JEFFERSON
DANCERS
APPRENTICES
JAHLIL YARBOROUGH
Jahlil is a fifteen-year-old sophomore at Jefferson High School. Jahlil is a passionate and dynamic young dancer whose journey began in middle school, where he first discovered the different styles of dance. Jahlil was inspired by the energetic rhythms and expressive movements of African and hip-hop dance styles. This early exposure made him realize that this is something he would want to do. With room for growth, Jahlil joined the West African dance company, Sebekan. Under the guidance of talented mentors, he honed his skills, immersing himself in the rich traditions and cultural narratives that West African dance comes with. Now, as Jahlil looks to expand his dance repertoire, he is thrilled to be a part of Jefferson Dancers. He sees this opportunity as a chance to further develop his technique and collaborate with diverse dancers & choreographers.
ZELIE HERMIDA-LOGAN
Zelie is a 16-year-old sophomore in her second year with the company. Zelie had loved to dance for as long as she can remember, even just starting with dance parties in the living room. But her passion for dance grew as she started to take dance classes at her elementary school, then through 6th-8th grade, where she danced with Sara Martins at da Vinci Arts Middle School, learning jazz, tap, and had opportunities to work with guest artists learning other styles like afro-Brazilian and contemporary. She had always wanted to attend Jefferson Middle College to become a JD, ever since the second grade when they performed at her elementary school, and she was amazed by their skills and performance abilities. From that moment on, she knew she wanted to be just like them. And now that she’s a part of the Jefferson dancers' company, it’s a dream come true. She couldn’t thank her family and support system more for all the support over the years. Especially her mom, Theresa Logan, for always pushing her not to give up and go for the things she wants in life.
WREN EDWARDS
Wren is a fifteen-year-old sophomore and a first-year JD. She started ballet at Oregon Ballet Theater when she was eight, but during COVID, she enrolled at Open Space Dance Studio, where she currently still dances. There, she was introduced to pointe technique, jazz, contemporary, and other styles of dance by her teachers Maeve Dougal, Charlene Hannibal, Maranda Jory, and Clair Olberding. During her freshman year, she was a member of the Jefferson Dancers' second company, where she learned jazz and tap from Bunky Williams. When she graduates, she hopes to either further study ballet or pursue some other type of dance career. She would like to thank all her dance teachers who have helped her, as well as the JD2 company, and her peers at Open Space.
AVA BRANDON
Ava is a 14-year-old freshman, and it’s her first year in the company. She started taking dance seriously in 6th grade at Da Vinci Arts Middle School. She learned jazz, tap, and hip hop, and has had opportunities to take classes at Reed College and danced at summer stick at Franklin High School. She is very excited to grow as a dancer.
NAMEYA SAVELLI
Nameya is a 16-year-old Sophomore, and this is her first year with the company. Her primary training was gymnastics up until a few years ago. She started gymnastics in Florida at the age of 5 and continued till 10 and a half when COVID hit. She then moved across the country to Portland and picked it up again a few years later for another year and a half, from 13 to 14 and a half. After that, she decided to pursue dance once more. Previously, while still in Florida, along with her gymnastics training, she had taken ballet, jazz, and ballroom dancing for a year each. After she moved, in the 6th and 7th grade, she took hip hop with Mr. Damon at Ockley Green Middle School. She then auditioned for the Jefferson Dancers in 2024 and got accepted into the second company at the school, and danced with them for her freshman year. During that year, she got to train in jazz, contemporary, modern, African, hip-hop, majorette, and tap.
SCARLETT BEPPU-LAROCCO
Scarlett is 14 years old and is a freshman at Jefferson High School. Scarlett first started dancing at the age of 2 at the DC community center. At age four, Scarlett started with the Oregon Ballet Theater and had danced there for 10 years. From age four to six, Ms. Olivia taught her the basics of ballet, and from age seven to fourteen, Ms. Elize taught Scarlett everything she knows, from ballet to pointe work. While Scarlett had taken other dance classes such as contemporary, jazz, tap, hip hop, Irish step, and flamenco, she has stuck with ballet the longest. Scarlett can’t wait to get to work with everyone at Jefferson and is excited to explore new styles of dance.
ARIAH WINTER
Ariah is a fourteen-year-old Freshman and this is her first year with the company. Ariah started dancing at the age of six with Aspire Dance. Once Aspire shut down during COVID, she started dancing with Northwest Dance Project and stayed for 3 years. In 2022, Ariah was introduced to Open Space from another dancer and fell in love with the studio and educators immediately. At Open Space, she was under the instruction of Maeve Dougal, Charlene Hannibal, and Franco Nieto, teaching her ballet, pointe work, and contemporary. Since her time with Open Space, she has noticed her own growth and dedication to dance. In the future, Ariah would love to continue her career in dancing and hopes that the instructors at Jefferson can help her get there.