Jazz and Choreography

Tracey Bonner is an Associate Professor of Dance within the Theatre and Dance program in the School of the Arts at Northern Kentucky University. As a performer and member of Actors Equity Association, Tracey has performed in venues across the country including touring companies of A Chorus Line, Show Boat, and West Side Story; regional theatres including Stages St Louis, Barter Theatre, The Human Race Theatre, The Pirate Playhouse, and City Center in New York City; and she has served as Choreographer and/or Director for the Radio City Rockettes, Bank Street Theatre in NYC, Laguna Beach Dance Festival, The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, The Kentucky Conservatory Theatre, Woodford Theatre, and The Human Race Theatre to name a few.

Her varied career as an artist and an academic has proven richly fulfilling, allowing service as a faculty member/Guest Artist at Miracosta College, University of California, Irvine, Wagner College, American Musical & Dramatic Academy (NYC), University of Memphis, California State University at Pomona, Long Beach City College, Colorado Mesa University, Azusa Pacific University, Universidad de Sonora-Hermosillo, and specialty short term projects at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Eastern Kentucky University. Having earned a BFA from Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University and an MFA from University of California, Irvine, her artistic/academic interests include the marriage of theatre and dance in variable ways, and the history of commercial dance.

Tracey has received multiple awards for her work as Choreographer and/or Director/Choreographer on productions of West Side Story (2008), RENT! (2010), Chess (2014), and Gala honors at the American College Dance Association (2014), south region for her original work entitled An Ingrown Life. In 2016, she was award the prestigious Al Smith Artistic Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council for her work combining dance and social justice.

Follow Tracey on her website: www.traceybonner.com, twitter: @BonnerTracey, or on Instagram: traceydancesnsings

Tap

Sylvia Chervus is a 5th year senior at Northern Kentucky University pursuing a BFA in Dance as well as a BA in Elementary Education. Sylvia grew up in Versailles, Kentucky where she began dancing and teaching for competitive lines. She is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and precision kickline. Sylvia has performed in various NKU dance productions such as the annual spring dance concert, fall Emerging Choreographers Showcase and participated in the Chemistry and Dance Project. Outside of NKU, she has performed at the American College Dance Association South Conference and the Something Extra Series at Woodford Theatre.

Ballet

Born at Dayton’s Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Jay Goodlett attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati for nine years. Mr. Goodlett majored in dance, drama, and musical theatre before training at the School of American Ballet for several years. While at SCPA he won a Corbett Mayerson award for Dance with the SCPA Dance Ensemble. In 1990 he began his directing career with “Pirates of Penzance” a shared effort with then artistic director Jack Louiso. By the age of 18, Mr. Goodlett joined the Cincinnati Ballet and rose quickly thru the ranks to Senior Soloist by 2002. Mr. Goodlett has performed in numerous classical full-length ballets (such as Sleeping Beauty and Swan lake) numerous Neo-classical works (such as Balanchine’s Agon and The Fourtemparments) and has worked with many ground-breaking contemporary choreographers (such as Val Caniparoli, Trey McIntyre, Amy Seiwert, Adam Hougland, and Stanton Welch). Mr. Goodlett has had the opportunity to dance in countries all over the world: Portugal, Belgium, Russia, Amsterdam, France, and Germany to name a few.

Mr. Goodlett began his Choreographic career in 1991. Since then he has choreographed several pieces for the Cincinnati Ballet, most notably “Juste Une Autre Chanson et Danse”, “Quatro Suite” and “Graceland”, a collaboration with Cincinnati Ballet artistic director Victoria Morgan. He has also lent his choreographic and/or directing talents to the St. Louis Opera Theatre, Cincinnati Opera, Commonwealth Theater Company, Columbia Ballet Company, Lachey Arts, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Landmark Productions, Miami University, Northern Kentucky University, Purdue University and continues to choreograph and direct for area theater companies and high schools, conducting workshops, and teaching private lessons in his spare time.

Mr. Goodlett’s teaching career started well before leaving high school. Some of the notable institutions to utilize his talents include: the Cincinnati Ballet, Toledo Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Toledo and the Cecchetti Council of America and Northern Kentucky University where he is adjunct faculty. Jay is blessed to have a beautiful family of, you guessed it, PERFORMERS: Wife Jenny (retired CBC Ballerina), Megan, Nathan and Amelia.

Pilates/Ballet

Jacqui Haas recently retired as Performing Arts Medicine program manager for Mercy Health at Cincinnati Ballet. She is a former professional ballet dancer, having danced with Cincinnati Ballet, New Orleans City Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, Southern Ballet Theatre and was an apprentice with Boston Ballet. Jacqui has a BA in Dance from the University of South Florida, her Athletic Training certificate through the University of Cincinnati and is currently working on her Masters degree here at NKU. Ms. Haas has certifications in Pilates instruction from St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco and Pilates for Rehabilitation from Polestar Education in Miami. Jacqui is proud to be the author of two editions of “Dance Anatomy”, Human Kinetics publications. She is a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, the National Athletic Trainers Association and the National Dance Educators Organization.

Hip Hop

Anaya Ni’kole McNair is a born and raised Cincinnatian and a recent graduate of Northern Kentucky University School of the Arts. Also, dancing with her own dance crew (CA)^2 dance crew at Elementz. Anaya is trained in hip hop, jazz, modern, contemporary. Anaya has also competed around the country at Hip Hop International, World of dance and won first place at Monsters of Hip Hop. She also dances around the tri-state area with her dance crew. Anaya plans on influencing the next generation and creating active achievers.

African Dance Forms

A native of Cincinnati, Jeaunita Olowe has been a dancer and an athlete since age 5 and a professional dancer, choreographer, teaching artist and athlete for the past 30 years in African, Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Ballroom, Latin dances and Zumba®. She's performed, taught and toured throughout the US, Canada, Africa, Asia since 1994 and performed for the US/NATO military in Europe and Mediterranean. Jeaunita was one of the 7 talented artists that traveled to perform in Europe during 2003- 2005 visiting Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and England for the United States and United Nations Armed Forces military families. She is a certified Zumba® fitness instructor in B1, B2, Core, Glutes and Toning and AFAA Group Fitness instructor.

Commercial Jazz

Samantha Reynolds is a professional dancer, choreographer, and teacher originating from Northern Kentucky. She began her training at just 3 years old and started competing at the age of 9. Samantha is well versed and trained in Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Tap, Ballet, Contemporary, Hip Hop and Jazz Funk. After years as a competitive dancer, Samantha went on to receive a scholarship to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Northern Kentucky University (‘16). During that time, she trained and performed under Tracey Bonner, Jay Goodlett, Heather Britt, Dee Anne Bryll, and Renee McCafferty. Samantha was a member of NKU’s touring Dance Troupe, served as assistant choreographer for the Theatre Department musical productions, and had the pleasure of training with the Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company.

Upon graduation, Samantha became a company dancer for Exhale Dance Tribe based in Cincinnati, Ohio under the direction of Missy Lay Zimmer and Andrew Hubbard. She then moved to Los Angeles, California to train under the watchful eye of Shannon Mather at Mather Dance Company. Samantha became an instructor for Mather Dance Company, and an online assistant for Shannon Mather. During her time in LA Samantha had the pleasure of teaching at Mather Dance Company, Fusion Dance Center and being an adjudicator for High School Dance Teams. Working at Millennium Dance Complex- LA was one of Samantha’s favorite experiences which led to her true love for the Commercial Dance. Samantha had the pleasure of getting to take class and train with Dana Alexa, Nico O'Connor, Kyle Hanagami, and many other industry professionals.

Some of Samantha's professional credits include the “First Position” book commercial, VIRAL The Musical-Preview video, Doterra Film Projects, YouTube film spots for Millennium Dance Complex, ONYX Avenue promo video, local news spots promoting dance and fitness, and many other on stage performances with Exhale Dance Tribe. While she loves performing, Samantha’s biggest passion lies in choreography, teaching, and inspiring the next generation of dancers. She loves traveling and inspiring dancers all over the country. Her pieces have earned high remarks and choreography awards throughout the competitive dance circuit.

“I cannot wait to dance with you all this Summer! Remember, you don’t need to be the best in the room, you just need to show up, and be YOUR best”.

Improv and Discovery

Teresa Sorge is the developer and Founding Director of Koresh Kids Dance, which serves nearly 500 Philadelphia public school children each week. For nearly a decade she was a full-time lecturer at Muhlenberg College in the department of Theatre and Dance and remains a part time lecturer at Sydney Kimmel Medical School in Philadelphia. Teresa holds a BA in Dance Education and Dance Performance/Choreography from Hope College in Holland, Michigan and a Masters of Education in Dance degree from Temple University.