Meet The 2026 Artists

Cellist Bree Ahern is a versatile solo and chamber musician committed to building community through performing, teaching, and collaborating across art forms. She currently performs with Kinetic Ensemble, a Houston-based conductorless chamber orchestra performing diverse, underrepresented, and newly composed classical music, and Nantucket’s Rossini Club, a chamber ensemble combining art, theater, and storytelling through thoughtful, evocative programming. In Dallas-Fort Worth, she performs regularly with Fort Worth Symphony and Dallas Chamber Symphony, as well as Opus Nova Music, Mount Vernon Music, Spectrum Chamber Music Society, and Broadway at Bass Hall, among others. Her festival appearances include the Louis Moreau Institute for Contemporary Music, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Round Top Festival Institute, Hot Springs Music Festival, and Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, with select performances featured on WQXR and New Music USA.

Yuniel Betancourt is a student at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, originally from Miami, Florida. He began dancing at Showstopper Miami Dance Studio. He later continued his training at New World School of the Arts, where he was honored to be named a 2023 YoungArts Finalist and Silver Award Winner in Choreography. He has had the opportunity to perform works by renowned choreographers such as Aszure Barton, William Forsythe, José Limón, Wayne McGregor, Jennifer Archibald, Crystal Pite, Mike Tyus, and Luca Renzi. Most recently, he premiered a new creation by Aszure Barton at The Boston Conservatory. Outside of concert dance, Yuniel has also worked in the commercial world, performing in award shows, music videos, and flash mob events. Including dancing for artists like Becky G and CNCO, and being part of a flash mob for the Netflix premiere of VIVO. Yuniel’s choreographic work has been presented in Miami, Boston, New Mexico, and Pittsburgh, and has received several awards. He has also been honored to attend summer programs at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Jacob’s Pillow, Gibney, and Gallim, all of which have helped shape his growth as an artist. He joined Paul Taylor Dance Company in their 2025 season.

Mikaela Cameron was born in Manhattan, Kansas, and began dancing at age two. She trained at Bates Dance Studio, Kansas Ballet Academy, Kansas City Ballet School, and A&A Ballet in Chicago. Cameron has earned numerous honors at Youth America Grand Prix, including the Hope Award in Chicago and a Silver Medal at the YAGP Finals in the Precompetitive Division; and the Youth America Grand Prix Award in Paris and a Top 12 finish at the YAGP Finals in the Junior Division. She has performed in YAGP Galas internationally and received scholarships to ABT JKO, Académie Princesse Grace, and The Royal Ballet School, as well as a direct-entry invitation to audition for the Paris Opera Ballet School. She later trained at Académie Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo, Monaco, under the direction of Luca Masala, where she performed for Princess Caroline of Monaco and appeared in George Balanchine’s Serenade at the Opéra
de Monte-Carlo. Cameron attended ABT Summer Intensive from 2022–2026, where she was named an ABT National Training Scholar from 2022–2024 and performed Dulcinea in Don Quixote, Medora in Le
Corsaire, the Étoile variation from Paquita, and Études under the direction of Kate Lydon. In 2024, she accepted a full scholarship to ABT JKO under the direction of Stella Abrera, where she performed leading roles in Raymonda, Dwight Rhoden’s Serenadei, Melvin Lawovi’s Italian Symphony, and the Grand Pas de Deux from The Sleeping Beauty and appeared as a guest artist in the Grand Pas de Deux from The
Nutcracker. She also participated in the Toulmin Foundation Choreography Intensive under the direction of Stella Abrera and Gemma Bond and graduated from ABT JKO in 2026. That same year, Cameron received the Doris Laine First Prize Award at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. She will join ABT Studio Company in September 2026 under the artistic direction of Sascha Radetsky.

Renan Cerdeiro was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At a young age, he began training in various dance styles at the Escola de dança Alice Arja in Rio de Janeiro. In 2008, Cerdeiro was named a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, and that same year was awarded a scholarship to train at the Miami City Ballet School. Within two years, he was invited by the company's founding artistic director,  Edward Villella, to join the Miami City Ballet as a company apprentice. In 2013, he was promoted to principal dancer by artistic director Lourdes Lopez. 

Cerdeiro has performed and originated numerous principals roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, as well as in works by Christopher Wheeldon, Alexei Ratmansky, Liam Scarlett, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Nacho Duato, Richard Alston and original works by Justin Peck.  Additionally, Cerdeiro has performed leading roles in the classics such as Petipa's Coppélia, Giselle and Don Quixote, and John Cranko's Romeo & Juliet and Swan Lake. Cerdeiro has danced at the Koch theater and New York City Center in New York , the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, in both Ottawa and Vancouver, Canada, as well at the Bolshoi in Moscow, Russia as part of the Benois de la Danse Gala. Cerdeiro was named by Dance Magazine as one of the worlds "Top 25 Artists to Watch in 2011". Most recently, Cerdeiro has been working as a guest artist and was part of Twyla Tharp’s Diamond Jubilee Tour, briefly with Dance Theater of Harlem and guests with LA dance project. 

Gaby Cook is an esteemed, active professional in the global lindy hop community. For 20 years, she has established her career performing and teaching for major swing dance festivals worldwide. On stage, she is a principal dancer for the acclaimed “SW!NG OUT” which premiered at the Joyce theater (2021) and tours regularly. Other stage credits include: “Macy’s Day Parade Live Broadcast” for Nickelodeon’s Blues Clues (2022), “Swing’s the Thing” with Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (2023), “Decades of Dance” at the BET Soultrain Awards (2021), “Don’t Mean a Thing” with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center (2021), “Swingtime: Revolution in Rhythm” with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (2017) and many appearances in film and TV.

As a choreographer, her work has been featured at the Guggenheim “Works & Process”, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside/Out Series and Lincoln Center. She regularly advocates for lindy hop in industry dance communities and is consistently “on-call” with university-level programs (Julliard, Marymount, NYU, Columbia).

At home, Gaby is one of Lindy Hop’s most influential community organizers. She curates and teaches in two weekly educational programs: Swing at the 92NY (with co-producer Nathan Bugh) and Midtown Swings (with co-producer AJ Howard). In class, she is playful, informative and honest, building a culture of inclusivity, respect and joy. She prioritizes equality for followers and leaders in the classroom space and has championed a movement first approach to teaching partnered dance content.

Lillian was born in Houston, Texas where she began her training at The Houston Ballet Academy. She moved to Washington, D.C. and continued her training at the Washington School of Ballet under the direction of Kee Juan Han. Lillian finished her training in New York City at The School of American Ballet. Upon graduation she accepted an apprenticeship at the SemperOper Ballet in Dresden, Germany. There she performed works by Sir Kenneth MacMillan, George Balanchine and Aaron Watkin. In 2017 Lillian joined Ballet West as a member of corps de ballet and was promoted to demi-soloist in 2024. There she performs the works of Frederick Ashton, John Cranko, Twyla Tharp, and, many others. 

Cameron Catazaro was born in Canton, OH and began his dance training at the School of Canton Ballet under the tutelage of Cassandra Crowley, Angelo Lemmo and his mother, Jennifer Catazaro Hayward. In 2017, he began training with Darla Hoover at Ballet Academy East in New York City on full scholarship. There, he was awarded the prestigious David Howard Foundation Scholarship and performed the lead in George Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht. In 2018, Cameron was accepted into Miami City Ballet School on a full scholarship, where he performed the lead role in George Balanchine’s Serenade. In 2023, he was included in Dance Magazine's yearly top 25 to watch.

He joined MCB as a corps de ballet dancer in 2019, was promoted to Soloist in 2023, and principal soloist in 2024. 

Dr. Julia Danitz is a New York City–based violinist with a multifaceted career spanning solo and chamber music performance. She has appeared as a chamber musician and soloist at major venues such as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and at festivals including Tanglewood, Aspen, Spoleto Festival USA, and the Moritzburg Festival in Germany. She also studied at the Fontainebleau School of Music and Fine Arts in France, where she received 2nd place in the Ravel Prix competition. She is the co-founder and co-director of Sonora Collective, an ensemble dedicated to contemporary and under-programmed chamber music in immersive and visually unique spaces. Recently she has served as solo violinist for productions at Heartbeat Opera—where music critic Brian Taylor praised her as "the impressive Julia Danitz"—and at Heartbeat's productions on Little Island. In 2025, she performed the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto at the United Nations for a diplomatic event between the United States and China. Dr. Danitz holds a D.M.A. from CUNY's Graduate Center, a Master of Music in Violin Performance from The Juilliard School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Business Management from Columbia University.

Nick Davies, founder of The Rossini Club, Nantucket's Own Chamber Music Festival, 

is the Bass/Utility Clarinet of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and was formerly the Principal Clarinet of the Great Falls Symphony and the Chinook Winds. Mr. Davies has a strong interest in contemporary music and has held past fellowships with Ensemble Modern’s Klangspuren Schwaz, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, and Spoleto Festival USA. As a composer, his commissions include those from the Houston Grand Opera, Midic Winds, Eureka Ensemble, Webster Trio, and the Chicago Harp Quartet. Nick holds degrees from Rice University and the University of Southern California.

Peter DeCarlo started dancing at age 5 on Nantucket, MA. He started his training at the Nantucket Dance Space owned and started by Michelle Birmingham. Peter continued his training at the School of American Ballet, working with multiple guest teachers Noah Gelber, Alexei Ratmansky, Justin Peck, and the esteemed SAB faculty. Peter joined the New Jersey Ballet in early spring 2025 as an apprentice, and currently dances there in as a corps de ballet member. 

Wesley Ducote is a third-year Piano Fellow at the New World Symphony. As a collaborator, Mr. Ducote has been featured with many of today’s brightest stars including composer/vocalist Kate Soper, Emmy Award-winning composer and Vietnamese folk musician Van Anh Vo, flutists Leone Buyse and Carol Wincenc, soprano Ana Maria Martinez, and many others. He has served as principal keyboardist with the Shepherd School Symphony and the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra. As a chamber musician he has been a featured artist with MUSIQA and the Nantucket Rossini Club, and in 2017 was selected by the Shepherd School of Music to perform with the Gyldfeldt quartet from Leipzig. Mr. Ducote has even worked as a keyboardist/composer in his own jazz-fusion sextet Steve Cox’s Beard.

Macarena Giménez, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, began her training at the Instituto Superior de Arte of Teatro Colón, and began her professional career in 2008 with Iñaki Urlezaga’s Ballet Concierto, performing on international tours to Italy, Spain, Thailand, Panama, China, Egypt, Mexico, Greece, and the United States. She was promoted to Principal Dancer of the company in 2011.

In 2012, Giménez joined Ballet Estable of Teatro Colón, becoming Soloist in 2016 and Principal in 2017. Additionally, she was invited to perform at the La Havana Ballet Festival, the International Festival in China, and Paloma Herrera’s farewell tour across Latin America.

In 2022, Giménez joined The Sarasota Ballet as a Principal Dancer, and in 2025 became a Principal Dancer with Miami City Ballet. 

In 2023, she was featured as a digital cover star in Pointe Magazine. In 2024, she performed with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House in a program honoring Frederick Ashton.

Dirk received his bachelors in Health Science and his Masters in Physical Therapy from Quinnipiac University in 2008 and his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Temple University in 2015.  He is also a board certified orthopedic specialist (OCS) and a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and Registered in Musculoskeletal Sonography (RMSK).  Dirk has also worked as a strength and conditioning coach with New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet, building on his experience as a gymnast in his youth.

In 2025, Dirk completed his Master's Degree in Data Science from CUNY School of Professional Studies. His passion is to stay up to date with the latest research, science and evidence that will provide the best possible outcomes for his patients. 

Praised for her vocal clarity, crystalline coloratura, and abundant musicality, Lebanese-American soprano Christine Honein has appeared on stages across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East in both operatic and concert repertoire. Most recently, she was featured as a soloist in New Year concerts with the Donau Philharmonie Wien and the Pilsen State Opera Orchestra, performing under the baton of Maestro Manfred Müssauer and Maestra Rima Tawil.

Christine’s operatic highlights include Sœur Constance in Dialogues des Carmélites (Opera For Earth), Mrs. Hayes in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah (St. Pete Opera, company debut), Maria in West Side Story (Eklund Opera), Dalinda in Ariodante (Eklund Opera), and Drusilla in L’incoronazione di Poppea (FSU Opera). In 2025, she also made her debut with the Nantucket Chamber Music Festival, performing works by Ned Rorem and Howard Frazin as part of The Rossini Club.

On the concert stage, Christine is deeply passionate about championing new works by her colleagues and friends, with a particular commitment to highlighting the music of Lebanese composers. In Spring 2025, she curated and presented Whimsical Melodies, a chamber program at the University of Tampa. The previous year, she appeared as a guest artist at the University of Wyoming, where she presented her recital A Musical Voyage: From Sevilla to Beirut and led a masterclass for voice students.

Born in Lebanon to Lebanese parents, Christine spent her formative years in Beirut and Florida. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Florida State University and a Master of Music from the University of Colorado Boulder, and is a student of soprano and conductor Rima Tawil, whose mentorship has been central to her artistic growth. Through her work, Christine aspires to use music as a means of expression, connection, and cultural exchange—bridging the rich traditions of East and West.

A Memphis native & jookin' dancer, Dra'em was inspired to dance by his father, an amateur gangsta walker. He showed his son the basics and took him to his first jookin’ sessions. He says, “I’ve been inspired by every jooker, old and new, as I was introduced to the culture.”

Dra'em has performed with Lil' Buck around the country and is a member of the crew 901.ent/The Dream Team, and appeared with them in a Kerwin Frost Adidas television commercial. He is committed to meditation as a daily practice and feels it has made a great difference in his life: “When you get on the floor after meditating, it’s like you’re in the flow. Meditating is definitely the way to go.” 

As a California-based dancer with influences from Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, AJ Howard brings a unique style and energy to the Lindy Hop community. Getting introduced to the world of Lindy Hop at the age of 19, AJ quickly took an appreciation to dance, and he burst into the scene in 2016, winning competitions throughout the US with his partner Jennifer, showing the dance world what Sacramento really had to offer! Competing at international events such as Camp Hollywood and the International Lindy Hop Championships, AJ became well known for his generous use of aerials paired with his energetic dancing. AJ has also had the honor of performing with dance groups such as "SWING OUT," HellaBlackLindyHop, San Francisco Jitterbugs, and the Midtown Stompers, and the privilege to spread his love of dance through teaching at Lindy Hop events in the US, on a Carnival Cruise ship, and overseas in countries such as Denmark and Sweden.

Award-winning violinist Youngmi Hwang has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Symphony Hall. Based in Boston, she is the winner of the Boston Conservatory Concerto Competition and recently performed with the Boston Conservatory Orchestra at Mechanics Hall.

A dedicated and versatile artist, Youngmi completed the Graduate Performance Diploma program at Boston Conservatory at Berklee on a merit scholarship. She previously earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Violin Performance from Mannes School of Music in New York City, where she was also awarded merit scholarships and dean’s award.

In addition to her performance career, Youngmi is a passionate educator with over a decade of teaching experience, working with students of all ages and levels. Her performances have been praised for their expressive depth, technical refinement, and engaging stage presence.

Laura Kaufman grew up in Overland Park, Kansas and received a BFA in Dance from the University of Arizona.  She recently performed in the production of Sugar Hill Nutcracker  directed and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse and is currently dancing at The Metropolitan Opera. Laura is co-director of Woman in Motion, a project-based dance company in NYC.  Previously she spent a  year on the road with the Broadway tour of CATS following a year with the first national tour of An American in Paris. Prior to her time on tour, Laura danced with City Ballet of San Diego followed by Odyssey Dance Theatre in SLC where she performed many principal roles and did two international tours.

She has danced works by Christopher Wheeldon, Andy Blankenbuehler, Joshua Bergasse, Caleb Teicher, Lorin Latarro, Alexei Ratmansky, George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Bonnie Story, Derryl Yeager, Betsey Wistrich, Michael Tevlin, Gary Christ, Ann Reinking, and many others. While in Salt Lake City, Laura taught for the Ballet West Academy as well as company class for Odyssey. She currently teaches at BDC, Steps on Broadway, Ballet Arts, and holds her own open classes around the city. Laura is a versatile dancer and teacher and thrives on being immersed in many aspects of the dance world.

Robenson is a New York-based dance artist performing, choreographing, and teaching Haitian Folklore, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, and Afro-based dance styles. From 2012-2022, he worked as a principal dancer in the international Compagnie de Danse Jean Rene Delsoin, based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In 2017, he created the platform "Robenson Dance & Fitness" to support better health and dance training in Haiti and abroad, and in 2021, he created the course “Rabòday Fit” taught regularly at Fit4Dance studios in Brooklyn, NY. His goal is to spread joy by building awareness of Afro-diaspora dance and exchanging with fellow dance artists in this industry.

Robenson recently completed an artist-in-residence with Haiti Cultural Exchange’s Lakou NOU 2022 Program. Robenson is the Founding Artistic Director of NANM,  A Robenson Mathurin Dance Company. 

Emiko Nakagawa is a Japanese tap dance artist currently based in NYC. She went on to further develop her tap artistry with Yukiko “Smilie” Misumi’s mentorship at the age of 8, and she served as dance captain on various stages, including ARTN Company’s solo “Legends of Tap” series, and “Tokyo International Tap Festival”from 2015 to 2020 in Japan. 

Before coming to NY, she achieved international recognition through performing at the show “JUBA!” at Chicago Tap Festival, and the show at Big Apple Tap Festival in NY. 

She also has had success at many international tap dance contests. She was a winner of both Woodshed Experience and LA Tap Fest cutting contests in 2019. In the tap dance contest KAWASAKI TAP FESTIVAL in Japan, she won six prizes until 2016 and was the champion in 2017. 

After coming to NY, Emiko works for Caleb Teicher & Company, Dorrance Dance and more of New York based dance companies.

She is an alumnus of The School at Jacob’s Pillow 2023.

She successfully made her first circus appearance which New York Circus Project are the presenting organization in 2025.

Most recently, Emiko was selected for Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch”  for 2026.

Her choreographies and performances have been shown at 54 Below, Symphony Space, The Joyce Theater, World of Dance (Headliner), 92NY, Vail Dance Festival and more, and she has a great appreciation for working and performing with amazing artists in U.S.

Heather Olcott is heading into her sixth season as the stage manager with Boston Ballet.

Select credits include: Production Stage Manager for Dance Theatre of Harlem, Stage Manager for Andrew McNicol’s Cinderella (Tulsa Ballet), Stage Manager for Fall For Dance Festival (NY City Center), Assistant Stage Manager for Vail Dance Festival, Stage Manager for The Nutcracker (Tulsa Ballet), Stage Manager for the Gerald Arpino Centennial Celebration, substitute Assistant Stage Manager for Puffs (Off-Broadway), Production Stage Manager for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Musical! (National Tour), and Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor for 42nd Street (National Tour). B.A. in Dance and a minor in Stage Management from Point Park University. 

Geonhee Park is a dancer currently with the ABT Studio Company. A graduate of Sunhwa Art Middle & High School (2019–2023), Park went on to train at Korea National University of Arts (2024–2025). From 2020 to 2023, Park was a member of the Universal Ballet Junior Company, gaining early performance experience with one of Korea's leading ballet companies.

​

Park's competitive achievements include being named a Finalist at the Prix de Lausanne in 2022, one of the most prestigious international ballet competitions for young dancers, and winning the Grand Prix Award at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2024.

​

Park continues to develop as an artist with the ABT Studio Company, building on a foundation of rigorous training and international competition success.

Mark Stanley, an essential element of the Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival for past years, is a lighting designer and production manger extraordinaire who ensures every performance looks the way it should. In Mark's words, "as lighting designers, we have the great fortune of being artists working in a medium that uniquely reflects and reveals the world. It is not only how we see, but it is also how we experience what we see."

Mark has been designing light for movement, music, text, and camera in a 40+ year career. Leaning on the collaborative nature of the work, Mark has worked to embody and reflect light to provoke the viewer’s imagination, bringing story, emotion, and beauty to performances and audiences throughout the US and Europe.

Mark is also a committed educator of the next generation of lighting designers and a fervent believer in the importance of creating opportunities for young designers as they navigate the transition from their academic careers to professional design.

Kaitlyn Sardin grew up in Orlando and has been Irish dancing since the age of seven, beginning her journey with the Watters School of Irish Dancing and has won multiple World titles. 

As a college student at the University of South Florida and then New York’s Hofstra University, Sardin continued her Irish dance training at the Drake School and the Doherty Petri School. She has toured with the Chicago-based Trinity Irish Dance Company and was invited to audition for So You Think You Can Dance. (While she didn’t make the top 20 on the show, you can spot her in the Season 17 commercial.) 

Her recent performances include dancing with Jean Butler in the critically acclaimed "What We Hold" show at the Irish Arts Center in New York City, and she was recently voted as one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" for 2024. In 2025, she was part of Beyonce's world tour.

Jake Vincent- from NJ, based in NYC. Past performance credits include Lincoln Center, New York City Center, The Kennedy Center, LA Music Center, Joyce Theater while touring with Paul Taylor Dance Company. Past company dance credits include Rioult Dance NY, 10 Hairy Legs, and Diversity of Dance. Jake has created and presented work both domestically and internationally. Movement Direction and choreography credits include campaigns for Beau Swimwear, StudioReady, and Sentient Jewelry.