current panelists

Born and raised in Cincinnati Anaya Ni’Kole is a Northern Kentucky University Alumnus with a degree in Dance and Theatre while also Co-leading her dance crew (CA)^2 dance crew. Anaya is trained in hip hop, street dance, jazz, modern, & contemporary. Anaya has also competed around the country at Hip Hop International, World of dance and Monsters of Hip Hop. Anaya’s choreography has been featured in films and a commercial for hostess snack company, NKU Summer Dance Institute, Dance Companies across the tri-state area, and opening up for music artist such as Coco Jones, Common, etc. Anaya plans on influencing the next generation and creating active achievers.

Ashley Morton is a Cincinnati based performance artist. She can be found on various local stages performing with The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Landmark Productions, among others. When Ashley is not on the proscenium stage, she is working with Pones or InBocca Performance, making sight-specific and devised works. Ashley has danced everywhere from the Jarson-Kaplan, to the Contemporary Art Center. The more non conventional, the better!

Christopher Ryan began dance training when he was 8 years old, and his relationship with dance has been a consistent but varied one throughout his career.  Whether dancing in Emotions Dance, an improvisation-based modern company that focuses on social issues, being a dancer and dance captain in operas and operettas in several languages and countries, serving as the choreographer for the original German language production of Brücken am Fluß (Bridges of Madison County), teaching dance at summer workshops in the Alps for musical theatre performers and opera singers, teaching for colleges, universities, and academies in Germany, Austria, England, Scotland, and the US, or playing the Emcee in Cabaret 8 shows a week, he has really always been creating dance.  Being a full-time Theatre and Dance faculty member at NKU has meant he gets to continue that journey, engaging students with musical theatre dance styles, devised dance theatre, and innovative explorations of intersection, like Pitter Patter, the tap-meets-Shakespeare piece he choreographed for Dance ‘23, or Verbindung, the duet he made for Dance ’24, which saw him return to his modern roots.  Christopher is excited to serve on the panel for the Synergy Series and is looking forward to engaging with the beautiful work of the choreographers who take advantage of this wonderful opportunity, this year.

Past Panelists

Jeaunita Olówè

Gabriel Martinez Rubio

Julius Jenkins