About Us
“Where there is passion, there is creation”
A versatile dance company reaching all genres of dance with passion, artistry, and performance. The company was founded by Narissa Fell–Wescott in June of 2018 with the mission to explore various styles of dance and relay a message or story through artistic movement. The company aims to entertain audience members of all ages with an impactful message and give back to the dance community!
Throughout its’ first few years, the company premiered work at various showcases, such as; Convergence, Artistry Unfolded, The Village, Dance Exposure, and The Pocono Great Talent Event, as well as, performed as the opening act for Penn State’s THON 2019. AEDC has produced four main shows: “The Dream” fall 2018, “Merge” spring of 2019, “Act to Change" fall of 2021 and “Serenity” fall of 2022.
The company has held master classes and workshops for various types of communities throughout PA including Releve Dance Academy, AcroDynamics, Widener University, and Alvernia University. They continue to reach out to numerous schools, studios, and other dance companies with their skills, talent, and passion for the art of dance.
In the summer of the pandemic of 2020, Artistic Edge embarked on a new event entitled “Dance the Edge” Dance Competition. This competition was for students of all ages and dancers competed virtually while being critiqued and adjudicated by the company members of AEDC. It was a huge success that we have expanded the event to an in-person competition that happened in January 2023! Dance the Edge Dance Competiton will be a yearly event moving forward in the future! Information can be found on the website-events page.
Narissa Wescott
Founder - Artistic Director - Choreographer
Narissa Wescott is a professional dancer, choreographer, and educator holds a BA in Dance from DeSales University in 2008 and trained at The University of the Arts from 2004-2006. Narissa also earned a level I teaching certification in dance (K-12) and is currently working on her level II certification and Masters in Dance Education at Temple University. She is the dance director at Renaissance Charter Academy School in Phoenixville, PA and has been an instructor/choreographer at various studios, along with teaching master classes, workshops, and summer dance intensives throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Narissa has been a member of CoExist Dance Company, Fight Vixens Dance Team, and performed for five years with Philadelphia's jazz dance company, Project Moshen Dance Company, as well as a member of the Lehigh Valley Dance Exchange. Narissa has taught in the Philadelphia district and at Arts Academy Charter Middle School in Allentown, PA. She has also been the Dance Advisor for Rêve Dance Company at Penn State. Narissa has performed, taught, and continued her training in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Daytona, Florida with Surfscape Dance Theatre, along with attending the Dance Teacher Summit in NYC. Narissa has also been a Pro dancer with “Dancing with our Future Stars”, an event raising money for Independent Mission schools in Philadelphia. Not only is Narissa continuing to teach and choreograph, but she is an adjudicator for various dance competitions such as New York State Dance Challenge, DreamMaker National Talent Competition, Elevate Dance Competition, True Dance Challenge, and The Road to Broadway Dance Competition. Narissa is very passionate about her career and continuing the next generation of dancers in the dance community!
Welcome to Artistic Edge Dance Company
A professional, versatile dance company
Who We Are
AEDC Members
Jordan Yasenchak
Assistant Director/Rehearsal Assistant/Dancer
Jordan graduated from DeSales University in 2016 with a B.A. in dance. While studying at DeSales shetrained extensively in ballet, modern, contemporary, and jazz under the direction of Timothy Cowart,Trinette Singleton, Tara Madsen-Robbins, Julia Mayo, and Angela Sigley Grossman. Upon graduation,Jordan continued her training in New York City through the JCHEN Project Mentorship Program and theGibney Dance Summer Study Program. Jordan is currently a dancer and Assistant Director/RehearsalAssistant with contemporary/jazz company, Artistic Edge Dance Company, and a previous companymember with Introspective Movement Project. Jordan has been fortunate to perform in variousproject-based work with MOVE Fitness and Dance of Central Jersey, and other organizations/companiesthroughout the Pennsylvania/New Jersey, and New York area. Jordan has also performed in works bySammy Reyes, Jamey Hampton of BodyVox, and Jessica Chen. For ten years she has been sharing herartistic passion and knowledge through teaching young dancers in the Lehigh Valley/Greater Philadelphiaarea. She is currently a contracted adjudicator with Headliners, Nexstar, and Starquest dancecompetitions. Jordan has also obtained her personal training certification. Jordan loves to share her lovefor dance in every aspect the art form has to offer.
Britney Potynski
Dancer
Britney is a professional artist. She has been dancing since the age of five and has choreographed and taught since
the age of 15. Britney holds a BA degree in Secondary Education, English from Bloomsburg university.
She is currently a 7thgrade English teacher at Wyomissing Jr/Sr High School. While attending Bloomsburg, Britney competed with the BU dance team, was a member of the BU dance ensemble, and was the advanced jazz teacher for the ensemble. She has helped instruct at various studios, teaching multiple styles of dance. Britney has volunteered to dance at Relay for Life for many years and has taught high school gym classes different styles of dance for a dance unit. She has choreographed advanced jazz pieces for the BU dance ensemble such as; “Emergency,” “Work,” “Fade,” and “Love on the Brain.” She has also choreographed pieces for AEDC workshops. Britney has attended multiple dance workshops in Philadelphia and New York and has auditioned for multiple companies and acting jobs. She is extremely dedicated and passionate about dance. Britney loves to share her knowledge about dance with others, while expanding her own passion as much as possible. Britney has been a member of AEDC since 2018.
Cassidy Reed
Dancer
Cassidy is a Pennsylvania
native who just recently graduated from Hofstra University with her BFA in Dance. She worked closely with the dance department as the executive board Vice President and as the President of Hofstra’s chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. In addition to being involved in improving the department, Cassidy was cast in numerous faculty and guest works including Christina Lynch Markham, Max Stone, Janis Brenner, Earl Mosley, Heather Waldon, Maxine Steinman, Livia Vanaver, and Adam
Barruch. She has participated in countless student works and has even choreographed her own work. Her work “Premonition” was adjudicated at the 2020 choreography seminar hosted by NYU Tisch & Sean Curran. She represented Hofstra again in February 2022 when her work “ROYGBIV” was adjudicated at the choreography seminar Hofstra hosted at Mark Morris Dance Center. Cassidy currently dances for two dance companies: Anna Paterson Dance Company and Artistic Edge Dance Company. She has been dancing with Artistic Edge Dance Company since 2019 as a Guest Performer/Dancer and now is a full company member. She has loved getting to perform in their show “Act to
Change”. Overall, Cassidy is a natural leader with a hunger to learn and she is excited to see what post grad life has in store as well as explore new territories as the dance world continues to evolve.
Who We Are
AEDC Members
Karli Sartor
Dancer
Karli is a second season company member. Starting out as an apprentice company member/understudy and now a full company member. She graduated from West Chester University, where she majored in early grades education and minored in dance and autism. Karli has been dancing for eighteen years and is trained in all styles. She grew up training at The Dance Depot in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and was on their competition team for ten years. During her time at West Chester University she participated in the University Dance Company as a dancer and choreographer. She choreographed for three of the company's shows which were, "Adaptation", "Resurgence", and "Virtuosity". Karli is excited to continue her dance career with AEDC and hopes to continue her dance career with AEDC and hopes to keep choreographing in the future.
Amanda Friemann
Dancer/ Social Media Coordinator
Amanda is a recent graduate (Dec 2021) of West Chester University majoring in Mathematics & Statistics along with double minoring in Marketing and Dance. Dance has
always been a part of her life. She started dancing at the age of two and her passion for the art continued to grow and grow. Her most extensive dance training was with The Dance Depot in Collegeville, PA, where she was a competitive dancer for ten seasons. In college, Amanda performed with the University Dance company for 6 semesters and had the opportunity to teach master classes at both West Chester and Renaissance Academy Charter School (where she is
an alumni). Amanda works in Marketing for her full-time role but is also currently a dance teacher at the Dance Effect Performing Arts Center in Spring City PA, where she teaches introductory level dance classes to students ages 2-14. She is thrilled to be dancing in a professional dance company and is so excited to grow with Artistic Edge Dance Company! Amanda thanks for family, friends, and all her teachers for getting her to where she is today!
Fara Rumbalski
Dancer
Fara is a dancer from the Lehigh Valley. She has been trained in a studio setting since the age of 4. She started her training at Dynamix Dance Center then continued it at Dance Fusion Performing Arts until she graduated from high school. While at Dance Fusion she was a part of the elite dance company in which she performed and competed around the Lehigh Valley. Fara has trained in a variety of different styles including Ballet, Jazz, Hip hop, African, Modern, Contemporary and Lyrical. She was once a part of the Dance Ethos apprentice company and with that company she took part in Dance Exposure at the Bethlehem Steel Stacks. She has taken classes with many artists including Greg Dolbashian, Tara Madsen, and Charles O. Anderson of Dance Theatre X. She now works with Sammy Reyes at Lehigh University and Muhlenberg College assisting him with his Hip-Hop and Jazz funk courses as well as performing with the Artistic Edge Dance Company.
Ashley Cochran
Former Company Member 2018-2023/ Guest Dancer
Natalia Gomez
Former Company Member 2022-2023/ Guest Dancer
Gregory Marchetti
Former Company Member 2022-2023/ Guest Dancer
Emily Leddy
Former Company Member 2018-2021
Rachel Ketterer
Former Company Member 2018-2022 / Videographer
Brooke Ebert
Former Company Member 2018-2022
Cheyenne Shannon
Former Company Member 2019-2021
Sammy Reyes
Guest Choreographer 2022
2022 Company
Dancers
"The Village" Showcase
September 23, 2018
AEDC performing "Intricacy"
"Convergence"
October 6, 2018
AEDC performing "Entrapment"
"The Dream" AEDC Show
October 21, 2018
AEDC first home show
Penn State "THON"
February 15, 2019
AEDC performed the opener at THON 2019 at Penn State
Upcoming Events
Time is TBDAcroDynamicsTime is TBDAcroDynamics , 511 Schoolhouse Rd, Telford, PA 18969, USA
Time is TBD2210 Hendricks RdTime is TBD2210 Hendricks Rd, 2210 Hendricks Rd, Pennsburg, PA 18073, USA
Sat, Sep 23Univest Performing Arts CenterSep 23, 2023, 7:00 PM – Sep 24, 2023, 9:00 PMUnivest Performing Arts Center, Quakertown, Pa
Fri, Aug 18Del Val UniversityAug 18, 2023, 9:00 AMDel Val University , Doylestown, Pa
Quote
Friedrich Nietzsche
"He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying"
