Company Dancers
"Robards has a strong sense of craft...and seems to take pleasure in dance without clumsily concocted themes and other gimmicks... The choreography does demand unremitting energy and athleticism from the performers, a staple in dance today. But, Ms. Robards thinks in grander terms."
Dance Critic Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times
LaRana Skalicky (Executive Director) has been a Company Member since 1988. In addition to her work as a dancer, LaRana also serves KRD as a teacher and administrator. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Aurora Cultural Arts District. She was selected for an Associateship with the Rocky Mountain Women's Institute, has been a Dance Teaching Artist for the Aesthetic Education Institute of Colorado, served on The Scen3 Denver SCFD Tier III marketing committee, and on the CAST3 Leadership Team. LaRana teaches at The Academy of KRD and in KRD's educational outreach programs. She graduated cum laude with honors as one of four $20,000 Four Years Honor Scholars from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Philosophy. LaRana is originally from Salina, KS. She plays the cello and has a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do. LaRana wishes to thank her mentor Kim Robards. Many teachers have been important to LaRana including Kay Henderson, Michael Simms, Vivette Darnell Ashen-Brenner, Patrick Suzeau, and Muriel Cohen, among others.
Silken Threads
Morgan Stillman (Visiting Dancer) made his first appearance with Kim Robards Dance during the 2016 Summer Intensive Company Project. Morgan was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he began his dance training with The New American Youth Ballet. He attended dance programs with The Juilliard School, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Chautauqua Institution, and Ballet Chicago. Morgan studied at Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and was previously a company member with Nevada Ballet Theatre in Las Vegas. He is a Company Member at Ballet Austin. Throughout his career he has performed choreography by George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, Dwight Rhoden, Violette Verdy, Nicolo Fonte, Michael Vernon, James Canfield, Tara Foy, and now, Kim Robards.
Rebecca Matsui rejoins KRD having first danced with the Company in 2014 and was a company member for 7 years. She performed in a variety of Kim’s works including Kala Desa and Aloft that were showcased at Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC in 2019. Rebecca was one of two dancers selected for the premier of the rock opera, The Portal, which Kim Robards choreographed in 2015. Rebecca raduated from California State University, Long Beach with her BFA in dance in 2013. Becky was a company member with Festival Ballet Theatre in California and performed a variety of full length productions including, Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Don Quixote. She was placed top 12 in the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix in the ballet division and qualified for finals in NYC. She is excited to be part of Kim’s new work and revisit Beethoven in KRD’s 37th season.
Aloft
Aurora
Gregory Gonzales first danced with KRD in 1998 and has continued over several decades to return to dance with the Company. Gregory graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Sports Fitness/Kinesiology and Dance. There he was a scholarship recipient and won the Best Dancer Award. He was a Principal Dancer with Colorado Ballet and Resident Choreographer, and now works as a Resident Guest Artist. He was adjudicated by the Society of American Fight Directors for stage combat and has choreographed fight scenes for ballet, theater, opera and film. Gregory is also a musician and has played guitar and bandoneon for the Natural Tango Orquesta Tipica. He is a recipient of The Legends of Dance Award for 2019 from the Dance Archive University of Denver. Most of all, Gregory loves to perform and dance!
Emily Kampf was a KRD Company Member for nine seasons and is a returning Company member for this upcoming season. Her professional dance career spanned 10 years also performing with David Taylor Dance Theatre and Opera Colorado. She has since instructed in the dance department at Colorado Mesa University and various studios. Emily was an ICU nurse for over 10 years and has also worked as a charge nurse at a hospice care center. Most recently Emily served as Rehearsal Director for KRD’s collaboration with Grand Junction’s Colorado West Performing Arts Company. She is honored to return to performing with KRD.
Agony of the Leaf
Shards
Abril Gonzalez is in her second season with KRD as a Company Member, having been an Apprentice and scholarship recipient for the Professional Summer Intensive Company Project. Born in Argentina, she grew up in Florida. Abril received her BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography from Florida Southern College in May of 2022, where she trained in various dance styles. While at Florida Southern College, she participated in works by Doug Gillespie, Alex Jones, Stefan Dolbashian, and RAKR Dance. Upon graduation, she performed with Emotions Dance Company in Orlando, Florida while completing internships with Parsons Dance Company and AIM by Kyle Abraham Dance Company.
Inmigracion
Sahel Pascual started working with KRD in Spring 2024. Growing up in the Philippines, Sahel started her dance training with Maritoni Tordesillas and later, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Osias Barossa at Ballet Manila. She continued at the School of American Ballet, performing featured roles in George Balanchine’s Emeralds, Divertimento No. 15, Valse Fantaisie, Symphony in C, and Peter Martin’s Sleeping Beauty. Sahel performed with the New York City Ballet in their 2022 Spring Gala and Stravinsky II Festival and originated featured roles with the New York Choreographic Institute. Sahel is currently a company member with Ballet Austin. She is also a student at Columbia University specializing in developmental and sociocultural psychology with a focus in dance pedagogy and an interest in choreography.
Inmigracion
Shards
Katherine Grace-Shamburek joins KRD in her third performance with the Company. She was born in Colorado, and trained in Denver before moving to Russia to study at the Vaganova Ballet Academy. She trained with Kim Robards in modern technique at Colorado Ballet. Katherine has received numerous awards at dance competitions, and danced with Maureen Breeze Dance Theater, the National Opera of Ukraine, Zikr Dance Ensemble, and Ballet Ariel before joining Colorado West Performing Arts Company in 2022.
Unstruck Sound
Rachel Handshew is in her first season as a Company Member following her Apprenticeship and participation in KRD‘s Summer Intensive Company Project. Rachel grew up in Elizabethtown, PA dancing at E-Dance Center. She graduated from Towson University in May 2024 with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography with a minor in Applied Mathematics. At Towson she performed with TU Dance Company performing works by Xiang Xu, Nicole Martinell, Tracie Burton-Hooper, Vincent Thomas, Jayne Bernasconi, and Robert Kleinendorst. In 2023 Rachel was awarded the Alexander E. Sidorowicz Memorial Award through the College of Fine Arts and Communication. She attended summer programs at Point Park University and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.
Shards