Hilary Libman
Artistic Director
Hilary Libman is a versatile choreographer, performer, teacher and business woman. Her choreography has been performed at the American College Dance Festival, on sidewalks, up stairs, in Central Park, on exercise equipment, at the Florida Theater, in a warehouse and often down the aisles of the grocery store. As a dancer, she has appeared with such companies as the Illinois Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, and West Florida Ballet. She has performed lead roles in many original contemporary works and such ballets as "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", "Paquita", "Carmina Burana", "Alice In Wonderland", "A Mid-Summer Night's Dream" and "The Nutcracker". Hilary is passionate about sharing her voice through movement and helping others to do the same. She can be found teaching ballet, modern, conditioning, improvisation, choreography & composition, classical variations & even a jazz class or two. She holds her BFA in dance from Jacksonville University and has trained with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Sarasota Ballet, West Florida Ballet, Royal Academy of Dance, Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School, and Dance New Amsterdam. Hilary is a certified Pilates instructor, a world traveler, and she also helps her husband to run a successful printing & graphic design business.

Back to Top

Artistic director of B-Dance, has extensive experience as a professional dancer, teacher, producer and choreographer in San Diego, California. She has had the opportunity to train and perform with Faith Jensen-Ismay, Michael Mizerany, John Malashock, Allyson Green Dance, Joe Alter Dance, Patricia Rincon Dance Collective, the PGK Project, Patricia Sandback and Dancers and Jean Isaacs' San Diego Dance Theater at events such as Bravo San Diego, Celebrate Dance Festival and Trolley Dances. In 2005 Lara graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance and was named the Outstanding Graduate in Dance for San Diego State University. Since then she has performed nationally and abroad with Malashock Dance Company and Mojalet Dance Collective. Lara is also the co-founder and producer for IGNITE, an annual choreography showcase in San Diego. Lara and her husband are enjoying their new home in Jacksonville Beach, Florida where she is excited to be working with the Braided Light Dance Project and teaching at The Ballet Arts Center.

Back to Top

Originally from Columbus Ohio, Elizabeth began her dance training at BalletMet Academy, where she trained six days a week, and had many opportunities to perform with the professional company throughout the season. At the age of 15 she joined Youth Met, the studio's traveling, youth company, where she performed throughout the community, and worked on repertoire by Maurice Hines, Dwight Rhoden, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Elizabeth recently graduated from Jacksonville University with her BFA in dance performance, and minor in psychology. Throughout her time at JU Elizabeth took multiple study abroad trips, where she had the opportunity to travel to Nepal, Egypt, and Israel. In 2010 she traveled with a group of dancers to Curaçao where they taught various classes, and performed eight original pieces including a duet choreographed by Elizabeth. While gaining her BFA Elizabeth was in many performances on campus and throughout the community, including such places as the White Oak Plantation, and the American College Dance Festival Association. Since graduating JU in 2011 Elizabeth has begun teaching dance, as well as working on personal choreography. She recently had an original work showcased in the Orange Blossom Dance festival in Orlando. Elizabeth is currently in the process of researching and applying to graduate school where she hopes to gain her masters in School Psychology.

Back to Top

Originally from Massachusetts, Kaitlyn began dancing at age 6. She had the opportunity to study with numerous studios and teachers in the New England area, most notably a summer with Parsons Dance in NYC. Kaitlyn recently attended Jacksonville University as a dance major where she worked with many guest artists including Takehiro Ueyama, Jennifer Muller, and Mary-Ann Black. As an undergraduate, she also taught and performed on the island of Curacao during a study abroad trip, and took part in the American College Dance Festival. Kaitlyn is so excited to be a part of the Braided Light Dance Project and to see where her dance career will take her.

Back to Top

A graduate of Florida State University, with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance. While at FSU Sydney was a member of Florida State University's Dance Repertory Theatre for three years. As a company member of DRT she was able to work with guest artists Stephen Koester, Alan Danielson, and Michael Foley. For the past two years Sydney has been invited to dance in the Von Ussar Dance Gallery Festival in New York City. Raised in Jacksonville, Florida she has been dancing since the age of four, training in ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, and tap. Sydney attended LaVilla Middle School of the Arts and went on to graduate from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in 2007, majoring in dance. At Douglas Anderson she was a member of Dance Theatre for three years, which allowed her to work with and perform pieces by many different guest artists. Some of which include; Alonzo King, Eddy Toussaint, Ronen Koresh, Bill Evens, Larry Kegwin and Edgar Zendejas.

Back to Top

Stephanie has been dancing all her life and enjoys incorporating other art forms with dance. Choreography--to see a dance take shape and connect with an audience--has always been a part of her love for dance and performing. She has performed professionally as a choreographer, vocalist and dancer throughout the United States, as well as Jamaica, Wales, Hungary and Norway. Stephanie has been a guest artist and choreographer for various studios, churches, theaters, colleges and companies. By incorporating many dance genres, she enjoys stretching the definitions of each dance style and challenging dancers to experience more in their art. Stephanie wrote, choreographed and produced shows for three consecutive IndyFringe Festivals, drawing an audience from over 10 states each year. Through her dance and production company, Firefall Dance Theatre, she continues to create shows and looks forward to sharing them in Florida. Since returning to her hometown of Jacksonville, Stephanie is excited to dance and choreograph with Braided Light Dance Project.

Back to Top

Dawn is a native of Jacksonville where she attended Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. She went on to dance at Florida State University where she had the opportunity to work with many renowned teachers and choreographers. Dawn also had the opportunity to participate in a two week residency in Minnesota with Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's infamous dance company, Urban Bush Women. In 2003 Dawn was a member of ROAR, the cheerleaders for the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars. Most recently she performed with Cooper Morgan Dance Company where she worked with Savory Morgan, DeWitt Cooper, Michelle Ottley Fisher and Kavin Grant. Dawn is thrilled to be working with the Braided Light Dance Project.

Back to Top

Originally from Reading, PA, Dara began dancing at age three. She received a B.A. with Honors in Dance with concentrations in Performance and Teaching/Choreography from Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA in 2008 and has trained at such institutions as the Wyomissing Institute of Fine Arts, Berks Ballet Theatre, and most recently, The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, PA. She has had the opportunity to attend and perform at the American Dance Festival, The Paul Taylor School, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. Ms. Swisher has been featured in numerous classical and contemporary works, including those by George Balanchine, Bill Evans, Jonathan Phelps, Christopher Fleming, Jessica Lang, and Teena Custer. She has been choreographing since 2002 and her work has since been showcased by the Rock School for Dance Education, American College Dance Festival, Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet, and the Mercyhurst Dancers. She performed and collaborated as a member of SoMar Dance Works and choreographed and taught for Erie Dance Conservatory Company, where she also served as ballet mistress, promotions coordinator, and company soloist. Ms. Swisher has been performing with Braided Light Dance Project since 2009 and also continues to choreograph new works for the Project. She is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Choreography at Jacksonville University and teaches dance at numerous studios in the Jacksonville area.

Back to Top

Graduated from Columbia College Chicago with her Master's Degree in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling and a Graduate Laban Certification in Movement Analysis. She recently moved from Chicago to Jacksonville to take a job as a Dance/Movement Therapist and Counselor in a neuro-rehabilitation facility. Ande has been dancing since she was 3, is a principal artist with Core Project Chicago, and has performed as a guest artist and choreographer with Matter Dance Company. She has also performed and choreographed in Columbia College's Dance/Movement Therapy student, faculty, and alumni concerts. Her movement style is influenced deeply by contact improvisation, yoga, Bartenieff Fundamentals, and Authentic Movement. Ande is passionate about creativity and health, performance as therapy, Authentic Movement, and reclaiming dance as an inseparable part of life by dancing in grocery stores, natural spaces, down streets, through hallways, in water, in office buildings, and dining rooms. Originally from a small town in Idaho, she is often drawn to nature and wide-open spaces and finds much peace and healing when moving and creating in these settings. She loves interpersonal neurobiology, swimming in lakes, mountains, ocean dancing, toads, lightening bugs, traveling the world, books, singing, water, and the color green. She is looking forward to carving out her next life adventures and is excited to be a part of Braided Light.

Back to Top


Photography by: Kyle Caldabaugh