Meet SDC

MEET SDC

Anna Foshee (Artistic Director) , graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in dance from the University of Alabama with a minor in Social Work. After UA, Anna joined Sanspointe Dance Company and has been working with the company since 2009. In January of 2015, she was named Artistic Director. Since 2015, Anna has led the company in three state tours, a site specific performance in collaboration with the metal arts residents at Sloss Furnace and co-directed SDC’s first dance for film, Things We Carry, that will release in spring of 2019. Anna is also an adjunct professor at UAB and Samford University where she teaches Jazz, and a teaching artist at The Dance Foundation. Anna resides in Bluff Park with her husband and three boys.

Sara Wallace (Assistant Director) is from Toney, AL. She holds a BA in English and Dance from The University of Alabama. While at UA, she received the Edith Barnes Choreography Award and performed with the pre-professional company, Alabama Repertory Dance Theater, and the student-produced organization, Dance Alabama!. Sara is in her eighth season as a company member of Sanspointe Dance Company, where she regularly performs and choreographs. She was made the company’s Interim Artistic Director in August, 2015 and is now the Assistant Director. She has been a teacher with The Dance Foundation since 2012.

Meredith K. Cox, a native of Athens, Alabama, began dancing at age nine under the tutelage of Susan Fisher Nesbitt and Deborah Bailey. Upon graduating high school, she attended the University of Alabama receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Dance in 2009. While attending the university, she performed as a company member of the Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre and choreographed and performed for the student organized Dance Alabama. Meredith received the honor of the Edith Barnes Award for choreography during her time at Alabama. She has attended the American Dance Festival and participated in summer intensives with Margi Cole and the Florida Youth Ballet. Meredith last performed with Sanspointe in 2009 and is excited to be back with the company!

Ariana Pellegra grew up traveling the world as an army brat. Her foundation was paved at Alabama Dance Academy under the direction of Pamela Merkel. Ariana is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College with a B.A. in Dance (performance emphasis). Before transferring to BSC, she had the pleasure of training at Columbia College of Chicago where she studied under Margie Cole, Carrie Hanson, and Ariel Cisneros. She is a former dancer of Philadance!, the Philadelphia Dance Company. In 2013, she returned to Birmingham as a freelance artist. Ariana worked with Arova Contemporary Ballet and served as their Marketing Director before getting married in 2017. Ariana received her certification in Progressive Ballet Technique and teaches throughout the community. This is her first season at SDC.

Sarah Smoot has been dancing with Sanspointe since the fall of 2016. While achieving a Bachelor of Arts at Sewanee: The University of the South, Sarah studied ballet, jazz, and modern, while also performing and choreographing a wide range of styles in the student dance organization Perpetual Motion. Sarah spent several summer and winter breaks training in intensives of Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, and Amy Marshall. She attended seminary at Duke University. Sarah is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, and she enjoys using dance in ministry through performance, teaching, and guided meditations. She lives in Tuscaloosa with her husband Tyler and their son James.

Sara Pulmano is a recent graduate of Samford University where she studied Human Development and Dance. In her time at Samford, Sara was a member of the Samford Dance Company and performed with them for four years. This is Sara’s first year as a member of Sanspointe. She thanks all of her dance mentors, parents and husband for the support she has received over the years.

Alessia Lovreglio Wilson is a contemporary dance maker born on the southern coast of Italy. She performs professionally for Edgewood Dance, LLC, Sanspointe Dance Company and Birmingham’s new indie performing arts group Kudzu. Alessia holds a Masters Degree in Performing Arts, Dance, from Université Nice Sophie Antipolis in France. She has many years experience performing original works at Operas, Dance/Art Festivals, Residencies (NY, Italy and France), Universities of Performing Arts (Prague and Montevallo), and Dance/Theatre companies in Europe and USA. In 2014, she won the Young Dance Author Prize Gd’A Puglia in Italy by Anticorpi XL Network. Most recently, she premiered her choreographic trilogy Surphases at Sarasota Dance Company’s Festival, Space One Eleven Gallery and Alabama Dance Festival. Alessia is currently an Adjunct Professor of Dance at Birmingham-Southern College.

Justin Wallace (Music Director) graduated from UAB with a Bachelor’s in Music Technology and a specialization in percussion. He is the co-founder/director of Iron Giant Percussion, a contemporary quartet focused on bringing percussion music to a wider audience. Justin began working with Sanspointe Dance Company in 2009 as a company artist before becoming the company’s music director in 2011.