Please consider sponsoring a Dancer for the 2024 Fall season.
Click on the donate button below to select the dancer you wish to support.
Any level of sponsorship is greatly appreciated!
Click on the donate button below to select the dancer you wish to support.
Any level of sponsorship is greatly appreciated!
Zikr Dance Ensemble 2025 Company members information coming soon.
2025 Spring Season Company:
Jacob Amey
Jacob Amey is originally from Portland, Oregon and started his dance journey at the age of 12 when he attended the Arts and Communications Magnet Academy (ACMA). At ACMA, he explored various forms of art, but it wasn’t until he tried dance that he found his passion and went on to train at the pre-professional program, Dance West. Jacob then went on to perform with The Portland Ballet and spent his summers training with San Francisco Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. After high school, Jacob attended the University of Arizona, where he grew in his technical training and artistry and performed numerous pieces from faculty and renowned choreographers such as George Balanchine and Paul Taylor, as well as performing works by Christopher Compton in the Solo Duo Dance festival in New York. In 2023, Jacob graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree of Fine Arts in Dance. He has most recently been a part of the Wonderbound company for their 23/24 season.
Laura Carvalho
Laura Carvalho is from Liera, Portugal, where for the last sixteen years, she has trained at the Academia De Ballet Danca Annarella Sanchez and then at the Conservatorio Internationale De Sanchez-Cibdas in classical ballet, pas de deux, contemporary and character dance. Laura danced as a member of Companhia de Ballet Classico de Liera, performing several classical works under Maina Gielgul, contemporary pieces by Enrique Perez-Cancio Cantero, Ricardo Flores and Roberta Ferrara and neoclassical pieces by Yannick Boquinn and Sinner Boquin. She is also a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dance Level 3, and the American Academy of Ballet Level 6 Gold and has studied with internationally acclaimed dancers, former dancers and teachers David Makhateli, Julio Bocca, Mischa Tchoupakov and Tamara Rojo. She was a 3rd place award winner as a soloist in the International Dance Competition in Paris in 2021, a 2nd place winner in contemporary pas de deux at Dancarte, Faro in 2022, and was an invitee to dance the Flames of Paris pas de deux at the Tutti in Scena per Telethan in Naples, also in 2022. This is Laura’s first season with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
Laura Hartland
Laura Hartland is originally from Melbourne, Australia where she received her early training in classical and contemporary dance. In 2020, she left Australia to join the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden and graduated with distinction from the Bachelor of Arts in Dance degree program in 2024. The historic Palucca school is Germany’s only stand-alone university from dance with intensive instruction in classical ballet, contemporary and modern dance and improvisation. Laura was fortunate to have the opportunity to perform all styles at public performances in a range of theatres in Germany. A highlight was the professional experience of performing with the Semperoper Ballet in the 2024 production of “The Sleeping Beauty.” During her professional training, Laura was also afforded the opportunity to work with a diverse range of contemporary choreographers and to perform repertoire such as ‘Echad Mi Yodea’ and ‘Dancing with the Audience’ by Ohad Naharin as well as participate in an improvisation project for Hellerau’s Hybrid Biennale in 2022. In her final year of studies, Laura choreographed and performed her own work, a collaborative based piece titled “The Faults of our Dependence”.
Antonio Houch
Antonio Houck began dancing at the age of 9 at Colorado Conservatory of Dance, then known as Ballet Nouveau Colorado. He had his first Nutcracker and Studio Company performance, Prince Igor, at the age of 13. Since then, he has danced at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Indiana University Ballet Theatre, and Boulder Ballet, where he has performed in works by George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, Sasha Janes, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, Jerome Robbins and Martha Graham. This is Antonio’s first season with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
Sara Jumper
Sara Jumper, originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado began her training at The Dance Center of Colorado Springs and later furthered her training with Antonia Matchefts. She then went on to join the Professional Training Division of Nashville Ballet for two years. From there she began her professional career, dancing with Colorado Ballet’s Studio Company, Zikr Dance Ensemble, BRIAH Danse, Columbia Classical Ballet, Nashville Ballet 2, and The Minnesota Ballet. She also had the opportunity to perform at the 2017 Vail Dance Festival, alongside Colorado Ballet. She is now a freelance artist based out of New York City, regularly performing with various companies including AVID Dance Company and #QueertheBallet, as well as working for many project-based choreographers and photographers. Sara is excited to be back in her home state to be working with Zikr again!
Brandon Penn
Brandon Penn was born and raised in Richmond, VA. At the age of 10 he began his dance training at the Pine Camp Cultural Arts Center where he studied with Annette Holt, Rodney Williams and Willie Hinton learning a variety of styles. He later enrolled into the School of Richmond Ballet where he studied under Igor Antanov, Malcolm Burn, and more. After spending three years at the Richmond Ballet Mr. Penn was accepted as a trainee of the company whilst completing his senior year. After graduating, Brandon spent one year at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase College Conservatory for Dance, studying under Larry Clark, Taryn Russell, and Ted Kivitt and others. After spending a year at SUNY, Penn was offered a position with Atlanta Ballet 2. After two years there, Brandon was offered a company position with the Columbia City Ballet. Later, after much experience and repertory under his belt, Brandon accepted a principal contract with the Fort Wayne Ballet where he spent two successful seasons. Since, he has taken upon a freelance career and guested across the country and further. He would like to immensely thank his family for all of their love, support and words of wisdom. This is Brandon’s third season with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
Caleb Roberts
Caleb Roberts began his pre-professional dance training In South Carolina at the Center for Dance Education under the direction of Mimi Worrell. He graduated from the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts under the tutelage of Stanislav Issaev and attended North Carolina School for the Arts, studying with Ethan Stiefel. In 2009 and 2010 Caleb studied at the Boston Ballet School under Margaret Tracy and then went on to dance as a company member with the Cincinnati Ballet from 2010 through 2013 performing works by Devon Carney, Victoria Morgan, James Kudelka, Septime Weber and Val Caniparoli. For the past few seasons, Caleb has danced with South Carolina Ballet. This is Caleb’s first season with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
Emily Speed
Emily Speed grew up in Argyle, TX and began her training at Denton Ballet Academy under the direction of Hugh Nini. She went on to graduate from Marina Almayeva School of Classical Ballet. While in high school, Emily received First Place as a soloist at Youth America Grand Prix and was Finalist at World Ballet Competition. She qualified and competed in Varna International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria and in USAInternational Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS. Emily danced professionally for Ballet Tucson, Alabama Ballet and Colorado Ballet as a Demi-Soloist prior moving to New York City to dance as a Freelance Artist. Some of her most notable leading roles include Russian Girl in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Jiri Kylian’s Petite Mort, Antony Tudor’s The Leaves are Fading, Lilac Garden and Pillar of Fire, Clara, Dew Drop and Sugar Plum in The Nutcracker, Pink Couple in Clark Tippet’s Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, Flames of Paris Pas de Deux, Red Couple in Twyla Tharp’s A Brief Fling and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty among numerous others. In 2023 she moved to Boise to dance for Ballet Idaho and has performed leading roles in Danielle Rowe’s Dreamland, Garret Anderson’s Congruence and Peter Anastos’ The Nutcracker. Emily performed at Vail Dance Fest in 2015, 2017 and 2019 and at Battery Dance Festival in NYC in 2021. Emily has appeared as a Principal Guest Artist with Olympic Ballet Theater, Boulder Ballet, Briah Danse, Ballet Renaissance, Neglia Ballet, and Festival Ballet of North Texas. She has also been invited to perform with contemporary and modern dance companies across the country including Wonderbound (CO), Mordance (NY), Continent Ballet (TX), Movement HQ (NY) and Kim Robards Dance (CO). Ms. Speed has begun work with The Antony Tudor Ballet Trust learning to stage his ‘Fandango’ and loves sharing her passion for dance from the studio to the stage.
Anaka Weiss-Jones
Anaka Weiss-Jones was born and raised in Colorado. She began dancing in the Boulder area at age 8, most notably under Jayne Persch at Briah Danse. In 2018, she joined in the inaugural year of Ballet Melange and spent three years training with Elizabeth Shipiatsky, Sergii Sydorskyi & Maureen Breeze. She attended summer intensives with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Ballet X, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater, Colorado Ballet, The Chautauqua Institution, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Her professional career began after the 2020 International Ballet Competition in Kyiv, Ukraine, where she was presented with multiple Special Judges' Awards and was asked to join the Klaipėda State Music Theater in Lithuania for the 2021-2022 season. Upon returning to the States in 2022, she transitioned to a career as a freelance artist and has danced with Boulder Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, Ballet Taos, Neglia Ballet, New York City Emerging Artists Project, The Table of Silence Project by Buglisi Dance Theater and Maureen Breeze Dance Theater, among others.
Prominent among her work is dancing with Zikr Dance Ensemble, and she is especially excited to join the company for her fourth season as the company’s newly appointed Assistant Artistic Director.
Prominent among her work is dancing with Zikr Dance Ensemble, and she is especially excited to join the company for her fourth season as the company’s newly appointed Assistant Artistic Director.