presenting “ANGELUS“

Sara Thoreson and Storm Stokes are experiential contemporary dance artists exploring themes of queerness, self image, and religion through movement and material research. Though they are early career artists, they collectively hold two full length work premieres and three short work premieres.

As movement based artist, choreographer, and community arts curator, currently based in NYC, Sara Thoreson (@sara_thoreson) aims to actualize reimagined futures based in accessibility, advocacy, community, and sustainability. Sara holds her BFA in Dance and Sociology from Fordham University and The Ailey School. Sara has trained with Maleek Washington, Alexander Anderson, Rebecca Margolick, Georgia Usborne, Jacob Jonas the Company, Kayla Farrish, and more. She currently is a part of Zehnder Dance, incorporating a practice of athletic modern partnering and collaboration centering women’s stories; Tabula Rasa Dance Theater, performing theatrical ballet and modern rep; Unbound Dance Collective, choreographing and partaking in collaborative modern works; Dishman and Co, writing critically; and the Lincoln Center completing artist services. Sara has over 15 years of ballet, contemporary, improv, jazz and hip hop experience, and five years in horton and graham specific techniques.

Storm is a performance artist, choreographer, and visual artist whose transdisciplinary works (STORMWRKS) combine movement, videodance, and installation to explore themes of liberation and Afrofuturism. Her work has been shown at Triskelion Arts, Cori Terry Theater, Stephan Friedman Gallery, Princeton University’s Hearst Theater and CoLab Gallery, Sidewalk Festival Detroit, more. Storm has trained and performed for Shamel Pitts, Jacob Jonas the Company, Rashaun Mitchell & Silas Riener, Kyle Marshall, Chrysanthi Badeka, Camryn Stafford/ Turning Tables, Lauren Blair Smith Dance Company, more; and was an editorial intern with the Movement Research Performance Journal. Storm earned her B.A. and competitive ‘Toni Morrison,’ ‘Alex Adam 07,’ and ‘Badi Foster Distinguished Senior’ Awards from Princeton University (African American Studies, Dance).

dancing: Micaelina Carter, Morgan Gregory, Taylor Yamashita, Carmyn Stafford, Storm Stokes, Sara Thoreson

presenting “Echoes in Balance“

Cecilia Mitchell, a Montclair NJ native, cultivated her dance foundation at Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts, where she trained extensively and performed throughout her community. As a member of the esteemed Performance Workshop Ensemble, she engaged in arts education initiatives, using dance to connect with diverse audiences. She earned her BA in Dance Performance from Stockton University, performing with the Stockton Dance Company and collaborating with artists such as Caroline Fermin, Tiffany Mills, Meredith Rainey, Salena Pettaway, Lauren Putty White, Christopher Huggins, and Christian Von Howard. Mitchell's professional credits include performances with The Moving Architects, Koresh Artist Showcase, Putty Dance Project, and Alma Dance Company. As a freelance artist, she continues to teach, choreograph, and perform across the East Coast, expanding her artistic repertoire while deepening her passion for dance education and performance.

dancing: Courtney Holbrooks, Hannah Howell, Francesca Johnson, Sydney Marsh, Cecilia Mitchell, Tiernan Yei

presenting “It’s Very Serious“

​​ABBONDANZA was launched in January 2025. The word means ‘abundance’ in Italian, but it's more than just a word. It's a celebration, an affirmation, and a call to live a life of plenty. Our aim is to take this into our dance spaces and create a community centered around pleasure, honesty, and imagination. We believe that opportunity creates even more opportunity, and that there is more than enough to go around! Our work asks you to show up not only for yourself, but for one another. As we tell our stories, do you see a glimmer of yours?

Company: ABBONDANZA

Choreographer: Claire Louise Goldes

Artistic Associate: Michael Menzer

Administrative Associate: Jordan Lopez

Costume Stylist: Julia Norman

Performers: 

Joey Anderson

Isabelle Dayton

Claire Louise Goldes

Abby Haynes

Gioia von Staden

Guest appearances by Celeste Goldes and Michael Menzer

Music: Selections by Colin Stetson, Teebs, underscores & gabby start, Eartheater, Julian Klincewicz, sign crushes motorist & KayCyy, Rival Consoles, Oneohtrix Point Never, Iggy Pop, Frank Sinatra, Tiny Tim, The Dare, William Basinski, Lizzy Mercier Descloux

Claire Louise Goldes is a Brooklyn-based dance artist, Pilates instructor, and co-founder and director of ABBONDANZA Movement Collective. Her choreographic work has been presented throughout New York City at venues such as Arts on Site, PAGEANT, Triskelion Arts, Creature Space, JACK, Spark Theatre Festival, and Dance Fest by Dance Parade. She has been invited to share work by All(Ways) Dance Company, CreateART, Inclined Dance Project, and others. Through ABBONDANZA, Claire offers affordable classes rooted in joy, abundance, and community-building through movement. As a freelance performer, she has worked with Adaptations Dance Theater, Trainor Dance (Fact or Fiction), Waeli Wang, CROSS THE LINE, Chelsea Thedinga, LanDance, and more. Claire holds BFAs in Dance Performance and Choreography and a BA in Psychological Science from the University of California, Irvine.

Joey Anderson (he/they) is a dance artist and educator based in New York City. In their career, Joey has performed with Adaptations Dance Theater, Verbal Animal, Selah Dance Collective, Trainor Dance, Monterey Peninsula Ballet Theatre, and more. They also apprenticed with SALT Contemporary Dance after earning their BA in Dance from Brigham Young University (BYU). In addition to these companies, Joey has also presented and performed their own work on stages in Utah and New York. Their choreography has been presented at Spark Theatre Festival, Verbal Animal’s “Queer Noise” Festival, Queer Spectra Arts Festival, BYU, Burnswood Studio, and more.

Isabelle Dayton (she/her) was pre-professionally trained in Chicago, Illinois at Extensions Dance Company under Lizzie MacKenzie before receiving her BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2020. After graduating she spent a year working professionally in Chicago with companies and collectives like Symbiosis Arts, Boom Crack!, and Identity Performing Arts. In recent years she has been based in Brooklyn, NY and working as a freelance artist with The Creature, Urban Tribe, Grace Tong, and ABBONDANZA! It’s very serious. And also very fun. :)

Abby Haynes is a Brooklyn-based dance artist, registered dietitian, Pilates instructor, and devoted crocheter. She began dancing with ABBONDANZA this summer, and has trained under artists including Chelsea Thedinga, Anneke Hansen, Mary Grace McNally, Gabriella Sibeko, and Emily Greenwell. Abby currently works full-time in eating disorder treatment while earning her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling at New York University. She is passionate about bringing nutrition and body image work into the dance community and hopes to work more directly with dancers in the near future. She is a cat mom of two and has a crochet business named after her babies, Bug & Birdy (@bugnbirdy). She is so excited to return to performance and bring her love of textile art into the world of It’s very serious.

Gioia von Staden is a freelance dancer based in New York. Originally from Michigan, she graduated with her BA in Dance and American Studies from Barnard College in 2020. After graduation she danced with Salt Contemporary Dance's Second Company, performing works by Alice Klock, Garrett Smith and Amy Gunter-Lolofie. In college she had the privilege of working with New York based artists Caroline Fermin, Yoshito Sakuraba, Jess Smith and Chelsea Ainsworth of Dual Rivet, Shannon Gillen, Wesley Ensminger and Thuy Wyckoff. She currently dances with Kinesis Project, Abbondanza and Caitlin Adams Productions. 

If you’d like to make a tax-deductible donation to support ABBONDANZA, you can do so here: 

https://slingshot.giving/abbondanza1