Performances March 20 & 21 RPL Nordlof Center

Faith Minneyfield grew up dancing in her hometown of Rockford, IL, and has continued to teach in studios across the area. She received her Bachelor of Science in Dance Performance and Psychology from Illinois State University in 2022. During her undergrad, she was fortunate to have worked with choreographers such as Molly McMullen, Alexander Michael, Mark Caserta, and Morgan Williams. Post-undergrad, Faith trained and performed with Water Street Dance Milwaukee during its fall term in 2022- early 2023. Faith has choreographed and performed in the local immersive multidisciplinary art show, “SOMNIUM,” since 2022. As a choreographer, Faith has presented and performed work for the American College Dance Association for adjudication, Water Street Dance Milwaukee’s “Water On Water” at Water Street Dance Festival, was selected to present work at Trifecta Dance Collective’s “A New Light” Emerging Choreographers’ Showcase, and has taught studios across the Midwest. As an artist, Faith emphasizes movements with authentic individuality, the complexity of simplicity and minimalism, and connectedness through the psyche.

Jenny Vause is the Co-Artistic Director and Co-Owner of Evolve Dance Company in Rockford, Illinois. It has been a privilege to see the growth of many dancers in the Rockford area! Jenny has taught classes of all levels and ages in the last 20 seasons at Evolve and several years before that at other studios. In addition to her choreography at Evolve, Jenny has been featured at Carnival Choreographers Ball-Chicago, opening for the National Tour of Kidz Bop, as well as on the Disney Channel and on the Indiana Fever court. She is a judge for dance and talent competitions, including Imagine and Tribute, and had the opportunity to create the opening number at Edge's Nationals. Jenny has taught classes at Rockford University and IAMT in New York. She enjoys choreographing local productions in the area, including West Side Story, Hairspray, Newsies, Cinderella, Legally Blonde, and most recently, Grease at Starlight Theater.

Meghan Baylor is a Rockford-based dance artist and educator. She was a student at Rockford Dance Company and a graduate of Auburn High School’s CAPA dance program. At Grinnell College, she completed a mentored advanced project in Choreography under the mentorship of Celeste Miller of Jacob’s Pillow. She has been a dance educator in Rockford since 2012, during which time she has taught ballet and modern technique for all levels and ages. She is currently a faculty member at West Side Show Room. Meghan was a founding company member with Bad Wolf Dance Theatre from 2013 - 2018. She performs and choreographs for Without Shoes Modern Dance Company. In 2024, Meghan was selected to participate in Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s inaugural Dance On! summer intensive. Meghan works closely with her twin sister Caitlyn; together, they are independent choreographers and performers who go by Baylor Twins Move. They have received Rockford Area Arts Awards in the categories of Placemaking (2020) and Performing Artists of the Year (2024) for their original dance works. Meghan and Caitlyn were selected as the summer 2025 Artists-in-Residence at Great Basin National Park. Upcoming projects in 2025 include a site-specific exploration at Severson Dells Nature Center, an original new work for the Chicago Dance Company, and a lecture/performance on memoiristic dance at Grinnell College.

Michelle R. Stolberg started dancing in a studio-based setting while in college, and graduated with a BA in Dance from The University of Iowa in 2013. Prior to her studio work, Michelle found a passion for the visual arts in high school with the Dubuque Senior High School Color Guard and through performing with The Colts Drum and Bugle Corps Color Guard based out of Dubuque, IA. While at the University of Iowa, she had the pleasure of dancing for a number of artists, including Christopher Masters, Jennifer Harge, Jessica Anthony, and Deanna Carter. After graduating, Michelle performed with several companies in the northern Illinois region, including Rockford Dance Company, Without Shoes Modern Dance Company, and Bad Wolf Dance Theatre. Michelle has taught on the faculty of Rockford Dance Company and as an Adjunct Professor of Dance at Rockford University. While teaching, she had the opportunity to set work on the students of RPS 205’s Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) Program. As she continues her work, Michelle continues to find and produce work based on the intersections of mixed performing arts and advocacy for marginalized communities in her choreography and teaching philosophies.

Penna M. Broman has been teaching dance for the last 50 years. She holds a BFA in dance from Rockford College and an MA in interdisciplinary arts from Columbia College Chicago. During her undergraduate work, she was a student of Jayne Poor and Chuck Hoenes. She was also a dancer, instructor, and school director for the Rockford Dance Company. She has taught dance at Rockford College, McHenry County College, Beloit College in Wisconsin, and Roosevelt University in Chicago. Penna was a founding member and former Artistic Director of Without Shoes Modern Dance Co. She has studied with amazing artists such as Nana Shineflug, Alison Knowles, Meridith Monk, Alwin Nikolais, and Liz Lerman. Her passion is using the arts in an interdisciplinary way in teaching and performing. While living in Chicago, she worked for Reading In Motion and Play In A Book using the arts to teach and support students in reading.

Gina T’ai has been creating and crafting performances, dances, and spectacles for 25+ years. She earned both her BA and MFA in Dance from Hollins University in Roanoke, VA. Ms. T’ai is on faculty at Beloit College (WI), where she teaches in the departments of Performing and Applied Arts, Media Studies, and Critical Identity Studies. Her courses include but are not limited to: Modern and Ballet dance techniques, Contact Improvisation, Performing Gender (a creative drag performance course), Depictions of Drag in TV and Film, and Arts Entrepreneurship. Ms. T’ai has presented her live work and dance-on-film work at the Sundance Film Festival, Manifest ScreenDance Festival (India), Queerly Contemporary Festival, Performatica (Mexico), World Dance Alliance- Americas and Global Summit (Canada), The American Dance Festival, Center for Performance Research, Richmond Dance Festival, Milwaukee Fringe Festival, Going Dutch Festival, RADfest, and beyond. The Dance Enthusiast described her work as “…powerful, and often hilarious and poignant.” She has presented and published research at the National Dance Educators Organization, the Congress on Research in Dance, in the journals Dance Education in Practice, and the Journal of Dance Education, and in Contact Quarterly. She is on the board of the Wisconsin Dance Council.

Maria graduated from the National School of Dance and the Contemporary Dance School of Teatro Municipal San Martín, both in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She holds a Medical Degree from the University of Buenos Aires and is a Laban/Bartenieff Analyst of movement (CMA). Maria has a Master's Degree in Teaching with an endorsement in Bilingual Education from Rockford University. Maria has been a dancer, choreographer, and teacher for more than 40 years. She has worked in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. In collaboration with her husband Jacques Saint-Cyr, Maria has been presenting performances in contemporary dance and tango since 1994 in Canada, Argentina, and the United States. In 1996, María joined the Rockford Dance Company as the first full-time school director until 2024. Maria received a Finalist Award in choreography from the Illinois Arts Council and the Hispanic Heritage Award, given by La Voz Latina for her contributions to the cultural life of the community, in 2002. In 2020, Maria received the Arts Educator of the Year Award from the Rockford Area Arts Council. Maria recently retired after 20 years of teaching at the Rockford Public Schools in Bilingual classrooms. She continues to serve as the Artistic Director of the Without Shoes Modern Dance Company and to teach at the Rockford Dance Company.

Caitlyn Baylor graduated from Grinnell College in 2012, where, along with her major in English, she studied Dance and completed her senior Mentored Advanced Project in Choreography. Caitlyn is now a choreographer, modern dancer, and dance educator based in her hometown of Rockford, where she grew up as a student of Rockford Dance Company and Auburn High School's CAPA program. As a duo along with her twin sister, Meghan Baylor, she was named “Performing Artist of the Year” in 2024 by the Rockford Area Arts Council. The duo (Baylor Twins Move) was also awarded in the category of "Placemaking" in 2021 for their site-specific dance series at Severson Dells Nature Center, "Dance at the Dells." Baylor Twins Move was also awarded the summer 2025 Artist-in-Residence at Great Basin National Park by the National Park Service. Notable recent projects include an evening-length work “All Will Come Again” (co-choreographed by Meghan Baylor, 2024) and "Dance at the Dells" (co-choreographed by Meghan Baylor, 2019-2021, 2025). Caitlyn was also a contributing dance artist to “Alma” (2020) and "Somnium: The Book of Dreams and Nightmares" (2023), both of which were collaborations with international artists that involved transforming industrial spaces into immersive, multidisciplinary performance experiences. Caitlyn has danced as a company member of Grinnell College Dance Ensemble (2009-2012), Without Shoes Modern Dance Company (2013-present), and Bad Wolf Dance Theatre (2013-2018). In 2024, she was selected for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's inaugural "Dance On!" summer intensive. Caitlyn is a dance instructor at West Side Show Room. By day, Caitlyn works for the national bone marrow donor registry, NMDP.

Mychall Miller-Cornejo is honored to participate in the Rockford DanceMakers Festival. He began his career as a competitive dancer at Xtreme Dance Center and later discovered a deep passion for musical theatre while studying at North Central College. Since then, he has performed and choreographed for numerous theatres across the Chicagoland area, with Starlight Theatre remaining a constant source of inspiration and pride. As both a choreographer and director, Mychall is committed to creating honest, impactful work that resonates with diverse audiences. His recent recognitions include Best Choreography (Newsies, Lou Awards 2024), Performing Artist of the Year (Rockford Area Arts Awards 2025), and Best Dance Production (Newsies, Chicago Broadway World Awards 2024). Selected Starlight credits include The SpongeBob Musical (Director), Newsies (Choreographer), and In The Heights (Director/Choreographer). He credits much of his artistic growth to the mentorship of Christopher Brady. With love and deep appreciation, Mychall thanks his family, friends, Cassie, Mary, his Wendy, his Soulmate, and above all, his husband Mark, whose unwavering support means everything. To everyone who believes in the power of live performance, thank you for keeping the arts alive. “We were given this life because we are strong enough to live it.”

Winifred Haun is the founder, choreographer, and artistic director of her own modern dance company, Winifred Haun & Dancers. Since establishing the Company in the 1990’s, Ms. Haun has created over 75 new dance works, including one full length ballet and four dance films. She has received numerous awards and accolades for her choreography, including a 2016 MacArthur Foundation Award to create a new work in collaboration with renowned Australian Circus Artist, Emma Serjeant. Ms. Haun’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, Dance Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times, SeeChicagoDance, and many others. Winner of three nominations for the prestigious Ruth Page (Chicago Dance) Award for Choreography, Ms. Haun has presented her dances at Danspace Project at St. Marks (NYC), Overture Center (Madison, WI), Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, Epic Center (Michigan), St. Mary’s College, Moming Dance & Arts Center, Florida State University, and many others. Her work has also been presented at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, Cheney Mansion, Millennium Park, and many other public spaces. Ms. Haun’s choreography has been presented and commissioned by several Chicago, Midwest, and national dance companies, including Chicago Ballet, Aerial Dance Chicago, Zephyr Dance, MOMENTA, and the Chicago Repertory Dance Ensemble.