ARTISTS & STAFF

Artist

Sammy Altenau grew up in Southern California dancing at Dance Studio 84 and Cuizon ballet center. She was trained by Katherine Wolanske before attending the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Program in New York. She has performed works by William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, Carolyn Dorfman, Robert Moses, Stefanie Batten-Bland, Claudia Schreier, etc. She danced with Graham II, Miriam Barbosa Dance, and Carolyn Dorfman Dance, before becoming a founding member of DanceAspen.

Artist

A San Diego native, Nicole received her training from Danceology's Academy of Classical Ballet with Elena Baltovick and California Professional Ballet Program with Maxim Tchnerychev. After a traineeship with Tulsa Ballet and performing works by Ma Cong, Jera Wolfe, Marcello Angelini, and Alejandro Cerrudo, she has danced with Richmond Ballet, Wonderbound, Zikr Dance, The Rosin Box Project, and Ballare Carmel. As an artist, she has had the opportunity to perform original repertoire and new creations by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Jennifer Archibald, Merce Cunningham, Cherice Barton, Carly Topazio, Lillian Barbeito, and Kelly Ashton Todd, among others. She has also spent summers and residencies with Carmel Dance Festival, Jacob's Pillow, Ballet Jazz Montreal, NW Dance Project MOVE (Launch), Joffrey Ballet, and Bolshoi Ballet. Nicole is thrilled to join and collaborate with the artists of Dance Aspen and the Roaring Fork community!

Artist

Meredith began her training at Central Florida Ballet under the direction of Vasile Petrutiu and Vladimir Bykov and went on to attend the Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington D.C. She was a trainee with Joffrey Ballet of Chicago and Ballet Met Columbus prior to joining State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara in 2013. Most recently, Meredith was a company artist with Visceral Dance Chicago, where she had the privilege of working with choreographers such as Danielle Agami, Kevin O’day, Monica Cervantes, Mike Tyus, Roderick George and Nick Pupillo. She is honored to be in her first season with Dance Aspen and excited to be a part of the Roaring Fork community.

Artist

Michaella Ho (she/her) is from Toronto, Canada and began her training with Academy of Ballet and Jazz, School of Canadian Ballet Theatre under the direction of Nadia Veselova-Tencer. She continued her training with Erin Forrest at Forrest Academy of Ballet NY. She attended summer programs with Nederlands Dans Theatre, Arts Umbrella, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Ellison Ballet. At the Juilliard School, she performed works by Emilie Leriche, Omar Roman De Jesus, Medhi Walerski, Donald McKayle, Sonya Tayeh, and Jamar Roberts, amongst others. Michaella has recently performed in Sharon Eyal and Gai Beher's production of R.O.S.E. at the Park Avenue Armory alongside L-E-V. She is the founder of Contemporary Dance Lab, an educational contemporary dance initiative for pre-professional dancers. Michaella is excited to join Dance Aspen for their Winter 24/25 season.

Artist

Paulio Sóvári was born in Romania and has spent the last ten years leaving a significant imprint as a photographer, dancer, and teacher and is now based in the United States. His artistic journey began at Interlochen Arts Academy and onto the esteemed Juilliard School. This strong foundation laid the groundwork for Sóvári, who went on to grace international stages and lend his dance expertise to renowned companies such as the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin under the direction of Nacho Duato and the Oper Graz in Austria. Paul is very excited to be joining Dance Aspen for their winter season, and is thrilled to be once again dancing in the roaring fork valley. You can discover his photographic work at PaulioSovari on IG and at his website, www.sovariphotography.com.

Administrative Assistant

Lucy is a skilled dance teacher and artist with over 10 years of experience, holding degrees in Dance and Business Management. She founded Pirouettes Studio in Panama, where she created a supportive dance community and curriculum for students of all backgrounds, especially low-income individuals. Passionate about professional growth, Lucy has earned certifications in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) and attended renowned workshops and festivals worldwide. She also worked as the Arts & Cultural Director for a Social Programs Department in Panama, implementing dance and art initiatives to improve the lives of impoverished children and adults. Lucy believes in the transformative power of dance to foster personal and community growth. Currently, she is the Administrative Assistant at Dance Aspen, where she supports the management of programs and events.

Marketing Assistant

Montanna is a versatile professional with expertise spanning dance, choreography, creative direction, and marketing. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and has performed professionally with Quixotic, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, and Nomada. In addition to her artistic pursuits, Montanna brings a strategic edge to her work as a marketing professional by blending her passion for the creative process with marketing and social media strategies. She has served as the Marketing Coordinator for Quixotic Entertainment in Kansas City, and is excited to further her marketing passion as the Marketing Assistant for DanceAspen.

Technical Director

Anna Pillot is a dance artist, teacher, technical director, lighting designer, and stage manager. Her choreography has been featured nationally and internationally, most recently at the 2023 Prague Quadrennial Studio Stage. Anna enjoys exploring the ways in which technology and dance intersect, coexist, and diverge, leading her to deepen her exploration of lighting design, projection mapping, and interactive technology, and to a career in production for dance. Anna excitedly joins DanceAspen as Technical Director, Production/Stage Manager for the 2024/2025 Winter Season. Anna holds an MFA in dance from CU Boulder.