cre8dance finalists
JoAnna Schmidt
JoAnna Schmidt was born in Eustis, Florida, and received most of her dance training from Vasile Petrutiu, Vladimir Bykov, and Heather Fryxell at Central Florida Ballet, as well as summer intensives with Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Jacob’s Pillow, and Miami City Ballet. She also attended the graduate program of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and was hired into the company in 2012. Since then, JoAnna has had the pleasure of performing in various roles with the company, including the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and Cupid in Don Quixote, and many others. She has also performed in works by Jiri Kylian, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Gemma Bond, Jennifer Archibald, Jorma Elo, William Forsythe, and others. In 2018, JoAnna was commissioned to choreograph her first ballet, for the mainstage of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, called Lightworks. Since then, she has continued to enjoy creating new works for PBT, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Texture contemporary Ballet, Confluence Ballet co., and others.
Francis Lawrence
Francis, born in Melbourne, Australia, graduated from the Australian Ballet School with a diploma in dance. He has performed with companies including the Australian Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Grand Rapids Ballet, and New Jersey Ballet. His repertoire spans classical works like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, and contemporary pieces by Balanchine, Tharp, Kylián, and Duato, to name a few. He has also appeared in musicals such as An American in Paris, The Wiz and West Side Story, and on screen in A Jazzman’s Blues and Law & Order. Francis is currently a freelance artist and teacher based in New York City.
Deanna Gerde
Deanna Gerde (she/her) was born in Syracuse, New York, and received her formal dance training from SUNY Brockport and The Joffrey Ballet School in Manhattan. She started her professional career as a freelance artist in Manhattan, and then danced with Ballet Arkansas for two seasons. In 2019, she moved to Rhode Island to dance with Newport Contemporary Ballet. Along with performing the work of various visiting choreographers, as well as that of NCB’s artistic director Danielle Genest, Deanna enjoys exploring her choreographic voice whenever she can. She has set work on the NCB Jr. Company, and teaches in the RI area.
In 2023, Deanna presented her work with Choreography Project Providence, and in 2024 that work was performed at the Newport Dance Festival. In 2024 she also co-choreographed work with Katie Moorhead for Puddingstone Festival; an intimate classical concert series paired with movement. Deanna is thrilled to participate in Cre8Dance Choreographic Competition 2025, with a piece choreographed alongside Benjamin Rabe, which they recently premiered at Newport Contemporary Ballet’s May repertory program.
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Marc Spaulding
Marc is a choreographer, educator, and dance artist whose passion, integrity and professionalism characterize his works. Mr. Spaulding began his formal dance training at the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC under the direction of Lynn Welters. He later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Ballet Performance from the University of the Arts and completed his Master of Fine Arts Degree at University of California, Irvine.
With more than 20 years of professional dance experience, Marc has had a very diverse career. His noteworthy concert and theatrical performance credits include: Dreamgirls 1st National Tour, Equus- Broadway Revival, PHILADANCO (The Philadelphia Dance Company), Westside Story International Tour, Donald Byrd/The Group, Broadway’s: Gypsy of the Year Competition, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Memphis (Musical Theatre West), Eleone Dance Theatre, Raven-Symone (Undeniable Tour), and Endless Shock (Japanese Musical Series Tour). His Television and Film credits include: Nissan National Commercial, Euphoria, Brooklyn NineNine, Timeless, Hairspray (New Line Cinema), Dancing with the Stars, NBC: Today Show, Apple Inc- California Soul, Saturday Night Live, 81st Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, VH-1: Behind the Music, Good Morning Atlanta Fox 5, and MTV Asia.
Mr. Spaulding’s choreographic works have been presented at numerous concerts, festivals, and universities including: The International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance, Point Park University, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Nabla Festival NYC: In the Liminal Space, Radford University, Danco on Danco- Philadanco first company showcase, Wayne State University, University of California, Irvine, Eleone Dance Theatre, AMDA College & Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and the Jikei College: Fukuoka School of Music and Dance.
Mr. Spaulding is enthusiastic about sharing his wisdom with the next generation of dance artists. Marc is currently an Assistant Professor of Modern Dance at Point Park University. He has also served as dance faculty at: Orange County School of the Arts, Millennium Dance Complex- Los Angeles, and AMDA College & Conservatory of the Performing Arts. As a guest teaching artist, Marc has worked with: The International Association of Blacks in Dance, University of the Arts, The Jikei Group of Colleges in Japan, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Collage Dance Collective, The Rock School for Dance Education, Long Island University, and Dance Masters of America.
Cooper Verona
Cooper Verona is currently a dancer at BalletMet. Prior to that, he danced at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for eleven seasons. His early training was from Connecticut Concert Ballet, Ethan Steifel at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Claudio Munoz at Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy. Throughout his career, he has been featured in works by such choreographers as William Forsythe, George Balanchine, Anthony Tudor, Jiri Kylian, Twyla Tharp, Jerome Robbins, Mark Morris, Justin Peck, James Kudelka, Kyle Abraham, Azure Barton and Dwight Rhoden. He has also danced the title roles in Dracula and The Great Gatsby, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Hilarion in Giselle and Rothbart in Swan Lake.
While dancing at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Verona choreographed his first work for the company entitled ‘brood’ for Ballet Under the Stars at Hartwood Acres, a free to the public outdoor show. He would go on to create three more pieces for the company’s main stage entitled Walking With, Thick White Sheets and Gravitational Embrace as well as a video commission entitled It Really Is That Easy. During this time he also created multiple works for PBT School’s graduate program and their Company Experience summer program.
Other commissions include Point Park University, Texture Contemporary Ballet and PeralARTS Festival in Pittsburgh, as well as Chamber Dance in Washington, DC. He has created multiple works for shows benefiting the Dancers Trust, a fund that was founded to aid dancers with career transition. He also won an honorarium for his video submission to Carnegie Mellon’s Center for the Arts in Society. He has continued his work by, most recently, choreographing for the trainee program at BalletMet in 2024.
Riley Haley
Riley Haley (she/her) is a New York-based choreographer and dance artist dedicated to creating spaces that inspire self-discovery and artistic expression. She has worked with the Limón Dance Company, Cardinal Movement, KTCO, and Santa Barbara Dance Theater. She has also toured nationally with Selah Dance Collective and internationally with UCSB Senior Dance Company. Her choreography has been featured in New York City and Southern California at venues such as Peridance KnJ Theater, Hatlen Theater, and Light Box Theater. She is a recipient of the Corwin Award for Outstanding Choreography and Arnhold Award for Excellence. Riley holds a BFA in Dance from UCSB and looks forward to continuing her artistic journey.
Sky Pasqual
Sky Pasqual is a NYC based dance artist. She is originally from San Diego, California where she trained at Danceology Performing Arts Campus. Sky furthered her studies at UC Santa Barbara in which she graduated with degrees in dance and economics and accounting. She has performed with companies such as Santa Barbara Dance Theatre, UCSB’s international touring dance company, and Lydia Johnson Dance where she worked with choreographers such as Helen Simoneau, Rosie Herrera, Eric Parra, Natasha Adorlee, and Alice Condodina. Her choreography has been featured in venues such as Hatlen Theater, Green Space, Arts on Site, and KnJ Theater at Peridance Presents.
Jillian Sinko
Jillian Sinko is a native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She first moved to Pittsburgh to attend Point Park University, where she received her B.F.A. in dance. After graduating from Point Park, she joined Texture Contemporary Ballet as a resident dancer. Along with dancing with Texture, Jillian is a freelance artist, teacher, and choreographer. Some of her work has been recognized by the Pittsburgh International Dance Film Festival, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and inter- Pgh. She has also choreographed multiple works for Texture’s Choreography Projects. Jillian is currently in the process of creating her next dance film, as well as guest dancing with Shana Simmons Dance and Nolan Dance Collective. When she’s not at Texture’s studios or creating elsewhere, you can find her laying in the grass under the sun with her cats.
Sara Guo
Sara Guo is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance at The Juilliard School, where she is honing her technique and artistry in classical, modern, and contemporary dance under the guidance of a distinguished faculty. Her dance journey began at the age of three and continued with formal training at the Houston Ballet Professional Division.
Sara’s performance experience spans a wide range of classical and contemporary works. Notable performances include A Choreographic Offering (José Limón), Supernova (Houston Thomas), Echoes (Ilya Kozadayev), Paquita (Stanton Welch), and On Blurred Edges (Ethan Colangelo), where she has danced both principal and corps de ballet roles.
In addition to her performance work, Sara is cultivating her choreographic voice. Her choreography has received national recognition, including being named a 2024 YoungArts Winner with Distinction in Dance Choreography and a 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts Semifinalist. Most recently, her piece Reemergence was one of seventeen works selected by the Juilliard Dance Division faculty to be presented at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater—an affirmation of her bold artistic vision and dedication to pushing creative boundaries.
As a dancer, choreographer, and educator, Sara sees dance as both a personal and cultural expression—an evolving language that connects her Chinese heritage with contemporary storytelling. She is passionate about using movement to explore identity, share meaningful narratives, and inspire others, particularly young artists, to view dance as a powerful means of communication.