Ally (she/her) is a dancer and educator from West Dundee, IL. As a University of Minnesota Twin Cities student, she performed in works by several notable choreographers including Luke Olson-Elm, Michel Kouakou, Chris Schlichting, and Alito Alessi. After receiving a BFA in Dance summa cum laude, BA in English, and M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, Ally began teaching K-12 Dance with Chicago Public Schools. She is grateful to embark on her third season with NDE and excited for the chance to grow with other passionate artists!

Camille Nichols (she/her) was born and raised in Chicago, IL and is a current undergraduate student at Northwestern University. She grew up training under Homer Bryant at Chicago Multicultural Dance Center where her classical ballet background morphed into a love for contemporary and modern dance. For Camille, dance has always been a mode of nonverbal storytelling and viewing personal experience through an artistic lens. Camille was also an apprentice with NDE for the 2020-2021 season.

Emma Barnhart (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher from and based in Chicago, IL. Emma currently dances with Noumenon Dance Ensemble, Modern Marvels Dance Company, and Lucid Banter Project, and was previously with Joffrey CE’s Strobel Program and dollop dance theater. Emma graduated from Hope College summa cum laude with a BA in double majors Dance Performance and Choreography and Sociology.

Jackie Pitts (she/her) is a dancer, writer, and occasional painter from Oberlin, Ohio. Jackie has been dancing for almost 30 (!) years, and began her training first in ballet at Ohio Dance Theater, and then at Oberlin College where she trained in modern and contemporary dance. Jackie performed with Oakland, CA based hip-hop group, Groove Generation, from 2017 - 2019 before moving back to the midwest in 2020. She is grateful to have had many opportunities to continue performing in both Cleveland and Chicago since then! This is Jackie’s fourth season with Noumenon Dance Ensemble.

Julie Ferrell-Olson (she/her) holds a MSc in Dance Science from Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, UK, a BFA in Dance from the University of Kansas, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois Chicago. Her choreographic repertoire has been presented at Links Hall in Chicago, the University of Kansas, Anderson University, UIC, and was accepted to be presented at the EXCHANGE Choreography Festival in Tulsa, OK. Julie has performed works by Melissa Thodos, Autumn Eckman, William Gill, Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak, Pat Graney, COHEN/SUZEAU, James Moreno, and Alia Simon-Montijo, and is currently working with Noumenon Dance Ensemble and THWACK dance.

Kara Farmer (they/them) is a mover, graphic designer, and illustrator from Jacksonville, Florida. They graduated from Colorado Mesa University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual/Graphic Design and a minor in Dance. At Colorado Mesa University, Kara performed in award-winning works by Kathy Diehl, and attended workshops from visiting artists including Brit Falcon and Rennie Harris. Kara was also honored to perform a Colorado Mesa University student work at the ACDA Northwest Dance Conference. Kara is very excited to start their first season at NDE and continue to grow alongside other dance artists!

Mash (they/them) is a queer mover, collaborator, and researcher based in Chicago. Their work is rooted in the value that our identities are innately physical and deserve to be understood, reclaimed, and celebrated through movement. Mash received a BA in Dance and BS in Biology from Loyola University of Chicago where they developed a passion for interdisciplinary work. They have received several research fellowships to create dance films aiming to make scientific concepts more accessible. These have been acclaimed by the SciComm Conference Film Festival and the International Dance your PhD competition. Mash has worked with a variety of companies in Chicago including Noumenon Dance Ensemble, Meadows Dance Collective, Gender Fucked Productions, and Echo Modern Dance Collective.

Avery Wilde (they/them) aims to be an authentic mover and an honest artist. They obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance with a modern concentration at Point Park University in 2023. After moving to Chicago, IL, they started dancing with Noumenon Dance Ensemble. In 2023-2024, they also danced with Echo Modern Dance Collective. Avery also currently dances with Modern Marvels Dance Company. Guided by improvisation, they are fascinated with contemporary movement and artistry, as well as, the artistic uniqueness of other multidisciplinary artists. Avery enjoys art of all forms as they have a background performing and choreographing with devised theater, dance for film and various forms of crafting and creating physical art, as well as live dance performance. They want to thank all of the artists that have supported them in their career thus far. They also want to thank their partner, Alexa.

Deirdre Dillon (she/her) is a lifelong mover and performer originally from Leesburg, Virginia. After graduating with a BFA in Acting from Shenandoah Conservatory, she moved to Chicago where she rediscovered her love for dance. Starting with improvised solos in various comedy variety shows, ten years on she has had the opportunity to perform with and choreograph for various gorups including Duncan Dance Chicago, Modern Marvels, and Matter Dance Company. Deirdre is excited to be returning for her fourth season with Noumenon Dance Ensemble! 

Faith (she/her) began dancing at the age of 8 and quickly fell in love with the artistry and athleticism of dance. She went on to receive her Bachelor of the Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Upon graduating in 2014 she moved back to the Chicago land area.
Faith has been with Noumenon Dance Ensemble since 2015. With NDE she has grown her artistic and technical skills and has performed works by numerous choreographers. Since joining, she has advanced to a Senior Company Member and the Company’s first Rehearsal Director. Faith enjoys the opportunity to perform in venues around the city for a company that promotes diversity and inclusivity. She also teaches dance during the week where her goal for each class is to create a healthy and positive environment for her students that allows them to learn to admire each style while growing as artists themselves.

Kae Orgel (they/she) is from the Chicago Northwest Suburbs and has lived in the Chicago area all their life. Kae received their BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and Dance from Northeastern Illinois University in 2017. They have studied and worked with several Chicago based companies such as Joel Hall Dancers and Center, The Cambrians, Rasa Dance Chicago, Avondale Dance Collective, and Such Creatures. Kae currently teaches and choreographs for schools, studios, and after school arts education programs. They are looking forward to their fifth year as a member of Noumenon, and their second year as NDE’s Engagement Manager.

Kaylah King (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer and teaching artist based in Chicago, IL. She received her BFA in Dance from Sam Houston State University in May 2022. She began training in Houston, TX under the direction of Sherese Campbell. King has showcased original choreography in the SHSU undergraduate showcase “Dances @ 8” as well as presented her film “ARE YOU OKAY” in DanceWorks Chicago’s DanceChance. Furthermore, her piece “Les Funérailles Du Jazz” was featured at the Barnstorm Dance Festival in May 2022. She has had the honor to learn and work with a variety of acclaimed dance artists; Some of these notable choreographers include Joshua Manculich, Vershawn Sanders-Ward, Shonna Hickman-Matlock, Kevin Ward and Alexis Diggs. She has been a member of Red Clay Dance Company and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s Second Company. Kaylah is excited to be dancing with NDE this season!

Nadia Cohn (she/her) is a Chicago native and has trained in various styles of dance for over eleven years. She started dancing under the tutelage of Homer Bryant at Chicago Multicultural Dance Company where she also danced competitively and earned multiple awards and recognitions for her achievements in performing. Nadia loves the aspect of being able to express her vulnerability and emotion artistically through dance.

Ryan Dick (they/he) is from Crystal Lake, IL. This will be Ryan’s fourth season with Noumenon and they are also a part of Concert Dance Inc and Alluvion Dance Chicago. As a part of New Dances in 2023, Ryan had the opportunity to work with Imani English and Eduardo Zambrana. Ryan has also had the chance to works by Paula Grahmann, Osnel Delgado, and Dominique Hamilton. Ryan recently made their choreographic debut at Emergence Festival with his piece “Body Memory”.