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, 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 NYC-based contemporary dancer, originally from Northern VA, where she began her dance training at the age of two. Maddy then went on to attend George Mason University and received her BFA in dance May of 2020. While at George Mason she had the pleasure of studying under the direction of Susan Shields, allowing her to hone her technique in ballet, contemporary and modern and it was there that she truly realized her love for theatrical and incredibly athletic movement. In addition to being a performer, she is also a personal trainer, dance fitness coach and dance teacher!
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, Colorado, Araya Morris began her dance training at Gayton Dance Studio. After graduating high school, Morris attended the University of Colorado at Boulder from 2018-2022 where she received her BFA in dance. Since relocating to New York, Morris has performed with Cindy Brandle Dance Company, Forza Dance Company, Vashti Dance Theatre, TORCH Dance Theatre, Kaos Dance Collective, Dishman Co, and worked on a dance for film project with Laura Perdrizet. Morris has also gotten to present her own solo work in various stages at the Unkempt dance festival, Borne Dance company’s annual showcase, as well as at the Spark Theater Festival, Open Performance by Movement Research, Bloom Emerging Artists Festival, Green Lung Studios 4:15performance series, and Green Space’s Fertile Ground Series. 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