Amy Ashley acquired a passion for movement from a young age through ballet, before stepping into modern, jazz, and contemporary forms under the mentorship of master teacher Tracey Durbin. An Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program graduate, her performance career has been a blend of collaborative projects and freelance work, spanning musical theater, film, and concert dance. In New York City she collaborates with Allyson Ross/Southern Belle Stories and Disagreeable Creatures Collective, and teaches throughout the tri-state area. Amy became a faculty member at Mark Morris Dance Center in 2021, and is the lead teacher for ARD’s growing education programing.
Asia Bonilla, originally from Trabuco Canyon, CA, graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program with a major in Dance and a minor in Mathematics. She has performed internationally at the Sydney Opera House in Australia and the Rudolfinum Concert Hall in the Czech Republic and danced with Awaken Dance Theater, VISIONS Contemporary Ballet, BHdos (the second company of Ballet Hispánico), and Alison Cook-Beatty Dance. She has performed works by choreographers Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle, Michelle Manzanales, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Jacqulyn Buglisi among others. Asia is also a personal trainer and dance teacher for ARD at institutions such as West Village Nursery School, Barrow Street Nursery School, and The Dalton School.
Caitlyn Casson, originally from Philadelphia, graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of South Florida, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance and a minor in Psychology. She has performed repertoire by distinguished artists Bill T. Jones, Doug Varone and Talley Beatty. Casson’s desire for internationally diverse, artistic endeavors has taken her across the globe to perform and teach. Since 2013, she has been working as an international dance trainer with MindLeaps to Eastern Europe and Africa. Most recently she performed at the Ubumuntu Arts Festival in Kigali, Rwanda. In New York City, Caitlyn spends her time teaching yoga and dancing with Matthew WesterbyCompany, Dance Entropy and Ariel Rivka Dance.
Abriona Cherry, is a native of Southern Maryland. She trained at a variety of local studios as well as the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC and the Dance Theatre of Harlem Pre Professional Residency at Duke Ellington. Abriona graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program with majors in Dance and International Humanitarian Studies. She has performed works by Alvin Ailey and Arthur Mitchell and worked with choreographers such as Robert Battle, Virginia Johnson, Amy Hall Garner, Adam Baruch, Tanya Chianese, and Chuck Wilt. She has performed and taught dance outreach both nationally and internationally through the JUNTOS Collective. She currently dances professionally in New York with Vashti Dance Theatre and Ariel Rivka Dance.
Kristin Licata, is from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program. She performed classics by Alvin Ailey and Joyce Trisler and worked with Robert Battle, Sean Curran, William Forsyth, and Elisa Monte. After graduation, she danced with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II, Felice Lesser Dance Theater, Regina Nejman and Company, Tamara Saari, Dance, Yuka Kawazu/Danse En L'air, Vabang!and Vox Luminere. Recently, she worked in the creative process with Chanel DaSilva, Maria Naidu and Michael Spencer Phillips. Touring internationally in Brazil, Greece, and Poland, Kristin currently dances with Covenant Ballet Theater, Matthew Westerby Company, and Valerie Green Dance Entropy, as well as being an ABT® certified teacher, teaching ballet and modern throughout NYC.
Casie Marie O'Kane, originally from Northern Virginia, attended the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program in San Francisco, California from 2010-2012. While in the training program, Casie worked closely with Alonzo King, David Harvey, Maurya Kerr, Christian Burns, and Karah Abiog. Since moving to New York in 2012 she has worked with Sidra Bell, Erin Carlisle Norton, Maruya Kerr, Jennifer Archibald, Yoshito Sakuraba and Karol Armitage. She has a B.S. in Public Affairs from Baruch College and completed her 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2018. Casie joined Ariel Rivka Dance in 2014.
Kyleigh Sackandy, holds a BFA from SUNY Purchase College and an MS in Dance/Movement Therapy from Sarah Lawrence College. She has performed professionally in New York with SYREN Modern Dance, NuDance Theater, Beth Liebowitz & Artists, Indah Walsh Dance Company, and Catherine Galasso among others. She has also choreographed and performed internationally in Taiwan, Japan, Spain, and Canada. Kyleigh currently teaches dance in New York and is a dance/movement therapist for children with developmental disabilities and who have experienced trauma.
Hana Ginsburg Tirosh, holds a BA in Education Policy from Princeton University and an MFA in Dance Performance and Teaching from Purchase College, SUNY. Currently a member of Ariel Rivka Dance, Matthew Westerby Company and Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre, she has also performed with Mark Dendy Dancetheater, Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theater, Valerie Green/Dance Entropy, Riedel Dance Theater, Yuka Kawazu/Danse En L’air, Tamara Saari Dance, Lane & Co, KDNY and Amy Marshall among others. She was a founding member of 360° Dance Company, serving as a dancer, General Manager, Board Member and Rehearsal Director from 2006-2014. Hana is the New York City Director for the New York Institute of Dance and Education, and her most perfect creations are her three sons, Orin, Arlin and Zahavi.