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Alumni Dear Alums, NEWS 2008-2009 Vanessa Anspaugh (SC MFA '08) collaborated with installation artist, Swoon, playwright, Lisa Damour, and others on a traveling performance project down the Hudson River on hand-made art rafts built from recycled materials. The rafts docked at Deitch Projects in NYC where the final performances occurred. Currently, she is dancing for Jen Rosenblit (HC `05) with performances on “Fresh Tracks” at D.T.W in January. Katie Bailey (MHC '08) is the Pilates Coordinator at Equinox Chelsea in NYC. She is the Founder of the Volution Foundation which works with children with special needs through private Pilates based movement training. Currently, she is working with Laurie Devito and Dancers. Pele Bauch (HC `96) and Christine Sandifer performed an excerpt from –ism for Danspace Project's Out of Space Series at BRIC. Nicole Bindler (HC '95), choreographer, bodyworker and educator, toured in Japan with dance artist, Corrie Befort and traveled to Seattle to teach with Cyrus Kambatta. She recently joined the Mascher Space Cooperative and participated in a number of Mascher/Dance Advance sponsored workshops this year. She will continue to curate the StudioSeries at Studio 34. In the works for 2009 is a collaboration with Gene Coleman and with Egyptian dance-theater artist, Rania Khalil, in Cairo in 2009. Kimberly Brandt (HC `99) completed her MFA in sculpture from the Tyler School of Art this past May, and has since relocated back to NYC. This fall she taught Tyler's first performance art class, and her work was included in a group show at Five Myles Gallery in Brooklyn. Taela Brooks (AC '06) performed in The Producers, at Rhode Island's Theatre by the Sea. She was a principal dancer for 2 years with Naganuma Dance, a contemporary dance company in NYC. Musical theater credits include Dreamgirls with Jennifer Holiday (TOTS), A Funny Thing Happened… (Florida Rep),The Producers (TBTS) and the upcoming North Shore Theatre production of High School Musical 2. She has gained membership with the Actors Equity Association and has been teaching figure skating and dance classes in NYC. Arye Bursztyn (SC MFA '89) is teaching Contact-Improv and Movement for Theatre at the Seminar Hakibbutzim Teachers' College, Tel Aviv, Isreal, as well as Body Mind Gestalt Therapy at the Tel Aviv University and at the Festalt Institute in Cleveland. Nicole Canuso (HC `96) in 2008 participated in the creation and performance of a new work with Physical Theater master, Bill Irwin, at the Philadelphia Theater Co. With her own company - Nicole Canuso Dance Co. - she created Wandering Alice—a site specific journey for its audience and Parallel You, a duet for Canuso and David Brick with live sound by Christopher Collucci. Her work, T43 toured to University of Texas, Austin in June. She performed in Headlong Dance Theater's Explanatorium, taught an ensemble course at Bryn Mawr College, and continued her position as dance instructor at Lawrenceville HS. Yanira Castro (AC `94) & Company presented, Center of Sleep, at the DTW in NYC, February 27-March 1, 2008. She also presented Black Forest/Dark Horse (costume design by AC Theater & Dance Professor Suzanne Dougan and lighting design by Kathy Couch AC `95) at PS1 in NY, and toured to dance festivals in Latvia, Germany and Korea. Jaclyn Capozzi (UM '05) ran the dance program at Camp Pontiac in NY last summer. She is now back in MA, serving as the Artistic Director of the Melrose Youth Ballet and gearing up for this year's Nutcracker production. Brenda Divelbliss (SC `99) is in her tenth year teaching modern dance and choreography at the Cambridge Rindge & Latin School in Cambridge, MA. The CRLS Dance Program will travel to the Netherlands this year for a cultural exchange with a school there. Brenda also serves as Artistic Associate for the Harvard Dance Program. Adrienne Celeste Fadjo (UM '01) and her company, AdrienneCelesteFadjo DANCE, performed during the month of December in the Riverside Theatre's NuDance Festival, the New York Junior League's Dance Module, Lawrence Academy's Dance Department and the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. Ariel Gonzalez Cohen (SC MFA '07) and Kellie Ann Lynch/slipperyfish dance was awarded a Choreography Fellowship for 2008 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Ariel has recently relocated to NYC. Kathy Couch (AC `95) continued her collaboration with Kinodance (Alla Kovgan, Alissa Cardone, Deadalus Wainwright (HC alum) and Ingrid Schatz (UM alum), named one of Dance Magazine's 25 Companies To Watch. Their new piece, FUSE premiered at Boston's ICA in May. In June, Kathy traveled to Riga, Latvia to create a light installation for Yanira Castro's (AC '95) Dark Horse/Black Forest. Upon her return to the States, Kathy joined The Architects (Jennifer Kayle (SC MFA `99), Pam Vail (SC MFA), Katherine Ferrier, and Lisa Gonzales) in PA for the 3rd annual MICI workshop, where she created a scenic and lighting installation for the final event of the week. Her work with Jennifer Kayle continued with a lighting design for the Kayle+Company performance at Joyce SoHo in July. In August, Kathy began pursuing her MFA in Visual Arts from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Irada Djelassi (UM '00) and (Katherine Hooper UM '01) presented new choreographic works at their company's spring concerts in March at the Green Street Studios in Cambridge, MA. Their company, BoSoma Dance Company, appeared on the Boston channel WBZ-TV. Amie Dowling (SC '97) moved west two and a half years ago for a full-time teaching job at the U of San Francisco in the Performing Arts and Social Justice Dept. Amie has continued to work with people who are or have been incarcerated. She has written a chapter for the anthology, Performing Lives, (Routledge, 2010). In addition to choreographing with her students, her work is being shown this spring in several SF venues. This summer she will be traveling to Stolzenhagen, Germany to work in on a community-based project about migration. Jill Ducharme (UM '06) and Nicole Dagasse (UM'06) performed in April `08 with the company Dance Connect in Hartford CT. The program featured exciting work by veteran Limon Dance Co. member and UM faculty, Paul Dennis, plus choreography and dancing by UM alums Jillian Ducharme and Nicole Dagesse. Katie Pousont . Kristen Duffy (UM '00) performed in Accumulation in Cambridge, MA in November. Alicia Durand (UM '85) is currently a dance educator, formerly an Adjunct Asst. Prof. of Dance at the U. of the District of Columbia and Penn State U. She received an MA in Dance Ed in 1987 and subsequently danced with the Pennsylvania Dance Theater. She is a founding member of the International Association of Blacks in Dance. She currently teaches at the largest YMCA in the country located in Charlotte NC. Karyn Edison (UM'79) Director of Dance Arts Center in Holliston, MA. is happily celebrating her 30th year directing and teaching dance, 27th year of leading a student dance company on tour, and 6th year of running a day school for 4-12 grade aspiring dancers. In recent years, her graduates have been signed with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Orlando Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet. Two graduates have come to UMass. She currently serves on the Massachusetts Dance Festival Committee. Kelli Edwards (SC MFA '00) performed with Sara Rudner at the ICA Boston and at Concord Academy's Summer Stages. She also performed with David Parker and The Bang Group at the Boston Center for the Arts and in her own new work at Green Street Studios and at the ICA in Boston. She choreographed at The Huntington Theatre, the American Repertory Theatre and Actor's Shakespeare Project and is currently choreographing Cabaret for The New Repertory Theatre. She continues to run the dance program at Milton Academy. Katie Faulkner (HC `97) is Artistic Director of, little seismic dance company, which presented work at CounterPULSE in January 2008. Megan Frazier (SC MFA '03) started working as a pediatric physical therapist at Shriner's Hospital for Children and she has been teaching anatomy to yoga teacher trainees and shiatsu students in Northampton and Albany. Meghan Frederick (HC '07) is living in NYC and performed in Dance Now at DTW with Tze Chun Dance Company alongside both Fritha Pengelly and Eva Dean Dance. Meghan recently joined Brian Brooks Moving Company. Ella Grilli (HC '08) is working as a doula in the Pioneer Valley. She lives with her daughter in Hadley. Nancy (Spoor) Gunter (MHC '97) gave birth to a baby girl October 9, 2008. She is still teaching and performed as a party parent (with her husband) in Ballet Northwest's Nutcracker this year. She is also working on a business plan to open her own dance studio. Alec Hammond (AC '92) has finished designing the TV pilot, Lie To Me, starring Tim Roth and produced by David Nevins (AC '88). Prior to that he was the production designer for Ricky Gervais' first feature writing/directing job This Side of the Truth. Alec received the prestigious Princess Grace Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation, for career achievement. Ashley Hensel-Browning (HC '07) received her Ed. M. from Harvard, is currently living in Springfield, VT and is hard at work as a teaching and community artist, and choreographer. Check out her blog at dancewithashley.blogspot.com to read more about her rural dance adventures and share thoughts and ideas. Ashley performed at the International Festival of Art and Ideas in New Haven, VT, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, MassMOCA, and the Cunningham Studios in NYC. Lila Hurwitz (HC `83) has been living in Seattle since 1993. She is the administrative director and co-founder of, Dance Art Group; communications manager of Artist Trust; graphic designer for Contact Quarterly, and teaches Feldenkrais technique, dance and dance improvisation. * *
Emma Jaster (AC '07) went with a graduate fellowship from AC to study Sanskrit Theater and Mohiniyattam classical dance in India then to Taiwan to study with, U-Theatre, a company of traditional drummers that incorporates martial arts, tai chi and sacred dance into their work. After choreographing a show for the Edinburgh Fringe, she has returned to the States where she is currently living in Brooklyn and working with The South Wing Co. Jane Jerardi (HC '97) projected her video-dance Chance on the sides of buildings in downtown Washington DC in late 2007, with the support of an award from the Creative Communities Fund. This past year, she released Façade, a dance-video with collaborator Ginger Wagg. In late March 2009, Dance Place will present excerpts of her recent work as a part of their spring season. Erika W. Johnson (UM `04) recently graduated with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and is currently practicing at Marathon Physical Therapy in Newton, MA. She treats orthopedic and women's health patients. She is also dancing with BoSoma in Brighton, MA, which just celebrated its 5th anniversary. Kara Johnson (MHC '07) is busy dancing and teaching in the public schools in Cambridge. She is a member of Prometheus Dance Co., which recently received a grant from the Newton public schools. Kara is also taking a graduate literature course at Harvard Extension School. Jennifer Kayle (SC MFA '99) had her first season in NYC at Joyce SoHo in July under the name "Kayle + Company." She had her first company commission in Chicago (with Dance COLEctive), and then premiered her concert, Kinetic Evidence, at Links Hall in Chicago with her collaborator Lisa Gonzales. She traveled and created Forever Invierno in The Dominican Republic with painter and installation artist Misael Amos Reyes. She is still enjoying work at U of Iowa. Ellen Kaz (SC MFA '91) is founder and director of the award-winning Pioneer Valley-based Kaz DanceHUMAN Theater, a physically integrated dance project that offers community workshops and performances celebrating the human spirit in all its forms through collaborative dance with persons with and without disabilities. Ellen also continues to teach choreography, improv and modern dance at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts School in South Hadley, MA. Andrew Kelsey (AC '06) was cast as “Tony” in the west coast production of As Much As You Can at the Celebration Theater in Hollywood CA this past January. Andrew is attending Yale's graduate acting program. Jackie Kinsman (SC MFA '04) served as Adjunct Faculty at the U of Tennessee in Knoxville the past two years. She was a member of Circle Modern Dance whose slogan is that "everyone has a right to dance", and of which Rodger Blum was a founding member! Subsequently, she and fellow company members formed Momentum Dance Lab, a collective of dancers and choreographers dedicated to quality training and performance for adults. Zoë Klein (HC '01) met David Paris (HC `93) in 2005 - he's an ex-football guy now crazy about salsa and acrobatics, and they formed Paradizo Dance, an acrobatic dance theater duet performing a provocative blend of show-stopping stunts and acrobatic theatrical artistry.. Together they teach and tour the world having performed for Cirque Boom, Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, Cuba Libre nightclub in Atlantic City, and other venues including Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Australia, and New Zealand. Tiffany Langlois (UM '04) joined Enigma Dance Kru, from MTV's Americas best dance Kru season 1 out of St Petersburg FL. They have performed all over the country for different charities and events including the MTV's Americas best dance Kru show and 2008 tour, and the Ringling Art Museum's Ungala charity event. They have performed at many (Major League Baseball) Tampa Bay Rays games and were asked to dance at the 2008 Superbowl in Tampa, Florida. Jennifer Lawson (MHC '91) is working with DDT contemporary dance company in Belgrade, Serbia, where she is posted as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State. She most recently performed with the group in the BELEF 2008 summer arts festival, and is teaching technique classes and presenting seminars on modern dance as an American art form. Jennifer completed her Ed.M. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2005 while dancing with Cambridge-based company, Mosaic Dance Body. Brandye Lee (SC '00) and Brigette Dunn-Korpela (UM '87) met Disney's, The Lion King national tour. They subsequently formed B2 Movement for Change, a holistic wellness company, based in Washington D.C., which promotes positive change in women of color and their communities through yoga, creative movement and the healing arts. They both continue to freelance as dancers, teachers and choreographers. Brett Lefferts (HC `00 ) is a member of the band Morningside, which just released a new album called Mistakes We Knew We Were Making. Anne Lewis (MHC '09) will be dancing for Lucinda Childs in her hour-long piece, “Dance”, including performances at BARD College in July. Marina Libel (AC '01) is pursuing a Masters in Performance Studies at NYU. NYU recently awarded her the Gallatin-Newington-Cropsey Foundation Fellowship. She also received the Edward Poole Lay Fellowship from AC. Joyce S. Lim (SC MFA `96 ) is now sharing with students the lessons of her 8+ years of study/explorations in Southeast and East Asia, promoting more in-depth study of traditional and world dance forms. Kellie Lynch (SC MFA `07) is the Co-Director slipperyfish dance with Ariel Cohen. slipperyfish dance has recently been awarded a Choreography Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and a grant from the Northampton Arts Council. In February 2008, Kellie moved to New Haven, CT, and co-founded Elm City Dance Collective with three other artists. She currently dances with Adele Myers and Dancers in NYC, and the MacArthur Dance Project in New Haven, CT. Tara Lynne Madsen (SC MFA `06) is currently living in Philadelphia and performing professionally with TANIA ISAAC DANCE. As a freelance choreographer, she has presented her original choreography internationally in Guatemala, Italy, Greece, Scotland, Barcelona and Madrid, where her work received critical acclaim. She is adjunct faculty at DeSales University where she has been teaching for the past three years. Rebecca Malcolm-Naib (MHC '87) is co-director and co-founder of Travesty Dance Group, an 11-year old multi-city modern dance company that tours nationally. In November, they presented a series of shows in Philadelphia at the Plays and Players Theatre with 9 performers from Houston, 5 from Cleveland, and 4 from Philadelphia. Since 1998, Rebecca has taught Advanced Modern Technique and Anatomy for Dancers at Bryn Mawr College. Kristen Mangione (SC ‘94) has been dancing with Chris Ferris and Dancers during their 2008-2009 season. She is currently directing her first dance film project filmed on location at a Zen Monastery in the Catskill Mountains, NY. She is also developing a series of workshops entitled Dancing for the Body, Mind and Spirit, combining dance, energy practices and Zen Meditation. Nicki Marshall (MHC '00) & Helen Styring Tocci were awarded a 70-hour Space Grant from BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange to develop a new work. In October, they presented the work-in- progress in a shared evening with fellow space grant recipients, Levi Gonzalez (dance) and Kevin Augustine (theater). Nicki continues to dance in NYC with Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance. Tarja (Dasha) Martikainen (AC '05) is attending NYU for her graduate work in design. Dustyn Martincich (SC MFA '06) accepted a new, tenure-track position at Bucknell University as Asst. Prof. of Theatre and Dance, after acting as guest faculty at Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts. Dustyn has also been performing with and choreographing for Matter Dance Company in Chicago. Martha Mason (MHC '88) recently disbanded her company of ten years, Snappy Dance Theater - Massachusetts's most active nationally and internationally touring modern dance company - after realizing that MA is too inhospitable an environment for a modern dance company that aspires to be fulltime. She is now transitioning to a career in choreography for theater, opera and dance. She will choreograph Opera Boston's The Nose (Gogol) by Shostakovich in February 2009. Olive McKeon (HC '08) is pursuing a MA degree in Arts Politics at New York University where she is working with marxist dance scholar, Randy Martin. Anne Morris (SC `03) has been accepted into the graduate program at UNCG, with scholarship and stipends. She continues to perform with Augusto Soledad's, Brazz Dance Company, and teach children in Miami. Tovah (Bodner) Muro (AC '01) is the director of Dance at RI's only public arts HS - The Jacqueline M. Walsh School for the Performing & Visual Arts in Pawtucket, RI. - designing and writing the courses and curriculum. She has been there since the school opened - the FIRST class will graduate this June! Jacqueline Nalett (MHC 94) an adjunct dance faculty member in the University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance where she teaches Modern Dance, Jazz, and Aesthetics of Movement. She is on staff at Rice University where she teaches Jazz and Hiphop. Jackie is also a dance teaching artist with Young Audiences of Houston and a modern dance instructor at The Hope Center. This past fall she was choreographer for Revels Houston and during the last two summers, she choreographed and performed in solo works as part of the Gathering at the Big Range Dance Festival. * * * * * * * Molly Ouellette (UM '03) will receive a doctor of chiropractic degree from Western States Chiropractic College in Dec. `09. She is currently dancing with Key Turn Project, a collective formed by fellow alumni Amanda Byars Wickens (UMass `03) and Jen Hackworth (UMass `04). They will be performing their third evening length show this May. During time off from school this fall, Molly will be in New England, dancing with Fritha Pengelly and other members of Pengelly:Projects. Rachael Plaine (UM '03) choreographed for Berkshire Theatre Festival's production of Oliver! featuring a cast of over 120 children and adults from the community. She is also working as an artist-in-residence for BTF, teaching playwriting and acting in performances throughout the school year, including in a December production of A Christmas Carol. Lynette P. Rizzo (MHC '96) has been working since 2000 for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she is the associate director of marketing. Lynette also does some freelance writing for other NYC-based dance companies and serves on the executive advisory council for Buglisi Dance Theatre. Emily Rosenberg (AC '07) is a dresser in the wardrobe department at the Metropolitan Opera Company. Jennifer Rosenblit (HC '05) premiered We're All Waiting at Dixon Place, featuring FCDD dancers Marielle Amrhein (MHC '03), Alexis Liston (MHC'07), Meghan Frederick (HC `07) Strauss Bourque (HC ‘06) and Mariana Valencia (HC `06). BottomHeavy Productions also presented Maybe Sprout Wings. Jen's newest work, Everlast and So Badly will be performed on DTW's Fresh Tracks series in January. Rain Ross (MHC '00) received her MFA in dance from the University of Iowa and is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at Oakland University. Laurel Anne (Kleinschmidt) Salvi (UM '97) and (SC MFA '00) is currently the Director of Dance at the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA. Before she took this position she worked closely with Gretel Schatz at the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, MA. Candice Salyers (SC MFA '03) undertook a series of performance "marathons" to raise awareness for and financially benefit various food banks in 2008. The marathon will consist of six hours of solo dancing, including work that she has choreographed including improvisational structures donated to this project by other artists. She also recently presented several new works-in-progress to open A.P.E.'s winter dance series, Inhabit, at their new space in Northampton. Sarah Seely (SC MFA '01), co-artistic director of "movement/addiction" dance company in Baltimore from 2002-2006, is currently the artistic director for "From the desk of Sarah Seely" a performance company combining dancers, actors, cabaret performers, and multi-media artists. Sarah is also a solo performer and dancer with Abby Bender's Schmantze Theatre. Sarah is also a yoga instructor in NYC. Linalynn Natter Schmelzer (UM '04) performed at Green Space in NYC last June. The Clark Dance Theater performed one of her choreographic works, Our Bubble, with music composed by Frank Natter, Jr. Kyle Shukis (UM '05) danced in NYC for Randy James Dance Works, Dance Council Movement Theater and as a pick-up dancer for several choreographers. He has taught at Rutgers University as well as master classes at universities and performing arts high schools across the country. He currently is on the faculty at Radford University in VA where he choreographs regularly. William Soleau (AC '77) directed and choreographed A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Richmond Ballet, Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony. In May, he choreographed Carmina Burana for the State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara. His full-length Carmen was filmed for Public Television at the Ford Theater in LA. This past summer he created Yellow Wood for BalletMet in Columbus OH, Misa Criolla for Richmond Ballet, Table Games for Ballet NY, and performed at the Joyce Theater in NYC this past September. Cheri Soule (SC MFA '02) is the Director of the Middle School and Upper School Dance Programs at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury CT. She also designs and creates sets for the Judy Dworin Performance Project's Movement Matters! program in Hartford. Last year's theme was based on a children's book written by Judy Dworin, for which Cheri did the illustrations. Diana Steeble (MHC '97) who lives in Seattle, was promoted in 2008 to Vice President at Publicis Consultants PR, where she leads health and nutrition communications programs for several food clients. Kathryn (Morawski) StomsVik (SC '00) has been living in New York and will be pursuing her teaching certification in dance this year.. Nicole Tesson (MHC '02) is currently living in St. Louis, MO, teaching Pilates at Clayton Pilates Studio and dancing with the contemporary ballet group, 'Collective Motion.' She recently got engaged. Layard Thompson (UM '00) appeared on the Whitney Live Series at The Whitney Museum of American Art and at the Joyce Soho - both shows received rave reviews in the New York Times. In December, he performed his new solo, Cup ... puC ...... K ...... Ohhhh, Beauty, full, vessel, on a shared program with Kyle Abraham at DTW. Layard was a recipient of a BESSIE this year, honoring his work as a choreographer. Mariana Valencia (HC `06) is director of Rhinoceros Event and has recently choreographed Hold My Gold for the Dance Theater Workshop in January. Valencia's newest work, Piol was performed in April and May in NYC. Jonathan Wemette (AC '05) has been recently promoted to Artistic Associate by Florida Stage. Marlena Zahm (UM'05) and Tina Clark (UM' 97, M.ED. '05) performed a duet in January at LEGACY, a show celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter High School's dance company, Catalyst, of which Zahm is an alum. | |