Board 2020

Space and Activities Coordinator

Zoe Novello is a Barnard junior majoring in Math and Dance and our absolutely beloved space and activities coordinator. Between her involvement in dance department showcases, UnTapped, MaMa Project: Terraform, Movement Exchange, and CoLab, you’ll have a hard time finding Zoe not dancing, wrestling with PBWorks or planning Orchesis master classes and cast parties. In that time, however, Zoe works on campus as a peer tutor and is also directing this year’s MaMa Project themed around love letters and inspired by her work as a camp counselor in Michigan. With a personality as radiant as her tiny sun tattoo, Zoe dreams of soon hiking the Appalachian Trail. 

Her favorite moments in Orchesis have been seeing her casts kill it onstage, participating in cuddle puddles before early morning and late night rehearsals, and spending time brainstorming outrageous Orchesis show titles.

Barnard '21

Zoe Novello is a senior at Barnard majoring in Dance with minors in Math and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. This is Zoe’s 8th semester in Orchesis and 6th semester choreographing! During her time at Barnard, Zoe has had the opportunity to dance and choreograph with the Untapped, the MaMa Project, and the Dance Department. Off campus, she works as an intern at Battery Dance (and is looking for a job in arts admin if you’re hiring..). She is so grateful for her past four years in Orchesis and all of the wonderful people that she’s met and danced with in that time.

Columbia College '19

This piece is my Orchesis bucket list, which means it’s exactly as off-the-wall as you think it is. Thank you so much to my ceiling-shattering, hard-rapping, booty-shaking, thoroughly lovable cast for all your work and dedication and for being unapologetically yourselves! So go as crazy as you like, but remember it’s a school night. Lights out by ten. Love, Mom

Watch Yaël's piece here!

Barnard ‘22 & Columbia College '22

Xixi and Elin met through Orchesis during their first semester of freshman year and are now an iconic duo because of it! This is their third time choreographing together (and definitely not their last *wink wink*) Let us know in the comments below what song they should choreograph to next! Xilin has a love for stuffed animals and Orchesis merch. Fun fact: they always get Starbucks before a long day of Orchesis rehearsals, and they hope to continue this tradition in person next semester!

Barnard College '22

To everyone in my cast, thank you for turning my vision into a reality and making my first semester choreographing in Orchesis so memorable! I hope you now know Maya Angelou’s words by heart, and if there’s one thing you’ve learned from this dance, it’s that just like her, you are a phenomenal woman :)   

Watch Xixi's piece here!

Xixi is also the incredible artist behind all the promotional materials (programs, posters, and t-shirts) for our Spring 2019 show, Bears. Beats. Battlestar GalactOrchesis.

Producer

Xixi is our iconic 🌟Orchesis Producer, and she is a junior in Barnard College studying Art History and Visual Arts with a minor in Psychology (a true versatile queen)! Other than being known for having ~Big Orchy Energy~, Xixi also works as an artist assistant and a graphic designer for The Conversationalist. Her favorite Orchesis memory includes Xilin (the Xixi and Elin dynamic duo) choreographing their first piece together #HandClap 👏 #RIPFinalFrontOrchesis. Fun fact: Xixi loves shiba inus and would love to talk to anyone about them:)

Barnard College '22

Xixi Wang (BC '22) is an art history major whose favorite color is turquoise. Xixi says, “I hope my piece serves as a reminder of finding a place where you feel the most safe, supported, and loved, even during times when you feel like you don't belong. Thank you to my lovely cast for turning my vision into a reality. I'm so excited to watch you all kill it on stage!” 

Watch Xixi's piece here!

Barnard College '21

Tamryn Hodge (BC ’21) is an English major with a film concentration whose favorite colors are orange, blue, and gold. Tamryn says, “My piece is essentially a story about a couple playing video games, from the POV of the characters. I really wanted this to be a feel-good kind of piece, a little bit of partying, and a smidge of cute. Even if you have no idea what’s going on, I hope you still leave having had a good time. <3”.

Watch Tamryn's piece here!

Producer

Sophie is a junior in the Barnard/JTS dual degree program studying Dance, Education, and Modern Jewish Studies. She is the producer of Orchesis and the Mama Project, a co-president of Movement Exchange and choreographing a fall show with CMTS. Sophie also enjoys spending time in Barnard’s Movement lab exploring dance and technology, and working with children at the Mark Morris Dance Center.  When she is not involved all things dance (which is rare) she can be found giving tours as a Barnard Student Admissions Rep., working (but mostly socializing) at the TIC, tending to her plantstagram, or showing strangers pictures and videos of her 2 year old nephew (the short film of him saying avocado is a fan favorite). 

Sophie has many favorite moments in Orchesis including getting a spirit award her first year and choreographing a piece with Kosta last semester that, at one point, had 80 dancers. To most, this might sound overwhelming, but Sophie will do anything for Orchesis. Sophie inspires all of us to be as involved in the dance community as we possibly can, even if that means we only have time to grocery shop at midnight at Morton Williams like she does!

Barnard/JTS ‘21

This is Sophie’s 8th semester in Orchesis and 3rd semester choreographing! Sophie is a senior at Barnard/JTS majoring in Dance, Education, and Modern Jewish studies. Over the past few years Sophie has spent 90% of her time in a dance studio either dancing with Orchesis or the Dance Department, and choreographing for CMTS or the Varsity Show. Off campus, Sophie teaches at the Mark Morris Dance Group and interns at the Joyce Theatre. Sophie has many emotions about this being her last semester in Orchesis, and would like to thank all those who made her dreams of wig piece possible and tolerated her shenanigans for four years. Sophie will miss the costume closet most of all.

CUPAL Liaison

Sophie, our wonderful CUPAL liaison, is a sophomore in Columbia College studying Sustainable Development!  Outside of Orchesis, she keeps busy with Columbia Theta, Consilience Journal of Sustainable Development, and interning at a NYC-based climate action group (we love an environmentally-conscious queen 🍃)!  Her favorite Orchesis memory is meeting her best friends in the whole world, and she loves baking, Bernie memes, TikTok, and the Bachelor!

Treasurer

Savannah, our amazing Treasurer 💸, is studying Dance and Medical Humanities in GS! When she’s not coordinating Orchesis financials, she leads her own funded research project at the Edward Hand Medical Museum (cool, right?). In non-pandemic times, she also teaches dance and acrobatics while working as a freelance dancer and actress (she is a busy gal <3). Her favorite Orchesis memory is Orchy Sundays and she loves cats and taking care of her plant babies 🌱

GS ‘22

Savannah is a Medical Humanities major in GS. Outside of Orchesis, she also enjoys working as a freelance dancer and actress, and teaching dance and acrobatics (just can’t stop dancing!). She also leads her own funded research project with the Edward Hand Medical Museum (even though she likes to procrastinate on her research). Savannah loves dancing and spending time with her Orchy fam more than anything else though!

Barnard College '20

Sarah Hanrahan (BC '20) is a biology major whose favorite colors are blue, green, and purple. Sarah says: “My piece is an upbeat piece about learning not to take things too seriously, but my cast has been working so hard this semester and I love them all so much. ”

Watch Sarah's piece here!

Public Relations Chair

Sanjana Marcé is a junior at Columbia College studying Math and Computer Science, and most importantly, a promo queen! As Orchesis Co-PR Chair, Sanjana uses her talents to spread orchy love far and wide at Barnard and Columbia. She even designed the website you’re using right now with our Chair, Gianna Raimo! When Sanjana isn’t trying to get you to come to the next Orchesis event (although, arguably, she never stops), you’ll probably find her choreographing her Orchesis piece, pretending to do work in Milstein in head-to-toe Orchesis gear, or thinking about her cats. 

What’s more, Sanjana graced both the 2018 and 2019 MaMa Projects with her presence and incredible dancing. Her favorite Orchesis memories include late night rehearsals with her stunning casts and, in true PR chair fashion, using her collarbone sling as real-estate for Orchesis show flyering. 

Columbia College '21

I had an incredible semester building grooves on these talented dancers, and I’m so appreciative of the fearless energy and endless support they brought to every rehearsal. To my beloved cast, thank you for sharing your creative hearts and delayed bedtimes with me. Each of you are such uniquely stunning movers, and I ~oh wonder~ how I got so lucky every day.

Watch Sanjana's piece here!

Columbia College '21 

Sanjana Marcé (CC '21) is a math and computer science major whose favorite color is blue. Sanjana says, “Come see my shining stars take the stage TOMORROW as I force my unparalleled love of Billie Eilish onto the Orchesis community yet again. I am so proud of these stunning movers and grateful for their willingness to wreck their sleep schedules and bruise their knees for this piece. You don't want to miss them!”

Watch Sanjana's piece here!

Columbia College ‘21

Sanjana is a senior at Columbia (but a Barnard babe at heart) double majoring in math and computer science. When not knocking over her living room furniture in an Orchesis Zoom rehearsal or spamming her cast group text with cat and plant pictures, she can be found TAing Discrete Math or working as a research assistant in the Barnard CS department. This is her 8th (and final:() semester in Orchesis and her 7th semester choreographing! Her cast brings her endless ~dopamine~, and she can’t wait for you to experience their good vibes in her last Orchesis piece.

Barnard College '22 & Barnard College '22

Posey Cohen (BC ’22) is a sociology major whose favorite color is pink, and Sarah Beck (BC ’22) is an anthropology major whose favorite color is orange. Both coming from the suburbs of Chicago, Sarah and Posey (better known as Sosey) love hip hop, LOVE their cast, and are not actually related in any way. Coming together to choreograph during their third semester in Orchesis, this piece encompasses the fun and "aggressive" style of hip hop they love to do. They have had the best time every Sunday coming together to laugh and dance with their cast and cannot wait for the show!

Watch Posey and Sarah's piece here!

Costume Coordinator

Olivia Roche is one of our four fabulous costumers! A friendly, thoughtful, and talented Pisces, Olivia is a Senior majoring in Political Science with minors in both Dance and Spanish. When she is not furiously washing and folding Orchesis costumes, Olivia can usually be found in Milstein picking a new topic for her 30 page poli-sci colloquium paper or chatting about her favourite professor. Olivia spends the rest of her time as the treasurer of Movement Exchange and attending chapter meetings for Gamma Phi Beta. 

On the weekends, you can catch Olivia death dropping and singing the words to Lip Gloss by Lil Mama, or watching West Wing or Greys Anatomy in her cozy bed. Olivia has been lovingly named the mother of her suite as she is an amazing cook and lovingly takes care of all her suitemates. Olivia’s favourite Orchesis moment has been choreographing a wonderful Jazz piece with a kick line in it, and her cast being so amazing!

Barnard College '20

My piece is a jazz piece to song, called “Done,” off my best friend Rachel Lachaga’s EP, “Can You See Me?.” It has been so much fun bring both my choreographic vision and Rachel’s song to life this semester. My cast has been so patient and energetic throughout this entire process and I cannot wait to see them absolutely kill it on stage!

Watch Olivia's piece here!

Barnard College '20

Olivia Roche (BC ’20) is a political science major whose favorite color is orange. Olivia says, “Endings are hard. Sometimes we hold onto relationships for longer than we should because of that. My piece is about learning when to move on-- or at least trying to. ”

Watch Olivia's piece here!

Columbia College '22 & Barnard College '21

Nicole ‘Yellow Baby’ Kohut (CC '22) and Gianna Raimo (BC '21) are English and economics majors whose favorite colors are yellow and baby green, respectively. Gianna and Yellow (Gello) have had the best time dancing with their gellies to the greatest hits of Britney Spears. They can't wait to show you how fabulous the gellies are. You’ll just have to come to the show and see for yourself. Gello out.

Watch Nicole and Gianna's piece here!

Costume Coordinator

Nicole “Yellow Baby”  Kohut is a sophomore at Columbia College studying English and Economics. As a costumer on the Orchesis board, Nicole brings to the team a spirited enthusiasm rivaled only by her passion for dance itself. Nicole is an energetic participant of both Orchesis and the MaMa Project, in addition to CU Generation. Outside of dance, she applies her many talents as a contributor to the Columbia Federalist and the Blue and White Magazine, as well as participating in the Columbia Law School Mentorship program. 

Also among her incredible skills lies her exceptional ability to hatch a hatchimal in under 10 seconds. Nicole's favorite Orchesis moments so far include learning the meaning behind her Orchesis nickname "Yellow Baby" (coined by Orchesis Chair Gianna Raimo upon seeing her in a yellow shirt) and meeting all her dance friends!

Barnard College '19 & Columbia College '19

To our beloved willow gang: 16 semesters and no one’s moved us like you do! Thanks for shaking and grooving with us, babies! Much love, the twins.

Watch Nadia & Melody's (Meladia's) piece here!

Barnard College '20

Mira Tignor (BC '20) is a political economy major whose favorite color is purple. Mira has danced in Orchesis many a time, but this is her choreographic debut! She wants to thank her cast for the dedication, effort, and laughter they all bring to rehearsal.

Watch Mira's piece here!

Barnard College '22

Michaela Fleischer (BC '22) is an English and dance major whose favorite color is royal blue. Michaela is a sophomore and is so excited to be choreographing for Orchesis! A fun fact about Michaela is that she has had six pet mice throughout her life, who were almost all named after characters from the Peanuts Comics. She is so thankful to have had such an amazing and dedicated cast and has had such a great time working with them. Inspired by the movement quality of hip hop, her piece, Moonlight, is set to classical music and explores themes of separation and isolation, juxtaposed with unity and conformity. She would like to thank the Orchesis board for all their hard work and can't wait for future semesters!

Watch Michaela's piece here!

Columbia College '19

This piece was choreographed collaboratively between Marya and the other dancers involved. We talked and danced about the limitations we and society put on our bodies, and the things we are proud we can do. As you watch the dance we have created, feel free to ask and answer these questions for yourself, and cheer “Heck yeah!” for yours and others accomplishments.

Watch Marya's piece here!

Public Relations Chair

Liz, one of our wonderful PR Chairs, is a freshman in CC studying Computer Science and Dance! Liz is an incredible dancer for the MaMa Project, and beyond Orchesis, she’s heavily involved in the Columbia community as an editor for the Grey Matters Neuroscience Journal and a member of Questbridge and CUSP Alliance. Her favorite part of Orchesis has been meeting the greatest people! In her free time, Liz loves crossword puzzling, journaling, and taking care of her plants! :)

Barnard College '20 

Lauren Wilmore (BC ’20) is a comparative literature major whose favorite colors are blue and green. Lauren can’t wait for you to see her piece (and the 14 other student choreographed numbers)! She says, “This fun song about having a great time with your friends was featured on the Norwegian TV show, Skam. “5 Fine Frøkner” translates to “5 Fine Ladies,” and this piece is danced by 20 fine frøkner! Jeg elsker dere, takk for alt!”

Watch Lauren's piece here!

Public Relations Chair

Lauren is a sophomore in Columbia College majoring in Psychology. While psychology is her main course of study, most of her time is spent dancing with the MaMa Project, CU Generation, Orchesis, and Nu Dance. Lauren is also Orchesis’s Co-Chair of Public Relations and encourages you to follow us on Instagram (@columbiaorchesis) and like us on Facebook! She is an incredibly wholesome human who is a volunteer for the Community Lunch Soup Kitchen as well as the Chair of Marketing for the University Life Events Council. 

When she isn’t dancing, Lauren maintains the picture of grace and elegance: she can be found falling down stairs and flaunting her collection of fun crew socks with Birkenstocks.

Columbia College '22

To my incredible cast: thank you for sharing your Sunday nights moving and grooving with me. I sincerely apologize for the injured mess that is me, but I cannot imagine having my first Orchesis piece being danced by any other group. You all truly Breathe Life into me and push me to be a better dancer and choreographer every rehearsal. Thanks for all the laughs and all your hard work bringing this piece to where it is now!

Watch Lauren's piece here!

Columbia College '21

Lauren Ogden (CC ’21) is a computer science major with a statistics concentration whose favorite colors are light pink and dark green. Lauren says, “I’m so excited for my Orchesis choreographic debut, and I’ve loved every minute of setting this fun and sassy piece! To my cast: thank you for your endless hard work and patience (especially that one time when I couldn’t stop coughing), as well as your willingness to show up to our 11pm rehearsals! Now let’s go be the rich girls we all know we are.” [you have to come to the show for context about that last line]

Watch Lauren's piece here!

Columbia College '21

Lauren is a senior in Columbia College, majoring in CS and concentrating in statistics. She has been a part of Orchesis since her freshman fall semester and cannot believe she’s about to finish her eighth semester in Orchesis, and seventh show (darn corona). When she’s not dancing she is most often eating pasta and knitting like the 80-year old woman she is.

Columbia College '19 & Barnard College/Jewish Theological Seminary '21

Kosta and Sophie have spent the semester collaborating on the open level Orchesis piece and an upcoming evening-length show for CoLab Performing Arts Collective. For our open-level piece, the goal was to empower all the dancers, from beginners to advanced, to feel comfortable in their skin and to let their personalities fully come through on stage. Thank you to our gorgeous cast for every moment of dedication, professionalism and pure joy. We collaborated on the choreography with our dancers, and the result is a fierce, radiant celebration that we cannot wait to share with you all.

Watch Kosta and Sophie's (Sosta's) piece here!

Space Coordinator

Kennedy Salamat, our amazing Space Coordinator, is a sophomore in SEAS studying Computer Science on a pre-med track! Outside of Orch, you can catch Kennedy TAing, serving on the Engineering Student Council, helping with biomedical engineering research, or giving tours of our lovely campus. You would be shocked to learn that Kennedy learned her first tiktok last semester during our TiktOrchesis show. :0 Beyond learning tiktok dances, Kennedy’s favorite part of Orchesis has been meeting so many amazing people! In her free time, she loves to bake, play the piano, and paint. <3

Archivist

Kelly is beautiful Barnard-babe in the class of 2023 majoring in Neuroscience & Behavior on the pre-med track and possibly minoring in Science & Public Policy. This year Kelly is reprising her role as our lovely Archivist and her favorite Orchy-memory is instigating a controversial debate about the proper utensil to eat mac and cheese with (She stands on #teamspoon). Outside of Orchesis, she’s keeping extra busy all over the Barnumbia campus doing Neuropsych research, UnTapped, the MaMa project, McAC, PULSE, and Synapse. She has a love for making crafts for her friends, fueling her coffee addiction, and showing people pictures of her dogs.

Treasurer

Behold Kat Bartley, treasurer of Orchesis, and self-proclaimed “guardian of bread.” Kat is a senior at Barnard studying Political Science & Ancient Studies. If you can’t find her grinding in Diana or bopping with Onyx, she is working as a Peer Career Advisor at Beyond Barnard. That’s right, this woman can wip up a MEAN cover letter in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, and she is more than willing to help any friend in need. When Kat is not dancing, planning the futures of her clueless friends, or writing Orchesis grants, she is most likely playing Sims (very masterfully) and/or utilizing her flexible hips to “spider walk” around the room. 

Kat’s favorite Orchesis moments include receiving a box set of 50 Shades of Grey and a t-shirt that says “‘That’s what’ -She” from her cast. In short, Kat is the female, less offensive, incarnate of Michael Scott and we ~treasure~ her deeply.

Barnard College '20

Kat Bartley (BC '20) is a political science and ancient studies major whose favorite color is blue. Kat says: “My piece is a contemporary dance to a dope Daughter song. My super talented cast has worked so hard to make the piece look beautiful and I'm SO proud of them! Come see them SLAYYY!”

Watch Kat's piece here!

Costume Coordinator

Julia is one of our incredible costumers! She is a sophomore at Barnard majoring in Psychology and minoring in Science and Public Policy. When she is not busy being an iconic pillar of the Orchesis community, she can also be found doing incredible things with MaMa and the Peer health exchange. While she cherishes all of her memories in Orchesis, Sunday morning WIPs and midnight rehearsals will always have a ✨  special ✨  place in her heart. She loves cooking and her dogs (who she dearly misses), and don’t try to convince her to give up coffee, it’s not going to happen.

Barnard College '21 & Barnard College '21

This semester we have teamed up to choreograph a fun, throwback lyrical piece to Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.”  It has been our pleasure and privilege to work with so many terrific dancers; they have filled our rehearsal process with so much love and laughter. To our cast: thank you for dealing with our chaotic, but exciting collaboration process... zoanna would have nothing without you all <3 (also thx mom- <3 gianna)

Chair

Gianna Raimo is the Chair of Orchesis, yet despite her title, you will never find her sitting still. She’s a bold, beautiful, and busy Barnard junior majoring in Economics & English and (potentially) minoring in dance. When she’s not planning board meetings with E-Board or designing this website with PR Chair Sanjana Marcé, you can find Gianna explaining the Barnumbia relationship to confused dads on campus tours or educating the youth as the Scholarship Director for her sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. 

Gianna has loved performing at Columbia for the past four semesters through Orchesis, the 2018-2019 MaMa Project, and the Barnard Dance Department. In her free time, Gianna is an avid pug enthusiast and enjoys following pugs (both on Instagram and on the streets). Not surprisingly, her favorite Orchesis moment was when her cast gave her a stuffed pug that played a section of music from her Fall 2019 piece, “Kill the Lights.”

Columbia College '20

To my beautiful, sassy, lovely cast: thank you so much for making this semester of choreographing for Orchesis such a blast! My vision for this piece was to capture the feeling of moving on and the excitement behind what the future might hold, and I’m so proud of everyone for helping me bring this vision to life. Every rehearsal was so much fun, from me never knowing the lyrics to the songs to everyone laughing at how fast the tutting was - I’m so glad you all stuck with the piece, and I can’t wait to see it on stage!

Watch Emily's piece here!

Columbia College '20

Emily Li (CC '20) is a computer science major whose favorite colors is yellow. Emily can tell you how to get anywhere in NYC via subway by memory, and, unsurprisingly, the yellow line is her favorite. Emily is choreographing a hip-hop number to Saweetie’s ICY GRL, Cuco’s Bossa No Sé, and Lizzo’s Boys and Juice.

Watch Emily's piece here!

Costume Coordinator

Eliza is a sophomore in Columbia College and one of our lovely costumers. She is in the class of 2023 and is majoring in English with potential concentrations in gender studies and sociology. Eliza also danced with UnTapped when the pandemic allowed, but when she is not dancing she is busy being a senior editor for the  Blue and White Magazine, writing for Unpublished and Lithium, and occasionally contributing to campus literary magazines. Our favorite writer also has a miniature Dachshund named Ulysses (follow him @ulyssesthedoxie), and is currently obsessed with those super satisfying soap making and resin art TikToks. Eliza’s favorite part of Orchesis has been meeting new friends and reuniting with old ones!

Chair

Elin, our lovely Orchesis Chair✌️, is a junior at Columba College studying neuroscience. Besides Orchesis, Elin is also involved in Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal, Columbia University Orchestra, Undergraduate Recruitment Committee, and the Columbia Outdoor Orientation Program🌱. Her favorite Orchesis memories are the wacky late night rehearsals, having full Orchy Sundays with her partner in crime, Xixi, and of course, finding a community with the most amazing people💜 Besides hyping up Orchesis, Elin also enjoys rock climbing, so slide on into her DMs if you wanna rock climb together!

Archivist

Elena Gadekar is a junior at Columbia College studying Neuroscience and Behavior with her eyes set on a doctorate in physical therapy. When Elena is not working for Orchesis as archivist, she is probably overseeing NuDance as their Founding Vice President or training at Grassroots Fitness Project. Elena finds it ironic that she's from California but allergic to avocados. Like is that even allowed? 

Elena's only claim to fame is being on Dance Moms Season 6 Episode 21, at which point she realized the whole show is a lie. If you would like to grab coffee with Elena make sure it's in her google calendar, because as she says "if it's not on my gcal, i won't be there." Since joining Orchesis her freshman fall, her favorite memory has been dancing in Nadia's "groove army" and she can't wait to groove some more with all her friends.

Columbia College '24

Clara is a freshman at Columbia College, and she currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Outside of Orchesis, she is involved in CU UNICEF and Womankind, but she spends most of her time with her two cats Mochi and Kookie. This is her second semester with Orchesis, and she is very thankful to all the club members for being so welcoming and kind :)

Costume Coordinator

Claire Johnson is a first-year at Barnard College bravely studying Neuroscience. Besides living up the STEM life, she devotes most of her time to her role as Costumer for Orchesis. As one would assume, her dedication to being the best costumer ever can be quite taxing, so don’t be surprised if you catch Claire napping in peculiar places–the girl needs all the sleep she can get!

While her intelligence and amazing dance abilities precede her, one may not know that Claire once went three weeks without drinking water. Curious to know more? Take her sailing! Or, better yet, offer her Annie’s White Cheddar Mac and Cheese and an assortment of chocolates. 

Barnard College '19

To my amazing, fierce, beautiful, and extremely talented Broadway stars, thank you for fearlessly embarking on this theatrical, sassy jazz adventure with me. From your amazing ability to do any choreography (including our chair- eography) to your incredible stage presence, you never ceased to make my Sundays so bright with your energy, enthusiasm, humor, and kindness. You all win the Tony for Best Dancers in a Musical, and I couldn’t be more proud of how brightly you shine!

Columbia College '19

After three years of being on CU Generation, this semester on Orchesis is my first opportunity to choreograph an entire piece of my own, and working with my cast has been such a fulfilling experience—they’ve been so hardworking, attentive, and open to everything I’ve thrown at them. One of my main goals for this piece was to bring my urban/hip hop experience to the Orchesis community, and in return they’ve made me so proud to see them work together and help my ideas come to life.

Watch Chris's piece here!

Columbia College '19

For my last hurrah in Orchesis, I really wanted the audience and my cast to have an incredibly fun time jamming out to a true bop. I’d like to thank Japanese martial arts, Disney’s Jump In!, and Channing Tatum for inspiring some of the movement in this piece. As always, I am super appreciative of the Orchesis board for the opportunity to choreograph and my wonderful cast, especially this time for dealing with the entire slew of jumping animal names that I placed at the top of every email. You grasshoppers rock!

Watch Chelsea's piece here!

Columbia College '20

Bri Alico (CC ’20) is a biology major whose favorite color is yellow. Bri says, “My piece this semester is a sappy, feel-good lyrical dance that I’ve channeled all of my mixed feelings about senior year into. I’m really looking forward to seeing my cast perform on stage; their energy and beauty makes me so happy that I decided to choreograph this semester!”

Watch Bri's piece here!

Public Relations Chair

Billie, one of our incredible PR chairs, is a Junior at Columbia College studying Political Science and Economics. When she’s not putting up the best PR content out there, Billie is a staff writer for the Blue and White Magazine and a devout member of the ski club (and women’s ski team)! While she misses in-person Orchy life, her favorite Zoom Orchesis memory is playing Among Us with Xilin’s cast last semester. She might be obsessed with Mott’s fruit snacks, named her puppy Ruthie (after RBG of course) and is a co-parent of a snake named Lucifer!

Columbia College '24

Bella is a first year in Columbia College thinking about majoring in econ and film. When she's not dancing with Orchesis you can find her acting in a NOMADS production, advising with Matriculate, or lobbying with CU Dems. Like most sane people, she loves TikTok, Kate McKinnon, and Trader Joes. She's loved getting to dance in two Orchesis virtual productions and is even more excited to meet and dance with everyone on campus next year!

Barnard '23

Ava is a sophomore at Barnard College who is over the moon to be choreographing in an SNL-themed Orchesis this spring! This is Ava's fourth semester in Orchesis and her second semester choreographing. Originally from Southern California, Ava is now living in NYC and can be seen drinking an iced coffee from Hungarian on a daily basis - no matter the weather. Her piece this semester is a sassy jazz/hiphop number to Dula Peep Dua Lipa's 'Levitating', and considers her performance at the Grammy's to be, in the words of Ms. Lady Gaga, "life-changing, brilliant, incredible, spectacular, never-been-done-before". When not creating Spotify playlists, rewatching SNL skits for serotonin, or reminding people that she has the same birth chart as SZA, Ava can be found exploring NYC with friends, getting into heated conversations about various podcasts over brunch, and definitely not (;)) watching Love Island. In addition to Orchesis, Ava is also involved in WBAR, Barnard Zine Club, Columbia Delta Gamma, and Ratrock Magazine.

Social Coordinator

Meet Athena Pagon, our beloved Social Chair! Athena is a sophomore at SEAS studying Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Dance. When she’s not planning events for Orchesis, Athena is busy with MaMa, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Caribbean Students Association (CSA), Christian Union, and the Engineering Recruitment Committee (ERC). Her favorite Orchy memory is watching her beautiful cast perform her Lion King choreography in Streng. Athena loves painting, tie-dying, embroidering, and obsessively using the :) emoticon.

Barnard '23 & Barnard '23

Anais Arguello (she/her) and Julia Tannenbaum (she/her) together are ANULIA! They are both Barnard sophomore Psychology majors. They are also both 5’1” and sometimes share pants. They also both ALMOST live on the beach, but not quite. Outside of being choreographers this semester, they are also co-costumers on board AND both participating in MaMa this year. So…basically, they are the same person. Outside of orchesis they actually do have lives of their own! This is Julia’s first semester choreographing and Anais’s second semester choreographing for Orchesis. Other than that, their lives are pretty much the same...anyways…they are both so incredibly proud of their cast and can’t wait to share their work with everyone on April 10th!

Costume Coordinator

The incomparable Anais is one of our three costumers this season. She’s a Barnard babe in the class of 2023 planning to major in Psychology on the pre-med track with a potential dance minor. When she’s not bringing her signature energy to Orchesis rehearsals, she’s killing it with the Columbia Dance Team, being a part of Columbia Bioethics Society and Women in Medicine, or working at a speech perception psych lab. Her favorite Orchy memory is, of course, meeting her best friends. This STEM queen and dance extraordinaire is also learning to cook and be a plant mom, so if you have any tips for her, drop them below!

Costume Coordinator

Amanda Klepper is a sophomore in SEAS and also a ray of sunshine disguised as a dancing bean. She brings an element of happiness and humor with her to every rehearsal, which all of her castmates appreciate deeply. When she is not dancing with Orchesis or CU Gen, she enjoys baking vegan treats, making hummus, and canoeing (generally not all at once). 

Amanda is one of the newest Orchesis board members, balancing her time between her duties as a costumer and her studies as a Mechanical Engineering student. We love Amanda and all that she is!

SEAS '22

Amanda Klepper (SEAS '22) is a civil engineering major whose favorite color is rainbow (how apt for this colorful show!). She is a sophomore, and this semester, she is choreographing a contemporary piece to “Loved Ones” by Armando Young. She is so grateful to her wonderful cast for all that they have put into the piece, and she can’t wait to see it on stage!

Watch Amanda's piece here!

Barnard '21

Abigail is a Barnard senior double majoring in biology and dance. This is her fifth semester in Orchesis and third time choreographing. She is also this year’s MaMa Project choreographer (follow @mamaprojectcu for show updates!) and proud cat mom to self-proclaimed Orchesis mascot, Sir Comet. Outside of Orchesis, Abigail can be found working at the Neurorehabilitation Research Lab at Teachers College and testing wastewater for COVID-19 as a lab assistant in the Barnard Biology Department. She is so excited for you to see the amazing energy and joy her cast has brought this semester— you don’t want to miss this show!!