Meet the Artists
Choreographer
Hannah Haines is a dancer, choreographer and educator based in Southern Maine. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Anthropology, and Dance with a concentration in performance and choreography from Skidmore College. While at Skidmore Hannah had the opportunity to perform works by Skidmore faculty as well as repertory by Earl Mosley, Ohad Naharin, Paul Taylor, Danny Grossman, and Isadora Duncan. She has studied as an Apprentice with Lori Belilove and the Isadora Duncan Dance Company, and performed with Ballet Bloom Project under the direction of Rose Hutchens, and Stonework Productions under the direction of Holly Stone. Hannah has presented her own choreography in film and live performances at Engine Gallery, The Frances Tang Teaching Museum, and the American Dance Festival's Movies by Movers film festival. She was selected to participate in the panel “How to be an Ethically Engaged Anthropologist: Activism and Advocacy through Partnership and Collaboration” at the Northeast Anthropological Association Conference 2019, and to present at NYU’s 2020 Mapping Cultures conference for her theoretical research investigating using dance film as an ethnographic method.
Dance Artist
Jacqui DeFrança is a Maine based dance artist originally from Massachusetts. She is a graduate from Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles where she received a B.A. in Dance. She has had the pleasure of performing at venues such as: Ailey Citigroup Theater, St. Mark's Church, Joe's Pub, Milk Studios, Dixon Place, Lightbox, Engine and SPACE Gallery. Jacqui has also danced at various showcases including: ACDF, Western Arts Alliance Annual Conference, Reverb Dance Festival, APAP, and CFDA/Vogue presentation. As well as stage, she has experience with TV and Film, dancing in Video Music Awards performance with Rihanna, Oh Land's music video Renaissance Girls and acting and dancing in the short films Out of Zinc and Big Breakin'. Learning under artistic director Mike Esperanza, Jacqui was a member of Bare Dance Company from 2008-2015. She also has worked with New York City based, Flying Under The Radar (FUTR) with artistic director Marlon Taylor-Wiles since 2014. Alongside performing, Jacqui enjoys choreographing and has had the delight in creating movement for Illesteva’s fashion week presentation 2014, KOPPS’s music video Hott in 2018, The Bones of J.R.Jones' Stay Wild in 2020 and continuous solo work projects. While dancing in Maine, Jacqui has had the honor of working with Subcircle, Michael Figueroa, Scott McPheeters, Lizzy Mulkey, Kelsie Steil and Hannah Haines. She has been performing and training with contemporary ballet company Ballet Bloom with artistic director Rose Hutchins since 2020. Jacqui also curated and performed in En Route, a two month curbside performance series at Engine in 2021 and co-curated the series second show in 2022. She is currently involved in project based work both in film and live performance.
Dance Artist
Kelsie Steil is a dance artist, physical actor, choreographer, and director. As a performer, she has worked with choreographers Amanda Whitworth, Hannah Haines, Kristen Stake, Lizzy Mulkey, and Rose Hutchins. Her performance practice spans contemporary dance, physical theater, and character-based work, including drag king performance and immersive studies in Commedia dell’Arte. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Adventure Education with a Minor in Dance from Plymouth State University, where she received the 2018 Contemporary Dance Ensemble Award for achievements in choreography. During her undergraduate training, she had opportunities to work with guest choreographers Helen Simoneau and Jesse Robb. In addition to her performance work, Kelsie creates original, character-driven dance-theater productions and dance films presented throughout New England at SPACE Gallery, Lila Dance Festival, Engine, Franco Center, Dance Annex, Hill Arts, City Theater, and Mechanics’ Hall. Her original evening-length work, Split My Soul, premiered in 2025, was presented at Mechanics Hall in 2026, and will be presented at Judson Memorial Church in New York City in December 2026. She is the founder of Creature Works, a dance company through which she develops original dance works, multidimensional projects, and collaborations. Her collaborative work includes CRAVING THE MYSTIC, adapted into an award-winning film by filmmaker Jennifer Hoffer, and Rummage Lane, a full-length duet co-created with Hannah Haines. She is thrilled to be performing in Hiraeth, a years-in-the-making, empowering dance work with Biddeford Movement Map.
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Learn more: creatureworksdance.com
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​Photo: Jennifer Hoffer
Liz Mulkey
Dance Artist
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Liz(zy) Mulkey is a movement artist, actress, collaborator, and teacher. Her work investigates mental/emotional/physical reaction to the varied terrain of roles and identities. She presents her original choreography as live performance, film, and photography. Her work has been performed and screened nationally in classic and atypical venues:art galleries, community art-walks, pop-up shows, beaches, parks, shopping centers and theaters. LizMulkey.com
Maxwell Auger
Film Artist
Max Auger picked up a camera for the first time while taking a darkroom class his senior year of high school and quickly fell in love with the time spent developing images that people have yet to see. Beyond the darkroom, he slowly began playing visual games through the lens; looking for new perspectives, expressions, and eventually, stories to tell.
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After graduating high school, he put down the camera for a while and spent time in Boston and the surrounding New England area as a professional dancer. He has since found his way back to the lens and back to Boston. His interest continues to lie in documenting and telling stories with photography and increasingly in film.