The Company
CoMotion is a collective of dance artists that seeks to support and cultivate a community of movers in the Roaring Fork Valley. Each member brings a unique perspective and interest to the art of making and sharing dance within the community. We have history. Click here for more.
History
Founded in 2013, CoMotion Dance Company consisted of the following dance artists:
Deborah Colley, Dana Ellis, Aja McAdams, Ashley Arnold and Brianne Jones.
Deborah Colley led the formation of CoMotion in 2013 and served as Artistic Director until 2018, and continued to dance with the company until 2021. Deborah saw a need and opportunity to bring contemporary dance to Carbondale and to give it a place at the table within the creative community. Deborah is a creator, a visionary, a choreographer and a gorgeous performer that has brought so much creativity and heart to this company and valley.
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Dana Ellis, is a founder and current member of CoMotion. Dana has always upheld the cooperative and collaborative pillars through all of her 10 seasons with the company. Dana is also an architect - a designer, a hands on, action-oriented force in this company who contributes dynamic choreography, dancing experience and levity.
Emily Fifer is a dance artist and arts administrator based in Carbondale, CO. She has been dancing and choreographing with CoMotion Dance Company since 2016 and is currently the Managing Director. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Modern Dance from the University of Utah and is a certified movement analyst and yoga instructor. Emily has studied contact improvisation extensively, and loves floor work, release technique and Afro-Brazilian dance. She has danced professionally in Denver, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Missoula.
Dana Ellis is an Architect and Performance Artist based in Carbondale, Colorado. She attended Mount Holyoke College in Western Massachusetts where she studied Spatial Studies: architecture, dance, physics and critical art theory and earned a Master's of Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. Dana trained with and performed with Brazz Dance Theater, an Afro-Brazilian Modern Dance Company, under the artistic direction of Augusto Soledade and with Christiana Axelson. Dana was the Lead Architect of the Launchpad and is the Principal Architect with The Outpost Studio, the Board President of Dance Initiative, a Board of Trustee of the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork, a National Board Member of the Small Firm Exchange with the AIA, and a supporter of our local arts and farming organizations.
Jen Campbell has been a dancer her entire life, just not always on a stage. She grew up dancing along the front range, and has performed off and on throughout her adult life. She is extraordinarily happy to have found and be a part of CoMotion Dance company, which has breathed such joy into her life. When Jen isn’t dancing, she is teaching yoga at True Nature Healing Arts or other studios in the valley, or Pilates at Studio 360. She’s also busy raising her son Lucas, and keeping tabs on her older kids Caelan and Taylor.
Born and raised in West Virginia, Lilly Bright graduated Valedictorian from Nicholas County High School before proceeding to study dance and theater at Northwestern University where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and Sciences. Upon moving to NYC, Lilly worked as a Production Assistant at the VH1 studio within the MTV Network. Simultaneously she performed with Liquid Body, a Paul Taylor led dance company in NYC and western Massachusetts. In 2003, Lilly moved to Los Angeles where she created Curiously Bright Entertainment, LLC (CBE) and Arthouse Films (www.arthousefilms.com) focusing on feature film production and the distribution of fine art documentary films. Since 2017, Lilly’s career has turned to writing and back to performing as she pens and tours her solo-show and works on a magical realism novel and new documentary feature films. Additionally, Lilly teaches classes in Bright Moves, Gaga inspired sensory-based dance and The Feldenkrais Method in Colorado and online.
Alyson Boell-Marchand is an investigator of movement and thrives on exploring what it is to be human in art making. Alyson is a dance artist, Pilates instructor, dance educator, animal lover and a mom of 2 awesome kids. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and Choreography from California Institute of the Arts in 2002 and spent years choreographing, dancing and making multimedia work in Los Angeles with her husband Alexander Marchand. Alyson’s work is often steeped in somatic expression with some theatricality sprinkled in. She and her family named Carbondale home 4 years ago. It seems like a miracle that this group of like minded artists have all converged here as well and she is excited to see what this new artistic journey with CoMotion will bring.
Megan Janssen has been dancing since she was a toddler and has moved through ballet, pointe, modern, latin, and contemporary genres. In San Francisco, she danced with an Afro-Cuban Modern Dance Company, and in Oregon she danced with a hip hop company and taught Barre classes. She has taught dance in the Roaring Fork Valley and is in her seventh season with CoMotion Dance Company. Megan currently acts as Executive Director of Dance Initiative and lives in Carbondale with her partner and daughter. Megan is grateful to be in such a talented group of dancers.
Mellie Test has been an insatiable mover since she was young. She studied all forms of dance, performing in competitions, acting as co-captain for her high school dance team, and then beginning a Dance Major at a women’s college in Virginia. After transferring to UVA where no dance department existed, she channeled her loves for movement, musicality, and choreography into the fitness industry and pursued a M.S. in Exercise Science as a competitive rugby player. Only in the last few years (and thanks to the opportunities offered by Dance Initiative and CoMotion) has Mellie returned to dance-specific performance — her original passion. She refuses to be held back by a lack of industry pedigree, and allows her heart to shine through every movement. In the valley, Mellie can also be found teaching spin classes at Cyclebar Aspen, making art with the Roaring Fork Drawing Club, leading energy healing workshops, and hanging out with her son, Auryn, and two senior doggos.
Caitlin Evans
Lindsay Marquino is originally from Satellite Beach, Florida where she grew up dancing with Rhythm in Motion as well as on her High School Dance Team. She continued her dance training at the University of Wyoming graduating with a BFA in Dance Performance and a Minor in Communications. While in Wyoming she was fortunate to work with talented artists such as Hannah Khan, Diavolo, Pilobolus and Peter Pucci. After college she moved to California to pursue a professional career and danced for Donna Sternberg and Dancers, LA Choreographers and Dancers, Hart Pulse, OdDancity, Fuerza Rumbera and David Herrera Dance Company. Lindsay has called Colorado home since 2017 performing with both Moraporvida and Nu-World. She is excited to now be with CoMotion and creating with them. When she is not dancing she is frolicking in the mountains with her dog.