Ally (she/her) is a dancer and educator from West Dundee, IL. As a University of Minnesota Twin Cities student, she performed in works by several notable choreographers including Luke Olson-Elm, Michel Kouakou, Chris Schlichting, and Alito Alessi. After receiving a BFA in Dance summa cum laude, BA in English, and M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, Ally began teaching K-12 Dance with Chicago Public Schools. She is grateful to become part of the supportive community of Noumenon Dance Ensemble and for the chance to grow with other passionate artists!

Deirdre Dillon (she/her) is thrilled to be joining the Noumenon Dance Ensemble! Originally from Leesburg, Virginia, she began dancing at an early age and never stopped. Deirdre has been an active member of the Chicago dance community since coming to the city in 2014. She has performed and choreographed for Matter Dance Company (2017-), Modern Marvels (2016, 2017), and Duncan Dance Chicago (2015-2016). She was also part of the Joel Hall Adult Scholarship program in 2018. Deirdre is excited to embrace a new opportunity to move with and get to know the other dancers in the company!

Gabrielle Anchondo (she/her) is currently a high school student. She  was born and raised in Chicagoland began dancing at the age of 8. She has trained at Chicago multicultural center and with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. 

Gabrielle is excited to be in her second season at Noumenon.

Jackie (she/her) has been dancing for over 20 years. She received the majority of her ballet training at Ohio Dance Theater, in Oberlin, Ohio. Jackie received a minor in Dance at Oberlin College, where she trained in modern and contemporary with Holly Handman-Lopez, Leslie Dworkin, Nusha Martynuk, and Carter McAdams. She moved to the Bay Area in 2017, receiving modern and hip-hop training at Shawl Anderson Studios and In the Groove Studios. Jackie has performed at SF Pride, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Links Hall, and Cleveland Public Theater. From 2017-2019 she danced and performed with Groove Generation, an all-women hip-hop dance ensemble based in Oakland, California.

Nadia Cohn (she/her) is a Chicago native and has trained in various styles of dance for over eleven years. She started dancing under the tutelage of Homer Bryant at Chicago Multicultural Dance Company where she also danced competitively and earned multiple awards and recognitions for her achievements in performing. Nadia loves the aspect of being able to express her vulnerability and emotion artistically through dance. 

Nadia is excited about returning to dance after a short break, and is grateful for the opportunity to return to the Noumenon dance family. She can’t wait to feel the energy of dancing with this community of dancers.

Ryan (he/they) was was born and raised in Crystal Lake, IL. In 2018 Ryan and his family moved to Florence, Alabama, where he  graduated from Florence High School in 2020. Since fifth grade Ryan has been in numerous musicals and plays such as Pippin, Peter Pan and The Music Man.  Ryan started studying dance in seventh grade at Broadway Academy of Arts and Dance in Richmond, Illinois, and continued at Laura’s School of Performing Arts in Alabama.  He has studied Irish step, hip hop, contemporary, tap, jazz, lyrical and ballet and has participated in numerous master classes, conventions and competitions. Ryan is also a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Masha (they/them) grew up in Dallas, TX but is a proud Chicago transplant. Masha received a BA in Dance and BS in Biology from Loyola University of Chicago where they performed works by Stephanie Martinez, Sandra Kaufmann, Doris Humphrey, and Jana Bennett. Masha has a passion for interdisciplinary work and has received several research fellowships to create dance films aiming to make science more accessible. Masha is passionate about empowering people through movement which led them to start up Rush Medical Center’s Dance with a Doc program. Currently, Masha is a member and co-VP of Community Engagement with Echo Modern Dance Collective and a work study at The Rooted Space. Masha is so excited for their second season with Noumenon!

Dare (they/them) is a multifaceted dance and theatre artist–born and raised in Chicago. They have been dancing for over 15 years. Over the course of their dance career, Dare has trained with the Mayfair Performing Company, Joel Hall Dancers Youth Company, and at Skidmore College, in New York. Dare is classically trained in Ballet, Jazz, and Modern (Horton, Graham & Taylor) as well as Contemporary, Tap, Hip-Hop, and African. Dare has also had the pleasure of dancing with After School Matters’ Dance Ensemble, under Karen Curin and Krissy Rybicki, and at Lindblom Math and Science Academy under Joy Gross. Dare is excited to kick off their return to the Chicago dance scene with NDE!

Faith (she/her) grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. She began dancing at the age of 8 and quickly fell in love with the artistry and athleticism of dance. She went on to receive her BA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Hope College in Holland, Michigan in May 2014. Faith joined Noumenon Dance Ensemble in 2015. She has enjoyed growing her skills and artistry with the company, even making her professional choreographic debut in the Spring of 2019 with NDE. She looks forward to continuing to dance and perform with Noumenon this coming season!

Emma Barnhart (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher from and based in Chicago, IL. Her early training included the Chicago Ballet Center and Joffrey’s Exelon Strobel Step-Up Program. She went on to graduate from Hope College summa cum laude with a BA in double majors Dance Performance and Choreography and Sociology. At Hope, Emma was a member of the H2 Dance Company and Strike Time Dance Theater and was co-director of Hope’s Ballet Club. Emma previously danced, choreographed, and was Managing Director of dollop dance theater, and was a cohort member of See Chicago Dance’s Dance for Camera Production Residency. Emma currently dances with Lucid Banter Project, and is delighted to be in her second season performing with the wonderful dancers of NDE!

Julie Ferrell-Olson (she/her) holds a MSc in Dance Science from Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, UK (2019, with distinction), a BFA in Dance from the University of Kansas (2016), and is currently pursuing her PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Julie danced with NDE from 2016-2018 and taught at several area studios, including Joel Hall Dancers and Center. Her choreographic repertoire was presented at Links Hall in Chicago, the University of Kansas, Anderson University, UIC, and was accepted to be presented at the EXCHANGE Choreography Festival in Tulsa, OK. Julie performed works by Melissa Thodos, Autumn Eckman, William Gill, Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak, Pat Graney, COHEN/SUZEAU, James Moreno, and Alia Simon-Montijo. Since leaving Chicago in 2018, Julie has trained, performed, and taught in London, UK and Detroit, MI. She is an active member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS), and was awarded their Student Research Award in 2020 for her master’s dissertation work. Julie is excited to be reconnected with NDE for the chance to move and groove with this group of incredible artists!

K Orgel (They/She) is from the Chicago Northwest Suburbs and has lived in the Chicago area all their life. K received their BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and Dance from Northeastern Illinois University in 2017 and has performed and choreographed for several theatres and performing arts education groups around the Chicago area. This is their second year as a member of the Noumenon Dance Ensemble. K is looking forward to stepping back into the studio and continuing to dance with the wonderful community that NDE has created. 

Shaurice McCaster (she/her) was born and raised on the southside of Chicago. She graduated from the Chicago High School for the Arts in 2017. In May 2021, Shaurice received her BFA in Dance from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Shaurice has been dancing for 19 years now and is looking forward to another season with NDE.