RAW DANCERS
Growth, Imagination, Creativity
AMELIA OTTE
Fourth Year Dancer
Amelia Otte is an eleventh grader at Walt Whitman High School and an Upper Division student at The Washington School of Ballet. She began her ballet training at age two. Amelia has performed with American Ballet Theatre, The Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, and The Washington Ballet. In 2017, Amelia started her contemporary training with Mimmo Miccolis. In 2019, she became a student of Da'Shown Rawl and became RawArts Dance Company’s first apprentice. The next year she was promoted to full company member. During the summer of 2022, Amelia attended the UNC School of the Arts Classical Ballet Intensive and Professional Studies Program, working with choreographers such as Ashley Lindsey, Wesley Ensminger, Sidra Bell, Janice Lancaster, and Grady Bowman. Amelia is honored and thrilled to return for her fourth RawArts season.
JADE STEWART
Second Year Dancer
Jade Stewart has been dancing for 14 years, starting out at her small local home dance studio to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where Jade acquired her High School Diploma with a special concentration in Contemporary Dance. Jade currently attends Howard University’s Dance Arts program. She's been trained in Counter Technique, Cunningham Technique, Release Technique, Limón technique, West African, Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip-Hop, Tap, and Liturgical dance. She has performed works by various choreographers such as “Trying on the Space” by Juel D. Lane,"Something" that was Once Familiar" by Ashley Lindsey, Missa Brevis by José Limón set by Sean Sullivan,"Lemayuz" by Ming-Lung Yang,"Chance Study" based on Merce Cunningham repertory and many more. She has also performed in student pieces and other repertoire showcases. Additionally, Jade is active in her local community as she teaches young children the art of liturgical dance. This is Jade’s second year dancing with RawArts Dance Company.
ZOE WAMPLER (SHE/THEY)
First Year Dancer
Zoe Wampler is a DC-based movement artist, educator, and arts & culture administrator. Their work uses choreography and performance to queer, question, and rethink relationships. She has had the privilege of performing with Britta Joy Peterson, Extreme Lengths Productions, and Snap Soup Dance, as well as in works by Gregory Maqoma, Judy Steele, Anjel Arambula, Elsie Neilson, and Michelle Koppl. Their choreographic work has been presented in-person and virtually through the ACDA Mid-Atlantic South Conference Gala (Raleigh, NC), Hind Gallery (Richmond, VA), Ascending Choreographers Showcase (Edgewood, MD), Koresh Artist Showcase (Philadelphia, PA), Dusklit Interactive Art Festival (Sugarloaf, NY), and Exquisite Frame (Washington, DC). Zoe is excited to be joining RawArts for their 8th season!
BROOKE LAI
First Year Dancer Apprentice
Brooke Lai is a Junior at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes school and is a student in The Washington School of Ballet’s Pre-Professional Training program. Brooke has performed in numerous Washington Ballet Nutcrackers, and in 2018 she performed in Ballet West’s Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center. She has been fortunate enough to attend The Washington School of Ballet, Carolina Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet School, Alonzo King Lines, Ballet Austin, and The Joffrey Academy’s summer intensive programs and the Ballet Class Series at the Kennedy Center. Brooke began her contemporary training with Mimmo Miccolis in 2018 and continues to train with him year-round. Brooke began training with Da’Shown Rawl in 2018 and is thrilled to be dancing with his company this year.
ALYSSA TOUSSAINT
First Year Dancer Apprentice
Alyssa Toussaint is a 17-year-old Washington DC native. She began her training at the age of 13 at the Washington School of Ballet. She has studied Cecchetti, Balanchine, and Vaganova style ballet, Horton technique, Contemporary, Jazz, Theater Dance, and improvisation throughout her time there. She has experience in choreography and teaching from her time as a Level 1 teacher’s assistant. She has always loved connecting with people through different mediums, including dance, foreign language, photography, and spoken word, and is excited to join RawArts Dance Company as an apprentice for the 2022-2023 season!
HARRY HOLDEN-BROWN (THEY, THEM)
First Year Dancer Apprentice
Harry Holden-Brown is a current student dancer at Unity & Dance and a choreographer entering his 5th year of dance training. He used to study at Joy of Motion in their Youth Dance Ensemble and moved over to Unity Dance and Movement when the pandemic began. He started his dance journey in ballet but grew to love modern and contemporary styles. He realized that his passion for dance is creating choreography that stems from something significant to life experiences and passions. Aside from working under RawArts Dance for the first time as an apprentice artist. He will also be working on a dance called the Aquatic Liturgy, a five-part piece that aims to humanize and inspire curiosity about the ocean.