Company:

Amelia Beard began collaborating with ANIKAI Dance when she began taking dance classes at The Dance Complex in Cambridge this past fall. She has studied ballet and jazz with Helena Sullivan, Graham technique with Erica Dankmeyer, and various forms of modern dance with Holly Silva and Sandra Burton. She has understudied for CityDance Ensemble in Bethesda, MD, and taught dance through the company’s outreach program, DREAM Dance. She has also performed in works choreographed by CityDance Ensemble, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Keigwin + Company, and Delfos Danza. She graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in Studio Arts.

Danielle DiVito graduated from Roger Williams University with a B.A. in Dance/Performance Studies and Secondary Education. She has performed in NYC with Ellis Wood Dance and in Boston with Snappy Dance Theater, Bennett Dance Company and Emily Beattie as well as presenting her own work through Green Street Studios Emerging Artist Program. Danielle recently began dancing with Ipswich Moving Company and ANIKAI Dance, and is the Assistant Director of Broadway Bound Dance Center in Natick, MA.

DeAnna Pellecchia is a dancer, educator and choreographer committed to creating inter-disciplinary, multimedia dance performances via collaborative process. DeAnna is Co-Artistic Director/Co-Choreographer of KAIROS, a dance-theater performance company co-founded with Ingrid Schatz. In addition to producing her own work, DeAnna currently performs/ collaborates with Paula Josa-Jones Performance Works, Kinodance Company, and Ipswich Moving Company. DeAnna's movement training extends to mime, Authentic Movement, horseback riding, Tae Kwon Do, T'ai Chi, Wushu spear, Capoeria and various forms of aerial dance. Ms. Pellecchia received a BA in Dance/Performance from Roger Williams University. She resides on the dance faculty at Boston University and is a practicing Ace-certified Personal Trainer.

Kim Eunjung (India-based) studied and performed classical ballet in her native Korea before moving to India to study the North Indian classical dance form of Kathak. She received her BA in ballet from Kei-Myung University in Korea. She completed her advanced diploma and post diploma at Kathak Kendra in New Delhi. She has a MA in Indian art and aesthetics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Kim has also studied Bharata Natyam, Mohini Attam and Kalaripayattu.

Pradhuman Nayak (India-based) has been performing the dance and music of his native Jharkhand since childhood. He has toured nationally and internationally with his performing group, Kunjban, including performances at the Seattle International Children's Festival. Nayak is a graduate of the National School of Drama, India and is known throughout India and abroad for his tremendous versatiliity.

Mila Thigpen brings her multi-faceted experience in dance, education, and outreach to Anikai dance. A “lively” dancer according to the Boston Globe, Mila has performed in classical works like Soaring (Doris Humphrey) and Esplanade (Paul Taylor) as well as contemporary works by Seán Curran, with Digby Dance, and in productions of Urban Nutcracker and A Dancer’s Christmas. Her choreography has been presented in Boston’s Ten’s The Limit modern dance showcase and the National School Board Association’s annual conference. Mila is a graduate of Kenyon College (BA) and the Boston Conservatory (MFA). She continues her scholarly pursuits having received a Fulbright exchange with the Helen Parkhurst School in Almere, Netherlands. She is currently a dance professor at Tufts University, dance faculty at Cambridge Rindge and Latin, and the artistic director for AileyCamp Boston. She has served as a guest dance teacher for a nonprofit organization in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Mila has also choreographed and performed for salsa congress throughout New England. She is an alumna of Choreographer’s Lab at Jacob’s Pillow.

Terra Weaver is a Boston/Cambridge-based performer and choreographer specializing in Afro-centric dance styles. She lives to dance to live percussion and enjoys working with youth and sharing her passion. She has studied ballet with Anna Myer, Capoeira Angola with Deraldo Ferreira, Graham technique with Marcus Schulkind, Horton/Dunham and Haitian Folkloric with Jean Appolon, and began practicing yoga as a teenager. She is a member of Anikai Dance Company, and an experimental/ collaborative dance group called Fresh Killed Theater. Terra holds a B.A. in Anthropology from UMass Boston, and is a youth educator for the Boston Harbor Islands.