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Dance & Performance Studies Guest Artists

Each semester �ֲ���ý’s Dance & Performance Studies Program welcomes a diverse roster of artists to work directly with our students via our outstanding guest artist residency program.  These internationally renowned artists offer students a range of dynamic first-hand learning experiences via master classes, repertory rehearsals, and face to face feedback – enhancing each dancer’s networking skills and professional contacts.

Working with a steady rotation of touring artists also helps �ֲ���ý dancers experience the vast potential and varied paths within the field of movement studies – which helps each student develop their own identities as artists, scholars, and professionals.

Fall 2026

Haley Andrews – September 22 – 30

Haley Andrews (she/her) is a queer dancer, choreographer, and educator from South Shore, MA. Her creative process challenges traditional hierarchies found in concert dance by facilitating a choreographic methodology rooted in ethical practices and empathy. Haley’s choreography has showcased globally and is recognizable for her use of pedestrian aesthetics and rhythm. Her work often disrupts gender norms and shines light on social and political inequities. Haley’s choreography was showcased at Art Exhibition “America Unfinished?!” (Water Fire Arts Center in Providence, RI, 2026); Berlin Dance Film Festival (Kino Moviemento, Berlin, Germany, 2026); Small Plates Choreography Festival (New York, 2025); Salve Regina University Undergraduate Dance Concert (Newport, RI, 2021, 2023, 2025); Rhode Island Choreography Project (Ballet RI, Providence, RI, 2022, 2023); Providence College Undergraduate Dance Concert (Providence, RI, 2022); International Women’s Day Festival (MashUp Dance in Los Angeles, CA, 2019); Band Chicago Dance Festival (Hubbard Street Dance, Chicago, IL, 2019); and Boston Contemporary Dance Festival (Urbanity Dance, Boston, MA, 2018). Haley was selected as a 2025 Next Steps for Boston Dance grant recipient, which funded her current Tiny Dances project: a collection of short dance films with political narratives. When she’s not creating, she’s teaching. Haley is currently on on staff at �ֲ���ý teaching Contemporary Dance Technique for the Fall semester. Prior to this, she taught guest artist Contemporary Dance Classes at Tufts University (2025) and Harvard University (2024, 2025) and was on staff at Salve Regina University (2021-2025) teaching Contemporary Dance levels I and II. Haley just completed a year in London, UK pursing her Masters in Choreography at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and is actively showcasing work throughout the 2026/2027 season. Haley Andrews is a passionate arts advocate who works to instill social and equitable change in the world through her art.

Frankie Baron – October 19 – 23

Francesca Baron, MFA, RYT is enchanted about dance as a sustainable physical practice; and delights to be in conversation with/in movement + dance-making alongside students, collaborators and communities. She enjoys working with various demographics and uses choreography as a vehicle of connection. In the last decade Francesca has produced original work that has been presented at academic institutions, festivals, self-produced shows, film festivals, art galleries and on dance companies, studios and competition stages. Notably her choreography has been selected to present at Jacob’s Pillow and Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival. Her performance credits include dancing for companies Project 606, Trifecta Dance Collective, Leverage Dance Theater, Visceral Dance Chicago, Still Inspired, Stilgo Dance + Tech; and in works by Ohad Naharin, Lar Lubovitch, Bebe Miller + Angie Hauser, Jenna Riegel, Joy Davis, Christina Robson, Rebecca Lemme, Brian McGinnis, Roderick George, and Randee Paufve. Her on-going commitment to technical training and artistic research has prompted her to attend numerous intensives including: One Body One Career, b12 contemporary festival, The American Dance Festival, Movement Archery with Tom Weksler, Ferus Animi / Terra Nova, Relax to Erupt, FLOCKworks dance, and Vim Vigor.  Baron has held Lecturer in Dance positions at Smith College, Amherst College, Keene State College, Mt. Holyoke College and has been commissioned by Keene State College, Kenyon College, Lindenwood University, and College of Dupage to set original work. She has been an invited performing artist at College of Dupage and College of Wooster.  She resides in Western Massachusetts where she is dance faculty at Community Access to the Arts (CATA) teaching dance to adults with disabilities, School for Contemporary Dance & Thought, and Northampton Center for the Arts. Baron’s current creative project i go you go we go invites colleagues and fellow dance practitioners into a 1-1 emergent, improvisational dance practice. This hour-long studio-based research session is followed by a “cafe-date” where artists can digest and discuss the lab.  When not dancing you can find Francesca spending time rock climbing, being in green spaces, and learning more about holistic health and wellbeing. 

Spring 2027

Maya LaLiberté Gerde – March 1 – 5

Maya LaLiberté is a movement artist and educator based in Western Massachusetts. Through choreography, performance, and teaching she explores the visceral connections shared between humans during moments of intimacy, risk, presence, and play. Maya graduated from Smith College in 2018 with a BA in Dance and became a certified teacher of Countertechnique in 2022. She is part of the Bessie nominated ensemble for Faye Driscoll’s Weathering. They have toured the work nationally and internationally throughout 2024, 2025, and 2026. She had performed at many festivals including Kunsten (Brussels), FTA (Montreal), Festival de Marseille, Athens Epidaurus Festival, Autumn Meteorite Festival (Tokyo), Julidans (Amsterdam), Festival d’Automne (Paris), and Jacobs Pillow (MA). She also collaborated and performed in Driscoll’s newest site-specific work, Oceanic Feeling, commissioned by Rockaway Beach Sessions for its 10th anniversary edition. Maya has also had the honor of collaborating and performing in works by Jennifer Nugent, Dafi Altabeb, Bill T Jones, Bebe Miller, Angie Hauser, Alex Davis, Andrea Olsen, and Thryn Saxon, among others. In April 2024, LaLiberté choreographed, directed and produced Spring Ephemerals, an evening length suite of new dances in collaboration with local dancers and musicians. Her works have been performed at Bates Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, Northampton Center for the Arts (MA), Academy of Music (MA), Smith College (MA), University of Colorado Boulder, and Triskelion Arts (NYC), among others. Maya was a Guest Instructor / Performer at Wesleyan University (2023, 2025) and teaches Countertechnique classes and workshops throughout the United States.  Check Maya out on socials @mayalaliberte.

Sasha Peterson – March 29 – April 2

Sasha Peterson lives in Salem, MA, and dances and teaches in the Boston area. After graduating from Connecticut College in 2016, she has gone on to dance for, collaborate, and make work with Ali Kenner Brodsky & Co., Audrey Maclean, Betsy Miller Dance Projects, Boston Lyric Opera, Cassie Wang, Continuum Dance Project, Juliet Paramor, Lisa Race, Michael Figueroa, Shura Baryshnikov, and VLA DANCE. She is currently in process with Continuum Dance Project, Laila Franklin, and at Brown Arts Institute for CRCI's Movement in Microgravity residency. She has taught at Midday Movement Series, among many other locations, and regularly holds her own class series. In addition to being a dancer and choreographer, Sasha is also a licensed massage therapist.

Check out Sasha's Instagram or website: |

More about �ֲ���ý’s Dance & Performance Program

• The Dance and Performance Studies Major and Minor
• Dance/Performance Web Pages

Contact

Professor of Dance and Performance Studies, Cathy Nicoli, cnicoli@rwu.edu