Meet the Company
Kendra DeFazio
Executive / Artistic Director
Kendra DeFazio (she/her) is a contemporary dance artist and choreographer based in Grand Rapids, MI. She began her training at South Coast Conservatory and Orange County School of the Arts in Southern California at age 13. Kendra then earned her Bachelors of Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from Hope College in 2018. While at Hope, she was a member of H2 Dance Company, performing in annual concerts, festivals around the midwest, in Chicago Tap Theatre’s annual concert, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. She is the recipient of the Kurtze-Wickersheimer Dance Performance and DeLong Senior Dance Awards. After graduating, Kendra relocated to Chicago, IL where she performed and choreographed with Joel Hall Dancers, Inaside Chicago Dance, Lucid Banter Project, and Simantikos Dance Chicago. She has since moved back to West Michigan to create Currents Dance Theatre, and is excited to be bringing more dance to Grand Rapids.
Kelsey Lee
Company Dancer
Kelsey Lee (she/they) is a dancer, choreographer, contact improviser and teacher. She is the founder and artistic director of Dance PlayHouse, a professional dance theater company based in Grand Haven, MI. In addition to teaching dance, she is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200). Her choreography has been presented at festivals and art galleries throughout the Midwest and Virginia, including Midwest RAD Fest, Milwaukee Fringe Festival, Cleveland Dance Festival, PrideFest Milwaukee, and the McGuffey Art Center. She began dancing at 8 years old at the Dance Factory in Delavan, Wisconsin where she studied ballet in the Cecchetti Method, modern, and jazz. She has a BFA in Contemporary Dance & Choreography with a double major in Psychology from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. There, she received two undergraduate research fellowships for somatic research under the mentorship of Maria Gillespie, and was the recipient of several dance scholarships, including the Ed Burgess Legacy Scholarship. After graduation, she completed a Meisner technique training program at The Acting Studio in NYC, New York. She is a company member with Currents Dance Theatre, and has danced professionally with Hixon Dance, Hyperlocal MKE, Columbus Modern Dance Company, Quasimondo Milwaukee Physical Theatre, Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and Peter Stathas Dance, to name a few.
Emily Prymula
Company Dancer
Emily completed her B.F.A. in Dance at Western Michigan University in 2022. While at WMU, she performed in works choreographed by David Curwen, Seyong Kim, Kelsey Paschich, Cat Manturuk, and Francisco Gella. Emily also has a certificate of completion from the Gibney Professional Training Certificate Program. Emily started dancing when she was 4 and started competitive dance when she was 7 at Body Language Dance Company. At the age of 16, she transferred to Michigan Ballet Academy, where she trained in Vaganova Technique. She also attended multiple summer intensives such as the American Ballet Theater Intensive, Visceral Dance Chicago Intensive, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Pre-Professional Intensive, New York University Tisch Summer Dance Residency, Francisco Gella Dance Works Seattle Dance Advance Intensive, and Peridance Blueprint Intensive. Emily is currently a company member at Dance Playhouse, Currents Dance Theatre, and CPR Dance: Inhale Movement. She is also teaching at BSD Dance Studio in Portage, Michigan and guest teaching at studios in West/Southwest Michigan.
Cali Smith
COMPANY DANCER
Cali Smith (She/her), a native of Chicago, is a Hope College graduate with a bachelor of arts in Dance performance and choreography and a minor in pedagogy. Smith began her dance training at the age of three years old at Encore Dance Productions, where she cultivated her love of dance until she graduated in 2020. While at Hope College, Smith has been a part of four faculty showcases, and multiple Student Dance Showcases, and is a member of H2 Dance Co., under the direction of Matthew Farmer and Jasmine Mejia. Within these various shows, Smith has performed works by Matthew Farmer, Sharon Wong, Steven Iannacone, Jasmine Meija, Kara Brems, Lindsey Hanson, and Deavondre Jones, while performing in other student works, staged and filmed.
In May of 2021, Cali began her professional dance career with Chicago Honeybear Dancers. Today, she is a company member with Currents Dance Theater and Dance Playhouse.
EMMA KENT
COMPANY DANCER
Emma Kent graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During her time at Grand Valley, she majored in dance and was a member of Momentum dance club. She has performed choreography by artists such as Renaldo Maurice, Rachel Abrahams, Leslie Scott, and Deborah Lohse. Her dance career began at Flat River Dance Company at the age of four, and she continued with the studio until graduation. She has trained at numerous summer intensives including American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Met, Joffrey New York, Grand Rapids Ballet, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. She has been training with Wellspring Dance Company since September 2023. This is her first season performing with the company as a Professional Artist. Kent has previous professional experience with Movement Reservoir Dance Company as a performing guest artist. This is her first season with Currents Dance Theatre.
CAITLIN MILLER
COMPANY DANCER
Caitlin Miller (She/Her) was born and raised in Fenwick, Michigan. She started her training at Flat River Dance Company at age 4. In Spring 2024, she completed her B.A. in Dance and minor in Leadership for Social Change at Western Michigan University. During her time at WMU, she performed in works choreographed by Seyong Kim and Monique Haley. She also attended summer intensives such as American Ballet Theatre’s Intensive and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s Pre-Professional Intensive. Currently, she is a company member at Currents Dance Theater in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Dance Playhouse in Grand Haven, Michigan. In the future, she plans on participating in nonprofit work supporting advocacy.
ALLY MCINTOSH
APPRENTICE
Ally McIntosh is a senior at Hope College studying both Dance and Elementary Education. During her time at Hope she has performed in multiple Dance X's and Student Dance Showcases and was a member of Strike Time Dance Company. She has worked with choreographers such as Jasmine Mejia, Julie Powell, Sharon Wong, William Crowley, and Nicole Flinn. Prior to college, Ally started dance at the age of 11, performing and competing in all styles of dance. Highlights include dancing in the Nutcracker, attending multiple DanceMakers regional and national competitions, and working with renowned choreographers such as Maddy Falconer, Joshua Blake Carter, Tommy Alexander, and Channing Cooke. Ally has a huge passion for dance education and has worked as an educator for the past six years. Currently, she is an instructor and administrator at Academy of the Arts in Jackson, Michigan, working with students of all ages as well as choreographing a wide range of works. She is also the assistant artistic director of the Jackson Dance Company, the pre-professional company of Academy of the Arts. Additionally, she is a co-director of the Dutchmen Dance Team and is the head coach of the Hudsonville Middle School Dance Team. Her future goal is to own a dance studio of her own, continuing to choreograph and teach in a studio setting.
BROOKE PANGBORN
APPRENTICE
Brooke Pangborn is a current student at Grand Valley State University. She will graduate in Spring of 2026 with a B.S. in Speech Language Pathology and a minor in Dance. During her time at Grand Valley, she has performed in all dance concerts and senior capstone performances. She also had the privilege of getting to work with, and was chosen for, three guest artist pieces; these artists included Renaldo Maurice, Charlie Clark, and Bonnie O’Rourke. Brooke grew up dancing at Academy of the Arts in Jackson, Michigan and was a member of the Jackson Dance Company for eight years. She was trained in all styles of dance, with an emphasis on ballet, jazz, and contemporary. She worked with choreographers Channing Cooke, Tommy Alexander, and Joshua Blake Carter while a part of the Jackson Dance Company. She also gained skills in teaching dance at the age of 15 and continues to teach currently. Brooke will continue her education further, after receiving her bachelor’s degree, and hopes to continue to share her love of dance through teaching.
HARLEE SCHOLTEN
APPRENTICE
Harlee Scholten began her dance education at West Michigan Youth Ballet, under Stephen Sanford and Laura Berman. She also trained with HIS Dance Academy for nine years, under Tassia Johnson and Hannah Sullivan, and was a member of HIS Ensemble. Additionally, Harlee trained with Ada Dance Academy for three years under Stephen Sanford, Samantha Shelton, and Hannah Trulock. Harlee has danced principal roles in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Swan Lake, and many others. Currently, Harlee is pursuing a degree in both dance and exercise science at Hope College, graduating in December of 2024. In her time at Hope, Harlee has worked with Julie Powell, William Crowley, Matthew Farmer, Heather Cornell, and Jasmine Meija, among others. She was named Julie Powell’s rehearsal assistant for the 2022-2023 season. Harlee has also danced and performed internationally with Hope College and the Centre de Danse du Marais in Paris, France. Harlee has gained teaching experience throught West Michigan at HIS Dance Academy, Reverence Dance Academy, West Michigan Youth Ballet, LoMi Studios, and Verity Ballet. Harlee is currently the president of the Hope College Ballet Club, leading the organization, teaching weekly classes, and choreographing new works for the club’s bi-annual productions. Harlee is on West Michigan Youth Ballet’s board of directors, and she is currently working at Grand Rapids Ballet as their Dance Festival Coordinator.
