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 Instagram @Philnthblnk.

V Cangelosi (she/they) is from Centreville, Virginia, and has trained in over nine dance styles, beginning at Centreville Dance Academy and Fairfax Academy for Communications and the Arts. They graduated Magna Cum Laude from Shenandoah Conservatory with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography, and while studying there, earned multiple scholarships and an Outstanding Choreography and Performance award for their Capstone solo and ensemble pieces. At SU, they also performed and were featured in works by faculty artists Daniel Padierna, Matt Pardo, and Tiffanie Carson, as well as guest artists Casey Noblett, Contra Tiempo, Ginger Cox, Sidra Bell, and Yoshito Sakuraba.

V is a freelance dancer in the DMV and a current member of Company E. She has performed works as a company dancer with Motion X Dance Co. where she was featured in a work by Megan Castro; with Conflux Dance Theater, directed by Miguel Perez, including works by the director and guest artist Stephanie Martinez; with Polymath Performance Project, directed by Charlie Maybee, including a performance with the BlackLight Summit; and with Dogwood Dance Project, where she was featured in works by Hailey Clevenger, Mary Manzari, and Robert Rubama. 

V has also worked on numerous performance projects. Notably, in 2026, V was a featured performer in AOI Taiko’s set at the Sakura Taiko Fest as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and an ensemble dancer with Luisa Lynch’s Yellow Room showcase. In 2025, she was a featured performer in a work by Sammi Rosenfeld at The Reach for National Dance Day. In 2024, she was cast in the Virginia Lottery “Shine On” commercial, choreographed by Travis Wall.

V explores their own artistry through a choreographic project called The Experiment, a multidisciplinary work testing the intersection of tap dance and live music. The Experiment No. 2.0 premiered at the 2025 Transformations Dance Festival; No. 2.1 was performed at Small Plates NOVA 2026; and No. 2.2 was requested to perform at the 2026 RVA National Tap Dance Day event, hosted by Richmond Tap Connection. V is currently incubating The Experiment No. 3.o, which was requested by ThimS Dance Company and DC Dance Network for an exclusive work-in-progress showing at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. 

V has led movement classes for multiple studios throughout their teaching career, as well as masterclasses at Virginia Commonwealth University, the Institute for Dance in Williamsburg, the Motion X 2026 Summer Intensive, and a series with Henrico High School’s Center for the Arts. She is currently an instructor and choreographer with Born 2 Dance and Centreville Dance Academy. She is also a graduate student at George Mason University, pursuing a Master’s degree in Arts Management and learning strategies to improve the career paths of freelance dance and multidisciplinary artists.

Ryan Carlough is from North Potomac, Maryland, and began his dance training at CityDance Conservatory. He received his B.F.A. in Dance with a minor in Arts Management from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance in 2016.

Carlough is currently in his ninth season with Company E, under the direction of Paul Gordon Emerson and Kathryn Pilkington. His professional credits include State Street Ballet and Chamber Dance Project, Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, and PrioreDance/Company Medusa. Throughout his career, he has had the pleasure of working with artists such as Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Doug Varone, Shannon Gillen, Lidia Wos, Edgar Zendejas, Robert J. Priore, Olatz Laurunbe, and Thomas Noone.

In addition to performing, Carlough has developed a strong interest in choreography, creating original works for Company E and continuing to explore his voice as a choreographer. His choreography has also been recognized at the Youth America Grand Prix, where one of his solo works placed among the top three. He has performed and toured internationally in Ukraine, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Iceland, Japan, Dubai, Palestine, London, and Qatar. He is grateful to continue with Company E and looks forward to another year of performance, collaboration, and artistic exploration.

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, 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.

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!

Raised in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland, Jada Hicks began her training at The Dance Institute of Washington and continued her education at George Mason University, attaining her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance under the direction of Karen Reedy and Susan Shields. Hicks has had the opportunity to perform works by Doug Varone, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane, Jamaal Bowman, Shaun D’Arcy, Christina Robson, Marie Lloyd Paspe, Kalen Simpson, and Brianna Dawkins. She has furthered her training through intensives such as Gallim, Kyle Abraham’s AIM, David Dorfman Dance, and Bates Dance Festival. In 2024, she began performing with Sole Defined, a body percussion company under Ryan K. Johnson and Quynn Johnson, and in 2026, she joined Dissonance Dance Theatre under the direction of Shawn Short. Hicks has a passion for choreography and dance education and has worked with several studios across the DMV area, choreographing solos, duets, and group work for competitions and recitals. Her approach to dance is sustained through anatomical knowledge, pleasure, rawness, and athleticism. Instagram: @thejadahicks

Morgan Hunsicker (she/her/they/them) is a DMV-based dancer, performer, teacher, and creative artist known for her curiosity and dynamic presence. She is a graduate of the Joffrey Ballet School’s Jazz & Contemporary Trainee Program, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance through the program’s former partnership with New Jersey City University at age 19. Her training and performance experiences have allowed her to work in residency with choreographers including Yue Yin, Angelica Stiskin, Michael Waldrop, Yoshito Sakuraba, Antonia Franceschi, Gabe Katz, and Eric Trope.

Since graduating, Morgan has performed at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Ballet on the Beach, Opera Lafayette, Atlas Intersections Festival, Atlas Lab, Spirit of Kwanza, Salisbury’s Third Friday Festival, and the Black Choreographers Festival at Baltimore’s Creative Alliance. She also has performed in local dance companies such as Moore Contemporary Theatrics, Jennifer Yackel Dance Theatre, Angel Ram Dance Company, and Motion X Dance Company.

Morgan is passionate about art that feels expressive, intentional, and connected, and enjoys exploring the ways movement can translate an idea. Alongside her performance career, Morgan is dedicated to dance education and creating engaging experiences for the next generation of dancers. Outside of dance, she enjoys live music on the weekends and hiking with her family. Morgan is thrilled to dance with the artists of Company E and is grateful for the opportunity!

Ja’Myra LaSalle is a proud New Orleans Native, born in August 2001. Throughout her matriculation at Howard University she gained a keen understanding of the importance of artistry and human connection. She has learned from and performed works by a series of artists such as Tommie Waheed, Annique Roberts of Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence Dance Company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Urban Bush Women, Jennifer Archibald and other profound artists. After graduating in 2023 from the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts with a B.F.A in Theater Arts she began her journey with CompanyE. 

CompanyE has introduced her to a new realm of international artists, working with Ukrainian, Swedish, and Spanish choreographers as well as Touring to Tunisia, North Africa, Qatar, and Japan. 

(She looks forward to furthering her knowledge and connection with the dance culture in other countries, in efforts to develop her artistic mentality, digesting what it gifted to her and sharing with her community.) 

Her outside ventures include performing with Jordin Sparks and Nolan Williams at the Kennedy Center celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. III. and Teaching as a featured Guest Artist at Georgetown University. She has also Served as the Assistant Costume Designer to Frankie Bethea for the 2024 New York Emmy Nominated Lortel Theatre series “Dangerous Acts”, produced by Phylicia Rashad. 

When she is not dancing she enjoys working as a Hairstylist, Designing clothes and cooking her favorite meals. 

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.

Kathryn Sydell Pilkington is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and arts leader with more than 21 years of professional experience. A graduate of The Juilliard School (BFA, 2004), Kathryn has built a multifaceted career as a performer, rehearsal director, master teacher, and Co-Artistic Director of the internationally recognized contemporary ensemble, Company | E.

Since 2011, Kathryn has served as Co-Artistic Director of Company | E, where she curates repertory, selects and mentors dancers, and shapes the artistic vision of the organization. She has choreographed numerous original works presented in Washington, DC and internationally, including productions at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Her work frequently blends dance with music, storytelling, science, and cross-cultural collaboration. She has created and co-created more than ten full-length productions, with performances spanning Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.