MJ is a sophomore at the University of Iowa pursuing an International Studies degree with a Human Rights certificate and minors in Dance and Spanish. She is originally from the Twin Cities, Minnesota, where she trained under the Vaganova method of ballet at St. Croix Ballet for 13 years. There, she trained under Karla Sweeney, Susan Hovey, Vaganova Academy graduates Kiril Bak and Svetlana Gavrilova, and Ukrainian folk dancer Neka Tobak. She performed leading roles in productions of The Nutcracker, Coppelia, and Sleeping Beauty with St. Croix Ballet, and most recently, in Cempasúchil in University of Iowa’s Dance Gala this past November. The process of incorporating memories and movements from her own childhood into Eternal Nostalgia created a deeply personal reminder of how memories carry us through our lives today.