meet the company

FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Kelsey Lee (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist who expands the language of dance by embracing speech, visual art, and digital media to create strange yet familiar worlds. Her choreography has been presented all over the country and abroad, including Midwest RAD Fest (MI), Milwaukee Fringe Festival (WI), Cleveland Dance Festival (OH), the McGuffey Art Center (VA), and Ponderosa (Germany), to name a few. In 2024 they founded Dance PlayHouse to make more space for dance along the West Michigan lakeshore. She has taught a variety of dance styles to all ages for the past decade, and is a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200). Passionate about the therapeutic benefits of dance, Lee co-teaches Moving with Parkinson’s with Mimi Dunne at Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging, and teaches Creative Movement at The Momentum Center in Grand Haven.

She began dancing at 8 years old at the Dance Factory in Delavan, Wisconsin where she studied ballet in the Cecchetti Technique, modern, and jazz dance. They have a BFA in Contemporary Dance & Choreography with a double major in Psychology from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. There, she received two undergraduate research fellowships for somatic research under the mentorship of Maria Gillespie, and was the recipient of several dance scholarships, including the Ed Burgess Legacy Scholarship. After graduation, they completed a Meisner technique training program at The Acting Studio in New York City. She has worked as a professional actor in both theatre and film productions, with supporting roles in the musical, “Annie” and the feature-length film, “The Color Yellow”. They have danced professionally with Hixon Dance, Currents Dance Theatre, Hyperlocal MKE, Columbus Modern Dance Company, Quasimondo Milwaukee Physical Theatre, Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and Peter Stathas Dance.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Lauren Sawson is an interdisciplinary artist and educator who has been rooted in movement throughout her entire life. Entering her second season with Dance PlayHouse, Lauren is thrilled to amplify her involvement as the company’s Artistic Director.

Lauren’s professional journey is anchored by a BFA in Dance from Wayne State University. Following her degree, she moved to Dayton, Ohio, where she performed and choreographed for SMAG Dance Collective, sharpening her distinct voice as a creator. Her formative training in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap has since expanded into a rich, versatile vocabulary including contemporary, West African, hip hop, and improvisation. Throughout her career, Lauren has had the honor of training with artists and educators from companies like Paul Taylor, Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo, Complexions, The Joffrey Ballet, The Lion King and Movin' Out. This diverse technical foundation allows Lauren to produce thought-provoking choreography derived from her lived experiences, emphasizing a thoughtful, embodied approach informed by a deep understanding of pedagogy, anatomy, and kinesiology.

With nearly 20 years of teaching experience throughout the Midwest and along the Lakeshore, Lauren is dedicated to offering enriching movement education for all ages. Her passion for early childhood development is reflected in her training with the Discover Dance program, while her certification in Acrobatic Arts allows her to integrate athletic floor-work into her technical classes. Lauren is looking forward to taking on Dance PlayHouse's roster of class offerings, continuing to provide high-level instruction for youth and adult programs alike. She will be leading vital community outreach initiatives at facilities such as Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging and The Playhouse at White Lake. Beyond the studio, she serves as the Co-Founder of HomeBody Retreats, a community-focused initiative dedicated to accessibility and collective care.

Lauren’s approach to dance is further supported by a comprehensive background in holistic wellness. She is a 200-hour Certified Yoga Teacher and trained in the STOTT Pilates comprehensive mat program, as well as a Level II Usui Reiki Practitioner. By weaving these disciplines together, Lauren strives to encourage those in movement to create sustainable, mindful, and powerful relationship with their bodies, both on and off the stage.

COMPANY MEMBER & YOUTH PERFORMANCE COMPANY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Adrian Martinez (she/her) is a Michigan-based dance artist and educator. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Western Michigan University, where she performed works by artists including Noelle Kayser, Mike Esperanza, and Marisa Bianan. Adrian has also performed with the touring dance company Western Dance Project (2025–2026), under the direction of Kelsey Paschich, sharing dance with communities throughout the Kalamazoo area. She has had the opportunity to perform at the Dance City Festival in Detroit and Art Hop in Kalamazoo. In 2026, she was selected to perform Lily of the Nile by Loie Fuller, reconstructed by Megan Slayter and Jessica Lindenburg Coxe, at the American College Dance Association Adjudication Concert and Closing Gala.

Throughout her time at the university, she taught at a dance studio in the Kalamazoo area and served as rehearsal director for the First Year Performance Class in the WMU Winter Gala 2025, as well as for the 2026 BFA Senior Graduating Presentation, Eclipse. Her choreographic work, Between the Calm Lake Waters, was recently selected for presentation at the Summer Stage during the Dance City Festival in Detroit in September 2026. Adrian is excited to continue building community through dance, fulfilling her artistic aspirations, and pursuing opportunities to perform professionally.

COMPANY MEMBER

Natalie Delmotte is a graduate of Grand Valley State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree while developing as both a performer and artist through extensive training and performance opportunities. Before attending Grand Valley, she trained at Dance With Heart, where she established a strong technical foundation and passion for movement.

Throughout her collegiate career, Natalie embraced opportunities to explore a wide range of movement styles, collaborate with faculty and guest artists, and deepen their artistic voice within a supportive creative community. Natalie’s experiences have shaped her into a versatile and dedicated performer with a strong commitment to growth and artistry.

Following graduation, Natalie plans to attend the Staibdance Italy Intensive and pursue professional company opportunities, including with Dance Playhouse. She is eager to continue expanding her craft and contributing her passion, discipline, and creativity to the professional dance community.

COMPANY MEMBER

Kasey Eckhardt is a dancer and choreographer from Michigan. She received a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography with a minor in Somatics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The primary focus of her training growing up was in ballet/pointe, Horton modern technique, and jazz. Part of her training for four years was attending  Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, a two-week-long dance intensive, learning from a variety of teachers from across the country. During her time at UWM she worked with Maria Gillespie, Daniel Burkholder, Dan Schuchart, Gina Laurenzi, Dawn Spring, and Mair Culbreth, from whom she learned aerial ropes experience. Additionally, she worked with guest artists, Aysha Upchurch, Karlies Kelley, and David Rousseve. At UWM she was a part of the Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program under the direction of Maria Gillespie, delving into topics of auto-ethnographies, improvisation, and scribing movement. Her choreography has been presented in Danceworks MKE Get It Out There and Dance Collective, a student-run showcase. She attended and performed at the American College Dance Association (ACDA). She has performed professionally for Ashley Ray Garcia in the evening-length show For The Wolves and Little Sparrow. Her other performances include dancing in music videos for “Wild Cats” by The Quilz and “There’s a ghost!” by NESYA. In another opportunity, dancing for the camera, she performed in a short film, The Glamorous Life, by Ava Kahut. Eckhardt is interested in communication through movement that is embodied by both athletic and imaginative disciplines. 

COMPANY MEMBER

Ariana’s love of dance began at the age of 2. She spent her youth training with various dance studios and recently completed her Bachelor of Arts in Dance at Grand Valley State University. During her time at GVSU, she had the honor of performing as a soloist and ensemble in works choreographed by various guest artists such as Andi Salazar, Christopher Page-Sanders, and Alex Goodreau. She has attended and performed at dance conferences such as ACDA and Grand Rapids Ballet Summer Dance Festival, which have expanded her approach and perspectives in dance. She has been a part of student-led choreography club, Momentum, for 7 semesters of her college journey and was a part of Executive Board under Media Coordination for 3. Ariana currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and this is her first season with Dance PlayHouse. She also has a passion for helping wildlife and is currently working towards completing her Bachelor of Science in Biology at GVSU.

COMPANY MEMBER

This is Gina’s second season with Dance PlayHouse. She majored in dance and elementary education at Hope College, and currently teaches at Black River Public School as a 4th/5th grade teacher and Avalon School of the Arts. While at Hope, she performed with StrikeTime Dance Company under the leadership of Maxine DeBruyn and Aerial Dance Theatre, led by Linda Graham and Steven Iannacone. After college, Gina lived in the Twin Cities and had the opportunity to dance in the scholarship program with Zenon Dance Company. She especially enjoyed dancing with Morgan Thorson. After becoming a mama, she found her way back to Michigan, where she was fortunate to work and perform with Dance in the Annex (Amy Wilson), Megan Flynn, and Jessica Bonanfant. Most recently, Gina showed her work at daCi (dance and the child international) conference in Baltimore. She is so grateful to be a part of this dance community!

COMPANY MEMBER

Erin Siebert (she/her) trained at Relevé Dance Studio growing up, and has a dance minor from Central Michigan University (CMU). At CMU, Siebert performed with the University Theatre Dance Company, and performed and choreographed for the Dance Minor Showcase. This is her second season with Dance PlayHouse, and she recently earned a Doctorate of Audiology from Central Michigan University. In her free time, she loves to read and spend time going to coffee shops to drink chai.

ARTISTIC FELLOW

Brenna Brookelyn is a professional dancer, choreographer, studio owner, show producer, and director from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her performance career has taken her from community stages to nationally recognized events, including the Reconstruct Exhibition in Los Angeles, California.

Committed to continued growth as both an artist and educator, Brenna has trained at more than a dozen studios across the country, including T Milly Studio, Millennium Dance Complex, and Playground LA in Los Angeles, as well as Visceral Dance Center in Chicago. In her early twenties, she toured with EnerGy National Dance Competitions for several seasons, learning from and connecting with acclaimed choreographers, Broadway performers, and professional touring dancers from across the United States.

Specializing in Heels, Jazz, and Hip Hop, Brenna also has a deep passion for contemporary and modern movement. Most recently, she expanded her professional training in Los Angeles through multiple heels masterclasses with Yanis Marshall, while also studying heels, hip hop, and commercial movement with renowned industry professionals including Brynn Samms, Hero Thomas, and Marty Kudelka.

Throughout the Midwest, Brenna has performed at numerous dance festivals, music festivals, sold-out productions, and performing arts showcases. Most recently, she was featured in the Integrity Granite commercial for Celebration Cinema. In 2026 alone, she has produced, co-directed, and/or performed in The Community First Performing Arts Showcase, The Silva Spoon Variety Show, Chicago Teen Edition at Grandville High School, and Interact: Performing Arts Exhibition, with several additional productions scheduled throughout the year.

Brenna is entering her second season with Dance PlayHouse as an Artistic Fellow, her second season as Director and Co-Founder of Aspire by EDA, and her inaugural season as the Founder and Artistic Director of Enigmatic Performance Society.

As an award-winning choreographer with more than 20 choreography awards, Brenna is passionate about creating meaningful performance opportunities, cultivating confident and versatile artists, and fostering a thriving, inclusive performing arts community in West Michigan. Through her work, she strives to make Grand Rapids a place where performers can grow, collaborate, and share exceptional artistic experiences with their community.

APPRENTICE

Emma’s training began at Spotlight Dance Academy in Spring Lake, Michigan where she performed with their competitive troupe for three seasons. Most recently, she completed an Associates Degree at Muskegon Community College where she continued to study dance under the tutelage of Jovita Weibel. She performs with the MCC Dance Company,  most notably in their recent centennial concert, “...The Journey…” 

APPRENTICE

Kyra Humphrey (she/her) started dancing at 3 years old. When she was 13 she moved her training to the Academy of Dance Arts under the direction of Dawnell Dryja-Black. She has attended the Eisenhower Dance Detroit U.P.rootEDD summer intensive, as well as attending Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. She attended Central Michigan University and received a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Dance Studies. While at CMU, she performed and choreographed for the Student Choreography Showcase and the University Theatre Dance Company Concert. She was featured in a faculty piece choreographed by James Wallace, and she danced in a guest artist piece at CMU choreographed by Stephanie Pizzo. She also interned at Deos Contemporary Ballet and choreographed a piece on the other interns there. After graduating, she performed in Nagoya, Japan with Masashi Action Machine.

APPRENTICE

Madison began her training at the age of 3, and competitively danced from the age of 7 to 18. She trained at Dance Dimensions in Grand Rapids, MI, in styles including tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, musical theater, and pointe. She continued her dance education at Grand Valley State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance in 2026. Along with her competitive dance background, Madison was also a part of a pre-professional tap company, Detroit Tap Repertory, for 3 years.  Between these training backgrounds, Madison had the opportunity to perform in settings such as Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida, Detroit Pistons Halftime Show, and Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day Period. She has continued to expand her dance teaching and choreography experience and is going on her 7th year in this field. Madison is very excited to continue her post grad dance career as an apprentice with Dance PlayHouse.

APPRENTICE

Morgan’s love of dance started at age 2 and only grew from there. From ages 7–18, she was a part of the competitive team at Dance Dimensions in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, tap, and musical theater. She also had the privilege of being a part of the pre-professional tap company, Detroit Tap Repertory, where she learned from former Rockettes and So You Think You Can Dance finalists. In 2024, Morgan received her certification in Dance Education through the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She currently works as a dance teacher and choreographer in Grand Rapids for students ages 2–18. Morgan is so excited to join the Dance PlayHouse company as an apprentice this season and can’t wait to take the stage once more!

INSTRUCTOR

Bri Bertrang began attending yoga classes in 2018 after reading “The Body Keeps The Score” by Bessel van der Kolk about how beneficial yoga is for PTSD and mental health recovery. Bri furthered their practice by becoming a registered yoga teacher (200 RYT) with Tammy Zee's Yoga School in Onalaska, WI in 2019. They continued their studies in yin yoga and chair yoga through Yoga Center Retreat and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga through TCTSY. They led chair yoga classes at Recovery Avenue in La Crosse, WI, a mental health peer-run drop-in center where they also worked as a Peer Support Specialist. Bri has taught yoga classes, hosted a children's yoga themed birthday party, and hosted the Yogaversary event for Om Yoga Studio, Onalaska, WI. They’ve enjoyed unique opportunities as well, such as leading goat yoga classes at Rainbow Ridge Farms, La Crosse, WI, and playing piano to accompany a yoga class at Underground Yoga, Muskegon, MI. Bri currently leads chair yoga and creative movement at The Momentum Center in Grand Haven. For Bri, movement practices are a life changing part of connecting with self and the community. 

CHOREOGRAPHER IN RESIDENCE 2026

ALISHA JIHN | 靳書怡 (she/her) is a dancer, maker, and board-certified dance/movement therapist. Her choreography is grounded in ideas of hybridity and intercultural experiences reflective of her identity as a Taiwanese-American raised in the Midwest. Alisha has presented her work at the Asia Pacific Dance Festival (Honolulu, HI), RADFest (Kalamazoo, MI), Cleveland Dance Festival (Cleveland, OH), OhioDance Festival (Columbus, OH), Hamlin Park Theater (Chicago, IL), and DanceLAB MKE (Milwaukee, WI). She has created choreography for students at Denison University and The Ohio State University. Alisha is a 2026 recipient of the Individual Excellence Award in Choreography from the Ohio Arts Council.

As a performer, Alisha is currently a collaborator with Benjamin Roach (Columbus, OH) and has performed as a company member with Wild Space Dance Company (Milwaukee, WI), and Danceworks Performance MKE (Milwaukee, WI). She has danced in works by Abby Zbikowski, Momar Ndiaye, Jade Charon, Alexandra Beller, and stilgo dance + tech.  

Alisha has taught at Denison University and teaches dance for memory care with Perennial Movement Group. Alisha was a Fulbright Fellow in Taiwan researching cross-cultural approaches in dance/movement therapy. Currently based in Columbus, OH, she holds degrees from St. Olaf College, Columbia College Chicago, and a MFA in Dance from The Ohio State University.

GUEST PERFORMER

Caitlin Miller (she/her) was born and raised in Fenwick, Michigan. She started her training at Flat River Dance Company at age 4. In Spring 2024, she completed her B.A. in Dance and minor in Leadership for Social Change at Western Michigan University. After college she danced with Currents Dance Theater in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Currently she is a guest artist with Dance PlayHouse in Muskegon, Michigan. In The future, she plans on participating in nonprofit work supporting advocacy.

GUEST PERFORMER

Ellie Myers (she/her) joined Dance PlayHouse on stage this past season dancing in Lauren Sawson’s “Making the Bed, Starting the Fire”. She started dancing at Relevé Dance Studio in White Hall, Michigan, where she participated in various competitions and showcases. Recently, she’s been involved with Muskegon Community College’s dance company, performing in Jovita Weibels “… The Journey…”, and will continue dancing with them this upcoming season.

GUEST PERFORMER

Alex Swanger (she/her) started dancing at age ten with Letha Fulton School of Dance. For many years, she competed in regional and National dance competitions as well as trained and performed under a multitude of different styles. She recently graduated from the CLI conservatory, a professional commercial dance training program in West Massachusetts. From this experience, she has had the privilege of learning from world renown choreographers and dancers, and perform in pieces choreographed by Martha Nichols, Teddy Forance, Devin Pornel, Kenichi Kasamatsu, Ali Pflegar, Marlee Hightower, and Jason Williams. Now, Alex is back home teaching at her home studio, dancing for Essence Movement Collective in Grand Rapids, working for Energy National Dance Competition, and is working through a course to become an NASM Certified Personal Trainer.