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Meet The Faculty
Bret Easterling
BRET EASTERLING is a dance artist, educator, director and producer based in Los Angeles, California. After receiving his BFA from The Juilliard School, Easterling was a formative member of Gallim Dance and a recognizable performer and contributor to Ohad Naharin’s internationally acclaimed Batsheva Dance Company.
Easterling is on faculty at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, a certified Gaga teacher who stages Naharin’s works at dance programs and companies around the world, and an Ilan Lev practitioner. He has built and presented his own choreographic works through spaces including Jacob’s Pillow, REDCAT, The 92nd Street Y, LA Dance Project, AMOC*, Whim W’Him, Backhausdance, b12, Dance on Camera Festival, and Hauser & Wirth and in collaboration with music artists including Anthony Roth Costanzo, Kesha, Ai Bendr, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, and Jurassic Spine.
As the Founder and Artistic Director of BEMOVING, Easterling invests in the Los Angeles cultural ecosystem by designing programming and building infrastructure that uplifts dancers and supports their creative practices.
Tiare Keeno
Tiare Keeno received her BFA at The Juilliard School in 2016 under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. While there, she worked with choreographers Camille A. Brown, Kyle Abraham, Kate Weare, and Brian Brooks. She also performed the repertoire of Jíri Kylián, Twyla Tharp as well as lead roles in Martha Graham’s Dark Meadow and José Limón’s Missa Brevis. She has attended Springboard Danse Montreal where she performed works by Aszure Barton, RUBBERBAND Dance Group, and Kidd Pivot. Throughout her professional career, Tiare has been a company member of Nevada Ballet Theatre where she worked in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil. She has also been a company member and the Rehearsal Director for BODYTRAFFIC in Los Angeles. While there, she performed works by Micaela Taylor, Baye & Asa, Matthew Neenan, Trey McIntyre, Ethan Colangelo, Hofesh Shechter, and Richard Siegal. She currently resides in NYC and has just finished her first season as an Artistic Associate with Gibney Company. During this year, she has performed works by William Forsythe, Emilie Leriche, Peter Chu, and Lucinda Childs, among others. Tiare also teaches and choreographs for studios and young artists across the U.S. and is the newest board member of Share The Movement - an organization aimed to increase diversity in the dance community through educational and financial support for young BIPOC dancers.
Alyssa Allen
Alyssa Allen is from Los Angeles where she trained with Westside Dance Project, under the direction of Jessie Riley. In 2019, Alyssa earned her BFA as a member of the inaugural class at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, under the direction of Jodie Gates. She has been a part of companies Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, and Rubberband. Alyssa has choreographed for GAP 2025 Campaign, Hologramme, Donna Missal, and Mal Not Bad. She is currently a freelance artist based in Montréal working closely with Anne Plamondon, Amara Barner, and Camille Huang.
Spencer Dennis
Spencer Dennis is a movement practitioner from Phoenix, Arizona. He has danced for several companies in the United States including CONDER|DANCE, Groundworks Dance Theater, Hawkins Dance, The Difference Between, and Soulescape. He has been twice awarded as an Arizona Artist of Promise for both his choreography and performance and has had the opportunity to teach and perform internationally in Cuba, Peru, Spain, and Germany. Spencer is currently guest faculty at Scottsdale Community College and a faculty member with Revive Dance Convention. Spencer’s class explores the integration of diverse movement practices including yoga, soft acrobatics, and contemporary floorwork while connecting his teaching to the actions and movements of everyday life. He believes that every body has inherent power which can be utilized and explored without the need for years of conventional dance, yoga, or fitness training. It is Spencer’s goal to empower students to embrace what their body is currently capable of and encourage the exploration of how their body moves naturally. In his class you can expect discussion on movement efficiency, practice of floorwork concepts, and the study and execution of contemporary phrase work which incorporates the information explored in class. Spencer is humbled and honored to have the opportunity to share his work and study with you all.
Myles Lavallee
Myles Lavallee was born and raised in sunny Phoenix, AZ, where he trained at various dance studios. He grew up competing in dance competitions and won many awards including JUMP’s Teen National Title and NUVO’s Teen 1st Runner Up. In high school he attended Arizona School for the Art before moving away to NYC to study at the School of American Ballet. In 2011 Myles joined Ballet Arizona where he danced for four seasons. In 2014, he moved to Canada to join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and in 2016, Myles joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for two seasons. Some of the choreographers he had the pleasure of working with and performing their works include, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, and George Balanchine. He was commissioned twice to choreograph for Ballet Arizona's Innovations program, and created pieces in both LGBC and HSDC choreographic workshops. Myles now lives in Los Angeles as a freelance artist and choreographer and travels frequently to teach and work with dancers around the country. He recently premier a new 27 min work here in Los Angeles on LACDC, titled “Leaving With Hope” and also performed with RZA, in “A Ballet Through Mud.” He has been seen dancing with Para Mar Dance,Ballet Red, Body Traffic, Post Ballet, Ishida Dance, and Heidi Duckler Dance, as well as in several music videos and on Netflix and YouTube. He is extremely passionate about teaching, choreographing and sharing his love for dance!
Cory Barnette
Growing up in Phoenix, Cory began dancing at the young age of three. He received his formal training from the Tempe Dance Academy in Tempe, AZ. Here, he had the opportunity to compete and perform around the US, as well as tour both Europe and China. While in high school, Cory received the National Outstanding Dancer scholarship from NYCDA in 2010, and he toured with them regionally as an assistant for the following year. Additionally, Cory was accepted to The Juilliard School, where he received his BFA in 2014. Upon graduation, Cory joined the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet for a season and then Les Grands Ballets des Montreal for another two seasons. Throughout his time in school and in dance companies, Cory has performed in NYC, Jacob's Pillow, Paris, Germany, Colombia, Holland, Scotland, and over 25 other cities in the US. He has performed works by Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe, Jose Limon, Martha Graham, Jiri Kylian, Jean Christophe Maillot, Stephan Thoss, Alexander Ekman, Crystal Pite, Norbert De La Cruz III, Nicolo Fonte, and Shen Wei. He even performed as an extra in the movie "Match" starring Patrick Stewart. In 2018, he joined Cirque du Soliel’s Volta, as the main character Waz, and performed over 200 shows with the company. He currently teaches and choreographs around the world with his husband, Troy Herring. Cory is thrilled to be co-directing Westside Dance Project. He is constantly inspired by the next generation of artists.
Troy Herring
Troy Herring was born and raised in the small town of Owasso, Oklahoma. Always interested in performing arts, Troy became captivated with dance at the age of twelve. His first professional gig was in the original cast of the Broadway tour of Oliver!. He attended many summer intensives to receive his technical abilities, including American Ballet Theatre, Quartz Mountain, and The Juilliard School. Troy was accepted into the BFA program at Juilliard and graduated in 2014. While at Juilliard, his most formative works were choreographed by Twyla Tharp, Pina Bausch, Jose Limon, Loni Landon, and Alex Ketley. While in school he was offered a dancing role in the movie “Match” starring Carla Gugino and Patrick Stewart. After graduation, Troy joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. He spent three years with this company and enjoyed working with choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Didy Veldman, Jiří Kylián, Mats Ek, and even performed the leading role of “Romeo” in Jean Christophe’s Romeo and Juliette. After moving back to the United States, Troy began a program geared towards giving young dancers in Tulsa, Oklahoma the tools they need to have a successful dance career. He found this as a way to utilize his two newfound loves, teaching and choreographing. Since then he has students that have been admitted into colleges such as The Juilliard School, USC, Boston Conservatory, and others. Now, he enjoys teaching and choreographing with his life partner. Troy is ready to begin this new chapter as co-director of Westside Dance Project.
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