CO/LAB Dance Company - NMU Theatre and Dance

Natalie Albertson (CO/LAB Dance Company Apprentice) is a freshman dance major at NMU and is thrilled to be in her very first show here! Natalie is forever grateful for the support of her friends, family, and home studio, and can't wait for her first college performance experience!

Rhea Bar-Ziv (CO/LAB Dance Company Apprentice) is in his second year at Northern Michigan University and is pursuing a BFA in Acting. This is his first year in the CO/Lab dance company and he is very excited to be able to do his first dance show alongside such a talented and supportive cast. You may have recently seen him perform in Northern's Production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing as Borachio. He was also casted as Magenta in Northern's 2025 Fall Production of The Rocky Horror Show.

Sydney Baudin (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is currently a sophomore dance and biology major at NMU. She has been dancing for 17 years and this is her first year in the Co/Lab Dance Company. You may have previously seen her in Home for the Holidays (2024) and Cheers To Love (2025).

Payton Beckering (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is a sophomore pursuing a double major in Dance and Art and Design, with a concentration in ceramics, and a minor in Psychology. Prior to attending Northern Michigan University, she trained and performed with Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey, Michigan, where her featured roles included: the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Little Mermaid, Mothra, and the Evil Queen. Payton has also participated in summer intensives with Carolina Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, and Sacramento Ballet. She is very excited to be a first-year member of the Co/Lab Dance Company!

Joshua Bianca (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is a third year student who is majoring in musical theatre and minoring in dance. He is thrilled to be a part of Cupid's Cabaret and get the opportunity to work with such a talented group of people. Joshua has previously been seen in, Love Is A Buring Thing, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Into The Woods, Cabaret, and the North Coast Dance Festival. Joshua can’t wait to continue his theatre journey at NMU and he is thankful for all of his family, friends, and faculty! @joshuabianca_

Delaney Brennan (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is a sophomore at NMU majoring in biology with a concentration in physiology and a minor in dance! She has trained in various styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, and modern for the past 16 years. Delaney has previously been seen in Home for the Holidays (2024) and Cheers To Love (2025). She is a first year full company member of Co/Lab Dance Company and is thrilled to debut her own choreography on the stage this year. She is forever thankful for the support of her family, friends, and dance mentor Hannah Machado!

Kayleigh Clark (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is a Junior at NMU majoring in Musical Theatre. Some of her previous shows include Into The Woods, The Last Five Years, and Anything Goes. This is her first year in CO/LAB and she is so excited to share the stage with so many talented and inspirational people! She would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support.

Don'Tae Da'Marcus (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is a third year student in the Musical Theatre program. He is more than excited to show everyone what the Co/Lab Dance Company has been working on as this piece is a piece everyone can see a little bit of themselves in. "What's so beautiful about Johnny Cash is that it's about love. The love of a human who's seen, felt, and grieved. something that I'm going through, something we all go through, something human, and beautiful." Mitchell said. You can see what he's doing next and keep up with him through instagram @Dontaedamarcuss

Olivia Forsyth (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is ecstatic to be making their FRT debut with Co/Lab Dance Company! Olivia has been dancing for fourteen years and now, in their second year of college, is pursuing a minor in dance and a major in Secondary Education English. Studying at NMU has been an amazing experience for Olivia, and being able to dance alongside all these wonderful people has only made it better!

Jordyn Hopfensperger (COLAB Dance Company Member) is so excited to be a host alongside the incredible Sophia Zavala in this year’s Holiday Soirée, Cupid’s Cabaret! As a junior double major in Musical Theatre and Dance, Jordyn has previously been seen in numerous NMU productions, including Into the Woods, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret, Anything Goes, and Spamalot. Jordyn is also a third-year member of CO/LAB Dance Company and has been featured in both previous Holiday Soirées! Jordyn is incredibly proud of this amazing cast and crew and cannot wait to keep this super fun holiday tradition going! @jordynhopfensperger

Xander Martin (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is a 3rd year Dance Major in Northern Michigan University and is very excited for his 3rd year in Co/Lab. From being in Co/Lab's Carnival of the Animals, Alice In Wonderland, and multiple different NMU productions, he is ecstatic to give this performance everything he's got for the audience.

Sara Neva (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is a second year student at NMU, majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Dance. She grew up dancing at Superior School of Dance in Hancock, Michigan. Sara is thrilled to be a returning member of the Co/Lab Dance Company, and Love is a Burning Thing is her fifth NMU Theatre and Dance production following Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jesus Christ Superstar, Alice In Wonderland: An Immersive Experience and Home for the Holidays. She hopes you enjoy the show!! ig: @sara.madeline.neva

Mark Simons (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is a Junior musical theatre major at Northern Michigan University. This is his first year in CO/LAB and his first all-dance performance, so he is very thankful to Karina Johnson and the whole company for being so welcoming. Recently, Mark has played Kenickie in Grease at the Woodstock Playhouse, Frank 'n' Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, and Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar, both at Northern. He looks forward to being in Cupid's Cabaret and 9 to 5 in the coming season.

Cayden Smaka (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is a junior at NMU, majoring in BFA Acting with minors in Marketing and Piano. He is exuberantly thrilled to be a part of the 25/26 Co/Lab Dance Company! Cayden is also really good at Just Dance 3, and his favorite song is "Livin' la Vida Loca." Off stage, you can find Cayden at craft fairs, skipping stones, lying in the dirt, probably biking, or in the woods! He loves his family and friends and is grateful for their constant support. He has had an amazing time working with all these wonderful people on this show, and he hopes you all enjoy it! Instagram: Boomsmakalaka

Caydence Sturtevant (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is in her third year of studying business management and dance at Northern Michigan University. In her collegiate dance career, she is a third-year full company member of Co/Lab Dance Company and played Chaos Alice in Alice In Wonderland last winter. She was also featured in The Rocky Horror Show, Home for the Holidays, Cheers to Love, and Anything Goes. Before her college dance experience, she participated in competitive dance for ten years, receiving Title Champion awards among several other high-point awards. Caydence also had the opportunity to perform in The Great Russian Nutcracker with the Moscow Ballet twice before pursuing a degree in dance. IG: @caydencesturtevant

Josie Truckey (CO/LAB Dance Company Member) is a third-year dance major at NMU. Josie grew up in Marquette and starting at the age of 3. She has been heavily involved with the local dance community ever since and has performed in and choreographed for multiple community shows. Josie joined Co/Lab Dance Company as a full company member for their 2024/25 season where she performed in the productions Home for the Holidays and Alice In Wonderland. She also performed as an ensemble member in NMU's production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2025. Josie is very honored to be returning as a member of Co/Lab this year and can't wait to perform in Love Is A Burning Thing.