News from U Dance Alumni!
Bashaun Williams and Arielle Hassett in “Box of Dolls.” Photo by Paul Christean.
Laura Baumeister in GRIT. Photo by Ricardo Adame.
Each summer, the College of Fine Arts collects updates from our alumni. This year, we were thrilled to receive exciting news from Dance graduates.
Read on to celebrate the local and international success of our alumni and be sure to follow @uofucfaalumni on social media for regular updates (and to send in yours)!
Sammi Harmon (Ballet BFA ‘13) is a Physical Therapist & Dancer who resides in Denver. She just performed the title role of Carmen with Ballet Ariel and is preparing to take on a new show with Reverie Dance Company.
Rebecca Rohrer (Ballet BFA ‘94) is the Director of Youth Programming for Queen City Ballet in Helena, MT where she has worked under Artistic Director Campbell Midgely for 22 years. In prior years, Rohrer performed with Fort Worth Ballet and taught in various studios in Canada and Utah.
Ari Hassett (Modern Dance BFA ‘18, Biomedical Engineering BS ‘18) is a Staff Engineer at Stryker Neurovascular by day and a performer with Stephen Brown Dance (SB Dance) by night. Hassett will appear in SB Dance’s Curbside Theater in Salt Lake City from 8/14–10/14. This year’s outdoor show will have 2 acts: “Box of Dolls” and “When Love Calls,” and will continue to be free and open to the public. Hassett is joined by cast members who are fellow CFA alumni: Florian Alberge(Modern Dance MFA ‘17), Kate Losser (Modern Dance BFA ‘18), Nora Price (Linguistics ‘14), Bashaun Williams (Ballet BFA ‘11).
Jalen Williams (Ballet BFA ‘19) finished his second season with Dayton Ballet and is performing and teaching this summer as a part of Dayton Dance Initiative.
Juliana Wright (Ballet BFA ‘21) is working with Disneyland Paris in their Parade Department as a Character/Parade Dancer and now in Stage Production in “Mickey and the Magician.” The new Broadway-style show sees Wright dancing in excerpts from “Beauty and the Beast” ("Be Our Guest"), “The Lion King,” and Aladdin (“Friend Like Me”).
Rae Luebbert (Modern Dance BFA '18, Spanish BA '18) was commissioned by Dance Place, a non-profit organization and dance center in Washington D.C., to perform her show, “a long side: a queer double portrait” for the “New Releases Choreographers Showcase.” Luebbert’s presentation contained five years of research that culminated in a display of queer visual art, dance, music, and projection.
Vixy Rader (Modern Dance BFA ‘16) is currently performing and teaching with The Banana Pancakes Dance Collective in Highland, Utah. In the fall, Rader will perform with The Allure Creative in American Fork, Utah, for which she currently serves as their Director of Choreography. Additionally, Rader teaches adult ballet and modern dance classes at Jolie Arts Dance in Lehi, Utah.
The School of Dance hosted the 27th Annual CORPS de Ballet International Conference on the U campus, with many alumni contributing to the conference - including board member Tyler Schnese (Ballet MFA '23); peer-reviewed presenters Colleen Barnes (Ballet MFA '17), Emma Capen (Ballet MFA '25), Julia Gleich (Ballet MFA '94, DAA ’14), Rebekah Joann Guerra (Ballet MFA '24), Jamie Johnson (Ballet BFA '03, English BA ’03), Thea van Warmerdam Patterson (Ballet MFA '23), and Justine Sheedy-Kramer (Dance); guest panelists/performers Karina Biancone (Ballet BFA ’17), Michaela Gerard (Ballet BFA ’16, Psychology BS ‘16), Sierra Govett (Ballet BFA ‘18, Environmental Studies BS ‘18), Sarah Rinderknecht (Ballet BFA ’23, Accounting BS '23, Entrepreneurship Minor '23), Stacie Brown Riskin (Ballet BFA ’14), Carly Schaub (Modern MFA ’15), Ashley Jian Thomson (Ballet BFA ‘18, Communications BS ‘18); conference planning committee member Yvonne Racz (English BA ’89).
Laura Baumeister (Modern Dance BFA '21) recently performed in "GRIT" by Maggie Vannucci in Steppenwolf Theatre's LookOut Series and in “Unravel” in a piece by Jessi Stegall with Fever Dream Dance Collective. Baumeister's next performance is an exhibition at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, curated by Brendan Fernandes, alongside fellow dancer Katlin Bourgeois, spanning Fall 2025–Spring 2026. They will also be performing at the Navy Pier for: 1) Chicago Dance Month with Fever Dream Dance Collective; 2) Chicago Live Festival with Little Fire Artist Collective. Concurrently, Baumeister is nearing the end-of-a-year long process in which they will have produced an evening-length duet with friend and fellow artist, Jenna Weatherbie.
Bashaun Williams and Arielle Hassett in “When Love Calls.” Photo by Paul Christean.