Mikhaela Ampeloquio began her dance training at the age of 4 at Seven Star School of Performing Arts in Brewster, New York. During her time there, she trained and competed in styles such as ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and contemporary. She was also fortunate enough to represent the United States at the Tap Dance World Championships in Riesa, Germany in 2016, 2017 and 2019. She furthered her dance training at Dean College, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance with a choreography concentration in 2023. During her time there, she was President of the hip hop team, Synergy, as well as a member of the contemporary team, The Collective. She had opportunities to perform in dance concerts, faculty showcases and choreograph for dance shows. She was fortunate to have her piece adjudicated by the American College Dance Association (ACDA) panel in 2022. Following graduation, Mikhaela began her professional dance career performing with the Maine Celtics and the Boston Celtics dance teams for the 2023-2024 season. She then went on to perform alongside the Nomads hip hop team, competing at national dance competitions such as Elements. Mikhaela is thrilled to join BoSoma Dance Company for her first season. 

Kelsey Blanchette is a dancer and teacher based in Southern New Hampshire. She began her training at Dance Progressions in Londonderry, NH, and went on to graduate Cum Laude from Salem State University in 2017 with a B.A. in Dance and Public Relations. While at Salem State, she studied under esteemed faculty, including Caitlin Corbett, Meghan McLyman, Betsy Miller, and James Morrow. Kelsey was an active presence within the university's dance community, serving as a choreographer, dancer, and officer for both the Salem Dance Ensemble and Repertory Dance Theatre. Her choreographic work was showcased at the American College Dance Conference, and she was honored with the Creativity Award for Dance, the highest artistic accolade at Salem State. Since graduating, Kelsey has continued performing in local arts festivals and with companies such as Saving Grace Dance Ensemble, Vitality Dance Project and NACHMO Boston. In 2023, she joined BoSoma Dance Company (BDC) as a company member and currently serves on the Board of Directors as the dancer representative.. In addition, Kelsey is the Assistant Director of BoSoma School of Dance, where she is passionate about fostering artistry, confidence, and community in young dancers. She is also a certified fitness instructor with BTone Fitness, bringing a strength-based approach to movement both on and off the stage.

Phoebe Burden began her training in West Boylston, Massachusetts, at Diane Kelley Dance Studio, where she is also teaching young dancers from 3 to 18 years old. Her home studio is where she learned various dance styles, including ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary, and she will always be grateful for the open and supportive space Diane Kelley created for her as a young dancer. She continued her training at Purchase College, SUNY in New York, where she received a BFA in dance performance in 2022. Her time spent at SUNY Purchase prepared her to be skilled in many techniques of dance like classical ballet/partnering, Graham, Cunningham, and Lìmon. She also found a passion in different contemporary forms like contact improvisation taught by Bradley Teal Ellis, modern partnering, and floor work under Jason Reese Cianciulli (Vim Vigor). Phoebe has studied under talented choreographers and dance artists like Andrea Miller, Peter Chu, Martin Løfsnes, Stephanie Tooman, Doug Varone, and Annie Rigney. Phoebe has attended several summer programs like SITE 1 and 2 with GALLIM and Boston Dance Theatre's Summer Immersion Project. She is currently enrolled in a 500-hour Pilates teacher training program to receive her certificate as a Pilates teacher. She is excited to continue her artistic development and grow her versatility as a dancer in the future. Phoebe is thrilled to continue dancing with BoSoma this season.

Courtney has been dancing since the age of 3, she received the bulk of her training from local New England studios and summer programs such as Boston Ballet, Carolina Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and the Boston Conservatory. During this time she received many awards and recognitions at both regional and national dance competitions and conventions. In May of 2017, she graduated from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. During her time with the Hartt School, she had the opportunity to study under renowned professors/ choreographers such as Stephen Pier, Debra Collins Ryder, Hilda Morales, Ralph Perkins, Miki Orihara, Katie Stevinson Nollet, Betsy McMillan and Nina Watt. She also had the opportunity to perform in classical pieces by Balanchine, Limon, Martha Graham, Laban technique and other Contemporary works. Courtney has been dancing with the BoSoma Dance Company since 2017. During her time, she has had the opportunity to perform in many dance festivals, within art exhibits at the Peabody Essex Museum and perform at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Courtney is now the Assistant Director of BoSoma School of Dance where she shares her passion and love for dance with her students of all ages.

Shannon Courtney is originally from Auburn, Massachusetts. She started dancing at the age of 6 and later continued her training at The Hanover Theatre Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Worcester. She attended many summer intensives at Festival Ballet Providence, Urbanity Dance, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. She recently graduated from the University of Hartford (The Hartt School) magna cum laude with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Dance Performance.Throughout her time at Hartt, Shannon has had the privilege of working with guest choreographers such as Hope Boykin, Pascal Rioult, and Norbert De La Cruz III. She's enjoyed her time over the past four years learning and performing Limon, Graham, classical ballet, and contemporary works.

Jalayna began training in dance at the age of 5 years old at Center Performing Arts in Methuen”. She trained in the styles Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, and Hiphop. In 2022, She began teaching at her home studio teaching hip hop and tap. She has since started teaching ages 2 and up and teaches a plethora of styles. In 2022, her Senior year of high school, she started choreographing competition dances for the Elite Team at her home studio. From 2017-2018, she was in a Hip Hop company called “Street Hype” founded by Tony Tucker and competed in the “World of Dance” Competition. From the ages of 7-17, she completed all 12 levels of the “American Academy of Ballet” program as well as all 6 levels of the “Dance Masters of America”, Medal testing program. From the ages 12-15, she went to New York to further her ballet training at American Academy of Ballet. She currently tours with the Ballet company “Dance Prism” that she’s been touring with since the age of 9. She dances in their spring and fall shows as well as their annual performance of “The nutcracker”.

Julia Gately is a passionate and versatile dancer with over 17 years of training from Haverhill, MA. She earned her B.S. in Exercise Science with a Minor in Dance from Sacred Heart University, where she was a member of the Sacred Heart Dance Company’s Professional Track, SHU MOVEMENT. Throughout her collegiate career, Julia worked closely with renowned choreographers such as Rachel Leigh Dolan, Jesse Obremski, Yoshito Sakuraba, and the Pilobolus Dance Company, among others. She also studied internationally at World Dance Movement in Italy, further expanding her training and global perspective on dance. Julia’s performance highlights include solo and featured roles in events like the Can You Dance? Super Convention in Liverpool, England, and the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival. She has a strong presence both on stage and in the studio, where her choreographic work has been recognized for its storytelling and musicality.

Janelle Holmes earned her Bachelor's of Fine Arts from University of Hartford in May of 2020, with a focus in ballet pedagogy. While attending The Hartt School, she performed in many main stage shows, and danced as a guest artist with Ballet Hartford. Janelle has also held various internships focused on teaching dance in the Hartford area. Additionally, Janelle is involved with artistic outreach programs such as Spectrum in Motion and The Prism Project, practicing movement and music therapy with students with exceptionalities. Currently, Janelle is pursuing her Masters of Business Administration at the University of Hartford while working as a freelance dancer in Southern New England. She is excited to apply her knowledge and to build on her professional skills at BDC.

Cassie Laskowski's dance training began at various studios in southern New Hampshire, including New Hampshire School of Ballet where she remained until graduating high school in 2015. While there, Cassie trained in ballet, jazz, modern, tap and lyrical dance. She also had the opportunity to train at The Nutmeg Conservatory in Connecticut during this time. In 2019, Cassie graduated cum laude from The Hartt School at University of Hartford with a BFA in Dance Performance. Cassie’s time at Hartt allowed her to study ballet, contemporary, composition, and classical modern techniques as well as perform works by Martha Graham, José Limón, Paul Taylor, George Balanchine, Michelle Thompson-Ulerich, Claudia Schrier, Katie Stevinson-Nollet, and Stephen Pier. In addition to her studies at Hartt, Cassie had opportunities to travel to San Francisco Conservatory of Dance and Henny Jurriëns Studio in Amsterdam for summer programs, where she explored Gaga and improvisation. Cassie performed with The Hartford Dance Collective under the direction of Jillian Cusano before joining BoSoma Dance Company in 2022. In addition to performing with BDC, Cassie is honored to serve as rehearsal director for the company and made her professional choreographic debut in the company’s Fall 2025 show. In 2023, Cassie graduated from Lesley University with a M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and Dance/movement Therapy. Cassie continues to develop adaptive and inclusive dance programming for BoSoma School of Dance and is passionate about fostering creative expression, healing and empowerment for communities of all ages. 

Nicole Lombardi is a dancer, choreographer, and educator from Massachusetts with over 19 years of training. She received the majority of her early dance education at Walker’s Gymnastics and Dance in Lowell, MA. In 2023, she earned a B.S. with a double major in Dance and Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she performed extensively with both UMass Dance Company and the university’s dance program. Her performance highlights include Convergence, a dance film directed by Dr. Aston McCullough. In addition to her work as a performer, Nicole served as a research assistant in the nation’s first National Endowment for the Arts–funded dance research lab, contributing to studies at the intersection of dance and health. Following graduation, Nicole began teaching ballet, modern, jazz, and contemporary dance to students of all ages, while also launching her professional performance career in Again Again, in Dance and Film, directed by Jennifer Uhl. She is honored to be joining BoSoma Dance Company for the 2025–26 season.

Jillian Murray is a Massachusetts based dancer from Burlington, MA, who began her training at Suzanne’s Dance Connection. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst in 2023. While at UMass, Jillian was a member of the UMass Dance Company and performed in numerous departmental concerts, as well as Convergence, a dance film supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and directed by Dr. Aston McCullough.

Following graduation, Jillian launched her professional career as a dancer with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun Dance Team, performing during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. During her time with the Sun, she danced backup for artists including the Ying Yang Twins, Rayvon Owen, and Quad City DJ’s. In 2023, she also performed in Anthony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker at Boston’s Shubert Theatre.

Jillian is currently the Assistant Director and Competition Director at The Movement Center Dance Studio in Acton, MA, where she teaches a wide range of styles to dancers of all ages, from preschoolers through adults. She is thrilled to be performing with BoSoma Dance Company for her second season and to collaborate with such a talented community of artists.

Harper Tanguay is a Massachusetts-raised dancer with 20 years of experience. Until the age of 18, she trained in ballet and contemporary dance at Mass Ballet and MetroWest Dance Academy, studying with the Royal Academy of Dance and completing syllabus examinations. In 2024, she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in both Dance and Movement Studies and Psychological Sciences from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. During her time at HWS, she was introduced to new styles, including Jamaican Dance, Dances of the African Diaspora, and Modern Dance. She was given the opportunity to travel abroad to study Balinese Dance at Mekar Bhuana in Bali, Indonesia. Harper has had the privilege of performing works by faculty and peers, as well as choreographing five pieces during her time. She was also Co-President of the largest arts club on campus, Kinetic Dance Collective, which produced a show featuring 100 dancers and 20 pieces. Since graduating, she has been part of Boston Dance Theater’s Trainee Program for 2025, where she has continued to grow and study works by Jessie Jeanne Stinnet, Alessandro Sousa Pereira, Itzik Galili, and Tethered Residents. Harper is honored to share the stage with the company for her first season!

Kristin grew up dancing in Burlington, MA, at Suzanne’s Dance Connection. She holds a BFA in Dance and studied at the California Institute of the Arts, Boston Conservatory, and Zurich University of the Arts. From 2017–2023, she managed a mobile dance company and studio in Los Angeles, serving over 450 students across 12+ locations. Kristin has taught throughout the Boston area, including at MIT, and choreographs for Tippi Toes Dance Company, spanning 35 franchises worldwide.

Outside of dance, Kristin works in faculty support at MIT’s Department of Mathematics. She values her faith, family, her husband Jacob, and their pup, Hazel. This year, Kristin and Jacob are welcoming their daughter into the world—after Kristin performed pregnant four times this season. She is deeply grateful for the teachers and choreographers who have shaped her artistic journey and is honored to be part of BoSoma Dance Company.

Jessica-Rose was born and raised in Massachusetts and received her early dance training at the North Reading School of Ballet under the direction of Lisa Pulver. In high school, she was accepted into the Junior Apprentice program with Urbanity Dance Company directed by Besti Graves. After departing from NRSB and Urbanity in 2016, she joined Bosoma Dance Company under the direction of Katherine Hooper, and in 2017 also started performing with Boston Community Dance Project, now known as BCDP Global, under the direction of Sarah Kay “SKooJ CorE-O”. In late 2019, Jessica-Rose set sail with Celebrity Cruises and was a character performer and specialty dancer in Eden on the Celebrity Edge until April of 2020. She returned to BCDP Global from 2021 to 2023, and in 2024 rejoined BoSoma Dance Company as a current company member. 

Jessica-Rose started sharing her passion for the creative process and choreographing in 2016. She currently teaches and choreographs for various studios and their performance teams, but has also choreographed for pre-professional companies including Aurora Borealis Dance Company and the BoSoma Youth Company, and professional companies including Urbanity Dance Company, BCDP Global, and the BoSoma Dance Company.