The JUNTOS Alumni Board expands the JUNTOS mission by creating a network of engaged alumni. Through collaboration, networking, and mentorship we empower our alumni and current dance volunteers to become leaders in the global dance community.
Thank you to our dedicated Alumni Board who served throughout the 2019/2020 term. Michaela Ellingson, Caroline Shriver, and Julianna Bulgarelli worked with passion and dedication to the JUNTOS mission and we are so thankful for them!
MEET THE 2020/21 BOARD!
Zara Anwar
Zara Anwar is a graduate of the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California. Throughout her college career, Zara has also studied in Chicago, Los Angeles, Colorado, and New York in furthering her professional dance training. During her summers, Zara has traveled abroad to Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico with JUNTOS Collective in bringing dance to underserved communities. Connecting through movement, she found dance as a means of fostering healing, human connection and enriching the lives of children, women, orphans, elders, the abused and the ill. She is passionate about using her gift of dance to create an impact and manifest change locally and abroad.Zara plans to dance professionally in a company. She looks forward to developing her career in dance, continuing to touch the lives of others with her art. After her dance career, she plans to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and serve as a physical therapist for professional dancers.
Chelsea Enjer Hecht
Hailing from Minnesota, Chelsea is a freelance dance artist and New York State licensed massage therapist based in Brooklyn. She received her BFA in dance performance at SUNY Purchase College with a minor in arts management and her Associates in massage therapy from Pacific College of Health and Sciences. Chelsea has worked with choreographers including Lindy Fines, Sameena Mitta, Nathan Trice, Megan Williams, and Ellis Wood. She has performed in New York Fashion Week in 2015 and 2019, and has also presented her own work at Chen Dance Center’s NewSteps, El Barrio’s ArtSpace, West End Theater’s Soaking WET Series, and most recently at Fort Greene Park. She is currently working at MPower as a massage therapist and seeing private clients. Chelsea completed trainings in a variety of styles such as Swedish, deep tissue, Tui Na, Shiatsu, Thai, sports, and prenatal massage.
Julia Hallissey Horner
Julia graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in 2017. She is now based in New York City and is a freelance dancer, dance teacher, and JUNTOS Collective Communications Director, all while pursuing her Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary. She began working with JUNTOS her sophomore year of college, traveling on all abroad trips. She then completed the JUNTOSAmbassador Program and was hired on as staff in 2018. Julia founded the Alumni Board in 2019 to explore new ways to connect the expansive JUNTOS Alumni Network, provide mentorship to current participants, and provide networking and educational opportunities to the JUNTOS Community.
Coriselle Martinez
Coriselle Martinez was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She started dancing at the age of five, training with Mauro Youth Ballet Company, Ballet Concierto of Puerto Rico, School of Fine Arts in Carolina, and School for the Performing Arts. She trained in modern, ballet, jazz, urban, hip hop, belly, and salsa dance. Coriselle has performed works by Waldo Gonzalez, Ramon Oller, Raul de La Paz, Maxine Steinman, Janice Rosario, and others. She has worked in productions such as Carmen, in Limón technique, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Coppélia, and others. She has participated in events such as Hubbard Street Spring Professional Workshop, “Dance the World” parade in Disney World (Orlando), Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the NY Salsa Congress. Coriselle has been part of projects such as, movedipr (mD) by Dionna Pridgeon, Shift Dance Collective by Gabriella Bruno, and NK&D/ a movement project by Nicole Kadar. She has also volunteered with JUNTOS Collective as a professional dancer bringing contemporary dance to underserved communities locally and abroad. She graduated in May 2020 from the Ailey/Fordham BA Program as a dance major and theater minor. She hopes to expand her horizons across borders and around the world with dance through connections with people of the world.
JoVonna Parks
JoVonna Parks is a Philadelphia native where she began her intense formal training in Ballet, Horton and Graham techniques. She attended Ailey/Fordham under the direction of Ana Marie Forsythe and graduated with her BFA in dance in 2012. While in college she was a member of Ballet Hispanico’s BHDos under the direction of Nicholas Villenueve. Also while in college she attended Jacob’s Pillow for two summers as a student in the contemporary program under Milton Myers. Upon graduation she was invited to perform with John Mark Owen in John Mark Owen Presents…. In Requiem. She has had the pleasure of working with and performing works by Camille A. Brown, Ronald K. Brown, Donald McKayle, Hofesh Shector, Robert Battle, Jill Echo and many others. From 2013-2019 she performed as principal company member with Elisa Monte Dance. JoVonna has also had the opportunity and pleasure to work with Ty Jones and The Classical Theatre of Harlem in their productions of MacBeth(soldier/ensemble), The Three Musketeers(Kitty/ensemble), Antigone(ensemble) and most recently she served as dance captain their latest production of A Christmas Carol in Harlem. Alongside her performing career she also teaches ballet, modern, and contemporary techniques in the New Jersey and greater New York area. Past studios include, CenterStage( East Brunswick), Essential Elements, and Academy of Dance Arts in Red Bank, NJ. She is currently a freelance dance artist in NYC. She is excited to join the JUNTOS alumni board.
Eszti Reilly
Eszti began dancing at the age of 8 in Annapolis, MD. After graduating high school she attended The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, graduating in May of 2020. While there, Eszti worked with choreographers such as Thang Dao, Zoe Scofield, and Otis Sallid. She also trained with faculty such as Joy, Davis, Kurt Douglas, Brian McGinnis, and Alissa Cardone. During her time at the conservatory, Eszti became involved with JUNTOS during her sophomore year. She attended the abroad trip to Guatemala in 2018, the Immersion trip to Mexico in the winter of 2019, and completed her JUNTOS Ambassador capstone project in the summer of 2019 at Fundacion Margarita Tejada in Guatemala City, a school for people with Down Syndrome.