Sonia Kellermann

Dance at Franklin Artistic Director

Sonia received her early training at Jefferson High School for the Performing Arts in Portland, Oregon and was a distinguished Jefferson Dancer. She went on to receive a BFA in Dance from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and an MFA in Dance at the University of Illinois. She has performed original work in Europe and across the United States. 

Head shot of Ann Cushman wearing black t-shirt.

Anna Cushman

Anna started dancing at da Vinci Arts Middle School in Portland and went on to dance at Jefferson and Lincoln. After high school, Anna sought out training in New York City at various studios in as many styles as she could swallow. After returning to Portland, she continued to find dance in her life, be it performing, teaching or taking more classes. Today, she's honored to be teaching dance at daVinci Arts Middle School.

Pieces with Dance at Franklin:

Head shot of Elijah Lebay performing with second dancer.

Elijah Labay

Elijah began training at Spokane’s Ballet Arts Academy before joining Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet Professional Division and then the Fellowship Program at The Ailey School. He received a Professional Advancement Award at Jacob’s Pillow before joining Florida Dance Theatre.

Pieces with Dance at Franklin:

Tony Loupe in a tap dance pose.

Tony Loupe

Tony is a product of the award winning Jefferson High School Dance Program and went on from there to have an exciting performing career that took him around the world as a teacher, performer and choreographer. 

Pieces with Dance at Franklin:

Colleen Loverdre performing the splits on stage while dancing.

Colleen Loverdre

Colleen is a graduate of Point Park University where she earned her B.F.A. in dance. While training at Point Park, she had the privilege of performing works choreographed by Martha Graham, Luke Murphy, Garfield Lemons  Gregory Dolbashion, MADBOOTS DANCE, and Alexandra Damiani.

Pieces with Dance at Franklin:

Kevin Pajarillaga performing contemporary dance.

Kevin Pajarillaga

Kevin began at CityDance Conservatory before attending Point Park University. Kevin has danced professionally with YY Dance Company, Sonya Tayeh Dance Company, PrioreDance, Bruce Wood Dance, and I.C. Movement Project, as well as being a guest artists with Parsons Dance Company, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and Focus Cia De Danca in Brazil. 

Pieces with Dance at Franklin:

Sarah Parker

Sarah is a movement artist who has carved her own path between concert dance and theater. On TV, she is featured in Harlem, Mozart in the Jungle, Modern Love, and NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE. She was part of the developmental choreography lab and performed with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, and the Tony Awards. She specializes in gestural movement and collaborations with spoken word artists and teaches open Contemporary/Improv classes. 

Pieces with Dance at Franklin

Head shot of Sekou Soumah holding African drum.

Sekou Soumah

Sekou is a Portland, Oregon native and a strong presence in the West African Drum and Dance community. He is the perfect blend of drum and dance; Western and West African. He effortlessly inhabits the highest levels of Mandingue drum and dance, and blends these skills with his American roots and a deep knowledge of the Mandingue culture. 

Pieces with Dance at Franklin

Jocelyn Steury

Jocelyn is a  dancer, filmmaker and writer who received her BA in dance from Western Washington University and further studied in Brazil and New York City. She has choreographed on professional companies in the US and Brazil and taught dance for the past 15 years. Her feature length documentary, Believe The Beat, follows a group of Brazilian hip hop dancers as they evolve from city park to global stage.

Pieces with Dance at Franklin:

Head shot of Amelia Unsicker wearing yellow sweater.

Amelia Unsicker

Amelia began her professional dance training at Pacific Festival Ballet under the direction of John Gardner. She later trained at the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre under the instruction of many renowned teachers such as Damara Bennett, Elise Legere, Tracey Katona, Elena Carter and Lavinia Magliocco. Currently, Amelia is a freelance dancer and choreographer, and teaches ballet, Pilates, contemporary, and movement exploration. 

Pieces with Dance at Franklin:

Isabel Deumling & Anabelle Jukkala