Artists

Choreographer

Alyssa Myers is a 2020 graduate from the University of Southern California Kaufman School of Dance and is an artist with Terre Dance Collective in NYC. Under the direction of Jodie Gates, she performed works by Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, and Azsure Barton while at USC. She has created choreographic work for Utah Metropolitan Ballet, Traverse City Dance Project, and pre-professional companies across the midwest. In NYC, her work has been presented at Gibney 280, TADA! Emerging Artists Theater, Dixon Place, among others. In the spring of 2022, Alyssa was an artistic collaborator for Jodie Gate’s NYU Residency Fellowship serving to research inclusivity and identity within balletic structures. She was also the 2022 artistic recipient for Converge2Emerge’s fellowship program and utilized this opportunity to create awareness of choreographic tools through an evening of live improvisation and reflection discussions with audience members. This fall, Alyssa will be a choreographer for MOVE|NYC’s Young Professionals Program. By building and facilitating movement workshops, performances, and dialogue she aspires to influence the way people are able to embrace collaborative models and encourage growth from a curious and empathic lens.

Dancer

Anne Kim is a performance artist from Koreatown, Los Angeles. Anne attended the LA County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) where she was exposed to a broad range of dance styles and movement practices. After graduating from LACHSA in 2016, Anne was accepted into the BFA program in dance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee where she received a full tuition Conservatory scholarship. Building off the experiences gained from the Boston Conservatory, Anne transferred into the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in 2018. Since joining USC Kaufman, Anne has had the privilege of training and performing pieces by many renowned artists, including William Forsythe, Barak Marshall, Jiri Kylian, Jermaine Spivey, Hope Boykin and Bret Easterling, among others.

Along with her BFA in Dance, Anne was able to simultaneously complete a Master Of Science in Gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Outside of USC, Anne also works at the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, a nonprofit, as an organizer and has had the opportunity to participate in supporting several community programs. In the future, Anne hopes to combine her studies in Gerontology with Dance into an artistic practice that gives back to the community.

Dancer

Cameron Cofrancesco began his dance training at the Rock School West for Dance Education, and continued his studies at The USC Kaufman School of Dance under the direction of Jodie Gates. Here, he developed his own BFA concentration in tandem with the Cinema School, studying how dance is translated between the stage and screen. During this time, he learned from a vast range of concert choreographers and commercial artists including William Forsythe, Aszure Barton, Tessandra Chavez, Justin Peck, Jermaine Spivey, Hope Boykin, and Bret Easterling.

Cameron joined his first professional company while in college becoming an inaugural company member with Zeitgeist Dance Theatre, led by Francisco Gella and Yusha Marie Sorzano. Upon graduating, he joined Ballet Memphis as a professional company member and teacher for their youth education program. While dancing at Ballet Memphis he got to work with Marcus Jarrell Willis, Steven McMahon, and Garrett Ammon who later invited Cameron to join his personal company, Wonderbound, in Denver, CO.

Cameron presently resides in Denver, CO dancing with Wonderbound, and continues to  guest teach and choreograph for the Ballet Memphis education program. He also has taught numerous times for Francisco Gella’s established intensive Ballet + and is excited to be joining his emerging education program ROOTS Dance Summit as a professional guide for the students.

In 2023, Cameron produced a short dance film, On the Moon, that was selected & shown at festivals internationally. He has also directed an advertisement for Bose Earbuds featuring Lennon Torres and assistant directed em.bod.y, a documentary by Jainil Mehta. In addition, he presently works for LA’s premier film festival, Dance Camera West, and has served as a board member and production assistant.

Dancer

Charizma Lawrence grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where she discovered her love of the performing arts at the age of 11. She trained at Dancemakers of Atlanta in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern and hip-hop. She also pursued acting at Dekalb School of the Arts. This diverse training set the foundation for her fiery ambition and unique movement style, which features a mixture of subtle intricacies, direction changes, groove, and musicality. Charizma graduated from the University of Southern California in 2023 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance and Minor in Psychology. She has worked with notable choreographers such as Debbie Allen, Tessandra Chavez, Chloe Arnold, Micaela Taylor, Brandi Chun, Andrew Winghart, and Al Blackstone, and has performed staged works by Jiří Kylián, Justin Peck and Ohad Naharin. 

Charizma has worked professionally in both the Concert and Commercial dance industries. Commercially, she is represented by BLOC Talent Agency. She has worked on commercials for The Coca-Cola Company and Walmart, danced in music videos, and with celebrities such as Melissa McCarthy. Her ever-evolving love for the arts has encouraged her to find ways to nurture other interests in tandem with her passion, including entrepreneurship, health, and arts administration. 

Charizma hopes to return to higher education later in her career to pursue a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. In her first year at USC, she suffered an ACL injury that empowered her to get to know her body on a scientific level, birthing a love for physical therapy. Ultimately, by combining all of her skills, Charizma hopes to open a practice focused specifically on helping dancers return to their passion after injury.

Composer

Daniel Mangiaracino is an artist with a diverse palette that spans the realms of piano, dance, and composition. His multifaceted talent not only allows him to excel in each discipline but also to blend them into a singular, unparalleled artistic expression. Daniel's performances and compositions, whether on stage or captured through a lens, are marked by a vibrant curiosity and meticulous scholarship. His aim is to foster community engagement and inspiration through music, spreading his infectious passion for the arts far and wide.

At the core of Daniel's work is his ability to transcend genre boundaries, merging electronic with acoustic elements to craft novel sonic landscapes. This spirit of exploration makes him an ideal collaborator for projects across dance, film, and video games. His contributions to the LA contemporary dance scene are notable, having worked with esteemed groups such as the JA collective and FALCO dance company, under the direction of Maddy Falconer. Daniel’s contribution to the "Sound and Color" installation, a collaborative effort led by Michael Naffier, also stands as a testament to his interdisciplinary approach.

Beyond contemporary circles, Daniel has achieved recognition for his classical compositions for the Phoenix Ballet, where he also showcased his talents as a principal dancer for three years. Since 2021, he has served as their composer-in-residence, enriching the company's repertoire with over a dozen original works. Aside from dance, Daniel's collaborative endeavors extend to the realm of multimedia, working with filmmakers from Canon and composing the score for PBS's nature documentary, "Portrait of a Landscape." His music has reached audiences worldwide through video games as well, with notable projects including Generation 7 Studios’ "Escape Room" series, amassing over 150 million plays globally. On YouTube, his channel "Dein0mite" bridges the gap between classical music and contemporary audiences, accumulating over 250,000 subscribers and 25 million views through innovative piano arrangements and reimaginings of popular themes.

Currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, Daniel specializes in Keyboard Performance with a focus on ethnomusicology, film scoring, and new media development. He also imparts his knowledge and experience to the next generation as a professor for USC Thornton’s "Young Artist Project," guiding senior undergraduate students in realizing ambitious and personal capstone projects.

Daniel Mangiaracino's journey is a mosaic of artistic innovation and educational dedication. As he continues to forge new paths in music and beyond, his work remains a product of inspiration, demonstrating the wonder that lies at the intersection of art and community.

Stage Manager, Digital Design Director

Eileen Kim was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Formerly a competitive rhythmic gymnast, she began training with Stella Voskovetskaya of the Mariinsky Theatre and went on to study at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. as an artistic scholarship recipient. Following her time training with Marianna Lobanova, Erin Forrest, and Anton Wilson, she spent an additional year studying at the Forrest Academy of Ballet New York. 

Kim began her professional career as an apprentice at Universal Ballet in Seoul, South Korea. Later promoted to the corps de ballet, she performed in theaters across South Korea and toured with the company, performing at the Palais de Congrés in Paris, France. Her repertory with Universal Ballet includes Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, La Bayadere, The Nutcracker, Minus 16 and more. Kim is an inaugural member of Zeitgeist Dance Theatre, collaborating with other artists on innovative company projects.

Kim graduated as the valedictorian of the Kirov Academy of Ballet and is a BFA candidate at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at the University of Southern California. During her time at  USC Kaufman she has performed works by William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Ohad Naharin, Justin Peck, Balanchine, and Penny Saunders. Along with performance, she focuses her degree in composition and has a passion for American studies. 

Apprentice

Leighanna Smith is a current student at the University of Virginia studying American Politics and Foreign Affairs. she is an alumnus of Company Dance Traverse located in Traverse City, MI where she started her dance journey. She has received many honors including the “Carole Simon Memorial Scholarship” and “Dancer of the Year”. She plans to pursue a career in human rights law.

Apprentice

Liberty Smith started her dance training at Dance Arts Academy/Company Dance Traverse located in Traverse City, MI, where she stayed for fifteen years and is now a current faculty member. She has chosen to continue her training at Chapman University as a Dance performance and Creative Writing major. She has received many honors for her dancing and choreography, including the “Carole Simon Memorial Scholarship” and “Dancer of the Year,” as well as having the opportunity to be a choreographic apprentice for FALCO.

Director, Choreographer

Madison Falconer is a Michigan raised choreographer, dancer, and the Artistic Director and Founder of Falco.

Madison began her career in Chicago dancing with A&A Ballet and FLOCK, training with the Hubbard Street Lou Conte Scholarship Program. From a young age, she gained recognition for her choreographic works becoming one of the youngest recipients of Outstanding Choreographer at YAGP and winning multiple Critics Choice Awards across the Midwest.

In 2023, Madison graduated with her BFA from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. At USC, Madison studied Composition under the mentorship of William Forsythe, Thomas McManus, Patrick Corbin, Dawn Stoppiello, d. Sabela grimes, and Jermaine Spivey. She focused her Occupational Science and Compositional research on methods for making dance more accessible to diverse audiences. During her time at USC Madison Co-Produced and Directed tens of interactive arts events to cultivate community and play in unconventional spaces.

In 2021, Madison founded her company, Falco, and the Woodworks Residency, with the mission to empower a space for collaboration, creative opportunity and immersive performance events. In 2023, she was the Resident Choreographer at Company Dance Traverse and the Vista Del Mar Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center. She was a 2023 Carmel Dance Festival Choreographic Fellow and has choreographed original works for Trinity Laban in London, Ballet Arkansas, Traverse City Dance Project, Save as Draft, Laguna Dance Festival, A&A Ballet, Jackson Dance Company, Imprint Dance Company, among others. Madison worked as Associate Choreographer with Artists, Veegee, for Cartier’s 2024 Trinity Centennial Celebration, and Jackson Wang with Hennessy’s 2024 Chinese New Year in Shanghai, in addition to Choreography for music videos of Leaha Maria, Shorty-G, Daniel Mangiaracino, and Movement Direction on SUNFISH (& OTHER STORIES ON GREEN LAKE).

Madison is interested in multi-sensory surrealism, the blending and bending of different mediums to emphasize natural space and pace of everyday life.

Explore Madison’s Instagram

Composer

Michael is a Colorado-born artist on a mission to redefine and revolutionize the way music and dance are perceived together. Always somewhere between definable structures, his multi-medium approach to curation and facilitation carves out spaces that are accessible and empowering. His philosophy stems from the belief that all practices—whether creative or not—are deeply interconnected, and these connections can be further deepened through holistic embrace.

He graduated in 2023 from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance as a BFA dance major with a concentration in Choreography for Stage and Screen. There he received training in styles such as hip-hop, house, contemporary, ballet, jazz, and gaga; he studied under Sabela d. Grimes, Tiffany Bong, William Forsythe, Fiona Lummis, Jermaine Spivey, Dawn Stoppiello, Jennifer Lott, Bret Easterling, Dante Rose, and more.

Along the way, he discovered a love and passion for music composition, production and performance. Utilizing his unique perspective as a dancer and movement maker to inform his musical process, Michael has done commissioned work for choreographers, scored evening-length works, performed live for dance events and shows utilizing Ableton Live and MIDI instruments. He is currently developing a framework that gives dancers the tools and language to connect more deeply with music and themselves.

Dancer

Originally from Maryland, Ryan Vyskocil is an artist and creator prioritizing versatility and authentic meaning within movement, unraveling the body’s capability when expressing experience, history and emotion in different spaces. He began training in tap and jazz at Dawn Crafton Dance Connection. Enjoying the unbound expression and emotional connection in class and on stage, Ryan continued onto ballet at Akhmedova Ballet Academy, as well as modern, hip-hop and contemporary. Finding a love of the unique history and meaning behind each practice and how they support and differ from one another, he made hybridity a lifelong practice and pursuit.

At USC Kaufman, Ryan works to define new movement through multi-disciplinary study, composition and performance, learning works by innovators William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Ohad Nahrin, Merce Cunningham and Tessandra Chavez, and training under the guidance of Fiona Lummis, Saleemah E. Knight, Thomas McManus, Bret Easterling, Bruce McCormick and Jennifer Lott. During school, he composed work that embodied hybridity, musicality, emotion and personal meaning by teaching the next generation through Kaufman Connections and studio classes. Upon graduation, Ryan hopes to continue exploring the intersections of concert and commercial work, performing and collaborating at the forefront of cross-disciplinary exploration and creation, while researching the ability of the body to express emotional and personal experience. He plans to travel, gaining insight into cultures, histories and people, using the power of storytelling to deeply touch others through movement and narrative, and adding more intrinsic and extrinsic knowledge to his repertoire.

Choreographer

 Sophia Oddi attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and eventually graduated with the inaugural class of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in 2019 under the direction of Jodie Gates and William Forsythe. While at USC, she performed works by Aszure Barton, Alejandro Cerrudo, William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Crystal Pite, and Dwight Rhoden, among others. 

Sophia attended Springboard Danse Montréal twice, where she was cast in works by Ohad Naharin, Micaela Taylor, and Margie Gillis. She has attended Orsolina28 in Italy, and performed at the Music & More SummerFest in Bosnia. Sophia is a founding member of Zeitgeist Dance Theatre, co-directed by Francisco Gella and Yusha Marie-Sorzano, and a teaching artist for Francisco Gella Dance Works.

She was a 2022 finalist for the New Century Dance Project Choreographic Competition. Currently based in Los Angeles, she choreographed, directed, and danced in a video for SNS and Adidas; served as a choreographer and dancer for Verdi’s Otello; and has experience choreographing music videos and as a movement director. Sophia recently taught senior composition at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. She continues to develop work for stage and screen.

Dancer

Born in Arlington, Texas, Xavier Williams has been exposed to arts education since the age of eight. He started his formal dance training at both Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy and Momentum Dance. Simultaneously, he was combining his faith with his movements, working extensively with Zion Dance Project, located in Dallas, Texas. Each of these communities gave Xavier an appreciation for a myriad of dance forms and cultural backgrounds. All of these experiences made the new, yet renowned Glorya Kaufman School of Dance a clear first pick for his continued artistic growth.

Throughout his time at USC Kaufman , he had the honor of performing works by Hope Boykin, Peter Chu, Jiří Kylián, Dani Rowe, Toyin Sogunro, and several others. Outside of USC Kaufman, Xavier advanced his artistic endeavors performing alongside Roderick George in his work The Missing Fruit, and in programs like Nederlands Dans Theater Summer Intensive and The Biennale College Danza, led by Wayne McGregor.

Stepping outside of performing, Xavier has spent extensive time developing his craft as a poet, often working in tandem with his choreographic pursuits. Every work he has choreographed at Kaufman has utilized original text. These texts commonly surround personal narratives from faith and relationships, to political and national identity. It has been Xavier’s desire to allow the steps that our spirits and souls have taken, to be reflected in the “capturings” he presents to audiences. Beyond Kaufman, Xavier plans to travel and learn more about people through dance, documenting and sharing his “capturings” along the way.

Dancer

Zay started dancing at a young age in Colorado Springs. In addition to learning liturgical dance pieces he exercised his passion for dance by freestyling in his youth church while also choreographing dances for the church congregation. Following his last year of elementary school Zay moved to Georgia where he pursued the fiery flame of dance that was kindled back in his church days. A year after settling into the new city,  Zay began training two to three times a week at Atlanta Ballet progressively adding Jazz and Horton. The versatility and frequency of his training ramped up when he began attending the performing arts magnet program, Cobb County Centre for Excellence in the Performing Arts, at Pebblebrook High School. During this time he studied Luigi and Giordano Jazz, Ballet and Horton under their respective faculty,—Eileen Edwards, Denis Reeves, and Leslie Davis. He also continued his training at Atlanta Ballet in the Pre Professional Division studying under Armando Luna, Abby Tan, and Sharon Story, up until his senior year in which he trained at Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre. Here he received intimate instruction and mentorship from renowned principal dance artists including but not limited to John and Christine Welker, Tara Lee, Rachel Van Buskirk, Heath Gill, and Christian Clark. From here his path led him to attend the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance where he is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance. At the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance Zay has trained in a multitude of techniques and styles spanning Ballet, Balanchine, House, Jazz, Locking, Hip Hop, contemporary, Countertechnique, Gaga, and Dunham. Zay’s artistry has been honed under the direction of Jackie Kopscack, Patrick Corbin, Ebony Williams,  Bruce McCormick, Moncell Durden, Sabela D Grimes, and other esteemed faculty.  He has also had the honor to train and work with William Forsythe, Dwight Rhoden, and Desmond Richardson as well as perform original works by Hope Boykin, Kyle Abraham, Saleemah Knight, and Amy O Neal.

Zay’s passion to dance comes from his lifelong love of music. At multiple points in his life Zay has honed his musicianship through his curiosity in creating; whether it was choir, playing the cello, arranging covers with his sisters, dabbling in music production software, or learning the guitar and piano. This mix of curiosity, play, and work has informed his knowledge of music which he utilizes to produce electronic, pop, and R&B music as an independent artist.  His music focuses on honoring his queerness and culture by creating songs that plunge the listener into his immersive world, while also paying homage to his musical influences. He samples artists such MF Doom, Kaytranada, Amerie, and Thundercat while layering crisp vocal performances on top. In this way he hopes to meld the future of music with the foundation of the past to create a name for himself in the industry as a budding artist.