Season 17

The Company
Photos: Martha Wirth Photography

Ashley Eaves Sonnier is originally from Louisiana and started dancing when she was 3 years old with Dance Stop Dance Centre in DeRidder, LA. Her 15 years of training there consisted of tap, clogging, jazz, and ballet. In 2008, Ashley joined Lake Charles Civic Ballet as a Core Company member while pursuing a Bacherlors in Accounting at McNeese State University in 2008. During her time with Lake Charles Civic Ballet, Ashley was promoted to Ballet Principal and heldroles such as Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty, Miss Scarlet in Clue, Psalm of Spring, and Mother in Daguerreotype. After graduating college in 2012, Ashley moved to Houston, Texas to pursue a career in Public Accounting specializing in State and Local Taxation with Hein & Associates (now Moss Adams LLP). While her day job mostly consisted of research and number crunching, she realized her artistic ambitions still needed to be fulfilled. She ended training with a local circus/aerial group, Cirque La Vie, in Houston and was introduced to the aerial community. Her training there mostly consisted of pre-contortion and hard apparatuses such as Lyra (hoop) and Dance Trapeze. In 2016, Ashley and her now husband moved to Denver, Colorado due to the beautiful mountains and for Ashley to join her company's headquarters in downtown Denver. During this time, Ashley still pursued the aerial arts and began more ballet/pointe training under the mentorship of Jill Oliver. She auditioned with Iluminar Aerial in the summer of 2016 and was an Aerial Intern Member for the 2016/2017 season and became a Professional Aerial Company Member for the 2017/2018 season. Ashley held roles such as Tree for Into The Forest, Antagonist in Girl With the Red Ball, and choreographed pieces such as Salem - A Witch Hunting and Sunny Side of the Street (Fosse). She has also danced roles with Thrive Ballet such as Spanish, Arabian, Flowers (Corp), and Snow Queen. Ashley is also a Company Member of the aerial arts group In The Wings which begain in 2018. She is in her seventh season with Davis Dance

Julia Stwalley began her dance training at two and a half years old at Danza Dance Academy in Castle Rock, Colorado. She trained there for 15 years studying ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and tap. She was a competitive dancer at Danza for eight years. She had the opportunity to study extensive ballet training at the Denver Ballet Theatre during a summer intensive. She also had the privilege of dancing with Davis Dance Next Generation for three years then was prompted to an apprentice, then a year later into a full company member with the main company. She is currently at Colorado State University studying interior design. Julia is in her sixth season.

Skyler Meadow Levine began her training with The Nashville Ballet in their academy and as a trainee. At age 17, Skyler was hired into Nashville Ballet’s second company where she was featured in numerous classical and contemporary works, including originating a role in Gina Patterson’s 72 Steps, as a commission by the League of Women’s Voters. While at Nashville ballet she performed works by Robert Colby Damon, Paul Vasterling, Kim Ratcliffe, Nicole Keonig, and Shabaz Chijoke Ujima. In 2020 Skyler became a company member with FALL, a contemporary ballet and aerial dance company directed by Rebekah Hampton Barger. Skyler was featured as both dancer and choreographer in FALL's socially-distanced show, Windows, and in the company’s dance film Sentiment shot by Aaron Worley. She has also had the opportunity to choreograph and dance in her own work at Kindling Arts Festival in 2021, 2022, and for various music videos for local artists. This same festival led her to join Di Mossa Dance Company directed by Lisa Valeri while continuing as a company member with FALL and freelancing with her own work. She was lucky enough to perform at Oz Arts 2021 with Shackled Feet DANCE Company and the Emmy nominated composer Dave Ragland in Steal Away. Skyler graduated Summa Cum Laude from Belmont University with a Bachelors in Social Work and a minor in Chemistry in May 2022 and immediately began working on her Doctorate in Chinese Medicine at the Colorado Chinese Medicine University. Since moving to Denver for graduate school in 2022 she got hired by Davis Contemporary Dance Company as well as Central City Opera House to dance in their production of Kiss Me Kate. Skyler is thrilled to be part of the Davis Contemporary Dance Company working with such a wide variety of movement styles and choreographers. Since joining in September 2022 she has had the honor of performing numerous works by Terrell Davis, Rachel Harding, Kevin “Iega” Jeff, Helen Estrella, Hannah Kahn, Chloe Able. Skyler cannot wait to continue growing as an artist and a dancer amongst her talented colleagues!

- Bio coming soon

Keegan O’Brien began dancing during his third year at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, and never looked back. After graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology – Exercise Science, he continued dancing with Corpus Christi Concert Ballet, and became a guest artist for various companies around the country. He has been fortunate enough to perform in overseas festivals, as well - in Scotland (2012) and Austria (2013, '14). Since moving to Denver in 2014, he has danced with Kim Robards Dance, Nu-World Contemporary Danse Theatre, and Ballet Ariel, as well as the musical "Brigadoon" with Performance Now and the theatre production "Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike" with Firehouse Theatre Company. As a personal trainer, he coached himself to a first-place finish at the MuscleMania Colorado Championship in both the Men's Physique and the Fitness categories, and a fourth place finish in the international contest held in Las Vegas. Though he did not win the title, Keegan has competed on two seasons of American Ninja Warrior. After taking a few years off to focus on personal projects, Keegan is pumped to be back dancing with Davis Contemporary Dance Company for his sixth season, alongside his now wife - who he met in rehearsals during his first season with the company!

Seamus Isaak Peart is a Denver, Colorado native, Seamus Peart is a contemporary based, classically trained dancer/choreographer working to mold classical technique with contemporary style, to find juxtaposition between music and movement, and to explore the funkiness/expression within
simplicity/minimalism. Seamus began dancing at the age of seven. His early “career” consisted of performing with the
Cherry Creek Dance Performing Company at Denver Nuggets and Harlem Globetrotters halftimes, alongside the Moscow Ballet yearly in performances of The Great Russian Nutcracker, as well as appearing in multiple performances by the local Denver company: 7 Dancers. Seamus attended Denver School of the Arts in high-school, where he participated twice in the National High School Dance Festival, performed in and choreographed for countless concerts and galas, and worked with choreographers such as Scott Putman of Amaranth Dance, Kim Robards, Hannah Khan, David Reuille, Michael O’Bannion, Alicia Karczewski, and Terrell Davis, among others. Seamus then continued his training at California Institute of the Arts in the BFA dance program
in college. There he further developed his passion in both performing and choreographing, learned vital music and film editing skills, engaged in activism in the LA community, and found a love for stage production while crewing and managing numerous concerts for the dance department. At CalArts, he was trained by world class artists including Laurence Blake, Nina
Flagg, Spencer Theberge, Cynthia Young, Brigette Dunn-Korpela, Glen Eddy, Samuel Wentz, Julie Bour, and Yusha-Marie Sorzano, among others, while working with artists and companies such as Wayne McGregor, Rennie Harris, Olivier Tarpaga, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, Laurence
Blake, Gerard and Kelly, Dimitri Chamblas, LA Dance Project, and the LA Contemporary Dance
Company. After graduation, Seamus returned to Denver. For the past 3 years he has loved dancing with the
Davis Contemporary Dance Company, sharing his passion with the most incredible artists in the
Denver area. Seamus is also well into his third year of teaching at Denver School of the Arts, where he has
been pioneering the schools first ever hip-hop elective class, as well as teaching jazz and contemporary to the amazing students of the DSA dance program. Seamus hopes to spread his passion for performing and choreographing, as well as share his
groovy West coast contemporary style with students and audiences everywhere.

Maggie Chapman was born and raised in Denver, CO. She began her training at Hill Academy of Dance and Dramatics. Maggie attended Stephens College and earned her B.F.A. in Dance Graduating Cum Laude. Following her college training program, Maggie moved to New York City, where she danced and choreographed with such companies as The Movement Collective, Malleable Dance Theater and The A.H. Dance Company. She has also worked as a professional assistant to choreographers Tricia Brouk and Jacqueline Bird. Maggie relocated back to her beloved home state of Colorado in 2010 and began work as a freelance dance instructor, performer and choreographer. In 2014, she was appointed as Artistic Director of Aurora Dance Arts, the dance program of the Cultural Services Division of the City of Aurora, and is now in her 4th year as Director of this program. Maggie has also been dancing with the Denver-based Avatar Movement Dance Company since 2010 and was appointed Co-Artistic Director of the company in 2013. Maggie has performed and choreographed for different dance and theater companies such as Inspire Creative, Ascential Dance Theatre and Not Literally Productions. Maggie loves dancing with Davis Contemporary Dance because it allows her the opportunity to be pushed to new levels of strength, artistry, passion and humanity with artists that stir her to her very soul. She is constantly inspired by the directors, the guest choreographers and all the dancers in the company because they live fiercely, dance fearlessly, love completely and believe in the power and beauty of their dreams. She is honored to be counted amongst such beautiful beings, who truly make the world a better place. This is Maggie's eleventh season with Davis Contemporary Dance Company.

Hannah Prudhomme started dancing at age 12 at the local studio, The Turning Pointe Dance Academy, in Elizabeth, CO. There, she trained in many dance styles as well as being part of the competitive team which won 1st place overall at Nationals for Spotlight Dance Cup. After moving to the Denver area she was invited to be a member of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance second company, Cleo II. There she received first-class training from many teachers including Milton Meyers, Gary Abbot, Theo Jameson, Stephanie Powell, and Christina Noel, among others. She performed professionally as a member of Cleo II for 4 years. She has performed in Cleveland, Dallas and Denver for IABD, an annual international Dance Festival, and also assisted in hosting the conference in Denver in 2016. She has performed as a guest artist for Edgar L Page: Feel the Movement; Winifred Harris; The Theatre of Yugen; and Nick Cave's "Heard."
She enjoyed living out her ballerina dreams performing for 3 seasons with Reformation Dance Company, a contemporary ballet company that's repertoire was all en pointe. She was a founding member when Reformation was relocated to Denver.

She is currently a member of Mercury Dance Company, a small contemporary company based in Centennial. She also enjoys sharing her passion for dance as an instructor at Mercury Academy of Dance.

Hannah is happy to be in her eighth season with Davis Dance. She loves the high caliber & versatility of all the works she gets to perform with the company, as well as the community of great artists & wonderful people that make up Davis.

Emma Fuller
This is Emma's first season with the company

- Bio coming soon

Luisa Gomez
This is Luisa Gomez's 2nd season with the company

- Bio coming soon

Smith Nagel (Apprentice)
This is Smith's
first season with the company

- Bio coming soon

Karah Haug (Apprentice) grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota, Karah began dancing at Academy of Dance under Julie McFarland of Ballet West. Their early training was technique-forward, taking classes in classical ballet, modern, jazz, and tap. Karah graduated Cum Laude from Carleton College with degrees in Dance and Environmental Studies, training under Professors Judith Howard and Jane Shockley, among others. Karah performed works by choreographers like Stephen Koplowitz, Darrius Strong, Lauren Simpson, and Herbert Johnson III, adopting various styles such as West African Contemporary Dance, Contact Improvisation, hip hop, Krump, and Gaga. After serving with City Year Denver (an AmeriCorps program), Karah joined Lightwire Theater, a multi-media, glow-in-the-dark dance and theater performance company. They toured full-time with Lightwire for two seasons before settling back in Colorado this past summer of 2024. This is Karah's first season with Davis Contemporary Dance and they are excited for all Season 17 has to offer!This is Karah's first season with the company.

Angela Gumieniak (Apprentice) began her dance journey at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities as a student, teaching assistant and member of their performing company. Currently Angela is continuing their dance studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder where she is studying a wide range of forms including hip hop, ballet, contemporary, jazz, house, Ghanaian dance and aerial dance. Angela has performed works by José Limon, Constance Harris, Daniel Charon, Jon Lehrer, Jeni Jones and Lanea Blackburn, in addition to performing in works by MFA Candidates and undergraduate choreographers at CU. Angela has also debuted several of her own works at CU and is in process on their thesis work Apostasy which will debut Spring of 2025. Angela has also participated in the Nan Giordano Certification Program, a Giordano technique teacher training program facilitated by the Giordano Dance Company in Chicago, Illinois. She will be graduating with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Composition in Spring of 2025 as well as an undergraduate degree in Literary Studies. This is Angela's first season as an apprentice with Davis Contemporary Dance Company.

Mackenzie Kellogg (Apprentice) started her dance training at the age of 4 and grew up dancing in Denver, Colorado. Mackenzie trained in the dance academy at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, training primarily in ballet, jazz, and modern movement. During her time at the Arvada Center, she danced in the pre-professional studio company under the direction of Christina Noel-Adcock. Mackenzie graduated from Hope College with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography with a minor in Exercise Science. During her time at Hope, Mackenzie was a company member in the H2 Dance Company, Hope College’s repertory company, under the co-direction of Matthew Farmer and Jasmine Mejia. Mackenzie was also a member of Striketime Dance Theater— an outreach company that aims to introduce children to the art of dance through connections with K-12 education— under the direction of Nicki Flinn. During her time at Hope College, she trained with or performed choreography by Sharon Wong, Steven Iannacone, Matthew Farmer, Heather Cornell, Lindsey Hanson, Kara Brems, Jasmine Mejia, and Julie Powell. She specializes in jazz, modern, ballet, and contemporary movement.