Vera Paganin was born in Milan (Italy), where she began her professional training at the Centro Studi Coreografici Teatro Carcano, and she graduated in ballet and modern dance in 2012. After her graduation, she won a scholarship for the Henny Jurriens Stichting Summer Intensive in Amsterdam, where Miki Orihara gave her the scholarship to study at the Martha Graham School in New York, and she moved in the City in 2013. After a few months, she was asked to join Graham 2. She danced many principal roles in distinguished venues such as the Met Museum, and in 2015 she obtained her Teaching Training Program certification. She has been dancing with Alison Cook Beatty Dance since the summer 2015. Vera returned to Europe for a year in 2017, where she danced with Aconcoli Dance by Elena Albano in Milan, and she collaborated with the pianist Xavier Boot for the Nationale Indiëherdenking in the Netherlands, along with teaching Graham Technique workshops in Milan, Sardinia, Rome, and Utrecht. Since she has been back to the US, Vera has also danced for several independent productions such as “Enter the Luminous” by Miriam Barbosa and experimental projects with Fooju Dance Collaborative by Adam Dickerson. Vera has danced works by Martha Graham, Alison Cook-Beatty, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Blanca Li, Lone Larsen, Miriam Barbosa, Kun-Yang Lin, Darshan Singh Bhuller, Christopher Fleming, Elena Albano, Marcela Corbellini Duarte, Adam Robert Dickerson, Luisa Righeto.

Miranda Stuck is a 22 year old professional dancer from Seattle, Washington and currently resides in New York City. Prior to graduating from the Ailey/Fordham Bachelor of Fine Arts program, Miranda trained classically at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. While dancing within the professional division at The Ailey School, Miranda has danced on scholarship at Perry-Mansfield and Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, as well as training with Ballet Hispánico and Visceral Dance Chicago. Miranda’s most recent professional endeavor includes dancing for Marc Jacobs in the closing show of New York Fashion Week, February 2020. She has worked closely with artists and choreographers such as Gabrielle Lamb, William Isaac, Karole Armitage, Earl Mosley, Nicholas Garr, Olga Kostritzky, Kyle Marshall, and Davalois Fearon. After earning her Dance Major as well as Minor in Fashion Studies, Miranda is currently studying Multi-Platform Journalism within Fordham University’s Public Media Master of Arts Program. While continuing professional dance, Miranda aspires to begin a career in fashion editorial writing or as an entertainment critic. Miranda is extremely passionate about performing arts, visual and digital arts, storytelling, as well as genuine human and artist connection.

Aurélie Garcia is a dancer, dance teacher and young choreographer. She grew up in South of France where she first started dancing in a small local dance school. After graduating from high school, she moved to New York City at the age of 18 years old to attend The Ailey School and graduated from their scholarship program in 2018. She performed works by Ray Mercer, Elizabeth Roxas, Tracy Inman, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Talley Beatty, Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, Eduardo Vilaro, Michelle Manzanalez, Pedro Ruiz and Alvin Ailey. Since she moved to New York to pursue her dance career, Aurelie has performed with companies such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico, Bloodline Dance Theater, Ann Nuo Spiritual Dance Art. Aurelie Garcia works with MOMIX, OCA Dance, Faustine Lavie Dance Project, VLDC and is really happy to join Alison Cook Beatty Dance.

Mariah Anton is a New York based artist who graduated in 2019 from UNC School of the Arts with a BFA in dance. Prior to her attendance there, she trained in formal disciplines under Jo-Ann Hertzman. Mariah has been privileged to perform works by Martha Graham, Charles Czarny, Ming-Lung Yang, Alexei Kremnev, Larry Keigwin, José Limón, Tim Miller, Natalie Desch, Dawn Bazemore and Juel Lane. Most notably, Mariah was a dancer in the Merce Cunningham Trust’s “Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event” at BAM Opera House and has since continued work with them, among others including Liz Gerring and Daniel Gwirtzman while also freelancing. During her summers Mariah attended workshops with Anouk van Dijk, Stephen Petronio, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Jessica Lang Dance, Limón Dance Company and Rioult Dance NY. Mariah has been teaching since a young age, beginning with dance classes and choreography and going on to become an academic tutor for Anatomy and Physiology and Biology of Movement during college. She has also been able to teach dance classes in public schools and assisted in teaching adult dance and fitness classes for many years prior to and during college. Mariah is so excited to be joining Alison Cook Beatty Dance and she looks forward to a wonderful future working alongside the entire artistic team.

Asia Bonilla is from Trabuco Canyon, California. She started her formal dance training in Orange County, California under the guidance of Marlene Hall whom she assisted at the 24th Annual Conference of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) in Basel, Switzerland. Asia graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program with a major in Dance and a minor in Mathematics. She has performed internationally at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia and the Rudolfinum Concert Hall in the Czech Republic. Asia has danced with Awaken Dance Theater, VISIONS Contemporary Ballet, and BHdos, the second company of Ballet Hispánico. She has performed works by choreographers Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle, Michelle Manzanales, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Jacqulyn Buglisi among others. She has also taught dance outreach in Nicaragua, New York City, and virtually with JUNTOS Collective, and is currently on the ballet faculty of Dance Project of Washington Heights. 

Jaryd Farcon, a native of Fords, New Jersey, is a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and later graduated magna cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA dance program. He is a competitive ballroom dancer who holds numerous national and international titles. Jaryd has represented Team USA at the Blackpool Dance Festival in Blackpool, England and has reached the Top 21 in the world. In addition, he has danced on Season 6 of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, Season 14 of FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance, ABC’s Good Morning America, and NBC’s Today Show. He was dance captain on the Knicks City Kids and Lil’ Torches dance teams, which dance at Madison Square Garden. Moreover, he has worked with Julie Taymor in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at A Theater For A New Audience. Jaryd is a 2016 National YoungArts Foundation Winner in (Dance/Jazz) where he had the opportunity to work with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Jaryd has attended many summer programs such as the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive, Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Program, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, and Ballet Hispanico’s ChoreoLab. He is a former member of Ballet Hispánico’s second company, BHdos. Jaryd is excited for this new journey with Alison Cook Beatty Dance.

Charles Scheland is a New York City based contemporary dance artist and choreographer. Charles grew up and trained in Germany, Austria, and the Washington DC area and graduated summa cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program double majoring in Dance and Economics, receiving departmental honors from both departments. He is also an alumnus of the School of Jacob’s Pillow’s Contemporary Program. He has danced for RIOULT Dance NY, Michael Mao Dance, Buglisi Dance Theater, New England Dance Theater, as well as other companies and independent choreographers. He has performed works by Alvin Ailey, Elana Anderson, Robert Battle, Clifton Brown, Amy Hall Garner, Jae Man Joo, Bill T. Jones, Jessica Lang, Michael Mao, Milton Myers, Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, Pascal Rioult, Henning Rübsam, Paul Taylor, to name a few. As an instructor, Charles teaches ballet, Horton technique, the repertory of Michael Mao, and is a demonstrator for Milton Myers. As a choreographer, Charles has created multiple ballets for live performance as well as dance films and most recently completed a residency and virtual concert with Spoke the Hub in Brooklyn, NY.

Austin Kelly is a recent graduate from The Hartt School at The University of Hartford where he majored in Performing Arts Management with minors in Business Administration and Dance Performance. He has performed works by Paul Taylor, José Limón, Lar Lubovitch, August Bournonville, and Stephen Pier. Administratively, he has worked with organizations such as Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham, José Limón Dance Foundation, and Kansas City Ballet. Austin is furthering his dance training at The Taylor School and is thrilled to be joining Alison Cook Beatty Dance as a company member