Dance Makers

Department of Theatre and Dance 

Daniel Gurskis, Dean, College of the Arts

Kathleen Kelley, Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance 

Artistic and Cast Biographies 

Leah Wilks is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer based out of Brooklyn, originally hailing from North Carolina. They have taught and shared their work in a variety of locations including the American Dance Festival, Elon University, University of Michigan, Ponderosa Tanzland festival, Theater for the New City, and Northern Stage. Leah holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she received awards for teaching and choreography, and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Montclair. As a performer/collaborator she has worked with a variety of dance, theater, and interdisciplinary artists including Tatyana Tennenbaum, Okwui Okpokwasili, Alexis Blake, Kendra Portier, Anna Barker/Real.Live.People, Beth Graczyk Productions, and Tommy DeFrantz/SLIPPAGE. Leah has been an artist in residence at MOtiVE Brooklyn, Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Bergen Dansesenter, and MacDowell.

Stefanie Batten Bland - (SBB) is an award winning director/choreographer. SBB creates proscenium, cinematic and immersive worlds that answer the quest for belonging. 2025 NYSCA Artist, 2023 Dance Magazine cover artist, Creative Capital Awardee and 2022 BAM NEXT WAVE commissioned artist, SBB was Raised in SoHo when it was led by artists. She interrogates contemporary and historical cultural symbolism – their categories of cultural identifiers and how these identities influence human relationships. Artistic Director of The Atelier SBB, Creative Casting & Movement Director for Life & Trust, SBB pioneered the methods which made her Performance-Identity liaison for Sleep No More, and the Artistic Director of the first immersive theatre summer intensive in the USA CONCRETE, she is constantly pushing the boundaries of mixed reality art. SBB received her MFA in interdisciplinary arts (concentration performance creation) from Goddard College, is an Associate Professor at Montclair State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, and lives in SoHo with her family. IG: @sbb_land @sbb_roll

Rachel Hornstein (Production Stage Manager & Lighting Designer) Is excited to debut as a production stage manager and lighting designer at Montclair! Select MSU credits include PASSAGE (ASM), …Great Comet of 1812 (ASM), Stupid Fucking Bird (ASM), Jesus Christ Superstar (ASM). You can catch Rachel as the Production Stage Manager this summer at the Voorhees Theatre Company. You can also follow her lighting journey as she will be the lighting designer for Game of Tiaras at Mainstage Center of the Arts. Rachel extends her thanks to the entire Dancemakers team. I'm so proud of you all!  

Bec Nicolas (they/them) (Assistant Stage Manager & Q-Lab Operator) work spans educational, youth, and community theatre, including serving as Production Stage Manager for She Kills Monsters and Cinderella (Rodgers & Hammerstein) at Pascack Hills High School, Assistant Stage Manager for Mad Forest, Pride and Prejudice, and multiple dance shows, and Studio Production Manager for Peter and the Starcatcher and Bound/UnBound at Montclair State University. They worked as an Intern Production Assistant for 13: The Musical with StageWorks and progressed from intern (Elf Jr., Seussical Jr., Moana Jr.) to full employee (The Little Mermaid Jr., Mean Girls Jr., Grease Jr.) at Willie Wilson Theater Arts Group. While in high school, Bec co-led productions at their local middle school, stage-managing Annie Jr. and Beauty and the Beast Jr., primarily overseeing the crew and technical work while mentoring students in hands-on backstage collaboration. Bec values structured, inclusive rehearsal spaces rooted in preparation, trust, and care.

Heidi Berry (Hagerstown, MD) began training at age seven and continued her studies at Barbara Ingram School for the Arts. She is currently a senior at Montclair State University, pursuing a BFA in Dance. During her time at Montclair, she has had the privilege to perform works by Stefanie Batten Bland, Omar Román de Jesús, Maleek Washington, Christian von Howard, Maxine Steinman, and Jessie DiMauro Marks. She strives to bring sincerity and emotional clarity to her performances, prioritizing connection to the movement, the space, and the audience.

Evan Harris (Columbus GA) is currently a senior at Montclair State University pursuing his BFA in dance. He previously attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for his last two years of high school. While at MSU, Evan has performed works by Kyle Abraham, Maleek Washington, Stefanie Batten Bland, and Bradley Shelver, among others. He has participated in intensives with companies including A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham, Doug Verone, and Limón.

Laila Garrett (Newark, NJ) is a senior at Montclair State University pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance and a minor in Philosophy. Laila began her dance training at Umoja Dance Studio under the direction of Karen Love, and proceeded on to study dance at Newark Arts High School. Laila has spent ample time exploring different street dance styles (Jersey Club, House, Hip Hop, etc.) and participated in organized dance battles for 3 consecutive years. Laila has attended intensives at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Earl Mosley Diversity of Dance, GALLIM, and Sidra Bell Dance New York. At MSU, Laila has performed works by Ronald K. Brown, Stefanie Batten-Bland, Camille A. Brown, Jessica DiMauro Marks, Maxine Steinman, & Maleek Washington, among others.

Lauren DelPrete (Boston, MA) trained at Charlotte Klein Dance Centers and is now pursuing a BFA in Dance with a minor in Business at Montclair State University. During her time at MSU, she has had the pleasure of performing works by Omar Román de Jesús, Maleek Washington, Stephanie Martinez, Stefanie Batten-Bland, Cameron McKinney, Brice Mousset, among others, and has performed at Montclair Dance Festival, Dixon Place, and EMIA’s ‘Dancing Beyond’. She has attended Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s EXPLORE intensive and CONCRETE Immersive Theater Intensive. She recently made her choreographic debut presenting her work ‘Impasse’ in the April 2025 Koresh Dance Company’s Artist Showcase and is excited to have another two works premiering in the next few weeks.

Britney Freas (Bradenton, FL) is currently a junior at Montclair State University pursuing her BFA in dance and a minor in business. During her time at MSU, Britney has performed works by Jessie DiMauro Marks, Cameron McKinney, Hollie Wright, Maxine Steinman, and Derek Crescenti. She believes the body is a site of embodied memory. Her work investigates the role of personal narrative and vulnerability, using an improvisational movement practice to generate reflected responses.  

Arianna Santana (Walden, NY) began her dance training at the Hudson Valley Conservatory and is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance with a minor in Social Work at Montclair State University. She has had the opportunity to perform works by choreographers such as Camille A. Brown, Cat Cogliandro, Maxine Steinman, and Jessica DiMauro Marks among others. As both a performer and choreographer, Arianna explores musicality, texture, and the body’s natural flow, drawing from her personal experiences and deep passion for storytelling. She strives to cultivate meaningful connections with audiences and fellow artists through her work, while continuing to evolve and define her artistic voice.

Daniela Soto-Gallego (Lyndhurst, NJ)  began her dance training at the age of 5. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Montclair Star University. Is currently working as a personal trainer and teaching at Broadway Bound Dance Center. She has performed competitively for 6 years before starting her collegiate dance career. Since starting at MSU she has performed in works by Camille A. Brown, Christian Von Howard, Maxine Steinman, Jessica Dimauro among others. Daniela has opened her horizons to exploring her artistry choreographically, which has led her to dancemakers 2026 where she and Arianna Santana created a work on the idea of codependency and what that looks like in different bodies and relationships. Her faith plays a large part in where she wants her future to go and how it drives her to create more. She wants to pursue more ideas and concepts that push boundaries, open minds and that welcome all.

Vanessa “Nessa” Martinez (East Hanover, NJ) is a senior BFA Dance major at Montclair State University. Growing up, she trained at For Dancers Only NJ and frequently took classes in NYC. Martinez has performed at venues including The Prudential Center, NJPAC, OSPAC, Nimbus Arts Center, Arts On Site and has had the pleasure of working with and performing works by Ronald K. Brown, Cat Cogliandro, Elisabetta Spuria, Maleek Washington, Stefanie Batten-Bland, Maxine Steinman, and Stephanie Martinez among others. As a choreographer, Nessa has presented works at MSU’s Dancemakers 2024 and 2025 showcases as well as MSU’s Senior Thesis Show (Quintessence). Martinez is currently a company member of KM Dance Collective as well as collaborator with Opus//the Company and has worked with Capezio Dancewear as a Capezio Athlete/Model.

Alexis “Lexi” Marshall (Cincinnati, OH) started her dance journey at Planet Dance Cincinnati and later continued her training at her high school; The School for Creative and Performing Arts. Currently Lexi studies at Montclair State University as a Junior Dance BFA major. While at Montclair State University she has gotten the opportunity to work with and perform works by Ronald K. Brown, Christian Von Howard, Derek Crescenti, Maxine Steinman and Jessica DiMauro Marks. As a performer, Lexi likes to create her movement from a genuine place that evokes passion and emotion. Along with that, she tends to play with the musicality and rhythmic elements of the choreography to show dynamic range.