivka Dance, a critically acclaimed all-female contemporary dance company led by her and composer husband David Homan. Ariel’s recent inspiration is drawn from the struggles and joys of the mother experience. Ariel Rivka Dance was recently presented BAM Fisher and the Battery Dance Festival, and in 2018 toured Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Houston and Nebraska. Performances in 2019 include the NYU/Tisch Summer Residency Festival Performance Series and tours to Atlanta and Memphis.
Sara Juli
Class of 2000
Major(s): Dance and Anthropology
Hometown: Falmouth, Maine
Personal or Professional Website URL: www.sarajuli.com, www.suralaconsulting.com
Sara Juli has been creating and performing innovative dance-theater for nearly two
decades. She has been fortunate to tour around the world including American Dance
Festival, Performance Space New York, New York Live Arts, Bates Dance Festival, Edinburgh
Fringe Festival and many more. Sara is the Founder/Director of Surala Consulting,
a fundraising consultancy helping non-profits and artists build and execute fundraising
strategies. She is the co-chair of Bates Dance Festival's Advisory Board and is an
Affiliated Artist of Bates College.
Fran Kirmser
Class of 1993
Major(s): Dance and Psychology
Hometown: New York, NY
Personal or Professional Website URL: www.frankirmser.com
Fran is a two-time Tony Award Winning producer who, inspired by Skidmore’s “Creative
Thought Matters” motto, strives to produce work relating to the world around us. Her
credits include HAIR, LOMBARDI, MAGIC/BIRD, and GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS starring Al Pacino.
Currently Fran is producing a political series called American Scoreboard. She is
the co-author of the book A Life In Dance: a practical guide. Her passion is teaching
self-producing for emerging artists who want to produce their own work on stage.
Jesse Kovarsky
Class of 2010
Major: Dance/Art History minor
Hometown: Chicago
Personal or Professional Website URL: @scruffyjester on Instagram
Received a Masters in Performance from Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance
in London and remained in London for 4 years working with various choreographers such
as Russel Maliphant, Russel Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Arthur Pita, Junk Ensemble, and
Punch Drunk. He moved to NYC and became a soloist at The Metropolitan Opera House
while also performing in the immersive show ‘Sleep No More’. Recently performed as
the Fiddler in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ on Broadway dancing the work of Hofesh Schecter,
and then went on to become the associate choreographer/understudy for the 10 time
Tony winning show ‘The Bands Visit’. He’s also worked with Ryan Heffington, Celia
Rowlson-Hall, Sonya Tayeh, Lynne Paige, and Bobbi Jene Smith.
Felix LaBella III
Class of 2003
Director/Choreographer & Production Supervisor
Major(s): Dance & Business
Hometown: New Harford, NY
Currently, Felix is an Emcee/Judge for Turn It Up Dance Challenge, and for the past 6 years was a Show Director/Supervisor for Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas. Prior, he spent 5 years at sea as a singer/dancer/dance captain. Immediately after college he started performing and did for the next 15 years. Credits: Broadway Tours (CATS, Oklahoma, 42nd Street), Regional Theater: (Thoroughly Modern Millie, West Side Story) and TV Commercials (WB Mason). He’s also a teacher/educator who loves to inspire young aspiring artists.
Karen Lacy
Class of 1992
Major(s): B.A. in Dance and English
Hometown: Wilmington, DE
Karen Lacy lived in NYC for 21 years and moved outside of Philadelphia in 2014. Dance
credits: Metropolitan Opera Ballet, NYC Opera, Neville Dance Theatre, John Passafiume
Dancers. Choreography credits: La Traviata, Once Upon a Mattress, Romance Romance,
Chess, Clue, and countless children’s dance recitals. Teaching credits: ABT (certified
teacher, Primary through Level 7), Dance Delaware, Manhattan Youth Ballet, School
of the Garden State Ballet, Philadelphia Dance Theatre. 24 years at Gaynor Minden,
as Senior Fitter and Dance Teacher Liaison.
Cameo Lethem
Class of 2014
Major(s): Dance, Neuroscience
Hometown: Kaneohe, HI
Personal or Professional Website URL: www.cameolethem.com
Cameo has presented work at On the Boards, Velocity Dance Center, Yaw Theater, Base
Experimental Arts, Electric Lodge, and more. She was a selected artist for Ellenore
Scott's The Breaking Glass Project and received year-long mentorships from Sidra Bell
and Nia-Amina Minor in 2015-2016. Cameo is also a recipient of Seattle Dances' 2017
Dance Crush Award, a grant awardee of 4Culture and Seattle Office of Arts and Culture,
and a 2018-2019 James Ray resident.
John Li
Class of 2015
Major: Dance
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Since graduating from Skidmore, John pursued further education in the medical field
through nursing at NYU. He is currently a clinical nurse at the Hospital for Special
Surgery helping people to "get back in the game," while continuing to stay active
in other forms of dance. He plans to one day become a nurse practitioner in an acute
setting.
Elise Baker Mumford
Class of 2017
Major(s): Dance Performance; Art History
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Personal or Professional Website URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-mumford-a0768193 ; elisebakermumford.com (not currently active)
Independent dancer and choreographer, Elise Baker Mumford, currently resides in New
York City. She is a part-time teacher at Cobble Hill Ballet in Brooklyn, NY and attends
acting courses at the Neighborhood Playhouse Theater with James Brill. Most recently,
Elise artistically directed and choreographed a music video for singer song-writer,
Emie Nathan, and performed in a music video for the artist, Carlile. She is beginning
more film and video projects, in pursuit of being a full-time performer and creative
producer.
Emily Pacilio
Class of 2012
Major: Dance
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Emily Pacilio performs and creates with Emily Craver and the Little Streams, CabinFever,
Trainor Dance, Designated Movement Company, and Saint Fortune. She’s danced at Joe’s
Pub, Jacob’s Pillow, the Yard, Kaatsbaan, Judson Memorial Church and MCA Chicago,
among others. Her own work with Gavin Price (The Basics) has been presented at venues
around NYC.
Alyssa Rutchik Padial
Class of 1991
Major(s): Dance and Anthropology
Hometown: Palisades, NY
Personal or Professional Website URL: www.alyssapadialpt.com
I am a PT in NYC for more than 20 years, specializing in orthopedics, dance rehab
and pelvic health. I was honored to work as one of the therapists for the Cunningham
Company and enjoy when I can help support the young dancer. Over the past 6 years,
I have been given wonderful opportunities to perform again, dancing for Susan Cherniak,
Allison Pagano and Teresa Perez. I have even shared the stage multiple times recently
with other Skidmore alum like Allison Bazin and Laura Rimes, ‘89.
Courtney Rottenberger
Class of 2007
Majors: Dance and Psychology
Hometown: Bethpage, NY
Courtney has been a Radio City Rockette for the last 7 years and has performed in
various other theater productions as well as TV and film. Some favorite credits include:
Chastity in the first national tour of 'Anything Goes', Tootsie in the national tour
of ‘Cabaret,’ dancing as a NFL cheerleader for the New York Jets, dancing on 'Boardwalk
Empire' and Wonderful Pistachio's 2013 Super bowl commercial. Recently, Courtney began
choreographing for the City Center education program.
Sarah Juliet Shaw
Class of 2014
Major(s): Dance and Psychology double major, Arts Administration minor
Hometown: Merion, PA
Personal or Professional Website URL:www.sarahjulietshaw.com
Since graduating from Skidmore, Sarah has gone on to pursue a career in dance and
musical theatre. She has performed professionally in shows around the country such
as Jesus Christ Superstar, Saturday Night Fever, The Little Mermaid, Carousel, Elf,
and Kiss Me, Kate. She also had the opportunity to travel to Sri Lanka with Sea Legs
Dance Company and dance in an original work by Christopher d'Amboise at Busch Gardens
Williamsburg. She is currently based in New York City.
Alexx Shilling
Class of 1999
Major(s): Dance
Hometown: Manalapan, NJ
Personal or Professional Website URL:www.AlexxMakesDances.com
Alexx’s original choreography and experimental films have been presented nationally
and internationally, through residencies like the Ebenbökhaus / Jewish Museum in Munich,
and with generous support from institutions including Dance Films Association, CHIME
(with mentor Bob Een) and most recently the California Arts Council as Artistic Director
of alexx makes dances. Since moving from New York to Los Angeles in 2010 to pursue
her MFA in Choreography, she has performed in the works of Victoria Marks (since 2010),
Laurel Jenkins, Kevin Williamson and others. Alexx is passionate about creating platforms
for local movement artists including the popular Hi, Solo series. She collaborates
with her husband, musician Julio Montero of Cuñao (Class of ‘00).
Maggie Stack
Class of 2009
Major(s): Dance, Studio Art
Hometown: Reno, Nevada
Personal or Professional Website URL: Dance Video Reel
Maggie Stack is originally from Pittsburgh, PA where she began her training at Pittsburgh
Ballet Theatre. She received a BS in Dance from Skidmore College in 2009 and upon
graduating moved to San Francisco to train at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance
under the direction of Summer Lee Rhatigan. Stack has performed in the Bay Area and
around the globe with ODC/Dance, Amy Foley's Bell-wether Dance, Project Thrust, CabinFever,
Christine Cali (Cali & Co.), Alyce Finwall Dance Theater, FACT/SF, Katie Faulkner’s
Little Seismic Dance Company, RAWdance, Concept o4 and Moderngram. She was a faculty
member at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance from 2011 - 2018 teaching professional
ballet. She has also been a guest faculty member for Skidmore College’s Dance Department
and a guest choreographer for University of Nevada’s Spring Dance Concert. In May
of 2018, she relocated to Reno Nevada where she is teaching advanced dance levels
and choreographing contemporary works.
Lauren Thompson
Class of 1993
Major(s): English / Dance
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Personal or Professional Website URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-thompson-8184aa9/
For the past 20 years, Emmy-winning producer Lauren Thompson has been telling stories
that explore the human condition and shape our understanding of the world. She’s produced
and directed dozens of award-winning series for CNN, PBS, ABC, BBC, Food Network,
and Smithsonian Channel. She was senior producer on the CNN documentary, The End:
Inside the Last Days of the Obama White House, and most recently directed the Emmy-winning
series, United Shades of America, with W. Kamau Bell.
Caitlin Trainor
Class of 1997
Major(s): Dance
Hometown: Scituate, RI, current resident Bronxville, NY
Personal or Professional Website URL: trainordance.org, dancio.com
Caitlin Trainor is a dancer, choreographer, entrepreneur and the artistic director
of Trainor Dance. She was named one of 25 to watch by Dance Magazine in 2016 and has
made dance for site, game-based audience interactive work, and extravagant group works
for the concert stage. She is the founder of Dancio, providing online dance class
with the best teachers in the world and is a member of the dance faculty at Barnard
College/Columbia University. Caitlin's return to Skidmore as Visiting Professor in
Dance in 2020 is a full circle event. She lives in New York with her Mr. and daughter
Evangelina.
Hana van der Kolk
Class of 2000
Major(s): Dance
Hometown: Troy, NY
Personal or Professional Website URL: www.radialdiamondkinetics.com/www.hanavanderkolk.com
I recently finished my first year in the practice-based PhD program in Art at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, where I am researching the potential of creative, embodied
practice & ritual as processes of restoration, relinquishment, and resilience in the
face of untenable pasts and terrifying futures. I continue to teach far and wide under
the name radial diamond kinetics, facilitate personalized rituals in private practice
and under the name coco damah, contribute heavily to the workings of Troy Bike Rescue,
co-host Troy’s queer dance party Polly, and performed my ceremony performance nothingnessXXX
in collaboration with Tomislav Feller in Amsterdam and Zagreb in 2018.
Alia Carponter-Walker
Class of 2016
Major(s): International Affairs and Dance (Performance + Choreography) with a Minor
in Spanish
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Personal or Professional Website URL: www.curiousjane.fun
After graduating from Skidmore, Alia moved to Madrid, Spain to work as a Science,
Art, and English teacher to 300 amazing 5th and 6th graders. While living in Madrid,
Alia both studied and performed Flamenco dance. Since moving back to New York, Alia
has continued to foster a career in education as the Director of Program Development
at Curious Jane - an educational content organization that focuses on fostering girls
empowerment through hands on learning in science + engineering + design. Alia currently
teaches contemporary dance to a group of rock star 7-9 year old girls at a non profit
in Harlem, NYC.
Nikhita Winkler
Class of 2015
Major: Dance with a concentration in Neuroscience
Hometown: Windhoek, Namibia
Personal or Professional Website URL:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/namdancingqueen/
https://www.instagram.com/nwdancetheatre/
https://www.instagram.com/dancnheels/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/dancnheels/
https://www.facebook.com/nwdancetheatre/
Recent/Past Accomplishments:
Namibian Championship of Performing Arts Gold Medalist
Founder of the Nikhita Winkler Dance Theatre and Project
Known as Namibia's Dancing Queen; performer, choreographer, teacher, director, and
founder of DancN Heels and the Nikhita Winkler Dance Theatre and Project. Nikhita
empowers women and children through her passion and wealth of experience in dance.
She holds an honours degree (2015) in dance performance from Skidmore College, New
York, USA and has danced for over 20 years with formal training in ballet (RAD), modern
dance, jazz, Pilates, improvisation, choreography, dance history and production.