DIRECTORS
Meg Morrissey grew up dancing at the Georgia Dance Conservatory in her hometown of Marietta, Georgia. She trained with GDC and performed as a company member of the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre for fifteen devoted years. Meg then went on to continue her study of ballet, contemporary, jazz, and modern dance at Northwestern University, graduating in June of 2012 with a B.A. in Dance and a B.A. in International Studies.
Along with teaching classes and workshops around the greater Atlanta area, Meg has been a company member of Sideways Contemporary Dance Company, Graffiti Dancers, and Fuerta Dance Company. Her choreographic work has been featured by the New Movement Project and Atlanta's Dance Canvas. Meg is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Fuerta Dance Company, as well as the owner and Director of Druid Hills Dance Center.
Alyson Quigley trained for 7 years with S&R Dance in Illinois. She then went on to study dance and film at Northwestern University, graduating in 2012 from Northwestern's School of Communication with a B.A. in dance and a collection of dance films she created. She interned with HMS Media and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago to continue her work with dance on film.
Since moving to Atlanta in 2013, Aly has worked with Fizz City Films, Pogo Pictures, and as the Video Producer at The Impact Partnership. Aly has been a company member of Sideways Contemporary Dance Company, Graffiti Dancers, and Fuerta Dance Company. She is co-artistic director of Fuerta, and the resident film artist.
DANCERS
Amber Franek ( St. Louis, MO) graduated with a B.F.A in dance and departmental honors from Webster University. Upon graduation she relocated to Atlanta accepting a position as dancer and Associate Director of Advocate Arts( 2011-2015).
Her performances credits include Christmas on Zephyr Planet, Annonyarts: Steps, Webster University ensemble, American College Dance Festival, and Outback bowl to name a few. Franek's choreographic work has been showcased at Project Dance, American College Dance Festival, National Dance Week and through BookAFlashMob.com.
Gray Stoner was born and raised in Atlanta, and received her training from the Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre. She attended summer intensives with The Joffrey Ballet, Nashville Ballet and was selected to participate in Regional Dance America’s Craft of Choreography. She continued her dance training and education at The University of Arizona where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and minor in Elementary Education. While completing her B.F.A. in Dance at the University of Arizona, she performed in the signature pieces of highly regarded choreographers including: Sam Watson (formerly with Gus Giordano Dance Company), James Clouser (formerly with American Ballet Theatre), and George Balanchine. In addition to her own training, she has mentored and assisted aspiring dancers for the past ten years. She is also a company member of Atlanta Dance Collective.
Originally from Massachusetts, Kaitlyn Denzer began dancing at age 6. She studied with Parsons Dance Company in NYC. Kaitlyn attended Jacksonville University as a dance major where she worked with Takehiro Ueyama, Jennifer Muller, and Mary-Ann Black.
As an undergraduate, she taught and performed on the island of Curacao and took part in the American College Dance Festival. After college Kaitlyn has performed with Braided Light Dance Project, Forty Steps Dance Company, In Noon Dance Company, Shadows Dance Art Experience and Endearment Dance Company.
Dallas King started pursuing dance in Dacula, Ga at age nine with North Georgia Dance and Music Factory (DMF). Through her training at DMF she was able to participate in the annual Atlanta Jazz Festival, Atlanta Ballet Festival and multiple recitals around the Atlanta area. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina with a BA in Dance performance and Choreography May of 2015. Throughout her undergraduate studies she attended various intensives and performed multiple works including those by Twyla Tharp, George Balanchine and Maurya Kerr. Currently she is a member of the Atlanta Dance Collective and is excited to collaborate with Fuerta Dance Company.
Leah Kelly began her pre-professional dance training at the British Academy of Performing Arts a part of The Academy Dance Company in her hometown Marietta, GA. With a strong passion for dance, Leah Furthered her abilities at Valdosta State University and received a bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance and a bachelor’s of Business Administration in Management. At the University Leah was fortunate enough to dance in annual dance concerts and multiple dance festivals such as SOMAfest NYC with Professor Catherine A. Schaeffer, New Grounds Festival with Critical Mass Dance Company and the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival with SWADance Collective. Leah's time at Valdosta also granted her opportunities such as a Teaching Assistant in Fall of 2014, a Student Administrative Assistance 2012-2014, and a recipient of multiple dance scholarships. Leah is thrilled to be living her dreams and currently dances with SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company and is also excited to be joining Fuerta Dance Company this season!
Hailing from the Nation’s Capital, Kamali Hill received her early training from Dance Institute of Washington and National Ballet School. Her professional work includes BNW: Dance, Dissonance Dance Theatre II, Taurus Broadhurt Dance and currently T. Lang Dance. Kamali is a proud alumna of Virginia Commonwealth University holding her BFA in Dance and Choreography. She is grateful thus far for the opportunities God has given her and is excited about the journey ahead.
Audrey Crabtree holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts degree in Dance Performance from the School of American Dance and Arts Management at Oklahoma City University. Georgia raised, she trained at Dancentre South in Woodstock in her youth. Her professional work includes the theme park stages of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Six Flags Magic Mountain dancing at Howl-O-Scream, Christmastown, Looney Tunes Kids Club, Fright Fest, and Holiday in the Park. As a newlywed living in Los Angeles with her husband Jake, Audrey performed with L.A. Unbound, the Speak Hill Dance Project, City Ballet of Los Angeles, and Amaterasu Dance Company. Audrey is now teaching at Atlanta Dance Central, performing with Sideways Contemporary Dance Company, and truly thrilled to begin her first season with Fuerta Dance Company!
Kristel Rose Tedesco received her training as a teen at The Ailey School and then went on to earn a BFA in Dance and BS in Dance Science from Elon University in 2014. Upon graduation she performed with Gaspard & Dancers in Durham, NC and was a featured dancer in the independent film Alto (2015), directed by Mikki del Monico. Since relocating to Atlanta in 2015, Kristel has performed with T. Lang Dance, Fuerta Dance Company, Bluebird Uncaged and independent choreographers including Otis Sallid, Bella Dorado, Kamali Hill and Rachael Shaw. Recently, her choreography was commissioned by Fulton County Arts Council for National Dance Week and was also presented at Eyedrum Art and Music Gallery as part of the Boiler Room series. Her dance science research has been presented at academic conferences for the American Physical Therapy Association and the International Dance Medicine Association. Kristel continues to explore complexities of the human form as a personal trainer, dance educator and choreographer. She is interested in integrating the creative process with the scientific method and aims to explore the fusion of artistry and athleticism in her work. She would like to thank the people of Atlanta for sitting in traffic with her, an unyielding source of inspiration for her work.