Maddie Burnham
Artistic Director/ Choreographer
Maddie Burnham is from Victoria, Minnesota where she attended Mayer Lutheran High School and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a BA in Theater and Dance. She has been choreographing for 12 years now for musical theater, dance studios, and her own dance company. She founded the company in 2019 back in Minnesota.
She has had many opportunities to create work. Her most recent work was a mainstage show for the company. Being able to choreograph, produce, market, and put on full-evening dance work was the best experience she has had yet as a creator. Being able to see the dancers shine and to see the work finally on display to others for them to be able to relate to and enjoy is so rewarding. She is hoping this company touches those who witness the work the same way it touches her.
Her recent move to Orlando, FL has given her some time to grow and gain insight as a creator. The company was able to stay in touch through the gift of technology. When in Florida Maddie taught at Skyra Studios as well as Underground Movement. Maddie looks forward to sparking more ideas, collaborative opportunities, and performance outlets in the future.
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Co-Choreographers
Annie Carlson
Choreographer
Annie Carlson (she/her) hails from Minnesota and trained at Center Stage Dance Studio before graduating summa cum laude from Gustavus Adolphus College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Communication Studies with a concentration in Film and Media Studies. She was involved in the Gustavus Dance Company, performing in the fall, spring, and honors dance concerts as well as at Christmas in Christ Chapel (broadcasted nationally on PBS), the Nobel Conference, and at three American College Dance Association conferences. Since graduating, Annie has performed within the United States and Europe. She has worked with HoneyWorks (Berit Ahlgren), 8:20 Dance Company (Madelyn Burnham), Corpus Callosum Dance Project (Lily Conforti), had a self-made dance film presented at Inbox@Artbox through Off-Leash Area, performed at the DEVICES Choreographer’s Showcase put on by Doug Varone and Dancers, and performed a self-choreographed solo at the HJS Summer Solo Series, HJS Summer Intensive Showcase, and Eagan Art House. A life-long learner and travel enthusiast, Annie has attended the Hofesh Shechter Company International Intensive, SHARE Dance Intensive (Alexander Ekman workshop), b12 (Tom Weinberger and Kenan Dinkelmann workshops), Tanz Company Gervasi’s Marturanum workshop, the Henny Jurriëns Studio Summer Intensive (Anne Suurendonk and Emma Evelein workshops with open classes from KOMOCO and Akram Khan members), and More Than Movement (exploring artistry in dance through lectures, games, and repertoire by Juliano Nunes and FLOCKWORKS) while always continuing to learn through additional open classes at studios around the world.
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Arcelia Rivera
Choreographer
Arcelia Y. Rivera grew up dancing at St. Croix Valley Dance Academy in Baldwin, Wisconsin. In 2021, she graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a BFA in Dance. At MSU, Mankato, Arcelia trained in contemporary/modern, ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and musical theater. Her choreography was competitively selected to be performed in the Fall 2018, Spring 2019, and Spring 2021 Dance Concerts at MSU, Mankato with two of her works receiving awards for Outstanding Choreography. After graduating, Arcelia performed in Valleyfair's premiere season of their dance show, Neon Nights. Since then, she has performed with Contempo Physical Dance (in work by renowned Brazilian choreographer, Mário Nascimento), Flying Foot Forum, and 8:20 Dance Company. Her dream is to continue choreographing, teaching, and performing. She hopes to inspire others to explore their artistic identity and to grow as unique and individual movers.
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Main Company
Jessica Doro
Company Member/ Co-Choreographer
Jessica has been dancing with 8:20 Dance Company since 2020. She is originally from Wisconsin and now lives in the Minneapolis area. Jessica studied Chemistry and Soil Science at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where she was a member of and choreographer for the Dance Collective and the UMN Ballroom Dance Club and Competition Team. Jessica has been dancing for over 18 years with training primarily in ballet, modern, lyrical, and jazz. Jessica enjoys exploring storytelling and expression through movement, and she is grateful for the opportunity to continue dancing with 8:20 alongside such kindhearted and talented dancers. She has enjoyed being a part of the various on-stage and virtual performances with the company, and she is excited to see what the future holds! Outside of the studio, Jess enjoys dabbling in various art forms and spending time outside—hiking, birding, and digging in the soil.
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Andy Lupinek
Company Member
Andy started his journey with 8:20 Dance Company in 2020. Minnesota-born and raised, Andy studied Theatre and Arts Administration at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN. While in school, he found performance opportunities with the Gustavus Dance Team and as a member of the Gustavus Dance Company. Now living in Minneapolis, he has performed most recently with the Christopher Watson Dance Company and An Opera Theater.
Andy is so grateful for the opportunity to stay connected with these wonderful creatives and telling stories through 8:20’s movement style that blends intricacy with fluidity and delicacy with power.
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Janelle Lord
Company Member
Janelle Lord lives in Norwood Young America, Minnesota. Beginning at the age of 4, Janelle danced with Jump 4 Joy Bible dance and is currently at the WCDA dance studio.
Janelle chose to join the company because she saw it as a great opportunity to meet a new community of dancers and broaden her knowledge of dance.
Fun fact about Janelle: She has nine siblings; five boys and five girls.
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Carrigan Dock
Company Member
Carrigan grew up in Waconia, Minnesota. From the age of 8, until she was 18, she studied ballet, jazz, and modern at what was originally known as WCDA. Now living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Carrigan attends the University of Minnesota. She is in her third year studying Industrial and Systems Engineering. While at college, Carrigan has participated in 8:20’s “Dance for the Camera” and is now excited to officially join the 8:20 Dance Company.
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Emily Compaan
Company Member
Emily Compaan was born in California but moved to Minnesota at the age of 14. She has been dancing since she was 3 years old, focusing primarily on ballet up until high school where she discovered tap, jazz, and modern. In 2022, she graduated from University of Northwestern - St. Paul where she studied both mechanical engineering and dance, taking part in theater productions and leading their student dance company. After graduating, she danced with BarreDanza in Ensenada, Mexico and was recently a part of DanceCo’s production of Dance Around Minnesota. Emily now works full-time in downtown Minneapolis and is a part of the team that engineers the MSP airport. This is her first year dancing with 8:20 Dance Company, and she is so grateful for the opportunity to continue dancing and creating with others!
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Jack Fischer
Company Member
Jack Fischer was born and raised in Roseville Minnesota, where he grew up dancing at Out On A Limb dance school. Jack graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a BA in Dance and a minor in studio art. While at Gustavus, he had the privilege of performing in multiple spring and fall dance concerts, as well as at two American College Dance Association conferences. After college, Jack danced for one season with Borealis Dance Theater and danced the role of Harry Beaton in the Faith Church community theater production of Brigadoon. Having previously performed with 8:20 Dance Company during his time at Gustavus, Jack is excited to be back and create and share more beautiful and meaningful dance.
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Layna Darling
Company Member
Layna Darling, born and raised South Dakotan, spent her elementary through high school years training in ballet, lyrical, jazz, and tap at Pierre Dance Academy, but if you ask her mother, she’s been moving her feet and grooving to the beat since infancy. No longer just a small town girl, Layna moved to Minneapolis to complete degrees in journalism and political science at the University of Minnesota. A cornerstone of her college experience was joining and eventually leading the UMN Dance Collective as president. During her time, she found joy in choreographing jazz, lyrical, and contemporary pieces. After graduating in 2020 Layna continued to learn contemporary through the Twin Cities’ extensive dance community, as well as began training in heels and hip hop through LaTanya Janteya’s Vibe’d programs. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and exploring the outdoors. This is Layna’s inaugural season with 8:20 Dance Company — she’s so ecstatic to be surrounded by such an empowering group of creatives.
Katelyn Osland
Company Member
Katelyn grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, where she trained in ballet, pointe, lyrical, and jazz - she also taught ballet and tap before moving to Minneapolis for college. At the University of Minnesota, she studied Political Science and was president of the UMN Dance Collective, an all-styles, all-levels, studio dance group. Katelyn’s focus at the Dance Collective was contemporary and jazz choreography for beginner and advanced dancers. Since graduating in 2019, she has continued her dance training in contemporary and heels. In her free time, Katelyn enjoys playing recreational league sports, baking cakes, and scuba diving. This is Katelyn’s inaugural season with 820 Dance Company and is she is looking forward to performing with wonderful dancers who inspire her and getting to share her love of dance with others.
Anna Satre
Company Member
Anna grew up in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota and started dancing when she was three years old. She danced competitively with Ms Melinda’s Dance Studio and taught recreational and competitive dancers before moving to the Twin Cities for college. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in May of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Anna enjoys being outdoors, surfing, listening to true crime podcasts, doing Pilates, and painting. This will be Anna’s inaugural season with 820 Dance Company and she is excited for the opportunity to dance again and share her talents with others.
Apprentice Company
Shay Compaan
Apprentice Company Member
Shay lived in Sacramento, California until 2014 where she had danced since she could remember. When she moved to Waconia, she took a year off of dance but then jumped in full swing again and has been dancing ever since. She has taken ballet, pointe, modern, tap, jazz, and contemporary classes throughout the course of her dance education. 8:20 Dance Company is familiar to Shay as her older sister, Emily, is a member. She was drawn to become a part of the apprentice company because of this, but she also thought it would be a great introduction to the professional dance world. The flow and creative freedom of modern dance is beautiful and it is what Shay loves most about it. She is terribly excited to be a part of the company and, of course, to be able to dance with her sister again.
Maddie Murphy
Apprentice Company Member
Maddie is from Waconia, MN, and has been dancing for 12 years at WCDA/Lafi Arts (Now known as Cultivate Dance Collaborative.) She took a break her junior year because, by the end of sophomore year, she was feeling burnt out. She was drawn to join 8:20 Dance Company because she saw an opportunity to gradually move back into a passion she once had. Deep down, dance expresses something words can't explain. She is so excited to work with Maddie and the many wonderful people she will meet & dance with. She sees an opportunity to improve her creativity and ability to connect with the people around her. “Seeing people work together to make something together is astounding, and I'm excited to be a part of it.”
Lola Barton
Apprentice Company Member
Dance has been a main part of Lola’s life since she was able to tag along to her mom's studio. She was born in Minnesota but lived in Jamaica for nearly eight years. Since moving back to Minnesota three years ago Lola danced at WCDA/Lafi Arts (now know as Cultivate Dance Collaborative). Lola loves the creativity involved in modern, it is one of her favorite styles of dance. She is especially excited to be involved in 8:20s apprentice company to learn a new style of modern and further grow as a dancer.
Naomi Meehan
Apprentice Company Member
Naomi fell in love with dancing at the age of eleven and is currently taking classes at WCDA/Lafi Arts (now known as Cultivate Dance Collaborative). She lives in Waconia, Minnesota and is a senior in high school. Naomi decided to audition for 8:20 because she wants to expand her dance knowledge and explore movements in new ways. She has always been drawn especially to modern and feels like this is a great way to grow deeper and dance stronger.
Chloe Brown
Apprentice Company Member
Chloe took her first dance class at the age of five and has been dancing ever since. She has experience with many different dance styles including ballet, modern, jazz, and tap. Chloe took her first modern class in 2019 and it quickly became her favorite type of dance because of the unique movements and forms of expression. 8:20 Dance Company specifically caught her eye because of its focus on modern dance, as well as providing an opportunity to peek into the professional dance world and what dancing after high school or as a career could possibly look like in the future.
Mady Koller
Apprentice Company Member
Mady Koller is from Waconia, where she will be a senior at Waconia High School this year. She started dancing when she was three, and has been dancing ever since. She has done ballet and jazz throughout the years, but modern is something she recently started. It is so different from other styles of dance because it allows for more creativity and self-expression. 8:20 dance company will be a great experience to explore the style of modern and get to perform alongside talented and creative dancers.
Isaiah Berger
Apprentice Company Member
Isaiah has been dancing for 8 years and just graduated this year from Waconia High School. He has never danced with Cultivate Dance Collaborative but he is excited to start. Isaiah did Showchoir all through High School and before he took some hip-hop classes and other small dance classes when he was younger. 8:20 dance is definitely a new different experience for Isaiah having done very different dance before but he is excited to experiment with modern/contemporary dance. He is using this opportunity to further pursue his love for dance and performing as well as to gain knowledge about a different type of dance he has never done before.
Abby Hayes
Apprentice Company Member
Abby is a senior at Waconia High School and has been dancing for 11 years. She danced at WCDA/Lafi Arts (now known as Cultivate Dance Collaborative) for 7 years. She took some breaks in between to be apart of competition dance team along with show choir. This year she is super excited to start dancing again after taking a break! 8:20 dance company caught her attention because she’s always had a love for modern/contemporary dance. She was ready to be involved again, and couldn’t miss this opportunity. Abby wants to use this experience as a way to connect with new people through dance. She is excited to develop in her knowledge about dance and choreography for her future.
Emma Snyder
Apprentice Company Member
Emma lives in Green Isle, MN but moved here from Indiana when they were 8. They have been dancing for 12 years, 9 of them at WCDA/ Lafi Arts (Now known as Cultivate Dance Collaborative). Although they started with ballet, their true love for dance was discovered when they took their first modern class. The idea that they could move more freely and express themselves and their emotions through dance was something they never knew they needed until they had it. Their love only grew from there. They decided to join 8:20 to further explore their love for all types of modern. They also were drawn to join as an opportunity to see what their future could look like within the dance world, as well as to expand the community of people they learn from and dance with. “Maddie creates a safe environment to dance within, and creates such challenging, but breathtaking pieces. Being a part of them is an amazing experience, I can’t wait to be in more this year.”
Photographers/ Videographers
Kiah Switch
Photographer/Videographer
Kiah Bakken is from Mayer, Minnesota. She graduated from Concordia University Wisconsin with a double major in Early Childhood and Special Education.
Early in life, Kiah always had a talent for art and creativity. While she is not pursuing her talent in art in a specific way, she is always looking for opportunities to share it with others. 8:20 Dance Company has allowed her to use her creativity through the logo, merchandise, and other marketing opportunities. She has also found an outlet in her own business, Crown of Life, where she is the co-owner. Kiah is excited to continue to use her talents and work alongside her sister to help fulfill her dreams and the dreams of other dancers!
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James Switch
Photographer/Videographer
James Switch is from Mayer, Minnesota. He graduated from Concordia University Wisconsin with a major in Elementary Education.
James has always had a great eye for capturing moments from behind the lens. He enjoys co-owning his business, Crown of Life, with Kiah. He loves seeing 8:20 Dance Company grow and discover themselves in different ways. He feels honored to capture each dancer as they express themselves through this Company.
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Lighting Tech
Lane Bode
Lighting Designer
Lane Addison James Bode is a Twin Cities-based Lighting Designer and Theatre Maker. He graduated from Concordia St. Paul with a BA in Theatre in December of 2023 and has been working as a freelance designer and technician since. He is particularly excited to be working on another dance show, his favorite medium to light!