SAVANNA KELLY
(She/Her)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
4th Year | EEB
Mattituck, NY
Hi there ! So corny but I am #honored to be one of your execs for the 2024-25 year for NSU. I’m a fourth year Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution major and a used to be Environmental Systems and Society minor. I’m initially from Long Island, New York. I’m a big fan of music, chatting, and going to do things just to say I did it. Ask me anything about the niche entity that is my hometown, my obsession with my study abroad in Australia (and my solo travels after), my take on a perfect pizza and the sauce to dough to cheese ratio, the one time I tried to take a house class, how I discovered boba (it is quite the tale), the sequels of ballet teachers I experienced, and anything else that you may desire. I love to talk about anything, so long as it’s interesting or funny :D
I grew up as a studio kid. I was initially a studio hopper from ages 3-6,, but then I landed my feet at my hometown studio, where I trained in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, breaking, musical theater, contemporary, lyrical, and modern until I was 18. I experimented with point for a second. My ankles were too weak. I also attempted acro for a time, but I’m afraid I’m as stiff as a board. Regardless, the street styles always spoke to me the most, and I knew I needed more than from my home studio. I started heading into NYC and taking classes at Broadway Dance Center to learn more, and taking master classes where I could. After COVID hit I went in a lot less unfortunately, but coming to UCLA and seeing NSU’s pre-aud workshop sparked my hope again. I’ve been on the team since I was a freshman and it has completely changed my perspective on what a dance community could be for the better. It’s been a place where I can challenge myself but also be surrounded by encouragement, with the bonus of making new friends along the way. I hope anyone who crosses paths with our team can feel the bond that we’ve made, and wants to join in some way or another !! It’s such a welcoming environment, and I want to extend it to anyone we can <33
CHEYENNE AMAR
(She/Her)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
4th Year | Physiological Science
Honolulu, HI / Silverdale, WA
Hiiii, I’m Chey and it is such an honor to say that I am one of your executive directors for NSU Modern this year!! I am a fourth year Physiological Science major on the pre-med track. I aspire to be an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine one day #dreambig. I was born in Honolulu, Hawai’i and raised there for the first part of my life before moving to Silverdale, a small town in Washington State. I did a lot of back and forth growing up so home for me has always felt like it’s been in two places and now three since I’ve moved here to LA! Most of my favorite things outside of dance revolve around nature, maybe it’s the PNW granola girl in me. I love the ocean, the stars, the forest, sunsets, rain, camping, hiking, you name it. I also love my dog/son Koda, my car (I’m a die hard 4Runner girl these days), night drives, flowers, trying new foods, and tbh just trying new things in general! Some convo starters if you want to chat are being pre-med, my puke phobia, being hella mixed, my missing teeth, being asthmatic, being a Bruin Ambassador, doing the Super Bowl halftime with NSU, Washington State/Seattle stuff, my love for dutch bros/coffee stands, being a foodie, tattoos, wanting to be an NFL dancer one day, being ENTJ, my ankle sprain on the SAC stairs, traveling, or being EMT certified. These are just ideas but I live to yap so feel free to chat with me about anything!! <3
Dancing Background: I started dancing at a young age but it was very short lived. I did Hula and Ballet when I was 3 for a few months and then dropped it. I started dancing consistently when I was 7. I started with just Ballet, but later joined a competitive team at a new studio that opened near me when I was 9. I was on that competitive team from then until I graduated high school. We competed and did conventions regionally. During this time I trained in Ballet, Jazz, Jazz Funk, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Tap, Contemporary, Musical Theater, Modern, Acro, and Tumbling. I always gravitated more towards Hip Hop and longed to dance hula again. I knew the dance chapter in my life was not ready to be closed when I graduated high school. Once I came to UCLA, I joined NSU Modern my Freshman year and started dancing hula with Hui O ‘Imiloa and the rest is history. I have managed to fall in love with dance even more than before and am so grateful to have found such a safe space to explore my artistry and creativity. The community and support system I have built at UCLA is largely due to bonds formed thanks to NSU and I genuinely can’t imagine what my college experience would look like without it.
ELENA CHEN
(She/Her)
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
4th Year | Sociology, Accounting Minor
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
heyyy (with three y’s 😏) my name is elena and i’m just happy to be here tbh. i’m a fourth year soc major w/ an accounting minor (i used to be a gender studies major and i miss it dearly). i’m from rancho cucamonga, ca (shoutout bass pro shops) but i’ve also lived in fullerton, ca (shoutout my brief stint as an oc asian). the first thing anyone should know about me is that i love trying new restaurants, giving unsolicited food recs, and cooking/baking (basically i live to eat) !!!! talk to me about anything cars/f1, how im super cool and play the drums and the piano, my failed twitch streamer career, food (DUH), my beautiful bundle of joy (my cat pru), being an ipad kid/chronically online (i’ll understand ~95% of online references), shopping, letterboxd, being the youngest sibling, and literally anything and everything under the sun i love to yap <3
Dancing Background: i’ve been dancing on and off for ~10 years, from studio dancing to kpop cover groups. i’ve done ballet, tap, acro, lyrical, jazz, etc., but i always find myself going back to hip hop. i never planned on dancing in college but then i found nsu…or maybe nsu found me (awwwwww cue the waterworks guys) i love this team so much and im so grateful to be a part of it !!
TANYA SUDTIKITPISAN
(She/Her)
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
2nd Year | Economics and Commincations
Bangkok, Thailand
Hi guys!! I’m Tanya your assistant director a part of artistic!!! I am a second year planning to double major in econ and comms. I’m thai and from Bangkok Thailand so somewhat far away from home but getting acquainted to be an LA-er hehe. I love love dance (ofc), many other sports as a grew up playing (such as volleyball, soccer, badminton), music (tate mcrae, gracie abhrams, szaaa, etc etc), eating (ACAI BOWLS AND ME ARE TIGHTT), taking cute pictures and everything media of sports. I also love traveling; my dream destinations would be Milan and the Maldives (hopefully, I get to visit soooon). I’m the oldest sibling with a younger brother 3 and a half years younger than me so come to me with literally anything and I am open arms with advice and love (I could probably use some myself..). People say I have an RBF, but I swear I'm super nice!!!!!! Come talk to me and I can't wait to meet the new team and see where we can take our new set and tackle the rest of the year <333.
Dancing Background: I took ballet when I was super young for a bit and then did gymnastics for a while (6 years or so?) until I broke my arm… I then started taking dance (hip-hop, street jazz, some contemporary.. but barely) in 7th grade and continued to take classes on and off (mainly during my breaks) until my senior year of highschool. I ofc wanted to join something dance-related at UCLA and fell in love with NSU (the parking lot and long hours make up for it) and got to perform competitively for the first time!!! Now that I get the honor of being artistic I get to choreograph and do a lot more of the creative side of dance which I love and I can’t wait to share my visions with all of you!!!
DAYLEEN SOTO
(She/Her)
ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR
2nd Year | Business Economics
El Centro, CA
Hi, I’m Dayleen!! I’m glad to be the administrative coordinator for the team this year! I’m a second year business economics student from El Centro, CA (a city in Imperial County, close to Mexicali, Baja California Mexico). I hope to minor in entrepreneurship and something else (still not sure :\). You can talk to me about being a quinceañera choreographer, the oldest sibling, first generation, being Christian, my two most severe injuries (cracking my head open and stabbing my hand with a knife), loving spicy food/snacks, binge watching shows, telenovelas, romance movies/shows, Latin music, my pets, or anything else you’d like:)!!
Dancing Background: I started dancing when I was about 8 years old on my elementary school’s dance team. In high school, I joined the school’s dance team where I did jazz, hip hop, reggaeton, ballet, lyrical, and contemporary. I knew I wanted to keep dancing after high school, so I looked up dance teams at UCLA. I found NSU Modern among the list and really liked their style, so I decided to audition for the team my freshman year! I’m glad to form part of this team because it is the first competition team I’ve been on and it has allowed me to continue my passion for dance, as well as meet such great people and dancers!!
MIA JAMES
(She/Her)
FINANCIAL COORDINATOR
2nd Year | Economics Major, EES Minor
Dubai, UAE
Hi everyone, I'm Mia and I'm NSU's Financial Coordinator! I’m a third year economics major, and environmental systems and society minor, and I am originally from India, but grew up in Dubai and went to a british international school. Outside of dance, I love formula 1, og marvel movies, room temp water (why do americans only drink ice cold water argh) sad white girl music, romance/fantasy/dystopian books, and most shows meant for 12 year olds (atla and jatp fans rise up). I love NSU with my whole heart - I've learned so much from everyone on this team and I continue to grow every day because of them!
Dance Background: I started dancing when I was 12 years old at Diverse Performing Arts Center in Dubai where I trained in Hip Hop, Commercial Pop and Jazz Funk. I also taught my school’s middle school dance team while I was in high school! Dance has been a huge part of my life and I knew I wanted to continue doing it in college. NSU Modern is the first competitive team I have been on and it has really become my home away from home. Joining NSU in my freshman year of college introduced me to a group of talented, kind and supportive people who share my passion for dance and have become like family to me. This is my third year on the team and second year on lship, and I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to be the Financial Coordinator for the team which has pushed me to be a better version of myself. <3
CALLA THOMPSON (She/Her)
DANCE CAPTAIN
3rd Year | Business Economics
Missoula, MT
Hi everyone! I’m Calla, and I’m so excited to be your NSU Dance Captain this year! I’m a third-year business economics major, and I joined the team back in Fall 2023. I’m originally from Missoula, Montana, but I decided to move to LA for the great weather and endless opportunities. After I graduate, I’m hoping to work in commercial real estate after graduation—if you’re reading this, connect with me on LinkedIn ;). Outside of dance, I love being outdoors (hiking, camping, skiing, etc.), trying out new recipes, going to the gym, journaling, traveling, and attempting to explore LA without a car (it’s a struggle, lol).
Dancing Background:
I started dancing when I was 6 after randomly discovering Irish dance—I thought ballet was too boring. I competed in Irish dance all the way through high school and joined my school’s dance team (jazz/pom style) to branch out and dance with more of my friends. I ended up being varsity dance captain for two years, and after graduating, I thought I’d take a break from dance in college. But honestly, I missed it so much during my freshman year that I decided to audition for NSU in my second year—and it was hands down the best decision I’ve ever made. Sharing my love for dance with this team and diving into a new style has been such an incredible experience, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be part of it!
JANE LING
(She/Her)
INTERNAL RELATIONS COORDINATOR
2nd Year | Cognitive Science
Toronto, Canada
Hihi! My name is Jane and I’m so excited to be NSU’s Internal Relations Coordinator this year :) I’m a second-year Cognitive Science major, and I grew up in Toronto, Canada (eyyy) and Beijing, China! Along with NSU, I’m also on exec boards for FAST at UCLA and Forward Magazine (idk if you can tell but I really love fashion). I’m a big fan of animation (favorite movies, shows, and animes are Perfect Blue, Fantastic Mr. Fox, any ghibli film - I’ve seen them all, Arcane, March Comes In Like a Lion, Naruto, The Little Prince, and Lovely Complex), if you have any recs please share them with me!!! I’m also a big foodie and have been really wanting to explore more of LA’s food scene, so if you’re ever bored on a Saturday evening and want an excuse to eat out… you know who to contact…
Dancing Background:
I started dancing when I was 3, doing studio ballet and traditional chinese folk dance, and later in middle school I began studio contemporary and jazz. I’ve trained in both the Royal Academy of Ballet method and Cecchetti method, and I completed exams up till Advanced 1 of Cecchetti. While I loved ballet, I definitely found my own personal style through contemporary. While I was never trained in any street styles, I’ve always loved and had so much respect for it. I consumed a lot of street style-related media (my favorite show used to be Street Dance of China), however my dance studio didn’t offer many classes. I was also dancing competitively throughout highschool, averaging 13 hours per week, so I couldn’t find time or justify attending even more classes lol. However, I knew that I wanted to join a dance team in university, both to continue my passion and also find a community of people who shared the same interests, and I knew that there were really incredible street style dance teams at UCLA, so I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to venture out and try something I’ve always wanted to do – and I’m so incredibly happy I did :)
KAYLEE LEE
(She/They)
EXTERNAL RELATIONS COORDINATOR
AND TEAM STYLIST
4th Year | Public Affairs, Environmental Science Minor
Los Angeles, CA
Hi, my name is Kaylee and I am so happy to be NSU Modern’s External Relations Coordinator and Team Stylist! I was pretty intimidated about joining a competitive dance team in college but NSU has become my happy place and even on the hardest days will bring up my mood. I have met some of the best, most talented people on this team and I value the environment it's created to do what we love together. I wouldn’t want to dance in a parking lot with anyone else<3 Outside of dance, I like listening to music, exploring new places, hanging out with my dog Zeus, and collecting stickers and blind boxes!!
Dancing Background:
I began dancing in middle school cause my mom forced me to take open hip-hop classes on the weekends (rip IDA</3). Then, in my freshman year of high school, I joined the school’s dance program where I began to take dance a bit more seriously. I focused mostly on jazz but was exposed to other styles in the program like contemporary and ballet. I also began choreographing for the first time for our concerts. A few years later, I joined my school’s hip-hop dance team where we performed at half-time shows and pep rallies. In my freshman spring quarter at UCLA, I joined Foundations Choreography where I met the people who convinced me to audition for NSU (shoutout Dalé)!
ZALEAH HENDERSON (She/Her)
TEAM STYLIST
AND SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATPR
3rd Year | Sociology Major, Public Affairs and Film Minor
Carlsbad (San Diego), CA
