Celebrating Our Alumni
At LoMastro, we take immense pride in the accomplishments of our alumni who have turned their passion for the arts into thriving careers. Below, we celebrate some of our incredible graduates who are now working as professional artists in dance, theatre, music, and beyond. Their journeys showcase the dedication, creativity, and skill cultivated during their time at LoMastro, inspiring the next generation of performers to follow their dreams.
Alumni
Keighley Nemickas
After graduating from LPAA and Woodlands Academy, Keighley attended Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, NC and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2019 with a B.S. in Health & Exercise Science and minors in Health Policy & Administration, Chemistry, and Dance. As a member of the Wake Forest University Dance Company, Keighley performed in all 4 Fall Faculty/Guest Artist Concerts, and all 4 Spring Student Choreographic Concerts, choreographing her own pieces her Junior and Senior years. Keighley was also a 4-year member and Administrative Captain of the Wake Forest University varsity Dance Team, performing at over 100 sporting events!
In 2019, Keighley moved to NYC to pursue musical theater and completed the Professional Semester at Broadway Dance Center. Since then, she has been assisting some of the best teachers in NYC alongside auditioning and performing. Some of her favorite credits include MyPlate: The New Food Guide Musical (Swing), The Dancers Who Sing Cabaret at The Green Room 42, and the CoComelon Party Time tour (JJ, Dance Captain, Assistant Director). When not performing, you can find her traveling the country as a tabulator for Starpower National Talent Competition!
Keighley is so thankful to LPAA for giving her lifelong relationships with friends and teachers, and giving her a love of dance and a work ethic/level of professionalism that so wonderfully prepared her for the industry.
Alumni
Jordan Ryder
Jordan Ryder is an alumni of LoMastro where she trained in all genres and participated in the pre-professional track company until she was 16. The faculty at LoMastro helped ignite and nurture Jordan’s passion towards dance and she is grateful to still be friends with her fellow company dancers today!
After graduating Stevenson High School, Jordan then moved to NYC where she graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts where she holds a BFA in Dance and a double minor in Sociology and Entertainment Business. Jordan is the Artistic Director of RyderDance, a contemporary dance company, where her work has been presented at notable venues across the tri-state area, Atlanta, and Chicago, and has reached a global audience virtually. Most recently, Jordan choreographed and directed her first sold-out RyderDance season in Manhattan and is currently choreographing the Off-Broadway production of "Singfeld! A Musical About Nothing!" which is set to premiere in June 2023 at the Jerry Orbach Theater in Times Square. Outside of RyderDance, Jordan has been commissioned to created new works for 10+ dance companies.
As a dancer, Jordan has danced in original works by Crystal Pite, Yoshito Sakuraba | Abarukas Dance, Guanglei Hui | Cross Move Dance Lab, Pamela Pietro, James Martin, and has performed repertory by Paul Taylor. Additional commercial campaigns/performances include Marc Jacobs Fall Collection 2021, John Ashford Shoes, and Sotheby's Auction House.
As an educator, Jordan loves sharing her passion and movement style through masterclasses for artists from youth to professional level.
@ryderdance
Alumni
Isabelle Dayton
Isabelle Dayton was born and raised in Lake Forest, Illinois. She began dancing at the age of two and has trained in various dance forms, including ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip-hop. She trained and performed as a company member at LoMastro Performing Arts Academy from 2010 to 2015. From 2015 to 2017, Isabelle trained and danced with Extensions Dance Company in Chicago, where she had the opportunity to learn repertoire and perform works by Sidra Bell, Adam Barruch, Miguel Perez, Ron de Jesus, Anna Long, Taylor Mitchell, and Garth Johnson.
Isabelle graduated from Lake Forest High School and continued her dance education at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, earning a BFA in Dance in 2020. During her time at NYU, she performed in works by renowned choreographers, including Sidra Bell, Wayne McGregor, Lar Lubovitch, James Martin, Doug Nielsen, and Ori Flomin. Isabelle’s own choreography, Symposium, was selected to be showcased at Choreofest and the NYU Second Avenue Dance Company Major Concert.
In 2020, Isabelle returned to LoMastro as a faculty member, sharing her passion for dance with the next generation of students.
Over the years, Isabelle has furthered her training by attending intensives and workshops with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance Chicago, the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Visceral Dance Chicago, Elements Contemporary Ballet, Sidra Bell, the Tisch Dance Study Abroad Program in Berlin, and B12. She is currently pursuing her professional dance career in New York City.
Alumni
Abby Rossiter
Abby Rossiter grew up training and competing in dance throughout the Chicagoland area, including at LoMastro during her high school years. She was selected as an NYCDA Studio Showcase Dancer and received the Dupree Dance Convention Advanced Ballet Scholarship. She also performed as a Patriette and Concert Company dancer at Stevenson High School. Abby graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Miami, where she studied Motion Pictures, Dance, and Sociology. Some of her favorite opportunities during her time there include attending The New York: Invitation to Dance summer program on scholarship, collaborating with the Frost School of Music Dance Department and Composers Collaboration as a selected choreographer and soloist, and winning 1st place in the Standard division of Dancing With the UMiami Stars. Additionally, Abby was a key member of the Miami Motion Dance Team, serving as a performer, student president, and post-graduation coach.
In 2015, Abby returned to LoMastro as a dance teacher, quickly becoming an integral part of our faculty for 9 years. During this time, she held the roles of Dance Company Director and Artistic Director. Abby's choreography has been showcased at Disney World in Orlando and has won various Choreography Awards, highlighting her talent and creativity.
Currently, Abby holds the title of Artistic Director Emeritus and remains connected to LoMastro as an adjunct member of our faculty. She resides in Minnesota and is also on faculty at Moore Than Dance, where she continues to share her passion for dance with eager students.
Abby enjoys choreographing musical productions, with credits that include Masque (University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL), Willy Wonka, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Little Mermaid (Area Stage Company, Coral Gables, FL), and The Wiz, 13, High School Musical, and Legally Blonde (Northbrook, IL).