Emma Becker

Emma Becker is a dancer, Choreographer, and Educator with a BFA in Dance Choreography and Performance from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

She started studying ballet at the age of 5 in the Central Wisconsin
School of Ballet and Modern dance as a student at UWM, she is still training in both today. Emma has attended the Milwaukee Ballet Summer Intensive, the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive, as well as workshops with Carlos Lopez, choreographer/dancer and director of repertoire at ABT. While getting her degree at UWM,

Emma has worked with Choreographers like Kia Smith, Alfonso Cervera, Katie Pile, Maria Gillespie, Gina Laurenzi, and Mair
Culbreth.

She has also performed in other shows like Alluvion Dance
Chicago’s Emergence show, in Milwaukee Ballet’s Emergence performance,
many of Danceworks MKE’s Get it Out There performances, and has been a
featured dancer on multiple music videos for artist NESYA. Emma is
currently teaching at Kinetic Dance Arts, dancing with Wildspace Dance
Company, as well as working on many other projects.

Lauren Fleury

Lauren Fleury is an active dancer, choreographer, and model based in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She graduated from UW-Milwaukee in 2023 with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance Choreography and
Performance.

Lauren is currently a dancer and teacher at The Company, traveling throughout
Wisconsin for performances and master classes. She continues to share
her artistry within the community through previous performances such as
Uncommon Grounds, Get it Out There, and For The Wolves. Her newest
showing, Little Sparrow, will debut on June 14th at Villa Terrace. In
the local scene, she has traveled with Theatre Gigante and collaborated
as a dancer with the New York-based Peter Stathas Dance Company. Lauren
also enjoys performing for nonprofit organizations and events, including
Dance For Hope, the Global Water Dance Festival, PROJECT AIR, and
Fringe Festival.

Lauren is passionate about finding a balance between commercial and concert dance within her choreographic process. She strives to educate and
inspire younger dancers as she navigates her evolving professional
career.

Abby Knueppel

Abby Knueppel has a dance background that began at age three at Nancy Dianne Studio of Dance, Ltd. There, she studied, practiced, and performed techniques
including Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Modern. Knueppel just completed her fourth year teaching at the studio, fulfilling her desire to pour into the next generation of dancers. She also, recently, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography. She also accomplished the requirements to add a Business minor; expanding her professional skillset. Throughout her time in college, Knueppel has been able to take part in many works choreographed by students, staff, and influential guest artists, which has expanded her movement quality and
dance vocabulary exponentially.

She has been in staff-selected works that went on to be performed on a regional stage at the American College Dance Association conference, her senior capstone choreography also being chosen for this honor. Abby was commissioned for her first professional dance concert in 2024 by Ashley Ray Garcia entitled “For the Wolves.” Knueppel is looking forward to being in another ARG performance as well as what her future in the industry has to offer.

Kasey Eckhardt

Kasey Eckhardt is a dancer and choreographer from Michigan.

She received a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography with a minor in Somatics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The primary focus of her training growing up was in ballet/pointe, Horton modern technique, and jazz. Part of her training for four years was attending Blue Lake Fine Arts
Camp, a two-week-long dance intensive, learning from a variety of teachers from across the country.

During her time at UWM she worked with Maria Gillespie, Daniel Burkholder, Dan Schuchart, Gina Laurenzi, Dawn Spring, and Mair Culbreth, from whom she learned aerial ropes experience. Additionally, she worked with guest artists, Aysha Upchurch, Karlies Kelley, and David Rousseve. At UWM she was a part of the Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program under the direction of Maria Gillespie, delving into topics of auto-ethnographies, improvisation, and scribing movement. Her choreography has been presented in Danceworks MKE Get It Out There and Dance Collective, a
student-run showcase.

She attended and performed at the American CollegeDance Association (ACDA). She has previously performed for Ashley Ray Garcia in the evening-length show For The Wolves. Her other performance opportunities include dancing in music videos in “Wild Cats” by The Quilz and “There’s a ghost!” by NESYA. In another opportunity, dancing
for the camera, she performed in a short film, The Glamorous Life, by Ava Kahut. In August she will join Dance PlayHouse as a new company member.

Libby Steckmesser

Libby Steckmesser is a dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist, who
graduated in 2024 with a BFA in dance and a minor in somatics at UW-Milwaukee.

Her dance training began in 2006 at the Jean Wolfmeyer School of Dance in Manitowoc, WI. She has studied many forms of dance such as tap, jazz, ballet, African Diaspora, modern, hip-hop, and more.


She currently focuses on improvisational dance, rooted from internal research and writing prompts. She has performed and studied in Milwaukee with many notable local artists and companies, as well as in Chicago, and Paris. She researched alongside Maria Gillespie for 2 years in her SURF projects, beginning her professional career in 2022. In 2023, she presented her senior thesis at ACDA in Minnesota.

Her most recent work, “i am because you were,” was her first self choreographed solo that premiered this past March with Danceworks’ Get It Out There show. Currently, Libby is a teaching and outreach artist for Danceworks MKE, as well as a freelance dancer/performer. In May 2026, she will be making her debut as the lead in a short film produced by Ava Kahut titled, “The Glamorous Life,” where her background in acting and dance will merge.

Rae Zimmerli

Rae Zimmerli (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and photographer from
Overland Park, Kansas. She graduated summa cum laude from the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, earning a BFA in dance and minors in
photography and geography.

Her choreographic work engages with fables, folklore, and mythology, told through a feminist perspective. Her choreographic work has been presented at the Milwaukee Fringe Festival,American College Dance Association, Camping Dance Festival, Fable Dance Company, Chicago Danztheatre, and more.

She has performed work by Kia Smith, Katy Pyle, YNOT, Simone Ferro, Dawn Springer, Maria Gillespie, Dan Schuchart, Gina Laurenzi, Jaclyn Brown, and others.