The Dance Artists
Ceren Atalay
she/her
Ceren Atalay was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. She has trained and performed ballet for over 20 years. After graduating with a bachelors in visual arts at Bilgi Univ. in Istanbul, she studied contemporary dance at Yıldız Teknik Univ. During that period she received a scholarship at Escola Superior de Danca in Lisbon, Portugal where she studied for a year and shot her first dance-video called ‘8’. While living and studying in Lisbon, she worked and performed with choreographers and dancers from all over the world including a period in 2014 when she worked with a prestigious dancer named Aakash Odedra. Since then she has been traveling, teaching and working with adults and children in various artistic disciplines which focus on the expression of emotion through movement. She came to the United States in the summer of 2015 with a goal to make progress on her solo art projects and influence people to feel free with their bodies and movements along the way.
Lupe Martínez
they/them
Born in East Oakland, California, Lupe Martínez fell in love with dance at a young age. Lupe was trained by Angel Bustos in Mexican Folklorico from elementary through middle school. They went on to dance at Skyline High Performing Arts Academy under the direction of Dawn James. Later, Lupe graduated with a BA in Dance from UC Santa Barbara and was also awarded the Alice Condodina Performance Award in 2016. While at UCSB, they toured to Cyprus, Prague, and Italy as a member of the UCSB Senior Dance Company. Lupe has performed works by acclaimed artists such as Jose Limon, Jacqulyn Buglisi, and Cherice Barton.
Anna Olmstead
she/her
Anna Olmstead began her training in Portland, Oregon and had the privilege of studying at summer intensives such as San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Robert Moses Kin, The Cambrians, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and others. Anna continued her explorations in dance at Dominican University of California with the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program and graduated May 2018 with a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Arts management. In addition to her studies in college she worked with Juntos Collective, an organization dedicated to providing dance training to underserved communities in Central America. Since Graduating Anna has received her certification to become a Gyrokinesis® trainer, Gyrotonic® apprentice, and collaborated on works with multiple Portland artists. Anna has toured nationally and internationally to notable venues and festivals in California, China, Detroit, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philadelphia, and Miami. Currently, Anna teaches dance at Classical Ballet Academy.
Anna Reid
she/her
Anna Reid is originally from San Diego, California. She earned her BA in Dance Performance and Choreography from San Francisco State University where she trained with Ray Tadio, Mark Davis and Cathleen McCarthy. She is professionally trained in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and musical theater dance. Her performance style is theatrical, quirky, highly technical and dynamic. She hopes that her work through movement creates energetic and compassionate connections with both her audiences and fellow movers.
Willow Swanson
she/her
Willow took her first dance class at the age of 10, and instantly fell in love. In just a few years, she had expanded to training in over a half-dozen different styles, with a particular love for contemporary dance. She started working among professional circles in Portland, OR by 19, and has since worked with many choreographers and companies in the area, such as Dar Vejon Jones, Alicia Cutaia, Polaris Dance Theatre, and Shaun Keylock Company. With nearly 10 years of teaching experience, and a passion for it, Willow is currently an instructor at Studio One and Dance Fusion NW, where she teaches many different styles- from hip hop, to contemporary partnering, to tap, and more. She enjoys making art and reading in her free time, as well as spending time outdoors, or at home cuddling with her dogs. Willow is very happy to be working with Pathways Dance Company once again, and is looking forward to future projects with the artistic directors Amelia and Kelly.