Aimee McDonald is Artistic Director of Terpsichore Collective and producer of Dancing in Summer, The Festival, which is three days of events featuring professional showcases, master classes, film screening, and an open choreographers showing.

Aimee 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. 

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In 2023, 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 reimagined company in April 2023, her works have been shown in a Terpsichore Collective produced open showing, Detroit Dance Collage Festival, as a guest artist for Atelier Dance Company in Grand Rapids, at Detroit Dance City Festival’s professional showcase, RAD Fest, Ann Arbor Dance Network Launch Event at Ypsi Freight House, Shape//Matter Showcase, and at Dance Uprising’s choreographers showing in Ann Arbor, as well as at Dancing in Summer, The Festival,  and at Terpsichore Collective’s annual autumn concerts. 

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As Artistic Director she oversees the ChoreoLab Project, connecting emerging to accomplished choreographers with dancers and rehearsal space, and providing a produced performance platform to showcase their works. She has danced for numerous independent choreographers. With Terpsichore Collective she has performed works by guest artist, Peter Sparling, and will be performing Martha Graham’s seminal work Lamentation on the Terpsichore 2026 season program.

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In moving into the area of Screendance/Dance for Camera, she has worked with Peter Sparling, Cara Hagan, and Mitchell Rose. In 2024 she co-directed with Teri Sarris the documentary Local Movement: Five Decade of Dance in Ann Arbor, commissioned by the Ann Arbor District Library. She is a founding member of Ann Arbor Dance Network. Aimee received her BFA in Dance from the University of Michigan and is also a GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Master Trainer.

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!

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Performer, teacher, and choreographer Carly Liegel hails from Madison, WI. Liegel completed her BFA in Dance at Indiana University where she had the privilege to star in works by Twyla Tharp, Juel D. Lane, Beatrice Capote, Elizabeth Shea, and Selene Carter. Upon graduation, Liegel moved to Chicago. In the city, she was a company member with Alluvion Dance Chicago while also performing in works with Hot Crowd, Darvin Dances, and other freelance artists at theaters such as Ruth Page Center for the Arts, the Athenaeum Center, and the Edge Theater.

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Liegel’s choreography has been showcased at Detroit Dance City Festival, Inaside's Choreography Competition, Alluvion's Arrive Festival, Trifecta’s A New Light Festival, and JoffeyNext at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Carly co-created RAMBLE with Megan Kudla - a sold-out collage performance of dance, live music, theater, and the lyrics of Led Zeppelin that premiered at Links Hall in July 2023. She also directed Shed Light on the Subject with Faith Hagerty in August 2024 - an evening that reimagined how to restage works and engage audiences with dance; Liegel and Hagerty were the inaugural recipients of Dovetail Studio’s 16x2 Performance Series. 

While in Chicago, Carly worked with the Joffrey Ballet as a jazz instructor, yoga instructor, and community engagement program coordinator. As program coordinator, Carly led Joffrey’s Bridge Program -providing ballet education and scholarships for students across Chicago Public Schools- and piloted Joffrey’s Dancing with Parkinson’s Program in partnership with Northwestern Medicine. 

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Liegel is a RYT 200, a trained Dance for PD instructor, and an active member of Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, Dance Masters of Wisconsin, and the National Dance Education Organization. 

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Carly is excited to be dancing with Terpsichore Collective upon landing in Ann Arbor.

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. 

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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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

Lynn Tofil, born and raised in Southeast Michigan, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance from Wayne State University. She spent the early part of her career post grad performing contemporary works in Seattle with artists such as Sleep Nod, Relay Dance Collective, HYPERNOVA Contemporary Dance Company, Wade Madsen, and many other local artists. Her dance writing is published on Seattledances.com, where she has written several articles including reviews, interviews, and previews covering the Seattle dance scene. In 2018, she received an Artist Trust GAP Grant for her work Things That Need To Be Done, which she then expanded into a 5 hour durational performance that premiered in 2019 at Base: Experimental Arts & Space. Her choreography has been featured as part of On The Boards' long running program, 12 Minutes Max, Drove (Chlo & Co Dance, San Francisco), Suttle Dance, Detroit Dance Exchange, and Slow Burn Dance Company. Lynn now lives in Ann Arbor where she dances, choreographs, and teaches Pilates. She is excited to be on the stage with Terpsichore Collective.