After graduating from Miami City Ballet School, Anabel danced professionally with the Sarasota Ballet, Ballet Austin, American Contemporary Ballet, and currently, New Chamber Ballet. As an experienced marketing director, administrative assistant, organizational ambassador, and donor liaison, Anabel is passionate about facilitating growth in professional dancers, pre-professional ballet students, and arts organizations through coaching, rehearsal directing, and mentorship. In addition to her varied background as a professional ballet dancer, she serves as the founder and chair of the New Chamber Ballet Young Patrons Club, which has increased audience engagement and retention and raised over $10,000 within its first six months.

After spending several years balancing full-time professional dancing and part-time university classes, Anabel graduated cum laude from Pennsylvania State University, earning her degree in Organizational Leadership. In addition to dancing, Anabel currently teaches ballet at Yvette Dance Studio in Cranford,NJ.

She is also a guest teacher and guest artist at the Philadelphia Dance Academy in Philadelphia, PA. Driven by her desire to promote and support emerging dancers and choreographers, Anabel founded the NYC Emerging Artists Project in 2023.

Sophie Williams founded Pointeworks in 2023 with the vision of creating a platform that champions collaboration, expands opportunities for artists, and amplifies female voices in ballet. Under her leadership, the company has commissioned new works, launched community programs like the Mentorship Program and Sponsor a Seat Program, and presented sold-out performances in San Diego and New York City, establishing Pointeworks as an exciting new voice in dance.

Drawing on her rich career as a professional dancer, Williams brings a deep understanding of both classical tradition and contemporary innovation to her artistic direction. Her experience performing with major U.S. and international companies shapes her commitment to cultivating a company that is inclusive, forward-thinking, and artist-driven.

Elizabeth B. Yntema is the President & Founder of Dance Data Project® (DDP), an organization dedicated to promoting gender equity in classical ballet through data analysis, advocacy, and transparency. Established in 2015, DDP has become a global leader in highlighting disparities in leadership, compensation, and programming in the dance industry, providing essential research and metrics-based tools for institutions worldwide.

A recognized leader in philanthropy and gender equity, Yntema has served on numerous boards, including WTTW/WFMT, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and The Joffrey Ballet, where she played a key role in fundraising and programming initiatives. She co-chaired major galas for both the Joffrey Ballet and Hubbard Street Dance Company, raising millions to support the arts. A life-long advocate for gender equity, Yntema received the Junior League of Chicago’sVolunteer of the Year award for her work passing a bi-partisan resolution in the Illinois House recognizing homelessness as particularly affecting women and children.

Her contributions to advancing women in dance have earned her widespread recognition, including the Top Tier Feminist Giver Award from Philanthropy Women (2021) and Lifetime Honorary Membership in Corps de Ballet (2022). She has been featured in leading media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, NPR, The Guardian, and Inside Philanthropy, and has appeared on numerous podcasts discussing the intersection of data, philanthropy, and the arts.

Yntema holds a B.A. in International Relations and Honors English from the University of Virginia (magna cum laude) and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where she received the Jane L. Mixer Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Justice.

She continues to advocate for systemic change in the arts through research, thought leadership, and strategic philanthropy, ensuring a more equitable future for women in dance.

Dance Data Project Senior Research Consultant and Team Training Lead

Junyla Silmon is a New Jersey-based movement artist and researcher originally from Canton, MS. She graduated from Montclair State University (’22), receiving her B.F.A in Dance Performance with a minor in business administration and certificate of entrepreneurship. Junyla has performed with the dance companies Freespace Dance, Accent Dance NYC, Susan Marshall & Company, and continues ongoing collaborations with choreographers Stefanie Batten Bland, Kayla Farrish, and Ogemdi Ude. She was also a performer in the final years of Punchdrunk’s “Sleep No More” in NYC, and most recently premiered in “FAIRYLAND: ETHER” by Alba Albanese and StoryverseNYC Inc. Beyond her performance career, Junyla is a Senior Research Consultant and Team Training Lead with Dance Data Project, a non-profit organization committed to advancing gender parity in the dance industry through metrics-based analysis. Junyla is passionate about cultivating safe and equitable dancing spaces, and looks forward to embedding these ambitions into future work opportunities.   

Sarah Foster Sproull is a contemporary choreographer working in New Zealand and internationally. She is an Associate Professor in Dance Studies at the University of Auckland, Fulbright NZ Award Scholar at Tisch Dance NYU ('25), and the Artistic Director of Foster Group Dance funded by Creative New Zealand. Sarah is a Choreographer in Residence at the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Resident Fellow at the Centre for Ballet and the Arts at New York University ('21), and a session choreographer for the New York Choreographic Institute ('20 & '23). She has staged her choreographic work internationally in the United States, United Kingdom, China, Fiji and Singapore, and locally throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Sarah holds a PhD in Dance Studies with a focus on contemporary choreographic practice, which won the University of Auckland Vice Chancellors Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis (’24). Sarah is involved in arts advocacy research through Horizon Europe funded dialoguing@rts: Advancing Cultural Literacy through Dialogical Arts Education (’24-'27). In May 2025 Sarah will present her choreography Ultra Folly on the Royal New Zealand Ballet, in the Royal Ballet’s Draft Works programme at the Royal Opera House in London.

A native of Santa Cruz, California, Melody Mennite trained at Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre and Pacific Northwest Ballet before joining Houston Ballet at 17. She quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a Principal in 2008. After 22 seasons with the company, she concluded her tenure in June 2024. Throughout her career, she performed leading classical roles, originated numerous works, and danced principal roles in ballets by Jirí Kylián, George Balanchine, Justin Peck, William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, Twyla Tharp, and many others.

As a choreographer, Mennite has created 16 commissioned works, including Ana for Ballet Arkansas, Next of Kin for Houston Ballet Academy, and The 64 and 91 for Kansas City Ballet. Her ballet Floreciente, originally commissioned for Houston Ballet, had its West Coast premiere at Pointeworks' inaugural performance in June 2024. She also co-founded REACH, a project supporting arts education through new choreography. In addition to her stage work, she was the choreographer, lead actor, and dancer in the award-winning film Self Sabotage. Mennite continues to perform, choreograph, and teach nationally and internationally, integrating ballet technique with somatic practices for holistic movement training.

Her ballet Floreciente, originally commissioned for Houston Ballet, had its West Coast premiere at Pointeworks' inaugural performance in June 2024.

Heather Nichols began her training at West End Academy of Dance in Richmond, Virginia. In 2009, Nichols joined the Richmond Ballet. From 2011 to 2015, she attended Butler University and received her BS in Dance Pedagogy and Pre-Physical Therapy. After graduating, she accepted a contract with Ballet San Antonio. In 2019, Nichols joined Kansas City Ballet, followed by Ballet RI in 2021. In 2022, she danced with the National Choreographers Initiative. Her featured roles have included works by Gerald Arpino, George Balanchine, Devon Carney, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Edwaard Liang, Helen Pickett, Michael Pink, Willy Shives, Ben Stevenson, Bruce Wells, Yury Yanowsky, among others.

Heather's choreographic works include Meraki for Kansas City Ballet and Eau d’Effervescence for Ballet RI. Meraki, which made its West Coast premiere at Pointeworks' inaugural performance in June 2024 in La Jolla, had its NYC debut in March 2025. This poetic pas de deux connected all facets of dance—the dancers, the music, and the rich choreography.

Habony is a member of New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet. Born in Dallas, Texas, she began her dance training at the age of 8 and has trained with renowned legends from around the world. She joined the company as an apprentice in November of 2013 and became a corps member the following year. As a student in Texas, she was a Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) winner, and at the School of American Ballet, she participated in numerous lecture demonstrations led by former NYCB soloists Katrina Killian and Jennifer Tinsley-Williams.

Habony choreographed her first ballet when she was 15 at the Chautauqua Dance Festival summer program under the direction of Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. Additionally, she was a student choreographer for the Choreographic Program at the School of American Ballet (SAB).

Habony has continued exploring movement and music, choreographing in NYCB’s First Steps Program for the 2020 and 2022 sessions, the SABxNYCB Toulmin Female Choreography Workshop, Ballet Sun Valley Dance Festival, and the REVOLVE Dance Project in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2023, Habony was commissioned to create a 2024 YAGP award-winning ensemble piece for a top pre-professional ballet company in Texas.

In March 2025, Habony's Chasing Shadows for Pointeworks premiered in New York City to great success. The piece features an original score made in collaboration with Katie Jenkins, an acclaimed NYC composer, and showcases the Von Enck sister trio, with a collaboration from costume designer Lauren Starobin.

Katie Jenkins is a multi-award-winning Welsh composer and music producer, now based in New York City. She is renowned for her strength in collaborative work and her ability to form supportive environments where she works closely with fellow artists to maximize their creative output. Her music can be found on both stage and screen and her sheet music is available under concert works. 

Her musical talent, coupled with her entrepreneurial skills has already left her with an array of awards. Her choral and piano music has been published by Hal Leonard in the US and Europe and her instrumental music by Murphy Music Press. Jenkins’ accolades include winning the Grand Prize in the International Women’s Brass Festival: WCFT Competition, the EXPO: New Works Competition, the Composer’s Cordance Generations XI: New Music for Jazz Septet, the LunArt Festival and the New York Federation of Music Prize. She was awarded the Norman Benzaquen Career Grant upon graduation from The Juilliard School for outstanding artistry and achievement both in leadership and entrepreneurship. Most recently, she was awarded the American Prize in Composition for her musical: This Land of Ours.

Her music has been used by many filmmakers, including festival success at the Berlin Film Festival and New York International Film Awards. She has been commissioned by numerous ensembles and organizations such as NASA (The Kennedy Space Center), the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of the New York City Ballet and New York Fashion Week (in collaboration with designer Bad Binch Tong Tong). Katie also enjoys working with choreographers and has been commissioned by companies such as Chamber Dance Project, Stefanie Nelson Dance Company, Revolve Dance Project and PointeWorks.  

Katie was commissioned by the Juilliard School to produce a work for a full orchestra to open their 24/25 season at Alice Tully Hall, conducted by David Robertson. Most recently, Katie was commissioned by pianist Chloe Flower and recorded her new work in London’s Abbey Road Studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 

For Pointeworks Season 2 NYC Tour, Jenkins composed an original score, Chasing Shadows, which premiered to audiences at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater in Laine Habony's new ballet. For Season 3 she is back for a new commission!