About the Artists
Claire Mork - Director, Choreographer, Dancer
Claire Mork is a dance artist, who enjoys the thrill of performing as well as the creativity involved in choreographing works. She will be graduating from the University of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance this spring of 2021. Claire is drawn to the joy of dance, finding the most pleasure in full bodied movement. Nothing makes her happier than dancing to the point of exhaustion, whether it be in the studio or on stage. She has recently directed and choreographed a handful of short dance films with the sheer intention of enjoyment. In addition to performing in these films, Claire has a heart for teaching and choreographing. She has been choreographing pieces for competitive dance studios and her own projects since high school. During her time at UArts, Claire has had the opportunity to perform in works choreographed by Wayne St. David, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Katie Swords Thurman, Annie Rigney, Gary W Jeter II, Shayla-Vie Jenkins and Jesse Zaritt. In 2020 she was the recipient of the Elizabeth Pulaski Scholarship at UArts. It is Claire’s biggest desire to find joy in movement and then share it with others. She hopes to spend the rest of her life chasing that feeling through dance.
Marcae Bitzer - Singer
Marcae Bitzer has been singing for as long as she can remember, but started to take it a bit more seriously after her solo debut singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in a 7th grade talent show. High school and college choirs followed, along with many musical theater productions. Marcae has been singing with the praise band at her church in West Saint Paul for more than 25 years, and had the opportunity to perform at Crooners a few times in recent years with other amateur cabaret singers. Later this summer, she’ll be ending her 16-year musical theater hiatus and will once again hit the stage, this time with Ashland Productions as Donna in “Mamma Mia!”
Bella Butters - Dancer
Libby Butters - Dancer
Callie Donoghue - Dancer
Zoey Malmstedt - Dancer
Grace Mork - Choreographer, Dancer
Eric Saez - Singer, Musician
Eric Saez is a local who likes to perform and record music in his spare time. His former LA based project, Casxio, played shows with Imagine Dragons, collaborated with Skrillex and performed at SXSW and CMJ music festivals. His current project is a work in progress. www.soundcloud.com/hawksongband
Delaina Thill - Dancer
Anna Yaritz - Dancer
Katie Zeh - Dancer, Videographer
Katie Zeh is a local dancer and videographer. She danced for many years at Lake Area Dance Center and most recently found her studio home at The Dance Unit. Katie has worked with Claire Mork on her dance video projects from the beginning, serving as an essential member of the creative team. She has an eye for capturing flattering photos and exciting videos. Katie has enjoyed working behind the scenes for the Joy of Dance outdoor show, as well as performing inside of it.
