Mother's Day Tea in the Garden 2025
13th Annual Performances, May 10 & 11, 2025
Columbus Modern (CoMo) Dance Company:
Laura Puscas (Director, Co-founder), Meghan K. Western (Rehearsal Coordinator), Rani Bawa, Samantha Briggs, Lyndi Buckholz, Grace Chester, Jackie Fisher, Amanda Howard, Julie Huddleston-Reed, Maggie Liang, Aliya Myers, Faith Smith, Kimberly Taylor, Yinqi Wang
Virtual Company Members: Angela Adams, Jessica Wheeler, Kelsey Burbrink (Co-founder)
Topiary Solos
Choreography by the dancers
Music: “Prelude in E Minor - Chopin" by Michael Charles Clark.
Dancers: Aliya, Amanda, Grace, Jackie, Julie, Kimberly, Laura, Lyndi, Maggie, Meghan, Rani, Yinqi
Little Voices- Part 2
Guest Choreographer: Lindsay Hawkins (St. Louis, MO)
Restaged by Laura Puscas
Music: "Aha!" and "Bad Body Double" by Imogen Heap.
Dancers: Aliya, Amanda, Grace, Jackie, Julie, Kimberly, Laura, Lyndi, Meghan, Rani, Yinqi
To Be Seen
Guest Choreographer: Madison Pineda(Tampa, FL)
Music: “Days of Wine and Roses (Remastered)” by Jackie Gleason, "I Love You" by Son Lux, "Hearing Damage" by Thom Yorke, "Song on the Beach" by Arcade Fire & Owen Pallett
Dancers: Amanda, Aliya, Julie, Kimberly, Lyndi, Laura, Rani
In Passing
"Trees" by Faith Smith & Grace Chester,
"Sincerely Yours" by Catherine (CJ) Burroughs. Dancers: Lyndi, Amanda, Aliya
Transcend: Together We Carry On
Choreographer: Kimberly Taylor
Music: "On the Nature of Daylight (Orchestral Version)" by Max Richter
Dancers: Aliya, Amanda, Grace, Jackie, Julie, Kimberly, Lyndi, Laura, Maggie, Meghan, Rani, Yinqi
“The weird, weird thing about devastating loss is that life actually goes on. When you're faced with a tragedy, a loss so huge that you have no idea how you can live through it, somehow, the world keeps turning, the seconds keep ticking.” - James Patterson, Angel
“We bereaved are not alone. We belong to the largest company in all the world – the company of those who have known suffering.” - Helen Keller, We Bereaved
Adoring Public
Guest Choreographer: Leo Briggs (Austin, TX)
Music: "Outside" by George Michael
Dancers: Amanda, Jackie, Julie, Kimberly, Laura, Lyndi, Maggie, Rani, Yinqi
~Intermission Tea~
A Gathering of Women: Work-Anxiety-Release
Guest Choreographer: Jackie Stokes (South Carolina)
Music: “African Oasis” by Sweet Honey in the Rock, “Batucada, Brazilian Samba Rhythm” by DJ Dero
Dancers: full company
CoMo Adult Modern Dance Class (Sat, 5/10 show)
Instructor/Choreographer: Maggie Liang
Music: “Eights 90” by London Dance Collective
Dancers: Rebeka Campos-Astorkiza, Richard Fletcher, Katie Hart, Alexander Johnson, Khulan Khurelbaatar, Hannah Schmidt, Jennifer Vargo
Mixed Bliss
Choreographer: Aliya Myers
Music: "Adana" by The Raga Guide
Dancers: Amanda, Grace, Jackie, Lyndi, Rani
Mother's Day - Improvisation
Join us in honoring a mother or mother figure in your life by dancing with her! We also send love to those experiencing the pain of infertility, pregnancy loss, estrangement, or loss of a mother on this Mother's Day.
Music: “English Tea" by Paul McCartney
Dancers: CoMo & audience
C₁₈H₁₄N₂Na₂O₈S₂ (Allura Red AC, Red 40)
Guest Choreographer: Marlayna Locklear (New York)
Music: "Gardermoen" and "Tourbillon" by Julia Kent
Dancers: Aliya, Amanda, Faith, Grace, Julie, Kimberly, Laura, Lyndi, Meghan, Rani, Yinqi
DANCER BIOS:
Rani Bawa has been a dancer since the age of 4. From West Chester, Ohio, she trained under Mary St. Romain at SDA Studios, primarily in ballet, pointe, and modern, with additional training in contemporary, lyrical, & jazz. She performed in the Nutcracker yearly with her studio growing up, cast in various lead roles such as Clara, Rose, and Sugarplum Fairy. As a teenager, Rani competed with her studio in various dance competitions. She went on to attend The Ohio State University, majoring in neuroscience and minoring in dance. She is currently completing her PhD in social psychology at OSU. During her time at OSU, she has had the opportunity to perform under the direction of Kathryn Nusa Logan, Robin Prichard, and Yukina Sato, as well as take classes under the training of various OSU dance faculty. Rani found CoMo in 2023 and knew it was the perfect place for her to keep dancing! When not dancing, Rani enjoys being outdoors, spending time with her dogs, and creating pottery.
Lyndi Buckholz is originally from Jackson, New Jersey and received her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from George Mason University. While in college she got the opportunity to work with Hope Boykin on a piece called Running to and Toward Time that premiered online at the end of 2020. Throughout college she also had the chance to create several choreographic works that were performed in person, as well as online. After college, she relocated to St. Louis, Missouri where she joined The Big Muddy Dance Company (now St. Louis Dance Theatre) as a Trainee. While in St. Louis she was able to work with people such as Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Lindsay Hawkins, Robert Poe, Sara Brendel, Tasha Hinex, Natalie Williams, Jacob Henss, and Joshua Peugh. Lyndi then relocated to Columbus to work with Joshua Manculich and join Whirlwind. Upon moving to Columbus she found CoMo and knew it was a company she would enjoy being a part of. Lyndi has loved getting to learn and appreciate the arts scene in Columbus and thanks CoMo for welcoming her with open arms and helping her acclimate to Ohio!
Grace Chester: bio coming soon
Jackie Fisher is from Upper Arlington, Ohio and began dancing at the age of 3 with Marjorie Jones School of Dance. She trained in many styles including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and contemporary. She was a member of the MJCT Competition Team and competed in various regional and national competitions, including Ohio Dance Masters, under creative directors Stephanie Pritchard and Dara Berman Cheung. She received a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Health Sciences and a minor in Dance from Ohio Northern University in May 2023. She is currently in her last year of pharmacy school, expecting to earn her PharmD in May 2025. At ONU, she furthered her dance education and participated in many performances through the ONU Dance Company, training under Elizabeth Cozad-Howard, Ashley Reed, and Amanda Wischmeyer. Performance credits include The ONU Holiday Spectacular, Inlet Dance Theatre & The ONU Dance Company, Swing! The Musical, Impulse, and Looking Back, Moving Forward: Celebrating 30 Years of ONU Dance. She joined CoMo in June 2024 and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with so many talented artists in the Columbus dance community.
Amanda Howard: bio coming soon
Julie Huddleston-Reed: bio coming soon
Maggie Liang: bio coming soon
Aliya Myers has been dancing since the age of 7, first in Classical Indian Dance under Indira Satyapriya then in American styles at age 12. In high school she joined the competitive dance team at Diversion Dance Collective with Lisa Barry to further her technique and experience. Aliya has trained in mainly Contemporary, Jazz and Ballet while competing in Contemporary and musical theater styles. She later went on to attend Miami University where she completed a dance minor under the direction of Ashley Goos as well as a B.A in Biology. She was able to participate in many of the on campus performances and choreographed pieces for a dance club on campus named Miami Dance Corp. Towards the end of college Aliya knew she wanted to continue dancing and performing so she looked into CoMo, a company in which her old dance friend was already a part of. Upon joining in 2023 she knew that it was the right place for her and has gotten to work with some incredible choreographers and dancers!
Laura Comana Puscas was trained in St. Louis, MO by Todd Weeks and Jennifer Reilly of MADCO. While attending the University of Notre Dame, Laura completed the Saint Mary’s College Dance Minor program along with additional study in Notre Dame’s Film, Television, and Theater department. On campus, Laura founded ND TransPose Dance Collective, culminating in her senior project at the Snite Museum of Art. In 2011, Laura earned a BBA in marketing from Mendoza College of Business, graduating Magna Cum Laude. After moving to Columbus in 2011, Laura served as a committee member and commissioned artist for the Locality 2012 Bus Tour Dance Festival, part of the city’s bicentennial celebration. In Fall 2012, she co-founded the Columbus Modern (CoMo) Dance Company with Kelsey Morozow Burbrink. In December 2015, CoMo transitioned to a nonprofit corporation and was granted 501(c)3 status. Laura has set her choreography on the company and CoMo’s Adult Modern Dance Class along with restaging guest choreographer works. In November 2018, Laura danced as the soloist in CoMo’s restaging of Martha Graham’s “Heretic.” In 2020 and 2023, Laura was honored to return as a guest choreographer to Saint Mary’s College to set a piece on the Dance Ensemble Workshop. During the day, Laura directs digital product management for Bath & Body Works.
As a central Ohio native, Faith Smith is a well rounded dancer and teacher with extensive training in Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Modern, Creative Movement, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, & certified in Ballet Strength/Conditioning (PBT). In 2016 she began dancing at the professional level in Modern (CoMo) & Contemporary. Faith currently choreographs and performs as a company member with Columbus Modern Dance Company and projects under the direction of Cassia Cramer (W.I.M). In 2017, she was one of three American dancers accepted to train pre-professionally in a Brazilian ballet trainee program. 2018, Faith had the opportunity to dance in the historical re-staging of Martha Graham’s “Heretic” and Doris Humphrey’s “Water Study” in 2023. She enjoys telling a story with her movement and assisted in creatively producing “The Nutcracker Variation 2021” under Cassia Cramer. Faith has also won choreography and prop creativity awards at competitions. She currently teaches at Dublin Dance Centre and Gymnastics.
Kimberly Taylor is from Morgantown, WV. She realized her love for dance when she joined the modern dance team in High School. She went on to minor in dance at West Virginia University where she also got her Masters in Early Childhood Education. She danced six years with the WVU modern dance group “Orchesis” where she studied under Kathrine Wedibush. She especially enjoyed her training in improvisation. During her college years she spent several summers at Walt Disney World doing characters and parades. After college she moved to Columbus to start her teaching career with Columbus City Schools. She occasionally traveled to Pittsburgh for the next five years to perform with the modern dance group Sirens, headed by Jennifer Thomas. She spent four years teaching and doing several competitions with a ballroom dance company here in Columbus. She enjoys dancing with The Movement Mission in Dublin. She joined CoMo with the 2018-2019 Season, starting with performance "Formation: Dance Inspired by Public Art."
Yinqi Wang: is a dancer and choreographer born and raised in China. He graduated magna cum laude in Philosophy from New York University Shanghai, with a minor in Dance, where he was first exposed to contemporary dance. He was then trained by Aly Rose, a dancer for renowned Chinese American choreographer Shen Wei. Yinqi earned his MFA in Dance at the University of California, Irvine in 2024, studying and collaborating with many renowned choreographers including Lar Lubovitch, S. Ama Wray, Lindsay Gilmoure, Charlotte Griffin, and Cyrian Reed. During his stay in America, he attended Gaga intensives and the American Dance Festival studying and working with artists including David Dorfman, Billy Barry, Shamel Pitts, etc. He is connected to the contact improvisation communities in Shanghai, L.A., and Columbus. His choreography has been selected to present at Powerlong Museum in Shanghai, Pacific Symphony, Nachmo L.A., Mashup Dance L.A., Columbus Dance Theater, and New Century Dance Project. He’s currently dancing with WhirlWind Dance Company, Columbus Modern (CoMo) Dance Company, and Xclaim Dance Company in Columbus Ohio.
Meghan K. Western cannot remember a time when she wasn’t dancing or making dance. Formal classes began at age three when she wouldn’t stop running around the house. (Meghan thanks her first teacher, Cynthia Hennessey (SPCC, Moving Current) for seeing her spark, and encouraging her family to move to a new studio where she could pursue Modern dance.) Meghan trained primarily in modern and ballet, with regular study of choreography, at Firethorn School of Dance/Modern Dance Company in Tampa, FL under Lucia Hatcher, Mary Gayle Wright, and many others. She attended numerous workshops and trainings through the Florida Dance Festival, North Carolina School for the Arts, and Jacob’s Pillow. Meghan presented her first original choreography to an audience at age 15, and has continued presenting work throughout her career. Meghan graduated from The Ohio State University Department of Dance with her BFA in 2002. She has worked as a dancer and choreographer with Moving Current (Tampa), Columbus Movement Movement (CM2: Columbus), Locality 2012 (Columbus), created Duo/ ets for Columbus Civic Theater, and has been working with CoMo Dance since 2022. Meghan has also done extensive choreographic work with community and educational Theater in Columbus, as well as with vocal ensembles such as The Magpie Consort and Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus (CGMC). Meghan is a self-proclaimed ‘dance nerd’ and loves combining her study of dance history, mythology, literature, and other inspirations with her foundations in dance to create engaging work for a broad audience.
We are so grateful to all who made today’s performance possible:
- Dublin Dance Centre & Gymnastics who generously donates all of the company’s rehearsal space.
- CoMo Board Members:
Kelsey Burbrink, Mary Cecil, Terry Filicko, Renie Viola
Thank you to our individual supporters:
- Dr Parul Bawa & Mr Rahul Bawa
- Terry Filicko
- Anthony Reed
- Liz Berman
- Kendra Wilson
- Sarah Lanson
- Liz Kutzley
- Matt Vanden Eynden
- Mike Bierschenk
- C Crane
Thank you to CoMo volunteers, friends, & family for all the support!
Thank you to Dublin Arts Council for supporting CoMo Dance through a 2025 Community Arts Grant to encourage community engagement, cultivate creativity, and foster life-long learning through the arts.
