Monica Ordoñez
Founding Artistic Director
Monica Ordoñez is a Big Easy Award-winning choreographer based in New Orleans. Originally from Miami, Florida, she discovered her passion for choreography at a young age, rooted in a harmonious connection between movement, music, and cohesive narrative. Shortly graduating from Tulane University with a double major in Dance and Paralegal studies, she was selected by the Paul Taylor Dance Company as one of six choreographers to present work at the Marigny Opera House’s 2012 New Dance Festival, catapulting her into the dance scene in New Orleans. In 2014, Monica conceived Mélange’s mission and cofounded the company with Alexa Erck. Monica pours enormous thought and meticulous research into her works to fulfill a vision that is purposeful, truthful, theatrical, and dynamic. She has choreographed numerous big easy award nominated productions that each uniquely integrate storytelling, history, and themes of humanity that inspire, educate, and entertain, often bringing little known stories to the forefront. Monica is grateful to have worked with so many talented dancers, musicians, collaborators, and artists that help achieve a rich vision and is excited to continue growing and inspiring positive change in the world through dance.
Alexa Erck
Founding Executive Director
Alexa Erck Lambert is originally from Wilmette, Illinois. Alexa began taking ballet class at the age of 12 and studied at the Center of Creative Dance and Ballet Chicago. She performed with Ballet Entre Nous and Kinesis Dance Company before heading to Tulane University where she studied Cellular Biology, ballet and modern dance and performed with Newcomb Dance Company. In New Orleans, Alexa performed with Tsunami Dance Company, New Orleans Dance and Alternative Collaborations. Alexa also had the opportunity to work with teenagers at New Orleans Hope Stone to facilitate the choreography of a ‘public health’ dance. In 2014, Alexa co-founded Mélange with Monica Ordoñez.
Adrienne Simmons
Adrienne Simmons is a dancer, singer, and actor, who began their formal ballet training at Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre. Adrienne has trained at intensives nationwide including DanceWorks Chicago, University of the Arts, Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, Peridance Center, Brenau University, Dallas Ballet Company, The Washington Ballet, and Nashville Ballet. She holds bachelor's degrees in business management and theatre and is completing her master’s in business administration at UNO. Adrienne focuses on work with inclusive representation for diverse audiences in hopes of widening perspectives.
Blake Bellanger
Blake Bellanger is a graduate of University of North Carolina School of the Arts, receiving a BFA in Contemporary Dance. He started dancing in the small town of Clinton, North Carolina when he was 9 years old. In 2018, he was accepted into UNCSA for his senior year of high school, where he was first introduced to modern dance techniques, such as Limón and Cunningham. After high school, Blake decided to continue his studies at UNCSA with the addition of a minor in Arts Administration. Following his graduation in 2022, Blake began his professional career with the Marigny Opera Ballet in New Orleans, Louisiana and went on to perform for other UNCSA alumni as well as with Melange Dance Company. In addition to this, Blake is also a touring member of Momix, a Connecticut based dance company known for its innovative physical theatre and dance illusion. For Blake, dance is about making connections with others through the artistic expression of human emotion and story. This is Blake's second time performing with Melange Dance Company after the premier of Speakeasy in Fall 2024.
Cade Garafola
Cade Garafola, 22, is a performer from New Orleans, LA. In the past, Cade studied Musical Theatre, including tap, jazz, ballet, vocal, and acting training, at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, with additional dance training from the Metropolitan Dance Theater of New Orleans. Following his time in New Orleans, he studied Film and Television production at the University of Colorado, where he took on executive creative roles in a number of short films, including "Dependent" and "The Coldest Night of the Year" (2022). Today, he is a student at Tulane University, studying Environmental Studies and Public Health. Recent theatre and dance credits include 42nd Street (Tulane Summer Lyric), Something Rotten! (Rivertown), Speak(Easy), and Upstairs Lounge (Melange Dance Company).
Cailyn O'Hara
Cailyn O'Hara holds a BA in Music Industry Studies with a minor in Dance from Loyola University New Orleans (2019) as well as a Masters degree in Social Work from Tulane University (2021). She began classical voice studies at an early age under the tutelage of Jun Suh and eventually moved on to train with Jack Beetle in Houston, Texas, and then Quiana Lynell after moving to New Orleans in 2019. Cailyn started her dance training in ballet, jazz, and contemporary much later on, and is forever grateful to her instructors from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Houston, The Coffeemill Dance Studio in Key West, Loyola's dance department (Alyssa Stover) and Tulane's dance department (Nicole Buckels). Outside of her time performing, Cailyn has a full time job with Preservation Hall, LLC and The Preservation Hall Foundation as their Box Office Manager and Donor Relations Manager, and works as a freelance stage manager and event coordinator on the side. Cailyn joined Melange in the late stages of "Love Letters of World War II" in 2019 when the show first premiered, and is elated for the opportunity to dance the role of "Christine" once again.
Clinton Parfait
Clinton received his dance training from LSU and the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre in modern, ballet, and jazz. He danced with Mélange from 2015-2019 and performed in Once Upon a Dream, Herstory, Journey of Dreamers, La Résistance, and his first lead role with the company Love Letters of WWII. After a little break, Clinton was honored to return to perform with the company as a lead dancer of “The Upstairs Lounge” show. This company has been one of the reasons why he keeps moving, he keeps showing up, and be a part of something special!
Cullen Barrilleaux
Cullen Barrilleaux is a dancer and performer from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a graduate of Northwestern State University of Louisiana and received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a Minor in Dance and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. While at Northwestern State University, Barrilleaux has performed works by several choreographers and found a strong interest in tap and contemporary, as well as choreography and composition, having multiple works produced and performed in the university’s spaces. He now resides in Mandeville, Louisiana, regularly commuting to New Orleans for performances, rehearsals and classes as well as touring nationally.
Cynthia Jickling
A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans with a degree in Mathematics and a proud Dance Major alumna of Philadelphia’s Creative & Performing Arts High School, Cynthia blends her passion for movement and mentorship as a high school teacher and dance coach in New Orleans. She is grateful for every opportunity to dance, grow, and inspire within her New Orleans community and especially honored to dance with Mélange Dance Company!
Elijah Krieger
Elijah since birth has been surrounded by art; he discovered his deep appreciation for storytelling doing community theatre with his oldest sister. He then studied dance under Tara Brewer for 10 years in the styles of ballet, contemporary, and jazz. He’s constantly humbled and grateful to be a part of a community and company that knows the weight and importance of being an artist. He promises to continue to push himself to further his passion and further his skill in storytelling.
Emily Thibodeaux
Emily Thibodeaux is a Louisiana-born writer and proud Francophone of Cajun heritage. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University and teaches French locally, bringing language and storytelling into her teaching. A lifelong dancer and performer, Emily has collaborated on creative productions across Lafayette and New Orleans, performed as a backup dancer, and appeared in burlesque shows. Her stage work blends theatricality, movement and the oral traditions of her community. This is her first show with Mélange Dance Company, and she looks forward to contributing her voice, and storytelling to the company’s collaborative work.
Gia Martinez
Gia Martinez is a singer, dancer, choreographer and producer born and raised in Houston Texas, where she trained classically in ballet and modern dance. She received her BA in Theatre & Dance from the University of Houston and now produces events in Houston, New Orleans & New York City with a mission to uplift BIPOC performers. Gia has performed burlesque across stages in Paris, Italy and Mexico. She is the proud producer of Ficheras: Live Latin Band & Burlesque in New Orleans & Houston and Jabbas Palace: a Star Wars burlesque revue in New Orleans. Gia is based in New Orleans, Louisiana where she is excited to perform with Mèlange Dance Company!
Hannah Alexis
Hannah Alexis (She/They) is a multidisciplinary artist from New Orleans, Louisiana. She attended New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Interlochen Arts Academy, where she trained in musical theatre, graduating with honors at both. She currently studies Theater, Dance & Media and English at Harvard University. She has performed in various productions like Pippin (Leading Player) at NOCCA, Fantômes Deux (Julie) with Mélange, Jekyll & Hyde (Emma Carew) at Harvard University, Late: A New Musical in Concert (Billie) at Berklee College of Music, and Wild(HER) (Her of The Butterflies) with ELLEvate Dance Company to name a few. She is an artist who emphasizes art as a way to “reflect the times.”
Jakki Kalogridis
Jakki Kalogridis is a disabled dancer, choreographer, visual artist, and writer. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the co-founder of Shoestring Dance Residency, a two-week choreographic residency emphasizing process and movement research. She has been a featured designer at New Orleans Fashion Week and various other runway shows, ran a costume design business (2002-2018), founded and directed New Orleans Colorguard Arts (2015-2019), and taught countless colorguard programs across 3 states (2001-2019). Her first book, The Immortality of Zeno, is set to be released in 2026.
Jay Canova
Jay is a New Orleans native and a Northwestern State University graduate with a BS in Theatre. While the study of acting and directing was his focus, he was always excited by movement. After studying different dance styles with varying results, he landed a role in NSU’s Modern in Motion. Since graduating in 2017, Jay has performed in productions around the city, including The Polar Express, as well as the Tennessee Williams Theatre Company’s The Mutilated and Suddenly Last Summer. He is honored by both the opportunity and challenge of being cast alongside the wonderful dancers within Mélange. As a former professor of his said, “the point of performing is to move others to move others.” It is his hope that through art and community we all push for a brighter, more empathetic future.
Joanna Farley
Joanna Farley grew up in dance studios around New Orleans (shoutout to all her teachers at New Orleans Dance Academy, Ballet Hysell, and NOCCA!). She's been delighted to get to dance with Mélange starting in 2023 and has also joined other local dance projects including the Forest Dance Project, Neal Todten's House of Direction, and the Missalettes. Beyond dance, she produces youth radio with Be Loud Studios and supports community storytelling, planning & design projects throughout New Orleans.
Julia Lemann
Julia Lemann (Lemon), is a New Orleans native dancer and acrobat. She performs locally as a stilt walker, and dances with Melange Dance Company, Nox Chroma Cabaret, and recording artist Boyfriend. She served as a choreographer and Creative Director for Fusion Dance Troupe in Boston, and teaches with the Country Day Creative Arts Program and the International School of Louisiana. Through a widely varied training experience, Julia has become fascinated with the multitude of distinctions and intersections between different styles of movement and their ability to heal, communicate, and entertain. Julia would like to thank Jessica Tzur for handstand coaching, and Pitch Catch Circus for partner acrobatics training.
Kristina Ganssle
Kristina Ganssle is originally from Baltimore, MD and has lived in NOLA since 2017. She studied dance and photography at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia where she was grateful to train with Curt Haworth, Christine Cox, Roni Koresh, Kim Bears-Bailey, and Jesse Zaritt. Upon graduating, Kristina freelanced and danced with Deep Vision Dance Company and The Collective in Baltimore, where she worked collaboratively with dancers, musicians, and other artists to perform, participate in arts based community outreach projects, choreograph, and help organize/dance in art and movement festivals. She does photography for local dance artists (including Mélange!) and works at the Children’s Hospital as a nuclear medicine technologist.
Lauren Saizan
Lauren Saizan is a dancer originally from New Orleans, Louisiana. She has appeared in several Mélange performances including RISE, Fantômes, selections of HerStory, and The UpStairs Lounge.
Natalie Sunseri
Natalie is a local dance artist who grew up training in the New Orleans area. She holds a BFA in Dance with an emphasis in Performance and Choreography from the University of Southern Mississippi. She has danced with and trained under artists and companies including Bill Evans, Axis Dance Company, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance Company, Full Radius Dance, Brian Martinez, Karen Barbour, Stephani Kammer, Denise Oustalet, Victoria Pizzo, and others. Since returning to the New Orleans area, she’s understudied for the Marigny Opera Ballet, choreographed for and performed in Maya Taylor’s Making Space, and performed with Melangé Dance Company. Natalie also teaches dance locally at multiple studios and has choreographed junior productions for Rivertown Theaters, allowing her to develop and nurture her love for dance education. Outside of all of her dance-related work, she also works as a full-time Newborn Hearing Screening Technician at Ochsner Baptist and Ochsner Kenner, helping to get early intervention for newborns who need it. After making her debut in Speak(Easy) in 2024 and performing with the company occasionally throughout the past year, she is thrilled to return for her second evening-length work with Melangé Dance Company!
Tyler Watkins
Tyler is a Multi-faceted artist with a deep admiration and respect for ballet. His exploration in performance has led to countless opportunities to collaborate with others. After a notable period working in musical theatre, he turned his attention to other mediums of creativity such as costuming, set design, burlesque, and artistic direction. After moving to New Orleans, Tyler quickly established a connection with the city’s prosperous, welcoming art scene and continues to be an ambassador to the arts.
