The International premiere of TAPESTRY, a dance-theater collaboration between Karlovsky & Company Dance and Divadlo Štúdio Tanca of Slovakia opening March 21-22 at The Grandel Theatre
STAGED – New Works in Contemporary and Experimental Dance
2026
November 13 | 7:30pm
November 14 | 2:00pm (New Matinee!)
November 14 | 7:30pm
The Grandel
3610 Grandel Square
St. Louis, MO 63103
Financial assistance for this project has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, the Regional Arts Commission, The Kranzberg Arts Foundation, and by private donors.
Karlovsky & Company Dance
Company Members and Choreographers
Dawn Karlovsky
Founder / Director
DAWN KARLOVSKY is the Founder and 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 nationally and worldwide. International credits include Le Théatre du Rouret and Cie Haute Tension in France, Tsinghua University in Beijing, New World Dance Theatre in South Africa, Divadlo Štúdio tanca in Banka Bystrica, Slovakia, and served as an Artist in Residence at Moulin Belle in France.
A native of Chicago, Dawn came in St. Louis after dancing with companies in San Francisco, Louisville, and Chicago. Additionally, Karlovsky is a 5th generation Isadora Duncan dancer who has been studying and performing the Duncan repertoire with Dr. Alice Bloch since 2005. She has an MFA from the University of Utah and a BA from Northern Illinois University.
Dawn teaches at Washington University and in the Department of Dance at Webster University in St. Louis. She is a nationally certified teaching member of the American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT) since 2004 and Chair of AmSAT's Committee for the Alexander Technique in the Performing Arts (CATPA). Dawn is a recipient of an Artist Fellowship in dance awarded by The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis.
Photo credits: Carly Vanderheyden
Summer Beasley
Assistant Director - Education Coordinator
Summer is a founding member of Karlovsky & Company Dance since 2012. She has danced and choreographed across the U.S. and has been working on projects with Dawn Karlovsky since 2004. As a member of Karlovsky & Company Dance, Summer enjoyed opportunities to tour with the company, both nationally and internationally, including to France, South Africa, and Slovakia. Summer holds a MFA from Lindenwood University in Movement with an emphasis in Theater, and a BFA in Dance from Webster University. Currently, she teaches dance, creative movement, and yoga at MICDS. Her yoga certificate includes the completion of a 200 hour yoga teacher training with Pam Schulte and a 95 hour children’s yoga teacher training with Lisa Roberts.
Zoe DeYoung
Choreographer /
Company Member
Zoe (she/her) is movement artist, writer and educator based in St. Louis, Missouri. Her practice bridges social dance, subtle energy and the written word.
Her training began at Briscuso Dance Studio with her grandmother as her first teacher. Zoe holds degrees in Dance and Journalism from Webster University, where she performed works by Pilobolus and Abby Z and the New Utility. Continuing her training at American Dance Festival, she performed as a guest artist with choreographer Tú Hóang. Her recent performance credits include Space Station Dance, Resilience Dance Company’s Collective Realities, MADCO’s Dare to Dance, and served as collaborator and dramaturg for Chew & Spit, directed by Marlee Doniff. Zoe’s choreography has been commissioned by St. Louis Contemporary Dance Festival, and she has choreographed works for Webster University and Karlovsky and Company Dance. Zoe enjoys collaborating across disciplines and communities, and she is honored to begin her second season as a company member with Karlovsky & Company Dance.
Photo credit: Gabriel Avalos
Liliana Merifield
Choreographer / Company Member
Liliana has trained for over a decade at DaySpring Arts and Education, studying ballet, modern, jazz, tap, musical theatre, voice, and acting. From 2017 to 2018, she was a trainee with Common Thread Contemporary Ballet, focusing on modern techniques and performing company repertoire. She earned her BFA in Dance from Lindenwood University in 2022, working with choreographers such as Madison Hicks, Nsquared Dance, Lindsay Hawkins, and Tricia Zweier.
Liliana has performed at regional festivals including the Big Muddy Dance Festival, Midwest RadFest, the American Collegiate Dance Association, St. Louis Fringe Festival, and Seen: STL. In 2024, she presented her original work The Well-Being of All Life and Creations, Organic or Otherwise at The Red Gate Gallery in St. Louis. The following year she toured internationally in Slovakia with Karlovsky & Company Dance in collaboration with Divadlo Štúdio Tanca. Her creative work also includes dance filmmaking—her short film Upward and Over was featured in ACDA’s Screendance category. Now in her fourth season with Karlovsky & Company Dance, Liliana also serves as Performing Arts Department Head at DaySpring Arts and Education.
Tayler Kinner
Company Member
Tayler Kinner grew up with a passion for movement and dance. They hold a BFA in Dance and a minor in Advertising & Marketing Communications from Webster University, graduating with departmental honors. Tayler spent several years in San Francisco where she worked with contemporary and dance-theater companies including RAWdance, Alyssandra Katherine Dance, Tim Rubel Human Shakes, KWENTO, REYES Dance, and several independent artists.
They are the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Big Plate Dance, offering movement improvisation workshops to the public and bringing spontaneous and immersive works to audiences. She currently is Adjunct Faculty at Webster University and works with Karlovsky & Company Dance and Collective Motion. Tayler lives in St. Louis with their partner and two cats.
Melissa Miller
Choreographer / Company Member
Melissa began her dance training at The American Academy of Dance in Paris, France, under the direction of Meredith Hudson. She went on to earn a BFA from Belhaven University and pursued additional training with the José Limón Dance Foundation in New York.
She also holds an MFA in dance from Hollins University, in partnership with Metheor Physical Theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Miller has performed with the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation under Lori Belilove, Live Arts Opera directed by Nancy L'Heritier, The Physical Plant with Karesia Batan, Chattanooga Ballet, Chattanooga Dance Theatre, Duncan Dance South, and Ballet Esprit. Her original work was featured for four consecutive years at the Hunter Museum of American Art’s annual special exhibitions.
She is a teaching artist at the Center for Creative Arts, a contributing writer for St. Louis Dance HQ, and a company performer at Karlovsky & Company Dance.
Abigail Hinrichs
Choreographer /
Company Member
Abbie is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher native to St. Louis, Missouri. She earned her BFA from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance where she met her longtime partner and collaborator, Kalo Hoyle, while he was earning his Music Composition degree.
Abbie has worked for nine years at Central Studio where her teaching career has expanded under the mentorship of MaryEllen Bryan. As a complement to teaching dance, Abbie earned her Pilates certification in 2019 to provide another avenue of movement and healing to her students. She currently serves on the board of Community Arts STL; a non-profit dedicated to providing transportation and tuition scholarships for youth interested in arts education.
Abbie has danced professionally for ten seasons with a was & Company Dance where in addition to yearly mainstage performances, she has had the opportunity to tour internationally. She is a founding member of Ballet 314 and has performed for eight seasons in roles such as “Toymaker” in The Nutcracker and the 1904 World’s Fair (2024, 2025) and “Elizabeth Proctor” in The Accused (2025). If we she’s not dancing or teaching, you can find Abbie at home with her partner and cats in their South City backyard turned wildflower prairie.
Ramona Orion
Choreographer /
Company Member
Ramona is a St.Louis-based dancer, writer, and teacher. Her creative/movement/life approach is informed by play and the many ways it can be leaned into. Risk and tension are exciting. Her background in somatics and improvisation deepen this practice. She holds a BA in Dance from Webster University, where she also studied psychology and expressive arts therapy. Ramona began working with Space Station Dance in 2022. In the years since she has choreographed, performed, and done production and lighting design for the organization. Now, she is in her second year as Assistant Director, working with both Robbie Van Ness and Jacob Henss to showcase experimental dance in St.Louis. She is in her third year as a company member with Karlovsky & Company Dance.
Sam Schenkein
Company Member
Sam began his dance training in 2003 with Irena Brecher and Misha Gabriel in Denver, Colorado, where he danced with a variety of studios and companies including Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and the Colorado Ballet. He decided to continue his education at Webster University in St Louis, pursuing a BFA in Dance and graduating with Departmental Honors in 2023. He worked with artists including Maggi Dueker, Beckah Reed, Xi Zhao, Betsy Brandt, Dawn Karlovsky, and Michael Uthoff through both class and performances with the Webster University Dance Ensemble. He also had the honor of participating in and performing through residencies with Fiona Lundie (Abby Z and the New Utility), Kurt Douglas (Limón Dance Company), and Rodney Hamilton (Ballet Hispánico), among others. Sam was further given the incredible opportunity to study abroad and perform in Accra, Ghana, learning traditional Ghanaian Dance and Drumming styles. This is Sam’s third season with Karlovsky and Co Dance!
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Jane Tellini
Company Member
Jane is a St. Louis-based movement artist, choreographer, and educator whose practice explores tension, vulnerability, and the complexities of the human experience. She holds a BFA from Stephens College and an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis, where she began exploring the intersection of concert dance and ritual performance. Her additional training includes acrobatic stilts and physical theater with Carpetbag Brigade and Nemcatacoa Teatro, as well as Butoh and ritual performance with Diego Piñón of Body Ritual Movement and Nathan Montgomery of Syzygy Butoh and the MESA Project.Her performance experience spans dance, theater, music, and interdisciplinary work, with recent performance credits including the WALLEYE Project, Chew + Spit residency, and various song and dance acts with MO Variety. Her choreography has been presented at the 2026 Space Station Dance Residency, SIUE’s XFest, and MADCO’s Dare to Dance; her dance film touch / no touch was exhibited at Houska Gallery, and her original songs have been featured on television shows Brothers & Sisters, Hart of Dixie, and Hell on Wheels. Jane teaches dance at Saint Louis University, collaborates in St. Louis’ experimental arts scene, and is enjoying her first season with Karlovsky & Company Dance.
Emily Shockley
Company Member
Emily is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer native to St. Louis. She holds a BA in Dance from Southeast Missouri State University where she also studied and received a BS in Mass Communications. While at SEMO, she had the opportunity to work with several guest artists such as Kristopher Estes-Brown, Jennifer Archibald, Emily Schoen Branch, Emily Haussler, and Mike Esperanza. Throughout her dance career, she has trained all over the St. Louis area in dance, musical theater and voice, and has had the pleasure of participating in a number of different shows hosted by local STL dance companies and artists. Emily has also trained and performed in numerous other cities such as Milwaukee, WI, Oklahoma City, OK, and Kalamazoo, MI. She is the former assistant dance coach for Nerinx Hall, and she is a certified NAIA collegiate dance judge. Emily is thrilled to be in her fourth season with Karlovsky & Company Dance!
Xi Zhao
Guest Choreographer
Xi Zhao (she/her) received her MFA in Performance and Choreography from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and her MA in Dance Choreography at the School of Dance, Minzu University of China. Renowned as a choreographer, producer, and educator, she has received numerous awards for her innovative works, blending traditional and contemporary elements.
Zhao is the founder and artistic director of The NEW-Beijing New Dance Festival. From 2015 to 2020, the festival presented over 100 international artists and companies from more than 25 countries to perform and teach in Beijing, introducing many contemporary dance artists and companies from Central and Eastern Europe to China for the first time. For her contribution, Zhao was honored with the "Award MENADA for Extraordinary Achievement in the Field of Contemporary Dance" at the Dance Fest Skopje in North Macedonia in 2019. Zhao was a tenured lecturer at the School of Dance, Minzu University of China for 12 years before joining Webster University’s Dance Department as a Visiting Guest Artist. She now serves as a faculty member and artistic director of the Webster University Dance Ensemble.
Dedicated to fostering cultural exchange, Zhao has actively engaged with the Asian community through her teaching and creative service. She founded the Asian Culture and Arts Exchange, an inclusive platform for artistic collaboration, education, and cross-culture dialogue.
Collaborators
TORY STARBUCK (Composer/Musician) has been composing, recording and performing experimental art rock muzik since 1980. The sound is a fusion of electronic sounds influenced by Asian folk and eclectic new wave. He is an active member of the St. Louis music scene performing regularly at a variety of venues with his band, The Tory Starbuck Project, including The Sheldon Theater, and other venues outside the region including Columbia, MO and Belleville, IL. Tory Z Starbuck composes and performs music for dancers and has been collaborating with Dawn Karlovsky on numerous dance projects since 2006. With Karlovsky & Company Dance, Tory has had the opportunity to tour with the company to San Francisco in 2019 and to France in 2018, and Slovakia in 2025.
Lighting Designer
DAVID LAROSE is freelance Lighting Designer based in the Saint Louis Region. David’s lighting design work in the Saint Louis area includes: Inspire Fashion Show for the United Way, Dear Jack, Dear Louise for New Jewish Theatre, Don McClain, T-7A Red Hawk for Boeing, The Saint Louis Children’s Choir, Branford Marsallis, RENT, Interwoven I & II, Tower of Power, Terry Fator, and The 44th Dances Of India. David is a proud father of two, an avid gardener, and enjoys being outside.
Community Guest Artists
HAYLEY BARKER is a St. Louis–based freelance artist specializing in contemporary dance and floorwork. She has performed in St. Louis, Chicago, and Melbourne, and has freelanced with MADCO and Resilience Dance Company. She was also a featured dancer in Dancers Making Moves. A teacher, personal trainer, and team lead, Hayley instructs at COCA and Life Time Fitness. She holds a degree in Exercise Science and Dance from SIUE. She thanks her family, friends, and ancestors for shaping her artistic path.hayleyrosebarker.com
Photo credit: John Kaddouri
LILLIAN BERRY trained with Arkansas Festival Ballet and received a BFA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. After college, Lillian joined Rock Moves Dance Company, a modern dance collaboration in Little Rock Arkansas. Lillian completed a traineeship with Saint Louis Dance Theatre where she worked with many esteemed choreographers such as; Kirvin Douthit-Boyd, Joshua L Peugh, Brandon Fink and more. Lillian is thrilled to be a guest artist with Karlovsky!
Photo credit: Sidney Cowles
RACHEL BRADY holds a B.A. in dance from SIUE. She has danced professionally in St. Louis and New York. She has been teaching children’s dance for over 35 years and directing her own dance program for the last 25. She also works as a paraprofessional in a kindergarten autism class. She believes dance is an expressive ART form that can heal, unite, and create community. Thanks to her family for always being down for a late night kitchen dance party.
CONNIE FLACHS is a community dancer making her debut with Karlovsky & Company. After her 8-year professional career with Grand Rapids Ballet, Connie has continued her involvement in the dance world, performing at MADCO’s Dare to Dance, teaching for Saint Louis Dance Theater, performing at Seen:STL, and co-organizing a monthly Ecstatic Dance at MaTovu.
ELYZAH GASMEN is a performer, teacher, and choreographer from Jackson, Tennessee. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with a concentration in Dance Science from the University of Memphis, where she focused her training on contemporary movement. Since relocating to Saint Louis, she has performed in several project-based works through different companies, and she continually looks for opportunities to share her artistry with the local dance scene.
ERIN LANE - A Chicago native, Erin holds a BFA and MFA in Dance from NYU and UWM respectively. She has danced professionally for twenty years in New York & St. Louis. With twenty-two years of teaching experience in multiple sectors, Erin is currently an Associate Professor of Dance and Dance Program Chair at Principia College where she loves to direct and choreograph, teach and mentor students in finding their authentic creative voice. Photo credit: Defy Photography
ERIN MORRIS has been teaching and performing for over 25 years. She received her MFA in Dance in 2023 from Washington University in St. Louis and is now adjunct faculty at several universities. Improvisation is her deepest movement language and she prioritizes collaborating with live musicians. Photo credit: Carly Vanderheyden
AVI PELLEGRINETTI is an interdisciplinary artist currently based in St. Louis. They graduated from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with highest honors, receiving a BFA in Dance and a minor in Integrated Biology. Avi recently presented choreography at the Space Station Dance Residency this summer, and they are grateful to be performing with Karlovsky and Company for their debut St Louis performance. Photo Credits: Cheyenne Smith
AUDREY HOLLAND is a choreographer, dancer, and teacher of twenty years. She first danced with Oklahoma City Ballet followed by RACE Dance Collective, where she became Managing Director. As a freelance choreographer, Audrey has been commissioned for works on stage, film, immersive theater, concerts, and musical productions. She holds a BS in chemistry and an MBA, and hopes to continue producing, collaborating, and advocating for art as a pillar of cultural strength.
Photo credit: Simon Hurst
FREDERICA LEWIS is delighted to make her St. Louis dance debut. Recently relocated from NYC, Frederica was a Teaching Artist with NYC Ballet for 10 years and a member of WOW Cafe Theater where she produced and directed experimental theater. She has performed and choreographed for stage, film, and classrooms. She would like to shout out to her students and coworkers at SLPS: “Thank you for believing in me and my dreams.”
EMILEE MORTON holds a degree in Dance and Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. A St. Louis-based dance artist, she has performed with Karlovsky & Company Dance, Space Station, Leverage Dance Theater, and served as Managing Director of MADCO until 2020. Currently, Emilee is a Pilates instructor and Movement Specialist at St. Louis City Fitness, emphasizing fascia, adaptability, and whole-body awareness.
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LORI RACINE had retired 23 years ago after a 15 year Professional dance Career. She received her BA in dance from Western Michigan University, and went on to dance for companies in Michigan, Indiana, Canada, Finland, and three in Missouri, including MADCO and Burning Feet. After settling down in St. Louis with her husband Bruce and daughter, Logan, she went on to earn two masters and a doctorate in education and is currently a school administrator.
KADE STOTLER - After receiving their BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts, Kade choreographed, taught, & performed with various modern dance companies in Seattle, Portland, New York, & St. Louis. By 2021 they completed their Masters & Doctorate degrees in Acupuncture medicine, & now run Golden Oak Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine in St. Louis. Kade is joyously grateful for the invitation to dance with Xi, Dawn, & all the dancers in this Staged production.
ANESU TARUONA Originally from Harare, Zimbabwe, is a St. Louis-based dance artist and aspiring choreographer. She was a performing and teaching artist for Pack Dance for their 2025–2026 season and performed with Collective Pulse, presenting works by Thomas Proctor and Jeanie Stephenson. Trained across modern, contemporary, and ballet techniques, Anesu deeply enjoys dancing and performing in the communities around her. Photo credit: Lumosco
REUBEN THOMAS is a freelance dancer and creative artist based in their hometown city of St.Louis. Their dance journey began while they were still in a stroller and has carried them to graduate from Webster University in 2025 with a BFA in Dance. Reuben had participated in the previous STAGED showcase and is delighted to be working and dancing with Karlovsky & Company again for this production!
RACHEL WU (they/them) graduated from UC Irvine with a B.F.A in Dance Performance and B.Sc. in Mathematics. There they had the honor of working with Donald McKayle in his Etude Ensemble and also received the award for Excellence in Dance Performance and the ASTAIREAWARDS Scholarship. Currently a Mathematics PhD candidate at WashU, Rachel has performed in Collective Realities with Resilience Dance Company and in STAGED with Karlovsky & Company Dance and is excited to be back this year!
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