Earth Beneath My Feet

Dexter Carlson

Dancer/collaborator
Dexter Carlson (she/her) received her BFA in Dance from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and trained with Metropolitan Ballet of Tacoma. She has studied with The Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theater, The Joffrey Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (Czech Republic). She has had the honor of learning from and performing works by Renee Redding-Jones, Deborah Jowitt, Robert Moses, Kendra Porteir, and Maurya Kerr and has been a collaborator and performer with Eros Movement Company, Chris Ferris and Dancers, and Ellis Wood Dance, Jagged Moves, and Laurie Van Wieren Projects. Dexter's work has been presented at Green Space, Actors Fund Arts Center, Jack Crystal Theater, and Arts on Site in New York City and Norton Clapp Theatre in Tacoma, Washington. Dexter is a faculty member at St. Paul Ballet.

Hunter Batterson

Dancer/collaborator
Hunter Batterson is a dancer and arts administrator originally from Chicago, IL. She began her multidisciplinary movement training with the Dance and Music Academy before transitioning into a pre-professional program at The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts), receiving additional instruction through the Kansas City Ballet and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago summer intensives. She then went on to pursue her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and minor in History from the University of Minnesota, graduating with high distinction in 2021. Here, she had the opportunity to perform in works by Andrea Miller (Gallim Dance), Vie Boheme, Chris Schlichting, Annie Hanauer, Carl Flink, and Joe Chvala (Pippin). In her professional endeavors, Hunter has worked closely with Concerto Dance, Mary Willmeng/Willmeng Dances, Borealis Dance Theatre, Corpus Dance Works, and Kendall Kramer, appearing at the MN Fringe Festival, CANDY BOX Dance Festival, and Bryant Lake Bowl and Theater. Along with performing, Hunter has also worked administratively within numerous dance-based organizations, previously with institutions like Zenon Dance School, ARENA DANCES, Northrop, and Trifecta Dance Collective, currently serving as the Marketing Coordinator for Platinum Dance.

Kaitlin Craven

Dancer/collaborator
Kaitlin Craven is a Twin Cities-based dancer, arts administrator, and yoga instructor. Since landing in Minneapolis in 2019, Kaitlin has performed with mixture of companies and festivals including Willmeng Dances, eMartin Dance, Concerto Dance Company, Borealis Dance Theatre, Soiled Dance Series, Minnesota Fringe Festival, CollabArts, Art-a-Whirl Festival, CANDY BOX Dance Festival, Generating Room, and DanceBARN Festival. She also works in the Grants Office at the Minnesota State Arts Board and teaches yoga at YogaSix Minnetonka and River Yoga Anoka. Within her administrative and creative practices, Kaitlin is interested in bringing communities together through the collective power of movement.

Mary Willmeng

Choreographer
Mary Willmeng is an independent choreographer, teacher, and dancer living in Minneapolis, MN. She danced professionally in Chicago, IL with Mordine and Company Dance Theater, the 58 Group, Breakbone Dance Company, Adriana Durant Dance, and Ayako Kato before relocating to Colorado in 2009. During her time in Colorado, she performed with Cindy Brandle Dance Company, Mary Wohl Haan, and Rachel Oliver Young. Her own work has been presented at the Dairy Center for the Arts (Boulder, CO), the Colorado Conservatory of Dance, the Dance Center of Columbia College (Chicago,IL), Links Hall (Chicago, IL), the UIC Theater, Stage 773, the Tek Box (Minneapolis, MN), and The Phipps Center for the Arts (Hudson, WI). She has set her work on Simantikos Dance Chicago, Trifecta Dance Collective, and the students of Zenon Dance School. In 2023 and 2024, she self produced shows for the Minnesota Fringe Festival. She currently teaches at Zenon Dance School in Minneapolis and Young Dance in St. Paul. She is thrilled to be in the Minnesota Fringe again with her amazing cast of collaborators.

Sophia Louwagie

Dancer/collaborator
Sophia Louwagie (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher residing in Richfield, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in Dance and a 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teaching Certification in 2022. As a student, she performed in works choreographed by Herb Johnson III, Danial Shapiro & Joanie Smith of Shapiro and Smith Dance, Souleymane Badolo, and Renée Copeland & Genevieve Muench of Hiponymous. Professionally, Sophia has performed in CANDY BOX Dance Festival and MN Fringe Five Fifths Fundraiser with Lily Conforti of Corpus Callosum Dance, at Bryant Lake Bowl where she was a featured dancer in a cabaret produced by Kendall Kramer, and worked closely with Madeleine Scott, owner and artistic director of South Dakota Ballet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Currently, Sophia works as a Flexologist for Stretch Lab in Edina, MN and for Dance Endeavors as an Educator, Associate Director of the Nutcracker, and an Administrative Assistant in Bloomington, MN. She is so excited to be performing in her second Fringe performance with Willmeng Dances!

Ayumi Shafer

Dancer/collaborator
Ayumi Shafer is an educator, choreographer, and mover currently in the Twin Cities. Originally from California, Ayumi has now been teaching since 2006 in various cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Eugene, and Minneapolis. She earned a BA in Dance and Choreography from San Francisco State University (2009), as well as a MFA in Dance from the University of Oregon (2013). As she continues to teach in both public and private institutions, Ayumi has focused on collaborating with local artists in both dance and other disciplines. In 2014, she co-founded DanceBARN Collective with her dance partner, Molly Johston. DanceBARN is a nonprofit organization committed to creating dance opportunities for artists, performers, educators and audience members in rural communities. Ayumi and Molly strive to build community, create innovative dance through collaboration, and nurture the creative minds and bodies of our communities. Ayumi is also immersed in the community at Jeté Dance Centre in Rogers MN, serving as Assistant Director and working with youth of all ages, in many genres from Musical Theatre to Improvisation. This will be Ayumi’s 3rd Minnesota Fringe Festival appearance with Willmeng Dances, and has had other creative experiences through Jagged Moves, Off-Leash Area, The Cowles Center’s Generating Room, 6x6 Solos, and Candy Box Festival.

Anne Petrich

Dancer/collaborator
Born and raised in Minnesota, Anne started dancing at Hopkins Dance Centre in ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, lyrical, contemporary, modern, and pointe. She joined the Hopkins Youth Ballet for 8 years where she performed productions of Swan Lake, Giselle, Dracula, and The Nutcracker. Anne continued her dance education at the University of Minnesota earning a Bachelors of Arts in Dance and Minor in Sociology. She performed in pieces choreographed by Michel Kouakou, Joannie Smith, and Pramila Vasudevan. She has also had the pleasure of training at TU Dance, Daara Dance, Arena Dances, Steps on Broadway, and Peridance. After graduating she had the opportunity to venture into administrative work and Marketing at Ballet Co.Laboratory and Rhinestones Unlimited. Anne has been teaching dance for 7 years. She loves to teach all kinds of ages and styles. She has taught for multiple studios around the cities but currently is on staff at Jeté Dance Centre and South Metro Dance Arts Center.