MEET OUR COMPANY

Katie Greene

Katie Greene founded Amalgam Dance in 2022 while studying at East Tennessee State University, and she is honored to continue serving as its Artistic Director. Growing up in Lenoir City, Tennessee, Katie explored many styles of dance and discovered a lifelong love for movement and collaboration. At ETSU, she deepened that passion as a dance minor in the Fine and Performing Arts Honors Program. Since then, she has enjoyed teaching and choreographing ballet and contemporary works throughout the Tri-Cities, always learning from the dancers she meets. Katie is grateful for the vibrant community that Amalgam Dance has become and is inspired every day by the artists who bring its vision to life.

Kasia Oliver

Kasia has been involved in ADC since its revival in 2022 and has experienced so much fulfillment and joy throughout the company’s evolution. During her time at ETSU, she minored in dance and was a Bert. C Bach Fine and Performing Arts Scholar. She graduated in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and begins ETSU’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program in January 2026. She is also a freelance choreographer for multiple studios in Tennessee and North Carolina. Kasia is deeply passionate about the space of escape, encouragement, and expression Amalgam provides. She is so grateful to connect and collaborate through movement, and she desires to support the journey of each member in their celebration of dance as art, catharsis, and testimony.

Lea Stratton

Lea received her bachelor of science with a concentration in exercise science and a minor in dance from ETSU in 2019. She has trained in a wide variety of dance styles since the age of 3. She has extensive modern dance training from her dance studio in Nashville, as well as many summer training programs like the Peridance Summer Intensive in NYC, the Point Park University Summer Intensive in Pittsburg, and the American Dance Festival at Duke University.  She danced with and choreographed for the Mountain Movers Dance company through ETSU from 2016-2025. Lea has choreographed and performed many solo and group works for ADC since 2022. Lea has been an adjunct instructor at ETSU since spring of 2024 and teaches Modern Dance. She has a deep appreciation for modern dance and its history, and she uses that to spread her knowledge and appreciation to anyone willing to learn. 

Kate Trabalka

Kate graduated from ETSU in 2021 with a degree in media and communication and a minor in dance, and she received her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 2023. She has been dancing for 22 years and has been teaching dance for over 10 years. During her time at ETSU, she was a Bert. C Bach Fine and Performing Arts Scholar and a member of the ETSU Dance Team. This is her third year choreographing with ADC. Kate is currently an instructor and competition team choreographer at The Dance Company of Johnson City, Head Coach of Science Hill High School’s Varsity Dance Team, and Dance Coach of Milligan University’s Dance Team. Kate has loved her time with ADC and can’t wait to create more art with a community of people she loves dearly.

Christina Ward

Christina Ward (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor in Johnson City, Tennessee. She has been a part of Amalgam since its establishment in 2022. Christina graduated from ETSU in May 2025 with a bachelors of arts in theatre, minoring in dance. Now an alumni, Christina serves as Amalgam’s Costume Coordinator as well as a teacher choreographer, and performer. 

Abigail Gass

Abigail is a second year student at ETSU studying clinical psychology as well as her second year being a part of Amalgam and choreographing. She has been dancing since she was 2 years old, danced competitively for seven years, and taught at Artistry in Motion Dance Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Her senior year she was team captain of her dance team. She has been trained in ballet, tap,  jazz, contemporary, and hip hop. Abigail says Amalgam reminded her why she fell in love with dancing and has been a beautiful blessing since coming to college. She is grateful for the community that Amalgam has provided her.

Cara Harker

Cara Harker is a professor of Dance and the interim chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance at East Tennessee State University. Cara graduated from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University with an MFA in Theatre Performance. Credits include (writer, choreographer, director, performer): "From the Sublime to the Ridiculous," New Orleans’ InFringe Fest; “bebe,” Know Theatre, Cincinnati Fringe Festival; "Memoir of a Mythomaniac: the True Story of a Compulsive Liar (or Tallulah Dies)," Cincinnati Fringe Festival (WINNER: Dr. Robert J. Thierauf Producer’s Pick of the Fringe Award). Presentations include: “The Art of the Solo Dance,” which featured the solo performance, “Memoir,” at the International University Global Theatre Experience Conference in Leitring bei Leibnitz, Austria; “Choreographing through Constraints: Embracing Practical & Created Obstacles when Making Dances” at University of Lincoln, England; and “This Could be Habit-Forming: Finding Inspiration from Everyday Movement” at University of Derby, England.  At ETSU, Cara has directed and/or choreographed more than 50 productions. Her book, Foundations for Performance Training: Skills for the Actor-Dancer, is published through Routledge.

Sarah Brown

Sarah graduated from ETSU in May of 2024 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She has been dancing for 14 years, studying mostly classical ballet. Sarah has recently started teaching dance, and she hopes to help her students have a healthy and happy relationship with ballet. This is her second year choreographing and third year performing with Amalgam Dance Company. Sarah is thankful for the welcoming community that ADC offers to every type of dancer and for helping her find her love for dance again. 

McKenzie Moore

McKenzie is from Greensboro, North Carolina, and grew up dancing at Greensboro Performing Arts. She has been studying dance for 16 years including styles such as ballet, tap, pointe, modern, contemporary, and hip hop. She has performed as a featured soloist in Hansel and Gretel Opera with Greensboro Symphony as an Angel and performed roles such as Snow (Nutcracker), Shades, and Gamzatti (La Bayadere). McKenzie currently studies Computer Science with the ETSU Honors College. She is super excited to be choreographing for ADC this year.

Lilly Rickenbrode

Lilly Rickenbrode is currently a sophomore at ETSU majoring in rehabilitative health sciences. She is so excited to be choreographing for this season. Lilly has danced since she was 3 years old here in Johnson City, and has danced competitively. She has also been on two dance teams throughout middle school and high school and is familiar with all dance styles including ballet, tap, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, and more. She can't wait for this season and what it has in store.