Merge: Meet the Company

Bayleigh Alexander is currently a junior at Texas State University where she received a full scholarship to pursue a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance and Choreography. Bayleigh is a three year Müv Dance and Fitness Faculty Member. She is excited to be pursuing her dream of teaching and choreographing alongside the best faculty. Bayleigh became a 200 hour Hatha Yoga Instructor in May of 2022 under the instruction of Becky Jordan and Misti Galvan and gained her Barre Vida Instructor Certification in April of 2022. She has also been recognized for her academic achievements by being inducted into the Council of Scholars Honors Society for the College of Fine Arts and has received the Karen Earl / Reed Parr matching scholarship as an honorable mention for outstanding freshman dance major and the Karen M. Earl Memorial / Reed Parr Dance Scholarships her sophomore year. Bayleigh has been dancing for the past 16 years. She was a pre-professional dance company member at Müv Dance & Fitness for 6 years and is trained in styles such as Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Clogging, Lyrical, Kick, Pom, and Acro. Bayleigh has been a scholarship and title recipient winner from many competitions and conventions. She has had the opportunity to be a part of many performance experiences with organizations such as Austin Youth Dance Festival, Dance to Breathe, Austin Spurs Pregame and Halftime, San Antonio Spurs, and Matters of the Heart. Bayleigh joined the Round Rock High School Dragonettes her sophomore year and went on to be a dance officer both her junior and senior years as well as a member of Legacy, a select group, all three years She has also spent many years and numerous hours assisting with teams like Kilgore College Rangerettes, Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD, and Gateway College Preparatory School. She also has had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles and New York to further her dance training! Bayleigh is so thankful to have been a part of Merge last year and can’t wait for this upcoming year.

Lara Cerda is currently a Junior at Texas State University and pursuing her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography. She was born in Austin, Texas where she began dancing at the age of three. She grew up at D’ette & Co. dancer and continued training under Jade Greenough, owner of Pivotal Academy of Dance and director of the dance company, Vitality Dance Company. She has trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, musical theater, and contemporary dance. At the age of seven she joined her studio’s competition team where she was able to travel to several dance conventions and competitions. She has been awarded various scholarships and awards from competitions and conventions, and was a dancer in the Alamo Bowl in 2016. Along with this, her competition team was invited to dance at the Austin Dance Festival in both 2018 and 2019. Lara spent many summers training at dance intensives at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Sam Houston State University, Indiana University and Dean College. She is excited to be a member of Merge Dance Company, and learn from talented choreographers and perform alongside all of the talented members of Merge.

Lily Collier is currently a junior at Texas State pursuing her BFA in dance with teacher certification. She grew up dancing in Austin, Texas at Dancers Workshop where she trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary. Throughout her time there, she traveled to many different dance conventions where she received scholarships and awards. Lily also attended the American Ballet Theatre summer intensive and trained at Edge performing arts center in Los Angeles during summers with her studio. She was a member of her studio's competition team Creative Culture Dance Company as well as their pre-professional ballet company Ovation. Lily is currently a rehearsal director at her studio for Ovation where they’re working on their annual production of The Nutcracker. This is Lily’s second year on Merge and she’s thrilled to continue working alongside passionate and talented dancers and choreographers.

Grace Crain is currently a Junior at Texas State University pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography with a minor in Business Administration. She was raised in Houma, Louisiana and has danced since she was three years old under the instruction of Laura and Tara LeBlanc where she received choreographic awards for many pieces she choreographed and performed at various competitions. Grace has trained with the New Orleans Ballet Theatre where she performed in their ballet Cinderella and starred as Clara in their production of The Nutcracker in 2019. She has studied under the instruction of the New Orleans Ballet Association and trained on scholarship at the Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary Summer Intensive. Throughout her time at Texas State, she has gratefully been awarded multiple scholarships from the university and the Dance Division, one of which being the 2020-2021 Charlie and Joy Williams Scholarship for Outstanding Freshman. Grace became a 200 hour Hatha Yoga Instructor in May of 2021 under the instruction of Becky Jordan and Misti Galvan and gained her Barre Above Instructor Certification in October of 2021. In June of 2022, Grace traveled to Colorado to intern with the professional dance company Industrial Dance Alliance directed by Brittney Kirkpatrick and Jessica Pittman. While in Colorado, Grace also trained with LifeArt Dance Ensemble, Lauren Beale, and Gwen Ritchie. In the upcoming semesters, Grace will be composing her Honors College Thesis and her BFA Concert production. Upon graduation, she hopes to perform professionally and eventually obtain her masters degree in dance with aspirations of becoming a professor. Grace is so excited to perform with Merge Dance Company in her second season.

Christine de Kanter is currently a sophomore at Texas State University where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance and Choreography with the intention of pursuing Physical Therapy for dancers after graduation. Christine is from The Woodlands, TX where she begin dancing at three years old. She has trained in various styles including ballet, pointe, tap, lyrical, contemporary, modern, and jazz. Christine has been part of various competitive teams at different studios since the age of seven and has participated in multiple dance conventions, competitions, and master classes where she has won multiple scholarships and awards. Christine was invited by the New York City Dance Convention Academy to train for a summer at Steps on Broadway with the convention under multiple guest faculty. Since coming to college, Christine has been involved in Summerge and is her first year on Merge! After just her first year, Christine was awarded the Dance Lower-Level scholarship, the Charlie and Joy Williams Endowed Scholarship in Dance, and the Joan Hays Orchesis Dance Endowment. She is super excited to learn from multiple Texas State faculty and other guest artists this year in Merge!

Reisa DiNatale, from San Antonio, Texas is currently a Junior at Texas State University pursuing a BFA in performance and choreography. She has been dancing since the age of two, and has trained at multiple studios in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and most recently Texas at Kathy Marfin’s Dance School under the Leading Edge Dance Company. She competed at dance competitions for almost 10 years throughout her life at both regional and national competitions, training heavily in ballet, modern, jazz and tap. Along with that, she participated in a pre-professional dance company called Summerge, performing in the first Semilla festival, and is currently a 2nd year member of Merge Dance Company that is affiliated with the Texas State Dance Division and university. Along with her love of performing dance, she also has experience teaching the art form. Reisa has taught at Kathy Marfin’s Dance School with students ages 3-10 years old in ranging styles like ballet, jazz, hip hop and tap. She has also received her yoga teaching certification to add diversity to her teaching capabilities. Reisa hopes to perform for a few years following her graduation from college, and then go on back to school for psychology in hopes to become knowledgeable in dance therapy.

Rishon Harvey is from Katy, Texas and is currently a senior at Texas State University getting his BFA in Performance and Choreography with a minor in theatre. He began his dance career in 2017 after becoming the first male on his high school’s dance the Martinettes. However, dance has always been heavily involved in his life throughout other arts forms such as choir and theatre. Rishon was a two year member of the touring ensemble Cim-Teya, which teaches kids about dance while educating them on topics like math, science, reading, etc. Rishon had the opportunity to be a member in a new group here at Texas State called “Summerge” in 2021, where he was able to train and learn choreography from several choreographers in a month and perform for an audience. This past summer Rishon got a scholarship to attend a rigorous week-long intensive at the Institute of Contemporary Dance In Houston. He also attended ACDA at Lamar University this past spring break. This is Rishon’s first year on Merge! He's very excited to be a part of the biggest merge production yet! He looks forward to continuing to improve as a dancer and grow closer with his peers.

Alyssa Manigault is an upcoming performer and choreographer who specializes in Hip hop, Modern, Contemporary, and Jazz. Like many dancers, Alyssa found her passion for dance at a young age and it was expressed in her hometown church in Charleston, South Carolina around the age of 5. By the age of fourteen, Alyssa entered highschool and stepped into more technical aspects of dance. Anything dance related that was offered she made sure to be a part of it. Freshman year of high school, she took her first technique class where she was able to learn all the fundamentals of dance that she never truly obtained over the years, and seeing progress is what skyrocketed her journey completely. Alyssa was accepted into the highest level dance class her high school offered and remained in it for the next three  years. Junior year, she also auditioned for her school's varsity dance team and was accepted. Alyssa, along with her team traveled across the state to compete for an entire year and by the end of the season, she was assisting with choreography for halftime dances for her high school team, which along with her choreography and drive for the team’s overall success, led her to be the captain in the following season. During this time she gained leadership skills, experience with choreographing, experience leading a group setting, and an  opportunity to shadow a dance director. Alyssa moved to San Antonio, Texas and got accepted into her junior college's dance ensemble at Northwest Vista College under the direction of Brittany Lopez and there she got the opportunity to travel to high schools across the district to teach, perform and recruit other dancers. The ensemble also put on community concerts, performed at ACDA, and hosted dance concerts for the ensemble, showcasing many styles. Alyssa was even appointed to be a student choreographer where she created her own piece for the end of year show. Alyssa is now a Senior at Texas State University where she is majoring in Fine Arts with an emphasis on Performance and Choreography. During her time here, she was able to be a part of Orchesis Dance Company and also collaborated on a piece alongside Kyla Earl and Chloe Martinez titled ‘Slenderman’ for the student showcase concert. Alyssa just recently created a piece over summer Titled ‘wHole in the Forest' which  was shown in the Advanced Choreography showcase and the other will be shown in the BFA showcase in December for her final thesis. In May of 2023, Alyssa will have obtained her Bachelor's  degree and will be ready to continue creating this art that she is extremely passionate about.

Sarah Paige grew up in the Chicagoland area and is currently a sophomore at Texas State University earning her degree in Dance Performance and Choreography. She trained at the Dance and Music Academy, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and with the Cecchetti Council of America. Sarah has trained and performed around the Chicagoland area, as well as New York City. Some of Sarah’s favorite performance opportunities include the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, and Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. In 2020, she was an ambassador and assistant for Metamorphosis Fearless Evolution Dance Convention, where she helped fundraise for WINGS (Women In Need Growing Stronger) to bring awareness to and help fight domestic violence. Sarah is not only a talented dancer but an accomplished pianist and vocalist as well. Her talents were recognized as a freshman at Glenbrook South High School when she was the only freshman cast as a Singer-Dancer in their acclaimed Variety Show, and where she continued to be featured as a lead singer and dancer in various productions throughout her high school career. Sarah has taught multiple ages and genres at her home studio and Northshore Elite Talent Company, as well as here in Texas at Illusion Dance Center. Sarah is so excited to work alongside so many talented choreographers and dancers this year in Merge!

Melody Reese-Petry is a senior at Texas State University pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts for Performance and Choreography. Melody is from San Antonio, Texas and has been dancing since she was 3 years old. Melody started her training at Heather Stolle’s School of Dance and attended The North East School of the Arts for high school while also competing with Echo Dance Company. She is trained in various styles that include Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Pointe, and Musical Theatre. Throughout her pre-professional dance career, Melody attended many dance conventions learning from choreographers such as Twitch, Channing Cooke, Justin Giles, Wildabeast, NappyTabs, etc. Melody trained at the Joffrey Ballet School in 2018, with Summerge in 2021, and worked with as well as performed with Soulescape Dance Company in 2022 to further her dance training. Her favorite styles of dance are Contemporary, Jazz, and Hip-Hop because she feels like she can be her true self when she dances in these styles and expresses emotions that she cannot convey with words. In Merge this year, Melody is hoping to achieve more confidence when dancing and is so excited to dance with so many amazing people.

Faith Schoop is currently a senior at Texas State University working on her BFA in Performance and Choreography with a minor in Theatre and Exercise & Sports Science. Faith started dancing when she was 12 years old doing studio dance and competitions. She has studied ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, hip hop, and clogging. While at Texas State she has been a part of Orchesis Dance Company, Summerge and Semillia Fest, performed in the informal concert at ACDA, and has written plays that have been accepted into the James W. Price 10 Minute Play Festival. She is now working on her BFA thesis piece for the fall BFA Concert.

Jasmine Seegmiller is currently a Junior at Texas State University pursuing a BFA with a concentration in Performance and Choreography and a minor in Psychology. She has been dancing since she was three years old and has trained in many styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, musical theater, contemporary, and improvisation. She grew up dancing at Cindy’s School of Dance in Allen, Texas where she began competing with the Encore Dance Company at eight years old. Throughout her years attending dance conventions such as West Coast Dance Explosion, Hollywood Vibe, and LA Dance Magic, she received various scholarships and awards. In 2019, she traveled with the LA Dance Magic Company, assisting the faculty and performing at dance conventions. She spent her summers attending dance intensives and masterclasses at her dance studio and at The Dallas Conservatory, as well as teaching and assisting dance classes. After graduation, she plans on touring professionally with a dance company and continuing her studies in psychology.

Rory Vinson is a junior at Texas State University pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography. She is from Kingwood, Texas, where she trained in Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, Jazz, Musical Theatre, and Improvisation at Rowland Ballard School of Ballet.  She has been dancing for 17 years and has enjoyed growing her passion for dance in many environments. As a member of Kingwood Jazz & Company, Rory had the opportunity to train under Choreographers such as Peter Chu, Robbie Moore, Nick Gomez, Tamara Dyke-Compton, and Cat Cogliandro. Rory was also a member of The Kingwood Fillies, Varsity Theatre, and Varsity Choir at her local high school. She was the Dance Captain and Assistant Choreographer in Kingwood High School’s productions of Newsies and Fiddler On The Roof. She also acted in Kingwood High School’s productions of A Midsummers Night's Dream, Punk Rock, and Steel Magnolias. She choreographed Riverwood Middle School’s productions of Legally Blonde Jr. and Frozen Jr. as well as several competition solos for Rowland Ballard Danceworks and Kingwood Dance Theatre. Rory has also completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification under the guidance of Misti Galvan and Becky Jordan. Rory is excited to be a part of Merge Dance Company and to have the opportunity to continue to grow her knowledge of dance with the help of the wonderful faculty here at Texas State. She is thankful for this amazingly talented group of dancers and hopes you enjoy the show!

Melena West is a current sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography. She has spent a lifetime performing. She started dancing when she was three years old in traditional Folkloico dance at the Arneson River Theater in San Antonio, Texas. At the age of ten she expanded her horizons to Tap, Jazz, and Hip Hop enrolled at Chrissy’s Dance Academy (CDA). She went on to be the only 3-year Officer on the Harlan HS Silver Dance Team. She has traveled around Texas attending master classes and conventions to grow her level of experience. Melena has also choreographed group dances, solos and quinceanera dances for other dancers. She auditioned and was selected to be a Spurs Silver Dancer Teen Elite 2017-2018. She was a performer at SeaWorld San Antonio in the Bay of Play shows and parades each season and also performed in the 2021 live show called Monster Stomp during Halloween. She is very excited for this opportunity to dance next to other beautiful dancers and learn from such talented choreographers!