about the guest choreographers
Christian Denice's professional dance experience includes Odyssey Dance Theatre, River North Dance Chicago, Company E, Montgomery Ballet, BODYTRAFFIC, the Cambrians, and BJM Danse (Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal). As a choreographer, he has created new works for Chamber Dance Project, the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, Odyssey Dance Theatre, LEVELdance Chicago, DanceWorks Chicago, Interlochen Center for the Arts, METdance too, the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Visceral Dance Chicago, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Western Michigan University, METdance Houston, Modern America Dance Company, Modas Dance, SALT II, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Houston Contemporary Dance Company, and Wright State University. Christian is the 2015-2016 winner of the University of South Florida's Echo Choreographic Competition and the 2016 winner of the Joffrey Academy's Winning Works Choreographic competition. Christian had the opportunity to re-stage KOSMOS by Andonis Foniadakis on the dancers of the National School of Dance in Athens, Greece in 2019 and on the Nationaltheater Mannheim Tanz this Spring, and performed with the company for the premiere. Christian is both performing artist and guest choreographer with Chamber Dance Project in Washington, DC, and spent the past year dancing in a production for Andonis Foniadakis Dance Company based in Athens, Greece. As a dance educator, he is on faculty as Artist in Residence at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. Christian made his Broadway debut in "The Little Prince" this year, which opened at the Broadway Theater in New York City.
Noelle Kayser’s professional career began in 2011 at Luna Negra Dance Theater under the direction of Gustavo Ramirez Sansano. In 2013, Noelle joined glo, an Atlanta-based collaborative performance platform founded by Lauri Stallings. Noelle was a member of Visceral Dance Chicago performing works by Marguerite Donlon, Danielle Agami, Kevin O’Day, Alice Klock, Stephanie Martinez, and many others. Noelle was a member of Northwest Dance Project performimg works by Sarah Slipper, Wen Wei Wang, Ihsan Rustem, and Patrick Delcroix. Noelle has also performed with Benjamin Wardell’s The Cambrians, Fly On A Wall (ATL), Open Space Dance (PDX), LED (Boise), and The Lyric Opera (CHI). Noelle was the founding rehearsal director, dancer, and administrator for PARA.MAR Dance Theatre under the direction of Stephanie Martinez. AT PMDT, Noelle performed works by Jennifer Archibald, Robyn Mineko Williams, Helen Simoneau and Stephanie Martinez. Noelle has choreographed for Ballare Carmel/Carmel Dance Festival, Boykin Dance Project, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater, Chicago Dance Crash, COMMON Conservatory, Dance in the Parks, DanceWorks Chicago, Hedwig Dances, Kit Modus, Moonwater Dance Project, Open Space Dance, SALT LINK Choreography Festival, SALT2, Visceral Dance Chicago, and Visceral Dance Chicago Trainee’s. Her piece for Kit Modus - The Excursion: Realized - was named one of 2018’s Highlights of the Year by ArtsATL. Noelle was the assistant choreographer for Lyric Opera’s Carmen in 2023. Noelle was the Ballet Mistress and the assistant choreographer for the Lyric Opera’s Jenufa in 2024. She won the WHIM W’HIM Choreographic Shingdig in 2024, and is a BalletX Choreographic Fellow for 2025.
Annalee Traylor is Originally from Huntsville, AL and is based in Atlanta, GA. She attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts and received her high school diploma from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Traylor obtained her BFA cum laude from Point Park University. Directly after graduation, she joined Pittsburgh's August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble (Top 25 to Watch in Dance Magazine) for three years before freelancing with various companies including Pennington Dance Group, No)one Art House, Clairobscur Dance, Dolly Sfeir, and slowdanger among others. She obtained an MFA in Choreography from the California Institute of the Arts with the S. Disney Lund Scholarship in Dance. Traylor’s choreography has been commissioned and performed across the United States and internationally, reaching audiences in Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands and at venues including Battery Park, Green Space, Hudson Guild Theatre, New Hazlett Theatre, Ailey Citigroup Theatre, Diavolo, Ferst Center for the Arts, American Dance Festival's Movies by Movers, Masspodium, Kelly Strayhorn Theatre, Gibney, and Highways Performance Space among others. Her work has been supported by Dance Lab NY, the UNCSA Choreographic Institute, Highways Performance Space, Kennesaw State University, The Dance Gallery Festival, and Emory University, where she was awarded the 2023/24 inaugural Emory Arts Fellowship in Dance. Traylor was awarded Outstanding Choreographer at the Youth American Grand Prix semi-finals. Annalee will premiere new works with Kit Modus, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, and Terminus Modern Ballet Theater in spring 2025.