OUR TEAM

Mary Aleiner

Mary Aleiner is a dancer and aerialist whose work bridges classical training and contemporary innovation. She began her training at Dance Theatre of Harlem and furthered her studies at summer intensives with Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, Steps on Broadway, and State Street Ballet. After stepping away from dance in 2021, Mary discovered aerial arts in early 2022 and began training across a wide range of apparatuses, including silks, sling, rope, lyra, dance trapeze, loops, straps, invented apparatus, and harness work (wall, open space, and even site-specific environments like trees). By January 2024, she was performing professionally in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Her performance credits include Fix You at the Arlington Theatre for Kids Helping Kids (choreography by Autumn Lotus and Chanel Pepper) and JUPITER at the Lobero Theatre (choreography by Jeff Shultz). Returning to formal dance training in 2024, Mary performed with SBCC Dance Company during the 2024–2025 season and was invited to join Lisa Eaton’s company works in 2025. In addition to live performance, Mary has appeared in the dance films FEMME (Ghost of Love edition) and So Win, and performed FEMME live at Legalize Congress at Los Angeles Dance Project. With her hybrid background in dance and aerial, Mary continues to expand her artistry across ground and air.

Georgia Goldsmith

Georgia began her dance training in Encinitas, CA where she trained with Bolshoi soloist, Maxim Tchernychev, and fell in love with ballet, modern, and contemporary dance. She has attended summer programs at American Ballet Theater, Harid Conservatory, and The Washington Ballet. Georgia graduated with a B.A. in Dance and Environmental Studies from UCSB in 2024, where she had the privilege of being part of the UCSB Dance Company and touring in Europe and New York. Georgia loves sharing her passion for dance as a teacher at Santa Barbara Festival Ballet.

Elianne Holt

Elianne Holt began her dancing training at Hosanna Dance Studio in Eugene, OR, where she fell in love with dance in all forms. After her oldest brother decided to become a professional dancer, she followed in his footsteps. She began training more seriously,which included summer intensive training at the University of Utah, Oregon Ballet Theater, and State Street Ballet under the tutelage of Meredith Ventura, Chris Alloways-Ramsey, Lauren Anderson, Bailey Shaw, Katerina Svetlova, Nilas Martins, Tigran Sargsyan, and Megan Philipp. In the fall of 2023, Elianne joined State Street Ballet’s Professional Track where she had the opportunity to perform in featured roles such as Meredith Ventura’s Carmina Burana, Sapphires, and In the Bleak Midwinter. She performed alongside the professional company in their production of The Nutcracker. In addition, she has performed with Selah Dance Collective in productions such as “Sound and Smoke” and “Wildflowers”. Elianne’s choreography was selected to be shared in local shows and theaters across Santa Barbara. Elianne is extremely excited and honored to join Novus Contemporary Ballet for its inaugural season.

Lia Lane

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lia began her training at Cincinnati Ballet Academy. While in Cincinnati, Lia had the opportunity to work closely with the company, having performed roles in Victoria Morgan’s The Nutcracker, Septime Weber’s The Wizard of OZ, and Victoria Morgan’s The Sleeping Beauty. Upon graduating from Cincinnati Ballet Academy, Lia was offered a trainee position with Tulsa Ballet. During her two seasons in Tulsa, Lia performed works by Ma Cong, Jera Wolfe, and Maine Kawashima. In 2024, Lia joined State Street Ballet as a trainee, where she collaborated with Meredith Ventura in choreographing La Foule. Lia is ecstatic to be joining Novus Contemporary Ballet for their inaugural season and can’t wait to embark on this new adventure!

Emma Stenger

Emma was raised in San Diego and began dancing at the age of 3. In 2017, she furthered her training under the instruction of Jill Gibson, focusing on the ABT National Training Curriculum. Throughout her training, she took on roles as a teacher, choreographer, and rehearsal & production assistant, which allowed her to develop versatile skills beyond ballet technique. Emma went on to graduate from Elon University in 2023 with a BS in Dance Science and minors in Dance Performance and Choreography & Exercise Science. She had the opportunity to train formally in modern technique and worked with incredible guest choreographers, including Lee Edwards, Ilya Kozadayev, and Janice Rosario. She also trained in lighting design, stage management, presented her own undergraduate research, and completed her Progressing Ballet Technique certification. 

Rosalind Young

Rosalind began her ballet training at the age of eleven with Scottsdale School of Ballet. She then attended other pre-professional programs with Oregon Ballet Theater and Oklahoma City Ballet, as well as Ballet Arizona, where she performed Swan Lake, Raymonda, and Sleeping Beauty. In 2024, she joined State Street Ballet's trainee program. Rosalind is excited for this new opportunity with Novus.