Meet the Artists of Sasso & Company!

Founded in 2014 by Artistic Director, Lacey Sasso, Sasso & Company is a Boston-based contemporary dance company.  Meet the amazing artists who have dedicated their time, talent, and passion for dance in order to bring you Days Gone By this May 10th and 11th at the Dance Complex in Cambridge, MA!!

LACEY SASSO

FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

In 2014, Lacey founded Sasso & Company, a Boston-based contemporary dance company.  Prior to that, Lacey attended Missouri State University where she earned a B.F.A in Dance Performance with a minor in Psychology. While attending MSU she was a member and senior rehearsal director of Inertia Dance Company, which promotes literacy through creative movement. Lacey has performed internationally at the 19th Congress on Dance Research in Larnaca, Cyprus, as well as the first Congress on Dance Pedagogy in Bogota, Colombia.

Lacey spent six seasons with Undertoe Dance Project (NYC) under the direction of Dana Fisch, where she served not only as the Jazz Captain, but she was also the resident Jazz teaching artist. Her choreography was presented in the annual New York Season, Astoria Dance Festival, and Undertoe Dance Festival. In Boston, Lacey was a member of Six One Seven Dance Collective for four seasons. She has had her choreography presented at Third Life Choreographer’s Series (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019), Monkeyhouse Productions, Art Beat, Dance Astoria, aMasSiT, Dance for World Community (2014, 2015), and NACHMO Festival (2017, 2018, 2019).

Additionally, Lacey spent five summers as a guest artist in residence and co-program director of Endless Mountains Dance Camp at Camp Ballibay for the Fine and Performing Arts (Pennsylvania, USA). She has been on faculty at Boston University, Walker’s Dance and Gymnastics, and Broadway Bound Dance Center.

In August 2015, Lacey graduated from William James College with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy.  Following graduation, Lacey relocated to the United Kingdom. She was on faculty with the Royal Academy of Dance’s Step into Dance, Montage Theatre Arts, Kew Dance Arts, and SOTO Dance.  She performed in Akram Khan’s Big Dance Trafalgar Square and continued her training in jazz, modern, and ballet at Pineapple Arts.

Currently, Lacey is on the faculty of South Shore Ballet Theatre, and Raquelle’s Dance and Fitness.  She is a master teacher in the New England area specializing in jazz, contemporary, and modern technique.  She is a freelance performer with Colleen Roddy and is in her second season with Project 31. Lacey continues her work as Artistic Director of Sasso & Company. Follow her career here: laceysasso.com

MELANIE COX

Melanie Cox is a graduate of Oklahoma City University where she earned her degree in Dance Performance.  Melanie currently trains dancers at recreational and competitive levels and has taught movement and dance curriculum in Boston Public Schools as well as many private institutions and studios , including Emerson College and The Boston Conservatory and her own studio Dance Out. In 2014 she founded the organization Why We Dance, which provides opportunity for students to give back through Dance.   Under her direction, the collaborative annual event, has raised over fifty thousand dollars since its inception.  Melanie is a versatile dancer and choreographer with training in multiple disciplines. She has performed with The New Jersey Tap Ensemble, The Robinson Ballet Company and has been a soloist with The American Spirit Dance Company participating in USO Tours. Melanie is thrilled to be in her first season with Sasso and Company.  

CAYLEY DORR

Cayley Dorr is a dance artist and teacher based in Providence, RI. In 2017, she earned her BA Summa Cum Laude in Dance/Performance Studies and Educational Studies from Roger Williams University, where she received the Kelli Wicke Davis Excellence in Dance Award. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she also spent three months deepening her physical research of contemporary dance forms, improvisation, and physical theatre in London, UK. She was a Winter 2018 Choreographer in Residence at OnStage Dance Company, and her original work has been presented at Roger Williams University, the Third Life Choreographer Series, Built on Stilts Festival, Tiny Dances at the Zeiterion Theatre, Salem Arts Festival, and Green Street Studios. She spends her daytimes teaching middle school Dance at a public charter school in Providence, and is honored to be dancing in her second season with Sasso & Company.

KENZIE FINN

Kenzie Finn began her dance training at Center Stage Dance Academy in Plymouth, MA.  At fourteen, she transferred out of her local high school to pursue intensive dance training at the Boston Arts Academy. At the BAA, she had the opportunity to work with professionals such as Ina Hahn and Sean Curran while also broadening her range of dance styles and understanding of movement concepts. Upon graduating, Ms. Finn began work on her B.F.A. in dance choreography at Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus where she trained under Dana Hash, Elizabeth Goheen, Kim Jones, and Colleen Thomas. Kenzie has also studied at the Regional and National High School Dance Festivals, as an intern at the Bates Dance Festival, and as a scholarship student at The University of the Arts “Summer World of Dance”.  While in New York, Kenzie also became one of the inaugural members of Calvin Wiley Dance Theatre in Manhattan. Since returning to Boston, Kenzie performed with Tribe, The Dance Company from 2005-2012, serving as the organization’s operations assistant and coordinator of Tribe’s workshop and masterclass series. Kenzie is the Artistic Director and founder of Project 31, a visceral contemporary dance company based in Boston and the South Shore. Kenzie has performed with Six One Seven Dance Collective under the direction of Kendra Heithoff, and is excited to be dancing with Sasso & Company this season.

PIP GAMBLE

Pip started dancing when she was very young and found a passion for it straight away. She started competing at the age of nine and continued until her senior year in high school. Pip trained at Monroe Dance Academy in CT starting in 2011 where she was a member of the performance and competition company as well as the Peridance Capezio Center Summer Intensive.  The company had a mission of community engagement through performance opportunities. Pip has worked with Dancers Responding to AIDS (Purchase College), Dancefest (Stamford CT), and as a choreographer for the Young Choreographers Festival (Stanford, CT). She has also performed at 9/11 Table of Silence, David Merrick Tribute (NYC), the Orange Bowl Halftime Show (Miami, FL) and with the Jacquelyn Buglisi Company at the Lincoln Center in New York City. She is currently the Head of the Dance Department at Camp Matoaka (Smithfield, ME) teaching a variety of styles including tap, jazz and modern. Pip is a sophomore at Simmons University as a Physical Therapy major and continues to pursue her passion for dance as a member of Sasso & Company for the second season.

CATRINA KUBEK

Catrina Kubek graduated magna cum laude with her BFA in Dance from Adelphi University in New York. She performed works by faculty including Adelheid B. Strelick, Orion Duckstein, William Briscoe, Jennifer Kreichman, as well as guest artist Paul Taylor. During her junior year, she was awarded the Betts Scholarship Award for Dance. While in New York, Catrina had opportunities to perform with the Julia Kane Dance Collective and Douglas & Co. Since returning back to Massachusetts, she has danced as a company member with Project 31, Sasso & Company, and Orcha Dance Theatre. Catrina is thrilled to be performing in her first season as a member of Sasso & Company.

COLLEEN RODDY

REHEARSAL DIRECTOR

Colleen Roddy is currently in her third season with Sasso & Company serving as both a Senior Company Member and the company’s Rehearsal Director. Colleen received her early training at Gloria Jean’s Studio of Dance under the direction of Gloria Jean Cumming and Stacy Eastman and New Haven Ballet under the direction of Phillip Otto. She received her B.S. in Health Studies and Minor in Dance as well as her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Boston University. Most recently, Colleen completed her DPT Academic Practicum Project entitled: Project B.I.N.D.: Inclusion Hip Hop Dance Class at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester. As a member of the USA Dance Team, she has performed at Madison Square Garden in NYC and competed across the U.S. and Germany at the World Dance Championships receiving the Gold medal as a soloist and team member. Colleen has received recognition for her work including Young Choreographer Awards from American Dance Awards and North American Dance Championships. Since 2013, she has had the honor to present her work at the American College Dance Festival, Urbanity Next Residency Series, Jose Mateo Dance Festival, BU Dance Faculty Concert, BU Dance Showcase, and Kelley Donovan’s Third Life Choreographer’s Series. Colleen has served on the faculty at Boston University as well as several dance schools in the New England area. She has performed with Six One Seven Dance Collective, BoSoma2, Urbanity Underground, Transit Dance Company, and as a backup dancer for SNL Comedian, Hannibal Buress.

All images courtesy of Olivia Moon Photography.

Behind the Artistry and Ticket Information:

Learn more about Days Gone By here.

Purchase ticket for our upcoming performances on May 10 & 11, 2019 here.