ODS Alumni

At Open Door Studios, we offer training for recreational dancers thru pre-professional. We’ll meet you where you’re at with your training and can customize your program to fit your needs and dreams. These past ODS dancers dared to dream big and have gone on to dance professionally on stages across the world. They’re proud to call ODS a second home and we cheer them on from afar!

Megan Boyette

Her favorite roles with Ballet Des Moines have been Titania in Peter Anastos’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Lady Capulet in Tom Mattingly’s Romeo and Juliet. Prior to joining BDM, Megan performed and toured professionally with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Ballet West, and BalletMet, dancing in full-scale productions of Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella & Adam Sklute’s Swan Lake, as well as multiple world premieres by Edwaard Liang. Megan is honored to be a Jacob’s Pillow Alumni, having worked closely with program director/choreographer Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa. Megan is entering her 5th season as a company dancer with Ballet Des Moines, was recently certified in Progressing Ballet Technique level one and will be returning as Summer faculty for Interlochen Arts Camp in 2026.

Sara Goldfarb

Sara is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina where she began her professional dance training at Open Door Studios with training in contemporary, ballet, and variations. In 2018 she began performing as an apprentice with the contemporary dance company,  Baran Dance (BD2). She now holds a BFA in Contemporary Dance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. At UNCSA, Sara performed repertory works from José Limón and Merce Cunningham as well as original works from Andrew Harper, Ming-Lung Yang, Kira Blazek-Ziaii, Gina Patterson, and Anthony Lee Bryant. Additionally, she has trained and performed at the Ailey School, Hubbard Street Dance, American Dance Festival, b12, and David Dorfman intensives.

In March, 2026, she choreographed and performed a piece called “Gelled” for Smack Dab Dance Lab’s 10 Tiny Dances. This show had ten choreographers performing original works on a 4 ft x 4 ft stage with choreography inspired by the Alex Katz exhibit in the Wichita Art Museum. Sara just finished a 2-month, 30 city, national tour called “The Diary of Elon Lust” with the musical artist Elise Trouw in April, 2026. She is currently in rehearsals for Smack Dab’s inaugural Dance Festival and will be returning in the Fall to take part in Smack Dab Dance Lab’s Super Fresh performance.

Emily Neely

Emily is going into her senior year of obtaining a BFA in dance choreography and performance w/K-12 licensure at UNCG. During freshman year she was a trainee with Limón Dance Company through their Spring Launch program. Throughout her time in college she has performed in works by Brad Beakes , Fernando Carrillo, Marielis Garcia, Maurice Watson, Clarice Young, and as well as Jose Limón’s “Winged”, “Chaconne”, and “Mazurkas”.

This spring semester she had the opportunity of being rehearsal assistant for BJ Sullivan’s Spring Dances Piece “Oneself By Oneself”. Through her time in both high school and college, she has attended a variety of programs such as Bates Dance Festival, American Dance Festival PDI, Doug Varone Summer and Winter Intensive, Safety Release Summer Intensive, and Martha Graham Teens Summer Intensive. She aims to create a welcoming dance environment in her classes where students feel comfortable to explore their artistry and connect with others.