Performing Artists

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 Minami Kikuchi, originally from Tokyo, Japan, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. Her dance journey began at age three at Lufairy Ballet, but she later shifted her focus to modern and contemporary dance under the guidance of Izumi Miyamura and Kyoko Makino. Minami began choreographing at 15, showcasing her first original work at Jissen Girls School in Tokyo. She continued choreographing until leaving Japan at age 19.

In the United States, she premiered her first choreographed piece, Invisible Things, at the 2023 Adjudication Concert of the American College Dance Association Conference. Minami’s most recent choreographic achievement, BODY, earned recognition at the 2024 Dare to Dance Festival, hosted by the Modern American Dance Company. During her time at Lindenwood University, she performed in annual concerts such as the Informal, Fall, Winter, and Spring Dance Concerts. Beyond campus, Minami has showcased her work at the 2022 and 2023 American College Dance Association Conferences and events like the St. Louis National Dance Week Festival and The Big Muddy Dance Festival.

In 2023, Minami further honed her craft at the Contemporary Summer Intensive at Urbanity Dance in Boston, where she also completed a Teaching Assistant Internship in the summer of 2022. In May 2024, she relocated to Boston, joining Urbanity Dance as a faculty member and professional company dancer. There, she continues to grow both as a performer and collaborator, establishing herself in Boston's vibrant dance community.

Minami’s choreography continues to gain recognition, with her piece ONE premiering in 2024 as part of a Choreographer Residency at the Choreography Project Providence. She has also joined Jo-Mé Dance Theatre as a First Company Artist, where she contributes her creative vision and collaborates with the company on upcoming tours and performances. 

  Kasey Aguilar is a dancer and performing artist based in Boston. Originally from Schaumburg, IL,  she began her dance journey at five years old at her local ballet studio Northwest Ballet Academy.  Kasey moved to Boston in 2019 to attend Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she received a diverse dance education and graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance.  There she had the privilege to perform works by choreographers Gustavo Sansano, Brian Brooks, Victor Quijada, Bradley Shelver, Paul Taylor, and many more. After graduating, she was a trainee at Boston Dance Theater for a year where she performed with the main company multiple times in a piece by Marco Goecke. In addition, she also performed in works by Yue Yin, Alessandro Sousa Pereira, Tushrik Fredericks, Levi Marsman and more during her time there.  She is now excited to join Jo-Mé Dance theater in her first season with the company. 

 Deanna Zois (she/her) is a contemporary based mover and maker based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Deanna graduated cum laude from Connecticut College in 2020, with a BA in Dance, minor in Psychology, and specialization in public health. At the College, Deanna had the honor of performing in repertory works by David Dorfman, Merce Cunningham Trust, Kate Weare Dance Company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, Wideman/Davis Dance, Lisa Race, Heidi Henderson, Shakia Johnson, Ellie Goudie-Averill, Shani Collins, and Gabriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio. She was also the recipient of the Jose Limon award, awarded to a dance major with outstanding accomplishments and dedication to the field of dance. Deanna continued her education at Drexel University, and in 2023 graduated magna cum laude with her master's degree in Dance/Movement Therapy & Counseling, where her culminating project focused on the intersections, implementation, and implications of polyvagal theory and inpatient psychiatric restraint. She is a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT), and is on track to becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Massachusetts in the fall of 2025. Alongside working full time in the mental health field, Deanna engages in various training, choreographic, and performance pursuits in Boston. Her choreography is rooted in curiosity of impulse, manipulation of time, and movement as embodied research for deciphering the multiplicities of truth (or lack thereof). She has presented work with Salem Arts Festival, Mobius Inc., and Nozama Dance Collective, and has also had the pleasure of working with RoseWoods Dance Collaborative. Deanna is thrilled to have joined Jo-Mé Dance Theatre for her first season. 

 Isabelle “Izzi” King was born and raised in New Jersey and began their dance journey at age two. They trained in tap, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and musical theater at Anita Ehrler’s Dance Extensions. (AEDE). King also participated in regional and national dance competitions with AEDE for eight years. Izzi is a 2022 graduate of Wheaton College (MA) with a Cum Laude honors in Sociology and minors in Psychology and Dance. At Wheaton, Izzi experienced working with choreographers such as Andy Taylor-Blennis & Diane Arvantines. King was also a recipient of the Departmental Award of Honors in Theater and Dance Studies for the class of 2022. As well as a three-time nominee and finalist for the Eleanor Augusta Norcross Leadership in the Arts Award. Wheaton has also asked them back to set works on their Dance Company and choreograph their main stage production of RENT. Since graduation, King has joined Urbanity Dance as a member of their professional company and faculty and teaches at multiple studios in the greater Boston area. Izzi has had the pleasure of working with choreographers, Shura Baryshnikov, Rachel Linksy, & Jenny Oliver on local projects since moving to Boston. This Izzi's 2nd season with Jo-Mé Dance Theatre

 Simon Montalvo (they/them) is a non-binary/transgender movement artist, researcher, and collector of stories born on the land of the Coahuiltecan and Karankawan people. They’re currently living on the land of the Massachusetts and Pawtucket people and are grateful for the generosity of the land that holds them. They most recently received the Next Steps for Boston Dance Artists grant through The Boston Foundation in 2024, are a BIPOC Mentee with Midday Movement series for the 24/25 season and are a first season company member of Jo-Mé Dance Theatre. Simon holds a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and is largely focused on experimental improvisation, dance theater, radical community care, and moving in forms that make us feel things.  

In her 2nd season dancing with Jo-Mé Dance Theatre, Dara Nicole Capley is also a choreographer, and educator based in the greater Boston area of Massachusetts. Originally from Florida, where she received early training with Gloria Gaither before moving on to Peter Stark and Ivonne Lemus at Next Generation Ballet at Patel Conservatory. Dara found freelance work for a year with Brandon Ballet and The Sarasota Opera before dancing in Nashville Ballet’s second company for two years. Dara joined Festival Ballet Providence in 2015 under the direction of Mihailo Djuric. During her time with Festival Ballet Providence, Dara performed works by Yury Yanowsky, Mary Ellen Beaudreau, Christopher Huggins, George Balanchine, José Limón, and many others. Dara has also originated soloist roles for Viktor Plotnikov, Ty Parmenter, and Katherine Bickford.  As a way of broadening her knowledge and approach to dance, Dara sought out education from teachers and choreographers such as Dominic Walsh, Gina Patterson, Banning Bouldin, Jennifer Archibald, Leymis Bolaños Wilmott, Marcus Schulkind, Jun Kuribayashi, Jennifer Nugent, and Kurt Douglas. 

In Spring 2019, Dara choreographed her first piece, Vivisection, for the Rhode Island Women’s Choreography Project. Dara fell quickly in love with this form of expression and was fortunate enough to receive multiple choreographic commissions, such as, "The Noonwraith", made entirely over Zoom as Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s emerging choreographer, The Yawn commissioned by Festival Ballet Providence’s School, placed in Youth America Grand Prix’s Boston top twelve. "Into Reality" commissioned by Revolve Dance Project and accompanied by singer-songwriter Chrissy Stewart. a trio titled "what will you take with you?"  second time commissioned by Revolve Dance Project in 2022 accompanied by folk band Laden Valley, reviewed in Dance Informa by Kathryn Boland.  "f..-.r.-.o---n -.t-i..e.r.-". premiered in Atlanta, GA, in March 2022. And “Like He Gets to Love Her.”  a music video for Mel Fine’s in 2023. Dara’s choreography has been presented by The Waterfire Arts Organization, Sarasota Contemporary Dance, AS220 Virtual Gallery, The Dance Complex, Dance Canvas, and the Somerville Arts Council. 

Currently, Dara works as a freelance dancer for Abilities Dance Boston, Jessi Stegall, and other self-produced works, while continuing her choreography and teaching for Franklin School for the Performing Arts, and Midday Movement Series. Dara is fascinated by all forms of human expression and seeks to make art that explores the simultaneous majesty and mundane of being human. 

 Aileen Leon-Echeverria is a Boston based freelance contemporary dancer and arts administrator. Originally from Mexico City and raised in South Florida, she graduated magna cum laude from Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a BFA in contemporary dance performance. Aileen has had the opportunity to train at Ballet Hispanico’s ChoreoLab, SpringboardX, and Countertechnique’s OBOC. Currently, Aileen is a company member with Jo-Me Dance Theatre and Eventual Dance Company. She has had the opportunity to perform at venues such as Jacob’s Pillow, Boston Center for the Arts, and The Strand Theater. She also freelances with local choreographers and projects such as Audrey MacLean and Dara Capley. She was a 2024 Midday Movement Series BIPOC Professional Dancer mentee. Aileen is passionate about making the arts accessible and continuing her dance career and is excited to explore where those passions will take her. This Aileen's second season with Jo-Mé Dance Theatre.

  Hoang-Anh (Ashley) Eng started dancing at the age of 3 in Houston, Texas. She attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and was a company member of the Houston Repertory Dance Ensemble. She had the opportunity to train in a high focus curriculum that included techniques of ballet, modern, tap, improvisation, composition, musical theatre, jazz, and modern partnering. She continued her studies at Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance Performance, emphasis in composition, and minor in Creative Entrepreneurship. She has freelanced, participated, choreographed, and collaborated in various projects and short films with local Boston artists, rising musicians, and fellow alumni of Berklee and Conservatory students. She has choreographed and produced her own danceworks during and after her undergrad. Ashley has worked as an administrative assistant for multiple dance organizations in Boston like Midday Movement Series and VLA Dance. She is Jo-Mé Dance’s Administrative Assistant, 2nd Company’s Rehearsal Director, an instructor for the Academy, Board Member, and dancer for their 1st Company. She is excited to continue performing concert works, producing and choreographing and exploring unfamiliar movement styles, and being involved in the dance community through teaching, administrative work, arts advocacy, and community engagement. 

 Courtney Niles-Charles was born and raised in Boston, Mass where she was a dance major graduate from the Boston Arts Academy. She started her training at the age of 7 at the Roxbury Center for the Performing Arts. Epps became an Original Member of Jo-Mé Dance in 2011 when the 2nd company was first founded. In 2016 Courtney was invited to join the 1st company and become a teaching artist for the younger generation of Jo-Mé Dance Arts. Courtney developed her passion for dance and has continued her training at Dean College as a dance major in 2014 followed by the Ailey School Certificate Program in 2015 where she graduated and received their B.A. Certificate in 2018. Niles-Charles was a dance educator at Boston Arts Academy and Horton Teacher for Jo-Mé Dance Arts Academy. Courtney seeks to press forward by shearing her expression through her movement art as she takes on her 8th season with Jo-Mé Dance Theatre (1st Company) 

Gabriela M. Amy-Moreno is a native of Boston, MA, where she currently is a freelancer. Coming from a family of flamenco dancers, she was introduced to dance at a young age. Gabriela began her early training at The West Roxbury School of Dance and Boston Arts Academy and then continued on to The University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she received her BFA in Contemporary Dance. 

Since 2019, Gabriela has been a guest dancer for Rachel Linsky’s Zachor, a project that seeks to preserve WWII holocaust survivor stories through dance. Gabriela has also danced professionally with Boston Dance Theater (May 2019 - Dec 2021). During her time there she performed works by national and internationally acclaimed choreographers. While freelancing, she has had the opportunity to work with several local dance makers through project-based works. Those include Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion, Kristin Wagner/The Click, detritus dance, Continuum Dance Project, and Cassie Wang. This is Gabriela’s first season with Jo-Mé Dance Theatre.

 Marcel Santiago Marcelino is a queer Dominican and Puerto Rican dance artist born in Boston, MA. Marcel lived part of his childhood in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico before returning to the states. In Puerto Rico under the instruction of his father Jorge Santiago Arce and cultural pioneer Modesto Cepeda Brenes, Marcel began his life-long relationship with Bomba, one of the first Afro-Indigenous music and dance forms of the Archipelago. His movement practice is heavily influenced by the language of Bomba as well as other Caribbean, contemporary and improvisational dance methods.  He is a Director’s Scholarship recipient and 2021 BFA graduate of the University of the Arts School of Dance , Dir. Donna Faye Burchfield. During his undergraduate studies, Marcel spent part of a semester studying classical and contemporary dance at the Conservatorio Superior de Danza "María de Ávila" in Madrid, Spain. While at UArts, he collaborated and performed in work by Lauren Bakst (performed in Paris and Lyon, FR) as well as by Katie Swords-Thurman, and Juel Lane. In 2021 Marcel joined Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (Philadelphia) and danced with the company as an apprentice for one season. In 2022, he returned to Boston and joined Urbanity Dance as a company dancer and faculty member until 2023. Marcel currently dances with companies Danza Orgánica, under the direction of Mar Yael Parrilla, as well as BeHeard.World, directed by Anna Myer. He is also a collaborator with Boston based collective Detritus Dance. Recently, Marcel and fellow collaborator Anito Gavino were recipients of the MAPfund Grant to develop ‘Primx’, their multidisciplinary work that explores the historical and cultural bridges between the Philippines and Puerto Rico. This is Marcel’s second season with Jo-Mé Dance Theater. 

This is Erica's first season with Jo-Mé Dance Theater. more coming soon...

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Janiah Wimes is a Boston Native who has started  training at the age of 13 years old at Boston Arts Acadamy and Jo-Mé Dance Arts Academy. Wimes joined Jo-Mé Dance II in 2023 where she has done dance works in styles of modern, ballet, contemporary and hip hop. She has a strong interests in being a creator and has found herself as an emerging choreographer, creating works for the academy. While she still is performing with Jo-Mé Dance II, Janiah is also an apprentice with Jo-Mé Dance Theater (1st company) for her second season.

Mikaela, native to Sicklerville NJ, attended University of the Arts in Philadelphia, receiving the “Artistry” Scholarship to study dance. Receiving her B.F.A in Dance under the direction of Donna Faye-Burchfield in 2017. During these four years she was fortunate enough to work and perform in works choreographed by Katie Swords-Thurman, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Jesse Zaritt, Sidra Bell, Milton Myers, Meredith Rainey and Kyle and Dinita Clark. Simultaneous to her schooling Mikaela was also an active company member with Philadanco! D/2 second company under the direction of Donald T. Lunsford. This then led to apprenticeship opportunities with PHILADANCO! Until transitioning into a full time company artist post graduation. Mikaela continues to stay curious and seek out knowledge and new perspectives- deepening her craft she has studied with Jacob Jonas the Company, Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M, NVA & Guests and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Mikaela also works as a movement director for various filmmakers and projects as well as performance artist for various music videos and short films. Parallel to performing, Mikaela finds joy in teaching and pouring her knowledge back into her community as a faculty member of The School of Philadelphia Ballet since 2021 as well as various schools and programs across the city and tri state area. In her 6th season as a guest artist with Jo-Mé Dance Theatre, Mikaela continues to demand the stage with her artistry and dancing.

Ana is native from San Juan, Puerto Rico where she spent most of her formative years studying ballet and contemporary dance. Delgado Cruz studied at one of the only contemporary academies in the city called “Andanza”. Later on, I wanted to pursue dance as a profession and knew that achieving a degree was one of the best ways to do it. She was accepted to the Boston Conservatory in 2021 with multiple scholarships towards her education and will be graduating in Spring 2025. 

      During her time at the Conservatory, I have studied with numerous dancers through summer programs such as Dance Italia, Ballet Hispanico, Co/Motion, Alonzo King Lines, and more. Ana has traveled overseas to work professionally and build connections with other dancers from England all the way to France. Although she keeps herself open to learning new styles of dance, she has been developing a craft of mixing African dance with contemporary dance. These influences come through in choreography and dance style when improvising. Delgado Cruz joined Jo-Mé Dance Theatre for the 2023-24 season, where she played as mother in the iconic repertoire "Guilty Until Proven Innocent".

 Yazmine Akamine is a passion-driven Venezuelan/Japanese-American dance artist from northern Kentucky. She is currently in her third year at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she intends to receive a B.F.A in Contemporary Dance. Recently, a dance artist with the Rhode Island Women’s Choreographic project, she performed new works by upcoming female choreographers. She continues to supplement her training at various dance intensives with Ballet Hispanico, Gibney Dance, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and American Ballet Theater. Previously a trainee with the Sacramento Ballet, she performed classical ballet and contemporary ballet repertoire under the direction of Artistic Director Anthony Krutzkamp. She has received year-round training from professional programs including Orlando Ballet Academy and Cary Ballet Conservatory under the direction of Marielena Ruiz. Yazmine was a 23/24 Season company member with Jo-Mé Dance Theatre