Katie Baik
Based in the Bay Area, Katie Baik is a freelance artist who strives to dance with a generous spirit and deep understanding of movement, technique, and artistry. She has trained in multiple dance disciplines and studied with esteemed artists such as Risa Steinberg, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, Rena Butler, and Francisco Gella. Katie has attended summer programs at The Juilliard School, Arts Umbrella, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Miami City Ballet.
In addition to her dance training, Katie has studied acting with Stephanie Hunt and vocal performance with Benjamin Liupaogo. She frequently teaches and choreographs at local dance studios and elementary schools. Currently, Katie is completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at Stanford University, alongside her multi-disciplinary performing arts training with Theater and Performance Studies lecturers.
This is Katie's first season with eMotion Arts.
Mario Barron
Mario Barron is a dancer/drag artist from San Jose, CA. He was born and raised in Bakersfield, CA, where he expressed himself through music, writing, and color guard. It was not until he was eighteen years old that he took his first dance class at San Jose State University (SJSU). This served as a catalyst to pursue the arts fully. While receiving his BFA in Dance Performance at SJSU, Mario worked under the direction of Raphael Boumaila, who exposed him to other amazing artists like Doug Varone, Kyle Abraham, Mike Esperanza, and Kara Davis. Along with these opportunities, Mario performed at the American College Dance Association’s National Gala in Washington, D.C., and at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, MA. In addition to performing, Barron is passionate about creating works himself! As a freelance choreographer, Mario creates works for SJSU, other drag artists, community events, and for his two cats at home. When he is not dancing, you can catch him training for his next race (a 10k!), getting lost in music, or volunteering for local events. Mario Barron is thrilled for his first season with eMotion Dance Arts!
Ellis Broderick
Born in New York and raised in Bennington, VT, Ellis Broderick spent her early years dancing at Berkshire Dance Theatre. She later attended Boston Ballet School's Pre-Professional Program and, alongside classical ballet training, had the opportunity to perform in productions such as Balanchine's Walpurgisnacht and Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker with Boston Ballet's main company. She then furthered her training at Ballet Academy East in New York under Darla Hoover, performing featured roles in Bournonville's Napoli and Balanchine's Scherzo à la Russe. Ellis joined Ballet Austin's trainee program and later was promoted to apprentice with the company. At Ballet Austin, she performed classical renditions of Swan Lake, The irebird, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 2022, Ellis joined New Ballet in San Jose, performing principal roles in both classical and contemporary work with choreography by Mariana Sobral, Dalia Rawson, and Jing Zhang. In addition to dancing, she is a dance teacher, certified through the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum in levels Pre-Primary through Level 3. Ellis is inspired by the thriving Bay Area dance community and is passionate about sharing the joy of movement with a wide range of audiences. She is excited to be working with eMotion Arts this year!
Ruth Cuellar
Ruth fell in love with dance when she was in middle school. Dance allowed Ruth to be free with her creativity and find solace in the art form. In 2000, Ruth danced with the College of San Mateo Dance Ensemble for 2 years and joined for change dance collective in 2011 under artistic director Claire Calalo Berry. Ruth’s love of dance took her to work in various dance studios throughout the bay area. Ruth spent 12 years managing a dance studio in SSF, worked as the operations manager at SAFEhouse Arts, assisted with PUSH dance company as well as worked at the Academy of Ballet. She has also taken several classes at Shawl Anderson Dance Center and the Academy of Ballet SF. Ruth is thrilled to be a part of eMotion Arts for her second season and to begin sharing her love for dance with audiences again.
Yara Figueroa-Ross (assistant director)
Yara Figueroa-Ross (she/her) is a Puerto Rican performer from Macon, Georgia. She danced before she could speak and considers dance her native tongue. She trained in classical ballet at UNCSA, before moving to Los Angeles. There she worked as an actor, freelance dancer, and choreographer, expanding her movement vernacular at Ryan Heffington’s Sweat Spot and dancing with MUDA MVMT. She and her husband relocated to San Francisco last year with their dog and cat. In addition to performing, Yara is a certified Pilates instructor, constantly learning about the human body, and working holistically to help others feel at home in their body.
Yara is eMotion Arts Assitant Director
Emily Hansen
Emily Hansen (she/her) is a dancer and dance instructor based in the Bay Area. She believes that dance and the arts provide much needed avenues for engaging in healing journeys, telling stories, and building community. She holds a BA in Dance and Performance Studies from UC Berkeley, and an MS in Dance/Movement Therapy from Sarah Lawrence College. Her dance experience included being a youth company member with the Merced Civic Ballet, and training under many artists at UC Berkeley. Emily currently teaches modern dance and ballet with the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts and works as a dancer in the Bay Area. This is Emily's first season with eMotion Arts.
Hollie Rudolph
Bio coming soon
Raina Sacksteder
Raina Sacksteder is a freelance dancer, dance educator, choreographer, and visual artist residing in the California Bay Area. She has performed works by independent choreographers and companies throughout the West Coast, including Carla Mann, Vanessa Thiessen, Carmen Rozestraten, Tandy Beal and Company, and Alma Esperanza Cunningham Movement. She holds a pointe safe certification from SF Performing Arts Physical Therapy and is the upper-level ballet instructor at the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center in Santa Cruz. She trained in classical and contemporary ballet at schools across the United States, including Capitol Ballet Company, American Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, and LINES Ballet. As a visual artist, she has sold her work in almost all 50 US states and in more than 15 different countries. She also holds a bachelor of arts degree from Reed College, where she studied biology and trained in contemporary dance, and a master of science in microbiology from UC Santa Cruz. This is Raina’s first season with eMotion Arts.
James Santiago
James Santiago is a professional dancer and performer born in the Philippines and raised in Hawaii, currently based in the Bay Area. He earned his AA in Theatre Arts from Ohlone College (2018) with a concentration in Jazz and performance and his BA in Dance from San Jose State University (2021). He started performing in musicals and dancing at a young age, specializing in jazz and contemporary. He has trained with the Joffrey Ballet and Cirque Du Soleil alongside DOVA, Gallim, and Mike Esperanza. Locally, James was an apprentice at Perspectives Dance (2019). He has also worked with West Edge Opera, Peninsula Ballet Theater, the Hallmark Channel, Cedar Fairʼs Great America, and the San Jose Opera. This is James' second season with eMotion Arts.
Brooke Wertwijn
Originally from Minnesota, Brooke Wertwijn trained at Ashley Ballet Arts Academy, directed by Ashley Burkland. She graduated from the University of Utah School of Dance with a B.F.A. in Ballet, Ballet Studio Teaching Certificate, and Business Minor. Brooke danced with SALT Contemporary Dance’s Pre-Professional Training Company, directed by Courtney Mazeika. While a Trainee at Ballet Idaho, she performed in works by Peter Anastos, George Balanchine, FLOCK, Nicole Haskins, Anne Mueller, Bruce Wells, and Quinn Wharton. In 2022, she performed choreography by Juliano Nunes and FLOCK at Orsolina28 in Italy.
Her choreography has been presented at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, Cathedral Dance Festival, American College Dance Association’s Northwest Conference, SHAPE Choreography Festival, and the University of Utah Ballet Showcase. She was a 2020 Women’s Artistic Leadership Initiative Fellow. Brooke is an ABT® Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level 3. She has taught at Ashley Ballet Arts Academy (Minnesota), the University of Utah Ballet Summer Intensive, Dance Arts Academy (Utah), and Palo Alto Dance Connection (California). She has performed with San José Dance Theatre since 2022 and is excited to be stepping into the role of Academy Director at SJDT.
Morgan Pott (mentee)
Bio coming soon
Pearl Zhou (mentee)
Pearl Zhou is a ballet dancer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began dancing at 2 years old, receiving her training at the Academy of American Ballet. As a member of Ballet America Junior Company, she performed in numerous classical and contemporary productions. Pearl continued dancing at UC Berkeley. She joined Ballet Company at Berkeley, where she served as External Affairs Chair and Rehearsal Director. Pearl has performed solo roles in Swan Lake, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. She has choreographed contemporary solo and group pieces. She also taught ballet classes with Pointe of Berkeley. Pearl is a member of eMotion Arts Mentorship Program.
Andy Nguyen (Guest Artist)
Andy Nguyen (San Jose, CA) began his ballet training at the Jensen Center for the Performing Arts studying the Cecchetti method. He continued to pursue ballet and modern dance in college at the University of California, Riverside under the direction of taisha paggett, where he developed his training in Martha Graham technique. After earning his B.A. in Psychology, Andy returned to ballet and trained under the tutelage of Marny Trounson, a former Royal Ballet dancer under the direction of Sir Kenneth MacMillan and Sir Frederick Ashton. Andy currently dances as a Studio Company Artist with New Ballet San José and has had works created on him by choreographers such as Dalia Rawson, Keon Saghari, Mariana Sobral, and Erik Wagner.
Andy is a guest artist courtesy of New Ballet.
Erica Patton (Guest Artist)
Erica Patton is a guest artist courtesy of New Ballet.
Gabriela Rodriguez (Guest Artist)
Gabriela Rodriguez is a guest artist courtesy of New Ballet.
Peter Colclasure (composer)
Peter Colclasure (Composer) is from Merrill, Wisconsin. He studied music at the Wausau Conservatory of Music and graduated with a degree in piano performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After college, Peter spent a decade touring with various rock bands and recording albums, before shifting to teaching and ballet accompaniment. From 2007 to 2012 he lived in Seattle where he played for Dance Fremont, Spectrum, and Evergreen Ballet, providing live music for dance rehearsals, as well as composing and arranging original music for choreography.
He currently teaches piano at Evergreen Studio of Music and the Arts and plays piano for The New Ballet School in San Jose.
Peter has released four albums of instrumental compositions: Antigo (2017), Long Form (2019), Una Corda (2020), and Reflections (2023).
Antigo was inspired by the ancient world, while Long Form explored longer, more experimental compositions. Una Corda was released during the pandemic and included a composition that later became the basis for Mariana Sobral's choreography for New Ballet. Reflections was born from Peter's new collaboration with Mariana and features a more intimate and personal sound.
Peter is currently working on the original musical score for eMotion Arts' latest project, Dreamers.
You can find Peter's music at https://petercolclasure.bandcamp.com/music
John Ligda (Visual Arts)
John Ligda (Visual Arts) is a lifelong artist with an extraordinary excitement for life. His style is versatile and you’ll find Chinese techniques influences blended with other forms of experimentation in his art. Collaboration with other artists in his home state or while traveling reveals the driving force behind his efforts: Connection. Ultimately, art is a source of connection between the viewer, the drawing, the models, the artist and the stories behind them. Abstract figurative drawings are central in his body of work, inviting the viewer to consider the mysterious nature of body movement. When he’s not working in his studio or traveling, he can often be found performing with local dance groups in front of live audiences all around the Bay Area. John has been an eMotion Arts collaborator since the very beginning.
To learn more about John's work visit https://ligda.art/
