MOVERS + MAKERS WORKSHOP 2026

maker faculty

Movers+Makers boasts a talented and diverse faculty, bringing versatility and a deep wealth of knowledge to the participants of Movers+Makers. Read more about the teachers and classes slotted for this year’s intensive, June 4-6.

Interested in reading more about the classes offered on the Mover track as well? Read more about the Mover classes here.

Improvisation for Tangent, Risk, and Dynamic Exploration with Kate Monson

June 4, 1:15-3:00 PM

Ask the question(s), find the embodiment, go off on a wild tangent, realize you've just made the most sense you ever have.

Kate Monson, Associate Professor of Dance and Faculty Affiliate of Gerontology at Brigham Young University, holds an MFA in choreography from Ohio State University and is a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst. Dance has taken her around a million corners of surprise interest, play, and change including: co-creating a conditioning program specifically for collegiate contemporary modern dancers that attempts to balance virtuosity and longevity, choreographing dance works for multigenerational casts, co-producing a site specific dance series, conceiving and producing a music video, and co-directing a full length devised interdisciplinary work based on The Crucible. Not one of these things could she have done on her own, which leads to her favorite thing, collaborating with friends and students who unabashedly love to create, and sometimes snort laugh as they do it. Other loves include desert sun, unusual pants, her four children and her down to earth grounding husband.

Contemporary through Modern Forms with Featured Maker, Natalie Clevenger

June 4, 3:15-4:45 PM

This advanced contemporary dance class aims to connect the values of American modern techniques to the contemporary aesthetic of today. The class will include learning iconic exercises from Graham & Limon techniques, culminating with a final phrase which will draw parallels through their work and today's values. The objective of this class is to give a tangible gateway into contemporary technique, while walking out with a new love and understanding for modern dance!

Natalie Clevenger is from Mooresville, IN and received their BFA in dance from the University of Arizona in 2018. Upon graduation, Natalie joined Dance Kaleidoscope in Indianapolis, IN and danced with the company for three seasons. Natalie joined the Limón Dance Company in the fall of 2022, and is currently touring internationally and domestically with the company. As a choreographer, they were awarded the Robert Beckmann Fellowship to produce a LGBTQ+ focused show, ENIGMA, which premiered August 2022. Natalie’s work has also been shown at the Indy Fringe Festival, the Indy Dance Festival, and Green Space in Queens.

Contemporary Framework with Featured Maker, Kelsi Fears

June 4, 3:15-4:45 PM

Movers will enjoy an exciting exploration into the depth of dynamic movement and sequencing. Through this class movers will be guided through the building blocks of contemporary movement while redirecting emphasis towards quick weight changes, groundedness, and investigation of intentionality while challenge our response to innate musicality. Contemporary Framework asks movers how can we extend and reach past our conventional ideas of contemporary dance? How can we as movers experience motion through a boundless sphere? How far are we willing to go?

Kelsi Fears is a 2023 participant of the Camille A. Brown Mentorship Program and a 2023 Tomayko Foundation Award recipient for Excellence in Choreography. Kelsi has created works for New Dances, a collaboration between Thodos Dance Chicago and DanceWorks Chicago, NewDANCEFest (Eisenhower Dance Detroit) as an Emerging Choreographer and has presented work as a DanceWorks Chicago Dance360 ChoreoLab Choreographer.

Contemporary Jazz Fusion with Featured Maker, Corrine Dummel

June 4, 3:15-4:45 PM

Dancers will engage in the exploration and refinement of contemporary and jazz movement through a dynamic progression of combinations at the start of class. The latter portion of class will focus on learning and embodying choreography, offering dancers the opportunity to apply technique while developing their individual artistry and presence.

Corinne Dummel is a contemporary dance artist based in San Francisco, California. She earned her BFA in Dance and BA in Philosophy from UC Santa Barbara. She danced with Selah Dance Collective and toured with the UCSB Dance Company. Corinne has produced two shows with SAFEhouse Arts in San Francisco, and choreographed a department piece for the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts’ 2025 Dance Concert. She currently teaches at Ms. Marian’s Dance Garden and DivaDance San Francisco, focusing on dance as an outlet for joy and community. Corinne continues to dance with Tether Dance Project.

Choreographic Playground with Natalie Desch and Daniel Charon

June 5, 9:00-10:30 AM

This composition class takes a hands-on, practice-driven approach to making dance. Through playful choreographic games and guided prompts, dancers will explore a range of creative tools for generating and shaping movement. Emphasizing spontaneity and experimentation, the class encourages risk-taking and discovery in the moment. Dancers will leave with practical strategies for building material and developing their own choreographic voice.

Natalie Desch, a graduate of Juilliard School (BFA) and the University of Washington (MFA), performed with the Limón Dance Company for five seasons and with Doug Varone and Dancers for eleven in New York City. She has also appeared in productions with the Metropolitan Opera and other regional opera companies. Natalie has taught extensively at universities and summer festivals across the U.S. and internationally, and has staged works by renowned choreographers worldwide. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah School of Dance.

Daniel Charon is a choreographer, educator, and performer with over 30 years of experience. He served as Artistic Director of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company from 2013 to 2025, creating more than 20 original works for the stage and gallery. He danced professionally in New York City for 15 years with Doug Varone and Dancers and the Limón Dance Company, among others. A dedicated teacher, he has created and taught at numerous summer intensives and workshops nationwide. He holds a BFA from the North Carolina School of the Arts and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts.

Chance Operations Lab with Jaclyn Brown

June 5, 10:45-12:15 PM

Explore chance-based tools to generate movement, structure phrases, and reimagine compositional choices in unexpected ways. Participants will expand their creative range, challenge habitual patterns, and engage with live music as a dynamic, responsive element in the choreographic process.

Jaclyn Brown is a dance artist, performer, choreographer, and educator based in Orem, Utah. She earned her BFA in Modern Dance Performance from Utah Valley University and performed with Repertory Dance Theatre from 2014 to 2021. She later received her MFA in Contemporary Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where her work Resonate was selected for the American College Dance Association closing gala. Jaclyn is an Assistant Teaching Professor (Visiting) at Brigham Young University and has continued to perform with Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company, FEM Dance Company, Creator’s Dance Project, and as a returning guest artist with Repertory Dance Theatre. Her work is grounded in balancing performance, choreography, teaching, and motherhood with equal dedication.

Rooted Movement with Featured Maker, Sammi Lopresti

June 5, 1:15-2:45 PM

This class emphasizes a grounded approach to movement, encouraging dancers to develop a supportive and responsive relationship with the floor. Participants will explore safe and efficient techniques for falling and recovering, while building confidence to take physical risks and expand their movement vocabulary.

Sammi Lopresti, originally from Tigard, OR, has spent the past five years in Phoenix pursuing her dance education. She graduated with a B.A. in Dance Performance from Grand Canyon University in Spring 2025 and has trained in a variety of dance styles for over 20 years. During her time at GCU, she performed in more than 18 concerts, including Student Spotlight and Faculty productions, and choreographed over 10 original works for these performances. Her work has earned recognition including first place at the AzDEO Student Choreography Contest. She has also presented work at the Breaking Ground Festival in Phoenix, showcased a dance film at the Arizona Drive-In Dance Film Festival, and participated in the American Collegiate Dance Association conferences in Tempe, AZ; Beaumont, TX; and Modesto, CA. Beyond her collegiate experience, Sammi has performed with Phoenix-based companies The Nhan Ho Project and BODIES Contemporary Company. She currently teaches at Innovative Dance, works as a guest choreographer for CA Dance Academy, and performs professionally as a company member with BodyVox.

Polynesian Fusion with Featured Maker, Tori Cone

June 5, 1:15-2:45 PM

In Polynesian Fusion, we will be diving into the realm of dance forms from the Pacific Islands, such as Hawaii, Samoa, and New Zealand. The incorporation of Hula, Tahitian, Sara, and Haka are taught and shared to be fused with Modern movements. As you step into this class, we will collectively learn about Polynesian dance forms. In turn, we as a class will explore power, intensity, ferocity, and soul through Polynesian Fusion.

Tori Cone is a Hawaiian and Filipino choreographer, dancer, and educator eager to remain ever-evolving in her roles as an artist. Born and raised in California, Cone received her Bachelor's in Fine Arts in Dance from the California State University of Long Beach. Since graduating, her work has been featured at the American College Dance Association, MashUp's Women's Day Festival, and in high schools along Southern California. As a creator, Tori aims to create work that explores fusion of Street styles and Eurocentric dance forms and is excited to share and exchange with Wasatch Contemporary Dance for the MOVERS+MAKERS this June!

Contemporary Technique with Featured Maker, Skylar Schmidt

June 5, 1:15-2:45 PM

Description to come!

Skylar Schmidt is an emerging contemporary dance artist and choreographer based in Utah. She graduates this spring with a BA in Dance and a minor in Communications from Brigham Young University. While at BYU, she performed with dancEnsemble, serving as both President and Vice President and choreographing across several semesters. Her piece “Liberosis” was selected for the 2025 High Desert ACDA Gala and named an alternate for the national festival. Her screendance “TPWK” was chosen as ACDA’s 2026 Gala selection. Skylar enjoys creating stage and film work that challenges both artists and audiences.In addition to freelance work, Skylar teaches at SMASH Dance Academy. She is passionate about the choreographic process and strives to foster rehearsal spaces grounded in exploration, collaboration, and kindness.

Themed Composition with Jenny Mair

June 6, 9:00-10:30 AM

Themed Composition will go through the process of constructing original movement from participants, and then deconstructing in formats/themes that will expand movement vocabulary and add creative thinking to the choreographic process.

Jenny Mair, based in St. George, is an internationally engaged dance artist whose work spans choreography, teaching, and dance film in both professional and academic settings. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and has been a faculty member in the Dance Department at Utah Tech University since 2016. A highlight of her international work includes leading the Utah Tech Florence Study Abroad Dance Program since 2019, fostering connections between students and the broader global dance community. Her choreography has been presented at festivals including Red Rock Dance Festival, Onstage Dance Festival in Florence, Rocky Mountain Choreography Festival, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Festival À Corps in Poitiers, France. She has also served as an Artist in Residence at Santa Barbara City College and Snow College, and continues to create new work at Utah Tech.

Location Scouting for Dance Filmwith Katie Sorenson

June 6, 10:45-12:15 PM

What are you adding to a dance film when you choose a location? Let's watch some films together, and talk about it! A mini-screening, some slides and a conversation about motion and architecture with Katie Sorenson, Director for the Utah Dance Film Festival.

Katie Sorenson is a dance photographer, educator, choreographer, and the director of the Utah Dance Film Festival. Katie has a BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. Katie doesn’t really love performing – although, she was in a Chilean folk dance company for a few years. Katie prefers the studio, has a Hermione Granger mind, and a Bill Nye the Science Guy style of communicating. She watches about 300 dance films annually in her role for Utah Dance Film Festival, and then follows it up by planning an international dance film festival with live and online events. Katie shoots photos for tons of rad dance and performing arts projects in Utah and beyond, has a major soft spot for folk dance, and couldn’t possibly divide her love for dance from her love for skateboarding.