JEFFERSON
DANCERS
LILA MAE WENDROFF
Lila Mae is a sixteen-year-old senior and this is her fourth year with the company. Lila started dancing at age three at Miss Pam’s Ballet School in Los Angeles, California. When her family moved to Portland she joined The Children’s Gym competitive dance team and danced with them for two seasons. She started dancing at Center for Movement Arts doing ballet, jazz, and modern with Tim and Sherie Ryan. While also attending DaVinci Arts Middle School learning tap and jazz under the instruction of Sara Martins. She danced ballet, hip-hop, and contemporary and at various intensives with Northwest Dance Project and Open Space Dance.
AVA MASSEY
SARYAH MORRIS
Saryah is a 17 year old senior at Jefferson high school she started dancing at Tubman middle school doing African with Sekou Walker. Her love for dance has been an ongoing thing since she was 6. To her dance is like therapy, she gets to release her stress and emotions all on the floor with her moves. Saryah has been a part of Sebekan for 6 years as Sekou Walker as the director, she has done SEI Elite for 2 years, she was on Jefferson Dancers 2 for her first 3 years at Jefferson and now has become a Jefferson dancer. Saryah wants to study dance and wants to look at dance schools in New York and she wants to be a prosthodontist at Clark Atlanta or LSU to make people feel better about their smiles. Saryah would like to thank Bunky Williams, Lauren Smith, and Steve Gonzales for being great dance teachers and helping her push herself when she felt like she couldn’t do it.
NIMAH CREWS
ELLA SANCHEZ-GEORGE
SIERRA MILLER
BRIXTON FAIRMAN
JAHLIL YARBOROUGH
ZELIE HERMIDA-LOGAN
Zelie is a 17-year-old junior in her third 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 though 6th-8th grade where she danced with Sara martins at da Vinci arts middle school learning jazz, tap and had opportunities to work with guests artist learning other styles like afro-Brazilian and contemporary. She had always wanted to come to Jefferson middle college to become a JD ever since the second grade when they performed at her elementary school and she was amazed with their skill and performances abilities, since that she knew she wanted to become that herself. 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. She would also like to thank all of her past dance teachers for helping her to get where she is now.
WREN EDWARDS
Wren is a 16 year old junior and a second year member of the JDS. She started ballet at Oregon Ballet Theater but enrolled at Open Space Dance Studio, where she currently still dances, during COVID. 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’s 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 and has loved her experience and training with the JDs so far!
AVA BRANDON
ARIAH WINTER
Ariah is a fifteen-year-old Sophomore and this her second year with the company. Ariah started dancing at the age of six with Aspire dance doing ballet and modern. Once Aspire shut down during Covid, she started dancing at northwest dance project for 3 years. In 2022 Ariah was introduced to Open Space by another dancer and fell in love with the studio and educators immediately. At Open Space she was under the instruction of Maeve Dougal, Franco Nieto, Kylie Kilian, Maranda Jory, and Claire Olberding, teaching her ballet, pointe work Jazz, 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 hope that the instructors at Jefferson can help her get there.
SCARLETT BEPPU-LAROCCO
ANOUK HUMPHRIES
Anouk is a fifteen-year-old freshman and this is her first year with the company. Anouk started dancing at age 11 with open space dance, learning ballet, pointe work, jazz, and contemporary under the instruction of Maeve Dougal, Charlene Hannibal, Franco Nieto, Maranda Jory, and Kylee Killian. While attending West Sylvan middle school, she danced under the instruction of Jessica Holyfield Melz who taught her various styles such as tap, hip hop, jazz, salsa, and lyrical.
TALLULAH WARD
Tallulah is a 14-year old freshman entering her first year in the Jefferson Dancers. She has been dancing for 11 years, primarily at Oregon Ballet Theatre learning ballet, modern, contemporary and pointework, additionally learning jazz and tap at da Vinci Arts Middle School. She also engaged in various summer intensives such as Oregon Ballet Theatre, Steps PDX, and Columbia Dance, becoming familiar with other styles such musical theatre and hip-hop. In her remaining time as a Jefferson Dancer, she hopes to continue her development in a professional setting, as she plans to continue dancing professionally after high school.