Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement

We are thrilled to welcome Lindsay Lykins to our 2026 Summer Intensive faculty!

Lindsay Lykins is a movement artist, dancer, and choreographer originally from Roseville, California where she received her early training at the Northern California Dance Conservatory. Here, she first discovered her deep passion for communication and expression through movement. She then went on to study at the University of Southern California and now holds her BFA in dance from the Glorya Kaufman School and a BA in Psychology from the Dornsife College. She has studied a diverse range of street and concert dance styles, and has a fascination with researching the choreographic process. She has premiered many original choreographic works in the Los Angeles area, and recently founded an organization HAD Collaborations which aims to create accessible experiences for humans, artists, and dancers to collaborate. Currently, Lindsay is working as a freelance dancer, dance teacher, and choreographer.

We are so excited to welcome Lindsay to Connecticut this summer! Don’t miss the opportunity to train with this incredible artist and educator. Apply today through the link in our bio!

🗓️ June 22–28, 2026
📍 Trumbull, CT
Where Movement Becomes Meaning

Apply today! Link in bio.

2026 Summer Intensive Faculty Announcement!

We are thrilled to welcome Layla Gallegos to our 2026 Summer Intensive faculty!

Layla Gallegos began her training at Dance Arts Studio in Broomfield, Colorado, at the age of three. Pursuing a B.F.A. in Modern Dance, Layla is a rising fourth-year student at the Point Park School of Dance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the university, she has had the opportunity to perform in works by Martha Graham, Al Blackstone, Akira Uchida, Norbert De La Cruz III, Jessi Stegall, and many others. Layla has deepened her artistry and training at summer programs such as the Ballet BC 44 Summer Intensive, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and programs at Orsolina28 with Juliano Nunes and Peter Chu.

Layla joined Colorado Dance Initiative under the direction of Kelly Archer during its first season in 2019 and has performed with Chadash Contemporary Dance since 2021. Layla is passionate about the connection between movement, intention, and expression, continuing to explore how deep storytelling can go through dance.

Join Layla and our incredible faculty this summer for an immersive week of training, growth, and artistry.

🗓️ June 22–28, 2026
📍 Trumbull, CT
Where Movement Becomes Meaning

Apply today! Link in bio.

Introducing Morgan Cargas to our 2026 Summer Intensive Faculty!

Pennsylvania native Morgan began dancing at age three and trained in contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop before joining a nationally ranked hip-hop team at Morton’s Dance Center. She later earned a Graphic Design degree from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania while leading and choreographing for the university dance team.

Morgan has won multiple choreography awards and competition titles for her dynamic, high-energy work. Now based in Colorado, she is the co-owner of The Movement Project, where she is passionate about teaching dancers of all ages to build confidence, creativity, and strong technical foundations through movement.

We are so excited to welcome Morgan to this year’s intensive and cannot wait for our dancers to learn from her artistry and energy. 

Apply now for our 2026 Summer Intensive.
Where Movement Becomes Meaning. Link in bio!

✨ Is your dancer thinking about a future in dance beyond high school? ✨

Whether they dream of attending a university dance program, conservatory, or pursuing concert dance professionally, finding the right guidance and training can feel overwhelming. That’s where the Colorado Dance Initiative comes in.

CDI was created to help serious young dancers bridge the gap between studio training and the professional/conservatory dance world. . . all while continuing to train at their home studios.

CDI may be the right fit if your dancer is:

• Interested in pursuing a university or conservatory dance program after high school, but unsure how to navigate the process
• Looking for a program that connects studio dance training with the expectations of collegiate and concert dance programs
• A competitive dancer who is curious about exploring contemporary and concert dance in a deeper way
• Seeking opportunities to take class, rehearse, perform, and be mentored by working professional dancers
• Wanting to supplement their current training while connecting with dancers from studios across the Denver area

Through masterclasses, mentorship, rehearsals, performance opportunities, and exposure to professional-level contemporary dance training, CDI helps young artists grow not only as dancers — but as thoughtful, versatile, and creative movers.

✨ Train. Create. Connect. Grow.
✨ Expand your artistry beyond the competition stage.
✨ Discover what’s possible for your future in dance.

📍 Upcoming Auditions:

June 6th at 11:00 AM
Artistry Dance Movement — Broomfield

August 15th at 5:00 PM
The Movement Project — Lafayette

Additional audition opportunities will be announced soon.

🎥 Online auditions are also being accepted through August 17th.

Spots are limited for the upcoming season.

For audition details, online audition submissions, and more information about the program:
https://www.chadashcontemporarydancemovement.com/colorado-dance-initiative

2026 Summer Intensive Faculty

Introducing Simon Zinabu Costello!
Simon began his dance training at Southold Dance Theatre in Indiana, where he performed leading roles including Franz in Coppélia, the Cavalier in The Nutcracker, and Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty. He earned full scholarships to prestigious summer programs including American Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, and Colorado Ballet before continuing his training at the Palucca University of Dance in Dresden, Germany on full scholarship.

Simon began his professional career with Colorado Ballet in 2018 and most recently danced with LA Ballet. Since 2017, he has been a part of the Chadash family, sharing its passion for bringing hope to a broken world through dance and artistry.

We are so excited to welcome Simon to Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement Summer Intensive this June!

🗓️ June 22–28, 2026
📍 Trumbull, Connecticut
🔗 Apply now — link in bio

We are excited to welcome Holly Dubé, Founder and Artistic Director of The Dubé Collective Pre-Professional Company, to The PRO Experience Summer Intensive.

Northern California native Holly Welpott-Dubé earned her BA in Dance: Performance and Choreography from Saint Mary’s College of California, where her choreographic work, She Remembers, was selected for the American College Dance Association National Gala.

Alongside her professional performance career with companies including Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theater, Ballet Hartford, and Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement, Dubé has remained deeply passionate about teaching, mentorship, and choreography. Drawing from her experience in both collegiate and professional dance settings, she is committed to providing dancers with intentional training that bridges artistry, technical excellence, and professional preparation for the next generation of artists.

Apply for our 2026 Summer Intensive today. Link in bio.

Introducing our 2026 Summer Intensive Faculty

We are excited to welcome Jason Poullard to The PRO Experience Summer Intensive hosted by The Dubé Collective.

A California native, Jason holds a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in Drama from the University of California, Irvine. He has performed with renowned companies including JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble and Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement, where he currently serves as a Principal Dancer and Master Class Teacher. Jason is passionate about sharing the artistry and vibrancy of contemporary and jazz dance with the next generation of artists.

Apply for our 2026 Summer Intensive today. Link in bio.

Introducing our 2026 Summer Intensive Faculty!

We are so excited to welcome Kelly Archer, Director of Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement and Colorado Dance Initiative, to The PRO Experience Summer Intensive, hosted by The Dubé Collective.

Kelly brings an incredible depth of artistry, mentorship, and professional experience, and we are honored to have her join us for this immersive week of training.

Apply for our 2026 Summer Intensive today! Link in bio

Meet the poets! John O’Donohue
About our poet-
O’Donohue was an Irish poet, philosopher, former priest, and author known for popularizing Celtic spirituality. Raised in Connemara and County Clare, he studied English, philosophy, and theology at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1979. He later earned a PhD in philosophical theology from the University of Tübingen, focusing on Hegel, and pursued postdoctoral work on the mystic Meister Eckhart. His bestselling book Anam Cara (1997) brought him international recognition as a writer and speaker. O’Donohue left the priesthood in 2000 and also became known for his environmental activism, helping preserve the Burren landscape in County Clare. Later in life, he spoke widely on creativity, beauty, and leadership.

Our inspo-
His poem “For a New Beginning,” published in To Bless the Space Between Us (2008), is a beloved blessing about embracing change, releasing what no longer serves us, and stepping into new possibilities with courage and hope.

Our piece Chadash and -
Hope, was inspired by the writing of John O’Donohue, one of Artistic Director Kelly Archer’s favorite poets. While our concert begins with Age of Anxiety, honestly acknowledging the state of the world and the unease it can produce, we wanted to end where we always strive to end: firmly rooted in hope. In this way, the piece reflects both our concert title, Moonlit Verses in the Ashes, and our mission statement: “to stand in the ashes of the barn burned down and point to the moon — one foot in suffering, one foot in hope.” Through Hope, we seek to embody that tension: recognizing pain and darkness while still reaching toward beauty, light, and possibility.

Meet the poets! Shakespeare:
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. Often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon,” his surviving works include 39 plays, 154 sonnets, 3 long narrative poems, and other verses. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway at 18 and had 3 children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he built a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men. He wrote most of his works between 1589 and 1613. His early comedies and histories were followed by celebrated tragedies such as Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. Later, he wrote tragicomedies including The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest.
In 1623, fellow actors John Heminges and Henry Condell published the First Folio, preserving 36 of Shakespeare’s plays. In its preface, Ben Jonson famously praised Shakespeare as “not of an age, but for all time.”
Our inspo-
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 104 reflects on beauty seeming untouched by time, while Sonnet 30 explores memory, grief, and the healing power of friendship. Puck’s final monologue in A Midsummer Night’s Dream breaks the fourth wall, asking the audience to see the play as a dream and connecting theater with reality.
Our Chadash Piece —
The Strength Between Us Inspired by both Shakespeare and Pride & Prejudice,
explores sisterhood and the power that emerges when women exist in community. Shakespeare and Jane Austen wrote during times when female strength was often viewed as unconventional, yet their works reveal the beauty, resilience, and power found in women supporting one another. Through fellowship, connection, and shared strength, this piece celebrates the enduring power of female community.