Open Stage is a new opportunity for local dance makers, presented by Indianapolis Movement Arts Collective and made possible by the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation. Open Stage is presented in partnership with the Indianapolis Opera & Indy Convergence.

Home Theater

Choreography by Mary Jo DeMyer

Performed by Mary Jo DeMyer

Soundscape by Mary Jo DeMyer

"I've been working on this piece for the past five years. Bethany and I did the first go around of Home Theater at FIELDWORKS Dance Festival in South Bend, Indiana. Last year in Seattle it got re-stirred and I am approaching it from the angle you will see tonight. I titled the piece Home Theater because I like the multi-definitions of the phrase. And it's been my experience that a lot of theater does happen in the home."

Five Minute Pause

Good Grief

Choreography by Uriel The Mage

Performed by Uriel The Mage

Music Credits: La Noche by Navy Blue & Everywhere by Daisy the Great

"My work is inspired by the testimony and daily life of myself and friends and family alike . One of my biggest goals with my art is to show how beautiful ugly can be. My movement is an outward expression of my being, transparency through movement."

10 Minute Intermission

Untitled

Choreography by Courtney Jefferies

Performed by: Faith Fasoldt, Kim Galloway, Maddie Hoffman, Zay

Music Credits: Apathy by Gia Margaret; Plan & Elevation: V. The Beech Tree by Caroline Shaw, Attacca Quartet; excerpt of Valencia by Caroline Shaw, Attacca Quartet

"This piece was born out of an exploration of the process of change—how we receive, process and implement the change that occurs in our lives. I was inspired to explore this idea after learning about the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood. This Indianapolis neighborhood has undergone many transitions yet still maintains core a core identity. In what ways does change function similarly on an individual level? Despite the sadness often associated with new circumstances, change also provides new opportunity for connection with one's true self and with others."

A special thank you the Harrison Center for their support throughout this creative process.

Thank you for coming.

Indianapolis Movement Arts Collective is a non-profit movement arts organization dedicated to supporting and connecting the Indianapolis community through shared movement experiences - because every human can dance.

DONATE

Meet The Choreographers

Mary Jo DeMyer

Hi, I’m Mary Jo. I split my time between Seattle and Indianapolis. I’m an artist who makes all kinds of things out of nothing and everything.

Courtney Jefferies

Courtney Jefferies is a company dancer with Dance Kaleidoscope. She has performed works of several choreographers including Joshua Blake Carter, Sean Aaron Carmon, Autumn Eckman, David Hochoy, Tsai Hsi Hung, and Janice Rosario. Courtney would like to thank her family whose loving support continually encourages her as an artist. A big thank you to Indy Movement Arts Collective and the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation for making this performance opportunity possible.

Uriel The Mage

I was born and raised here in Indiana. Dance has always been a big factor in my life. From learning all the current dances from MTV and YouTube, to performing at my childhood church, dancing for the Indiana Fever Inferno at sixteen and in more recent years becoming a part of the local and regional street dance scene & taking a more affirmative role in my art.

Meet The Performers

Faith Fasoldt

Faith grew up in Rochester, New York, training at the Draper Center for Dance Education and as a trainee with the Rochester City Ballet. During this time she performed as part of a trio and ensemble that became the only non-professional group invited to perform at the Festival Internacional de Ballet in Trujillo, Peru.

She attended summer programs at the School of American Ballet (NYC) and The Joffrey Ballet (Chicago), and received full-tuition scholarships to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco, CA.

After graduating, Faith continued her training as a trainee with The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. During her time there, she was cast in Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre with The Joffrey Ballet and performed in premieres by Winning Works choreographers Chanel DaSilva, Xiang Xu, and Pablo Sánchez, as well as works by Lar Lubovitch, George Balanchine, and others.

Faith holds a BA in Creative Advertising and Public Relations.

Kimberly Galloway

Kimberly Galloway began her dance training at a young age in Sidney, Ohio. She graduated with honors from Indiana University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in Contemporary Dance, and a minor in Exercise Science. Upon graduation, Kimberly moved to Chicago where she danced and choreographed professionally for ten years as a freelance and company artist (Project 606 Dance, Trifecta Dance Collective, and Simantikos Dance Chicago). Since moving to Indianapolis in 2024, she has been dancing and choreographing for Ballet INitiative; performing in Coppelia's Magic Toyshop, Happy Hour For A Cause, and the upcoming Nutcracker With A Twist.

In addition to performing, Kimberly enjoys sharing her love of movement by training and educating dancers of all ages and experience levels in a variety of styles. She has been teaching and coaching dance throughout the midwest for 17 years, five of those as the Owner/Artistic Director of Galloway Dance & Movement in Forest Park, IL. In April 2025, Kimberly became the Operations Manager for Dance Kaleidoscope, and is grateful to be immersed in so many aspects of dance and Arts Administration each day.

Maddie Hoffman

Maddie is a 22-year-old dancer from Orlando, Florida, with training in ballet, jazz, and contemporary techniques. In recent years, she has expanded her dance practice and choreographic experience while studying at the University of Florida, where she graduated in Spring 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Political Science.

During her time at UF, Maddie completed two theses exploring queer dance in response to the AIDS epidemic and plans to continue this line of research. She is deeply passionate about learning, growth, and self-expression, both as a dancer and as an individual. Maddie is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Zay

Zay’s journey in this art form began with liturgical dance in his church in Colorado Springs. At twelve, he was training at Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education–marking his official leap into concert dance training. Later, he progressed to the pre-professional division and performed pieces such as Konservatoriet and The Nutcracker. At the Cobb County Centre for Excellence in the Performing Arts, he studied Jazz, Horton, performed at the National High School Dance Festival in 2018, and he had his work accepted to the Regional High School Dance Festival in 2019.

During his senior year of high school, he studied at Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, and in 2021, he had the pleasure of performing in Tara Lee’s film The Poet. At the USC Kaufman School of Dance, he honed his versatility, all thanks to artists such as D. Sabela Grimes, Ebony Williams, Bruce McCormick, Patrick Corbin, and Moncell Durden. Zay has danced in original works by Hope Boykin, Kyle Abraham, Saleemah E. Knight, and Amy O’Neal. Highlights include pieces by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, In Creases by Justin Peck, and Forgotten Land by Jiří Kylián.

Zay is grateful to his family, friends, teachers, and mentors for constantly supporting his journey thus far. “Thank you mom and dad for allowing me to follow my dreams. Thank you grandma for making sure I made it to ballet after the bus ride from school.”