THRIVE CONVENTION

Patrick began dancing at three years old in Los Angeles at his parents’ studio, The Performing Arts Center.  He trained in tap and ballet, but upon graduating high school, set his sights on attending UC Santa Cruz. After receiving his B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, he moved back to L.A. and has been able work professionally on various jobs including the Latin Grammy Awards, Cee Lo Green’s “Cry Baby” music video, and many live shows with The Mark Goodman Tap Company, Rhythmatic Tap Company (under the direction of Nick Young) and Tap Sounds Underground (under the direction of Gregg Russel). He is currently teaching tap and ballet as the Managing Director of his family’s business.

Julia Feeley is a NYC-based dancer recently seen on stage at The MUNY in La Cage aux Folles, and on screen in HBO’s The Gilded Age and Amazon Prime’s Etoile. Julia grew up training under Herci Marsden as a company member at The State Ballet of Rhode Island. She then danced with the student company at Ballet RI under the direction of Mihailo Djuric. After high school graduation, she switched her focus to musical theater and moved to NYC, where she continued her studies under legendary teachers including Deb Roshe, Diana Laurenson, Dana Moore, and Chet Walker. As a performer, she has been seen in shows across the country, including A Chorus Line, Chicago, and Beauty and the Beast. She was a choreographer for the inaugural Dancers Who Choreograph showcase, a judge for competitions such as In10sity and Dancers Inc., and regularly teaches ballet across the tristate area. She is a proud member of AEA and SAG. For more information, please visit juliafeeley.com

John "Comix" Barrella is a distinguished figure in the dance community, specializing in street dance culture. John's extensive career includes performances at Tedx: Chaos, NY Knicks halftime shows, music videos, the NYC Breakers’ Battle of the Boroughs reunion, and many other arts events over the last 20 years. As an internationally renowned choreographer & educator, his unique movement approach has left an indelible mark on dancers globally. Since founding "Redef" in 2007, John directs performances across NJ, NY, and Philadelphia, including the comedy-based work "Stupid Humans." In addition to directing, he serves as an adjunct professor for Hip Hop at Rider University, master faculty for Joffrey Ballet School’s audition tours, contributes to multiple arts boards, and trains both students and teachers worldwide. Pioneering "The Comix Method," a global teacher training program in hip-hop terminology and technique, John's classes aim to inspire aspiring dancers in the fundamentals of street and Hip Hop dance, fostering creativity and positive growth.

Michelle Elkin has recently served as Choreographer for the new hit TV show “Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage”. Other choreographic credits include Sutton Foster and Jonathon Groff Live At Lincoln Center for PBS, the tv series Younger, an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Resident Choreographer for Young Sheldon. She also choreographed the tv show Me and My Grandma with Rhea Perlman, as well as a Southwest Airlines web spot. Select Theater credits include  We Will Rock You which she served as both Director/Choreographer, The Wedding Singer, Ragtime the Musical, Co-Director/Choreographer of Footloose The Musical, Something Rotten (Broadway World Nominee), The Goodbye Girl (MTG), Broadway To The Rescue (Montalban Theater), Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Broadway World Awards Nominee) Sister Act The musical (Broadway World Awards Nominee, Scenie Award), a piece for the NSO Pops Opening at Kennedy Center and  “Children Of Eden” (Broadway World Awards Nominee). She also created musical numbers featuring Sutton Foster and special guest Joshua Henry for the National Symphony Orchestra at Kennedy Center, the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and the Houston Symphony at Jones Hall. She has also lent her choreographic talents to the hit ABC Family show, Baby Daddy, a TNT pilot titled “Dawn” directed by Sam Raimi as well as a production of Little Shop Of Horrors in Tampa, FL, the feature films Wild Hogs and What Just Happened, as well as Emmy award winning television shows, Boston Legal, Weeds, Lifetime’s reality show “Your Mama Don’t Dance”, Warren The Ape on MTV, Marvin, Marvin on Nickelodeon, as well as the tap sequences in ABC Family's Bunheads. Michelle was also the Associate Choreographer of the Broadway show, Wonderland at the Marriott Marquis Theater.

Laura Aronoff is a triple-threat performer originally from Atlanta, Georgia. She began her training at Rhythm Dance Center before earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Tulane University. Her work spans musicals, television, film, music videos, live events, video game animation, and commercial campaigns.

Most recently, Laura danced in her first national commercial and served as an assistant choreographer to Maya Taylor on Nordstrom’s holiday campaign. Her favorite performance credits span a dynamic range of live events, television, film, and stage. Live appearances include campaigns and premieres for Adidas, Southwest Airlines, Cartoon Network, and the FX Network. On screen, she can be seen in Netflix’s Tall Girl 2, Starz’s Step Up: High Water (Season 3), HBO’s Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, and ABC/Hulu’s Will Trent.  Music video credits include performances with New Kids on the Block, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl,” and Andrew Winghart’s reimagining of “Cry Me a River.” Additional commercial and branded work includes projects for Disney x Gray Malin and Rooms To Go. Her regional theatre credits in Los Angeles include Footloose (choreographed by Michelle Elkin), West Side Story, Kiss Me, Kate, and The Music Man. Beyond performing, Laura is deeply passionate about teaching. She strives to inspire dancers to fully commit to their craft and let fear take a back seat. Believing that dance lessons are life lessons, she hopes her students leave the room feeling challenged, supported, and empowered to grow both as artists and as people.