Current Roster of Dance Artists
Cassie Edlund
Cassie Edlund (she/her) is a nationally recognized public speaker and professional singer and actor based in the Twin Cities.
Cassie has trained in vocal performance and acting interpretation, performing in choirs, operas, one-acts, musicals, and plays across the country. She has been named a national finalist and champion in oral and acting interpretation, was runner-up in the National Association of Teachers of Singing classical vocal competition, and received a Spotlight Outstanding Performance Award from the Hennepin Theatre Trust.
Recent credits include Deloris Van Cartier in SISTER ACT at Lyric Arts and the Wolf (Narrator) in DanceCo’s WOLF TALES. Other favorite roles include the Countess Lily in ANASTASIA, the Lion in WIZARD OF OZ, the Narrator in JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, and Mayzie La Bird in SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL.
Outside of performing, Cassie holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) and works at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, where she combines her passions for health communication and storytelling. She also enjoys volunteering as a speech coach at local high schools and is passionate about inspiring audiences of all ages.
Emily Pitts
Emily Pitts (she/her) was raised in Minnesota, where she began training in ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, and hip hop. She received her pre-professional training from Minnesota Dance Theatre & School and began performing with the MDT company in 2019 through the present. Emily currently serves on the faculty of Minnesota Dance Theatre & School. She also choreographed and created works for student and professional local Twin Cities performances. Emily holds a B.S. in Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development from the University of Minnesota.
Olivia Thornton
Olivia grew up in Minnesota, where she trained at Hopkins Dance Company HDC for 15 years under the direction of Leslie Daly. Olivia has been a teacher at HDC for many years, instructing students in ballet, pointe, pre-pointe, creative movement, tap, jazz, and contemporary. Growing up, Olivia attended summer intensives at Kansas City Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, and the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet. Olivia continued her training at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, where she focused on Ballet Performance. During her time there, she performed in Birthday Variations by Gerald Arpino, Cinderella by Karen Burke, Serenade by George Balanchine, and a variety of modern and contemporary works. In 2020, Olivia moved to Eugene, Oregon, to join Ballet Fantastique as an apprentice and was promoted to the company corps the next season. While in Eugene, she worked as a professional pointe shoe fitter, a role she continued after returning to the Twin Cities. From 2023 to 2025, Olivia was a Company Artist with James Sewell Ballet. She has also performed with Minnesota Dance Theatre, A Dancer’s Place Productions, DanceCo, Collide Theatrical Dance Company, and Minnesota Opera.
Emily Trapnell
Emily Trapnell graduated with her BFA in Dance at University of Iowa, earning Honors, Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa prestige. Recently, she was a Company Artist with James Sewell Ballet, Guest Artist with Collide Theatrical Dance, and played the role of “Cinderella” at the Phipps Center. Previously, Emily was a Company Artist with Inaside Chicago Dance and a trainee with Visceral Dance Chicago. Emily’s other performances include dancing in Minnesota Opera’s “Romeo and Juliet”, the title role in the “Fairy Doll Ballet”, and assisting Hanna Brictson. Emily has also performed with Minneapolis Ballet Dancers, Curio Dance Company, opera “Karkinos”, touring as a soloist to Trinidad, and holding a soloist role in the touring UI Dance Company. She has been a Marketing Associate for James Sewell Ballet and serves on the Social Media Team for the Iowa Dance Festival, International ScreenDance Festival, InterDance, and E-Danza.
Maria Vitelli
Maria Vitelli (she/they) grew up dancing in the Twin Cities, training primarily at The Dance Center and Project 52 Dance Company before earning her BA in Dance at Webster University. She has had the privilege of working with Tara W. F. Cacciatore, Beckah Reed, Michael Uthoff, Dawn Karlovsky, Ashley Tate, Xi Zhao, and Jennifer Cudnik. Maria has performed in the Twin Cities with Dance Co, Pacific Midwest Ballet, Night Fire Theatre, and Little Tanz Dance Theatre among others. She recently spent the summer in Chicago at the Gus Giordano College/Pro Intensive, where she trained under Lauren Giordano, Saying Eugene Peabody, Jimmy Locust, and Kim Morgan Greene. Maria also has a passion for creating work, and her choreography has been featured at 9X22 Dance Lab and in Webster University’s Creations Concerts.
Photo by Tara W. F. Cacciatore
