New Dances 2020 Company
Mariterese Altosino (Chicago) graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Business Entrepreneurship. Post-graduation, Mariterese danced with Giordano Dance Chicago for four years, where she worked with world-renowned choreographers Ray Leeper, Peter Chu, and Marinda Davis and performed works by Ray Mercer, Christopher Huggins, Jon Lehrer, and Gus Giordano. Mariterese has danced professionally throughout Chicago and has made TV appearances on Windy City Live and ABC 7 News. Mariterese is continuing her performance career as a main company dancer with South Chicago Dance Theatre and Banks Performance Project.
Jacob Buerger (Chicago), originally from Bolingbrook, IL, is a Chicago-based performer and teacher. He earned his BFA in Dance from Columbia College Chicago and has performed works by Emma Draves, Carrie Hanson, Vershawn Sanders-Ward, and Thomas DeFranz. In addition, Jacob has performed with The Puzzle League, Same Planet Performance Project, and Fred Darsow Dance. He is working toward certification in Thai Body Work and exploring the world of photography. Jacob joined Hedwig Dances and Concert Dance Inc in Summer 2018.
Kim Davis (Chicago), from Portsmouth, VA, started dancing at the age of 4. She trained at The Governor’s School for the Arts, Academy of Contemporary and Classical Dance, Broadway Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center, and Gus Giordano Dance School. Kimberly is a 2019 graduate of George Mason University where she worked with Joan Boada, Christopher d’Amboise, Jean Emile, Alexander Hille, Pier Loup, Darrell Moultrie, Soon-ho Park, Susan Shields, Jamal Story, Septime Webre, and others. She has performed Bhangra Fever by Donald Byrd, Kosmos by Andonis Foniadakis, and understudied Na Floresta by Nacho Duato. Kimberly joined DanceWorks Chicago in August 2019.
Ingrid Ferdinand (Berwyn) began dance at The Academy of Movement & Music in Oak Park. There, under the tutelage of Stephanie Clemens, she trained in Vaganova, Graham, Humphrey, and Bournonville techniques. She attended SFCD and ABT intensives and traveled to Guatemala with JUNTOS. She went to The Chicago Academy for the Arts and Marymount Manhattan College before happily landing at HSPro.
Abby Hare (Crystal Lake) began her dance training at the Summers Academy of Dance. In 2014, Abby graduated from Webster University with a BFA in dance and joined Thodos Dance Chicago, where she danced through the company’s final season in 2017. Her performances include choreography by Melissa Thodos, Brian Enos, Ann Reinking, Kevin Iega-Jeff, and Shannon Alvis. Abby has also showcased her choreography within the Midwest. Abby teaches and choreographs for her local studio and is working towards her Masters in Special Education.
Kara Hunsinger (Chicago) is from Modesto, CA, where she started her dance training at Steps Dance Arts Center and then at a professional level with Juline’s School of Dance. Kara’s additional training includes Ballet West, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In 2019, Kara graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Arizona, where she had the honor of performing works by Christopher Wheeldon, George Balanchine, Autumn Eckman, Nacho Duato, Sam Watson, Tamara Dyke-Compton, and Alexei Ratmansky. During her senior year she danced with Hawkin’s Dance Company under the direction of Shelly Hawkins. Post-graduation, Kara joined the DanceWorks Chicago family.
Meredith Johnson (Chicago) received her BFA in Dance from Indiana University, where she performed in works including Spill by Andrea Miller, Home by Rennie Harris, and Deuce Coupe by Twyla Tharp. Meredith spent a semester training in Jerusalem with former Batsheva Dance Company members and with Noa Wertheim of Vertigo Dance Company. Since graduating, Meredith danced for Company Danzante in Arlington, VA, before moving to Chicago to train at Common Conservatory under Terence Marling. While at the conservatory, she has performed works by Chicago artists including Meredith Dincolo, Joseph Hernandez, Alice Klock, and Anna Long.
Andi Learman (Chicago) is a graduate of Anderson University where she received a B.A. in Dance Business. Born and raised in Woodstock, Andi began dancing with Woodstock Ballet Studio. She has performed works by Earl Mosley, Eddy Ocampo and Gregory Hancock, among others. She has also been fortunate to train with Hubbard Street’s Professional Program under the direction of Alexandra Wells. Andi is excited to continue growing and developing her art form.
Christina Morrison (Chicago), a Massachusetts native, graduated in 2018 with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Since moving to Chicago, she has performed and/or presented works in festivals at Stage 773, Links Hall, The Edge Theater, and The Greenhouse Theater. Recently she performed Francesca Baron’s FUSED at Links Hall. Current projects include the commission of her work Out of Sight for Simantikos, navigating a dance film with her mentor Jacqueline Sinclair under Joel Hall’s Mentorship Program, and dancing as a Guest Artist for Peckish Rhodes Performing Arts Society.
Jacob Nahor (Chicago), a New York native, attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts and received the Honors in Dance award upon graduation. He continued his dance education at Alvin Ailey & Fordham University and London Contemporary Dance School. In his junior year, Jake joined Ballet Hispanico 2 and danced in their New York Season at The Apollo Theater. Jake participated in Springboard Danse Montréal and danced in Crystal Pite’s Solo Echo, and the Contemporary Program at Jacob’s Pillow. Prior to joining Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Professional Program, Jake toured the US with the first national tour or Hofesh Shechter’s Fiddler On The Roof.
Moscelyne ParkeHarrison (Chicago) graduated from The Juilliard School in 2019, with the Joseph W. Polisi Award for Artist as Citizen. She attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts where she received her high school degree. She has had the pleasure of performing works by Helen Simoneau, Katarzyna Skarpetowska, Roy Assaf, Hannes Langolf, Ryan Mason, Iztok Kovac, Stefanie Batten Bland, José Limón, Nacho Duato, Martha Graham, Johannes Wieland, and Crystal Pite. Her group and solo works have been performed at Juilliard, Triskelion Arts, and the Studebaker Theater. Moscelyne is a member of Post:Ballet in San Francisco, and the director of BodySonnet.
Kara Roseborough (Evanston) is a multidisciplinary artist, and she is thrilled to join New Dances for the 2020 season. Kara is a guest artist with South Chicago Dance Theatre, the assistant director of Evanston Dance Ensemble 2, and a Cecchetti certified ballet teacher at Dance Center Evanston. Kara is an alumna of the Chicago Academy for the Arts and the University of Utah, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Cum Laude while dancing in the resident company, Utah Ballet. She is grateful to her parents for their love and support.
Hanna Swartz (Chicago) is a student at Columbia College Chicago, pursuing her BFA in Dance. She grew up as a competitive dancer and ballet student in Kansas City, competing across the nation in jazz, tap, and theater forms and performing in full-length ballets yearly. After high school, she moved to Boston for a year of training at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee to pursue contemporary dance forms and choreography. Hanna has presented her works in Boston and Chicago, performed with independent artists on music videos, dance films, and staged productions since beginning her college career.
Halina Tutaj (Chicago) was born and raised in Chicago. She attended Whitney M. Young High School and studied ballet at the Ruth Page School of Dance until she graduated in 2016. In her year after graduating she traveled to Rome to study modern dance. Upon returning Halina began teaching dance at the Ruth Page Center and joined Venetia Stifler’s company, Concert Dance Inc.
Alexandra Webb (Chicago), from Arkansas, graduated high school from UNCSA in 2015, after which she attended the University of Oklahoma to pursue a degree in Ballet Performance. After deciding college wasn’t the right path, she spent a year with Tulsa Ballet before moving to Chicago to train at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s HSPro in 2018. She looks forward to continued self-exploration through the dance medium and other forms of artistic expression.
Imani Williams (Chicago), from Atlanta, started dancing as a junior in high school. After graduation, Imani accepted a full scholarship at Joffrey Ballet School’s (NYC) Jazz and Contemporary Program directed by Michael Blake, where he had the honor of dancing in works by former prima ballerina Margo Sappington, Tony Award-winner Chet Walker, and choreographer of Rent Marlies Yearby, and performing in pieces by Emily Bufferd, Lane Gifford, Tyler Gilstrap, and Sekou McMiller. Imani was featured in Joffrey Ballet School photos by Lois Greenfield. Imani has danced with Florida Dance Theater and Giordano II. Imani joined DanceWorks Chicago in September 2018.