Selorna Ackuayi is from Ripon, CA and trained at Central West Ballet in Modesto, CA under the instruction of Leslie Ann Larson and René Daveluy. She danced in CWB’s second company, CWB II before becoming an apprentice with CWB. Later, while attending Harvard College, she danced with Harvard Ballet Company, serving on HBC’s executive board as Technical Producer from 2023-2024.
Amanda Black is a Massachusetts native who received her ballet training from Walnut Hill School for the Arts. After graduation, she accepted a position as a Butler Fellow with Ballet Austin, where she worked as a trainee and performed with the main company. Later, she was awarded a Presidential Scholarship in Dance at Wake Forest University, where she pursued degrees in biology and dance. She continued to cultivate her passion for movement while attending nursing school at Duke University, where she danced with the university and worked as a nurse in the ICU. Ballet has always been an integral part of her life, and she is deeply grateful for the opportunity to perform with Janelle’s Dance Company.
Janelle Gilchrist, Founder and Artistic Director of Janelle Gilchrist Dance Troupe, received her early training in ballet, modern dance, and jazz at the Harriet Hoctor Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, José Mateo Ballet Theatre, Broadway Dance Project, Concord Academy, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. She earned a BFA in Dance Performance at the Hartt School (University of Hartford) and a Master of Arts in teaching from Mount Holyoke College. Gilchrist apprenticed with the Hartford Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, and was a company dancer with José Mateo Ballet Theatre and City Ballet Boston. She performed in Anthony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker, where she debuted as the Sugar Plum Fairy. In addition to her performance career, Gilchrist served as the principal and lead teacher at José Mateo Ballet Theatre’s Dorchester School. She also taught ballet in several local programs, including Tony Williams’ Dance Center, Step By Step, and Boston University’s Reach Program. Currently, Gilchrist is a full-time dance teacher at The Dr. Albert D. Holland School of Technology with the Boston Public Schools and is an assistant professor of Dance at Boston Conservatory.
Louise Hautefeuille joined Boston Ballet in 2019 was promoted to second soloist in 2022. She performed a wide, versatile range of repertoire while with Boston Ballet. Her classical repertoire includes Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Raymonda, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote,Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella, Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty among others. She has performed numerous neoclassical works by George Balanchine, Justin Peck, Nanine Linning, William Forsythe, Stephen Galloway, Jorma Elo, and Crystal Pite. She also has a Heath Science degree from Northeastern University and is training to become an EMT.
Olivia Kaczmarzyk, a native of Providence, RI, began her ballet training at Ballet RI (formerly Festival Ballet Providence) at the age of six. By 14, she was performing alongside the company corps de ballet in productions of The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty before officially joining the company at the age of 17. Olivia has performed many soloist roles in ballets including Viktor Plotnikov’s Coma and The Widow’s Broom, Christopher Wheeldon’s The American, as well as the iconic works of George Balanchine including Allegro Brillante, Rubies, and Serenade. In 2021, Olivia joined North Atlantic Ballet, where she danced a wide range of principal roles including the title roles in Romeo and Juliet and The Firebird.
Spencer Keith was born in Romania and raised in Honolulu, HI. He received his training at Academie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace, Woodbury Ballet and Hawaii State Ballet and was taught by instructors Randyl Errica, Marika Besobrasova and John Landovsky. In 2008 Spencer was invited to participate in the Bolshoi Ballet Academy’s Gala performance in Moscow, Russia. He was awarded a gold medal for pas de deux in the Connecticut Classic Competition in 2011 and a silver medal for variation in 2012. Spencer danced with José Mateo Ballet Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts from 2011-2018 and continues to dance and teach for many schools in the New England area.
Mamuka Kikalishvili began his dance training at the V. Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art State School in Tbilisi, Georgia at age 11. Upon graduation, Mamuka joined the Z. Paliashvilil Opera and Ballet State Theatre, as a Coryphee of the company of State Ballet of Georgia, under the direction of Nina Ananiashvili. Since then, Mamuka’s career has taken him across the globe, from Hungarian National Ballet, to Hong Kong Ballet, to Boston Ballet. Most recently, Mamuka has joined Festival Ballet Providence as a Principal dancer.
Mollie Osgood grew up dancing at Wilmington Dance Academy in Wilmington MA, where she trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary, and was part of the performance team. As a competitive dancer, she won many high scores and special awards. Mollie placed top 12 for her contemporary solo at the Universal Ballet Competition in 2024 and won first place for her lyrical solo at EPC nationals in Foxwoods. Mollie performed with Melrose Youth Ballet’s Nutcracker for 10 years, performing different roles, including Snow Queen. In 2024, she performed with the Urban Nutcracker. Mollie has attended the Complexions Contemporary Ballet summer intensives for 2 years. Mollie is currently a sophomore at Stonehill College, majoring in Exercise Science and minoring in dance. She one day would like to obtain doctorate in Physical Therapy. She is currently a member of the Stoneworks Dance Company and a high jumper on the Track and Field team. She is thrilled to perform and apprentice with Janelle Gilchrist Dance Troupe.
Mackenzie Pinet, a native of New Hampshire, began her dance journey at the tender age of three. By the age of eleven, she was dancing en pointe under the guidance of Edra Toth, a former prima ballerina with the Boston Ballet, at the Northeastern Ballet Theatre. For five years, Mackenzie also trained under Arthur Leeth of the Boston Ballet. Additionally, she has attended Burklyn Ballet every summer, evolving from a student at age ten to her current roles as both a student and counselor. Mackenzie is a firm believer in the importance of continuous training and mentoring others throughout the journey. She has also pursued her studies at the Rock School in Philadelphia, the Rockwell Dance Company in Connecticut on a full scholarship, and the Northeast School of Ballet Conservatory.
Madison Sweeney is originally from Duluth, Minnesota, where she began her training at the Minnesota Ballet School under the direction of Robert Gardner. While dancing at the Minnesota Ballet School, Madison attended summer programs at ABT Tuscaloosa, The Washington School of Ballet, and the School of Ballet Arizona. Upon graduating high school, Madison studied at the School of Ballet Arizona under the direction of Ib Anderson and Carlos Valcarcel. Madison joined the Ballet Theater of Maryland in 2017 as a trainee. In 2018 she was promoted to apprentice, and then demi-soloist in 2019. Since joining BTM, she has performed many roles, including one of Dracula’s Brides in Eddie Stewart’s Dracula, the Lead Nomad in Don Quixote, and Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty. Madison has enjoyed many appearances with Ara Dance Project, a project-based company that illuminates the intersection of the human and the transcendent through movement. After moving to Boston, she joined Kairos Dance Theater’s 2025 cohort of trainees.
Allison Wan is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area where she began her ballet training at the Contra Costa Ballet with Emily Borthwick, Charles Anderson, and Shannon Bresnahan. While attending Vassar College, she was a member of the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre. Here, she got the opportunity to perform in a wide range of ballet and modern, as well as choreograph. Most recently, Allison has performed and choreographed for the Harvard Ballet, as well as performed with CoMotion Collective, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club. She currently teaches at Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre and is a doctoral student at Northeastern when not dancing.
Guest Artists:
Julian Gau is a musician based in Boston. Primarily, he is a conductor, and he serves as music director of the Horizon Ensemble, the Providence Medical Orchestra, and the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York. He is also the Assistant Conductor to the New England Philharmonic and recently completed his term as Conducting Fellow with the Chelsea Symphony. He is also active in opera and musical theatre, having acted as music director for The Pirates of Penzance with Boston Summer Opera, Alcina with MassOpera, Die Fledermaus with The Opera Company, Katie the Strongest of the Strong with Opera Saratoga, and Cabaret at Brown University.
He is excited to be appearing as a cellist in a string quartet of Horizon Ensemble members for Where the Power Lies. As a cellist, he has appeared in orchestras such as the Apollo Ensemble of Boston and the Du Bois Orchestra. He also plays piano in solo, collaborative, and orchestral settings.
As a musician, Julianis passionate about storytelling and community-building. He is also active as a cellist, composer, and critic. In addition to music, Julian loves novels, noodles, and friends.
The Horizon Ensemble is a Boston-based orchestra that performs music of history and music by friends. The ensemble is dedicated to presenting music by young living composers alongside the diverse repertoire of history. Founded in May 2021, the Horizon Ensemble has performed eighteen concerts of chamber & orchestral music, as well as in operas such as Die Fledermaus, Alcina, and The Pirates of Penzance.
Jeryl Palana Pilapil-Brown is a Filipino-American dancer, choreographer, producer, and teaching artist based in the Greater Boston area. A graduate of Dean College with a B.A. in Dance, she has traveled across the United States and internationally to Canada, London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Japan to immerse herself in a range of dance genres—most prominently contemporary, street styles, and heels. Jeryl serves as Associate Director of the CYDP Dance Company at the Deborah Mason Performing Arts Center in Somerville, MA, and is the founder and Artistic Director of UnEarths, a multidisciplinary dance company creating both dance-on-film and live performance works. Follow her journey on Instagram at @jerylpalana_.
UnEarths is a multidisciplinary dance company founded and directed by Jeryl Palana Pilapil-Brown, creating both dance-on-film and live performance works. The company’s mission is to foster empathy by exploring the often unheard aspects of our identities and cultures through movement and collaborative artistry. Based in Boston, the company continues to premiere and perform new works across the region and in New York City. Follow @unearths_dance on Instagram for updates.