Dancers Making Moves

Kyla Kikkawa (she/her) is a movement artist originally from Altadena, CA. A graduate from the Psychological & Brain Sciences Department at Washington University, Kyla is an interdisciplinary and lifelong learner. She lives for the healing power of movement, but her passions have also led her to play live music in hospitals in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Managua, Nicaragua. Kyla is an educator...

Jorrell Lawyer-Jefferson holds his BA in Music and his MFA in Dance with an emphasis in Choreography from Sam Houston State University. He has performed works by Tommie-Waheed Evans, Bradley Shelver, Kirven Douthit- Boyd, Omar de Jesus, Jamar Roberts and Norbert de La Cruz III among others. He has also worked with directors Francesca Zambello, Rob Ashford, Robert Wilson, Phelim McDermmot and Louis...

Gabriella Ray, born and raised in St. Louis, started her dance training early on, under the instruction of Christine Kardell. Through out high school Gabriella became a student at COCA (Center of Creative Arts) where she joined pre-professional companies Ballet Eclectica and COCAdance. She had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Darrell Grande Moultrie, Camille A. Brown, Kirven and...

"Coming up in our culture is therapy, and why we not statistics. Whether you studio or street." Theron Steele is a St. Louis native and currently a leader in the dance community for funk, experimental, and all styles. "Theo" has a mixed background in dance, having been involved early on and benefited from wonderful mentors who allowed him to experience a lot in both work and cr...

CiCi Kai (they/them), from St. Louis, MO, began their dance journey at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) and is a 2024 alum of Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where they earned a B.F.A. in Contemporary Dance Performance. Through the Dancers Making Moves project, CiCi is reintroducing their artistry by sharing moments of their injury recovery journey through poetry. While injuries are common, they...

Maura Caldwell-Thompson is a local dance educator, choreographer, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Dance at Webster University. A St. Louis native with over 20 years of experience teaching dance to all levels and ages, Maura also has professional dance experience with MADCO. She currently serves as a choreographer and assistant director of the Dance Arts Company at Devine Performing A...

Emmi Small (she/her) grew up in Newport, RI training at The Academy at Newport Contemporary Ballet. Emmi is currently performing as a company dancer with Resilience Dance Company and Ballet 314, both of St. Louis, MO. She holds a BFA in Dance and BS in Public Health from University of Massachusetts Amherst (2019), where she studied ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, composition,...

Sam is a freelance artist, choreographer, and educator. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Dance and Bachelor of Arts in both Psychology and Dance, with a minor in Visual Art, from Washington University in St. Louis. Bridging the gap between professional concert dance and theatre, her choreography often uses humor as a tool for social commentary. Sam brings her jubilant spirit to both the sta...

Dawn Karlovsky is the Founder and Artistic Director of Karlovsky & Company Dance. Her thought-provoking, athletic, and emotionally candid dances have been commissioned and presented by universities and modern dance/theatre companies worldwide and in major cities of the United States including Webster University and Washington University in St. Louis, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Universit...

Carmen R. Guynn, a St. Louis native, is a distinguished stylist, instructor, and advocate for Latin/Afro-Latin culture, with over 25 years of experience in the arts. As a versatile artist, Carmen excels in all Afro-Latin dances. She was crowned Miss Salsa St. Louis in 2002 and has performed both nationally and internationally. As Founder, Owner, and Artistic Director of Almas Del Ritmo Dance Compa...

Randi Reinert, originally from Halstead, KS, moved to St. Louis after receiving her BFA in Dance Performance from Wichita State University. While in St. Louis, Randi spent 4 years as a company dancer with St. Louis Dance Theatre (formally known as The Big Muddy Dance Company). From her time in St. Louis Dance Theatre, Randi has had the opportunity to perform works by world renowned choreographers...

Born in Redmond, Washington, Mark-David Bloodgood trained on scholarship for twelve years at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School under the direction of Francia Russell and Peter Boal. Mr. Bloodgood has performed with Huntsville Ballet, South Carolina Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet II, BalletMet II, ARC Dance, Saint Louis Ballet, Indianapolis Ballet and as a guest artist with the Columbus Opera and the S...

Erin Morris has been teaching, performing, and competing in jazz and swing dancing for over 25 years. She has enjoyed international artist residencies in Vienna, Berlin, and Krakow but above all loves contributing regularly to her local communities and students. Erin received her MFA in Dance in 2023 from Washington University in St. Louis and is now adjunct faculty. Her art-making focus has been...

Llord Brown, known as LlordThaCreator or LlordThaDancer, is a dynamic performer, choreographer, and battler with over 500 shows to his name. From performing with B2K to starring in Kellogg’s Cheez-It Snap’d campaign, his versatility, raw energy, and storytelling captivate audiences, making him a powerhouse in dance and battle culture. Take a peek inside the Krump and street style dance scene in St...

Dancers Making Moves host Carly Vanderheyden chats with Delainey Bailey about her transition from studying dance at Lindenwood University to now being in her first season with MADCO as a professional dancer and teacher in St. Louis, MO. Delainey Bailey is an apprentice dancer with the Modern American Dance Company (MADCO) in St. Louis. In her first year with the company, Delainey has performed thr...

Marcela Gómez Lugo shares her story of relocating to the US from Puerto Rico to pursue her professional career in dance. Now, she's dancing with Ballet 314 in St. Louis while supporting the company as an administrative assistant and choreographer. Listen now to learn more about the ways Marcela is working to share her ancestors' stories through her art. Marcela Gómez Lugo was born and rais...

Up next, Dancers Making Moves Podcast host Carly Vanderheyden talks with Hayley Barker about her work as an educator, choreographer, teacher, personal trainer and performer. Exploring themes of ancestral inspiration, dancers as business people, and ways of communicating with students and collaborators. Listen now to learn more about Hayley's journey through different dance communities in Australia...

From growing up in Denver, to pursuing a BFA in Dance at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, to now dancing with Saint Louis Dance Theatre. In our conversation with Nyna, we discuss life as a professional dancer in a repertory company, and an exciting new choreographic process for the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) original production "Kaleidoscope Crown" Nyna Moore (She/Her, Denver,...

Dive into the world of classical Indian dance, and hear how Samanvita is working to create more opportunities for fusion between her classical Indian dance training with contemporary, hip hop, and other styles. Samanvita Kasthuri is an emerging choreographer experimenting with the fusion of Indian classical dance styles with Hip-Hop, Contemporary, and many other genres of dance. Samanvita has been...

From growing up in Canada, to moving to the United States to pursue his BFA in Dance at the Fordham/Ailey School, Spencer has lived an art-filled life through both dance and other artistic endeavors. Spencer Everett joined Saint Louis Dance Theatre in 2024 after two seasons with Ailey II. Originally from Stratford, Ontario, he began dance training at age four and studied circus arts under former C...

From a life-altering random act of gun violence, to a hip hop tour to China, Lorraine shares her resilient journey in dance that has now led to her first year of pursuing an MFA in Dance at Washington University in St. Louis. Lorraine “Rain” Stippec earned her BFA in Dance from Webster University - graduating Magna Cum Laude with Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts Department Honors. Lorraine follo...

Up next, we're talking to Diamond Riley about her experiences in dance, photography, motherhood, and event planning. Whether she is dancing, capturing movement through her lens, or helping others connect with their artistry, she is committed to making an impact—one step, one shot, and one story at a time. Diamond Israel Annē Riley is a professional dancer, photographer, and creative storyteller wi...

Dancers Making Moves founder and host Carly Vanderheyden sits down with current MFA in Dance candidate Tess Angelica Losada to learn about her unique journey in dance, as well as the research and process leading up to her upcoming thesis performance presentation later this month at Washington University in St. Louis. Tess Angelica Losada is a Cuban-American dancer, choreographer, and scholar. She...

Join us for our first Dancers Making Moves podcast episode with Dawn Gilbertson, as we discuss costume changes, Variety STL, messy brains, relinquishing control, raising kids while being an artist, winning at Monopoly, the MUNY, staying grounded, Napoleon Dynamite, dance as couples therapy, being a resource, "side passions", creating community, and more!  Dawn Gilbertson is a dancer movi...

Welcome to Dancers Making Moves, a new podcast exploring individual experiences in pursuing a career in dance. Tune in for captivating dialogue with St. Louis based professional dance artists, hosted by Carly Vanderheyden, as we dig deep into the essence of what it means to be a professional dancer. From classical ballet, to street styles, tap, and contemporary forms, these talented artists are re...