Team
Founder & Choreographer
Faustine Lavie
Faustine Lavie, a native of Toulon, France, discovered dance at 3-years-old. She trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School before moving to New York, NY in 2015. In 2018, she graduated from The Ailey School’s Certificate Program, where she performed works by Darrell Grand Moultrie, Manuel Vignoulle, Winston Dynamite Brown, Amy Hall Garner, Frederick Earl Mosley, Clifton Brown, and Shay Bland. Professionally, Lavie danced with iKADA Contemporary Dance Company, LaneCoArts and Keiko Fujii Dance Company. She is a company member with The DynamitExperience, sarAika Movement Collective and Six Degrees Dance. She founded Faustine Lavie Dance Project (FLDP) in 2020. FLDP continues to present work across New York and Philadelphia, including the KnJ Theater at Peridance Center, TADA! Theater, Steps on Broadway, New York City Center Studios and Bridge For Dance. Faustine was awarded the 2023/2024 Artist-In-Residence at University Settlement. She is a guest choreographer for One Day Dance for their 2024 season.
Dancers
Beatriz Castro
Beatriz Castro (she/they) is a Latinx, Queer movement artist from Costa Rica. They graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Dance and a BA in Business. While at Marymount, Beatriz performed in works by Earl Mosley, Anthony Morigerato, Chase Brock, Tami Stronach, and Sidra Bell. Since graduating, Beatriz has been a member of Spark Movement Collective and Verbal Animal, while also working closely with Antonin Rioche, Catherine Cabeen, David Dorfman Dance and her peers. They have also appeared in HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness and the ON x MoMA PS1 campaign under the movement direction of Damani Pompey. Acting credits include Matthew Gasda’s Dimes Square and Invulnerable Nothing’s Barn Lab Residency under the direction of C.C. Kellogg. Internationally, she has presented work at the Graciela Moreno Choreographers Festival. Their most recent work, Flat Circles, was presented by Triskelion Arts as part of their Spring 2023 season. They have also presented their choreography at Arts On Site, Bridge for Dance, Green Space, The Mark O’Donnell Theater, and Dixon Place. Awarded residencies include: Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, MOtiVE Brooklyn, and Pepatián: Bronx Arts ColLABorative.
Mayu Nakaya
Mayu Nakaya (she/her), a native of Japan, is a NYC-based contemporary dancer and choreographer. She has worked with Helen Simoneau Danse, Obremski/Works, SAXYN Dance Work, Rogue Wave with Catherine Messina, iKADA Contemporary Dance Company, sarAika Movement Collective, One Day Dance, Yoshito Sakuraba, and Faustine Lavie Dance Project. As a choreographer, Mayu has presented work at numerous dance festivals in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Japan. She has received awards for her performance and choreography in competitions in Japan and South Korea. Mayu is in pursuit of her purest physical expression, and holds interest in collaborating with artists in a variety of genres. Mayu is the founder of MNiverse, a dance project that performs dance works with efforts of connecting with others.
Sara Pizzi
Sara Pizzi (she/her), hailing from Italy, began her dance studies with Urban Dances, performing in concerts, music videos & TV shows. In 2017, Sara moved to NYC with a scholarship to attend Steps on Broadway. She graduated from Peridance Center’s Certificate Program with a concentration in Contemporary and Ballet in 2020. Sara currently dances with The Next Stage Project, Valerie Green/Dance Entropy, Six Degrees Dance, Faustine Lavie Dance Project and sarAika movement collective which she co-founded with Aika Takeshima. Sara was a guest artist and choreographer at CreateArt, Dixon Place, Green Space, City Center Studios, Lincoln Center Plaza, Movement Research, Gibney, HERE, The Brick & more. In 2022, she premiered her first commission for “Et Alia.” Sara additionally teaches at Dalton and DanceWave dance schools; Woodside on the Move, a preschool program for seniors and kids; and serves as a teaching artist for Valerie Green/Dance Entropy and sarAika movement collective for community classes and residencies. Sara is a photography/videography assistant for BECCAVISION.
Tsubasa Nishioka
Tsubasa Nishioka (he/him) was born and raised in Japan. At 7-years-old he studied classical ballet under Atsuko Yamada, later beginning his modern training at age 9. At age 15, he studied contemporary dance under Fumihito Shimizu. Tsubasa received honors in numerous dance competitions in Japan, including 1st Place in the Chiba Selected Junior competition and 1st Place in the New Comer Performance (both sections). He performed as a soloist in “Water Flow” in both Japan and the United States, created by internationally acclaimed choreographer Fumihito Shimizu.
In 2017, he enrolled in The Ailey School’s four year program, and received a scholarship to the school in 2018. During his time at The Ailey School, Tsubasa performed “Battlefield” by Robert Battle and Elisa Clark in the Ailey Sprit Gala 2018 with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at Lincoln Center.
Professionally, Tsubasa has danced for numerous choreographers based in New York including Jiemin Yang, Matthew Westerby, Winston Brown, Manuel Vignoule, Mitzi Adams, Darshan Bhuler, Omar Roman de Jesus and Marcus Jarrel Wils. He currently dances for Faustine Lavie Dance Project, i KADA Contemporary Dance Company, Yu.S.Artistry, Accent Dance, AP Dance, Valerie Green/Dance Entropy and J CHEN PROJCT.
Annie White
Annie White (she/her) is a dancer and choreographer based in NYC. Growing up in St Petersburg, Florida, she was a dedicated skim boarder and competition dancer, and she attended the Pinellas County Center for the Arts before moving on to study at the Joffrey Ballet School, training with Michael Blake, Rena Butler, Maleek Washington, and more. Since then, Annie has been performing in the city and around the country in the freelance scene, bouncing from project to project, working with Bitedown Collective, Michelle Thompson-Ulerich, Manuel Vignoulle, Jerome Bel, Sikora+ Dance, and others. Annie is a current collaborator with LaneCoArts. Her choreographic work has been shown at Howland Cultural Center, Living Gallery, Arts On Site and The Brick Theater. She is a certified Pilates instructor teaching at the Method Collective and Moving Strength Pilates. Annie waters her plants often and has a pet snail named Chris.
Steven Orrego Upegui
Colombia native Steven Orrego Upegui (they/them) is a NYC-based nonbinary dancer specializing in concert dance and dance for film. In New York, they studied at the Joffrey Ballet School’s Trainee Program (specializing in Jazz and Contemporary), and at Peridance Center’s Certificate Program. Professionally, they have performed with numerous companies including BAIRA MVMNT PHLOSPHY, Loco7, R.Evolución Latina, XY Dance Project, Jazz Ain’t Dead, LaneCoArts, and as an apprentice with Elisa Monte Dance.
Recently, Steven was featured in notable projects around the United States including the world premiere of “On Your Feet en Español” in Washington D.C. at The Gala Hispanic Theater, and the 34th annual Easter Bonnet Competition at the Minskoff Theater. Their film work includes an extensive art installment featuring Tyler Gilstrap, and at The Windmill Factory for the Panorama Music Festival in NYC. Steven also performed at the Playbill “Courting Up” concert in Time Square, as well as Off Broadway ‘In the Boros’ live concert and The 2023 Telemundo Upfronts.
Caleb Patterson
Caleb Patterson is a dance artist based in New York City. He has performed works by several notable choreographers such as Nathan Trice, Rena Butler and Patrick O’Brien during his education at The Joffrey Ballet School in 2014. Alongside being seen in HBO’s Random Acts Of Flyness led by Domani Pompey, he has worked with artists Maleek Washington, Em Greenwell, Kayla Farrish and more. He has performed works by MATHETA dance, LaneCoArts, Spark Movement Collective, MORISATO, Kar’mel Small, Javier Padilla, Dolly Sfeir, Nicole Fuentes, and Beatriz Castro. Caleb collaborates closely with artists Michelle Thompson Ulerich and Johnny Butler, and has presented his own work at Arts On Site, TADA! Youth Theater, Bridge For Dance, The Visionary, and other selected commissions. He has performed in Battery Dance Festival, MATHETA’s Speak Through Movement at Judson Church, Palm Desert Choreography Festival, PAGEANT, Mare Nostrum Element’s Emerging Choreographer Series, Dance Gallery Festival, CUNY Dance Initiative and others.
Development Associate
Kristen Hedberg
Born and raised in Richmond, VA, Kristen Hedberg (she/her) earned her BFA in Contemporary Dance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2017. She attended The Martha Graham School during her senior year of college for credit, where she worked as a School Assistant. Kristen cultivated her love for performance and writing during her collegiate years. Through both mediums, she is committed to sharing the joy of dance with all.
Kristen currently dances with Jon Lehrer Dance Company, with whom she has toured domestically and internationally. She has also freelanced with Faustine Lavie Dance Project, Curet Performance Project, Susie McHugh + Dancers, mignolo dance and Beth Soll, among others.
Kristen writes as a contributor for The Dance Enthusiast. She also publishes dance reviews and artist features on her website, kristenhedberg.org. Her writing has been featured in Critical Dance, Dance Informa, Jazz Choreography Enterprises Magazine, and OUR PATHS. She is thrilled to join Faustine Lavie Dance Project as the company’s Development Associate.