Dancers Making Moves

Kyla Kikkawa (she/her) is a movement artist originally from Altadena, CA. A graduate from the Psychological & Brain Sciences Department at Washington University, Kyla is an interdisciplinary and lifelong learner. She lives for the healing power of movement, but her passions have also led her to play live music in hospitals in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Managua, Nicaragua. Kyla is an educator of neurodiverse and neurotypical youth, adults, and older adults and cares deeply about intergenerational and intercultural healing and exchange.

Kyla is a fusion dancer who lives between the concert and street dance worlds. She directed her college team WUHHU to a first place win at Prelude New England in 2023, and she battles in the KRUMP and all-styles dance scenes in St. Louis where she’s often one of if not the only female on the floor. In STL, she goes by Princezz X/O and is so grateful to find depth and community in both improvisational and choreographic works and worlds.

She strives to be an active uplifter of the city and a player in the explosion of a more interconnected and truly passionate St. Louis dance and arts community. Kyla is a proud member of the St. Louis KRUMP community, Arch Maddnezz, Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective, and Kode Redd Dance Company. Kyla enjoys pouring directly into or empowering those around her to be uniquely themselves, and to move in the way that they prefer while doing it. She also recently graduated from RAC’s Community Arts Training, and she looks forward to further incorporating somatic education into her work as a community builder. In due time, Kyla hopes to build bridges between art, science, and community, particularly regarding the accessibility and definitions of distinct forms of knowledge of the body, mind, and soul.

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the artists involved in this project at www.dancersmakingmoves.com.

Jorrell Lawyer-Jefferson holds his BA in Music and his MFA in Dance with an emphasis in Choreography from Sam Houston State University. He has performed works by Tommie-Waheed Evans, Bradley Shelver, Kirven Douthit- Boyd, Omar de Jesus, Jamar Roberts and Norbert de La Cruz III among others. He has also worked with directors Francesca Zambello, Rob Ashford, Robert Wilson, Phelim McDermmot and Louisa Proske in performance and design roles. In 2023, Jorrell was appointed the first Young Artist Choreographer for The Glimmerglass Festival in its 37 year history. This year, he continued his collaborative partnership with Proske alongside Vision into Arts and MetLiveArts as the choreographers and associate director of Primero Sueño, a new processional opera that premiered in January at the Met Cloisters. In February, Jorrell traveled to Detroit to remount the critically acclaimed opera Rinaldo with Proske. In December of 2025, he will travel to Mexico City and Puebla to reset Primero Sueńo, acting as the remount director. Jorrell specializes in both linear narrative and non-narrative work, emphasizing connection through contemporary partnering and improvisatory technologies. He is currently a company member with Saint Louis Dance Theatre and regularly teaches, collaborates and creates in the St. Louis, MO area.

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the artists involved in this project at www.dancersmakingmoves.com.

Gabriella Ray, born and raised in St. Louis, started her dance training early on, under the instruction of Christine Kardell. Through out high school Gabriella became a student at COCA (Center of Creative Arts) where she joined pre-professional companies Ballet Eclectica and COCAdance. She had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Darrell Grande Moultrie, Camille A. Brown, Kirven and Antonio Douthit-Boyd, and Alicia Graf Mack. She has also had the pleasure of learning repertoire from companies like Pilobolus and LeherDance. Gabriella is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She has a love for teaching young aspiring dancers and is a teaching artist at COCA. Gabriella is currently an apprentice Gyrotonic instructor and is working on her Level 1 certification as another way to share movement with others. Gabriella is in her 7th season with MADCO where she has had the privilege to perform works by choreographers such as Carl Flink, Christian Denice, Roni Koresh, Jennifer Archibald, RAW Dance, and Arianna Russ. It is an honor for Gabriella to teach, perform, and give back to the community that has always been home!

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the artists involved in this project at www.dancersmakingmoves.com.

"Coming up in our culture is therapy, and why we not statistics. Whether you studio or street."

Theron Steele is a St. Louis native and currently a leader in the dance community for funk, experimental, and all styles. "Theo" has a mixed background in dance, having been involved early on and benefited from wonderful mentors who allowed him to experience a lot in both work and creative opportunities. His journey began at age 7 in church, dancing and miming at churches and parties around the city. One year later, through his older cousin, he discovered hip-hop and learned his first wave and the robot.
Thereafter, the city of St. Louis and neighboring states became his training ground for dance, where he immersed himself in parties, skating rinks, and workshops as a student of the culture, taking performance opportunities at every turn. Mr. Duane Foster, Theo's mentor since middle school, made great efforts to place him in front of better experiences, workshops and teachers. He studied Graham, Horton, and Ailey, learning while working to catch buses or trains to nearby states for workshops.
If not there, he was at the library, researching through YouTube. He started his first studio teaching job at 16. After graduation, Theo began working within the school system and found several studio homes in STL, spanning over 15 years of working with all ages and abilities. He's since added festival and flow or circus arts, communities traveling across the country to teach hip-hop and popping/animating to dubstep, which is his preferred style. Theo's current goals are to reform the approach to the dance community in St. Louis and to establish a combined effort of studio and street dance to promote our city's scenes together and create long-lasting communities.

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CiCi Kai (they/them), from St. Louis, MO, began their dance journey at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) and is a 2024 alum of Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where they earned a B.F.A. in Contemporary Dance Performance. Through the Dancers Making Moves project, CiCi is reintroducing their artistry by sharing moments of their injury recovery journey through poetry. While injuries are common, they believe the most intriguing and unique part of the process is the in-between stage. The journey of transformation involves navigating the complexities of emotions, mindset, self-talk, and mental health while rebuilding the physical body. Their work aims to shed light on how injuries can shift a person’s perception of one’s self and the process of embracing a new version of self after the impact of an injury. CiCi has much to express about the profound impact of a torn ACL and meniscus tear, finding it fascinating that once healed, you don’t look like what you have been through, the internal journey. As a movement artist, they aspire to create space for open conversations about these experiences and expand their artistry across art mediums.

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the artists involved in this project at www.dancersmakingmoves.com.

Maura Caldwell-Thompson is a local dance educator, choreographer, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Dance at Webster University. A St. Louis native with over 20 years of experience teaching dance to all levels and ages, Maura also has professional dance experience with MADCO. She currently serves as a choreographer and assistant director of the Dance Arts Company at Devine Performing Arts and sits on the executive board of Ballet314, where she has also served as a community cast coordinator for their Nutcracker productions for the past four years. Maura’s passion for promoting health and wellness within dance and performance is deeply informed by her background in psychology and counseling. She holds a Master’s in Clinical Counseling and is a certified yoga instructor. She is the co-founder of Restore Nutrition and Therapy, a private practice focused on helping athletes and performing artists achieve a balanced relationship with food and body, and the owner of Balance Within, LLC, specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, trauma, grief, anxiety, and depression.
Through Washington University, she also provides therapy services for families of children receiving care in St. Louis Children’s Hospital Heart Center. Maura is a best-selling author and an arts and education advocate. She lives in St. Louis with her wife and their five children.

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the artists involved in this project at www.dancersmakingmoves.com.

Emmi Small (she/her) grew up in Newport, RI training at The Academy at Newport Contemporary Ballet. Emmi is currently performing as a company dancer with Resilience Dance Company and Ballet 314, both of St. Louis, MO. She holds a BFA in Dance and BS in Public Health from University of Massachusetts Amherst (2019), where she studied ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, composition, ballroom, improvisation, contact improvisation, and West African. She has also performed with the St. Louis Dance Theatre, Newport Contemporary Ballet, and Emily Duggins Dance Project. She’s had the pleasure of performing choreography by Shannon Gillen and Jason Cianciulli of VIM VIGOR, Rosanna Tavarez, David Dorfman, Maria Blanco & Yariana Baralt Torres of LOUD BODIES, Mike Esperanza, Annie Rigney, Kia Smith, Rosanna Tavarez, Miki Ohlsen, Danielle Genest, Victoria Lynn Awkward, Cassie Wang, Emily Duggins Ehling, Emilia Sandoval, Thomas Vacanti, Barbie Diewald, Jen Pollins, Goeff Alexander, Paul Dennis, Betsi Graves, Emily Duggins Ehling, Jackie Nowicki, Johnnie Cruise Mercer, Staycee Pearl, Donna Salgado, and Ted Thomas & Francis Ortiz. When she’s not performing, you can find Emmi developing her own choreography. In the spring of 2022, Emmi choreographed a duet titled "Just Now" which premiered at the Chapel Venue. In February of 2024, Emmi’s piece “Role Reversal” premiered on the St. Louis Dance Theatre trainees. Most recently, she premiered a new work through Resilience Dance Company in February of 2025. She is also the social media coordinator at Resilience Dance Company, a certified STOTT Pilates instructor, and dance instructor for students aged three through adult! You can find her at Freeman Pilates, Central Studio, St. Louis Academy of Dance, and Turning Pointe Academy of Dance teaching Pilates, ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and contemporary.

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the artists involved in this project at www.dancersmakingmoves.com.

Sam is a freelance artist, choreographer, and educator. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Dance and Bachelor of Arts in both Psychology and Dance, with a minor in Visual Art, from Washington University in St. Louis. Bridging the gap between professional concert dance and theatre, her choreography often uses humor as a tool for social commentary. Sam brings her jubilant spirit to both the stage and her teaching practice. After serving two years as the Dance and Pre-Professional Division Manager at the Center of Creative Arts, Sam decided to return to full-time freelance work. She currently serves as a Rehearsal Assistant and choreographer for COCA’s Pre-Professional Contemporary/Modern company, and as a member of the Faculty where she teaches advanced Jazz and Horton technique. She teaches company class for Resilience Dance Company, is a STEAM Educator at Laumeier Sculpture Park, and teaches adult classes at St. Louis Academy of Dance as well! In the past she has served as an adjunct professor at local universities, a teacher, choreographer, academic coach and mentor, and more. Choreography credits include St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, Washington University and Saint Louis University, New Jewish Theatre, Stray Dog Theatre, the Big Muddy Dance Company (now known as St. Louis Dance Theatre) and Consuming Kinetics Dance Company. Originally from Nashville, TN, her dance training background includes ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, modern, hip-hop, and improvisation. She attended the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Professional Division Summer Intensive at 16 years old as well. Her extensive training and performance background in both dance and theatre have greatly informed her work as a choreographer and teaching artist.

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the artists involved in this project at www.dancersmakingmoves.com.

Dawn Karlovsky is the Founder and Artistic Director of Karlovsky & Company Dance. Her thought-provoking, athletic, and emotionally candid dances have been commissioned and presented by universities and modern dance/theatre companies worldwide and in major cities of the United States including Webster University and Washington University in St. Louis, University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Minnesota-Duluth, University of Utah, American College Dance Association (ACDA), California State University-Dominguez Hills, Ressl Dance, Christopher Watson Dance Co. (Minneapolis), Kinetic Evolutions (Minneapolis), That Uppity Theater (St. Louis), Dance St. Louis - Spring To Dance Festival & Contemporary Moves, MachineHDance NY (New York City), Shawl-Anderson Dance Center (San Francisco-Bay area) among others. International credits include choreography commissioned by Le Théatre du Rouret and Le Communauté de Culture de Couloisy in France, Cie Haute Tension (France), Tsinghua University (Beijing, China), and with New World Dance Theatre in Cape Town (South Africa) for a 2-week performance and teaching residency.
 

Karlovsky’s movement language is somatically inspired emphasizing the detailed use of touch and spatial and sensory awareness. Her movement expresses personal intention with interpersonal connectivity, along with a full-bodied flow that takes advantage of gravity, momentum, and internalized reactions. Karlovsky finds inspiration for movement by observing and reflecting on situations of living and modes of communication that reveal human interactions and behaviors, and generating dance work that illuminates these experiences. She looks to nature, psychology, music, and science to further fuel her creativity. Karlovsky is fascinated by process-driven work involving multifaceted collaboration with musicians, visual artists, poets, singers, filmmakers, and other choreographers. Karlovsky believes that these enriching opportunities augment and extend our shared, creative potential contributing to compassionate thinking and individual growth.
 

A native of Chicago, Dawn Karlovsky came to St. Louis in 1997 after dancing and touring with companies in San Francisco, Louisville, and Chicago. Karlovsky teaches Modern Dance and the Alexander Technique at Washington University/University College and Webster University in St. Louis, and is a nationally certified teacher of the Alexander Technique (AmSAT) since 2004. She is a recipient of the Artist Fellowship Award in Dance (2015) by The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis.

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the artists involved in this project at www.dancersmakingmoves.com.

Carmen R. Guynn, a St. Louis native, is a distinguished stylist, instructor, and advocate for Latin/Afro-Latin culture, with over 25 years of experience in the arts. As a versatile artist, Carmen excels in all Afro-Latin dances. She was crowned Miss Salsa St. Louis in 2002 and has performed both nationally and internationally. As Founder, Owner, and Artistic Director of Almas Del Ritmo Dance Company LLC, Carmen directs multiple dance teams within the company and founded the first St. Louis Touch Franchise from Island Touch Dance Academy.

In 2010, Carmen founded the St. Louis International Salsa/Bachata Congress, an event that has left a lasting impact on the city's cultural landscape by embracing Afro-Latin music and dance. Her teams and productions have been featured on shows such as MTV MADE and Welcome to Sweetie Pies. Carmen has also choreographed for productions like SOY YO! I Am Me, Afro-Latina Suite, and A Call 2 Conscience’s A Post-Racial America Vol. 2. Currently, Carmen is performing in Rock of Ages as the principal “Justice Charlier” at Alfresco Art Center and has earned Award winning performances in her acting in The Color Purple and In the Heights.

In addition to her artistic career, Carmen is a passionate advocate against human trafficking. She led the Coalition Against Trafficking and Exploitation, and works with organizations, and the Missouri Attorney General to combat trafficking, using dance as a tool for raising awareness.

Carmen is a Christian who values her faith and family. She is also a motivational speaker, life/business coach. She is a member of Hispanic Educational Cultural and Scholarship Fund, and Safe Dance Spaces. She holds a B.S. in Biology with a minor in dance from Webster University, an MBA from Fontbonne University, and a certificate in Evidence-Based Coaching from Fielding Graduate University. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the artists involved in this project at www.dancersmakingmoves.com.