Aimee McDonald is Artistic Director of Terpsichore Collective, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She headed Terpsichore's Kitchen from 1998-2009, producing the annual Dancing in Summer choreographic showcase, as well as a series of showings and performances. Her work has been shown in the United States, Edinburgh, Scotland, and Montreal. After an extended hiatus from the stage due to motherhood and recovery from an auto accident, she returned as both choreographer and dancer for live stage work and screendance projects. Since relaunching the re-imagined company in 2023, her stage works have been shown at the Ambrosia Theatre in Grand Rapids, at the Detroit Collage Dance Festival, Shape//Matter, and Detroit Dance City Festival Choreographers Showcase, and her dance films have been shown in numerous festivals and screenings. She is also a founding member of Ann Arbor Dance Network, which supports professional contemporary dance performance, collaboration, and higher level class opportunities for the Ann Arbor area. Aimee received her BFA in Dance from the University of Michigan. Photo by Kirk Donaldson.

Kari Becker received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Dance Arts from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, England. Throughout college, she trained with Liz Lerman, Doug Verone, and Peter Sparling and performed in works by David Dorfman, Robin Wilson, and Jessica Fogel. Her senior thesis was chosen to be performed at the American College Dance Association. Kari spent a decade dancing in Chicago with various companies including Concert Dance, Inc. led by Venetia Stifler. She performed in a PBS Emmy-nominated broadcast performance of Ruth Page’s classic ballet, Billy Sunday, and performed on the opening night of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2008 season. Kari has worked with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago as a lead teaching artist through their educational outreach programs and with After School Matters/Gallery37. Currently, Kari is co-chair of Friends of Dance at the University of Michigan and teaches with Ballet Chelsea’s Adaptive Dance Program which brings movement into the special needs classrooms of the Ann Arbor Area. She is so excited to be dancing and helping with outreach for Terpsichore Collective!

Mackenzie Kalinowski is originally from Bangor, Michigan and graduated from Hope College in 2022 with a BA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a minor in Business. Mackenzie was previously a member of DDCDances under the instruction of Barbara Selinger but has had the privilege of training under many talented instructors including Sharon Wong, Tracy Dunbar, Crystal Frazier, Matthew Farmer, Jasmine Mejia and Julie Powell. Mackenzie was also previously a company member of the H2 Dance Company, as well as StrikeTime Dance Theater where she had the pleasure of performing works for child audiences as well as being a part of a children’s TV miniseries. Mackenzie has choreographed for many shows including Student Dance Showcases, Anchor Film Festival, Ballet Club, Perspective Dance Concert, as well as a special project for the West Michigan Symphony. In the summer of 2022, she had privilege of studying and performing in Paris at The Centre de Danse du Marais. Mackenzie is currently an Assistant Theater Technician at The Village Theater and was previously a part of the Performing Arts Technician Staff at Hope College where she served as Assistant Lighting Designer for Eric Van Tassel on the shows Ordinary Days and Eurydice, as well as Head Electrician for the show Bright Star. In the fall of 2021, she served as stage manager and head lighting designer for Hope College’s ‘Ballet Movement Lab’ production Sunday in the Snow. Along with this Mackenzie was a part of the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre Company in 2021 as the Electrics Intern and served as Assistant Lightning Designer for Katy Atwell on the production of Children of a Lesser God. Photo by Kirk Donaldson.

Currently based in Ann Arbor, MI, Rowan Janusiak (they/them) is a queer, interdisciplinary artist creating work that stimulates audiences to question societal standards imposed around pleasure and play. They are a recent graduate of the University of Michigan with a dual degree in Dance and Applied Exercise Science. Their recent endeavors include presenting their choreographic work at the Detroit Dance City Festival and Midwest RAD Fest, serving as Event Manager for Embody Dance Conference, and performing as a drag artist, creating otherworldly makeup and fashion looks while exercising their dance training and raw performance quality on the stage. To learn more about Rowan you can visit their website at https://rowanjanusiak.wixsite.com/howdyrowan or follow them on Instagram @howdyrowan.

S. Jean Lee is a life-long student of dance and lover of the arts. Her movement background includes ballet, modern, contemporary, improvisation, hip hop, and yoga and is informed by academic engagement in dance history, choreography, and criticism. 

After training with Moscelyne Larkin at the Tulsa School of Ballet and apprenticing with Tulsa Ballet Theatre (now Tulsa Ballet), Jean earned a certificate in Theater & Dance and Gender Studies along with her major concentration in Sociology at Princeton University. She trained under Ze’eva Cohen and Diann Sichel, took courses in dance writing and criticism with Wendy Perron, and participated in The Princeton Atelier program founded by Toni Morrison. She also served as a dancer, choreographer, and President of BodyHype Dance Company, a student-run organization on campus. 

Over the years, Jean has been privileged to perform work by incredible artists including Jessica Lang, Martine Van Hamel, John Selya, Robert Garland, Emerson Aquino, Kyle Limin, and Jodie Randolph. She has also taught hip hop, jazz, and contemporary classes at Princeton University, Princeton Ballet School, and The Studio Centre.  In addition to her work with Terpsichore Collective, she is a member of IS/LAND - an interdisciplinary performance collaborative composed of AAPIA artists.

Jean is thrilled to be returning to dance after some time off to dig into motherhood and a career in college admissions. Fascinated by interdisciplinary art making, she is inspired by the magic made during open-minded collaboration and intellectually grounded creative exploration. Photo credit: Chien-an Yuan

Amy Cadwallader is a dancer, choreographer, pole dancer, performer, improviser, and educator currently living in Ann Arbor, MI. Amy earned an MFA in Dance at the University of Michigan, where she studied with faculty members Amy Chavasse, Jillian Hopper, Judy Rice, and Amy West. She earned a B.S. in Mathematics Education with minors in Dance and Spanish at Purdue University, where she studied with faculty members Rebecca Bryant, Melodie Carr, Carol Cunningham-Sigman, Holly Jaycox, Mary Beth Van Dyke, and Sally Wallace. Amy’s nontraditional partnering training originated with Purdue faculty and blossomed with guest artist Bill Wade of Inlet Dance Theatre. She trained in compositional improvisation with The Architects, Lower Left, at MICI in Lancaster, PA, and at Thinking Dance in NYC.  She studied Vaganova Ballet under Sandra Peticolas and Lisa Douglas of Lafayette Ballet School in Lafayette, IN.

Amy performs with Dance Uprising, Terpsichore Dance Collective, and the Ann Arbor Aviary. She has performed with The Precipitants, Detroit Circus, Resonant Bodies, and as a freelancer. Amy has performed throughout Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, and in Hamilton, ON. Her work has been featured in collaborative shows, mixed-bill programs, and full length evening productions.

Stephanie Harvey earned her BFA in Dance from Point Park University. Her performance career was spread across San Diego and San Francisco where she was a company dancer with Malashock Dance and also worked with Blythe Barton Dance, Garrett + Moulton Productions, Khamla Somphanh, Michael Mizerany, IsadoraNOW, San Diego Opera, among others. Stephanie has enjoyed teaching throughout her career and currently teaches at The Studio Centre in Ann Arbor, where she has lived with her family since 2018.

Lydia Di Iorio is a professional dancer whose training at a young age provided her the experience of working with influential choreographers such as Peter Sparling, Christopher Huggins, and Ray Mercer. She continued her training as part of Harrison High School's dance company under the direction of Toi Banks, and participated in the Alvin Ailey Pre-Professional Summer Program, Complexions Summer Intensive,  American Dance Festival, and Bates Dance Festival. Lydia received her BFA in Dance from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI where she had the honor of studying under Dr. Biba Bell, Meg Paul, Jeff Rebudal, Lisa LaMarre, Adesola Akinleye, Ariel Osterweis, and Sean Hoskins. Shortly after graduating, Lydia moved to Philadelphia, PA, performing with Melissa Rector, Azya Zlatina, Jim Bunting, and Samuel Reyes. Lydia later attended Drexel University in Philadelphia where she received her Master's degree in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling. Since moving back to Michigan in July of 2020, she has worked in schools with students with developmental disabilities, psychiatric hospitals with adults in crisis, and is currently part of Inspired Healing Therapy private practice serving as a telehealth therapist. Lydia is eager to return to the creative space and begin her first season with Terpsichore Collective. 

Lauren started studying ballet at age six at the Vaganova based Marsha Ismailoff Mark School of Ballet in Newtown, CT. Since then she has trained in many different styles and techniques.  She has performed locally with Ann Arbor Ballet Theater and Ballet Detroit. Prior to living in Michigan, Lauren worked, taught, choreographed and performed in Chicago as a freelance dancer and as a trainee with the Joel Hall Dancers. She is a senior trainer and instructor trainer at MOVE Wellness in Ann Arbor and has been teaching Pilates and the GYROTONIC® method for over 10 years. She has taught ballet at several Ann Arbor area studios and currently teaches at Ballet Chelsea and The Studio Centre. Lauren loves dance in general and ballet in particular and is devoted to the belief that everyone who wants to dance should be able to, regardless of background, skill level or previous training. Lauren holds a BA in English, a BFA in Theatre and an MS in Geological Sciences from the University of Michigan.

Lea Purrett is a professional dancer from New Baltimore, MI. She started her training as a competitive dancer at Drop Everything and Dance Studios in her hometown, and continued her education at Oakland University in Rochester, MI. 

While pursuing her BFA in Dance, Lea grew her technique and performance skills working with artists such as Ali Woerner, Christina Tasco, Stephanie Pizzo, Liz Riga, Greg Patterson, Craig Miller, Russel Tanenbaum, and so many more. In her third year at OU, Lea was in the dance program’s Repertory Dance Company, which was led by Thayer Jonutz. This program allowed her to gain skills in teaching to students and more performance opportunities. While at OU, she was the Treasurer her third year and Vice President her fourth year of the D.A.N.C.E.R.S. Board, and she was in the Honors College where she wrote her senior thesis on gender roles in dance, which received an award. 

Since earning her BFA in April of 2023, Lea dances professionally with Suttle Dance as well as teaches for the competitive team at Center Stage Dance Company in Oxford, MI. She is very excited to begin her first season with Terpsichore Dance Collective. 

Claire Bechard was a student of Gail Choate-Pettit and

Melissa Moore in Monroe, MI. In her early training, she attended summer intensives with the Boston Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Chicago, and BalletMet Columbus. She focused on pointe, partnering, contemporary, improv, and musical theater. In 2022 Claire received a BFA in dance performance from Wayne State University. In 2019 she joined Suttle Dance Detroit under the direction and choreography of Sylvia Suttle. She has performed at the Brighton Dance

Festival, The Michigan Ballet Festival, and Detroit City Dance

Festival. Her choreographic projects focus on multimedia productions relating to interpersonal relationships, nature, and dance in the community. During her youth, she began student teaching, developing into a passionate career in dance education for the River Raisin Ballet Company, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Jordan Mack Adult Dance, and Monroe Public Schools. Professionally she has been working as an arts

administrator for the River Raisin Centre for the Arts, managing programming and communications.

Amy Hutchison is a dancer, teacher and choreographer. She is in her 10th season with DDCdances where she is also a company technique teacher and rehearsal director. Amy received her early classical ballet training with the Saginaw Valley Dancers under the direction of Doris Marsh. She was a company member of the Farrell Ballet Theatre from 2006-2010 while earning her BA in Psychology from Kalamazoo College. A member and guest choreographer for People Dancing since 2010, she has danced in numerous works by Christina Sears and has also performed in works by Lisa Lamarre and Paty Solórzano. She has attended workshops and studied with numerous modern dance companies including Paul Taylor, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, and The Limón Dance Company, among others. In 2018 she had the opportunity to study at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity with L-E-V dance company. With DDCdances, she has performed at RADfest in Kalamazoo, Oakland Dance Festival, the Detroit Dance City Festival, and in 2018 and 2019 performed at the Bill Evans Somatic Dance Conference in Geneva, NY. She was featured with the company on Detroit Public TV PBS "Detroit Performs" in 2020. Amy's choreography has been presented at 555 Gallery (Detroit), Oakland Dance Festival, and on DDCdances. Other recent guest performances include with the Eastern Michigan University Choir and at The Green Room, Ann Arbor. Amy is a certified GYROTONIC® instructor and also teaches ballet and modern dance.

Marly Spieser-Schneider graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in Dance and is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor. Spieser-Schneider currently works as a Lecturer in the Dance Department at Eastern Michigan University, in program development and as a Facilitator for support groups at Garrett’s Space, as an Iyengar Yoga Instructor at Yoga Focus Collective and freelance as an instructor, creator and director at various other locations. She is rich in curiosity and believes wholeheartedly in the power of creativity and collaboration as vital skills in building the world we wish to live in. She strives to work with the body in a way that recognizes it as a source of power, a teacher, a tool for growth and a place for discovery and play. Her work - through teaching, facilitation, choreography, performance and personal practice - is all about using movement and our bodies as tools for self-realization, developing awareness and living well. She currently resides in Ypsilanti, Michigan where she teaches and creates work.  She resonates strongly with the below quote from Susan Raffo:

“Education, we all know, should support us to experience life, ours and what surrounds us. This means supporting us to be in deep relationship with our first and original homes: our physical bodies…” 

Photo: Kirk Donaldson

Dov (any pronouns) grew up dancing and figure skating in Canton, MI, and hasn't stopped moving or performing since. They see dance as a source of joy and sanity, and love to explore the intersection of silly and serious with performance art. They graduated from Oberlin college in 2023 with a BA in Psychology and Biology, and a minor in Statistics. On top of completing coursework in dance and contributing to Dance Department shows, they directed Oberlin's Burlesque performance club, jazz and tap company, and ballet club. They moved to Ann Arbor in fall 2023, and work as a lab manager for 3 psychology labs at the University of Michigan. They continue to dance as much as possible, including pole dance classes and dipping their toes into the local drag/burlesque performance scene, and they are very excited to be dancing with the Terpsichore Collective!