Professional Company
Salih Mitchell
Senior Company Member/ Company Captain
Having two older brothers Salih was always involved in sports. Around the age of 9 years, a family friend suggested that Salih tryout for a dance production. “The Chocolate Nutcracker”, performed at the Bob Carr Theatre was her first dance production. Surprising not only her parents but the show directors with her natural talent and being a quick learner, she was casted in 5 pieces all with no former training. Salih soon realized this was her gift and sought out to make it her profession.
In middle school and up until high school, Salih was a part of a dance company called ‘MoMentum Live’ where the focus was ballet and contemporary concert style dance. Salih attended Dr. Phillips High School and auditioned for their dance magnet program that she was a part of for four years. She continued her studies in Gainesville, Florida as a dance major studying with the Dance Theatre of Santa Fe College and the University of Florida’s School of Theatre & Dance. Growing up in a concert based studio, after college she explored the commercial side of dance working for multiple theme parks, featured in various commercials, and music videos.
Salih is extremely excited to now continue her training with Emotions Dance and get back to the artistry that made her fall in love with performing in the beginning!
Rianna Pagliaro
Senior Company Member
Rianna Pagliaro began dancing at age 8 at Reach for the Stars Dance Studio in Mt. Pocono, PA. She trained for 15 years in ballet, pointe, contemporary, tap, jazz, and modern, and studied dance at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. Rianna went on to study at Montclair State University before joining the Joffrey Ballet School as a Ballet Trainee. She has trained with renowned artists like Earl Mosley and Bill T. Jones and performed lead roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen with Monroe Ballet Theatre. Now based in Florida, Rianna has performed and choreographed with Emotions Dance for 3 years and cannot wait to continue creating on the stage!
Abbie Krefta
Company Dancer
Abbie Krefta is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she trained under Susan Gillis Kruman at the University of Pittsburgh while earning her Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a Minor in Dance. As a member of the Pitt Dance Ensemble, she choreographed and performed numerous jazz, contemporary, and ballet pieces. She also performed as a soloist, demi-soloist, and corps de ballet member in several Pitt Ballet Club productions.
After graduating, Abbie continued her training in contemporary and jazz dance with Elisa Alaio at Firewall Dance Theatre and studied classical ballet technique and pantomime under Deborah Femovich at the Oil Region Ballet Summer Intensive. In 2024, she performed in the Texture Ballet Choreography Project in the wind has a name by choreographer Anna Caison Boyd.
In addition to her performance background, Abbie has worked extensively in arts education. She served as a teaching artist at Attack Theatre, bringing dance education to students in Propel Charter and Pittsburgh Public Schools. Through the Traction program at Attack Theatre, she trained in modern dance and abstract movement under the mentorship of Michelle De la Raza.
From 2021 to 2025, Abbie taught various styles of dance and choreographed for competitive and recreational showcases at the Academy of Dance by Lori. During the 2023–2024 academic year, she returned to the University of Pittsburgh as an instructor in the Dance Minor program, teaching collegiate-level dance courses.
Now based in Orlando, Abbie is taking the next steps in her dance career. She currently teaches with the Orlando Ballet’s community enrichment program and performs with Vixen Talent Productions. She is thrilled to be joining Emotions Dance Company and looks forward to growing as an artist alongside such a talented group of dancers.
Sarah Ann Hart
Company Dancer
Sarah Ann Hart grew up traveling and living around the world, beginning her pre-professional dance career at just 11 years old in South Carolina. Since then, she has trained in a wide range of dance styles—including ballet, modern, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, contemporary, and Latin styles such as salsa and bachata—under instructors from Germany, France, Britain, and Hawaii.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Belhaven University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Minor in Business. During her time there, she performed with the Dance Ministry Ensemble, the Belhaven University Dance Ensemble, and the Belhaven Gold Dance Team. While earning her degree, she also joined Salsa Mississippi as a company member, where she trained, performed, and taught Latin dance.
Throughout her career, Sarah Ann has had the honor of training with guest artists from renowned companies such as the Royal Ballet, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Doug Varone and Dancers, the Marigny Opera Ballet, Bruce Wood Dance, Houston METdance, Ad Deum Dance Project, and Zion Dance Project.
Since relocating to Orlando, she has performed with SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, Gaylord Palms Entertainment, SGP Movement, and other local productions. In early 2025, she launched Orlando Creates—an entertainment company focused on providing a platform for local artists to share their craft and passion with the community.
Sarah Ann believes that dance speaks to the soul in ways words cannot. While she has enjoyed performing in commercial venues, her heart remains deeply rooted in concert dance. She is thrilled to be joining the Emotions Dance family and looks forward to continuing to share her passion and love for dance.
Katie Landahl
Company Dancer
Katie Landahl is a passionate and versatile performer with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her performance experience spans both national and international stages, including work with Red Desert Dance Ensemble at the Royal Academy of Dance in London. Her choreographic work has been recognized at regional and international levels, with pieces earning top honors and festival selections, including the Florence Dance on Film Festival.
In addition to performing, Katie has taught throughout the Chicagoland area, where her choreography continues to earn top awards at competitions. Her training has been shaped by renowned artists such as Christopher Huggins of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ari Mayzick, former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company. She brings emotional depth, technical strength, and a deep commitment to storytelling through movement to every performance.
Jess Brunner
Company Apprentice
Jess Brunner (she/her) is originally from Toledo, Ohio. Jess began dancing around the age of 9 and instantly knew she was meant to dance. Until the age of 18, she trained at Ballet Theatre of Toledo and attended Toledo School for the Arts for high school. She then attended Ball State University for her BA in dance with a focus in exercise science. Jess has danced in productions with Ballet INitiative, Emergence Dance Company, and Seaworld Orlando. She also teaches at Edgez Dance studio. Jess is so excited to begin her journey with Emotions Dance!
Aly Stephens
Company Apprentice
Aly Stephens, originally from Pleasanton, California, began her dance career at a small ballet studio in Livermore. As her love for dance grew, she expanded her horizons by taking contemporary and modern dance classes at a local jazz dance studio. In high school, she joined her school's color guard team and quickly fell in love with the marching arts. Aly continued her dance education while competing with her school's color guard team and training at Triple Threat Performing Arts dance school and Laureen Fender's Ballet School.
As Aly developed as a performer, she frequently auditioned for new opportunities, including joining drum corps, a traveling group of marching arts performers who compete nationwide. After high school, Aly made a significant decision to move across the country to pursue her dream of being a color guard performer while earning a degree at the University of Central Florida. Now in her final year, she is on track to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Physiology, along with a Health Science certificate.
While in college, Aly showcased her talents with local color guard organizations, such as the UCF Starlet Knight Color Guard and UCF Pegasus World. Her summers were filled with performances for various drum corps, including the Santa Clara Vanguard and The Blue Devils. Her time with The Blue Devils was highlighted by significant achievements, including winning a gold medal and the George Zingali High Color Guard Award in 2023, as well as a bronze medal in 2024.
In addition to her performance experience, Aly has actively taught dance and color guard to youth in the Orlando area. Her passion for dance extends beyond performing. Her goals include educating young performers and eventually obtaining a Doctorate of Physical Therapy to contribute to research on injury rehabilitation and pain management within the dance and marching arts community.
Amelia Hanks
Guest Artist
Amelia Hanks began dancing at age 2 and is extensively trained in multiple genres, including ballet, pointe, contemporary, ballroom, jazz, tap, and modern dance. While in high school, she focused on studying classical ballet technique in the Elite Training School Program under Marshall Ellis. She later joined the ME2 dancers in Dance Theatre of Orlando.
In addition to her dance career, Amelia is an accomplished singer and actress, having appeared in leading roles such as Fame (Iris Kelly), West Side Story (Anita), Heathers (Heather Chandler), and The Little Mermaid (Ariel).
Amelia is an experienced aerialist, stilt-walker, stunt performer, acrobat, and contortionist in Central Florida. Previously, she was based as a dancer at SeaWorld Orlando and performed in numerous shows, including Spooktacular and SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration. She is currently a performer at Universal Orlando Resort. Beyond her work as a performer, Amelia has had the honor of representing Chelsea B Dancewear as an ambassador and has traveled across the United States modeling for brands such as Suffolk, Chic Ballet, Lucky Leo, and Só Dança.
Amelia is beyond excited and grateful to be a part of Emotions Dance Company and is eager to continue her growth and journey as an artist among an exceptionally talented and dedicated group of dancers.
Jill Polywoda
Company Apprentice
Born and raised in West Palm Beach, Jill started taking dance classes at her local dance studio at 2 1/2 years old. Primarily she focused on ballet, jazz and tap until middle when Jill was accepted to Bak Middle School of Arts for dance. Expanding the horizon to pointe, contemporary, modern, and hip hop. As a child, Jill was given the opportunity to perform with Miami City Ballet in The Nutcracker for three seasons. Continuing her dance education into high school, Jill was accepted into A.W. Dreyfoos school of the Arts for dance. Gaining the exposure coming to DSOA from multiple dance artists across the country teaching workshops and performing guest artist pieces. Jill continued dancing after high school until the age of 20, where then she focused on receiving her associate degree in psychology at Palm Beach State College. She moved to Orlando in 2016. After a break from taking professional dance classes, Jill started got back to take weekly classes in 2022. Finding an adult ballet community, attending multiple workshops and retreats, Jill was inspired to perform again and in finding the next step. In late 2024, Jill obtained her Mat Pilates certification and has been teaching since March 2025. Jill is excited in joining Emotions Dance in late 2025 in hoping to inspire others through movement and the creativity that dance has offered her.
Jasmine Hendley
Guest Artist
Jasmine Hendley is a dedicated dancer and educator originally from Atlanta, Georgia. She began her dance training at the Fayetteville Ballet School at the age of three, where she studied until she was twelve. At fourteen, she transitioned to the Martha Ellen Stilwell School of the Arts, majoring in dance and expanding her passion for the art form. During her time there, Jasmine attended the National High School Dance Festival in Philadelphia to further her dance education.
In college, Jasmine pursued her academic interests in Accounting and Finance while continuing to teach at various dance studios. She also trained at the Anthony Burrell Center for Dance in Atlanta during her summer breaks, further refining her technique and versatility. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 2019 and went on to complete her Master of Accountancy in 2020.
Throughout her academic journey, Jasmine remained deeply connected to the dance community, performing and teaching at numerous studios across Atlanta. In 2023, she relocated to Orlando, Florida, where she continues to train and perform. Jasmine is currently a member of SGP Movement Dance Company, where she combines her lifelong passion for dance with her commitment to artistic growth and expression.
Sarah Schiable
Company Apprentice
Sarah Schaible is an apprentice dancer with Emotions Dance whose movement is rooted in passion, purpose, and storytelling. Trained for over a decade in ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, and hip hop, she has graced stages such as the Daytona 500 Pre-Show and earned top honors at national competitions. As the founder of Wings of Glory Dance Ministry, Sarah seeks to merge artistry and spirituality—using dance as a language of emotion, healing, and hope.
Jordan Dillabough
Guest Artist
Jordan Dillabough is a dancer and performer from Kansas City, Missouri. At the age of three, Jordan began her dance training at Heart of America Dance Centre under the direction of Cynthia Monaco. During her time at Heart of America, she was a member of the Heart of America Dance Centre’s competition team as well as a company member of the Heart of America Youth Ballet, a pre-professional ballet company that performed around the Kansas City area.
Jordan went on to study at Hope College in Holland, Michigan where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Psychology. She was a recipient of the Distinguished Artist Award Scholarship as an incoming freshman. At Hope College, Jordan was a company member and rehearsal assistant for StrikeTime Dance Theater and later a company member of H2 Dance Co., directed by Matthew Farmer and Jasmine Mejia. Jordan had the pleasure of working, or performing words by, Sharon Wong, Heather Cornell, Matthew Farmer, Nicole Flinn, Kara Brems, Jasmine Mejia, Julie Powell, Lindsey Hanson, Steven Iannacone, and William Crowley while at Hope College. She was also fortunate enough to work and perform with live musicians. Jordan was a member of Hope College’s Hip Hop Anonymous and a founding member of the Dutchmen Dance Team. Jordan also choreographed dance pieces for Hope College’s Composition Showcase as well as co-creating works for Hip Hop Anonymous and StrikeTime Dance Theater. She has taught and assisted dance classes in the techniques of ballet, tap, dance improvisation, and hip hop. She graduated in December 2023 with Cum Laude honors, and was the president of Sigma Omicron, the dance department’s honors society.
Throughout her career, Jordan received additional training through attending Joffrey Heartland Kansas City’s ballet summer intensive and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Explore summer intensive.
Now in Orlando, Florida, Jordan is a character performer at Walt Disney World where she is expanding her artistry and performing daily for various guests. She is excited to continue her dance training and begin her journey with Emotions Dance Company.
Kassiah Montel
Guest Artist
Kassiah Montel is a passionate and versatile dancer from Windermere, Florida. Originally from Michigan, she began dancing around the age of four at Fusion Dance Center, training in jazz, ballet, acro, and hip hop. After taking a break from dance for a few years Kassiah moved to Florida and returned to dance with a renewed appreciation for movement focusing primarily on jazz and lyrical.
During high school, she also performed in color guard, where she was introduced to modern dance and developed a deeper understanding of storytelling, emotion, and presence on stage. In her senior year, Kassiah joined her school's dance team, further strengthening her performance quality, musicality, and adaptability across styles.
After graduating high school this past spring, Kassiah has continued to expand her technical foundation in ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and modern, allowing her to bring both athleticism and emotional depth to her work. She is committed to growing as an artist, valuing dance as a meaningful way to connect, communicate, and evolve. Known for her emotional presence, versatility, and willingness to continually challenge herself, Kassiah looks forward to continuing her dance journey and contributing to meaningful, expressive work.
Luna Orjuela
Company Apprentice
Luna Orjuela began her dance training at the age of five, guided by the artistic environment of her family of dancers, where she discovered from an early age her passion for movement and expression. She trained at Adalusa Dance Academy, her family’s studio in Colombia, where she built a strong technical foundation in classical ballet and developed a deep connection with the performing arts. After graduating from high school, she decided to expand her professional path and moved to the United States to continue her training in the Orlando Ballet’s Professional Training Program, focused on classical ballet development.
Throughout her artistic journey, Luna has participated in various competitions and festivals such as All Dance, Escenario Open Dance, Golden Dance, Duncan Dance Fest, and the International Classical Ballet Encounter in Cuba for three consecutive years. She also took part in the Joffrey Summer Intensive and attended workshops with renowned artists such as Eriberto Jiménez (Artistic Director of the International Ballet Festival of Miami) and Fernando Montaño (dancer with the Royal Ballet), experiences that strengthened her technique, versatility, and stage presence.
Although her technical foundation comes from classical ballet, Luna finds her greatest freedom of expression in neoclassical, contemporary, and lyrical dance — styles that allow her to explore sensitivity, storytelling, and the emotional depth that dance offers. After taking a pause in her professional training, joining Emotions Dance represents a very special opportunity for her to deeply reconnect with her passion and continue growing within the dance world. Luna expresses her gratitude to the company for opening the door once again to transform her emotions into movement.