Our Team
Rachel Calabrese was born and raised in New York where she began her dance training. She graduated from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in May 2020 with a BFA in Dance Performance. At college, she had the opportunity to train with and perform works by: Shannon Gillen, Chein Ying-Wang, and Kimberly Bartosik. As a student, Rachel has also performed internationally in Beijing, China. Since graduation, she has been a company member with Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company in Provo Utah for their 2020-2021 season and Sonia Plumb Dance Company for their Fall 2021 projects. She currently is an understudy with Artichoke Dance company and company dancer with Finleigh Zack Dance Company.
Rachel Calabrese
Artistic Director & Founder
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Sawyer Newsome was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina where he began training at the age of 15. He is a graduate of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University where he received his BFA in Dance Performance. At Mason Gross, Sawyer had the opportunity to train with and perform works by: Shannon Gillen, Pam Tanowitz, Doug Elkins, and Randy James. After College, Sawyer was a company member with Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company for their 2020-2021 season and Catapult Dance Entertainment for their 2021-2022 season. He is currently a company member with Artichoke Dance Company and a guest artist with Water Street Dance Company.
Sawyer Newsome
Artistic Director & Founder
Elaina is a creator and mover from Northeast FL. She’s a BFA Dance graduate from Rutgers University, where she studied contemporary and compositional forms. Stewart has also trained and performed in Israel and Berlin. Stewart has work with choreographers Darrell Grand Moultrie, BennyRoyce Rayon, Fluer Darkin, Greg Dolbashian, Roni Chadash and Noa Zuk. During these creative processes she was given opportunities to perform at the Joyce Theatre in NYC, dock11 in Berlin, and the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv. Much of her movement is heavily influenced by improvisational techniques. Aside from her dancing she also is a Pilates instructor.
Elaina Stewart
Emmy Wildermuth is originally from Littleton Colorado where she began her dance career at Belliston Academy of Ballet. Emmy has also trained at summer programs with Kansas City Ballet, ABT, and LINES Ballet. Emmy continued her training at the University of Oklahoma where she studied Modern Dance Performance and Professional Writing. While at OU, she performed works by renowned artists such as Rena Butler, Jiri Kylian, Paul Taylor, and Alejandro Cerrudo. As a student, Emmy also performed internationally with programs in Barcelona, Spain and Beijing, China. Emmy works as a freelance artist in NYC.
Emmy Wildermuth
Spencer Grossman, from East Brunswick, New Jersey is a Performer, Instructor,
Choreographer, and Graduate of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers
University. Spencer graduated Cum Laude and received the DancePlus Performance
Prize, an award given to a choreographer of exceptional group work in 2018. While
at Rutgers, Grossman had the opportunity to perform works by: Maxine Doyle,
Camille A. Brown, Ellen Cornfield, Bill T. Jones, Lar Lubovitch, Martha Graham Dance
Company, Keith Thompson, Randy James, and Graham Lustig. Grossman has been a teaching artist for 10 Hairy Legs, extending dance outreach
programs throughout the state of New Jersey, and has toured internationally with Catapult Entertainment.
Spencer Grossman
Rebecca Pavelko graduated from Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts, earning a BFA in Dance Performance, EdM in Dance Education K-12, and 200-HR Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training. Pavelko has had the pleasure of learning works by Shannon Gillen, Yin Yue, Alexandra Beller, Cleo Mack, and more. She has studied and performed internationally at programs in Italy, Berlin, and Beijing, China. Pavelko is currently dancing for OcampoWang Dance, NewBrese Dance, and grounded roots dance company around NYC, NJ, and Philadelphia. She is also a public school dance educator in Union City, NJ. Pavelko uses her personal dance and teaching experiences from international travels to provide global perspectives to her students.
Rebecca Pavelko
Mikayla Russo is a performer, choreographer and teacher from NJ, who received her BFA in dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Along with performing repertoire by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane and Yin Yue Dance Company, she has worked with artists including Stephanie Batten Bland, Shannon Gillen, Alexandra Beller, Kimberly Bartosik, Chien-Ying Wang, and Dawn Marie Bazemore. As a student, Russo traveled to Beijing, China to take part in the University’s International Creative Dance Seminar. In addition, she has trained at intensives with Vim Vigor, the Martha Graham School, and Stuffed Arts, with performances at the historic Judson Memorial Church. Her curiosity to fuse and pull apart contemporary styles is a passion she continues to explore, focusing on the agility of floorwork and the chain reaction of space.
Mikayla Russo