Join Renew Dance Honor Society Member Dashboard
Contact Us!
Alexandra Beller is a choreographer, educator, and somatic practitioner whose work spans higher education, professional dance training, and community-based arts contexts. She is core faculty at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies and has taught extensively at universities, studios, and arts organizations throughout the United States and internationally. Her teaching and creative practice draw from Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals, contemporary dance technique, and improvisation, with a focus on embodied meaning, collaborative process, and inclusive pedagogy.
Beller is the artistic director of Alexandra Beller/Dances and has choreographed for concert dance, theater, and opera. She regularly works as a guest artist, mentor, and consultant for dance educators seeking to integrate somatic and process-based approaches into diverse learning environments. Her work emphasizes shared language, creative autonomy, and collaboration across difference.
--
Ali Phillips is a passionate dance educator, inclusion advocate, and leadership mentor originally from Brisbane, Australia, now based in Toronto, Canada. With over 16 years of experience in the industry, Ali is the founder and director of Bust a Move Dance (BAMD), an inclusive dance company offering choreography-based classes for dancers with disabilities. Ali's journey began at the age of 3 when she fell in love with dance at her local studio. By 17, she was teaching adults with disabilities and recognized the need for inclusive, empowering spaces in the dance world. While completing her Bachelor of Dance at Queensland University of Technology, she launched BAMD, which has since grown into an international company known for its vibrant performances and impactful teaching. BAMD has been featured at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles and So You Think You Can Dance US. Now directing BAMD in both Australia and Canad a, Ali also leads the Conscious Dance Leadership Collective, supporting dance professionals to make aligned, values-based business decisions. Her work helps teachers build sustainable careers and inclusive classrooms without needing therapeutic or clinical expertise. Ali is deeply committed to Redefining Inclusion; supporting studios in cultivating shared values, healthy feedback cultures, and confident leadership. She believes that when teachers feel empowered, inclusive spaces naturally follow. With a grounded approach rooted in dance, fun, and community, Ali continues to guide educators around the world toward more conscious, creative, and connected teaching practices. Bust a Move Dance (BAMD) is an inclusive dance organisation founded in Brisbane, Australia, and now also based in Toronto, Canada. Since 2009, BAMD has been creating joyful, choreography-based dance classes for children, teens, and adults with disabilities. At the heart of BAMD is a strong belief that dance spaces can and should be safe, welcoming, and accessible; without losing the fun, challenge, or creativity that defines great dance education. What began as a small weekly class has grown into an internationally recognized program known for its high energy, heart-led teaching, and commitment to inclusion through community. BAMD students have performed on global stages, including the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, and were personally invited to perform on So You Think You Can Dance US and at the Dizzy Feet Gala. BAMD is not a therapy program or disability service. Instead, it trains and supports passionate dance teachers who want to run choreography-based, inclusive classes as part of sustainable dance businesses. BAMD believes the biggest barrier to more inclusive dance spaces isn’t a lack of interest; it’s a lack of teacher confidence. That’s why BAMD also offers a robust certification program and l eadership training to empower educators to feel confident teaching all students, regardless of ability. With locations in Brisbane and Toronto, BAMD is on a mission to redefine inclusion through high-quality dance experiences that celebrate individuality, build community, and empower teachers and dancers alike.
Amber Hongsermeier (MFA, RYT-200) is an interdisciplinary movement artist, choreographer, dance researcher, educator, facilitator, producer, and dance filmmaker. She has participated in artist residencies at Bryn Athyn College (2018) and Homestead National Historical Park (2024), and has received awards and grants from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the South Jersey Cultural Alliance. Her stage and film work is presented under her project-based dance company, Amber Hongsermeier/Dancers, and has been showcased in Nebraska (Sheldon Museum; Sokol Auditorium), Iowa (Halsey Hall), Washington (Hamilton Studios; Spokane Community College), Pennsylvania (FringeArts; Koresh Black Box Theater; Community Education Center; Chi Movement Arts), New Jersey (Haddonfiield Plays and Players; Camden County College) and Japan (Yujo Community Center). Amber regularly presents and conducts experiential workshops that focus on somatics and neurodiversity-affirming practices in dance education and choreographic processes. She has participated in past conferences, including the National Dance Education Organization’s annual conference (2020, 2022), Dance and Disability (2024), and the Somatic Dance and Movement Conference Northwest (2023, 2024). She approaches these topics from the perspective of her experiences as a neurodivergent dancer and educator. With a background in teaching individuals of all ages and abilities from diverse backgrounds, she has worked in various settings, including the private sector, community outreach, and higher education. Recently, Amber relocated to Spokane, WA, where she serves as the program coordinator and lead instructor for Fairchild Air Force Base's dance program as well as collaborates with several local dancers to present works at local community festivals (Fairy Fest; Valley Fest) and professional showcases (12 Minutes Max; Dance Fest; Terrain 16). Her current creative research focuses on themes of social justice, disability, oral history, Authentic Movement, and identity politics, exploring these through the lens of the Germanic/Celtic folktale of the changeling from a neurodivergent perspective.
Brian Golden is a disabled and neurodivergent choreographer, performer, and educator based between Los Angeles and New York. Brian is currently obtaining an MFA in Choreography from the California Institute of the Arts, with a minor in Arts Pedagogy. Brian’s work sits at the intersection of dance, writing, drawing, voice, and object-based performance, and is grounded in translation as both an aesthetic and access framework, drawing from lived experience with dyspraxia and auditory processing disorder. Brian has shared work at The Joyce Theater and the Battery Dance Festival, and has developed projects through residencies and labs including Dance Lab New York, Catskill Art Space, AXIS Dance Company, and Jacob’s Pillow. Brian has been mentored by artists including Doug Varone, Risa Steinberg, and Dianne McIntyre. Brian’s process explores exaggeration, surrealism, and image-driven composition, and centers disability-led creation.
Brittany Helwig is the Founder and Executive Director of Adaptive Superstars, an inclusive dance and movement organization creating joyful, accessible experiences for individuals with disabilities. A lifelong dancer, she trained for several years with Southern Ballet Theatre and has over 15 years of experience in group fitness. Brittany holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Florida State University in education for visual disabilities, with specialized training in Orientation and Mobility. Her background in special education and movement informs her work designing open-eligibility dance programs that prioritize belonging, friendship, and fun—particularly for dancers with significant support needs. Her approach centers on family partnership, volunteer training, and creating safe, welcoming environments where every dancer is celebrated.
Dr. Celia Weiss Bambara is an accomplished dancer, choreographer and scholar as well as a dual citizen of the US and Burkina Faso. She is the artistic director of the CCBdance Project, which was co-founded with Burkina Faso born dance and theater artist, Christian Bambara in 2006. Her choreography, improvisation, site-dance work, and screen dance has been shown in the United States, Asia, The Middle East, Canada, the Caribbean, West Africa, and in Europe. Her work has been awarded grants from Cornish College of the Arts, Puffin Foundation, Maryland Arts Council, Ragdale Foundation, Ecole Des Sables (Senegal), Donko Seko (Mali), Tanzart (Germany), the state department among others. The work addresses the intersections of practice as research in contemporary and African diasporic dance. Her practice-based work addresses improvisation and somatics as practices of interculturalism. Celia’s most recent work is published in the Journal of Dance and Somatics Practices and The Routledge Companion to Site-Specific Performance. She has taught at Cornish College of the Arts, University of Illinois, Chicago, INSAAC Conservatory in the Ivory Coast, Glendale Community, and Occidental College. Celia is the Head of Dance at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater and an Assistant Professor of the program.
Christopher "Unpezverde" Nunez, I am a choreographer of layered identities, blending my Costa Rican-American experience with my Miskito/Garifuna ancestry, while navigating my work as a visually impaired artist. I produce choreographies that center themes of immigration, indigeneity, and disability through an embodied, sensorial dance practice, enhanced by innovative audio description techniques. My practice is anchored in the belief that all beings are interconnected, a philosophy inspired by Indigenous cosmology and Disability Justice. This approach guides my rigorous work and artistic commitment, while fostering harmony, reciprocity, and mutual care. In my 25-year career, I have had the privilege of teaching and choreographing in Latin America, Europe, and the US, primarily New York, my home for the last 12 years. This work has encompassed collaborating with individuals from all backgrounds, notably the visually impaired, those with developmental and physical disabilities, Neurodivergent and Deaf people, immigrants and queer individuals.
Dr. Danica Anderson
Roles & Credentials:
International Trauma Expert, Social Scientist, Forensic Traumatologist
Specializations:
Cross-cultural oral memory practices, Embodied healing, Trauma-informed pedagogy, Movement-based social engagement. Developed a Kolo-informed trauma method based on circle structures embodied through art, music, song, dance. Grounded in the Kolo circle (Balkan-informed oral memory-in-motion tradition). Serves as both pedagogy and activism.
Focus Areas:
Social engagement through circle ritual, Community-based and ancestral knowledge frameworks, Cross-cultural and women-centered initiatives, War-affected and migrant women, Invisible disability, PTSD, caregiving, structural marginalization.
Professional Role:
Country expert in asylum cases involving trauma and gendered violence
David Blake is a dance artist, educator, and arts leader with extensive international performance experience, including seventeen years in a long-running Broadway production. He served as the inaugural Director of Dance and Musical Theatre at Urdang, St George’s University of London, and during that time was a member of the Council of Dance and Musical Theatre, contributing to the development of professional training standards. A recipient of the Black British Theatre Award for Best Teacher in Performing Arts and a nominee for Best Dance Film, David holds a Master’s degree in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths, University of London. He is the founder of Blake Arts, and his work focuses on mentorship and leadership development, supporting artists to pursue a dream career rather than only a dream job, with an emphasis on inclusivity and diverse bodies, identities, and access needs across educational and professional dance contexts.
Ellice Patterson is the founder/ executive and artistic director of Abilities Dance, a Boston-based dance company that welcomes disabled and diverse artists. She currently serves on the board of Massachusetts Cultural Council and the editorial board of the Journal of Arts and Special Education. She was an artist in residence with the City of Boston’s transportation department, using dance as a way to promote more accessibility on the streets and sidewalks of the city 2022 - 2023. She has won the 2020 Ten Outstanding Young Leaders Award from Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce; the 2024 Bill Allan Award for Grassroots Advocacy from Disability Policy Consortium; and the 2025 Bioeticando Award in honor of Eugenio Maria de Hostos, a cultural keeper, philosopher, and advocate for historically marginalized communities.from Prospera Institute. Abilities Dance under her leadership has won the 2020 UP Award from Mass Cultural Council for our achievements in accessibility across the Commonwealth and the 2023 Equity Award from Boston Cultural Council for our commitment to equity in the arts. Outside of self-produced Abilities Dance's shows, her choreography has appeared in the MFA, Links Hall in Chicago, Gibney Dance in NYC, The Series: Vol IV at the Ailey Citigroup Theatre in NYC, and more. She has given lectures and workshops at schools, universities, and organizations across the country, including Harvard Graduate School of Education, Fidelity Investments, Boston University, and more. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from Wellesley College and her Masters of Science in Management Studies from Boston University Questrom School of Business.
Hailey Samarel is a 24-year-old established choreographer, dancer, and performer. She began dancing when she was a young child and quickly grew into her own. She started with recital dance and also pursued dance through theatre as well. She was hand-picked for special dance roles and co-choreographed the school musical. She then went into competitive dancing where she trained in a broad range of styles including ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, improvisation, lyrical, musical theatre, and pointe. She traveled to many competitions and conventions including Dance Excellence in Los Angeles where she performed at Disneyland. She was also chosen to perform with the Young Americans here. Her time competing included the title of overall division and category winner of Spotlight dance competition as well as being a scholarship recipient to the American Musical & Dramatic Academy at nationals. She continued to pursue dance in college (Central Washington University) where she recently graduated as a dance major and nutrition minor. This is where she truly grew as an artist and found her calling. Her training continued flourishing and dove deeper into other styles. Here she performed as a dancer for the Orchesis dance company on campus and was selected to be in numerous pieces. She choreographed a total of three dances which were showcased in the company's yearly shows. Hailey achieved many accomplishments toward the end of her educational career. She was the secretary of the dance club on campus, was recognized as a National Honor Society of Dance Arts student, and worked very closely with the dance studios in her college town. Currently, she is pursuing work in Spokane Washington where she plans to teach dance to young children and adults as well as be a professional company dancer. She plans to continue growing through her forever love and passion of dance.
Heather Friese Banet is a queer, disabled creative based in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Heather is a lifelong dancer and aims to bring accessible dance teaching to disabled & non-disabled people. Combining passions for mindfulness-based art creation, art-journalling, and poetry, Heather founded Mixed Creative Arts Studio, an online and community space based platform for artistic instruction, creative exploration, and intentional community building. As someone living with a congenital bone deformity and chronic pain, a mental health disability, and neurodivergence, Heather leans on creativity and self-expression as a means of both survival and healing.
Kay Gayner is the Artistic Director of National Dance Institute (NDI). She began teaching for National Dance Institute in 2000, after having served as assistant to Jacques d’Amboise from 1987-1990. She is responsible for the direction of NDI’s In-School Program, which currently serves approximately 6,500 children in New York City public schools, as well as all artistic programs at NDI including the NDI Collaborative and Advanced Teams. Ms. Gayner is the co-founder of the NDI DREAM Project since 2014 and Director of International Projects since 2011.
-- Jerron Herman is an artist compelled to create images of freedom. He has premiered works at Danspace Project and PSNY. He's also activated museums like The Whitney, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cooper Hewitt, a Smithsonian Design Museum and Guggenheim with responsive interdisciplinary installations. Awards: 2024 USA Artist Fellowship, 2023-24 Fellowship NYU/Center for Ballet and the Arts and a 2021 Grants to Artists Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.
Dr. Mallory Quinn is a dance educator and board-certified behavior analyst whose work integrates dance training with applied behavior analysis (ABA), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and somatic regulation. She is the founder of ABASI Dance Lab and Applied Behavior Analysis Sports Innovations, where she supports dancers and performers with skill development, emotional regulation, performance readiness, and sustainable participation in high-pressure training environments. Her work focuses on applying behavioral science in real-world studio settings without compliance-based or punitive models. She has multiple publications in scientific behavioral research journals on the integration of Applied Behavior Analysis to reduce coercive dance training in competition dance contexts and also for training students with intellectual disabilities.
Marisa Hamamoto is the first professional dancer named People Magazine “Women Changing the World.” A leading authority on mental wellness, disability inclusion, Asian American experience, building a culture of belonging, and changemaking, Marisa is a LinkedIn Top Voice, and has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC Today, Forbes, Fast Company, amongst other media outlets. As a sought-after international speaker, performing artist, and creative director, Marisa has been a speaker at the United Nations, shared the stage with Tim Cook at Apple HQ’s Steve Jobs Theater, and her clients and partners include Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Red Bull, Deloitte, adidas, PayPal, Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, among other forward-thinking brands. Marisa is a spinal stroke survivor, a late-diagnosed Autistic, and a proud fourth-generation Japanese American. She is the founder of Infinite Flow Dance, an award-winning dance company and nonprofit that employs disabled and nondisabled dancers with diverse, intersectional identities, with a mission to advance disability inclusion, one dance at a time. Marisa is bilingual and bicultural. She completed her BA & MA from Keio University, Tokyo, and is an Honorary Member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Most recently, she was a Finalist for Best Film for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge 2025 - Film: "Killed It."
Nicole (she/they) has been dancing for over 25 years. Their dancing began at Dance Express in Garden City, then after high school went on to Wayne State University. She graduated cum laude with a BS in Dance with a focus on dance education and a BA in theatre in 2018. After doing some freelance work, Nicole joined Dance Uprising in 2021 and became Assistant Director of Dance Uprising in 2023. Nicole also dances and choreographed for Diversiform Dance Project for their first 3 seasons. Nicole's work regularly revolves around topics that are important in her life. Their process is often collaborative and you can often see more literal interpretations and display of emotion, stemming from their theatrical experience. Nicole is currently in Wayne State University's Master of Arts in Teaching Artistry in Theatre and Dance program.
Nicole is also a dance educator and has taught at various dance studios in the southeast Michigan area. She teaches almost all dance styles to students of all ages. She often integrates elements of social emotional learning and creative practices. She is also passionate about creating a more accessible world for dancers with disabilities.
Petra Kuppers (she/her) is a German white cis queer disability culture activist, a community performance artist, a wheelchair dancer, and a poet. Petra grounds herself in disability culture methods, and she uses somatics, performance, media, and speculative writing to engage audiences toward more socially just and enjoyable futures.
Her current project, the Crip/Mad Archive Dances, won the Best Artists Film Award of the international Together! Disability Film Festival (online), December 2024. Her dance videos have recently been published in Poetry, Denver Quarterly’s FIVES, and Unearthed. Her video-poem Crip Tree Poem won the 2024 Juror’s Award by the WEAD/Women Eco Art Dialog collective. Her latest academic study is the award-winning Eco Soma: Pain and Joy in Speculative Performance Encounters (UoMinnesota Press, 2022, open access). She was a 2022 Dance/USA Fellow, a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow, and she received the Visionary Trailblazer Award 2024 by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.
Petra is the Anita Gonzalez Collegiate Professor of Performance Studies and Disability Culture at the University of Michigan. She is currently at work on Planting Disabled Futures, a virtual reality/community performance project, as a Just Tech Fellow (2024-2026).
Sandi Stratton-Gonzalez, MA, is a facilitator for the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL), writing curriculum for the P-12 classroom, and a consultant with the New York City Public Schools' Arts Office, where she designs professional learning opportunities for teachers. She teaches OPDI 114: Teaching Dance to Children with Disabilities for the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and was a founding member of the NDEO Dance and Disabilities Advisory Committee. For over 20 years Sandi was the Dance Specialist at The Children’s School in Brooklyn, the first fully inclusive public elementary school in the United States. She is co-author (with C. Gallant and D. Duggan) of Dance Education for Diverse Learners: A Special Education Supplement to the Dance Blueprint and has been published in Dance: Current Selected Research Volume 7 and Dance Education in Practice. Sandi taught Dance in Elementary Education at Hofstra University (2008-2018) and has mentored dozens of dance educators as a Cooperating Teacher. In her early career Sandi was the founding Artistic Director of Soundance Repertory Company (SRC). Under her direction this community-based arts organization performed throughout the Northeast, partnered with New York’s public schools, and nurtured emerging and mid-career dance makers.
Shannon Mockli earned her MFA in Modern Dance at the University of Utah. She is an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Oregon with an emphasis in choreography and performance. Shannon presents work nationally and internationally. Notable presentations include the World Dance Alliance Global Summit in Newfoundland, Physical Theatre Lab in Slovenia, and the Festival Internacional Danza al Borde in Tijuana, Mexico. Her dance film, “Fluctuating Frequencies” was one of three highlighted at the World Dance Alliance Americas Assembly at the Universidad de las Américas Puebla 2016. Shannon received the Herman Award for Specialized Pedagogy from the UO and is certified to teach in the DanceAbility Method.
Shannon Ward is a Maryland-based dance educator, performer, and choreographer whose work is grounded in a lifelong relationship with movement and an interdisciplinary commitment to community wellbeing. She began her artistic journey as a figure skater before transitioning into dance, where she has trained and performed extensively in West African dance, contemporary, ballet, hip hop, and Afro-Latin social dance styles, including salsa/mambo, bachata, and merengue. As an educator, Shannon has pursued extensive training in inclusive dance pedagogical practices, culturally responsive teaching, and sensory-based approaches. She has taught across community events, dance festivals, summer intensives, senior centers, and K-12 settings, and recently completed a teacher certificate program with the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL). Her perspective is further shaped by her academic background that blends arts and health. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre and a Master’s Degree in Public Health with a specialization in Aging, and is a Certified Dementia Practitioner. Together, her artistic practice and public health lens inform an approach to dance that centers access, accessibility, dignity, cultural awareness, and meaningful participation across the lifespan.
Todd Rhoades (any pronoun with respect) is a dance artist, educator, and arts administrator working at the intersection of performance, education, wellness, and accessibility. He holds a BFA from Point Park University and an MFA from the University of Iowa, and performed professionally for over 20 years with companies including Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet Austin, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Todd has taught at the University of Iowa, DePaul University, Hollins University, College of DuPage, and the University of Chicago. With 25 years of experience teaching yoga and Pilates alongside healthcare providers, he brings a disability-informed, holistic approach to movement. He currently serves as Director of Development at Ballet Des Moines, where he helped launch Ballet Without Barriers, expanding access through adaptive classes, sensory-inclusive performances, audio description, and community partnerships.
Valentina Bertani, I am a 48-year-old Italian woman. I started studying ballet when I was three years old. I continued to study constantly until the age of 28 and experimenting with different styles such as hip-hop, belly dance, Caribbean dances and modern jazz. I started teaching Modern when I was 16 years old with very young children and up to adults, becoming more and more passionate about teaching and knowledge of the body and movement in general. In fact, during my life I have studied anatomy, biomechanics, I have a training of more than 15 years in the Feldendenkrais method and over atime I have also become a master of pi quan shu which is a form of chi kong. In 2010 I permanently lost my first eye and I became blind in 2018. I graduated in the Simonson method as the first blind woman in the world.
Valkyrie Yao is a multidisciplinary artist, scholar, and educator working across movement, installation, and moving image. She is the founding executive director of ELSEHERE, an international art platform. Grounded in ancestral philosophy, psychology, and posthuman inquiry, her work examines the body as a site of cultivation and proposes aesthetic languages that challenge anthropocentric norms. Yao’s work has been presented at Ailey Citigroup Theater, Gibney Dance, Dixon Place, The Tank NYC, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Her film Insert Coin to Play was selected for the 32nd Beijing International Film Festival and received multiple international awards. Her research has been recognized by NDEO, ASU, and the China Scholarship Council. She is a CID member (UNESCO partner) and a 2025 Interdisciplinary Arts Fellow with Ballet Arizona.