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Founded in 2014, Alive Dance Collective is a Boston-local contemporary dance group composed of full time humans and part time dancers. We believe dance builds a stronger, more inclusive community in which movement permeates the lives of everyone involved. Our members’ backgrounds in dance therapy, yoga, occupational therapy, education, and physical therapy create more accessible and diverse engagements to bridge intersecting communities through deep involvement in the art of dance. We partner with local non-profits, community organizations, and other artists to nurture new ideas through workshops, exchanges, conversations, performances and other events. “They do so many cool moves!” - Elsie, age 6 |
Meet The Collective
Brenna Banister (she/her)Founder, Artistic Director, Choreographer, Early Childhood Educator, ASL Learner, Embroidery Novice |
Member Since 2014 |
Brenna Banister is a dance administrator, choreographer, and performer living in Roxbury, MA. She began dancing at the age of 5 and fell in love with the art form when a move to VT put her under the direction of Jacque-Lynn Mackay and Rebecca McGregor. She moved to Boston to attend Boston University and graduated in 2012 with a BS in Early Childhood Education. Since 2014 Brenna has been the founder and Artistic Director for Alive Dance Collective. During her time with Alive she has produced five full length shows, choreographed countless pieces, and connected with local organizations to bring dance to a wider community. Her choreography has been presented in Massachusetts and beyond, including in NACHMO Boston, The Dance Complex's aMaSSiT Program, Jose Matteo’s Dance for World Community and The Southern Vermont Dance Festival. In 2018, Brenna became NACHMO Boston’s Regional Director. In collaboration with Monkeyhouse, she has helped NACHMO Boston grow to include mentorship opportunities, live performance and dance on film options, and space for over 30 choreographers to participate each year. When not dancing, Brenna works as a preschool teacher, enjoys kayaking and hiking with her partner and dog, embroiders fun gifts, and tries to increase her American Sign Language skills.
Alexandria Nunweiler (she/her)Director of Development, Choreographer, Dance Educator, Crocheter, Baker, Thrill Seeker |
Member Since 2019 |
Alexandria Nunweiler is a contemporary choreographer, performer and educator based in the greater Boston, MA area. She grew up dancing under the direction of her mother at the Dance Theatre of Greenville (DTG) in South Carolina. Her movement, described by Dance Informa as “grace with power,” stems from an authentic place rooted in community, history and daily life. Alexandria’s work has been featured up and down the east coast in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, BOOM Charlotte, NACHMO Boston and the first ever Equinox Dance Festival. She currently serves as Alive’s Director of Development, a founding member of The Click Collective and in an ongoing collaboration with Ashlea Sovetts. She holds her BA in Dance from Winthrop University and her MSc from Hult International Business School.
Audrey Hatas (she/her)Member, Choreographer, Endurance Athlete, Adventure Seeker, Dog Mom, Physical Therapist, Bookworm |
Member Since 2014 |
Audrey Hatas has been dancing since age 3 (earlier if you count living room solos to the CATS soundtrack), beginning her formal training at Accent on Dance in Waukesha, WI where she danced with the competitive company for 8 years. While in college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she performed and choreographed with UW Dance Elite and OPTIMA Dance. Since moving to Boston in 2010, Audrey has danced and with Onstage Dance Company, Intimations Dance, and Heartbeat: A Modern Dance Rock Concert ("The Sun") at OBERON. She has presented ballet, contemporary pointe, and modern choreography with Onstage and presented work for NACHMO Boston 2014, 2015 and 2020. Audrey currently teaches contemporary and lyrical classes at Alton Street Dance in Arlington, MA. Outside of the studio, she works as a neurologic physical therapist. She is happiest when in motion and loves racing marathons and long course triathlons and hiking the 4000 footers of New Hampshire with her husband and dog. She is grateful to Alive for the opportunity to continue to grow as a dancer and choreographer and to share the joy of movement with such great artists and people.
Cynthia Martucci (she/her)Member, Researcher, Avid Traveler, Outdoor Enthusiast, Novice Cross-Stitcher |
Member Since 2022 |
Cynthia Martucci’s love for dance began at the age of 3 when she started training at her hometown studio in South Brunswick, New Jersey. She studied and competed in the styles of ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, and hip hop from elementary through high school. She also received pre-professional ballet training at The Princeton Ballet School under the directorship of Mary Pat Robertson. Cynthia was a four-year member and co-captain of her high school’s nationally ranked varsity dance team. Cynthia completed her bachelors degree in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology at Emory University, where she also received a minor in dance and movement studies. Training under George Staib, Lori Teague, Mara Mandradjieff and others, Cynthia developed an interest in site-specific techniques and modern styles, and she was a continued member of the Emory Dance Company. During her time in college, Cynthia initiated a program to bring dance classes to children with Down syndrome in the Atlanta area. Cynthia moved to Boston in 2022 where she now works as a scientific researcher at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She is excited to continue her passion for dance with the Alive community.
Diana Pilarski (she/her)Member, Choreographer, World Traveler, Mom to Alive's Youngest Member |
Member Since 2014 |
Diana began her dance training over 25 years ago at Janet Dunstan's Dance Academy in Niagara Falls, NY where she performed and danced competitively in Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Modern and Contemporary. Knowing dance was a life long passion, she went on to study psychology and dance at Niagara University and continued on to obtain a Master's degree in Dance/Movement Therapy from Drexel University. She eventually made her way to Boston and has enjoyed being part of the dance community. Diana has danced with OnStage Dance Company and Intimations Dance, taught at DanceFit, and was one of the lead dancers in Heartbeat: A Modern Dance Rock Concert. She is currently part of Alive Dance Collective and enjoys participating in local performance events such as 24 hour ChoreoFest, aMaSSiT, Works in Progress, and NACHMO. When Diana isn't dancing, she is pursuing her other passion- traveling the world.
Katrina Conte (she/her)Member, Choreographer, Food Lover, Cat Mom, Adventure Seeker |
Member Since 2021 |
Katrina Conte is a dance artist and choreographer. She was raised in Mt Pocono PA, where she attended the Lehigh Valley Charter HS for the Arts. From there, Katrina graduated with her BFA in Dance with a minor in Technical Theater from Ball State University. During her time there she had the opportunity to work with Sidra Bell, Jamy Meek, Shen Wei Dance Arts, and Noa Shadur. Katrina also has a passion for light design. She designed multiple dance shows at Ball State, participated in the American College Theater Festival, and interned at the American Dance Festival. During these opportunities, she worked as a crew member for Terri O'Conner, Rosie Herrera Dance Theater, Paul Taylor, Pilobolus, and Shen Wei Dance Arts. Katrina recently moved to Boston excited to share her passion for dance with the city! She currently is dancing with Alive, a trainee with Kairos Dance Theater, a dancer with The Click, in residency with Luminarium Dance and the performing arts intern at the Boston Center for the Arts. She is so excited to be creating work again and performing alongside these inspiring humans/artists.
Lila Klaus (she/her)Member, Choreographer, Educator, Nature Lover |
Member Since 2022 |
Lila Ruth Klaus hails from Washington DC, where she started dancing at the age of five. While training and performing in DC, she was able to perform in venues such as The Kennedy Center, the White House, The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. She has presented her choreography at Bates Dance Festival, the American Dance Festival, at Sitka Fine Arts Camp in Alaska, at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Annandale-on-Hudson New York, and Hibernian Hall and Arts at the Armory in Boston. She received her BA in dance with a concentration in theology from Bard College in 2018. She currently works as an educator at Temple Beth Shalom in Needham, and also serves as the Dance Arts Mentor at the URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Academy every summer. She is excited to be a part of the Alive family!
Morgan Nolte (she/her)Member, Choreographer, Sewer, Memorizer of Useless Facts |
Member Since 2017 |
Morgan Nolte started dancing at the age of five at Evelyn Ott School of Dance in Norfolk, VA, where she studied ballet, tap, jazz and lyrical and danced competitively with the Charisma Performing Company. After high school, she set out to study Spanish and Linguistics at New York University, where she continued her dance education at college and at Broadway Dance Center. She moved to Madrid in 2009 to teach English, where she learned that dance is a universal language, taking classes in ballet and contemporary. She now lives in Arlington with her boyfriend, cat, and dog, and currently works as a Director of Product Management at EF Educational Tours.
Shira Weiss (they/them) |
Member Since 2023 |
Member, Theater Artist, Photographer, Educator, Animal Lover, Ice Cream Eater
Shira Weiss is a Boston-based dancer, choreographer, theatre artist, photographer, and educator dedicated to creating art at the intersection of queerness and Judaism. Originally from Orlando, FL, they fell in love with dance and theatre at a very early age and have been creating ever since. They grew up dancing with their home studio’s performance and ballet companies and went on to train in musical theatre at Triple Arts and contemporary dance with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. Shira co-wrote and co-directed an original, interview-based, digital interactive play called How to Survive a Pandemic that won the Lux, Veritas, Virtus Award at the Research and Creative Endeavor, Innovation, Scholarship, and Entrepreneurship Expo (RISE). They served as a Theatre Education co-op at both Actors’ Shakespeare Project and Gann Academy during their time at Northeastern University, eventually earning their BA in Theatre. Shira currently dances with Lila Ruth Klaus and Alive Dance Collective and works as an educator at Temple Beth Shalom in Needham, MA.
Taylor Nolte (she/her)Member, Murder Mystery Aficionado, Madrileña at Heart
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Member Since 2019 |
Taylor started dancing at age 3 at Evelyn Ott School of Dance in Norfolk,VA. She practiced ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical competitively up through high school. Also during high school Taylor taught ballet and tap to preschool and kindergarten children and choreographed for recitals. After completing a Masters in Elementary Education from James Madison University she moved to Madrid, Spain where she taught for three years. In 2019, a few years after returning to the US, Taylor joined the Alive Dance Collective and has been very happily learning from and creating with the group ever since. Taylor currently works in operations at EF Education First and, yes, Morgan is her sister and, yes, they have had very similar paths. Other passions include but are not limited to: Agatha Christie novels, baking, starting sewing projects and not finishing them, Coca-Cola, and buying jackets that have no appropriate season in New England.
Tova Teperow (she/her)Member, Choreographer, Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Jill-of-all-Crafts, Dog Mom |
Member Since 2014 |
Tova Teperow began her dance training at the age of 7 in her hometown of Newton, Massachusetts, where she studied ballet and other dance styles through high school under the direction of the late Paulette Harwood. She then went on to the University of Vermont where she studied Human Development and fell in love with contemporary dance and choreography as a 4-year member of Orchesis Dance Company. After returning to the Boston area in 2011, Tova danced and choreographed for Onstage Dance Company, performed in the ensemble of "Heartbeat: A Modern Dance Rock Concert", and in 2014 was a founding member of Alive Dance Collective. Dancing with Alive has been one of the most enriching and creatively fulfilling adventures of her life. Most recently, Tova presented her own original choreography “Lost in the Colors” at NACHMO 2022 with Alive dancers. Outside of dance, Tova has a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University and currently works as a school occupational therapist for students ages 7-14 with visual impairments and multiple disabilities. When not being an OT, dancing, or snuggling with her adorable Maltipoo, Tova loves to try any art or craft she can get her hands on, dabble on the piano, and see as many places as she can.
Interested in dancing with our collective? Find more information here!
