Sarah Walston Phillips
ARTISTIC TEAM
Director
Performing Artist
Sarah Walston Phillips is a professional dancer and choreographer currently based out of Tampa, FL. Sarah is the Director and Founder of ATLAS Modern Ballet, a new professional performance company serving the Tampa community. She also performs and creates works in the Tampa Bay area as a freelance artist.
Sarah graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of South Florida in 2015. At the University of South Florida, she had the privilege of working with and performing works by choreographers such as Alonzo King, Maurice Causey, Robert Moses and Jennifer Archibald among many other guests and faculty members. In addition to her USF training, she has participated in many professional training programs across the country including, the Ailey School, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, ArchCore40 and BalletX, as well as studying abroad in Paris.
After graduating from USF, she spent five seasons as a company member at Florida Dance Theatre where she performed and created new repertory presented by the company in Lakeland and on tour. At Florida Dance Theater she performed principal roles in original narrative ballets and The Nutcracker, as well as in contemporary works by company directors and guests such as, Jerry Opdenaker and Gregory Dolbashian. Following her time at FDT, Sarah was a member of Tampa City Ballet in Tampa, FL for two seasons as a performer, guest choreographer, and company class instructor.
Over the past few years her choreography has be presented in multiple festivals and showcases both across the United States, and internationally. She also has choreographed for Florida Southern College's Dance Department, where she is Adjunct Ballet and Modern Faculty. Sarah graduated Summa Cum laude from Jacksonville University with her MFA in Choreography.
COLLABORATING DANCE ARTISTS
Caitlyn Elie-Gowan
Caitlyn Elie-Gowan (Choreographer / Dancer) originally from Miami, FL is a graduate of The University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance with a Modern concentration. While she attended USF, she presented her own works and had the honor of working with many choreographers such as Yaniv Abraham who works under Ohad Naharin with the Batsheva Dance Company, Robert Moses from Robert Moses' Kin, Andee Scott, Erin Cardinal, Bliss Kohlmyer, Jeanne Travers, MerryLynn Morris, Julien Desplantez, Catherine Dénécy, Clint Lutes, and Kevin Quinao. Caitlyn is currently residing in Tampa, FL as a freelance artist & dance instructor. Also, she has worked with Jeanne Travers and Moving Current Dance Collective as a project-based dancer here in the Tampa Bay Area. As she progresses, she is focusing on developing her own movement/teaching vocabulary and working towards choreographing her own works, performing, and educating.
Ethan Barbee
Ethan began his theatrical and dance training at the Musical Theater Center and Act Two in Maryland and continued at Northwood High School, CityDance at Strathmore, and the Maryland Youth Ballet. While at the University of South Florida in Tampa, he performed in works by artists such as Alonzo King and Maurice Causey and participated in the Beijing Normal University International Creative Dance Seminar in Beijing, China and Dance in Paris Semester program in France. He received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography with a modern dance concentration in the spring of 2017. Since graduation, he has performed with the Collective Soles Dance Company, Tampa City Ballet, and Diavolo: Architecture in Motion and freelanced throughout Tampa Bay. Revolving around the intersection between the arts and the academics, his choreographic works have been presented at Midwest RADfest, the University of Tampa, Talking Bodies: Choreographer’s Fest by Collective Soles, and Eras by Tampa City Ballet. Most recently, he volunteered for seven and a half months in Israel and he is happy to be welcomed back into the Tampa Bay dance scene.
Hannah Thompson
Hannah Thompson is a Tampa native who began her dance training at just two years old. She spent most of her life training in classical ballet at Americas Ballet School which is now known as Tampa City Ballet School. During the summers, she attended many intensives at prestigious ballet programs around the country such as ABT New York, The Kirov Academy in DC, Ballet West, and Bolshoi NY. At 16, she began dancing with Tampa City Ballet as a trainee, and was promoted to a company member in 2020. In 2024 she graduated from the University of South Florida with a BFA in dance performance and choreography. She is very excited to be joining ATLAS this season as a company artist.
Gracie Scaglione
Gracie Scaglione has been dancing since the age of 2, training in Ballet, Modern, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, and Acrobatics. She furthered her studies as a Dance Major at USF, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance, with a concentration in Modern dance. She attended the University of South Florida on a full academic scholarship and has since received talent grants and scholarships from the dance program and its contributors. Gracie has taught a variety of styles of dance at Stagelights Performing Arts Center beginning in 2020, including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Pointe, Acro, and Contemporary. She has choreographed and performed in works for USF College of the Arts, performed for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Summer Intensive, and has worked as a Summer Nights performer at Busch Gardens. She enjoys performing, choreographing, and teaching, and intends to make dance her lifelong passion!
ATLAS is committed to upholding the highest respect and support for our performing artists and additional collaborators at all times. Diverse performers which bring forth their perspectives within each creative process are the lifeblood of the company. Their uniqueness is celebrated through the mission to uphold inclusive values and share art that is relatable amongst all audiences.