kt williams + artists

As an independent dance collective, kt williams + artists works under the shared agreement that trust, empathy, and vulnerability are essential factors to building a generative dance space. kt williams + artists practice and prioritize equal collaboration, play, and authentic self-expression and together, we co-research, co-develop, and present dance works through a collaborative and interdependent working structure as a means for deepened social connection.

It is through these necessary working conditions where dance-making and performance can become a transformative experience.

Help kt williams + artists produce Contraflow!

Contraflow will be the first evening-length dance performance that is produced and presented by kt williams + artists. Considering the reality that multiple, opposing truths can exist at once, Contraflow presents resulting themes of embodied contradiction, or the complex dualities carried deeply within the body. The initial inspiration for this project stemmed from personal, collective experiences of grief and a need for interpersonal connection that emerges within complex, multi-sided conflicts. The early stages of Contraflow now informs the work as a meditation on embodied contradiction: when observing the simmering tension between opposing truths that manifest through the body, nuance can emerge. As an evening-length performance, Contraflow will exist as a mirror: to provoke sensations, memories, or emotions that allow the viewer to witness and reckon with their own nuanced experiences, while being present with themselves as they navigate through their own internalized embodied contradiction.

This crowdfunding campaign is built to primarily fund dancer compensation for this project. The proposed, final version of Contraflow will premiere as an evening-length contemporary dance performance on June 26-27, 2026 at the Menomonee Club in Chicago, IL. Rehearsals for this project will begin in January 2026 and will meet on a weekly basis for 3 hours per week, for a 6-month process. While members of the cast have volunteered their time since 2024, it is a priority to compensate their effort, time, and expertise as collaborators in this work, both in rehearsal and performance.

Any amount will help us reach our goal! Will you donate today?

‍ ‍Collaborating Artists

Noa Greenfield

Noa Greenfield is a dancer, dance educator, and choreographer based in the Chicagoland area.
Noa combines intellectual rigor with artistic exploration. She is currently working with The Rooted Space Dance Company as a guest artist under the direction of Stefany Cotton. There, Noa has been able to grow her technical and emotional performance skills performing in fast paced, theatrical, and interactive works. She has also had the privilege of performing with the Chicago Dance Health Fund in a work by Jonathan Alsberry in 2024. Additionally, she has performed in works by KC Beavis, Braeden Barnes, Hanna Bricston, Sara Hook, Tere O’Connor, Anna Peretz Rogovoy, and Roxane D’Orleans Juste.
As an educator, Noa teaches all ages, encouraging each dancer to find their artistic voice through an emphasis on vocabulary, history, functional technique, and mindfulness. She prioritizes teaching total body awareness at a young age to aid in injury prevention and career sustainability. Her classes create a positive, disciplined, and focused environment that keeps dancers curious and involved. Noa continues to expand her choreographic voice while making a positive impact within her communities through organizations such as Dancing for Dancers, where she is the Mission Ambassador Director. She curates workshops around the greater Chicagoland areas and choreographs for their annual benefit concert to support dancers in need. Committed to community engagement, she values the collective power of dance as a tool for connection and support.
Photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis
Leondria McRae

Leondria McRae is a dance artist currently based in Chicago, IL. She is originally from North Carolina where she received her B.F.A (choreography and performance) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2022). After graduating she had the opportunity to freelance in North Carolina. Working with Caitlyn Schrader artistic director of liminality project. As well as presenting group work directed by kt williams. McRae has also attended dance intensives with Visceral, SANCTA, and Safety Release. She believes that being a mover is a clear path for cultivating community and human connection. She is thrilled to continue seeing what the Chicago dance community has to offer.
Photo by Tiffany Hale
Dani Oblitas

Dani Oblitas(they/she) is a dance artist, choreographer and educator based in Chicago, IL. She is passionate about making movement accessible to all, and views movement as a powerful tool for healing, transformation, and community-building. They graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in both Dance and Environmental Studies. Dani has performed with Liz Sexe Dance, Helen Lee, kt williams, Erin Kilmurray, The Seldoms, and Ishti Collective among others. Currently, they are a collaborator and performer with 773 Dance Project, Sildance/Acrodanza, and Albany Park Theater Project's Port of Entry. Dani has presented work at Links Hall as a CO-MISSION Resident for 2024/2025, Marvelous Monday, Short Stack Film Festival, FACT/SF Summer Dance Festival, Going Dutch Festival, and Outlaw of the Arts. In 2024, they completed the Essential Level Spiral Body Techniques® teacher certification with Molly Shanahan/MadShak.
Photo by William Frederking
Aislinn Travis

Aislinn Travis is a dance artist and movement enthusiast newly based in Chicago. Originally from New England, she earned a BFA in Dance Choreography and Performance from UNC Greensboro. Otherwise studying with Bates Dance Festival, David Dorfman Dance, and the American Dance Festival, and performing with Caitlyn Schrader’s Liminality Project, Jill Guyton Nee for the North Carolina Dance Festival, and most recently kt williams + artists.
Photo by Tiffany Hale
Kristen Whalen

Kristen Whalen is a Chicago-based artist and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she received her BA in Dance and BS in Industrial Engineering. During her time in college, she was fortunate to perform in works by Cynthia Oliver, Tere O’Connor, Roxane D’Orleans Juste, and Sara Hook among many others. In her last year of college, Whalen was selected as the recipient of the Lisa Carducci Memorial Scholarship. Whalen is currently Rehearsal Director for Alluvion Dance Chicago and continues to work on freelance projects with regional artists including kt williams and Kayt MacMaster.
Photo by William Frederking
Caitlin Wonsowski

Caitlin Wonsowski (they/she) is a Chicago-based emerging dance maker and performer. Since achieving their Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Columbia College Chicago in 2024, they have been working as a freelance artist, doing improvisational performances, and working under choreographers such as Phillip Wood, Sara Wagonmaker, and kt williams. They were selected to perform in pieces by Hanna DiLorenzo and Shota Miyoshi in New Dances 2025, and in The Seldoms performance of Superbloom POP! at the Chicago Botanical Gardens. Their choreography focuses on research based in the intersection of psychology and movement. A collaborative artist, they have choreographed works such as “Upraise of Uncertainty” with Wyatt Sutter and “Echoes of Conditioning”. Since 2024, they have been developing an evening length work-in-process,“Sixty-Five 14” made in partnership with Najah Iman, which has been featured at several Midwest dance festivals, and plans to be premiered in the summer of 2026.
Photo by Peter Hinsdale