Meet the Artists

Summer 2025 Company Artists

Allan Bagley - Dancer
Allan began seriously pursuing ballet at the age 10 after being a competitive gymnast for five years. He is a recent graduate from University of Louisville where he double majored in mathematics and philosophy. In the fall he will be beginning a mathematics PhD at the University of Kentucky. Hailing from Louisville, he received most of his training at the University of Louisville Dance Academy and later went on to train at Bluegrass Youth Ballet.
Allan is excited for his third season with Allegro Dance Project.

Desean Elliott - Dancer & Choreographer
Desean was Mr. Dance of the Bluegrass in 2016 and was a convention instructing assistant for Bellamoxie from 2017-2019. He has taught for many competition studios throughout Kentucky and is an award and national winning choreographer for competitions such as Platinum dance, Showbiz, KAR Dance competition, and Jump dance convention. Specializing in contemporary turns and leaps, Desean has trained all over the country in all styles ranging from ballet, jazz ,hip hop, and acrobatics. This is his fourth season performing with Allegro Dance Project and his first season serving as an instructor for our Inclusive Dance Outreach Program.

Tess Fowler- Dancer & Choreographer
Tess is a sophomore at Western Kentucky University double majoring in Communication Sciences & Disorders- Speech Language Pathology and Dance. At WKU they are a member of the Mahurin Honors College and the National Dance Education Organization. They graduated from Lafayette High School and the School for the Creative And Performing Arts in 2024. They danced at Bluegrass Youth Ballet for eleven years, and are also heavily involved in theatre and orchestra. Tess is an adaptive outreach instructor & musician and volunteer with Allegro, as well as a dancer and choreographer for performances. This is their seventh season with Allegro Dance Project.

Gianna Grivetti - Dancer & Choreographer
Gianna started dancing at the age of 2 and grew up training in multiple styles of dance, gymnastics, acrobatics, and aerial arts in Richmond, KY. At age 17, she moved to New York City and spent 3 years studying and training intensively at the Institute of American Musical Theatre, Step's on Broadway, and Broadway Dance Center. While in NYC, she worked as an assistant and associate choreographer to Alvin Ailey's Briana Reed. She is a dance educator and choreographer at Bluegrass Dance Company in Richmond, KY and is now an Acrobatic Arts certified instructor. Gianna is so excited to bring the arts back into her home community in Kentucky and is delighted to be performing with Allegro Dance Project for her first season!

Isabelle Hayden- Dancer
Isabelle has been dancing since she was about 18 months old, starting with baby ballet, and eventually making her way up to the pre-professional level. She attended SCAPA as a ballet major from 4th-9th grade and then finished her high school career with a homeschool co-op. She has received dance training from Bluegrass Youth Ballet, Kentucky Ballet Theatre, Gotta Dance Studio, and has attended summer intensives with Louisville Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet. Currently, she is attending the University of Kentucky and studying to become an Elementary Education Teacher. She has taught ballet at Bluegrass Youth Ballet and currently teaches dance at Upgrade Dance Company. This is Isabelle's eighth season with Allegro Dance Project.

Joseph Charmant Jacques - Dancer & Choreographer
Joseph aka “Smithy” is a dancer, choreographer and drummer receiving his first dance training from Mr. Brusma Daphnis, (CEO of Haiti Tchaka Danse). He teaches Traditional Haitian dance folklore, Afrobeats, Afrolove and Afro-hiphop, Hip-Hop (Krump) and dances several other styles like salsa, modern, contemporary, jazz and some classical ballet. As a professional dancer in Haiti, he performed in many shows, even traveling to Carifesta XIV in 2019, Trinidad & Tobago, and collaborated with companies such as Martha Graham in 2017. In Haiti, he taught in several dance schools and owned his own dance group (Smithy Afro Dance) before moving to the United States in 2023. He is very excited for his second season with Allegro Dance Project.

Meredith King -Dancer & Aerial Artist
"Merry" has performed professionally for over a decade. She grew up in Berea, KY dancing with VHS tapes in the living room and found her way into every possible dance studio that opened its doors in the county. After moving to Lexington, Merry furthered her training at Bluegrass Youth Ballet. In the last 13 years, Merry has lived on 4 continents, completed a PhD in Communication, become a vegetarian, and attended the 2023 Steps on Broadway Summer Intensive (among other things). Though she has a full-time job teaching at the University of Kentucky, Merry performs frequently across the country. She recently returned from Indianapolis, where she was working on a world premiere of "Just Beginning: The Musical.". Last summer she performed with Sora Contemporary Circus and The Collected Few, as well as choreographed for Woodford Theatre's production of "Into the Woods." Merry hopes you feel moved to MOVE. She is excited to return to Allegro Dance Project for her fifth season.

Brianna Mullins - Dancer & Choreographer
Brianna was born and raised in Lexington and obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with an Entrepreneurial Studies Minor from Northern Kentucky University (NKU) in May 2021. She has been dancing for over 20 years in the Kentucky and Ohio areas. She has trained, taught, and choreographed (through Dance Schools, NKU, and Professionally) a variety of dance styles: Contemporary & Classical Ballet, Jazz (NGCP- Basic level, Fosse, and Classical), Tap, Lyrical/Contemporary, Modern (Gaga, Horton, Lehman), Musical Theatre, Acrobatics, African, and Hip Hop (Jazz-Funk). She is a nationally certified Group Exercise Instructor (NETA) since 2017 with specialty certifications in: Barre Fitness, Zumba, TRX, as well as the creator of Jazz Funk Fitness. She is working in Lexington as a Dance Instructor and Adult Dance & Exercise Instructor with Bluegrass Youth Ballet, and a Group Exercise instructor with the YMCA. This is Brianna’s fifth season dancing with Allegro Dance Project.

Sabrina Murphy - Dancer & Aerial Artist
Sabrina is a rising Junior at Lafayette High School where she participates in the SCAPA (Voice) and Pre-Engineering programs. A dancer since age 4, Sabrina has danced with Kentucky Ballet Theatre and Bluegrass Youth Ballet. She is also a competitive Irish Step Dancer with the Kentucky McTeggart Irish Dancers, a member of the Sora Aerial Arts Jr. Company, and assists with our weekly Adaptive Ballet classes. Earlier this summer, she attending Governor's School for the Arts (GSA) for vocal performance. Sabrina is thrilled to join Allegro Dance Project for her third season!

Daniel Pauleus - Dancer
Daniel is a dancer, choreographer & fitness instructor from Haiti. He has been dancing for 12 years, receiving his first dance training from Ramses Pierre. He enjoys both training and teaching a variety of dance styles: Haitian traditional dance folklore, Afrobeats dance, hip-hop, and ballroom. In Haiti, he was a professional dancer with the Haitian National Theater, was certified on Capoeira and worked at several different schools. Daniel moved to the US in 2023. This is his second season with Allegro Dance Project.

Wislin Pauleus- Dancer & Choreographer
Wislin is a dancer/choreographer/ fitness instructor from Haiti. He has been dancing for 13 years, receiving his first dance training from Ramses Pierre. He enjoys both training and teaching a variety of dance styles: Haitian traditional dance folklore, Modern, Afrobeats dance, hip-hop, classical ballet, and ballroom. In Haiti, he was a professional dancer with the Haitian National Theater, instructed at Regine Mont-Rosier Trouillot (RMT) dance school and Joelle Donatien Belot's dance school, was certified as a Zumba instructor and had his own dance company, Haiti Creafo Dance. Wislin moved to the US in 2023 and is currently teaching Bachata dance at Bluegrass Ballroom and is a drummer and choreographer at M’Power Rhythm. This is his second season with Allegro Dance Project.

Audrina Quinio - Dancer
Audrina is a ballet major at Lafayette SCAPA high school. She has been studying ballet and various dance styles for 8 years. She currently trains with Dance Attack Dance and Bluegrass Youth Ballet. Last summer she attended the DuCon ballet intensive in Washington D.C. and this summer she has been selected to attend the Conservatório International De Ballet E Dança Annarella Sanchez Summer Ballet Intensive 2025 in Leiria Portugal. She is very excited to further her dance studies internationally and for her second season dancing with Allegro Dance Project.

Sylvia Quinio - Dancer
Sylvia danced with Dance Attack Dance Company’s competitive dance team from 2015-2023, Dancers Studio ballet lessons from 2018-2023, and Kentucky Ballet Theatre’s academy for their 2021-2022 season. She went to the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) for high school majoring in ballet and the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) for dance in 2022. After graduating in 2023, she began attending the University of Cincinnati: College Conservatory of Music (CCM) to major in Ballet Performance with a minor in Film Studies. Alongside dancing, she enjoying choreographing and has debuted four original works on stage since 2022 (at SCAPA, GSA and CCM). This is her first season dancing with Allegro Dance Project and she has had so much fun joining the family!

Leah Skinner - Dancer
Leah is a Junior at Lafayette High School, where she is a Contemporary Dance major in the SCAPA program. She has been training with Bluegrass Youth Ballet for 12 years and recently danced the lead role of Estelita in Dia de Los Muertos. She is also a second degree black belt in taekwondo and is part of the African American Ballet Troupe in Lexington. This is her fourth season with Allegro Dance Project.

Jasper Steele - Dancer
Jasper is a sophomore at Lafayette high school in the Pre-Engineering program. They started dancing at 4, doing gymnastics for 2 years before returning to dance at Bluegrass Youth Ballet in 2018. They have performed in productions such as The Nutcracker in One Act, Art Rhapsody, Dia De Los Muertos, Cinderella, The little Mermaid and Alice in Wonderland. Since joining Bluegrass Youth Ballet, they have been training extensively in ballet and contemporary. This is their second season with Allegro Dance Project!

Eliza Walsh - Dancer & Choreographer
Eliza Walsh is a performer, choreographer, and dance educator originally from Lexington, Kentucky. She holds a BFA in Dance with a minor in Exercise Science from Florida Southern College, where she performed in a wide range of faculty and guest artist works. Some of her favorite roles include dancing Myrtha in Giselle during her freshman year and performing as the neoclassical pointe soloist in Clockwork by Alexandra Tiso. Eliza was awarded the Wynee Warden Senior Dance Award in 2024 for her artistic achievement and contribution to the program. After a year of teaching and choreographing full-time in the Tampa Bay area, she’s excited to be back in her hometown, continuing to perform and expand her work as a teaching artist & entrepreneur and for her third season performing with Allegro Dance Project.

Summer Warfield - Dancer
Summer is a graduate at the School for the Creative & Performing Arts (SCAPA)/Lafayette High School in the area of ballet. She was introduced to dancing at the age of 4 and progressed with formal ballet training while at Kentucky Ballet Theatre. She currently trains and performs with Bluegrass Youth Ballet. Her other dance experiences over the years have included participation in Ballet Under the Stars, Kentucky Ballet Theatre summer intensives, African American Ballet Troupe, Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts for dance in 2023 and Cincinnati Ballet's 2024 summer intensive. Summer is delighted for her second season with Allegro Dance Project.

Adrianna Watts - Dancer & Circus Artist
Adrianna began training at the age of 3, splitting her time between Bluegrass Dance Training Center and Excel Gymnastics in Richmond. She won her first State All-Around title at the Kentucky State Gymnastics Championship at the age of 5. Over the next ten years she expanded her training to include tap, jazz, modern, ballet, contemporary, musical theatre, pointe, acrobatic arts, aerial silks, and hand balancing. She has been a USAG Regional qualifier, performed with the CRU Dance Spectacular Company, has won 3 national titles in lyrical dance, tap, and acrobatics and has traveled around the US and Canada studying Circus Arts. Adrianna is currently a Presidential Scholar at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida studying biochemistry, Spanish, and sports medicine on the pre-medical track. This is her 6th season with Allegro Dance Project.

Bella Watts - Dancer & Circus Artist
Bella Watts began her competitive dance career at the age of 10- winning her first National title that same year. She is known for her explosive leaps & jumps along with her impressive strength thanks to her extensive gymnastics and acro training. Bella has won countless state gymnastics titles and was a level 8 regional medal winner. She has been awarded multiple
convention scholarships including Titans of Dance and Stage One and won national titles in lyrical, acrobatics and contemporary dance. Bella has been a student demonstrator for both Acrobatic Arts and Alixa Flexibility training courses and has expanded her repertoire to include hand balancing, silks, straps and hoop. She has trained with some of the best artists in the US and Canada and enjoys sharing her knowledge as a private lesson instructor and acro instructor at Bluegrass Dance Training Center. This is her fourth season performing with Allegro Dance Project.

Natalie Willett - Dancer
Natalie graduated in 2022 from Lafayette High School, where she was a student in the Pre-Engineering and SCAPA Ballet programs. Natalie danced as a student of Bluegrass Youth Ballet for 15 years, performing lead roles such as Clara and Dew Drop in the Nutcracker. She currently attends the University of Kentucky as a Biosystems Engineering major in the College of Engineering. This is her sixth season with Allegro Dance Project.

Reese Willett- Dancer
Reese graduated in 2022 from Lafayette High School, where she was a student in the Pre-Engineering and SCAPA Ballet programs. Reese danced as a student of Bluegrass Youth Ballet for 15 years, performing lead roles such as Death in Dia de los Muertos, and Clara and the Snow Queen in the Nutcracker. She attended the 2020 Governor’s School for the Arts for Dance. She currently attends the University of Kentucky as a Computer Science major in the College of Engineering. This is her seventh season with Allegro Dance Project.

Aerial Artists

Savannah Barkdoll - Aerial Artist
Savannah has been pursuing aerial arts as a way to build community and feel empowered since 2021. Outside of the aerial world Savannah is a mother and professional fire performer. Performance art has always been something that holds a special place in her life. In 2023 a structural and artistic welder created the aerial pyramid as a way to bring Savannah's aerial apparatus dreams to life. Ever since then, the aerial pyramid is the place that feels most like home. Savannah is so excited to be bringing the pyramid to the Allegro stage for the first time and thanks the audience for allowing her to share her performance art, her home, with them.

Lydia Fletcher- Aerial Artist
Lydia grew up in St. Louis, MO and has been dancing since she was two years old. She trained with various dance studios, her high school dance team, and AshleyLiane Dance Company’s Junior Training program. She continued to explore movement through gymnastics and cheerleading, eventually beginning aerial arts in 2016 at Sora Aerial Arts after moving to Lexington to attend the University of Kentucky. At UK, she studied biotechnology and gender and women’s studies, in addition to performing with the Department of Theater and Dance. Since graduating, Lydia danced four seasons with Allegro Dance Project and has joined local Lexington contemporary dance company, The Collected Few Dance Project and Louisville based modern dance company, Ambo Dance Theatre. This is her fifth year as an aerialist with Allegro Dance Project.

Stephen Griffie - Aerial Artist
Stephen started dancing in the summer of 2014 through the world of colorguard. It didn’t take long for dance and performance to become a passion - which led to earning a bachelor’s degree in dance at the University of Kentucky in 2019. Now, with a renewed obsession for health, nutrition, and fitness, Stephen incorporates his dance knowledge in dynamic and strength-based aerial routines and circus arts. He trains many different aerial apparatuses, but his primary apparatus and first love is pole dance, both planted and flying. This is Stephen's second season performing with Allegro Dance Project.

Courtney Hedges - Aerial Artist
Courtney Hedges describes herself as a jack of all trades: aerial silks, sling, trapeze, rope… and she’s a nurse! Courtney began her performance career in 2013 when she tried aerial silks for the first time. Since then, we can’t keep her out of the air. She joined Sora Contemporary Circus as a professional artist in 2018 performing at various gigs and theatrical productions. Her recent credits include The Dowager in Anastasia and Mrs. Gloop in Wonka! with Sora Aerial Arts. Courtney is also a wife, dog mom, and is always dreaming about her next career in the medical field. She is excited for her fourth season with Allegro Dance Project!

Musicians

Justin Ramel - Vocals
A veteran of Lexington’s musical theatre community for more than twenty years, Justin Ramel is thrilled to work with Allegro Dance Project for a fourth season after initially jumping in for Shooting Glances. Performance credits include ten appearances in UKOT’s Grand Night for Singing, Winterfest’s Dreamgirls (Featured soloist/ Ensemble), Distilled Theater Company’s The Wiz at Woodland park( Tin man), KCTC's RENT (Seasons soloist), Hair (featured ensemble), Jesus Christ Superstar (Peter), and WCT’s Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Victor Track). Ramel’s debut Ep “Firesign” is currently available on all streaming platforms.

Cara Coppola - Vocals & Cello
Cara is a mom, writer, singer/songwriter, and Foster Parent Educator who lives in Lexington with her younger daughter Willow, who has multiple disabilities. Disability and Inclusion, motherhood, writing, books, and nature are all prevalent in her original songs that she’s put into her own genre, HymnFolk Blues, which is also the title of her new EP (on all streaming platforms). Growing up surrounded by the music of Nina Simone, Simon and Garfunkel and Frank Sinatra, combined with years of Suzuki viola lessons and eighteen years of Catholic choir have melted into her own sound, steeped in the blues of her reality of pushing a wheelchair through an inaccessible world, sprinkled with the folk sounds of her tree hugging soul, and resonating with the hymns she grew up singing in harmony with her sister and mother. She is currently planning a small single-mama style mini-tour of her EP this summer, follow Cara Coppola Music on Facebook for upcoming dates. This is her third season with Allegro Dance Project, both playing in the performance band and as an outreach accompanist.

Kevin Sparks - Trumpet & percussion
Kevin is a most-genre multi-instrumentalist from northern New Jersey. His UNITÉT - a quartet inspired by Larry Young’s UNITY record - performs frequently. Variously teaching all visual arts studios, audio and critical thinking - he continues work on two books: A philosophy book disguised as an outsider’s method in ensemble/improvisation, and a book on painted meaning called <Wondering Concretely, Toward Incarnate Perception.> Kevin is an accompanist for our Inclusive Dance Outreach program and this is his second season composing & performing with Allegro Dance Project.

Keenan Ray- Bass
Keenan grew up in Bowling Green, KY where he began studying the guitar at age 14. After stints of performing in cover bands, indoor percussion ensemble, and talent shows throughout high school, he moved to Lexington to study at the University of Kentucky. Since then, he has performed and recorded with multiple bands including local acts The Footsteps, Much Obliged, and Damned African Descendants. This is his seventh season performing with Allegro Dance Project.

DeBraun Thomas- Guitar & Vocals
DeBraun grew up surrounded by many different musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area and began playing in music clubs with father's bands at the age of 15. In 2009 he moved to Lexington,KY to attend the University of Kentucky. After graduating in 2012 he has been focusing on music in addition to working at the local NPR affiliate WUKY. Since 2013, DeBraun has been performing his original music as the DeBraun Thomas Trio. His influences range from artists like Jimi Hendrix to Otis Redding and he describes his music as Rock N Soul. He released his first solo album, All My Colors are Blind, in 2015 recorded at Shagri-La Productions by Duane Lundy. DeBraun is an accompanist for our Inclusive Dance Outreach program & Adaptive Dance classes and this is his eleventh season performing and composing with Allegro Dance Project.

Christian Hayden - Keyboard & Drums
Christian is entering his second-year at the University of Kentucky where he is pursuing a double major in Piano Performance and Biochemistry on a pre-medical track. He is a SCAPA Lafayette and Governor’s School for the Arts alumni, having attended the piano program at both. In addition to the piano, he also plays the drums and the alto saxophone, and has enjoyed performing all three instruments with the Allegro Band over the years. This is his sixth season performing with Allegro Dance Project and his second season serving as a musician for our Inclusive Dance Outreach program.

Thomas Usher- Music Director, Percussion, acoustic guitar, keyboard & vocals
Thomas is a musician from Hoover, Alabama. He graduated from Berea College where he studied percussion with Tripp Britton. Thomas has performed with The Studio Players and in Kentucky Conservatory Theatre's Winterfest and Summerfest, with numerous bands and provides live music accompaniment for Allegro Dance Project's Inclusive Dance Outreach program. This is his ninth season performing and eighth season composing and serving as music director with Allegro Dance Project.

Jameka Redden - Percussion & vocals
Jameka graduated from Berea College with a major in General Music Performance and a minor in Spanish. She is currently pursuing her master's in music therapy at the University of Kentucky. While attending school she is working as an assistant drum instructor at M'Power Rhythm and a musician for our Inclusive Dance Outreach Program. This is her first season performing with Allegro Dance Project.

Anabel Keefe - Violin
Anabel is a Senior at Bryan Station High School in the Station Arts and Spanish Immersion Programs. She began playing violin when she was 6 years old and currently plays with the chamber orchestra at Bryan Station. She has played with the Fayette County Honors Orchestra, EKU Honors Orchestra, and at the American String Teachers Association conference with her school orchestra . She has also played with Mariachi Escudo and in the ukulele ensemble. When she is not playing violin, Anabel can be found dancing with Bluegrass Youth Ballet where she has danced for 15 years. In the summer, Anabel has attended dance intensives with BYB and Cincinnati Ballet. This is her first season with Allegro Dance Project.