Staff
Threads Dance Project Staff are critical to our success daily. Our staff members commit themselves to assuring that their work allows Threads to realize its mission.
Meet the Team
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Karen is a versatile, multi-talented choreographer, educator, and founder of Threads Dance Project.
Karen’s passion for dance began at the age of five in Atlanta, GA at Jacob’s Dance Academy, Atlanta Ballet, and summer study at North Carolina School of the Arts. Karen graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Christian University with dual degrees in Ballet and Computer Science. Karen also earned her M.Ed. in Administration from Georgia State University.
Karen’s worked as a computer programmer at Westinghouse Credit Corporate (Pittsburgh, PA) and Hallmark Cards (Kansas City, MO). Karen left the corporate world and danced professionally with the Pittsburgh Choreography Continuum, Susan Warden Dance Company (Kansas City), and Room to Move Dance Company (Atlanta). She traveled to NYC as a Fellowship Recipient at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. She opened her own dance school – Discovering Dance, and taught dance, computer science, and mathematics in the Atlanta Public School System for nine years.
Karen founded Threads Dance Project after the passing of her father from cancer in 2010. Her father’s death and a small bequeath from him prompted Karen to take a risk and create the dance company she had planned on paper years earlier – Threads Dance Project. In 2011, Karen founded Threads Dance Project with the mission to examine, expose and celebrate the Threads that connect us.
Karen has created over 40+ works that have been performed locally and nationally. Her work,
The Secrets of Slave Songs, was nominated for MN SAGE Dance Award (2015 ) and her company was selected to host the McKnight International Choreographic Fellow (2017). Threads has been twice featured in Dance Magazine’s What to Watch. Karen has been featured on TPT MN Originals and has been recognized for her contribution to the Black Arts community – receiving the Archousa of the Year Award from Omicron Boule (2017) and the 2020 Celebrating the Sistas Award recognizes the excellence and contributions of Black women in the Twin Cities. Charles’s dance film,
Out of the Ashes won the New York City Film & Television Best Performance Award (2022), and Best Dance Feature Film at the Experimental Film Festival (2023). Karen opened Threads Dance Nexus (2021) to serve a community dance space where people can create, learn, and experience dance.
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Rae is a quintessential multi-hyphenate with over ten years of professional experience in dance performance, choreography, nonprofit management, and education, spanning higher education, K-12, and the independent sector. She is an award-winning scholar whose published research explores dance history and education, racial equity in education, Black feminist epistemologies, and the ongoing development of her unique arts-based research methodology, Empathetic Embodiment. Rae has taught at leading institutions across Minnesota and is currently a Visiting Professor at Macalester College.
In 2024, Rae founded RAEdance/s Arts & Equity Consulting, LLC, where she serves as Lead Consultant and draws on her diverse expertise. She is currently enthusiastic about returning to her "professional home" at Threads Dance Project, where she previously held several roles, including Company Member, Community Engagement & Education Manager, and Managing Director.
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Marisa B. Tejeda is the Development Coordinator at Threads Dance Project. They bring a strong background in performance, education, and community engagement to their work in development, where they support the organization’s fundraising goals. Marisa holds an MFA in Acting and Directing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. They have performed nationally with theaters including The Guthrie Theater, American Players Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, and Ten Thousand Things.
As both an artist and arts administrator, Marisa is committed to accessibility, collaboration, and community-centered storytelling. They bring creativity, dedication, and passion to their role at Threads, helping to advance the organization’s mission and impact.
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Born and raised in Minneapolis, Angela studied dance with Lirena Branitski and Bonnie Mathis at Ballet Arts Minnesota. She completed her training at the San Francisco Ballet School before dancing professionally with BalletMet Columbus and the Louisville Ballet. After a successful career, she returned home to Minneapolis, where she earned her B.A.Summa Cum Laude
in PR/Journalism from the University of Minnesota. She currently combines her extensive dance experience with a deep passion for arts education, writing, and fostering inclusive communities. Angela is a committed faculty member at Ballet Royale Minnesota where she teaches pre-professional dancers and hopes to engage more people through dance and strengthen community through her work with Threads Dance Project.
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Fresh from the farm, Karen Christ Aalgaard hails from Lakota, Iowa. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a BFA in Dance. Prior to college she studied under the direction of Michelle Clegg. Karen has been a company member with Threads Dance Project in 2012. She also does her bionic boogie with Analog Dance Works, Vox Medusa and Ruby Josephine Dance Theater. She is a teaching artist throughout the Twin Cities and founder of 43x94 Movement Research.