DANCER
Carly Vanderheyden (Green Bay, WI) is a freelance dance artist based in St. Louis, MO. Carly graduated from the University of Iowa earning a BFA in Dance-Honors, BA in Health and Human Physiology-Health Promotion, and Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship. In her second year, she was a member of the university’s touring performance group, Dancers in Company, where she traveled across the state of Iowa performing and teaching in schools, theaters, and community centers. In 2017, Carly was featured in Martha Graham’s “Helios: Acts of Light” restaged by Jesse Factor at The Martha Graham Dance Company’s University Partners Showcase at The Joyce Theatre. Carly has trained in intensive programs including B12, Orsolina28, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, DanceWorks Chicago, the Martha Graham School, American Dance Festival, and the Kirov Academy of Ballet. Carly was a company dancer with The Big Muddy Dance Company, now Saint Louis Dance Theatre, under the artistic direction of Brian Enos from 2017-2022 and Kirven Douthit-Boyd from 2022-2024. Carly has been featured in choreography by Shannon Alvis, Sidra Bell, Elizabeth Corbett, Thang Dao, Norbert De La Cruz III, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Joshua Manculich, Dexandro Montalvo, Omar Román De Jesús, Joshua L. Peugh, Bradley Shelver, among others. She has performed in collaborations with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Jazz St. Louis, the Bach Society of St. Louis, as well as the Fashion Footwear Association of New York for their 2019 Fundraising Gala. In July 2024, Carly was featured in a performance project at B12 in Berlin, Germany working closely with Shannon Gillen and Jason Cianciulli of VIM VIGOR. Carly is an American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum certified ballet teacher for Pre-Primary through Level Five, and a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher. Carly works as a freelance photographer, graphic designer, and social media coordinator, and she is a teaching artist, choreographer, and rehearsal director at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA). In April 2023, Carly created St. Louis Dance HQ as an online platform to showcase and connect St. Louis’ thriving professional dance community. Throughout her various creative pursuits, Carly has a passion for making the world a more thoughtfully connected place through the arts.
Curriculum Vitae
EDUCATION
THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, Class of Spring 2017
B.F.A. in Dance: Pedagogy - Honors
B.A. Health and Human Physiology: Health Promotion
Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship
PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE
THE BIG MUDDY DANCE COMPANY IN ST. LOUIS, August 2017-May 2024
Now recognized as the Saint Louis Dance Theatre
IDENTITY, Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA, May 2024
Omar Román De Jesús • “Come…the sun doesn’t wait”
Tommie-Waheed Evans • “Notes on a Farewell”
Sidra Bell • “New Ritual” (premiered January 2024)
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “Picture Studies” (premiered March 2024)
Bradley Shelver • “PlayFolk” (premiered November 2023)
PICTURE STUDIES in collaboration with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at Stifel Theatre, March 2024
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “Picture Studies” featuring music composed by Adam Schoenberg
EVOLUTION, Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA, January 2024
Sidra Bell • “New Ritual”
Norbert De La Cruz III • “Cloud 9” (premiered October 2022)
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “DANCE” (premiered October 2022
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “Something About A Dream” (premiered November 2023)
Bradley Shelver • “PlayFolk” (premiered November 2023)
AWAKENING, Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA, November 2023
Elizabeth Corbett • “In The Cedars”
Thang Dao • “Alchemic Us”
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “Something About A Dream”
Bradley Shelver • “PlayFolk”
Marcus Jarrell Willis • “Vanity Fare” (premiered May 2023)
BLAZE, Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA, May 2023
Elizabeth Corbett • “In The Cedars”
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “DANCE” (reworked from 2021 collaboration with the St. Louis Symphony)
Norbert De La Cruz III • “Cloud 9”
MY DEAR WATSON, The Grandel, January 2023
Evening length production choreographed and directed by Joshua L. Peugh
IGNITE, Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA, October 2022
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “DANCE” (reworked from 2021 collaboration with the St. Louis Symphony)
Norbert De La Cruz III • “Cloud 9”
Thang Dao • “Alchemic Us”
LEMP LEGENDS, The Lemp Mansion, May 2022
Geoff Alexander • “Elsa Lemp and Thomas Wright” (restaged from 2020)
Brandon Fink • “Billy Lemp and The Lavender Lady Snow Ball” (restaged from 2018)
RETROSPECTIVE, The Grandel, April 2022
Geoff Alexander • “Virginnocence”
Joshua Manculich • “Dwell”
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “27” (restaged from 2019
Daniel Marshalsay • “Caput” (restaged from 2016)
Harrison McEldowny • “Dance Sport” (restaged from 2011)
BLACK, BROWN, AND BEIGE, by Duke Ellington, in collaboration with Jazz St. Louis, The Grandel, January 2022
Cecil Slaughter • “Black”
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “Brown”
Marcus Johnson • “Beige”
A CAROL FOR THE HOLIDAYS, choreography by Brian Enos, The Grandel, November 2021
BLUE ROSES FALLING by Brian Enos in collaboration with BonFire Records, The Big Top, May 2021
LEMP LEGENDS, The Lemp Mansion, April 2021
Geoff Alexander • “Elsa Lemp and Thomas Wright” (restaged from 2020)
CJ Burroughs • “Charles Lemp and his dog Cerva” (restaged from 2018)
Brandon Fink • “Billy Lemp and The Lavender Lady Snow Ball” (restaged from 2018)
COLLIDE, The Grandel, January 2021
Brian Enos • “CrowdSource Choreo”
Prince Lyons • “Black Birch”
MOVES AND GROOVES, The Grandel, September 2020
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “For All”
Marc Wayne • “Further On Down the Road” (restaged from 2001)
A LATE-SUMMER NIGHT’S STROLL, Forest Park, August 2020
Choreography by Brian Enos, in collaboration with St. Louis Shakespeare Festival
BEAT BALLADS, The Grandel, January 2020
Marc Macaranas • “The Slip”
Shannon Alvis • “With You Always” (restaged from 2019)
Brian Enos • “Hadal Zone” (restaged)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL, choreography by Brian Enos, The Edison, November 2019
SUCH SWEET THUNDER, 9Network Public Media Commons, October 2019
Dexandro “D” Montalvo in collaboration with St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and Jazz St. Louis
FOOTNOTES, The Grandel, April 2019
Shannon Alvis • “With You Always”
Brian Enos • “Bach in Motion”
Prince Lyons • “Zugzwang!”
HOME GROWN, The Grandel, January 2019
Kirven Douthit-Boyd • “27”
Brian Enos • “Jet Stream” (restaged)
Sam Gaitsch • “Well-Deserving”
Keith Tyrone Williams • “When the Bell Tolls”
LEMP LEGENDS: A GHOST STORY, The Edison Theatre, November 2018
Dustin Crumbaugh • “Tour through the Mansion”
Brandon Fink • “Billy Lemp and The Lavender Lady”
Thomas Jacobson • “Billy Lemp”
SCREENSHOT, The Grandel, January 2018
Autumn Eckman • “Umbra” (restaged)
Samuel Asher Kunzman • “Yellow” (restaged)
ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, September 2021
Contemporary ballet choreography by Kirven Douthit-Boyd
“DANCE” Cello Concerto performed live by Anna Clyne
THE JOYCE THEATRE IN NEW YORK CITY, February 2017
Martha Graham Dance Company University Partners Showcase
“Helios: Ritual to the Sun” choreographed by Martha Graham (1981) and restaged by Jesse Factor (2016)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
CENTER OF CREATIVE ARTS (COCA), 2017-Present
Classes: Ballet, Pointe, Conditioning, Yoga, Dance Fitness for dancers ages 4-adult
Rehearsal Director: Ballet Eclectica Second Company in the Pre-Professional Division
Choreography: ballet for advanced middle school and high school students
ST. LOUIS ACADEMY OF DANCE, 2017-Present
Classes: Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Yoga for ages 8-18
Mentorship: Student Choreography Mentorship for solos, duets, trios
Choreography: contemporary for advanced high school large groups, elementary school solos and duets
CITY BALLET OF IOWA, 2015-2017
Classes: Ballet, Pointe, Yoga for ages 4 through adult
CHOREOGRAPHIC WORKS
DREAMSCAPE, May 2024 Premiere
Center of Creative Arts (COCA) Ballet Eclectica 2nd Company
At COCA’s Catherine B. Berges Theatre in St. Louis, MO
Original 5-minute ballet work created on 14 dancers ages 11-16 in COCA’s Pre-Professional Division
Music: "13 Pieces, Op. 76: No. 2 Etude" by Jean Sibelius, Håvard Gimse, "Waltz No. 19 in A Minor, KK IVb in A Flat Minor" by Frédéric Chopin, Magdalena Hoffman, "Suite in G Major, RCT 6: No. 14, Les Sauvages - Arr. for Solo Cello - Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin" by Jean-Philippe Rameau, Christian-Pierre La Marca
Performed in Dance Showcase and TRIumphant
ADÉLIE, March 2024 Premiere
Contemporary solo for St. Louis Ballet Trainee Pre-Professional Student for YAGP and University Audition Submissions
Music: "Adélie” by kingpenguin, Avery Bright, Matthew S. Nelson
THE SEA, June 2022 Premiere
St. Louis Academy of Dance Advanced Contemporary
At Skip Viragh Performing Arts Center at Chaminade in Creve Coeur, MO
Original 3-minute contemporary work created on 7 dancers ages 13-18
Music: "The Sea" by HAEVN
LEAVE MY HEAD ALONE BRAIN, June 2021 Premiere
St. Louis Academy of Dance Advanced Contemporary
At St. Louis Music Park in Maryland Heights, MO
Original 3-minute contemporary work created on 8 dancers ages 13-18
Music: "Leave My Head Alone Brain" by Bugge Wesseltoft, Henrik Schwarz
TRANSLUCENT SHADOWS, March 2021 Premiere
The Big Muddy Dance Company’s Elevate Student Project
At The Grandel Theatre in St. Louis, MO
Original 5-minute contemporary work created on 10 dancers ages 14-18
Music: "Heavenly Bodies" by Animal Feelings, "Sunlight in Los Angeles" by Brian Bradley
Performed in The Big Muddy Dance Company’s main stage performance “Blue Roses Falling”
SLIP, June 2020 Virtual Premiere
St. Louis Academy of Dance Advanced Contemporary
Original 3-minute contemporary work created on 8 dancers ages 13-18
Music: "Slip" by Elliot Moss
HINTERLAND, June 2019 Premiere
St. Louis Academy of Dance Advanced Contemporary
At The Edison Theatre at Washington University in St. Louis, MO
Original 3-minute contemporary work created on 6 dancers ages 13-18
Music: "Hinterland" by Brian Bradley
INTENSIVE + WORKSHOP GUEST TEACHING EXPERIENCE
DANCE CENTER OF KIRKWOOD - Kirkwood, MO June 2024
Intensive guest teaching modern and contemporary for intermediate and advanced students ages 8-18
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY - St. Louis, MO April 2024
Guest teacher for WashU’s Department of Dance advanced ballet classes for dance majors and minors
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA - Iowa City, IA March 2024
Residency including ballet for dance majors and workshops in repertoire from The Big Muddy Dance Company
DANCE FACTORY - Delavan, WI 2015-2017
Intensive guest teaching yoga and ballet for students ages 8-18
THE BIG MUDDY DANCE COMPANY - St. Louis, MO June 2020 + June 2021 + June 2022
Intensive guest teaching ballet and yoga for intermediate and advanced students ages 10-20
VIBE DANCE CENTER - Green Bay, WI August 2018 + August 2019
Intensive guest teaching ballet and yoga for intermediate and advanced students ages 10-20
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE NATIONAL TRAINING CURRICULUM, Pre-Primary through Level 5, Completed in June 2018
200-HR RYT YOGA INSTRUCTOR, Completed in May 2015
NCHEC CERTIFIED HEALTH EDUCATION SPECIALIST, Completed in April 2017
DANCE TRAINING
B12 BERLIN - SHANNON GILLEN PERFORMANCE PROJECT, July 2024
ORSOLINA28 KYLIAN/GOECKE SUMMER INTENSIVE, Summer 2022
HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO SUMMER INTENSIVE, Summer 2018
THE BIG MUDDY DANCE COMPANY TRAINEE PROGRAM, August 2017-May 2018
DANCEWORKS CHICAGO SUMMER INTENSIVE, August 2017
MARTHA GRAHAM WINTER INTENSIVE, January 2017
AMERICAN DANCE FEST NEW YORK WINTER INTENSIVE, January 2016
HOLLINS UNIVERSITY MFA SUMMER PROGRAM, Summer 2015-2016
GREEN BAY SCHOOL OF DANCE, 2011-2013
KIROV ACADEMY OF BALLET SUMMER INTENSIVE, Summer 2010
BARB’S CENTRE FOR DANCE, 2000-2011
DIGITAL MARKETING EXPERIENCE
FOUNDER + CREATIVE DIRECTOR, April 2023-Present
St. Louis Dance Headquarters
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS, August 2017-October 2023
The Big Muddy Dance Company
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER + DIGITAL CONTENT DESIGNER, August 2017-December 2022
Washington University in St. Louis Office of Recreation
PROJECT BASED WEBSITE CREATION + MARKETING DESIGN CREATION
Saint Louis Dance Theatre, formerly The Big Muddy Dance Company
Dance Center of Kirkwood
Jennifer Kayle, Incite Insight Arts
PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEOGRAPHY
CARLY VANDERHEYDEN PHOTOGRAPHY, May 2015-Present
FREELANCE WORK: dance, performance, headshot, event, wedding, branding.
CONTRACTED WORK: Saint Louis Art Museum, Center of Creative Arts, Modern American Dance Company, The Big Muddy Dance Company, Central Studio, Dance Center of Kirkwood, Webster University, Lindenwood University, University of Iowa, Washington University in St. Louis, YogaSix, among others.