Dancing Wheels Faculty

Sara Lawrence-Sucato

Director of Education, Instructor, and Teaching Artist – Sara Lawrence-Sucato has worked in various capacities with the Dancing Wheels Company & School since 2006, including professional dancer, tour manager, and rehearsal director. She holds a BA in Dance Teaching and Choreography from Mercyhurst University and an MS in Organizational Leadership from the same institution. In her capacity as The Dancing Wheels Company & School’s Director of Education, Sara works with a team of Master Teaching Artists to deliver the Dancing Wheels Teacher Certification program, trains new company dancers, oversees and teaches outreach and in-studio classes and programming, and teaches physically integrated dance technique in residencies, workshops, and master classes for The Dancing Wheels Company & School. Sara is on the Ohio Teaching Artist Roster. She teaches residencies for Dancing Wheels in Northeast Ohio schools, community centers that serve people with disabilities, and memory cafés for people living with dementia.

Her most recent teaching opportunities have included developing and teaching as a Master Teacher for the Dancing Wheels Teacher Certification program; Dancing Wheels Summer Dance Workshop 2026; masterclasses at VSA Intersections (Columbus, OH; Atlanta, GA), “Counter Balance” Inclusive Dance Festival (Chicago, IL), and ACT Conference (Columbus, OH); workshops at ED@LEAD (Cleveland, OH; Raleigh, NC), Ohio Dance Festival (Columbus, OH), Oglebay Institute (Wheeling, WV), Fort Wayne Dance Collective (Fort Wayne, IN), MOVE Inclusive Dance (Nashville, TN), Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA), Point Park University (Pittsburgh, PA), and Festival Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo (León, Mexico); and residencies for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio-based organizations including Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, Cleveland Sight Center, DanceCleveland, A Dementia Friendly LIFE, Carolyn L. Farrell Foundation, Our Lady of the Wayside, as well as MOMENTA’s “Chance to Dance” (Columbus, OH) and Arts Partnership (Findlay, OH). Residencies include Julie Billiart School (Lyndhurst, OH; OAC), Lorain City Schools (Lorain, OH), MetroHealth (Cleveland, OH; OAC), Summit Academy (Akron, OH; Art Possible Ohio), Sunbeam School (Cleveland, OH; Art Possible Ohio), UCP (Cleveland, OH; OAC), and Youth Challenge (Cleveland, OH; OAC). Sara is also a class instructor for Dancing Wheels’ professional dance company. 

L. Taylor Ashton

Instructor – L. Taylor Ashton, a dance maker and native of Youngstown, Ohio graduated with honors from Kent State University with a BFA in Dance Performance in 2017. Ashton recently received her MFA in dance from Hollins University in conjunction with the Master of Contemporary Dance Education program at Frankfurt University for Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt, Germany. Ashton’s current work in process, ataba is a multi-medium performance art piece that is anchored in the migration and displacement of Syrian refugees, drawing on her Syrian heritage and family migration story.

Dominique Gross

Instructor – Having started her dance training at the age of three, Dominique has always had a passion for dance. She was accepted as a dance major at the University of Akron where, through the National Center for Choreography, she trained with artists in companies such as Ballet Jazz de Montreal, BodyTraffic, A.I.M. (Abraham In Motion), and Koresh Dance. She also had the privilege to be selected by and perform in works choreographed by Alice Klock (Hubbard Street), Catherine Meredith, NEOS Dance Theatre, and Kora Radella. She had the opportunity to choreograph many pieces, one piece being chosen to be performed at E.J. Thomas Hall alongside the faculty and guest artist pieces. This piece, “Her”, was chosen to be performed at the 2019 American College Dance Association conference. After college, she trained with the Dancing Wheels Company learning the art of wheelchair dance and began to work with The School of Dancing Wheels as a teaching artist. Dominique started her own contemporary fusion dance company, Roots Dance Ohio, in late 2020 to create opportunities for dancers who were struggling to find ways to dance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  She’s had the privilege of choreographing “Rocketman” for the School of Dancing Wheel’s Performance Ensemble performed at the Playhouse Square’s Allen Theatre and for Cleveland Dance Project showcase. In 2022, she kick-started her commercial dance career by becoming a Striker for the Cleveland Guardians, receiving opportunities to dance in televised numbers featured on ESPN and Bally Sports. Dominique danced as a community dancer in Ballet Legato’s Nutcracker, Gisselle and Alice in Wonderland in 2023 and 2024. Currently, Dominique continues to teach with the School of Dancing Wheel in-studio programs and enjoys her time with her family.

Aaron “Kooky” Williams

Instructor – Aaron Williams is a Cleveland-based dancer, performer, and instructor whose movement practice is rooted in waacking, vogue, and the communities that have shaped these forms. His relationship with dance extends far beyond movement, it has been a vehicle for self-discovery, identity, confidence, connection, and creating space for himself and others to express who they are unapologetically.

With years of experience developing his craft, performing, teaching, and competing, Aaron continues to build his voice within the culture while honoring the foundations and histories that make these styles so meaningful.

His experience in competitive spaces, including in New York, Chicago , Atlanta, Texas, & Florida has challenged him to continually refine his musicality, performance quality, individuality, and ability to command a room.

As an instructor, Aaron places equal importance on technique and personal expression. His classes are designed to give dancers a strong understanding of the vocabulary and foundations while encouraging them to experiment, develop their own movement quality, and discover what makes their dancing uniquely theirs.

At the heart of his teaching is the belief that dance should do more than teach people how to move. It should give them the freedom to explore themselves, take up space, build confidence, connect with others, and ultimately find a language of movement that feels like their own.