Celia and Malena's work has been showcases in a variety of settings, from gallery showings, to stage productions, to virtual settings . They deeply value collaboration, and organic response in their work, as well as working with community to further expand an artistic vision.

Elana Leonis has been dancing for 19 years, beginning her training in classical ballet. She trained under Mario De La Nuez and Meredith Benson at De La Dance Center, performing in ballets such as The Nutcracker, Giselle, Coppelia, and Cinderella. While completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Rochester, Elana was a part of Louvre Performance Ensemble, a small group that focused on contemporary, jazz, and commercial styles. Throughout her time in the group, she gained experience with choreography, show production, and publicity management. Elana has been with CDP since 2022, and performed with CDP Company for 7 seasons. Through CDP, Elana has expanded her skill set and has had the opportunity to try new styles of dance. Outside of dance, Elana is a corporate meeting planner and travel coordinator.

Gemma Freitas Bender (choreographer) from Buffalo, New York is a 2014-2015 recipient of the Princess Grace USA Award and a graduate of The Juilliard School. At Juilliard, Gemma trained in a plethora of styles, performing classic repertoire by Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Eliot Feld, and Murray Louis, as well as new works by Monica Bill Barnes, Emery LeCrone, Darrel Grand Moultrie and Larry Keigwin. Gemma performed and premiered at The Guggenheim Museum's Works and Process, the Chicago Dance Festival, and the Dizzy Feet Gala in Los Angeles. Following graduation in 2015, Gemma joined Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal and began frequent tours of North America, Europe, and Asia, performing works by Andonis Foniadakis, Barak Marshall, Wen Wei Wang, and Rodrigo Pederneiras. She enjoyed teaching masterclasses in many of those cities while on tour. In 2016, Gemma received a choreographic grant through Cleveland Public Theatre's DanceWorks to create and perform an original work with two of her Juilliard classmates, Blake Krapels and Michael Marquez. In 2017, Gemma joined Cleveland’s GroundWorks Dance Theater and danced original works by Banning Bouldin, Monica Bill Barnes, James Gregg, and David Shimotakahara. After a brief stay in Cleveland, Gemma moved to London, England with her husband William Bender after he accepted a position in The Philharmonia Orchestra. While in London, Gemma taught and freelanced, but most importantly welcomed a daughter, Louisa Fay. After three and a half years abroad, Gemma has returned to Cleveland, Ohio with her family on account of William joining The Cleveland Orchestra. A second daughter, Eleanor, was welcomed in March 2022 and a third daughter, Clementine, arrived in May 2024. Gemma currently teaches, freelances, and collaborates on creative projects.

DiBa studied at the Canton Ballet for 14 years and then completed a dual degree at the Ohio State University with a BFA in Modern Dance and a BA in Psychology. In OSU’s dance program, Jessica trained with professors who were principal dancers of Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, and Mark Morris. She has also danced and choreographed professionally in New York City, Los Angeles, and Columbus, OH with dance companies like Lori Belilove, Anna and the Annadroids, the Backspace Performance Ensemble, Amy Campbell's Crooked Mouth Dance Company, as well as the Kloons production company, Fugitive Kind Live Theater and musicians including Yula Beeri, Basement Batman, Fashion Week, and several drag artists like Thorgy Thor and Acid Betty. SOme of her exciting ventures in Ohio have been choreographing for several seasons of Cleveland Dance Project's showcases, collaborating with world-renowned choreographer Stephen Petronio for DANCE Cleveland's mentorship program and performing, developing work for Krooked Collective, and performing with and choreographing on Studio West dancers for the Electric Forest Music Festival.

Bird Thurman is a company member with Inlet Dance Theatre and Deno Dance Company. They hold a minor in dance from Purdue University, where they were deeply engaged in the dance community. At Purdue, Bird served as President of the Purdue Contemporary Dance Company, President and Director of XSeries Dance, and Vice President of the Contact Improvisation Club. Their diverse leadership roles reflect a commitment to both artistic growth and community building, shaping them into a versatile and dynamic performer. Primarily a modern dancer, Bird has a vast history with many styles, from ballet, jazz, tap, and contemporary, to contact improv and nontraditional partnering. Their love of physics spills into their dance space, especially during partnering, as the human body can do amazing things with the right mechanical advantage.

Joel K. Linebach is an emerging artist based in Northeast, Ohio.He obtained his MFA from Case Western Reserve University. He was the recipient of the 2021 Lily Dreyfuss Memorial Award, the 2022 and 2023 Kathryn Karipedes Scholarship for Modern Dance, the 2024 Naomi Wolin Award for New Directions in Dance, and a 2023 Baker-Nord Center Graduate Research Grant. Linebach has performed full works by Larry Keigwin, Janice Rosario, Pam Tanowitz, Pascal Rioult, and Bill Wade and excerpted works by Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Yin Yue, Ronald K. Brown, and Mark Morris. As a choreographer, Linebach loves combining visceral artistry with technical complexity, creating work that resonates with audiences and promotes dialogue on everyday topics. He is heavily inspired by his polymer science background and continues working on finding ways both contemporary dance and polymer science can interweave and bridge together. Linebach is currently a company member with Inlet Dance Theatre. www.joelklinebach.com

This piece is a dedication to Cailin Joyce, who was a friend, sister, and inspiration to us all. The five of us co-choreographed this piece as a way of healing and rekindling our love for dance. We utilized Cailin’s most iconic moves and called upon past pieces that we all danced together as inspiration. This piece not only tells her story, but ours as well. We have a bond that cannot be put into words and we wanted to create something to celebrate the love we have for Cailin and eachother.

Kate, Halle, Caitlyn, Morgan, and Ericka grew up dancing together at Creative Movement Center from a young age. Even though they have graduated from CMC and currently are in college or post grad, they still strive to keep not only dance, but each other in their lives. Together, they dance for their beloved friend, Cailin, and uphold CMC’s values of family, humor, and love of dance.

Rashawn Kadeem is a Cleveland-based dancer, choreographer, and performing artist whose work centers around modern and contemporary jazz movement. A product of Cleveland’s rich performing arts scene, Rashawn started training as a dancer at Cleveland School of Arts and CMSD All-City Arts Dance Program. His stage credits span institutions such as Karamu House, Great Lakes Theater Festival, and Cleveland Playhouse. He has also performed professionally with Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Daniel Ezralow Dance Company, Universal Studios, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Known for his emotionally charged presence and work within the LGBTQ+ community, Rashawn’s work is deeply inspired by cultural storytelling, identity, and the transformative power of movement. Whether on stage or in the studio, Rashawn is committed to using dance as a tool for healing, expression, and community empowerment.

Renee Clippinger is a movement artist based in Akron, Ohio. She has been dancing since the age of three, starting her training at Midwest School of Ballet in Amherst, Ohio. She grew up training there in ballet, contemporary, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, and hip-hop, while competing as a member of their company team for 8 years. Her choreographic journey began there at the age of 14. Renee is a graduate of The University of Akron, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a business cognate and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. In the dance program at UA, she had the opportunity to perform in numerous works as a member of The University of Akron Dance Company. She also was an active member of Terpsichore Dance Club at UA serving as its President. Through Terpsichore, she had the opportunity to choreograph and perform in various works for their Underclassmen Showcase, Fall into Dance, and Spring into Dance concerts. She presented work representing The University of Akron at the American College Dance Association Conference. Outside of UA, she performed in CDF Akron with FRTRSS Dance Theatre and had the opportunity to be a Seasonal Trainee with The Movement Project. Her work has been presented at Cleveland Dance Fest, at CONVERGENCE: Cleveland Dance Project’s Community Collaborative Show, and at Summit Artspace. Renee is currently working in the Akron and Cleveland area as a choreographer and teacher. She is also currently pursuing her PhD in Psychology with a focus in movement research at The University of Akron.

Tingyu Xie is a choreographer, performer, and dance educator based in Columbus, Ohio. Her work bridges Asian classical aesthetics and contemporary movement research, exploring how heritage, spirituality, and embodied storytelling can be reimagined within modern performance contexts. She is the founder of TINGMOTION Dance and Wellness, a platform for developing new choreographic work alongside community-centered classes that integrate movement, wellness, and cultural expression. Xie holds an MFA in Dance from Case Western Reserve University and a B.S. in Physics from Southeast University in China. Her training spans Chinese dance, ballet, jazz, modern, and contemporary forms, and she has danced in works of artists and educators including Pam Tanowitz, Larry Keigwin, Gary Galbraith, and Karen Potter. She has taught at Case Western Reserve University’s Dance Department and across community studios in Cleveland, Columbus, and Seattle. She will also lead a festival-based master class titled Contemporary Chinese Fusion at the Kentucky Dance Festival, fostering cross-cultural exchange and accessible dance education. Her recent choreographic works include Escape, Ruach, Invisible Walls, Reminiscence, An’He Bridge, and Murmurs of Mural, an ongoing ensemble project inspired by the ancient Dunhuang murals along the Silk Road. Murmurs of Mural is scheduled for a 2026 tour with performances at OhioDance Festival, Kentucky Dance Festival, and Ballet Legato’s ROOTS Choreographer Showcase. With the arrival of her twins last year, Xie is thrilled to continue expanding her creative practice nationally, proudly embracing a new chapter as both a choreographer, dancer, and mother of twins.

Trinity Stevens is a queer and neurodiverse dance artist who is focused on using their experiences to help shape more healthy and inclusive dance spaces. They are presently a company dancer with Full Radius Dance in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally from Ohio, Stevens holds an Associate of Arts from Kent State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Cleveland State University.