OUR TEAM

Founded in 2001 by Alexandra Wells & Susan Alexander, Springboard has evolved from a three-person to a five-person, part-time, grassroots team. We are actively seeking support from donors and foundations in order to strengthen our infrastructure.

OUR TEAM

  • She/Her

    Founder & Artistic Director

    Alexandra Wells is the Founder and Artistic Director of Springboard Danse and the creator of IMAGE TECH for dancers.

    From 2017 – 2020 she served as the Director of Artist Training at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and under her direction, the Hubbard Street Professional Program (HSPro) responded to the needs of dancers entering the current job market. In 2020, Alexandra was invited to join Gibney Dance as Senior Director of Education and Company Advisor. She held both positions until May 2024, during which time she built GibneyPRO, a professional certificate program unique to Gibney Company. By curating relevant methodologies, techniques, choreographers, and mentors, these programs connect emerging artists to leaders in the field who, in turn, empower them to become advocates within an evolving professional landscape.

    Alexandra mentors many emerging and established dance artists. Additionally, she serves on the Artistic Advisory Council for MOVE|NYC and is the Artist Curator for and an Honorary Board Member of The Legacy Project, which celebrates the work of iconic Canadian artist and choreographer Margie Gillis.

    Alexandra was a full-time faculty member and rehearsal director at The Juilliard School for 18 years. She was also the Concept and Artistic Director of the Movement Invention Project from its inception through 2017. She was on faculty at SUNY Purchase College, served as the Interim Director of l’École Supérieure de Danse du Québec, and was the Rehearsal Director for Ballet Hispanico, all proceeding an extensive international performance career. As Principal Ballet National de Nancy dancer, Alexandra toured internationally and formed lasting partnerships with the late Rudolf Nureyev and Patrick Dupont.

  • (she/her)
    Associate Director & Communications Director

    Erin Harner is a freelance artist who has performed with companies such as BOOM CRACK! Dance Company, CabinFever, Chicago Urban Dance Collective (since renamed Egun Artist Collective) and Peckish Rhodes Performing Arts Society. Erin’s work with such companies, as well as various independent artists, has taken on the shape of both evening-length performances and immersive productions, alongside participation in events such as Prelude Midwest and World of Dance Chicago.

    Erin is an impassioned educator. She facilitates classes within a myriad of movement spaces and maintains membership with the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science. Aside from her collegiate pedagogical education, Erin’s accreditations include the Nan Giordano Certification Program, Yogaview's 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, CorePower’s Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training, and AIR's Aerial Fitness Teacher Training. Additionally, Erin functions as the General Manager for South Chicago Dance Theatre.

    Erin now shifts into her evolved role as Associate Director & Director of Communications for Springboard.

    Visit Erin’s website

    Photo by: Liz Scheiner

  • (He/Him)

    Development Consultant, Friends of Springboard Board Member

    Nico Rodriguez is a dedicated arts and culture management professional, who specializes in fund development, marketing/communications, and programmatic project management. Following his enrollment in Columbia College of Chicago's Dance Center, Nico redirected his commitment to the arts through employment at such celebrated Chicago institutions as the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Joffrey Ballet, and the Chicago International Film Festival (Cinema Chicago). With dance as his first love, he also enthusiastically brought his skill set to River North Dance Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theater, and Visceral Dance, amongst other dance organizations. In 2018 he relocated to New York to work for the James Beard Foundation, where he found opportunities to forge collaborations with BC/EFA's Dancers Responding to AIDS and the Princess Grace Foundation-USA.

    Nico currently serves as Manager and Producer for The Lilly's Lorraine Hansberry Initiative, a project that honors the prolific American playwright through the tour of a figurative sculpture in her likeness and invests in those following in her footsteps through a fellowship for women of color in their pursuit of graduate degrees in dramatic writing. In 2021 he successfully completed the Executive Program in Arts and Culture Strategy Certification from the University of Pennsylvania/National Arts Strategies. He is a champion of emerging talent across the performing arts, with a special focus on underrepresented populations and an eye toward increasing diverse representation, both in the spotlight and behind the scenes.

    Nico is thrilled to support Springboard Danse as the organization moves in exciting new directions to help cultivate the future of dance, dancers, and dance-making both across the US and internationally.

  • (she/her)
    Design & Marketing Manager

    Alaya Oni was born and raised in Chicago, IL, where she began her studies in dance with Homer Hans Bryant. She attended Northwestern University, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Dance, Art Theory/Practice and Communications. While in college, Alaya expanded her love of movement, and became a scholarship student at the Lou Conte Dance Studio in 2012, under the mentorship of the late Claire Bataille. She has since relocated to Los Angeles to pursue her career in the dance and entertainment industry.

    Alaya is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative, currently working as a freelance dancer, model, photographer/retoucher, graphic designer and media director. She has worked with many non-profit arts organizations including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Dance Resource Center, The LA Philharmonic & The Hollywood Bowl, and Donna Sternberg & Dancers. Fascinated by artistic modalities and their various forms, Alaya also considers herself a curator. Whether it’s her capsule wardrobe, the magic of a meticulously curated playlist, or a collection of great literature, she is not only creating art, but constantly curating a world full of expression and inspiration.

    Photo by: Alaya Oni

  • (she/her)
    Marketing and Communications Associate

    SBDM Dancer 2017 & 2022

    Piper Makenzie Dye is a dancer, yoga instructor and arts administrator. She holds a BFA in Dance from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase with a Minor in Arts Management. Piper performed most recently for Twyla Tharp and Suzzane Ponamarenko, and was previously a dancer with ZviDance, Hard/Femme Dances, TORRENT, A-Y Dancers, and Ballet Nepantla. Piper attended Springboard in 2017 and 2022, where she performed works by Shannon Gillen, Jasmine Ellis, Crystal Pite and Kelly Ashton Todd. 

    https://www.onedancinghuman.com/

  • (she/her)
    Program Manager

    SBDM Dancer 2019

    Venezuelan native, raised in Miami, Jannah attended New World School of the Arts high school and went on to receive a BFA in Dance from Point Park University in 2018. Jannah furthered her training with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Professional Program (HSPro) under the direction of Alexandra Wells, where she performed works by Rena Butler and Florian Lochner alongside Hubbard Street’s main company. While in Chicago, she began her professional career as a freelance artist performing with Kristina Isabelle Dance Company and JoAnna Mendl Shaw’s Equus Project. Jannah now frequents artistic collaborations with her sister-in-law, Kiana Rosa Fischer, bridging together dance, film, and the visual arts.

    A lifelong learner, Jannah continued her education and became a certified Master Nutrition Therapist in 2022 while pursuing a career in arts administration in New York City. She is thrilled to continue being a part of the Springboard Danse family in her new role as Program Manager.

  • (she/her)

    Financial Consultant 

    Jessie Kardos Ely is a performing arts administrator and educator passionate about advancing sustainability and equity in the dance field. With over a decade of experience, she has developed expertise in dance education, financial management, and programming designed for pre-professional and professional dance artists.

    Originally from Long Island, New York, Jessie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tulane University in New Orleans with BA degrees in Dance and French. After graduating, she performed and presented dance works across New York City while discovering a passion for arts administration. She gained experience at Gibney Dance, where, as Director of Education, she curated and led internationally recognized dance training programs encompassing weekly classes, professional development workshops, full-time training, international visa programs, and more. Jessie first collaborated with Springboard Danse at Gibney as the organizational partner lead for the first SpringboardX NYC workshop in 2016.

    In 2023, Jessie earned an MA in Arts Administration at the Weissman School of Arts and Science at CUNY Baruch College. She worked with Springboard Danse on her consultancy-based thesis, "Re-envisioning a Multinational Dance Nonprofit Through a Program Budget Model: Springboard Danse Montréal & Friends of Springboard Danse," which received an honorable mention for the Marlow Prize in Arts Leadership. This thesis evaluated the organization’s financial and programming models during its hiatus and relocation, encouraging a deeper integration of mission and finances to more sustainably and intentionally serve the Springboard community.

    Now based in Washington, D.C., Jessie is thrilled to continue supporting professional dance education as a Financial Consultant with Springboard Danse. In this role, she implements strategies developed through her thesis, applies her expertise and education, and supports the organization's overall financial management.

  • Banner Photo:

    2016 SBDM_Principal Choreographer, Ohad Naharin_© Michael Slobodian