Project Members
Who We Are
Mary-Catherine McAlvany
Founder, Co-Artistic Director, Choreographer and Dancer
Raised in Houston, Texas, Mary-Catherine began dancing at age three under the guidance of Joee Shapiro and Carolyn Roberts School of Dance. She studied at numerous Tremaine Dance Conventions and US Summer Intensives. She also grew up training in musical theater with Theater Under the Stars’ Humphrey’s School of Musical Theater. At 17 she was in South Pacific with TUTS, and was a TUTS Intern during the partnership between TUTS and Disney culminating in the original musical, Beauty and the Beast. Mary-Catherine's choreography has been acknowledged at nationally respected competitions, winning multiple overall 1st place awards for large and small group categories, as well as choreography, entertainment and best technique awards. She has worked for National Dance Association and National Cheerleading Association, and numerous dance studios around the US. She went on to pursue modern and contemporary dance technique at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (Formerly Laban Dance Center) in England, performing new and experimental pieces for many notable contemporary British and European choreographers. Alongside earning a BA in philosophy and theology with honors from Boston College, Mary-Catherine attended the Boston Ballet School under ballet mistress Kristin Beckwith. She is a member of Merely Players theater company in Durango, CO, with whom she has performed in Mary Poppins (ensemble), Shrek the Musical (Sugar Plum Fairy/ ensemble), A Christmas Carol (Ghost of Christmas Past/ Mrs. Cratchet/ ensemble), and Sense and Sensibility (Elinor Dashwood), and with whom she has choreographed MacBeth, directed All Together Now, and choreograph and co-directed Bright Star.
Cassandra Owen
Founder, Co-Artistic Director, Choreographer and Dancer
Cassandra has undergone the study of Cecchetti ballet and musical theater in her hometown of Huntington Beach, CA. At Pomona College in Claremont and beyond, she has studied modern dance and theory, West African and African-American dance, world history in the context of ballet, and choreography. She finds herself drawn lately to folk song and dance tradition, improvisation of both song and dance, and the contemporary ballet style. Cassandra wants the whole world to remember their innate musicality and hone their bodily artistry.
Kasey Hall
Co-Artistic Director, Choreographer and Dancer
Kasey has been dancing, performing, and teaching dance ever since her 3rd grade talent show, after which she was hooked! Kasey has performed the lead role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and lead role in CSUSB’s production of “The Witness.” Kasey co-founded Bear Lake Dance Company in her home town of Big Bear Lake, CA. She has performed with Los Angeles company Project 21, and as guest dancer with Boulder Colorado’s 3rd Law. In 2011, she found her niche dancing with the Hannah Khan Dance Company in Denver, with whom she danced for four years. More recently she co-founded and directed the Denver Choreographers Collaborative where she was able to showcase a growing body of choreographic work. Kasey currently dances with the Wildwood Dance Project, instructing, choreographing and creating dance media in Durango, CO. She has a good many more dance projects up her sleeve! She is also finishing her degree to be a licensed psychotherapist LPCC at NAROPA, and has recently opened two practices--a mindfulness counseling practice, Embodied Conscious Counseling, and Durango Walk and Talk Therapy .
Abby Kerr
Dancer
Abby grew up dancing in Edmond, Oklahoma. For fourteen years, she studied the Vaganova method at the Academy of Ballet and Theatre Arts under Lisa Webb. As a young dancer, Abby performed in several productions with Tulsa Ballet, and was selected to attend summer intensives with Joffrey Ballet New York, Ellison Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, Tulsa Ballet, and San Fransico Ballet. Abby furthered her education in dance at Fort Lewis College and later transferred to Colorado State University. During the completion of her bachelor’s degree in Dance, Abby studied ballet, NIQUE, modern, jazz, tap, choreography, modern pedagogy, repertoire, and more. She choreographed pieces inspired by Bob Fosse and performed in student and faculty productions. After graduation, Abby began her professional career with Perpetual Motion Dance in Oklahoma City in 2023. There, she performed in modern and aerial dance. Abby was selected as both a choreographer and dancer for the Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival in 2024. Since then, she has moved back to Durango, and has started her first season with Wildwood Dance Project.
Amanda Mckovich
Dancer
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Clara Burnett
Dancer
Clara Burnett began her dance journey at age 3 in her hometown of Palmer, Alaska under the guidance of Sonja’s Studio of Performing Arts. Over the years, her repertoire expanded to encompass various styles of dance including ballet, pointe, jazz, jazz drill, broadway jazz, lyrical, modern, and tap. Her passion quickly propelled her onto the traveling team, affording her the opportunity to showcase her talent along the West Coast at the Holiday Bowl, with Carnival Cruise Lines, and at Disney. For many years, she also enjoyed participating in the Alaskan Nutcracker as a part of the corps, eventually landing the role of Snow Queen. Upon reaching adulthood, Clara relocated to Durango to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Physiology with a minor in Psychology. Drawing upon over two decades of dance experience and five years of expertise as a physical therapy technician, Clara is poised at the intersection of movement, science, and wellness, ready to make an impact in the Durango community!