About Us

Alyce Finwall - Artistic Director

E-mail: afdancetheater@gmail.com 

Alyce (pronounced like “Elise”) has been making dances since 1994, developing a uniquely creative and theatrical style, noted for having an “impressive and accomplished choreographic symphony” by the SF Examiner and a “fierce fluidity in performance and a brooding surrealism in the choreography” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She started Alyce Finwall Dance Theater (AFDT) in 1999, having produced over 40 original works, and has also had the great pleasure of collaborating with many diverse artists on works for both stage and film. Alyce experiments with process to create works that address the psychological and surreal states of contemporary culture as well as the richness and turbulence of our interior lives. Alyce's wide ranging dance career began after a brief hiatus from dance to study art (with a focus on painting and printmaking) and communications theory at Hamline University. She has danced professionally with the Minneapolis based avant-garde company, Ballet of the Dolls, where she performed in over 20 original ballets in her seven years with the company, and was its first ever guest choreographer. Alyce has also danced with Rincones & Company in Washington, DC and has studied with the Cullberg Ballet in Sweden (under invitation from artistic director Lena Wennergren-Juras), the Cunningham Dance Company (with a travel/study grant from the Jerome Foundation) and with many teachers of ballet and contemporary techniques in NYC, Minneapolis, DC and San Francisco. Alyce's work has been presented at such venues as P.S. 122, The Joyce SoHo, Dance Theater Workshop (New York Live Arts), Dixon Place, 92nd Street Y on 42nd Street, Cunningham Theater, White Wave Theater, The Cowell Theater, The Southern Theater, ODC Theater, The Garage Theater and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and American College Dance Festival. Alyce has received support from the McKnight Choreographic Fellowship, the Jerome Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation and 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center. Alyce holds an MFA in choreography from Mills College where she was awarded the Liatis Foundation Award. She has also taught and choreographed for college and pre-professional programs such as the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Radford University, Cedar Crest College, Mission College and Mills College, and is currently an adjunct professor of dance at Santa Rosa Junior College and is the Director of Moving Arts Academy of Dance in San Francisco.

Isabel Rosenstock - Dancer

A native of San Francisco, Isabel is a freelance dance artist and Pilates instructor. Trained under Summer Lee Rhatigan at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, she has had the immense pleasure to learn and perform the repertory of Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, and Jiri Kylian.  Isabel holds a BFA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach and since relocating to San Francisco in 2012, she has attended several workshops and intensives throughout Israel and Europe and has worked with choreographers in the Bay Area, performing in projects with Maligrad Dance, LEVYdance, James Graham Dance Theater, and Hallie Dalsimer.  She is very excited to be working with Alyce Finwall Dance Theater.

Katy Meyers - Dancer

A native of Chicago, Katie is a freelance dancer and fitness instructor in the Bay Area. Trained under Summer Lee Rhatigan at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, she has had the immense pleasure to perform the repertory of Ohad Naharin, Bobbi Jene Smith and Tom Weinberger. Prior to her time at the Conservatory, Katie had the great fortune to train in Portland, Jerusalem and Salt Lake City where she was able to perform work by Andrea Miller, Noa Wherteim, and Ching Ching Wong. Currently, she is rehearsing with Katie Florez as a company member of Fullstop Dance. She is very excited to be dancing with Alyce Finwall Dance Theater!

Cooper Neely - Dancer

Cooper started dancing at the University of Texas at Austin where he was trained in contemporary and ballet by David Justin, Yacov Sarir and Andrea Beckham, and performed works by Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe and David Justin. Since graduating in 2012 with a BFA in dance, he has trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance with Summer Lee Rhatigan, Christian Burns, Alex Ketley and Tristan Ching. Cooper has danced professionally with BODYTRAFFIC, LEVYdance and Dance Theatre of San Francisco.

Khala Brannigan - Dancer

A native of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Khala began her training with Moving People Dance Theatre under the direction of Ronn Stewart and Layla Amis. Lead artist of Bay Area Dance Collective, Brannigan is a LINES Ballet Training Program alumna of 2011-2013. Since graduating, Brannigan has been choreographing original works in the Bay Area in collaboration with local poets, musicians, and video designers. She has worked for Project Agora, SOULSKIN Dance and various artists including Joe Landini, Amelia Eisen and Annie Kahane.  Her work has been included in West Wave Dance Festival, Summer Performance Festival and San Francisco Dance Film Festival.