Dancers Making Moves

From a life-altering random act of gun violence, to a hip hop tour to China, Lorraine shares her resilient journey in dance that has now led to her first year of pursuing an MFA in Dance at Washington University in St. Louis.

Lorraine “Rain” Stippec earned her BFA in Dance from Webster University - graduating Magna Cum Laude with Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts Department Honors. Lorraine followed her passion for dance around the globe performing, teaching, and choreographing for community and professional theatre productions, dance on film, fundraisers, studios, collegiate and company concerts and much more. In 2017, Rain became a victim of a random act of gun violence and since surviving to tell the tale of her recovery has returned to the stage performing for EKHO Entertainment, CommUNITY Arts StL, and Angel Band Project. Along with podcast, radio and local network appearances, she has been a keynote speaker for numerous events - appearing on Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk interviewed by Jada Pinkett-Smith and a national commercial for The CW Network. Rain continues to pursue a motivational speaking career in conjunction with teaching and choreographing for choreographing across the country. She is grateful to be engaging with young tap dancers as the Pre-Professional Ensemble Program Director for STL Rhythm Collaborative and a performing company member with moSTLy TAP (recognized in 2023 by Dance Magazine’s Top 25 to Watch and as St. Louis Magazine’s Best Dance Company.) Rain is currently attending Washington University earning her Master of Fine Arts in Dance.

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

Up next, we're talking to Diamond Riley about her experiences in dance, photography, motherhood, and event planning. Whether she is dancing, capturing movement through her lens, or helping others connect with their artistry, she is committed to making an impact—one step, one shot, and one story at a time.

Diamond Israel Annē Riley is a professional dancer, photographer, and creative storyteller with over 20 years of experience in movement and artistry. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, and having lived in Hawaii, Texas, Florida, Colorado, and Missouri, she has trained in a wide range of styles, including modern, ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, hip hop, musical theater, heels, pom, lyrical, and contemporary. She earned her degree in dance from Pikes Peak State College, where she was a member of High Altitude Dance Company and interned with Ormao Dance Company, later performing as a company member. Now based in St. Louis, Missouri, Diamond performs with the Spirit of St. Louis Dancers, representing the Ambush soccer team and the UFL Battlehawks. Beyond performance, she has choreographed for high school dance teams, professional teams, and shared the stage with artists like Hana Canhasi, opening for Erica Banks' Cocky on Purpose tour. As the founder of Divine Society, Diamond is also dedicated to creating spaces that empower women and the LGBTQIA+ community through retreats, movement, and community with a goal to empower, educate, and enlighten all who attend. Her work extends beyond dance into photography, where she captures the essence of creatives, couples, and intimate moments through Diamond Israel Photography. Most importantly, Diamond is a mother, and her son inspires everything she does. Her goal is to continue performing, choreographing, and creating, showing him—and others—that it is possible to build a life around passion.

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

Dancers Making Moves founder and host Carly Vanderheyden sits down with current MFA in Dance candidate Tess Angelica Losada to learn about her unique journey in dance, as well as the research and process leading up to her upcoming thesis performance presentation later this month at Washington University in St. Louis.

Tess Angelica Losada is a Cuban-American dancer, choreographer, and scholar. She has lived and danced in the south of France, central Illinois, New Orleans, and is now based in St Louis. Currently, Tess is working towards her MFA in Dance at WashU and teaching Contemporary Partnering and Cross-Training for dancers in the Dance departments at WashU and Webster University. Tess’ research considers bicultural straddling, diasporic grief, liminality, and how identity is shaped by a lifetime of being ni de aquí, ni de allá. Her work is heavily inspired by her father’s stories of his migration away from Cuba and the rest of his life spent in exile between France and the United States. She has performed her work at various festivals, conferences, and events both nationally and internationally, most recently in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tess is currently creating her MFA capstone work, which will be presented in a split bill show entitled “¿Te puedo contar algo?” in March 2025 at the Edison Theater in St Louis. This work, tentatively titled “el cielo abajo” is an investigation into the past, present, and future memories of exile. In 2025, Tess will travel to Puerto Rico to conduct artistic research and create a new evening-length duet with collaborator Lourdes del Mar Santiago Lebrón, funded by a Global Futures grant from WashU. Prior to graduate school, Tess earned a BA in Dance Performance from Illinois State University, and spent the better part of a decade dancing, teaching, and performing in New Orleans. Tess has been featured in works by Stephanie Martinez/PARAMAR, the artist Monika Weiss, Kesha McKey, Donna Crump, Jennifer Harge, and Laurie Merriman, among others. Tess is also a third generation classical Pilates teacher with more than a decade of teaching experience, certified by Alycea Ungaro’s Real Pilates NYC teacher training program.

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

Join us for our first Dancers Making Moves podcast episode with Dawn Gilbertson, as we discuss costume changes, Variety STL, messy brains, relinquishing control, raising kids while being an artist, winning at Monopoly, the MUNY, staying grounded, Napoleon Dynamite, dance as couples therapy, being a resource, "side passions", creating community, and more! 

Dawn Gilbertson is a dancer moving in all directions! In one week you’ll see Dawn teaching dance at Variety, Stages, COCA, Lifetime, Promise and her own wedding dance company, First Dance StL. Her passion for dancing and the arts has been extended by her love of introducing dance to new people from all walks of life. Whether she’s helping kids prepare for an upcoming musical or helping a couple create a unique dance for this wedding, Dawn delights in watching dance come to life in each of the students she works with. As a former company member, she sits on the Board for Saint Louis Dance Theatre and has chaired many of their galas and mentored trainees in past years. Dawn also volunteers at Whitfield School where she is currently the VP of Communications for the Parent Council. She is a current board member for La Voute as well. Dawn is also an artist of other mediums and spends her free time painting acyclic on canvas. Her Dance education comes from Monona Academy of Dance in Wisconsin, Boston Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet and Point Park College. Degrees in Finance, French and Dance from the University of Iowa. Local work at COCA, The Muny: Bye Bye Birdie (2011) and King and I (2012) as well as their 100th anniversary (2018). The Big Muddy Dance Company (2010-2016); New Dance Horizons, Spring To Dance, St. Louis Dance Festival, Drea’s Dream, and Variety Dinner with the stars. Director of Dance at Variety, Children’s Charity. Productions include. Variety Theatre: Tigerlily in Peter Pan(2013), The Little Mermaid(2014), Mary Poppins(2015), Beauty and the Beast(2016), Wizard of Oz(2017) and Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins again in (2018 and 2019). Married to Jason for 23 years and mother to Tanner, Brielle and Nash!

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

Welcome to Dancers Making Moves, a new podcast exploring individual experiences in pursuing a career in dance. Tune in for captivating dialogue with St. Louis based professional dance artists, hosted by Carly Vanderheyden, as we dig deep into the essence of what it means to be a professional dancer. From classical ballet, to street styles, tap, and contemporary forms, these talented artists are ready to share their personal stories, how their life experiences have influenced their artistic journey, and ways to connect with their work in the future. Follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts, and tune in for inspiring stories as we explore the multifaceted and meaningful work of professional dancers. 

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the project www.dancersmakingmoves.com.