MEET OUR DANCERS
Gabrielle DiNizo, an Ohio native, graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance and English from Fordham University/The Ailey School, where she performed works by Robert Battle, Earl Mosley, Brice Mousset, and Adam Barruch. Her performance credits include Parsons Dance, Forza Dance, LaneCoArts, Jon Lehrer Dance Company, and XY Motion, an evening-length duet directed by Xiang Xu. Her passion for sustaining the arts extends beyond the stage through marketing and development roles with Parsons Dance and Forza Dance.
Maddy Hall is a New York City-based contemporary dancer, choreographer, educator, and fitness instructor originally from Northern Virginia. She began dancing at the age of two and earned her BFA in Dance from George Mason University in 2020, developing a love for highly physical and theatrical movement. This is Maddy’s fourth season with Forza Dance, where she’s had the opportunity to perform and grow alongside a vibrant community of artists. She also performs with DGDC and as a freelance artist in many capacities. As a choreographer, Maddy has presented work at WestFest, The Tank Theatre, and other NYC venues. In addition to performing and choreographing, she teaches dance and fitness, helping students of all levels develop deeper understandings of their bodies through movement. Outside of dance, Maddy loves baking, reading, and spending time with her people. She is deeply grateful for the artists and communities that make her life in New York so special.
Micah McKee Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Micah McKee earned her B.F.A. in Dance from George Mason University, where she trained under Roger Jeffrey, Christina Robson, Susan Shields, and more. During her studies, she was awarded the Kevin Campbell Scholarship and was selected to perform Robert Battle’s Awakening under Elisa Clark. She began her professional career with Gin Dance Company in Washington, D.C., before moving to New York City, where she now dances with Caterina Rago Dance Company and Forza Dance Company, performing contemporary and Graham-based works at venues including the Martha Graham Studios, Brooklyn Art Haus, and festivals in both the U.S. and Italy.
Araya Morris Originally from Denver, Araya Morris began her dance training at Gayton Dance Studio. After graduating high school, Morris attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where she received her BFA in dance. Since relocating to New York, Morris has performed with Cindy Brandle Dance Company, Vashti Dance Theatre, TORCH Dance Theatre, Kaos Dance Collective, Dishman Co, worked on a dance for film project with Laura Perdrizet, and of course Forza Dance! Morris has also gotten to present her own solo work in various stages at the Unkempt dance festival, Borne Dance company’s annual showcase, the Spark Theater Festival, Open Performance by Movement Research, Green Lung Studios 4:15 performance series, Green Space’s Fertile Ground Series and Forza’s BLOOM: Emerging Artist Festival. On top of movement Araya likes to engage in various forms of arts and crafts, ranging from crochet to print making. This is Araya’s fourth season with Forza and has enjoyed to be apart of the company’s evolution.
Margarette Bernal Originally from British Columbia, Canada, Margarette Bernal is a graduate of the prestigious Ailey School Certificate Program whose artistry has been shaped by a remarkable range of training and performance experiences. Her professional journey has included performing works by celebrated choreographers Ronald K. Brown, Darrell Moultrie, Maleek Washington, and Ray Mercer, as well as sharing the stage with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Memoria during the company’s New York City Center season. She has also refined her artistic voice as an apprentice with Parsons Dance. This season marks
Margarette’s first with Forza, and she is excited to explore the variety and creativity within the company’s repertoire. As she continues to grow as an artist, Margarette hopes to pursue
choreography and eventually create work that reflects her experiences, ideas, and unique artistic voice.
Gabriel Sharp is a NYC based dancer, choreographer, and photographer. Gabriel earned his BFA in dance from the AIley/Fordham program and has performed alongside the Ailey company in Memoria at New York City Center. He has danced works by Hope Boykin, Paul Taylor, Ronald K Brown, and Tamisha Guy. He has performed with Lydia Johnson Dance, Alison Cook Beatty Dance, and Jiemin Yang. This is his first season with Forza, and he’s so grateful to be dancing with such powerful artists! He loves capturing movement and stories on film and in photographs. Originally from Seattle, he relishes any chance he gets to be immersed in nature!
Connor Tapp is a dancer, choreographer, and recent graduate of Pace University in New York City. He has performed in works by Alexandra Damiani, Juliano Nuñes, David Parsons, Paul Taylor, Maleek Washington, Scott Jovovich, and Bob Fosse. He has also presented his own works with the Young Choreographers Festival at The Joyce Theater, the Choreography Lab at Steps on Broadway, two independent feature films, and acted as a contributing choreographer along side Mandy Moore. Connor was most recently named the newest apprentice of Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, and is excited to be navigating the post-college journey with Forza!
Headshots by Sarah Takash Photography