Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth

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If you were to describe Mikaela Zarsky in three words, it would be: “the real deal”. To Mikaela this means showing up with authenticity, integrity, and the courage to take her play seriously. Originally from Canada, Mikaela is completing her BFA in Dance at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, alongside minors in Film at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Sports Business and Management at the USC Marshall School of Business.

A dancer, choreographer, educator, director, and lifelong student, Mikaela has built her artistry around versatility. Her training spans ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, freestyle, locking, waacking, house, concert jazz, commercial dance, heels, Latin ballroom, dancehall and Ukrainian dance. Moving between these vocabularies allows her to tell stories, uplift the female experience, and create spaces where women are encouraged to take up space fully and unapologetically.

Beyond performance, Mikaela is passionate about bringing people and ideas together. As Co-President of the Southern California Choreographic Collective, she produces events that give USC choreographers opportunities to share their work. She also serves as Youth Ambassador Chair for Breaking the Chains Foundation, advancing youth mental-health advocacy through the arts, and as Program Coordinator for Cypher Summit, celebrating women in hip-hop.

Mikaela’s career is intentionally multidimensional. Whether she is performing, choreographing, teaching, or producing, she strives to be the glue that helps a group become a team. Her mission is simple: connect with new people, take every opportunity to learn, and build meaningful work through movement, collaboration, and joy.