Sara Lawrence-Sucato is a Cleveland-based dance artist, educator, and arts administrator and leader. Sara is Dancing Wheels’ Director of Education and Marketing Manager, serves on the board of Creative Spaces Cultural Arts, and owns Sustaining Movement Services, LLC. She is passionate about using movement to foster connection, creativity, and well-being. As a founding artist, Sara is excited to return to working with MoJo Co.Lab on the Matresence project “to explore the many facets of what motherhood is, especially for a mother to non-human things—like cats, art, community, experiences, and memories.” IG: @slawresucato, @sustainingmovementsvcs

* Founding Ensemble Artist

My family knew I belonged in dance from the time I was 3 years old, although if you ask them, the signs were there even earlier. At 2, I was in the kitchen proudly showing off my “moonwalker” completely obsessed with Michael Jackson and convinced I had it figured out.

Since then, dance has never let go of me and I have never let go of it. I’ve trained, competed, taught, and performed in a variety of styles, collaborating with artists across the country. I began dancing professionally at 17 and became a full time dance teacher after graduating high school. But somewhere along the way, I realized that technique wasn’t the destination, authenticity was. Only recently have I truly begun to experience dance as a place of honesty, freedom, and transformation.

I’m honored to be part of Matrescence. While I’m not a mother in the traditional sense, I’ve come to understand matrescence as the process of becoming. My journey of shedding old versions of myself, discovering who I am, and creating space for new growth is already underway. I’m excited to share this work and this chapter of my story with you.

DeMarco Sleeper is a dynamic dancer, musician, and choreographer from Cleveland, Ohio. He discovered his passion for choreography in high school while working on musical theatre and show choir productions. Despite having no formal dance training, his natural talent and creative vision led to multiple accolades, including honors for outstanding performance, musicianship, and vocal solos. In addition to dance, DeMarco is a singer-songwriter and rapper with a strong background in music production. His multidisciplinary artistry has been featured in numerous stage productions, and he has choreographed for youth theatre programs throughout Northeast Ohio. He began his professional dance career with Dancing Wheels Company in Cleveland, later joining Full Radius Dance in Atlanta, where he trained, taught, and toured nationally. He went on to perform with AXIS Dance Company, becoming a vital member of the Bay Area dance community. His work has been recognized in national media campaigns and dance publications for its originality and impact in the field of disability arts. DeMarco has returned to Cleveland to continue his work with Dancing Wheels, bringing with him a wealth of experience and a bold artistic voice.

Amber Coughlin is a Pittsburgh, PA native dancer, and choreographer currently residing in Akron, Ohio. Her training includes intensives at Millenium Dance Complex Pittsburgh, Kelly Strayhorn Theatre’s Alloy Studios (formally Pittsburgh Dance Alloy Pittsburgh), and Point Park University. All supplementing her work at her home studio - Miss Holly’s Dance Studio. While still in High School, she was awarded the 1st Place Award for Choreography in the 2013 Gene Kelly Awards held in Pittsburgh, PA - for her work on ‘All Shook Up’ performed by Penn Hills HS. After graduating, she attended The University of Akron to train as a Dance Major and focus on her ballet (under Pauline Reilly-Howe) and modern technique (under Tom Smith - who trained under Martha Graham). She has continued to dance and choreograph in the Akron/Cleveland area for the last 12 years with companies such as Martell School of Dance and Cleveland Dance Project. This is alongside her work at Phoenix Performing Arts, the nonprofit she founded in 2020. Amber also served as an apprentice on CDP Company in 2021 alongside her freelance performance work. She has performed notably in Borderlight Fringe Festival, at games for the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Cavaliers, at Playhouse Square events, she currently holds position on the Bachata focused Burning River Dance Company and in the last four years has been training in ballroom and latin dance styles to expand her movement vocabulary.

Celina Naima Speck is a Swiss artist, living in San Diego, CA. She earned her degree in Contemporary Dance at the University of the Arts (Zürich, Switzerland) where she danced in works by Itzik Galili, Barak Marshall, Michael Schumacher, Ihsam Rustem, and Adrijana Danchevska. She danced with The Dancing Wheels Company and School for five seasons. She has performed works by Donald Byrd, Marc Brew, Catherine Meredith, Morgan Walker, and many more on national and international tours. Celina is passionate about making dance spaces more inclusive and teaches for the NeuroDance program in San Diego.

* Founding Ensemble Artist

A native of the greater Buffalo, NY area, Cait fell in love with dance as a kid and hasn’t stopped moving since. After relocating to Cleveland as an adult, Cait has been an active member of the Cleveland Dance Project since 2019 as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Her choreography has also been highlighted at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens 2024 FROST exhibit and CDP Company’s Convergence showcase in June 2025. Cait currently works as the resident dance teaching artist at Rainey Institute, fostering a love of dance and movement in children from PreK through 8th grade. When she’s not dancing, she can usually be found cheering on the Buffalo Bills, skiing with her family, or chauffeuring her three school-age children to gymnastics, soccer, baseball, cross-country, Cub Scouts, ballet, a rehearsal, a sleepover…or all of the above!

Marissa Thomas (she/her) is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from The Ohio State University in 2019. Marissa was previously a Main Company Dancer with South Chicago Dance Theatre and a Company Dancer with the Dancing Wheels Company. Marissa has had the honor of performing works by renowned choreographers including Donald Byrd, Dianne McIntyre, Kia S. Smith, Tsai Hsi Hung, Crystal Michelle Perkins, and André M. Zachery, as well as historic repertoire by Merce Cunningham and Donald McKayle. Her performance career includes performances at Jacob’s Pillow, Dance for Life, and Battery Dance Festival; collaborations with Netflix, Giordano Dance Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, and Opera Laguna; international tours to South Korea, Vietnam, Colombia, Mexico, and China.

* Founding Ensemble Artist

Rosilyn Jentner has been a creative theatre artist for most of her life from childhood through college and the beyond. For over 15 years her work has been rooted in physical theatre and devising practices. Today her work is centered in therapeutic theatre with Akron’s LGBTQIA + theatre company, QuTheatr, prioritizing collective care in the rehearsal room. Rosilyn is thrilled to bring her voice to the Matrescence Project. Her story contributes a less conventional perspective: navigating an identity within motherhood as a person with a womb who has chosen not to birth children. Despite the heavy pressures of society, biology, and tradition she is excited to share her story physically and artistically, supported by a community that fully embraces this lived experience.

Hi I’m Valeria! I am currently an artist residing in the Cleveland area and love being a part of different projects in the community. I currently teach all levels of dance to youth and am a certified Mat pilates instructor while working on my reformer certification! I went to Ohio State for dance where I focused heavily on dance composition, education and access to the arts. Movement brings me so much joy and I really value getting to share that with others. I also love to write and spend time outdoors which has been such a beautiful alignment with my work so far in The Matrescence. For fun I love trying a new yoga class or coffee shop but nothing beats spending time with my friends/family which I am always hoping ends in an ice cream run. :)

Kylie Karam (she/her/hers) is a dance artist from Pittsburgh. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kent State University with a B.F.A. in Dance and a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship as a member of the Honors College. In addition to working with Mojo Co.Lab, Kylie is also a third-year company member and wardrobe manager at the Dancing Wheels Company. Outside of performing, she also choreographs and teaches dance to young artists in the area. Kylie is SO grateful for the dance community in Cleveland and hopes to foster more connections + reach more people through this project. YAY DANCE 

www.kyliekaram.com

Samantha began dancing at two and a half years old in Canton, Ohio, and hasn't stopped since. She holds a BFA in Dance from The University of Akron and brings nearly a decade of professional experience, including four and a half years as a company member with The Dancing Wheels Company in Cleveland. She has trained and performed with The PGK Project, Amy Marshall Dance Company, David Rousseve, and Doug Varone & Dancers, and spent five months in Israel working with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. Samantha remains active in Cleveland's dance community, performing and training with the Cleveland Dance Project and MoJo Co.Lab. The Matrescence Project is her second collaboration with MoJo Co.Lab.

Celia is a person, a dancer, who at this time is feeling deeply connected to the identity of a flower. One that exists with rooted energy flowing through her into presence. She is not a mother, maybe one day will be, but has experienced confusion, peace, indifference, and a lot of changes in her matrescence journey in her life so far. Being a part of this project and sharing spaces with incredible women, their stories and artistry has been a privilege. To connect with a community through differences and similarities, and the experience of being human is grounding and fulfilling to say the least. And she feels evolutions happening in her in every which way throughout this work. Spaces for women to exist in all the ways they exist is so important. She hopes the audiences of this show feel space for themselves echoed in all walks.

Angelina is a professional dancer, choreographer, teacher, and writer with an appetite for work that integrates movement and writing and celebrates the tension between the ephemeral and the lasting. She is curious to explore her shifting perspective on themes of motherhood and “daughterhood” through The Matrescence Project.

Hi my name is Natalie Brown! I have been a dancer for 12 years now training in styles like Jazz, HipHop, Tap, Ballet, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, etc, but I have currently been all over the place when it comes to the arts and pursuing them. Having fashion, acting, and song writing now play a big role in what I want to continue with in my journey along with dance. I’m also continuing this journey of mine by officially committing to Kent State University where I will be majoring/studying Fashion Merchandising with a minor in dance during the fall. I’m excited to bring this Matrescene project to life with such beautiful individuals. They have taught me so much in a little span of time and I can’t wait for you all to experience it!!

Jaclyn considers her identity as a theatre artist and a mother to be multi-layered and ever-expanding. She feels blessed to be part of this life-affirming project that reflects on matrescence. Before now, she hadn’t had a word for the life she had been living. Somehow, she didn’t even know that word existed. To take time and space to explore what it means to her feels like coming home to herself in a way she didn’t know she needed. Jaclyn's mission in all of her work is to promote a more loving and equitable world. She's committed to kindness, the creation of new works, contemporary works, and amplifying unheard voices. Her full-length mystery play, Brutal Dreams, had its first reading in March 2026 as part of the Colombi New Plays Festival at Ensemble Theatre. She’s thankful for Heartfelt Movement, who reminded her how much she loved to dance and for her two favorite dance partners, Kev and Lucas.

Instagram: @jaclynreneevogel