Dance Makers 2024

Department of Theatre and Dance 

Daniel Gurskis, Dean, College of the Arts

Kathleen Kelley, Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance 

Artistic and Cast Biographies 

McKenzie Brewer (Jacksonville, FL) is a Douglas Anderson School of the Arts alumni currently studying at Montclair State University, pursuing her BFA in dance. She has performed works by Jesse Obremski, Frederick Earl Mosley, Jennifer Archibald, Stefanie Batten Bland, Christian Von Howard, Paul Taylor, Doug Varone, and more. Her choreography has also debuted at Montclair State University's DanceMakers Show 2022 and 2023, along with Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts Emerging Choreographer Show 2022. Ms. Brewer has taught many different styles and has had the opportunity to teach young dancers from intensives in Jacksonville. 

Steven Camacho (Brooklyn, NY) graduating from Montclair State University in the spring of 2024 with his BFA in Dance and Minor in Psychology. While at Montclair, he has performed in works by Roderick George, Tommie Waheed-Evans, Doug Varone, Christian Von Howard, and More. He began his dance training with ballet, modern, and musical theatre, he continued to train more extensively in contemporary, jazz, and hip hop. Alongside school, he has attended programs such as BODYTRAFFIC, EMIA, and Cumul;us in NYC while also being a part of the Artist Crew for Luminous Dance Convention  since 2022

Angelina Capp (Lancaster, PA) will receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Musical Theatre from Montclair State University this spring. She has taught ballet and musical theater dance at Popovsky Performing Arts and choreographed plays for various high school productions. Professional productions include Lost Child and Dance Captain for Peter Pan and the role of Baby Angie in Gypsy (Fulton Theatre) and MSU pieces include Cameron Mckinney, Doug Varone, Dolly Sfeir, Christian Von Howard, Emmanuel Phoun, Kathleen Kelly, and was rehearsal director for Maxine Steinman. Capp’s art reflects the communities and cultures she represents and strives to explore topics that shed light on the human experience. She is inspired by her Filipina and Italian roots and how those cultures blend into her perspective of expression. 

Daniel DaSilva is a sophomore in theater design, technology, and management. This will be Daniel’s first time designing for dance performance. He has been involved in other productions during his two years at MSU.

Alyssia Farias is a junior dance major originally from Manchester, New Hampshire. She has trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, jazz, ballroom, tap, amongst other forms. Farias has taught dance to students ages 2 to 18 for the past 10 years at various studios in southern New Hampshire. Growing up she found dance as her place of solace and expression and continues to do so here at MSU where her grounding community surrounds her. In her time here, she has performed works by Dolly Sfeir, André Tyson, Cameron McKinney, Nattie Trogdon, and Hollis Bartlett and has worked closely with Doug Varone, Stefanie Batten Bland, and Karen Gayle. Farias has performed in work presented at the Northeast American College Dance Association Conference, Koresh Artist Showcase, and Modern Moves. She was also chosen to collaborate, choreograph, and perform with musicians at the John J. Cali School of Music Kaleidoscope Concert in 2023. Alyssia is working towards performing and thriving anywhere and everywhere life takes her!

Estefanía “Stef” Forero is a choreographer and performer originally from Bogotá, Colombia. She began her training at a young age at Nuova Ballet Studio in Chía, Colombia, where she was introduced to multiple dance styles. Looking for better opportunities, she moved to NJ/NY, where she is currently pursuing her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography at Montclair State University. Estefanía has had the pleasure to work with choreographers such as Michelle Manzanales, Cameron McKinney, Maxine Steinman, Jessica Dimauro Marks, Donna Scro-Samori, Winston Dynamite Brown, and Jordan Demetrius Lloyd, among others. Nowadays, Estefanía has kept exploring new forms to create and share ideas with other artists. Keeping her deep bond with her roots, different art forms, and the genuine relationships of humanity, she hopes to connect with her audience and other artists with her creations. 

Delise Fusaro began her dance journey in Las Vegas, Nevada where she trained at The Academy of Nevada Ballet Theater. She is currently studying at Montclair State University, working towards her BFA in Dance. Here, she has performed works by Maxine Steinman, Jessica Diamuro-Marks, and Hollis Bartlet and Nattie Trogdon. She is debuting her choreographic work with Christina Szumloz at MSU’s Dance Makers.

Samara Lee (Stage Manager) is a sophomore at Montclair State University majoring in Design Technology and Management. She’s delighted to be working on her 5th production in the Theatre and Dance department. Her previous works as an Assistant Stage Manager have been Blind Injustice (2024), Dialogues des Carmelites (2024),  Anna in the Tropics (2023), Elephant’s Graveyard(2023) as well as Black Snow (2022). 

Vanessa “Nessa” Martinez (East Hanover, NJ) is a sophomore BFA dance major at Montclair State University. Martinez trained in various styles at For Dancers Only, as well as attending a pre-professional training program based in NYC. Martinez has performed in venues such as Madison Square Garden, Prudential Center, NJPAC, and many more. She’s had the pleasure of working closely with and performing works by Al Blackstone, Cat Cogliandro, Elisabetta Spuria, Kristilee Maiella, Olivia Alboher, Jessie Dimauro-Marks, Maxine Steinman, and Donna Scro-Samori. Martinez most recently is a KM Dance Collective company member, working with Capezio Dancewear as a Capezio Athlete. As a performer, she is open to any stage or screen opportunity that crosses her path. Her biggest value is versatility, and as a choreographer, her goal is to fuse both the commercial and concert worlds of dance. Martinez is thrilled to be debuting her first choreographic work, “Clue,” in this year's Dancemakers 24’, dedicating her piece to her grandfather, Harry Guarino. 

Maddie McKnight (Jacksonville, FL) is currently a junior at Montclair State, pursuing a BFA in Dance with a minor in Business. During her time in this program, she has performed in works by Cameron McKinney, Andre Tyson, Christian Von Howard, Hollis Bartlett and Nattie Trogdon, Jessie DiMauro Marks, among others. McKnight is currently in the process of creating new works and finding her voice as a young creator. Currently, her choreographic exploration looks at contemporary and postmodern aesthetics and how they relate to dramatically driven movement. This summer, McKnight has been selected as an Emerging Choreographer for the Sarasota Contemporary Dance Summer Intensive to present new work in June 2024. As well as an Emerging Choreographer for NewDanceFest held by Eisenhower Dance Detroit in July 2024. She is excited about these fantastic opportunities to work on her craft and is thankful for all the support from her friends, dancers, and mentors during this process.    

Brooke Moody (she/her), a Richmond, Virginia Native, began her dance training at Richmond Dance Center and Henrico High School “Center for the Arts.” She is currently a junior at Montclair State University pursuing a BFA in Dance. Moody has performed in works by Cat Cogliandro, Andre Tyson, Christian Von Howard, Kathleen Kelley, Cameron McKinney, and Jessie DiMauro Marks. Her work “An Impaired Accord” premiered in Dancemakers 2023, and she is so grateful to be able to premiere her work “Rivalrous Gratification” in Dancemakers 2024. She loves working with inspiration from her personal life and reflecting on emotional states of being through her art. Moody is so excited to express her artistic voice through this piece and is thankful to her cast, the dance department, and her family for supporting her through this process! Enjoy the show!

Ondi Ondishin Ribon is a junior BFA dance major from North Jersey. Before transferring to Montclair State, Ribon attended Marymount Manhattan College for a semester. She has a lot of experience in performance dancing in works by Cameron Mckinney, Michelle Manzanales, Paul Taylor, Maxine Steinman, and Stefanie Batten Bland. She has also performed in the Koresh Artist Showcase and ACDA in the spring of 2023. Through these experiences, Ondi has found a passion for choreography and sharing her concepts with others through performance. Her choreographic goal is to break barriers of societal standards and expectations, creating an environment of passion, communication, and acceptance; she hopes to speak to everyone in one way or another. 

Ryan Randazzo is a Senior Theater Design, Technology, and Management student who has recently designed Anna In The Tropics (2023) this past semester. Other notable shows Ryan has worked on at Montclair include Sophisticated Ladies (2024), On The Town (2023), Black Snow (2022), and A Chorus Line (2020). One fun fact about Ryan is that he hopes to work on Broadway in the future.

Selah Piett ( Newark, NJ) will receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Montclair State University. Selah received her formal training under the instruction of Ronnie Carney and Krystal Hall-Glass at Newark Arts High School, the nation's first high school of visual and performing arts. She also studied at the Ailey school as a scholarship student. Selah has performed works by Bradley Shelver, Maxine Steinman, Christian von Howard, Yusha Sorzano, Kyle Abraham, Francisco Gella, Barkak Marshall, and more. She premiered her first Choreographic work, “Simulacrum Shakti” in DanceMakers at Montclair State in 2023. Her affinity for the arts and the community strengthens her commitment to helping other aspiring artists and supporting various causes.  

Christina Szumloz, a Central Jersey native, is currently a sophomore B.F.A dance major. They have been featured in a multitude of works by independent artists and were recently featured in KM Dance Collective. She has performed for events including Spring4Spring at Mignolo Dance, 8 in Show at Dixon Place, Koresh Artists Showcase, ACDA Northeastern Conference, New Jersey Moves, and Modern Moves. They have also worked with artists, including Jessica Dimauro-Marks and Maxine Steinman. She is very excited to share her very first choreographic work, and they are very grateful for each and every one of their dancers.

Noelle Whitaker is a junior BFA dance major minoring in Sports Nutrition. She is from Hamilton, New Jersey, where she first found a love for dance at age two. Whitaker’s passion for dance has soared even further through the dance program at Montclair State University. Performing in works by Jessica DiMauro Marks, TweetBoogie, Cameron McKinney, Kathleen Kelley, Christian Von Howard, André Tyson, and A.I.M by Kyle Abraham. As well as, working with Stefanie Batten Bland and Maxine Steinman. Recently, Whitaker premiered collaborative work at (MICA) the Maryland Institute College of Art in April 2023. Within these performance opportunities, Whitaker has found a love for creating work. She is a strong activist and loves using art to share messages. She drew inspiration from her childhood and adulthood for this piece. Whitaker hopes to touch audience members through emotional and artistic connections. She is hopeful and excited about the future ahead!