Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director Paul Gordon Emerson is a native New Yorker transplanted to Washington, DC while waiting for his posting to the U.S. Foreign Service. That path was interrupted by a series of Presidential, Senate, Congressional and Gubernatorial campaigns which led him to a long stint as a Legislative Director on Capitol Hill.  While studying for his Masters Degree in Security Policy Studies at George Washington University he fell into a passion for dance on a dare, and has rarely looked back, combining his foreign and political policy interests with culture, a journey which has taken him, and Company | E, around the world many times in partnership with the U.S. Department of State.

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Co-Founder, Co-Artistic Director and dancer, Ms. Pilkington is originally from North Carolina. She received a BFA from The Juilliard School. In DC, she has worked with local dance companies such as DanceSmith, Karen Reedy Dance, and CityDance Ensemble. She co-founded Company E with Paul Emerson in 2011, where she has been fortunate to dance work by international artists such as Ohad Naharin, Rachel Erdos, Thomas Noone, and the great Paul Taylor, to name a few. Her choreography has been seen in spaces such as the Grand Foyer of the Kennedy Center, the streets of Havana, Cuba, and opera houses in Kazakhstan. Kathryn is an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University and an ACE certified personal trainer. She resides in Annandale, Virginia with her husband, Geoffrey, and sons, Gavin and Colin.

Native of Arlington County, Va, Philip Baraoidan is alumni of Virginia Commonwealth University. Performance Credits include Company E, Priore Dance, Sinclair Dance, and Clancyworks. Performance venue highlights include The Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Ed Mervish Theater (Canada), The Ballet Theater of Astana (Kazakhstan) and Richmond Dance Festival. 

He has performed in works by Robert Priore, Scott Putnam, Christian Von Howard, Kate Weare, Stephanie Martinez, Maddie Hanson, Thomas No-one (Spain), Lidia Wos (Sweden), Elias Aguirre (Spain), Ashley Lobo (India), Bob Fosse (Restaged), and Michael Bennet (Restaged). 

He currently acts as Department Head for both the Jazz and Tap Curriculum, at Perfect Pointe Dance Studio in Arlington, Virginia as well as a curriculum/programming consultant for schools in the greater DC area. He has also taught for numerous programs like, Dance Masters of America, Showstoppers Convention, Central Asian Dance Festival, and American Dance Festival. Philip has received the Dottie McGill Award from Dance Masters of America Teacher Training School, for showcasing excellence in teaching. 

Philip’s curriculum work and teaching application can be seen integrated nationally and internationally with schools, companies, and touring productions. Follow my adventures on IG:Philnthblnk

Ryan Carlough is a native of North Potomac, Maryland. Mr. Carlough began his dance training with CityDance where he had the opportunity to work closely with and perform works by the Gallim and Koresh Dance Company, as well as original choreographies by William Smith, Maleek Washington, and Robert J. Priore. He graduated from SUNY Purchase with a B.F.A. in Dance and a minor in Arts Management. 

While at SUNY Purchase, he had the pleasure to perform works by Jose Limon, George Balanchine, Doug Varone, Kimberly Bartosik, and original works by Gregory Dolbashian and Shannon Gillen. Since graduating he has worked and performed with Company E, Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, Chamber Dance Project, State Street Ballet, PrioreDance, S.J.Ewing & Dancers, and I.C. Movement Project. 

When he’s not dancing Carlough enjoys swimming, cooking and watching movies.

Tara Ashley Compton is a native of Louisville, KY and graduated with her B.F.A. in dance from the University of South Florida in 2009. Since Company E’s inception, Tara has performed, taught, and choreographed around the world, including Kazakhstan, Algeria, Israel, Palestine, Russia, Cuba, Ukraine, among others as a cultural diplomat with the US Department of State. When not dancing and traveling, Tara directs Company |E’s in-school and studio dance education programs in Washington, DC.  

She works actively with Washington Performing Arts and DC Public Schools to help integrate and coordinate arts curriculum to support STEAM learning in the classroom. With a home base of DC, Tara resides with her husband Neil and daughter Aria. 

She is thrilled and thankful to embark on another season of creation, diplomacy, and education with Company | E. 

AJ Guevara is a performer, teaching artist, and choreographer hailing from California’s Central Coast. He earned his BFA in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University, with additional training from the Accademia dell’ Arte (Italy) and American Dance Festival as a scholarship recipient. He has had the privilege of performing the works of Jennifer Archibald, Bill T. Jones, Jodi Melnick, Rachel Erdos, Walter Matteini, Joshua L. Peugh, Arthur Pita, Thomas Noone, and Shen Wei, among others. Company/Collaboration credits include chrisbelldances, Abarukas, Eryc Taylor Dance, Susie McHugh & Dancers, Von Howard Project, The Nash Conspiracy, Cirque du Nuit, Urban Bush Women and AXIS Dance Company. 

His work with Company | E, in partnership with the US State Department, has allowed him to serve as an Artistic Diplomat for Cultural Exchange in Israel, Cuba, The United Kingdom, Palestine, as well as multiple engagements at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

AJ’s advocacy work with Gibney, ETD Outreach, AXIS Dance Company, among others, aims to bring accessible practices and create equitable spaces within the arts. This work has allowed him to teach, perform, and choreograph in The Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico and domestic engagements across the US. He's grateful to be joining Company E for another season!

Ja’Myra LaSalle was born August 8, 2001 In New Orleans, Louisiana. She began her dance training in 2014 at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. There she trained in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and hip-hop. In 2017, She furthered her training at the University of the Arts summer intensive training in the release modern technique, improvisation, house dance, and contemporary dance. 

She has had the opportunity to perform with Ronald K. Brown’s company Evidence in their On Earth Together Cast (2017), Excerpt of Urban Bush Woman’s Bitter Tongue (2019), and Tommie Waheed Evans’ Catch Me, Carry Me, Save Me at the International Association of Blacks in Dance (2020). 

She is currently a Junior at Howard University studying to get her B.F.A in Dance.

Horizon Miguel is a dancer based in the Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia area. A Maryland native, he began formal dance training at Baltimore School for the Arts. Horizon graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and minor in Women’s and Gender Studies on full-tuition Artist Scholarship from George Mason University’s School of Dance. At Mason, Horizon performed works by Susan Shields, Andrea Miller, Alejandro Cerrudo, Mark Morris, Donald Byrd, Roger Jeffrey, and at Lar Lubovitch's 50th anniversary in the Joyce Theater. 

 Upon graduating, Horizon has worked with dance companies such as Terre Dance Collective, PrioreDance, Haus of Bambi, and Company | E, featured in Todrick Hall's music video "Wig" and presented choreography under Jane Franklin Dance. Additionally, Horizon is a KPop dance coverist known as @theholyhorizon on Instagram and Mwah (무아) in the KPop dance cover scene and South Korea. His love for K-Pop lead to the creation of the first collegiately accredited K-Pop dance course at South Korea's Incheon Global Campus through Mason Korea along with performing with K-Pop idol Alex Reid at D.C.'s Korean Cultural Center in 2021. 

When he's not dancing, Horizon likes teaching dance technique, K-Pop dance, and Heels performance. Outside of dance, he enjoys studying Tarot, oracle cards, and astrology to spiritually heal and advise. Horizon is thankful for another season with Company | E and treasures his friends and family for their love and support of his journey.

Michala first started out as a competitive gymnast in Western Maryland before studying dance at Pittsburgh CAPA. Michala joined the pre-professional company, Reed Dance II, in Pittsburgh, PA where she worked with Greer Reed, Antonio Brown, and Daniel Karasik. She received a scholarship to George Mason University (GMU) where she pursued her B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography with a Pre-Medicine track. While at George Mason, Michala had the honor of participating in residencies and performing works by Rafael Bonachela, Hope Boykin, and Alejandro Cerrudo. She also shared multiple choreographic works during her time at GMU. 

Since graduating, Michala has performed with PrioreDance, Gin Dance Company, and Jane Franklin Dance. When she is not dancing, Michala teaches dance and works as a Communication and Regulation Partner for nonspeaking autistics. She is excited to perform with the wonderful artists of Company | E and is grateful for this opportunity!