Dance Program Seniors
Mitchell Davis
Hi, my name is Mitchell Davis. I have been dancing since I was five years old, studying different styles of dance including hip-hop, breaking, locking, tap, jazz, modern, ballet, and contemporary. I wanna give thanks to Mr. Antonio and Mr. Kirven for inspiring and motivating me to keep pushing in perfecting my craft in dance. I also wanna give thanks to Mrs. Kim for being there when I was at my lowest and pushing me to get better. I wanna give the biggest thanks to my mom for supporting me every step of the way, breaking her pockets to keep my dream alive. I wanna give the biggest shout out to my biggest hater in the world, my dad. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be so strong minded or have tougher skin and for that I love them all. As the 2024–2025 season ends, I will be taking my talent to CalArts.
JJ Jones
COCA has been my home, my foundation, and my family. I started at eight in hip-hop with Ms. Ebony and Ms. Cynthia. I left to explore but found my way back—starting at the age of 16. partaking in Hip-Hop Crew, COCAdance, and Ballet Eclectica. This place shaped me, challenged me, and gave me a community I’ll cherish forever. I just want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to some incredible people who have shaped my journey. Ms. Gabby, thank you for guiding us through these past years with your wisdom and kindness. C. Anthony Cole, you helped me find myself in dance and showed me what true community feels like. Your support, both in and outside of dance, means the world to me. Antonio Douthit-Boyd, you have been the father figure I never had. You’ve inspired me to love myself fully and to never stop chasing my passion. I will be thanking you for the rest of my life. I love you all—keep going!
Coen Landgraf
It’s hard to believe that it’s my turn to do a Senior Solo, to leave COCA, and to move on in my dance career. It’s starting to all feel so real, and it’s just as hard as I knew it was going to be. Even though this is only my second year at COCA, it has been two of the most pivotal years of my life. COCA has given me a place to elevate my dance, laugh, meet new amazing people, and in times I needed it most, been a positive constant in my life. That is something so special, something so impactful, something I can never thank enough, but something I can cherish forever. How lucky am I to have something so special that saying goodbye is this hard. I need to thank Mr. Antonio, Mr. Kirven, Mrs. Ashley, Mr. C. Anthony Cole, Mrs. Kim and all the amazing dancers who I’ve shared the Marley with. Although I feel prepared to start a new chapter, I’m nervous. Even more nervous than I feel dancing to this speech right now, in front of all of you. I’m eager to see where I go from here and excited to see what God has planned for me next.
Tallulah Lyons
Art is the penance of humanity. As humans, we’re destructive in every aspect of our lives. But the art we produce, vulnerable divinity articulated through the very vessels that make us destructive, brings beauty to the world. I’ve decided to pursue art from every aspect I can; music, writing, singing, acting, and, of course, dance. I came to COCA when I was 10 because I knew I had an artistic drive. This fall, I will be attending the CalArts Dance BFA program. I want to thank everyone I’ve had the opportunity to work with here at COCA. You all have given me a glimpse of the entertainment industry from unique aspects, preparing me for my future endeavors. And now, as my senior year has come to an end, I can say with complete confidence that I am ready to begin the adventure of my life.
Sanara Maasera
I have been dancing for eight years, and COCA has truly been my home and my heart. I’m incredibly grateful for the friendships I’ve made and the people who have supported me throughout this journey. A special thank you to Antonio and Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Sam Gaitsch, Gabby Billy, and all the other teachers who have guided me along the way. Your mentorship has shaped me into the dancer and person I am today. But most of all, I want to thank my mom. She has been my rock, my biggest supporter, and my everything. Dancing and being part of the arts have been some of the greatest joys of my life, and I will forever miss COCA and all it has taught me. I am excited to continue my journey as I pursue a career in nursing. Thank you, COCA, for everything.
Maria Pesce
My journey at COCA began in 2016; I was an extremely shy little girl who had just moved to America. At a time of so much change and uncertainty, hearing the words “plié” and “tendu” restored a sense of familiarity and comfort to my life, and that’s what COCA has been ever since, a second home. I am so grateful for the immense personal growth I’ve experienced here thanks to my exceptional teachers and role models. Most importantly, COCA has given me friendships that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Laughing uncontrollably in the hallways, celebrating after performances, and growing up together are just a few of the incredible memories I will cherish with the friends I have made here. Thank you to all of my teachers for seeing my potential and pushing me to achieve it, and thank you to my parents for your unconditional love! Eu te amo!
Adelaide Pollock
At three years old, I couldn’t wait for the end of class when the fluffy tutus and shiny tiaras were brought out, and we instantly transformed into beautiful ballerinas. For more than 15 years of camps, classes, Ballet Eclectica, and COCAdance, I not only learned to plié and tendu, but I learned who my community was. My COCA family has pushed me, picked me up, and made me laugh endlessly. It has been inspiring to connect so deeply with each other through our shared movement. To Antonio, Kirven, and ALL of my teachers, the opportunities you’ve provided me will never be forgotten. And to my parents, you are my everything. Thank you for the constant support, the many car rides, and for dropping everything to listen to post-rehearsal debriefs. This fall, I will be attending the University of Georgia to study marketing and public health. I will carry my dance training with me as dance has provided me with a language to express myself when words feel insufficient. Thank you, COCA, for these cherished years. I will always be proud to be a COCA kid!
Declan Ryan
I remember the sound of live drums as I watched my older brother move across the floor. The rhythmic beat and flow of the dancers inspired me. So, when I was eleven years old, I followed him to COCA. While I have always loved tap, I was soon adding more classes to my schedule. From the Boys’ Dance Program, to portraying “Billy Elliot,” to technique classes and company rehearsals for Ballet Eclectica and COCAdance, I have been blessed to train with amazing instructors and guest artists in ballet, jazz, tap, modern, and more! Seven years later, I dance seven days a week and will pursue dance and pre-medicine at the University of Iowa this fall. Thank you, Mom, Dad, Antonio, Kirven, Sam, Ashley, C. Anthony, Kelly, and all my incredible teachers and friends who have made COCA my second home!
Brie Shelley Piccinini
I have been dancing at COCA since I was four years old, and after 14 years, I’m not sure exactly how to put my journey into words. I’ve spent much of my life here, whether it be in Ballet Eclectica, COCAdance, the summer musicals, or just in class, but to me, COCA is more than just a place to train—it has shaped me as an artist and as a person. COCA has given me discipline, resilience, and a home filled with people who make me feel like I belong. I am endlessly grateful to my mother, Lori Lea Shelley, for supporting me and my dreams when no one else would. I don’t know where I would be without Antonio and Kirven Douthit-Boyd for being there for every step of my journey and every year of my life, even when I refused to smile in rehearsal or made slightly inappropriate jokes. I’d also like to thank Sam Gaitsch, for making sure I made my way back to COCA even during the epidemic, Gabby Billy, for working with COCAdance through the hardest times, Ms. Kim, Ms. Ashley, Ms. Carrie, and all my other teachers over the years. I will be continuing my pursuit of the arts at Parsons School of Design in New York City, where I plan to study Architecture and Fine Arts. I have no doubt in my mind, COCA will always be a part of me.
Eliana Wade
I always knew I wanted to dance, but walking into COCA at the age of 10, I had no idea how much dance and this place would mean to me. To all of the teachers, choreographers, and students here at COCA, I want to say thank you for sharing your love and passion with me throughout the years. Thank you, Ms. Carrie, Ms. Carly, Ms. Norma, and Michael for giving me a firm foundation. I want to say a special thank you to Ms. Ashley for always believing in me. Thank you, Mr. Antonio, for always pushing me to do my best, and Mr. Kirven, for your choreography and joy. COCA is such a special place, and I am so grateful. This fall, I plan on continuing my artistic and academic pursuits at Texas Christian University where I will be majoring in Ballet at the School of Classical and Contemporary Dance on artistic scholarship, along with minoring in psychology. I want to thank God, and my family for always supporting me, I could have never done any of this without you. COCA, you have my heart.
Theatre Program Seniors
Parker Collier
Hello! I’m Parker Collier, and COCA has been a part of my journey as an artist since the beginning. I started going to COCA when I was 7 years old, and I’ve been here for 10 years now. Before I started COCA, I was a shy, anxious kid who didn’t know what to do with himself. Sports didn’t work, drawing didn’t work, we couldn’t figure out what my thing was, that drive that everyone has. Then, I enrolled in a COCA summer camp, and everything changed. Suddenly I knew what I wanted to do, and how I could get there. With the help of COCA, I got primed for every aspect of theater in a multitude of ways. COCA, to me, is a priceless theater education that keeps students from heading into the world of the arts blind. COCA, to me, is one of the main reasons I’m heading to Long Island University after graduation. COCA, to me, is everything arts education should be and more, lifting students, and their works, up to greater heights.
Soph Levinson
Howdy! My name is Soph Levinson, and I have been at COCA for six years. Funnily enough, I never meant to be a part of COCA’s Pre-Professional Division. I accidentally auditioned as a part of me trying to fulfill a pre-req that I needed to take for a specific class. I started my PPD journey in Vocal Company for about a year, and then COVID-19 hit, and everything shut down. That’s when I transitioned to a then yet-to-be-named group where we got to develop weird ideas into plays and musicals. That group eventually became COCAwrites, and I have been a part of it since then. COCA has helped me understand myself as an artist and as a human. I would not be who I am today without the people I have met here, both mentors and friends. I will be attending Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, where I have received the Chancellor’s Scholarship and plan to major in Communication Design and minor in Photojournalism. Shout out to my family, friends, Cameron Tyler, Will Bonfiglio, and my dog Peanut.
“And the universe said I love you because you are love.”
Abi Loiterstein
COCA has been such a formative part of my life. It’s where I learned how to be my true self and create the me that I wanted to be. I started when I was in preschool taking dance classes, then moved on to singing lessons, and then I began to explore writing, where I really found my niche. I had no idea that the words I put together could mean something. Even when everything else in my life was crazy, COCA was a stable place where I knew how to be who I was. It means so much to me to have had a place where I could grow among other artists who were so insanely talented, and I’m so glad to have met so many beautifully awesome people (shoutout to the Wolves!!!!) who’ll be lifelong friends. Next year, I will be attending William Woods University where I have received the Amy Shelton McNutt Scholarship, to study American Sign Language – English interpreting. Thank you so much, COCA.
“And when you look to the night skies, don’t think of goodbyes. Think how I’m right here forever.”—Joe Iconis
Voice Program Seniors
Sarah Brown
I started at COCA when I was maybe around 5–6 years old, so about 2013. My mom was a dancer, so she wanted me to try it out. I immediately fell in love with it. I have such fond memories of taking jazz and hip-hop classes as a kid. When I moved away for a few years my love for performing arts moved more towards theater, and when I moved back to St. Louis, I rekindled my love for COCA in a whole new way. I did anything and everything from COCAwrites to modern dance. I eventually settled into Allegro Vocal Company and have made some of my most meaningful friendships and connections. COCA is truly such a warm and welcoming place that I will dearly miss. No matter what was going on in my life, academically, or socially, COCA was always a safe haven for me. It is a place where I feel comfortable to express myself fully and grow further as an artist. Next year, I will continue to hone my creative skills at NYU Tisch studying drama. I am so excited for my next chapter, and I have COCA to thank for helping me to grow into the person I am today.
Kit Haupt
I started performing at COCA this year, and even though my time here has been short, it has made an incredible impact on me as a performer and as a person. I plan on taking everything I have learned, both from Dr. Phil Woodmore and my new friends, to study vocal jazz at Berklee College of Music next year in Boston.
Taylor Martin
I was about 16 when I started with COCA wanting to improve my dance skills, cause to be honest I sucked at dancing. Now I’ve been here for about two and half years. Wow! Crazy am I right? After being here for about a month, I got the opportunity to join the Vocal Company. Then in the upcoming year I joined Allegro Senior Company which was and still is run by Dr. Phil Woodmore, along with some acting classes and picking up more dance classes along the way. COCA for me personally, was an area of endless opportunity for young teens and adults to get into the arts and should be possible. I plan to attend Central Methodist University, to pursue a degree in Theater Education. Hopefully spreading the love of the arts for future generations to come.
Theo Miller
When I was thirteen, I could not have even imagined what this point in my life would look like. I had been to COCA a few times, but I had never known what it really was. I had just thought it was some sort of theater and was not a space for someone like me. But that all changed during the spring break of seventh grade, when the pandemic hit. During that time, I got interested in music. I took vocal lessons, but I still had no place where I could learn to dance. I started at COCA four years ago, and I have experienced improvement beyond my wildest dreams. I am going to Belmont University in the fall, and COCA has been much more than preparation for that. COCA has been a second community sort of like a family.
Nayomi Ekko Shackelford
Hello! My name is Nayomi Shackelford, but I use Ekko at COCA. I started out at COCA doing a week-long summer camp where I practiced a song of my choice and performed it for a group of people. I was then asked to join the Allegro Senior Vocal Company, and I’ve been involved there ever since. I’ve taken a couple of classes which include acting, animation, and dancing. COCA to me is a place where I can harness my musical talents and express myself. I’ve become more comfortable in being myself and I believe that COCA has helped me grow out of my shell. My plan after graduation is to take a gap year and take some time to work on myself and figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life. Wish me luck!
Natalie Shellhaas
I auditioned for COCA’s Vocal Company on my first day in St. Louis. Since then, I have spent countless hours in dance, voice, and acting classes here. With the encouragement of my peers and the staff at COCA, I have decided to attend Swarthmore College to pursue Music and Theatre, along with Computer Science. The three years I have spent at COCA have helped me grow as a performer and a person. I met some of my closest friends, gained invaluable experience, and made memories that will last a lifetime. I am excited to see where the next chapter takes me, knowing that the friends and mentors I have gained at COCA will be cheering me on, just as they have for the last three years.
