Miye Bishop, Company Dancer
Miye Bishop began her ballet training with her dad at age 8 in Hiroshima, Japan. When she moved to the United States three years later, she began her training with Northwest Ballet Theatre. She also attended various intensives with Kirov Ballet Academy, American Ballet Theatre, Dance Open in St. Petersburg, Russia, Ballet Bellevue, and International Ballet Theatre. Bishop has danced professionally with Northwest Ballet Theatre, Ballet Bellevue, Bellingham Repertory Dance, Dance Wisconsin, and Madison Contemporary Dance. She has performed at various Dance Festivals and freelanced in New York, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Bishop joined Kanopy Dance Company as a company member in 2019. Outside of Kanopy’s Company schedule, she teaches dance and yoga and enjoys taking care of her dog, Sumo.
Hannah King, Company Dancer
Hannah King is originally from Seattle, WA, where she started her early dance training under the guidance of Anne Green Gilbert with Kaleidoscope Dance Company and Marie Chong with Arc School of Ballet. In 2015, Hannah received a B.F.A. in Dance from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Hannah has trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Group, Keigwin + Company, and Paul Taylor Dance Company. After college, she taught dance classes for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland and performed with the Metropolitan Ballet Ensemble. Hannah has danced with Kanopy Dance Company and Kanopy 2 since 2017.
Stormy Gaylord, Company Dancer
Stormy Gaylord began her dance training at Laguna Dance Theatre in Mission Viejo, California, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University, Fullerton with a B.A. in Dance in 2018. While at CSUF, she studied Ballet, Horton, Graham, and Limón techniques. As a dancer in CSUF’s Repertory company, Stormy worked with guest choreographers Bryn Cohn, Jessica Kondrath, and Colin Connor. Post-graduation, Stormy danced in Southern California as a freelance artist, as a company member in Re:borN Dance Interactive and FUSE Dance Company, cast member in numerous Disneyland parades, and performer in the Teatro Martini Dinner Theatre show. In 2021, she had the honor of joining the dance faculty at California State University, Fullerton teaching ballet. Continuing her education, Stormy earned her 200 Hour Power Yoga Certification and is now working on a master’s degree in Mass Communication at the University of Florida.
Edward Salas, Company Dancer
Edward Salas began dancing at the age of 19 while earning his AA in Theater Arts at Mt. San Antonio College. Once he transferred to California State University, Fullerton (B.A. Dance 2018), Edward let go of his musical theatre journey to embrace concert dance fully. He trained in classical ballet and modern techniques such as Horton, Graham, and Limón under Muriel Joyce, Alvin Rangel-Alvarado, Lisa D. Long, and Debra Noble. While at university, he worked with guest artists such as Mike Esperanza, Bryn Cohn, Daniel Jaber, and Colin Connor as a member of CSUF’s Dance Repertory Company. Since graduating, Edward has guested for Contemporary West Dance Theatre, Grayscale, L2 Dance Theatre, and ViHu Dance. He has also worked as a company member with Re:borN Dance Interactive and FUSE Dance Company in Orange County. He holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do which has greatly influenced his physical development and movement style. In conjunction with his responsibilities as a company member, Edward also plays a principal role in Kanopy’s educational outreach program in which he shares Limón technique and creative projects with the youth in the community.
Alex Trofka, Company Dancer
Alex Trofka graduated from UW-Stevens Point with a B.A. in Dance and a minor in Professional Communication. Alex trained with Joan Karlen, Michael Estanich, Jeannie Hill, Pamela Luedtke, and Sarah Olson. Alex also studied abroad at the University of Limerick in Ireland training with Ursula Robb, Jazmin Chiodi, Sophie Bailey, Jennifer de Brun, and Kelsey Schuhle. In addition, Alex has worked with choreographers Michael Estanich, Nick Pupillo, Joan Karlen, Pamela Luedtke, Sarah Olson, Ursula Robb. This past summer, Alex participated in the Martha Graham Company Intensives, training in New York City. Before becoming a Kanopy Dance Company member in 2021, Alex guest performed with Madison Contemporary Dance. Alex is very excited about Kanopy’s exciting season ahead.
Kendyll Hazzard, Apprentice
Kendyll Hazzard found her passion for dance as a teen when she joined the Stoughton Center for the Arts company and pre-professional program in 2013. She went on to graduate in 2021 with a minor in dance from Bucknell University, under the direction of Professors Kelly Knox, Er-Dong Hu, and Dustyn Martincich. As a dancer and choreographer for the Bucknell Dance Company, she was given the opportunity to perform original repertory from artists such as Nathaniel Hunt, Eddy Ocampo, and Sidra Bell, and attend class series by guest artists from Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, and Parsons Dance. Currently, she is working as a dance instructor and choreographer at several southern Wisconsin dance studios and performs with Madison Contemporary Dance. After completing her first season with Kanopy 2, Kendyll is excited to continue exploring her love of dance and refining her technique and artistry at Kanopy!
Lena Komar, Apprentice
Lena Komar was first introduced to Kanopy at the age of three and has continued dancing with the school for the past 15 years. At 12 years old, she joined Kanopy Company 2 and has since performed in Kanopy’s Baba Yaga, Winter Fantasia, Anna Sokolow’s Rooms, The Unanswered Question, and Martha Graham’s Heretic, among other works. Lena is currently a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying neurobiology and working towards a dance certificate. Through Kanopy scholarships, she has attended multiple summer intensives with the Martha Graham Dance Company in NYC, studying with Lloyd Knight, Lone Larsen, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Elizabeth Auclair, and Blakeley White-McGuire. Additionally, she has worked with Miki Orihara, Jim May, Virginie Mécène, and Martin Løfsnes at Kanopy’s Guest Artist Workshops.
Carolyn Fitzgibbons, Apprentice
Carolyn Fitzgibbons (Ozark, Missouri) fell in love with dance while growing up backstage of the Christmas Spectacular Show featuring the Radio City Rockettes®. Beginning to dance at age 3, she found her home at Ozark Dance Academy under the instruction of former dancers from Ballet Met, Ballet Magnificat! – Omega Company, Toledo Ballet Company, and professors from Missouri State University and Drury University. She performed across the Midwest and on national stages such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She continued her education at Kansas State University, earning degrees in Theatre and Kinesiology. While there, she performed over 40 original works with appearances including the American College Dance Festival Showcase and Gala: Central Region. Carolyn joined Kanopy Dance in 2021 as a member of Kanopy2. Outside of the studio, Carolyn is the Color Guard Instructor for the Platteville School District and owns a medical practice, providing acupuncture, bodywork, and herbal medicine services.