Meet The Dancers — Momentum Dance Lab

Core Members

Shannon Pedigo Efteland

Shannon received her dance training at the Irma Witt O'Fallon School for the Dancer and at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. During her studies to pursue a B.S. in Agriculture and M.S. in Microbiology, she found time for dance, including master classes with Momix, Ailey II and the American Repertory Ballet. She has performed with the Appalachian Ballet Jr. Company and the UT Dance Company and has performance and choreography credits with Circle Modern Dance and Momentum Dance Lab. Shannon has been teaching dance and movement classes in East Tennessee for over twenty years. A founding member of MDL, Shannon serves on the Board of Directors and continues to teach, perform, and choreograph for the company.

Valerie Kelly

Valerie Kelly is a founding member of Momentum Dance Lab and rejoined MDL in May 2019. She is ecstatic to be performing again. Dance has been an integral part of her life since age ten. During high school she participated in her school's color guard and winter guard in addition to her dance classes. She received a minor in dance performance alongside her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2007. She shared her love of the art with her students at Riversong Dance Studio in South Knoxville from 2011-2019. She now works as a lead teacher in the toddler classroom at Garden Montessori School.

Emily Kersey

Since the age of six, Emily has been exploring a wide range of dance styles and falling in love with various genres through the years. Emily began training with Valerie Kelly at Riversong Dance Studio at age nine, where she stayed until graduating in 2019. During her time at Riversong, Emily found a love for hip-hop and modern dance. At Riversong, Emily was given the opportunity to teach hip-hop classes and choreograph contemporary pieces for herself and others. Emily is now continuing her dance training and teaching as a member of Momentum Dance Lab. When she isn’t dancing, Emily is studying Agriculture Leadership at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK), or working as the student manager for UTK’s The Grow Lab. Emily is thrilled to be continuing her dance training with Momentum Dance Lab.

Gururas Khalsa

Gururas Khalsa was born and raised in Knoxville, TN where she began dancing at age four at Dancer's Studio. After high school, she moved to Boston where she spent a year dancing with Green Street Studios under the tutelage of Marcus Schulkind. Alongside her Architecture degree, she received a Minor in Dance Performance from the University of Tennessee Knoxville where she was a member of the UT Dance Company. She had the opportunity to perform works by renowned choreographers including Nathan Trice and four original pieces by Martha Graham, as well as choreographing a number of original works. Gururas has been teaching and choreographing since age eighteen, and joined MDL in 2014 where she has continued these endeavors as part of the Core Company.

Hannah Peterson

Hannah Peterson began dancing at a young age. She primarily trained with Ballet Tennessee under the direction of Barry and Anna VanCura. She continued her dance training at Belmont University where she was a member of the Belmont University Dance Company for three years and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and a minor in dance. In 2018, Hannah moved to Knoxville and is so happy to have found Momentum Dance Lab and continue feeding her life-long desire to dance.

Micah lee sISSOM

Micah Lee Sissom began dancing at age 4 at Dancer's Studio. She spent a couple years with the Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble and throughout college performed for different events around Knoxville. Her favorite performance was at the Bijou for an Eric Baker concert with Courtney Massey Kohlhepp. She joined Momentum Dance Lab in 2019 and has loved getting to dance with other passionate adults honing their craft and delighting in movement together! Outside of dance, Micah Lee pursues a career in cloud engineering and loves to grow vegetables.

Ashley Wagner

Ashley Wagner moved to Knoxville, TN from Illinois in 2007 and has been loving life in the South ever since. Her performance experience comes largely from the worlds of color guard and marching band. At age eleven, Ashley began performing with indoor and outdoor color guard groups in Illinois, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Since 2007 she has enjoyed teaching various groups in all three states. She was also a core member of Circle Modern Dance in Knoxville from 2013-2020, and loves teaching, choreographing, and studying all forms of modern dance. Ashley currently works for Oak Ridge City Schools.

Brynn Yeager

Brynn Yeager is very excited to continue her life of dance as a member of Momentum Dance Lab. She has been dancing since she was seven years old and has been with MDL since 2013. Growing up in Knoxville, Brynn danced and performed with the Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble (TCDE) at Dancer's Studio and the BOSS Dance Company at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. At UTK, Brynn studied community based mindfulness and meditation. Keeping dance creativity and movement at the forefront of her life, Brynn teaches at Riversong Dance Studio as well as choreographs and performs as a guest artist for other local dance companies.

Company Members

Sarah Carver

Sarah began dancing at age eleven at Riversong Dance Studio in Knoxville, TN, where she was trained in a variety of styles. She was also a member of both her middle and high school dance teams. At twelve years old, she joined the company at Riversong under the instruction of Valerie Kelly. She continued her dance education at Riversong until she graduated high school in 2019. Currently, she is a student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK), where she is majoring in Economics, and is a member of BOSS Dance Company at UTK. Sarah is thrilled to have received the opportunity from MDL to continue dancing! Photo coming soon!

annie holmes

Photo coming soon! Annie began her dance training at Dancers Studio in Knoxville where she was exposed to a variety of dance genres, including moder, ballet, and jazz. She was a member of the Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble where she performed all over the world until graduating high school. Later in adulthood, she began teaching various forms of dance at Riversong Dance Studio. She is a certified personal trainer and currently works at Frankie's Body Shop The Gym and Personal Training. She is now back in the studio and on the stage again after taking some time off as a new mom to her daughter.

Kelli Hudson

Kelli began her dance journey at the age of four under the instruction of Irena Linn at Dancer’s Studio in Knoxville. During her time there, she focused on modern technique. Even while performing with the Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association throughout her youth, she found she favored modern dance. At the age of twelve, Kelli joined the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble (TCDE) under the direction of Irena Linn and Amy Wilson. As her time in TCDE came to an end, Kelli found a new love for tap dance and focused solely on teaching and perfecting the art. A student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK), Kelli is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Elementary School Education. She performs annually as a member of BOSS Dance Company at UTK. Kelli is excited to see where her dance journey takes her with Momentum Dance Lab!

Kate Jolly

Kate began dancing at age five at Dancers Studio in Knoxville, where her primary focus was modern and ballet technique. When Kate was nine, she joined the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble (TCDE) under the instruction of Irena Linn and Amy Wilson. Kate’s time with TCDE taught her a variety of techniques, but she quickly realized her heart was in modern. Kate is currently a Communications major at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, where she is also a member of BOSS Dance Company. She’s excited to be dancing with MDL, and can’t wait to see where it takes her on her continuing dance journey!

Sarah Lynch

Sarah began dancing at the age of eight at Dancers Studio with a focus in modern, ballet, and jazz. By age thirteen, she discovered that dance was her passion and made the decision to devote more of her time and energy by joining the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble (TCDE). During her time with TCDE, Sarah also discovered her passion for teaching and choreographing. She loves telling stories through the art of dance and sharing the knowledge she’s gained with others. A student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK), Sarah is currently majoring in Accounting with a Business Analytics collateral. She performs annually and is a student choreographer for UTK’s BOSS Dance Company. Sarah is enthusiastic about dancing with Momentum and is looking forward to the growth this opportunity provides.

SHELBY POTTER

Shelby started dancing at Dancer’s Studio at the age of four under the instruction of Irena Linn and Amy Wilson. While at Dancer’s Studio, she primarily focused on Modern techniques and eventually widened her focus to include jazz and ballet once she was older. By age 13, Shelby had joined The Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble, where she danced for five years before graduatiing. After graduation, Shelby took two years off from dancing before finding her way back and joining MDL in the summer of 2021. Currently, she works for Elder’s Ace Hardware and is looking at schooling options for different business majors.

HENLEY PROCHASKA

Photo coming soon! Henley Prochaska started dancing when she was 4 years old at Dancers Studio. As she grew older, she joined the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble and later graduated and began attendance at the University of Tennessee with a Kinesiology major and a Public Health minor. There, she has danced with the BOSS Dance Company and plans to dance with them for her senior year. During the summer of 2022, she had the opportunity to study dance at the American Dance Festival in North Carolina where she was able to take multiple master classes in various dance styles, techniques, and choreography workshops. She enjoys being able to teach and choreograph dances at Dancers Studio, and she is glad to have found Momentum Dance Lab where she can continue to perform with and learn from hardworking and talented dancers.

LOUISA rADER

Photo coming soon! Louisa began dancing at the age of five at the Massachusetts Academy of Ballet and has maintained a passion for it ever since. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Astronomy from Mount Holyoke College in 2018. She then moved to Knoxville and received her Master of Science degree in Geology from the University of Tennessee in 2020. She joined Momentum Dance Lab in 2021 after becoming familiar with the company through weekly classes, and is also a board member of Circle Modern Dance. When not in rehearsal, Louisa is consistently taking dance classes or spending time with friends.

GWYTHIAN RAMSAY

Photo coming soon! Gwythian started dancing at six years old at Dancer’s Studio in Knoxville, focusing on modern dance as well as ballet, jazz, and tap. She joined the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble at age twelve. She danced with TCDE until she graduated high school in 2021, the same year she joined Momentum. Gwythian is currently studying Animal Science on the pre-vet track at UTK. While dancing with Momentum, she also teaches ballet at Dancer’s Studio, and assists with rehearsals for Ignite dance company.