Mariah Layne French
Mariah (Founder/Artistic Director, Choreographer, Costume/Lighting Designer/ Outreach Coordinator, CEO and Principal Dancer) earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from The Ohio State University in 2005, where she was awarded the Undergraduate Research Grant for her Honors Thesis, "Forging New Territory in Artistic Expression." Before attending OSU she majored in dance on scholarship at Ball State University, and performed as a member of the Ball State Dance Theater from 2001-2003. Mariah also studied Spanish, African, and Caribbean dance at Florida International University in Miami. She received her primary training from the Fort Wayne (IN) Ballet under the direction of Michael Tevlin, and from Northeast School of Dance with Beth Schiebel, where she performed as a member of its nationally recognized Jazz and Tap Companies. Mariah has worked closely with many distinguished masters and choreographers, including: Jeff Shade, Diego Salterini, Gregg Russell, Bebe Miller, Gary Lund, David Reuille, Lori Belilove, Freddie Moore, Susan Hadley, Rosiland Pierson and Yvonne Peters. She continues to cultivate her craft as an active member of the Columbus Dance Community.
Mariah has been an instructor at Charisma Centre for the Arts since 2004, teaching Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Modern, African and Dance Repertory. Her award winning choreography has been performed in Indiana, Florida, Colorado, and in Ohio. It has been featured at many community events throughout central Ohio including performances at The Columbus Dance Theater, BalletMet Columbus, The Bluestone (formerly BoMA), King Arts Complex, Columbus Performing Arts Center, in the Columbus Dances Series, in 60x60 produced by New York based Vox Novus, and at The Ohio State University's Sullivant Hall.
In 2007 Mariah and her husband Phil founded Xclaim. They reside in Columbus, Ohio with their three vivacious children. Mariah thanks God for the overwhelming provision and opportunity he has given her to share and pursue work she loves.
Rachel Cassano
Rachel (Dancer/Choreographer) is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati. While attending UC she danced with the nationally ranked UC dance team and for the Jungle Kittens (Cincinnati Arena Football Dance Team). After moving to Indianapolis to pursue a career in journalism at a local newspaper, she was the choreographer and dance coordinator of the semi-pro Indianapolis Tornados Dance Team (NAFL). Rachel currently is a dance instructor and choreographer for the Columbus DanceArts Academy in Dublin. She has been an instructor in hip-hop and musical theatre as well as teaching Urban Jamm (hip-hop aerobics) for LA Fitness. Her love of fitness brought her back to Ohio, where she now is the Communication Coordinator at Elite Fitness Systems. She is excited to join Xclaim for her second season and loves to inspire others through dance.
J. Shannon Filmore
Shannon (Dance Trainee/Choreographer) joins Xclaim for his second season. He is a 2006 graduate of Fort Hayes Performing Arts High School, where his passion for dance began. He has also studied at BalletMet Columbus, the Columbus Youth Ballet, with Alfred Dove, Shelly Steward, and under Hip Hop masters BHB and Dynesha. Shannon's recent performances include work on The Dove Project, work as a background dancer and choreographer with various recording artists, participation with various Vitality Energy productions, and dancing in Africa to America presented by Judah Performing Arts. His choreography was recently featured in a Michael Jackson Tribute in the Fort Hayes 2010 Spring concert. He currently teaches Street Jazz at the Academy of Urban dance and fitness.
Sara Long
Sara (Dancer/ Web Mistress/ Photographer) has been dancing since the age of 10. Her training has included classical ballet, modern, jazz, African, lyrical and ballroom, studying under Robert Cole (formerly of The National Ballet of Canada), Mariah Layne French, Daryse Osborne, Freddie Moore, Aaron Chen, Jeff Lewis, Lisa Cole, and Franklin White (formerly of Britain's Royal Ballet). She performed four and a half years with the Central Ohio Youth Ballet, including lead roles in The Nutcracker, Giselle, Swan Lake and Rodeo. Sara is a 2010 high school graduate and currently keeps busy pursuing her interests in photography and traveling. She is excited to join Xclaim for her third season.
Kelsey Schafer
Kelsey (Dancer/Choreographer/ Publicity & Fund-raising) is a graduate of John Carroll University and recently earned her Masters Degree in Biophysics. During her years at John Carroll, she founded the JCU Dance Ensemble, which allowed her to grow as a dancer, choreographer, and director. She was active as a JCU varsity cheerleader and member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. During the summers she led cheerleading, dance, and theatre camps for kids at the Macedonia Recreation Center. Kelsey has trained in various types of acrobatic dance, most recently with Morph Dance Theater's Director Chloe Gonzalez. Here in Columbus, Kelsey is a PhD candidate in Biophysics at the Ohio State University. She is an active participant in the Neighborhood Pride Talent Mentors program and an instructor at NorthPointe Dance Academy. This is Kelsey's third season dancing with Xclaim. She aims to inspire others through dance, as dance continuously inspires her.
Deena Schmidt
Deena (Dancer/Choreographer) grew up in Minneapolis, MN. She trained at Summit School of Dance, Ballet Arts Minnesota, the Boston Conservatory (summer intensive), and the University of Akron where she received a B.S. in Mathematics, Biology and Dance. Deena also has a M.S. and Ph.D. in Applied Math from Cornell University. While a graduate student, she was a Principal Dancer with the Ithaca Ballet Company, dancing lead roles in The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland to name a few. Deena has worked with various dance companies, student groups, and many distinguished artists/choreographers, including: Sean Curran, Luis Fuente, Tom Smith, Andy Caroll, Byron Suber, Jim Self, Jumay Chu, Risa Cohen, Cindy Reid, Rafael Grigorian, Linda Muir, James Sewell, and Barry Leon. This is Deena's third season with Xclaim. As for her day job, she is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Mathematical Biology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Laura Schoessler
Laura (Dancer/ Choreographer/ Rehearsal Assistant/ Wardrobe Mistress/Makeup Artist/ Board Secretary) was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She was nine years old when she began dancing at Charisma Centre for the Arts where she has also been an instructor. Laura has studied jazz under Mariah Layne French for the past 7 years. She has also studied with notable masters, Jeff Lewis, Aaron Chen and Freddie Moore. She continues to pursue professional dance training through various venues. Laura has performed as a part of the Exaltation Dance Company and junior company from 2003. She is a founding member of Xclaim, and works diligently in many capacities to keep the company afloat. She has danced with Xclaim in past "Columbus Dances", "60x60", various community outreach and arts events and Xclaim's mainstage performances "Xtra!" "Hands and Feet" and "Red Light Red Letter."
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