Native to Eugene, Oregon A(laj)a Badalich (they/she) is a black-queer neurodivergent dance artist, choreographer, and co-founder of Fermata Ballet Collective. She trained at the Alonzo King Lines Ballet training program, across the United States and internationally. Laj's role as a guest choreographer/faculty member for the LINES ballet training program, multiple collectives, public school programs, and competitive dance studios demonstrates their commitment to nurturing and paving the way for the next generation of dancers.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Alexa has been dancing for approximately 12 years. Her dance journey began when she joined a hip-hop team. There she was also introduced to Jazz, African, and Pom, all while being able to perform, travel, and compete. After about 5 years she expanded and began to see dance as more than just a hobby. She began traveling for classes, conventions, and auditions. It wasn’t until high school that Alexa trained in ballet and contemporary.

Andrew graduated from California State University Long Beach with a BA in Dance in 2008. From there, he completed a 200hr yoga certification through Laughing Lotus in San Francisco. Andrew has danced professionally with Keith Johnson and Dancers as well as Holly Johnston’s Ledges and Bones. He shares a Lester Horton Award for Best Group Ensemble for his part in Keith’s piece Presence of Absence. He has also been commissioned to choreograph works for Santa Ana College and Cerritos College. Since moving to Oakland in 2010 he has had the privilege to work with bay are choreographers such as Rogelio Lopez, Catherine Galasso, Abigail Hosein , Cathy Davalos, and Nina Haft.

Annalise Carrillo Constantz (she/they) is a dance artist and early childhood educator. She is passionate about the connection between movement and early childhood development as well as ways in which dance empowers and fosters community. When not dancing or teaching, Annalise loves swimming in the bay and saying hello to all the neighborhood dogs and cats!

A Bay Area native, Antoine is an award-winning American Deaf and Hard of Hearing choreographer, dancer, dance instructor, actor, poet and deaf advocate. The founder and artistic director of Urban Jazz Dance, Antoine has also performed with Savage Jazz Dance Company, Nuba Dance Theater, Alayo Dance Company, Robert Moses’ KIN, Man Dance, Sins Invalid, Zaccho Dance Theatre, Amara Tabor-Smith, Kim Epifano and many shows produced by the Lorraine Hansberry Theater, performing throughout the Bay Area and the world including, Cuba, Rome and Paris.

Movement, breath and flow are three things that inspire April C. Taylor. A performing and ritual artist, as well as a trained actor/singer/dancer, April has been performing her entire life and working in a variety of artistic areas. Her passion for the expressive arts, and education have led her to teach children and adults for the past twenty years at local schools and studios. April currently is the Communications and Marketing manager for the Center. She has been a part of the community since 1998.

Carol is a professional dancer and choreographer teaching in the Bay Area. She holds an MFA in dance from New York University (Tisch School for the arts) and a BA in Theater with a Dance Emphasis from UC Santa Cruz. She was a founding member of the New York based modern company David Dorfman Dance and toured internationally with the company for eleven years. Carol also performed in France with the New York Baroque Dance Ensemble. She has been dancing in the Bay Area with Nina Haft and Company.

Carolyn Goto’s early training and performing experience began with Merriam Lanova and the Ballet Celeste of San Francisco. Other Bay Area influences were Alan Howard and Richard Gibson. Her teaching approach was influenced by the highly regarded Maggie Black in NYC. She was a principal dancer with Oakland Ballet and Ballet Met in Columbus, Ohio. As a teacher, it is her desire to do more than demonstrate what dance and technique look like, but rather to impart an understanding of how to achieve desired results. Her teaching seeks a blending of artistry, integrity and musicality along with a knowledge of movement, placement and technique.

Catalina is a modern/contemporary dancer and teacher. She attended Saint Mary's College of California and studied modern dance, as well as Mexican Folklórico and Flamenco, along with Hispanic Literature, and Art History. She is currently teaching with HeART with LINES and the Shawl-Anderson Youth Program. She has had the honor to work with Lenora Lee, Rogelio Lopez & Dancers, Andrew Merrell, Chingchi Yu, Liz Duran/Piñata Dance Collective, Davalos Dance, and Andi Salazar.

Chelsea fell into a life of creative movement at age 4, when she pierced her ears and joined ballet, devoting her tiny self to being magnetic, outspoken, and wiggling her body. Since then, her life has changed drastically, but these aspects of Chelsea remain the same. Chelsea grew up inside her small dance studio in Northern Michigan, and began teaching when she was only 16. She trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, jazz, Celtic, tap, and clogging.

Christopher Lam was born in Brisbane, Australia and studied with Betsy Sawyers before joining the Australian Ballet School. A recipient of the prestigious Graeme Murphy Scholarship Christopher graduated from his studies passing the Royal Academy of Dancing's Advanced examination with Honours. Since retiring from the stage he has taught dance and staged works internationally. A resident of the Bay Area since 2016 he has taught in youth and adult divisions as well as the professional companies.

Crystaldawn earned a BFA in dance, composition, and performance from California Institute of the Arts. Since relocating to the Bay Area, she has worked with Labayen Dance/SF, Anne Bluethenthal and Dancers, Stranger Lover Dreamer, and as a guest artist with ODC. She is currently a member of Robert Moses' Kin and, since joining the company, has performed works by Molissa Fenley, Sidra Bell, and Greg Dawson. Outside of the performance community, Crystaldawn is a certified personal trainer and enjoys helping people reach new goals.

Dana Lawton fell in love with dance in College and never stopped. Her journey over the past 40 years has led her to earn a BFA in Dance from California Institute of the Arts, an MFA in Dance from Mills College and is a Full-Professor of Dance at Saint Mary's College. Teaching is her passion and she has been on faculty at Shawl-Anderson since 1998, as well as Artist/Company in Residence with her professional troupe, Dana Lawton Dances.

Elena Martins is a dancer, dance instructor, and arts administrator from Boston, MA. She received her early training at Donna Miceli Dance Center and The Academy of Ballet Arts and went on to graduate from SUNY Buffalo with a BA in Dance and a minor in speech and hearing science. Elena has taught at many prestigious dance schools including The School of Classical Ballet, Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, Dana Hall Upper School, Boston Dance Company, and Berkeley City Ballet.

Erik Wagner is a dance artist, educator, and choreographer based in San Francisco, California, where he leads both ballet and contemporary movement practices. He was a company member with San Francisco Ballet, Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Ballet X, and the Stadttheater Bern, in Switzerland. Since 2012 Erik has been on faculty with the Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Training Program, and Dance Center. From 2013-2015, he guest lectured at Stanford University, during which time he was selected to perform in Jerome Bel’s, The Show Must Go On.

Javon is a multifaceted artist/dancer who’s been performing for over a decade. He’s danced everywhere from the stage in front of 30,000 people, music videos for platinum recording artists, movies with award winning actors/ production team, tv shows, dance studios and on the nba court with the Sacramento Kings. He specializes in break dance/ acrobatics but is also versed in modern, ballet, tap and various other niche styles.

Jessica Damon is a dancer, choreographer, video artist and teacher of dance and somatic therapies. Her work with young children emphasizes the joy and wonder of movement, encouraging the individual artistry of each child. As a young dancer she had the honor of working with Mel Wong and later performed with a handful of Bay Area companies before pursuing her MFA in Performance and Choreography from CU Boulder.

Jill Randall (she/her) is one of the co-directors at SADC and is happy to teach in the youth program. Jill first started teaching at the studio in 2000 and has taught every level of creative movement and youth/teen modern. She is passionate about teaching, learning, and moving together. Jill performed for 18 years in the Bay Area. She writes on dance and also is an adjunct professor at Saint Mary’s College. jillrandalldance.com

Juliana took her first modern class at Shawl-Anderson and is thrilled to be here combining her love of movement and community. After graduating magna cum laude from Amherst College with a BA in psychology, she danced professionally in NYC, before leaving to teach yoga in Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. Here at the Center, her yoga classes emphasize breath and embodiment. She wants all of her students to delight in their simultaneous strength and softness.

Julie Crothers is a white, queer, disabled performer, choreographer, and community educator based in Berkeley, CA. Her solo choreographic work has been presented on stages throughout the Bay Area and beyond. In 2023, Julie was a visiting artist at MANCC (Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography), where she developed an evening-length one-man dance theatre show, titled Holy Crap, which premiered in June 2023 at ODC Theater in San Francisco. In 2020, Julie was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to watch."

​​KJ Dahlaw is a bay area dance artist and makes work under the name of Unruly Body Tanztheater. They hold an MFA in Dance from Saint Mary's College of CA and a BFA in Dance Performance from Northern Illinois University. KJ teaches ballet, contemporary dance and improvisational practices tending to the Aliveness of the dancing body.

Karma Smart is a Bay Area based dancer, choreographer and educator and is passionate about dance fitness. In 1996, Karma started studying and performing West African dance in Hawaii. Since then, she has had the opportunity to learn from many of the prominent choreographers from West Africa, Brazil, and the Congo, in addition to other parts of the African diaspora. This has informed how she teaches and helped her develop her unique style of dance fitness.

Katana is a Chicago born dance performance artist, battle dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist residing in the Bay Area. Throughout her career, Katana has trained in all different styles including studio styles and then transitioning to street dance in her professional career. All though she has explored many styles in dance, Katana is heavily rooted in the style of popping, Egyptian bang tutting, and waving, with over 10 years of professional experience. Katana battles internationally and has been in major competitions such as Redbull BC One, and Redbull Dance Your Style, and Snipes.

Katherine Orloff received her formative training at the Contra Costa Ballet Centre, with additional studies at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, North Carolina School for the Arts, and the University of California, Irvine.She has served on the faculty for several schools in the Bay Area and currently teaches for the Youth and Teen program at ODC/Dance. Having always found that her artistic and academic interests drive and complement one another, she is a strong advocate for interdisciplinary education and strives to remain engaged in the subjects that deeply move her.

Katie obtained her B.A. in Dance: Choreography & Performance from Saint Mary’s College of California. After graduating, she was invited to join Dana Lawton Dances (DLD). With DLD, she performed in “The Farallonites,” which was a Semi-Finalist at Cannes Film Festival under the category “Best Dance Film.” Katie has also completed artist in residence programs internationally in Cork, Ireland and Bangkok, Thailand. In Cork, Katie trained through the Firkin Crane Centre and premiered her first work entitled “One Way or Another.” In Bangkok, Katie taught at the International School of Bangkok with DLD. They also led movement workshops and performed at Bangkok Arts & Culture Center.

Koozi is a Bay Area dancer born in San Francisco and currently lives in Oakland. He has been dancing for 11 years his main styles are turfin, bonebreaking, and other sub styles of street dance. Koozi has performed in music videos with many Bay Area artists such as E40, G-Eazy, Kehlani, H.E.R and many more, and has also been a part of the MOCAP for Star Wars. Koozi hopes to spread his knowledge in dance and help expand Bay Area culture while becoming one of the greatest battle dancers ever.

Lindsay Grey Leonard, a North Carolina native, relocated to the Bay Area in 2015 as a dance teacher and arts administrator. She is excited to join Shawl-Anderson as an early childhood creative movement teacher. Lindsay began her ballet studies as a student of Marilyn Cloutier and continued her training on scholarship at Ballet Spartanburg, Balance Pointe, Atlanta Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet School, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, Duke Dance, American Dance Festival, and ODC. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from her alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill. In her free time Lindsay loves to garden and hike.

Louisa-Marie (She/Her) began her training in Brattleboro, Vermont at the Brattleboro School of Dance where she studied ballet, modern and jazz. Louisa has a BFA in dance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Louisa continued her dance career in NYC where she lived for ten years working with physically integrated companies and artists such as Heidi Latsky Dance, Mark Travis Rivera and Abilities Dance Boston. She moved to the Bay Area in 2021 to dance with AXIS Dance Company. Louisa is passionate about making dance accessible for all children.

Upon stepping foot in a dance classroom at the age of 3, Maddie (she/her) felt the joys of being connected to the universe around her and within her. Originally from New York- she was introduced to movement with the style of Isadora Duncan, and would continue to dance with the Isadora Duncan Youth Ensemble through high school. Parallel to her Duncan education, Maddie trained in both Balanchine and Vaganova styles at Manhattan Youth Ballet throughout her teen years. Maddie’s creative practice is driven by imagination, embodiment, and connection. She finds joy in nurturing this love within young dancers, as she knows that these elements of curiosity take credit for her own lasting love of dance.

Mae is a lifelong student of movement and a classically trained ballet dancer. Following in the footsteps of her mentor, Augusta Moore, Mae offers space to practice ballet as a means of self exploration and healing. With over 15 years of teaching experience, she continues to fall deeper and deeper in love with the power of dance to bring us home to ourselves and connect with each other.

Marcia was born in Santiago de Chile, where she was trained in classical ballet and modern dance at the Arts Conservatory of the Universidad de Chile and Ballet de Santiago. Later, she broadened her focus to include dance pedagogy in addition to her continued training in ballet, modern, and choreography. Beginning her career in the last years of the Pinochet dictatorship, Marcia found in dance a vehicle for personal expression and collective reconciliation.

Active in the Bay Area for many years both as a performer and a teacher, I have called Shawl-Anderson home for a long time. My classes are designed to reflect a "whole child" approach to dance education, taking into consideration emotional and intellectual as well as physical aspects of development. Each class will pay attention to technique, posture, musicality and the communication of ideas through playful choreography and improvisation.

Melecio is a Bay Area born and raised artist with a background in dance theater, aerial dance and contact improvisation. Melecio is the co-director of Fog Beast, the Artistic Director of BANDALOOP and a former member of Joe Goode Performance Group. He is thankful to have worked with Scott Wells, Rachael Lincoln, Erika Shuch, Frieda Kipar, Jesse Hewit, Carol Swann, Nancy Stark Smith and others over the years. Melecio is a graduate of the Moving On Center School for participatory arts and research and he relishes in a somatic, community based approach to dynamic embodied practice.

Miriam Peretz weaves movement and ritual together to create safe, communal spaces for healing and empowered embodiment. She is a life-long dancer who has immersed herself in the study of dance forms and sacred movement practices from around the world, focusing on contemporary dance, Central Asian dance and the mystical practices of Sufi whirling. Miriam sees dance as a uniquely powerful means of expressing deep emotion and spiritual yearning, and therefore the perfect embodiment of prayer.

Mo Miner came to the Bay Area from Illinois where she was an Assistant Professor of Dance at Illinois State University. She received her B.S. in Psychology from Western Illinois University and then went on to get her M.F.A. in Dance Performance at the University of Iowa. Mo was an adjunct faculty member at USF, UC Berkeley, and Sonoma State and currently teaches at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. In the Bay Area she has performed with many local choreographers and companies.

Molly Levy is a performer and dance educator who is drawn to the heart and humanity of dance. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Molly has performed throughout the country and on camera in devised original work, immersive theater, site-specific dance, music videos, and full evening burlesque shows. Her collaborations have included work with Sharp & Fine, Paufve Dance, Post:ballet, Cantankerous Creatures, Undercurrent, Katie Scherman + Artists, Seattle Opera, The Equus Projects, and LROD.

Naila Brown (She/Her) began training at four years old at Berkeley City Ballet. She later joined Shawl Anderson's Youth Ensemble before heading to Howard University, where she captained her dorm's dance team and later joined and directed the student-led and sponsored contemporary dance company, 'I.Am.We.' She has taught youth Ballet, Jazz, and Hip-Hop at Princess Mhoon Dance Institute while performing with Dayo ‘n Dance, Black Pearl Dance Theater, and Breathe Dance Project during her time in the DMV. Passionate about social justice and community healing, she explores dance's immense positive impact on physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Neela Reed received her ballet training from the Petaluma School of Ballet with Ann Derby and Robert Nichols. Her teaching is influenced by her years of work in special education classrooms, degrees in French language and Sculpture, and a passion for increasing body, racial and gender diversity in ballet. This combination of influences gives her an egalitarian and compositional approach to Ballet. Her classes emphasize clean, musical technique and artistry through the cultivation of presence and self acceptance. She is currently the owner and artistic director of Piedmont Ballet Academy.

Noelle is a mover, creator, and educator based in the Bay Area. She comes from a long line of educators in her family, therefore teaching comes naturally for her. Noelle believes in shaping the future generations so that they can normalize inclusivity in all dance forms.

Nol Simonse grew up in Washington, D.C., and trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music. He moved to San Francisco in 1997 and is a founding member of Kunst-Stoff, Janice Garrett and Dancers, Garrett+Moulton Productions, and Sean Dorsey Dance. Nol has taught technique, repertory, and choreography workshops for adults and teens. In 2009 he received a 'Goldie' (Guardian Outstanding Local Discovery) in dance, and in 2011 an 'Izzy' (Isadora Duncan Bay Area Dance Award) for individual performance. He was the first to win Luna Dance Institute's Choreofund prize.

Olivia Sander (she/they) is an Oakland-based movement artist with roots in the Pacific Northwest. Olivia holds a BA in Dance and a pre-medical certificate from the University of Washington. They have presented choreographic work across the US and France and delivered lectures on their artistic research at the University of Washington. Olivia has had the privilege of performing for artists Bianca Cabrera (Blind Tiger Society), Alfonso Cervera, Beth Terwiliger, Rachael Lincoln, Roel Seeber, Helanius J Wilkins, Erika Randall, and Uri Shafir, among others. They teach, perform, research, and create in the Bay Area and internationally, driven by curiosity and a desire to facilitate connection through embodiment.

Robin Nasatir started dancing at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center as a child and has been performing and teaching modern dance on and off since 1980. In her earlier career, she was a founding member of Mobius Dance Company and then worked with various choreographers in the Bay Area and New York City. She has been performing Dana Lawton Dances, a resident company at Shawl-Anderson, since 2010. In recent years she has also had the pleasure of working with Nina Haft, Kate Mitchell, Carol Kueffer, Mira Katz, Risa Jaroslow, and AXIS Dance Company, among others.

Rogelio is a dancer, dance instructor, choreographer, costume, lighting, and scenic designer. He earned his MFA in dance at California State University Long Beach where he graduated with honors in 2005. Presently he is on faculty at Saint Mary’s College of Moraga, and teaches regularly at Shawl Anderson Dance Center in Berkeley. He is currently producing his own work. ROBIN NASATIRAdult Modern and Modern for Older MoversRobin Nasatir started dancing at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center as a child and has been performing and teaching modern dance on and off since 1980. Her classes focus on creating safe and welcoming classes for older, returning and brand new dancers. She is a proud member of Dana Lawton Dances and also enjoys occasional performances with other local choreographers.

Rudy Apffel began accompanying dance classes as a sideline while in college earning his BA and MFA degrees. Upon moving to the Bay Area in 1975 he played for Margaret Jenkins Dance Company modern classes and performed as musician in collaboration with his long-time friend, choreographer John Henry (1947-1996). By 1976 Rudy began to focus on ballet class as a specialty, playing in many schools and studios throughout the Bay Area, but working more and more at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center through the 80’s and 90’s to today.

Sara is a S.F.-based choreographer, teacher, and dancer. She started her professional career as a Hip-Hop dancer and later expanded her expertise to include modern, ballet, dunham technique, and the dances associated with her Puerto Rican heritage. Sara has performed with musical groups Blue Boy and Spanish Fly and presented work at Dance Mission Theater and ODC. Most recently, Sara choreographed the Center Repertory Company’s Spring 2023 musical production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights.

Shaunna Vella loves dance. She is a choreographer, performer, teacher and activist that has created work in the Bay Area for over 20 years. She plays with queer performance, community ritual, political art-making, somatics and embodiment. She has taught at SADC in the youth and adult programs since 2004 and is currently serving as the Chair of SADC Board of Directors.

Sky Tan is a classically trained pianist and watercolor artist who lives and works in Berkeley, California. She is currently a pianist for the world-renowned San Francisco Ballet and continues to write her own compositions and improvisations. She is also a singing pianist working with vocal artists in Bay Area.

Suhaila Salimpour, a first-generation belly dancer from the SWANA region, is a pioneering force in her field. She created the first certification program in belly dance, revolutionizing performance and instruction. Suhaila leads the Salimpour School of Dance, honoring her mother’s legacy while expanding globally through licensed instructors and an extensive online platform. Alongside teaching and performing worldwide, she earned a BA in Performing Arts in 2024 and is pursuing an MFA in Dance.

Suzanne Beahrs teaches at ODC and Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, and has taught at Elon University, ADF Scripps Studios, Ninth St. Dance (NC); Gibney Dance Center and Mark Morris Dance Center (NY). She has shown work and performed in NY, MA, AZ, and CA. The New York Times said that her movement has a “grounded, silken quality." She holds an MFA in Dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and a BA in Geology from UC Berkeley. She is also a consultant with environmental organizations.

Tajh is a Michigan native who has spent the past 12 years performing, choreographing and teaching across the United States and Internationally. Since moving to the Bay Area in 2020, Tajh has been focused on bringing their love for Jazz dance to students of all ages while also continuing to perform as a freelance performer and commercial actor. Tajh is currently represented by Models Inc. Talent Agency.

Valerie Gutwirth began practicing Iyengar-based yoga in 2001 to support her work as a professional dancer and elementary-school dance teacher; she credits her yoga practice with keeping her dancing fulfilling and injury-free ever since. In 2016, Valerie received a 500-hour teaching certification from The Yoga Room in Berkeley. Her main teaching influences are Gay White, Mary Lou Weprin, and Ada Lusardi. Valerie continues to perform professionally as a dancer and body percussionist with Dance Generators at USF, and Evie Ladin/MoToRdance.a

Wendy has trained in the Bay Area, London and New York. She has had a wide range of experience in ballet and modern dance and has performed throughout California, New York, and toured various other states. Her mentors include Sally Streets (ballet) and Terry Sendgraff (aerial modern dance). She believes that elements of many forms of dance are interconnected and that a breadth of training will improve all dancers.