MEET THE LADIES OF PROJECT MOSHEN
Heather DeSanto grew up in Aston, Pennsylvania and found her love for dance at age 6. She trained at Concord Dance Center and immersed herself in various dance styles. Heather continued her dance education at Rowan University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Dance, a Minor in Marketing, and was the recipient of the 2022 Bryna G. Goldhaft Dance Award from Rowan University’s College of Performing Arts. While at Rowan, she worked with many teachers and choreographers, including Dawn Marie Bazemore, Joe González, Melanie Stewart, Paule Turner, Dr. Leslie Elkins, Corinne Karon, Henry Roy, and Jodi Obeid. Also at Rowan, Heather was a member of Rowan’s contemporary dance company, Dance Extensions, and severed on the E-Board as the Treasurer then Vice President. After college, she was selected to perform her own work, Wholeheartedly, at KYL/D’s 49th InHale Performance series and has also performed in multiple Philadelphia Fringe Festivals under Abby Lamb and Heather Sirisky. Before auditioning, Heather was also Project Moshen’s social media intern in 2021-22. Outside of the company, she is a dance teacher at the Institute of Dance Artistry as well as an instructor at Pure Barre Media. Heather is thrilled to be dancing with Project Moshen for her 4th season!
Photography: TDadsonimages
Anna Mele holds an MFA in Dance from Temple University and BA in Dance from Dean College. Originally from Pittsburgh, she has trained under Jill Silverman, Todd Shanks, Russell Clark and Lindsey Klein. During her graduate years at Temple University she was able to present her own thesis work titled, Prosody in Jazz, collaborating with dancers and live musicians to focus on the nonverbal, conversational dialogue between the two. Her academic and professional experiences has shaped her approach to dance as both a technical discipline and a powerful form of storytelling. She is honored to continue performing with Project Moshen Dance Company sharing her passion and love for the art of dance.
In addition to her performance and rehearsal work, she is deeply committed to dance education. A goal of hers is to continue teaching through entering higher education institutions, where she can mentor emerging artists, contribute to academic programs, and support the next generation of dancers in developing both technical skill and creative voice. She currently teaches dance at the Institute of Dance Artistry located in Fort Washington, PA. She is passionate about fostering growth, contributing to innovative work, and engaging with projects that challenge and inspire. With a collaborative mindset and dedication to excellence, she aims to make a lasting impact within both the professional and academic dance communities. She is excited to continue to perform with Project Moshen Dance Company for her third season!
Photography: TDadsonimages
Gigi started dancing at the age of three. She has been trained in Jazz, Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Lyrical, Modern, Contemporary & Hip Hop at the Bucks County School of the Performing Arts (BCPA) in Doylestown, Pa. She started dancing competitively at a very young age, earning numerous awards and scholarships in regional and national events along the way. Gigi has been recognized on stage as a “fierce, powerhouse performer.”
Under the guidance and mentorship of Andrea Lesnick, Gigi has worked diligently pursuant to her career goals in dance. She completed an internship with BCPA that resulted in her joining their faculty as a teacher. Gigi is now currently teaching at Dance Arts Conservatory (DAC).
Gigi is thrilled to be dancing with Project Moshen for her second year, and to continue her professional journey with such a talented group of women!
Photography: TDadsonimages
Originally from Middleton Massachusetts, Francesca Lage has been dancing since she was two years old. She began her journey in dance learning various styles such as ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, contemporary, tap, hip hop and latin jazz. During her sophomore year of high school she was accepted into Northeast School of Ballet’s Conservatory program where she spent the remainder of her high school career. After graduating high school Francesca continued her academic and artistic pursuits at Marymount Manhattan College from 2022-2023 pursuing her Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in pedagogy. She then transferred to Dean College where is continueing her Bachelor of Arts degree and graduated in 2025.
Throughout her career, Francesca has had the privilege of performing works by Dianne McIntyre, Nancy Lushington, Joseph Jefferies, Jeremy Ruth Howes, Denise Cecere, and Brian Mcginnis, among others. She has also gotten the opportunity to train under professionals in the industry such as Erika Lambe, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Tito Del Saz, Sekou Mcmiller, Michael Crawford, and Francoise Pender. Francesca has also had the opportunity to attend various summer programs such as the American Dance Festival, where she got the opportunity to work under Dianne McIntyre and perform in her Footprints piece, Alvin Ailey, Urbanity Dance, Burklyn Ballet, and Pantos Project.
In addition to her academic performance experience she has had the honor of performing professionally as a guest artist with Dianne Mcntyre’ company. Dianne McIntyres piece In The Same Tongue was performed at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater in September of 2024. Francesca was also a part of the Urban Nutcracker, choreographed by Tony Williams which premiered on PBS in 2021.
Hannah Kieserman graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Temple University in December 2024. She was awarded the Boyer Scholar Award to study at Boyer College of Music and Dance, and she performed in various dance concerts during her time at Temple.
She began her training at the Institute of Dance Artistry in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania at the age of 3 and was an active member of IDA’s Repertory Company and Hip Hop Company. Through her extensive technical training, Hannah gained invaluable experience in various dance styles, participated in numerous communal and charitable performances, and collaborated with professional artists. Notably, she was a featured soloist in “The Switch” at The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.
Hannah has a love for performing, choreographing, and teaching. She is enthusiastic about sharing her excitement and passion for dance through teaching at IDA. She also serves as the head coach and dance program coordinator at Kents Hill Sports Camp. Hannah is thrilled about the upcoming season with Project Moshen!
Kelli founded Project Moshen in 2010, where she set out to create new works with an all female company to send a message on women empowerment to the Philadelphia arts community. Under Moshen’s guidance, Project Moshen has performed at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP NYC) at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dumbo Dance Festival (Brooklyn, New York), Philadelphia Fringe Festivals, Come Together Dance Festival at the Suzanne Roberts Theater, (PA), Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Flower Show, Mutter Museum, and more. Moshen has also worked for the Backstreet Boys 30th anniversary weekend in Cancun, Mexico where she choreographed a flashmob for their 30th anniversary concert and taught dance all weekend long to BSB’s guests.
Moshen is heavily involved with other non-profits in the area such as the Morris Animal Refuge, where she choreographs for their annual black tie gala the Philly Furball. Project Moshen works with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition & The Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation to produce an annual benefit event. EXCERPTS, that includes a cocktail reception, raffles, silent auction, and a show by Project Moshen to help fund ovarian cancer research. Moshen has also been a part of Stepping Stone Scholars after school program where she visited charter schools and provides dance classes for their students. Kelli started Project Moshen's Dance Studio Program, ProMo Dance, where the company hosts weekly adult dance classes for the community, and Camps in Moshen, where company members visit overnight night camps and provide intensives to their campers.
Kelli Moshen is a Philadelphia area native, born and raised, who also attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia (B.A. Dance ‘09) before venturing to LA & New York to expand her knowledge of the dance industry. Aside from her role as director of Project Moshen, Kelli is a sought after dance instructor in the region, and Hip Hop company director at the Institute of Dance Artistry. She also regularly guest teaches at schools such as the Koresh School of Dance and the Rock School for Dance Education. Moshen's passion for the dance industry has also sent her in the direction of the business aspects of entertainment. She has worked for McDonald Selznick Associates (MSA NY & LA), a prominent dance agency in New York City and Los Angeles, Master of Ceremonies for Events Beyond Expectation working prestigious events in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York, and worked at Broadway Dance Center (NYC).