Eona (she/they/TA) is from Huntsville, Alabama where she began their dance training with Huntsville Community Ballet and Alabama Youth Ballet Theatre. They then attended Butler University, graduating with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and a Chinese language minor.

Post-graduation, she joined Ballet Theatre of Indiana, as a dancer & backstage crew, until the 2020 lockdowns started. At the start of 2023, Eona joined Winifred Haun & Dancers as a company dancer. Outside of dance, they are also an Eagle Scout, have studied Taichi and Wing Chun, and enjoy cooking.

Robin Davis (she/they) is a dance artist based in Chicago. Robin is a native North Carolinian who began their formal training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts High School Contemporary Dance Program. She graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Dance and a BA in English on the Creative Writing Track in 2019. While in Chicago, Robin has had the privilege to work with Meadows Dance Collective, Darvin Dances, and Red Clay Dance Company. They have also presented their own choreography at Dance Chance, Jello, and Common Ground and are the 2024 Khecari Resource Share Residency Artist. She is so excited to be starting her first season with Winifred Haun and Dancers.

Vernon Gooden (he/him) is originally from Dallas,Texas. Mr. Gooden began dancing at the age of 11, and graduated from the acclaimed Booker T. Washington High School For The Performing and Visual Arts in 2001. He received a Level I ranking from the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts as a high school senior. He was later nominated by NFAA and was named by The White House Commission as a 2001 Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Mr. Gooden continued his training at The Juilliard School under the direction of the late Benjamin Harkarvy and Larry Rhodes.  He has performed with noted companies such as Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre, Joel Hall Dancers, and Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre. He performed works by Paul Taylor, Katherine Dunham, Donald McKayle, Bill T. Jones, Milton Myers, Cleo Parker Robinson, Nai-Ni Chen, Adam Houghland, Ronald K. Brown, Jessica Lang, Christopher Huggins, and Kevin Iega Jeff. Mr. Gooden joined WH&D in the fall of 2019

Crystal Gurrola (she/her) is a dancer, yoga teacher, and graduate student of Traditional Oriental Medicine. In high school she trained with Visceral Studio Company, then went on to receive her BFA in Dance from the University of Iowa in 2016. After graduating, she traveled to Japan on a dance performance contract with a well-known theme park. After a year of adventures abroad she returned home to Chicago to continue her career in the performing arts, and joined Hedwig Dances. Ms. Gurrola started dancing for Winifred Haun & Dancers in January of 2021, just one week after beginning her master’s degree at Pacific College of Health and Science.

Joi King  (she/her) is a young dancer from Chicago with the desire to share her passion. Right after graduating from high school she joined Winifred Haun & Dancers as an apprentice. She was promoted to company dancer in her second season. As a dancer she is always looking for opportunities to expand her craft, one tool she uses to further her career is her blog Enjoi Dance which is a space for her to encourage, support, and inspire other young dancers. Joi is so grateful for the gift of dance in her life, and aspires to share the experiences that it has given her with her community. 

Bio Coming Soon

Julia Schaeffer (she/her) is originally from California, and she began dancing at age 13. She received her BFA in Dance Performance from Chapman University where she studied ballet, jazz, modern, and contemporary. After graduation, Julia danced with the Lineage dance company for four years where she had the privilege of performing and teaching community outreach classes. She relocated to Chicago in the summer of 2019 and danced for South Chicago Dance Theatre as a guest artist at Night Out in the Parks, Kaela Norwood in Fused, and Mariah Eastman in Patternalia. She joined Winifred Haun & Dancers in 2021 and was promoted to Assistant Choreographer in 2023.

Lacy Slaats (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, originally from northeast Wisconsin. She received her BFA in Dance from The Ohio State University in 2023 where she also worked with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and BalletMet. Lacy has performed works by Martha Graham, Anna Sokolow, Bebe Miller, Abby Zbikowski, Crystal Michelle Perkins, and more. In 2022, she assisted in the reconstruction and teaching of the lost dance of Balanchine’s Agon-The Gailliard for artists of the New York City Ballet. Her choreographic work has been recognized and restaged to perform internationally. She joined WH&D in 2023.

Sasha Yakovenko hails from Metro Detroit, where they trained in dance throughout the majority of their youth. At the age of 18, Sasha went on to study at the University of Michigan, later graduating with degrees in Dance and Neuroscience. After a short stint working in marketing and graphic design, Sasha moved to Chicago with the goal of further exploring dance, choreography, and art-making. Outside of dancing, they make a living working at StretchLab, tutoring students, and freelancing as a video editor, music producer, and graphic designer.

Dillon (he/him) started training at the age of 13 at his home studio in California. Dillon later studied at the University of California, Irvine where he received two BFAs for Dance Choreography and Dance Performance, and was the recipient of multiple scholarships. While at UCI Dillon performed works by Lar Lubovitch and Vitor Luiz DeSantos. He was a trainee with Visceral Dance Chicago and worked with Braeden Barnes, Tina Diaz, and Caitlin Cucchiara. He’s also had the opportunity to work with renowned choreographers such as Ethan Colangelo, Nicole Von Arx, Alex Ketley, and Nicole Hennington. Dance is a way of life and exploration for Dillon and he is constantly enthralled by the many creative and physical possibilities of dance. Dillon’s very excited and amped up to start his first full season with Winifred Haun and Dancers.

Summer Smith (she/her) grew up in NJ and trained at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia. She received scholarships to study at Rock, Orlando Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Summer attended The University of the Arts where she earned a BFA with honors in Dance/Painting. She went on to dance with Ballet 5:8, then Moonwater Dance Project. Summer performed soloist and corps roles in works by Hanna Bricston, Christine Cox, William Forsythe, Noelle Kayser, Ronen Koresh, Kevin McKenzie, Preston Miller, Marius Petipa and others. Summer taught and choreographed throughout the Chicagoland area for 10 years. Her choreography received distinctions at RDA and YAGP, and she set work for professional companies, schools and universities. Summer joined Winifred Haun & Dancers in 2017, and was promoted to Assistant Artistic Director in 2020. In 2023, she retired from performing and relocated to Nome, Alaska where she remotely serves as the Managing Director. Summer is grateful for this company, and the opportunity to support it from behind the scenes. 

​Ariel (she/her) grew up in Chicago. She began her formal training at The Chicago Academy for the Arts under the direction of Ana Peskevska and Randy Duncan. Ariel went on to further her studies at SUNY Purchase College in New York where she graduated with a BFA in dance. Throughout her four years of study she worked with many notable choreographers, including- Nelly Van Bommel, Pam Tanowitz Jonathan Alsberry, and Ori Flormen.

Ms. Dorsey then danced with Winifred Haun and Dancers for many years, where she served as Assistant Choreographer and performed soloist roles. She also performed with Banks Performance Project, Moonwater Dance Project, and in the dance ensemble for Porchlight Music Theatre's production of Memphis.

She became the Rehearsal Director for Winifred Haun & Dancers in 2023.