DANCER

Amina Konaté is from La Rochelle, France, where she began dancing at the age of 5. She studied at the Conservatoire of Music and Dance of La Rochelle. After she graduated high school in 2019, Amina joined the Rudra Béjart School, in Switzerland. Two years later, she headed up to New York, to attend the Ailey School. She spent the following summer dancing in Philadelphia as a Philadanco 2 (D/2) member as well as in New York with Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet and Borne dance company. Later that year, she also joined TORCH Dance Theatre and Caterina Rago Dance Company and as a freelance dancer, Ms. Konaté has had the opportunity to dance with Felice Lesser Dance Theatre, Yaa!Samar Dance Theatre, Linda Diamond & Company and to learn and perform works by Maurice Béjart, Julio Arozarena, Tancredo Tavarez, Janice Rosario, Christopher Huggins, Jeroboam Bozeman, Djassi Dacosta Johnson, Will A. Ervin and Walter Rutledge.

DANCER

Angelina Laguna is a freelance artist based in New York City. Originally from Southeastern Pennsylvania, Angelina studied dance at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater in highschool and recently graduated from Purchase College Conservatory of Dance with a Bachelors in Fine Arts. At Purchase, Angelina performed works by Eve Chan, Doug Varone, Janelle Figgins, George Balanchine, Michelle Ulrich Thompson, and Amy Miller. Outside of the dance studio, Angelina enjoys reading, being outside, and computer coding.

REHEARSAL DIRECTOR

Brandon Woods, from Winston Salem, NC, BFA graduate of UNC School of the Arts (UNCSA). Professional career began performing original works created by Duane Cyrus, Helen Simoneau, Juel Lane and more. In 2014, joined the West Virginia Dance Company that featured works choreographed by Doug Varone. In 2016, was commissioned for an original work created at the Lincoln Center. In 2021, joined the Jose Limon Dance Foundation. Most recent collaborations include performances with StubbornMVMT, O.R.Project, and Variety Pack Collective. Recent creative and instructional works involve associations such as Brooklyn Ballet, Dancewave, Movement Research INC, and Brooklyn Arts Exchange.

DANCER

Born in Ukraine, Illya Lenych (He/Him) moved to NYC at a young age of 8 where he began training and developing his work as a dancer and a choreographer. Lenych’s aesthetic of dance and choreography relies heavily on powerful physicality and emotion to bring forth humanistic concepts and issues that could elicit deep uncomfortable emotions in its audiences. Lenych’s vision of dance is very broad and inclusive to all sorts of individuals. An emphasis on constantly challenging the norm in dance as well as society is something that Lenych really appreciates and puts into his work. Lenych recently graduated NYU Tisch with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in dance as a 2022 graduate. Post-graduation, Lenych traveled to Europe where he trained at the Salzburg Academy of Experimental Dance(SEAD) in Austria, as well as B-12 in Berlin. Lenych currently resides in NYC.

*All Company Headshots are by Eric Hart Jr.

DANCER

Kenzie Ginter is originally from Kalamazoo, MI, where she grew up training in a variety of concert and commercial dance styles. She received a BFA in dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she had the privilege of performing works by Yin Yue and Dwight Rhoden, as well as choreographing and collaborating in student pieces. Most recently, Kenzie has enjoyed performing with Gotham Dance Theater and completing GibneyPRO’s Pilot Program under the mentorship of Alexandra Wells and Bret Yakima. Kenzie is currently an apprentice with i KADA Dance Company and is excited to be joining Mason Lee Dance Theater!

DANCER

Keyveontae’ Martin is originally from Oklahoma City, OK, where he grew up training in a variety of concert and commercial dance styles. He graduated with honors and special distinction, from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Modern Dance Performance as well as a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting. Upon graduating he went on to begin his professional career as a dancer with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Keyveontae’ has performed works by Merce Cummingham, Tommie Waheed-Evan, Gus Solomon Jr, Leslie Kraus, Claude Alexander III, Paul Taylor, and Rena Butler. He is currently based in New York as a freelance dancer.

DANCER

Kiki (YuChin) Tseng,was born and raised in Yilan, Taiwan. She began training in classical ballet at an early age and in 2015, she won third prize in Taiwan Grand Prix and was awarded a full tuition scholarship to study in the United States. She trained at the Harid Conservatory in Florida for two years where she received vigorous training in classical ballet technique, upon which she enrolled in SUNY Purchase College in New York. In 2021 she graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in Arts Management, and she was the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Senior Award for Dance at SUNY Purchase for highest level achievement of artistry, academic and citizenship. In the fall of 2021 Kiki became a member of Graham 2 and she is excited to start her first season with Mason Lee Dance Theater.

REHEARSAL DIRECTOR

Laura Goossens grew up in Costa Rica, where she started dancing at 12 years old. Shortly after, she joined her studio’s competition team and later the school’s conservatory program— Conservatorio de Artes Escenicas Warehouse Dance Complex. After graduating in 2019, she started her training in New York City at the Joffrey Ballet School Jazz & Contemporary Program on a scholarship. There she recently graduated cum laude with a BFA. During her time there, Laura was a company member and rehearsal director at the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group, under direction of Bradley Shelver. She has performed works by Greg Lau, Omar de Jesús, Yin Yue, Yoshito Sakuraba, Antonia Franceschi, Gabe Katz, Eric Trope, and many others. Laura has completed workshops like GagaLabs and SpringboardX, as well as summer intensives at Arts Umbrella, Dutch National Ballet, and GALLIM. Laura is excited to continue her work as rehearsal director at Mason Lee Dance Theater!