Dancers

EMILY CHU

EMILY CHU from Saratoga Springs, NY, found her love of dance at an early age. She began her pre-professional career at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA, where she graduated with a major in ballet, directed by Mr. Michael Owen. In 2015, she received her BFA in ballet from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), directed by Ms. Shellie Cash and Mr. Qi Jiang, where she was able to further her training into contemporary, modern, and choreography. Since graduating, Emily has continued her work in the arts with Rainbow Circus Miami, performing in classical and contemporary dance as well as expanding into contortion and aerial dance.

MELINDA RAWLINSON

As a dance artist, Mindy concentrates on ideologies surrounding femininity, sexuality, and the moving dancing body. In 2017, Mindy completed her Master of Fine Arts through Hollins University where she had the opportunity to study abroad in Frankfurt, Germany for three consecutive summers. During this time, she worked on three major projects. Her independent study investigated the transgression of ballet through her two-part interview series of Radical ballet while her research paper project explored Voyeurism and the Ballerina. Mindy’s final thesis production and written document examined the performance of sexuality in the fields of pornography and choreography by exploring kinesthetic pleasures through a reflective and reflexive performance. She has had the opportunity of performing her thesis project in West Palm Beach, FL at The Box Gallery and in Boynton Beach, FL in part of the Boynton Beach Arts District ActivistaArtista Festival. Prior to accomplishing her MFA, Mindy was an adjunct instructor of dance at The University of South Carolina for four years. Previously, she completed her Bachelor of Arts from USC as a Cum Laude graduate, where she received the University of South Carolina Dance Program Director Award for outstanding dedication, talent and passion for the art of dance. During her time at USC, Mindy had the opportunity to perform works choreographed by Tanya Wideman-Davis, Thaddeus Davis, George Balanchine, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Gianni Di Marco, Hannah Lagerway, and many others. As a professional performing artist, Mindy has worked with Carolina Ballet Theatre in Greenville, SC and Wideman-Davis Dance in Columbia, SC. Mindy currently resides in Delray Beach, FL as a freelance dance artist, where she is performing with Demetrius Klein Dance Company and Lauren Carey’s Ballet Florida. This spring she is teaching at Hollins University as a visiting assistant professor in part of the dance program.

ALYSSA THOMPSON

ALYSSA THOMPSON received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from New World School of the Arts/University of Florida. Upon graduation, she began her dance career with Repertory Dance Theatre of Utah where she performed works by prominent classical and contemporary choreographers such as Merce Cunningham, Jose Limon, Bill Evans, and Zvi Gotheiner. Alyssa returned to Florida to dance with Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theater and pursue a Master of Nonprofit Management from Florida Atlantic University. She is currently teaching dance, performing with local choreographers and working in the nonprofit sector. Alyssa is thrilled to join Ballet Florida this season!

VANESSA ROSEN

VANESSA ROSEN was born in Caracas, Venezuela and raised in South Florida where she currently resides as a freelance contemporary/modern dancer. She graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies in Arts and Humanities with a focus on dance and a minor in Ethnic Studies. She co-founded the FAU Dance Organization (FAUDO), which provided college dancers in the community adult level modern classes and performance opportunities. Vanessa has performed with the companies: TranZenDance Productions (Davie), FAU Dance and Theatre Ensemble under the direction of Clarence Brooks and was cast in historical works such as Lynchtown by Charles Weidman and Rooms Etude by Anna Sokolow (Boca Raton), MusInc: An Artists' Collective (Tampa and West Palm Beach) and The Movement Project, under the direction of Diana Hoffmaster (West Palm Beach). Vanessa also performed and served as Artist Liaison for The Dancers’ Space (West Palm Beach), where she was a part of works by David Parsons, Joshua L. Peugh and Kyra Jean Green. She continues to delve into the worlds of modern and contemporary dance, seeking influences from around the world. Vanessa has been accepted into intensives with the Hofesh Shechter Company (London) and Batsheva Dance Company (Tel-Aviv), American Dance Festival (Durham) and BODYTRAFFIC (Los Angeles). In April 2014, her first solo work, Phase 6, was chosen to be produced by The Dancers’ Space at the Duncan Theatre (Lake Worth) as a part of “An Evening of Contemporary Dance; works by local and nationally recognized choreographers”. Her first group work, Alive she cried… premiered as part of create.DANCE.florida Fall Collection 2015. Vanessa is honored to be welcomed into the Ballet Florida family!