Staff

Faculty

Adjunct Faculty

Staff

Julie Ballard - Technical Assistant

Julie E. Ballard's lighting design credits include Cabaret, Landslide, Medea and a growing repertoire of dance choreography including international guest artist's hosted by The Center for World Arts at the University of Florida, a national premiere from Morrison Dance and Dance with Two Army Blankets (Shapiro & Smith Dance) in the National American College Dance Festival at the Kennedy Center. She is currently the lighting supervisor for David Dorfman Dance. Ms. Ballard has received her M.F.A at the University of Florida. She thanks her mother for all of her support. www.overlaplighting.com

Shannon Epplett - Operations Coordinator

Shannon Epplett received his undergraduate degree in Directing and Arts Administration from Western Michigan University. He has worked in administration at Western Michigan’s County Playhouse, Northlight Theatre, and Shear Madness. As a director, he has worked with Shoestring Theatre, Great Beast Theatre, and founded his own company, Radiant Theatre. He is the resident stage manager for T.N.T. – Tanya and Tappers. He has served on the board for Mordine & Co. Dance Theatre, and is currently a member of the Evanston Arts Council.

Jyl Fehrenkamp - Academic Program Coordinator

Jyl Fehrenkamp is a dancer, choreographer and administrator. Her performance work has been seen at the Around the Coyote Arts Festival, the P-Power Performance Project, The ValenSwine (a festival she co-created), the Girly-Q Variety Hour, Gurlesque Burlesque and in 2004 she was a Link-up Artist-in-Residence at Links Hall, where she created a work for 4 swimmers and a Great White shark. Jyl recently completed a 200-hour Teacher Training program at Yogaview and is also the host & curator of Poonie's Cabaret at Links Hall.

Ligia Himebaugh - Marketing Director

After receiving a Comprehensive Theatre degree from Northern Illinois University, Ligia delved into the world of directing, dramaturgy, and literary management, and worked for several local theatres including Lifeline, Goodman, and Court Theatre. She most recently worked as the Marketing/PR Director for Apple Tree Theatre and served as Marketing Coordinator for Chicago Scenic Studios. Ligia has also been a part of the Chicago film scene, serving as Associate Producer for several local productions, including the documentary, The 95th, shown on PBS, and the feature film, Design, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival a few years ago. As the Marketing Director for the Dance Center of Columbia College, she is responsible for implementing and supervising all marketing efforts for the academic unit and performance series.

Liz Jenkins - Evening Receptionist

 

Monika Mayer - House Manager

 

Clyde "Irish" McCusker - Assistant Technical Director/Stage Manager

 

Kevin Rechner - Technical Director

Kevin Rechner has been the Production Manager, Technical Director and Lighting Designer for the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago since 1996. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre from Illinois State University and spent 3 years in Paris, France studying Movement Theatre with Jacques Lecoq and Daniel Stein, He has created 4 solo performance works including I AM HUGO. Technically, he has worn many hats for many people including: The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Ballet Theatre of Chicago, Daniel Stein, Akira Kasai, Kota Yamazaki, XSIGHT!, MASS, Momenta!, Robin Lakes Rough Dance, Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, Hedwig Dances and others. He has designed lights for Peter Carpenter, Urban Bush Women, Mordine & Company Dance Theatre, HT Chen and Dancers, Natya Dance Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, Latin Street Dancing, Lucky Plush, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, The Dance COLEctive, The Seldoms, and others. He served as the LD / TD for the Dance Division of the National High School Institute for 5 years, and can still say ìSTOPî and ìNOî in many languages.

Mary Carpenter-Rechner - Program Coordinator

In 1989 theater was an avocation for Mary Carpenter Rechner starting with improv classes at The Players Workshop of Second City. For the following few years she directed, performed and ran lights for various small improv troupes in a variety of off-off loop theaters. As a company member of Transient Theater in Uptown from 1992-96 she designed lights, sets and costumes for four seasons of plays. In the mid 1990's Mary formally studied lighting and set design at Columbia College Chicago and worked as a stagehand at The Dance Center of Columbia College as well as a freelance lighting designer for local modern dance companies. After three years at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she has returned to The Dance Center in 2002 handling contracts and residency details for the presenting season.

Phil Reynolds - Executive Director

Phil Reynolds began his tenure at The Dance Center in 1998. Prior to moving to Chicago, he lived and worked in Vermont for seven years where he directed Catamount Film and Arts Company, an exemplary multi-disciplinary presenter and local arts agency. Mr. Reynolds began his professional career at the Brooklyn Academy of Music where he was employed as Director of Planning & Government Grants. He was also employed in New York as Executive Director of the Nikolais and Murray Louis Foundation for Dance. Reynolds has served on panels for The Japan Foundation, Dance Advance, Illinois Arts Council, Vermont Arts Council, Connecticut Arts Commission, and Chamber Music America. Mr. Reynolds received a BA from Middlebury College and an MFA in Arts Management from Columbia University. Phil is the father of eleven-year-old Sam Reynolds.

Larry Russo - Receptionist

Larry Russo began his career as a professional actor, singer and dancer in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin while performing with the Skylight Opera Co., the Florentine Opera Co., and the Milwaukee Ballet. Since moving to Chicago in 1974 he has been featured in over 80 productions at the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Court, and the Organic. From 1984-1985 he was a member of the Acting company of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada.

Cara Sabin - Student Services Coordinator and Assistant to the Chair

Cara Sabin received a BFA from The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago in 2006. She is a company member with The Seldoms and has performed as a guest with Lucky Plush, Margaret Morris and most recently performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and at Lincoln Center in New York with fellow alums. She has worked with political organizations, the non-profit sector and in arts administration throughout her years in Chicago.

Alycia Scott - Community Outreach and Education Manager

Alycia Scott has been organizing, curating, and developing arts programs for over ten years. Before moving to Chicago, she was Director of the Alliance for the Varied Arts Gallery, located in a valley in the Northern Utah Wasatch Mountains. While in Utah, she taught improvisation and experimental movement at Utah State University and for the Valley Dance Ensemble. During her time in Chicago, Alycia has also taught movement integration for the Chicago Teachers Center, served as Program Coordinator for Snow City Arts Foundation, and as Dance Associate for the Collaborative Programs Division of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. She also has curated exhibitions at the Betty Rhymer Gallery, Heaven, 1926, the Rhona Hoffman gallery, and ACME.

Erin Tisdale - Media and Technology Coordinator

Erin Tisdale received her MFA in Dance Documentation from The Ohio State University in 2006 and a dual BFA in Dance Performance and Dance Education from Kent State University in 2002. She is a member of Dance Research Forum Ireland (DRFI) as well as a recent presenter of her project at their 1st annual conference in Limerick, Ireland. Also a certified Labanotation Teacher by the Dance Notation Bureau, she has assisted in the training of Labanotation teachers. Her master's project, The Preservation and Documentation of Irish Dance, focused on the most commonly practiced forms of dance documentation, including video, text, and symbol based systems (specifically Labanotation).

In 2006 Tisdale received a Fellowship from the Dance Heritage Coalition (DHC) concentrating on archiving dance materials, at the Department of Dance at Ohio State, the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute (TRI) at Ohio State, and for Columbus Dance Theatre. She has also worked on documentation projects with a variety of artists including Bebe Miller and Valarie Mockabee. Tisdale has also been teaching modern, video and Irish Dance at numerous schools, universities and festivals. She has taught at the American College Dance Festival, been a visiting artist at Mercyhurst College, and a lecturer at The Ohio State University's Department of Dance.

Alicia Warren - Accounts Manager

Alicia Warren began dancing when she was five years old at the Paula Aubry School of Dance near her hometown of Bourbonnais, IL. She continued her professional dance training at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she received her B.F.A. degree in 2004. While attending UIUC, she had the opportunity to perform in a variety of different student and faculty productions and was privileged to work with John Dayger in a re-staging of Lar Lubovitch's North Star. In 2002 she was awarded a Talented Student Award by the department because of her dedication and enthusiasm for dance. Ms. Warren made her professional performance debut in Chicago when she began dancing with Mordine & Co. Dance Theatre in 2005. She is currently enjoying her fourth season with the company and has since began dancing with Thread Meddle Outfit and most recently joined Chicago Dance Crash as a guest artist. Alicia is pleased to pass on her knowledge and love for the art of dance by teaching children at ARCC Ballet. In addition to her career in dance Ms. Warren also serves as Accounts Manager at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.

Faculty

Bonnie Brooks - Department Chair

Bonnie Brooks is a dance writer, dance educator, and arts advocate with an extensive background in dance administration and production. She studied English in her undergraduate work at Wheaton College (IL) and at George Mason University, where she received a Master of Arts degree and served as a research fellow at the Research Center for the Federal Theater Project. Prior to joining the faculty at Columbia, she was a visiting assistant professor in the graduate program of the World Arts & Cultures Department at UCLA, where she taught contemporary dance issues and practice. From 1990-1998, she was President and Executive Director of Dance/USA, the country's principal service organization for dance. While at Dance/USA, she oversaw numerous initiatives including the National Task Force on Dance Education and the development of numerous regranting programs including the American Dance Touring Initiative and the California-based Irvine Fellowships in Dance. During the 1980's, she was executive director at the Minnesota Dance Alliance (1985-88), managing director of NY-based David Gordon/Pick Up Co.(1982-85), and worked as a program specialist at the National Endowment for the Arts (1979-82). In addition to chairing the Dance Center, Bonnie teaches Introduction to Dance Studies, Contemporary Trends in Dance, Cross Cultural Perspectives in Dance, and Artists and Audiences. She co-curates the Dance Center's presenting season with executive director Phil Reynolds, and serves as the Dance Center's primary audience dramaturg by presenting audience lectures, writing program notes, and moderating public talks with visiting artists. She sustains an active role in the regional and national dance community, and was a board member of the Music and Dance Theater of Chicago from 2000-2005. With colleagues from Links Hall and Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, she was a co-founder of the Chicago Dancemakers Forum. Bonnie's recent publications include "Sir Fred in the Windy City," a winter, 2004 review of work by Sir Frederick Ashton performed by the Joffrey Ballet, in London-based Dance Now. In Summer, 2005, Dance Now will publish a version of her lecture, "How To Watch A Cunningham Concert." She is an associate editor for the upcoming World Dance Encyclopedia.

Peter Carpenter

Peter Carpenter is an independent choreographer whose physical theater performances have often intersected with political activism and critical theory. Often acclaimed for his choreographic staging of queer theatricality, Carpenter has dedicated the majority of his career to tracking the complex ways in which identity has been shaped in subaltern communities by HIV/AIDS. His independent work has resulted in numerous repertory pieces and four evening-length works including Bareback Into the Sunset (2003), which, since its premiere at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, Calif., has been seen in excerpted versions at numerous conferences and performance events commemorating World AIDS Day. The full-version of Bareback Into the Sunset was recently presented by the Dance Center of Columbia College. Carpenter's work as an independent artist has been presented by numerous galleries, museums and theaters including the 29th Street Repertory Theater in New York, the Steppenwolf Theater, Chicago's Links Hall, and the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill, N.C. Carpenter has also received funding to create new work from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council and has received a Joseph Jefferson Citation for Outstanding Theater Choreography. Carpenter's independent work has been supplemented by affiliations with Chicago's XSIGHT! Performance Group where he served as an artistic associate (1993-2001) and the StreetSigns Center for Literature and Performance in Chicago and Chapel Hill, N.C. where he served as the resident choreographer (1992-2001). As a member of XSIGHT! Carpenter presented worked at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Northwestern University, Wesleyan College, University of Alaska in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Dance Works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the MEX experimental theatre in Louisville, Kentucky. Carpenter received his M.F.A. in Dance from UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures in 2003 and is currently writing his dissertation for a Ph.D. in Culture and Performance Studies (also from UCLA). He received his B.S. from Northwestern University's Theater Department in 1992. Carpenter is currently a full-time faculty member at the Dance Center of Columbia College in Chicago.

Margi Cole - Acting Associate Chair

Margi Cole is currently a Lecturer and Associate Chair at the Dance Center of Columbia College as well as Artistic Director of her own company, The Dance COLEctive. Margi graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts, received a BA in Dance from Columbia College Chicago and an MFA in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has taught for organizations including the Alabama Ballet, the American College Dance Festival, Ballet Tennessee, and many schools, colleges and universities throughout Illinois, the Midwest, and the Southeast. The Alabama Ballet, Springfield Ballet Company, the Birmingham Museum of Art, Girl's Preparatory School of Tennessee, Beloit College and Columbia College Chicago have commissioned Margi's works. Margi has danced with numerous well-known choreographers and companies, including Ralph Lemon, Joe Goode Performance Group, Stephen Koplowitz, Ann Boyd, David Rousseve, Bill Young, Douglas Nielsen, Timothy O'Slynne, Paula Frasz, Colleen Halloran, Mad Shak Dance Company, Mordine & Company Dance Theatre, Renee Wadleigh and Ellie Klopp. Awards and acknowledgements include making the list of ìTeachers Rated Excellent by their Studentsî for four consecutive semesters while on faculty at the University of Illinois, receiving two Dance Center of Columbia College Choreographic Mentoring Scholarships, two Illinois Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships, a 2005 Chicago Dancemakers Forum grant, a 2006 American Marshall Memorial Fellowship, and winning at a Panoply Festival Choreography Award for Contemporary Dance in Huntsville, AL. Margi is active in the Chicago dance community, serving on grant panels and in public forums as an arts administrator, dancer and choreographer.

Paige Cunningham

Paige Cunningham studied under Sheila Cohen at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts. She received her B.F.A. from the Juilliard School and went on to dance for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, touring throughout Europe, Australia and the U.S. Ms. Cunningham received an M.F.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was chosen as one of three choreographic fellows at Summer Stages Dance to create a new work on students. She has taught at the Cincinnati Ballet, Alabama School of Fine Arts and Boston Ballet among others.

Lisa Gonzales

Lisa Gonzales is an independent dance maker, improviser and performing artist. She began her training in choreography and improvisation with Penny Campbell, Andrea Olsen, Peter Schmitz and Jill Becker at Middlebury College where she received her B.A. She went on to earn her M.F.A. from Ohio State University and moved to New York City in 1999 where she was based until 2004. In 1999,with Pamela Vail, Jennifer Kayle and Kathrine Ferrier, she founed the Architects, an improvisational dance company that performs nationally and internationally. She has performed and shown her choreography in New York at such venues as DTW, Danspace at St. Mark's Church, Joyce Soho, WAX, Joe's Pub, John Jay College, Brick Studio, University Settlement and others, as well as in spaces across the United States. Internationally, she has presented her work in Taiwan, Russia and Finland and has been invited to teach and perform in the Dominican Republic in January. She credits many artists with whom she has worked as being influential to her own art making including Peter Schmitz, Penny Campbell, Susan Sgorbati, Andrea Olsen, Deborah Hay, Angie Hauser, Chris Aiken, Paul Matteson, K.J. Holmes, Amy Chavasse, Deana Acheson, her work with the Architects, and others. She has also had the pleasure of touring with choreographer/puppeteer Dan Hurlin in his Obie award-winning work Hiroshima Maiden, and is currently collaborating with New York puppeteers Chris Green and Erin Ore on a work entitled, Tin Lightening, that combines elements of dance, theater, object performance and puppetry. She is beginning a new evening length dance work of her own which will premier in the fall of 2008 and is presenting work in Chicago at Links Hall in February and in March. She is a lecturer at Columbia College, Chicago and on faculty at the Movement Intensive in Compositional Improvisation which happens annually in June at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA.

Carrie Hanson

Carrie Hanson has been performing, teaching and making dance in Chicago for fifteen years, and is the Artistic Director of The Seldoms. Her solo and ensemble dance work has appeared at local festivals and theatres, and has been performed nationally and in Germany. Carrie is a Chicago Dance Makers' Forum 2005 Lab Artist. Her interest in staging dance outside the traditional theater has placed The Seldoms in a giant, drained swimming pool, a railyard, the former reading room of the Chicago Public Library, and an 80,000 sq.ft. antiques store. In 2002, her dance video, Refuge, appeared at the American Dance Festival's Dancing for the Camera. She has received an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship for Choreography and a Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Dance for her performance with Jan Erkert and Dancers and Loop Troop. Carrie has been a guest teacher for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance Company and Estradanza. She holds an MA in Dance Studies from Laban Centre London and a BFA in Modern Dance from Texas Christian University, and has recently been certified in Laban Movement Analysis.

Darrell Jones

Darrell Jones performs in the United States and abroad with a variety of choreographers and companies, including Bebe Miller, Urban Bush Women, Ronald K. Brown, Min Tanaka, Ralph Lemon and KOKUMA Dance Theater. He will be on tour with the Bebe Miller Company throughout the summer and fall of 2005. Along with performing Darrell choreographs and teaches. He has collaborated with other choreographers (Fiona Millward, Jeremy Wade, Angie Hauser), writers (Cheryl Boyce Taylor), musicians (Brian Schulur, Jesse Manno, NOMAD), and designers (Mahwish Syed), in dance films, documentations and interactive multimedia installations. In addition to his collaborative duets he also works in solo forms. His choreography has been presented at The Place Theater in London, Kwanju Biennale in South Korea, The Kennedy Center in Washington DC and Judson Memorial Church in New York City. Darrell has taught workshops and master classes throughout the United States and in other countries such as South Africa, UK, and South Korea. His classes are informed by his training and studies in a variety of contemporary dance techniques, improvisation, Butoh and Traditional Dance forms. He will be full-time on the Dance Center faculty in January, 2006, where he will be teaching dancemaking, improvisation, and modern technique.

Dardi McGinley-Gallivan

Dardi McGinley-Gallivan has BA in Art History, Emory University, MA in Dance, The Ohio State she is the Artist in Residence. She teaches Modern technique and Dance Pedagogy and oversees our student advising program. Dardi has coordinated the outreach programs for Mordine & Company Dance Theatre and helped administrate many of Columbia's academic programs. Since 1993, Dardi has been a member of Mordine & Company Dance Theatre. In 1996 she received a Ruth Page Award for performance. Dardi is also a founding member of Mad Shak Dance Company.

Pamela Hoffman McNeil

Pamela Hoffman McNeil began teaching at The Dance Center of Columbia College in 1992 where she teaches Modern technique, Experiential Anatomy, Conditioning for Dancers, and Dance Composition. In Addition, Pam is certified in Authentic Pilates, which she teaches privately. She also danced with Mordine and Company Dance Theater from 1992 - 2001. Pam was nominated for a Ruth Page Dance Achievement Award in 2000. Originally from Michigan, Ms. McNeil graduated with a BA in Philosophy from Grand Valley State University. Soon after Pam began dancing professionally in New York, performing with numerous companies, including Beverly Brown, Sundance Company, June Anderson, and Melanie Slater/Dancers Vanishing as well as various independent choreographers. Ms. McNeil spent seven years studying intensively with Erick Hawkins where she became an understudy for the Hawkins Company and taught at the Hawkins' studio. McNeil has presented her own work in New York at The Field, DIA, and Aglaia Middle Collegiate Church, and in Chicago at Links Hall, and The Dance Center of Columbia College for Faculty Concerts, Student Choreographic Workshop, and Mordine & Company Members Concerts.

Richard Woodbury - Music Director & Associate Chair

Richard Woodbury holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with concentrations in music and dance from the Experimental College of the University of Minnesota. Richard is a composer and sound designer serving as professor of dance and music director at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. His compositions include more than a dozen collaborations with some of Chicago's leading choreographers, as well as works for theatre, experimental film/video and various commercial projects. His work for theatre includes original music and/or sound design of over 20 productions at Chicago's renowned Steppenwolf and Goodman Theatres as well as work on several Tony Award winning Broadway productions including: A Long Day's Journey Into Night, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Death of a Salesman and The Night of the Iguana. Richard has been nominated for Drama Desk Awards for both music and sound design and has received the Chicago Dance Coalition's Ruth Page Award as ìOutstanding Collaborative Artistî, the Helen Hayes Award for ìOutstanding Theatrical Sound Designî, and several Joseph Jefferson citation nominations for both original music and sound design. In the Dance Department, Richard teaches Music for Dancers I and II, Rhythmic Analysis, and assists in advanced dance composition courses. Richard also supervises the department's accompanists and oversees The Dance Center's Sound Lab.

Adjunct Faculty

Keesha Beckford

Keesha Beckford began her dance studies in Queens, New York. She then went on to graduate cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in American history and a certificate in dance. Her senior project in dance was awarded the Louis Sudler prize for the Arts. While a member of the Princeton dance program she studied modern dance technique and composition with Ze'eva Cohen, Elizabeth Keen and Sally Hess. She has performed with the New York based companies Steeledance and Amy Marshall Dance Company. In New York she also performed works by distinguished choreographers such as Milton Myers and Lorn Macdougal. Ms. Beckford's performances have been seen in Europe with the German tour of the rock musical Tabaluga and Lilli. In Dublin, Ireland she performed the choreography of Michael Foley and Cathy O'Kennedy in the production of Giselle: The Presence of the Past. After moving to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2002, Ms. Beckford performed with Martha Connerton's Kinetic Works and Sabrina Berry's American Dance Art. Her choreography was also featured in the repertory of both companies. While in New York City, Ms. Beckford taught jazz and modern dance at Steps on Broadway, The Spence School, Trinity School and was a guest teacher at Yale University and Ballet Academy East. In Charlotte, Ms. Beckford joined the faculty of North Carolina Dance Theater, teaching jazz, modern and ballet, and she served as a guest choreographer for the University of North Carolina, Charlotte's dance department. She began teaching Pilates matwork at Charlotte's Alternative Fitness Pilates Studio in 2003, and received her Alternative Fitness reformer certification in 2004. Here in the Chicago area, she teaches ballet and modern at Dance Center Evanston, and Pilates at From the Center in Lakeview.

Shell M. Benjamin

Shell M. Benjamin She has earned her BFA degree from Juilliard. While attending The High School of Performing Arts in New York she held a full scholarship at the Alvin Ailey Dance School. She has danced with Dance Theater of Harlem Ensemble, principle dancer of Carte Blanche in Norway, worked with the Joffrey Ballet in New York and the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. As a member of Equity, Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA she has a list of Broadway and off Broadway Productions. She is founder of Guided Light Dance Company in Amsterdam, Director of Dancing 2 Live a dance program currently used in the Chicago Public School system and Private Schools, and this Summer she is the CO-Director of the Alvin Ailey Chicago Camp. Her professional credits include tours of Indonesia, France, Germany, Spain, Russia, Sweden and Dubai. She has created programs for National Louis Center for the Gifted and taught at the Taipei International Dance Festival.

Liz Buritt

 

Malik R. Camara

Malik R. Camara, a native of St. Louis, Malik R. Camara is a premier dancer for Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago and Assistant Artistic Director for Alyo Children's Dance Theatre. For the past several years he has worked as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, and program coordinator in the Chicago area. Malik's early training in dance began with the Dunham Technique in East St. Louis, Illinois with Arthur Savage, Vivian Watt, and Theodore Jamison. Malik performed in the African Dance Ensemble under the direction of Sunshine and Terry Brown and Chamahaw, then Abdoulaye Camara, Deborah Ahmed and The St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre. After arriving in Chicago in the late 80s, Malik studied with Muntu, Imani Foster, Nahgeree Sutton, Denise Williams, S'hore Nuff Dance Studio, Woto Seta, Papa Camara Men of Muntu, Silembo Ballet, Vaune Blalock and Amaniyea Payne. Malik gives thanks and praise to the Creative Forces of the Ancestors and his teachers. Currently, Malik is teaching for Columbia College, Proviso East High School, Alyo Children's Dance Theatre and DCFS. He is also a member of the Dance Ministry at Trinity United Church of Christ.

Michael Caskey

Michael Caskey hails from rural Southwestern Michigan. Graduating Magna Cum Laude from Western Michigan University's school of music in 1999, Michael has performed with artists as diverse as Chuck Mangione, Toni Tenille, Danilo Perez, Marvin Hamlisch, and John Sinclair. Currently, Michael is a part of Eastern Blok, a pan-cultural ensemble that performs and presents masterclasses throughout the United States. A DownBeat jazz magazine award winner and five-time Detroit Music Award recipient, Michael has performed for audiences throughout the United States, Canada, Poland, France, Germany, Denmark, and Belgium. At Columbia, Michael coordinates the department's accompanist program and teaches Rhythmic Analysis.

Zineb Chraibi

 

Ariel Cisneros

 

Shaker Cohlmia

 

Kate Corby

 

Kym Costa

Kym Costa comes from a professional Ballet Dancer's background having danced for the Civic Ballet at The Ruth Page Foundation in Chicago. She studied with several prominent ballet companies across the United States including The Joffrey Ballet and the Pennsylvania Ballet. Kym used her strong background as a Dancer to transition smoothly into the Fitness industry. As a Fitness Professional, Kym managed Group Exercise Programs at several upscale health clubs in the Chicago area. While managing a team of over 60 instructors, Kym used her knowledge of movement to instruct a variety of exercise classes including step, hi/low, cardio dance, Ballet, slide, sculpt, interval, stretch, Spin, circuit, water, walking, boxing and treading. She is an accomplished Sport Aerobic Competitor who ranked nationally two years in a row. Kym has coached and choreographed for Sport Aerobic Competitors as well as Fitness Competitors and continues to work with athletes who are ranking nationally in their divisions. Kym was the Co-Captain/Choreographer for Reebok's Performance Team and traveled nationally to conduct master classes and/or present Fitness Workshops. Kym's fitness certifications include: NASM Personal Trainer, ACE Instructor & Personal Trainer, AFAA Instructor, Spinning, N'Stretch and CPR. In the past seven years, Kym has turned her focus from mainstream fitness to the mind/body exercises of Yoga and Pilates. In 1999, Kym started to study Yoga regularly while living in Los Angeles studying at the Yoga Place in Costa Mesa, YogaWorks in Hollywood and Long Beach Yoga Centre in Long Beach. Kym has been fortunate enough to take workshop classes from several masters including Anna Forrest and Tim Miller. In New York, Kym studied at Jivamukti Yoga Center and in Chicago studies mainly with Quinn Kearney and Tom Quinn at Yoga View. In 2000, after completing over 700 hours of apprenticeship from the training centers in Chicago and New York, Kym received her certification in the Authentic Pilates Method of Body Conditioning now called Romana's Pilates. Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph Pilates' protÈgÈ, heads the certification which includes only about 1500 instructors in the world. This exclusive group continues to maintain the integrity of the exercises by teaching them exactly as Joseph Pilates developed and taught them. Today, Kym owns a small Pilates studio called Chicago's Pure Pilates located in the West Loop. Kym and her instructors teach one-on-one or two-on-one sessions in a private setting.

Allen Desterhaft

Allen Desterhaft holds a BFA in dance from the Ohio State University. He has danced professionally with Chi-Town Jazz Dance Chicago, and Winifred Haun and Dancers. He has performed as a guest artist with the Joffrey Ballet, Dance for Life, Dance Theater North, Schaumburg Dance Ensemble, Evanston Dance Ensemble, Barrington Youth Dance Ensemble, and The Chicago Festival Ballet. He is a certified licentiate teacher of the Cecchetti Council of America, and is currently the ballet program director at The Rhythm Academy of Dance in Gurnee. Allen also has 21 years of experience in competitive and social Dancesport which he teaches at the University of Chicago, Dance Center Evanston, Dance Connection, Dance Center Chicago, and North Avenue Dance Studio.

Tabitha Faes

Tabitha studied The Pilates Method under the guidance of Randi Whitman at Frog Temple Pilates Studio, Inc. She enjoys learning and teaching the subtleties found in Pilates and believes in the restorative power Pilates offers. Tabitha thrives on the challenge of sharing her knowledge of pilates with clients and students. She continually seeks exposure to various kinds of movement in addition to Pilates including modern dance, yoga, and gyrotonic. Currently, she continues her Pilates education at The Pilates Center in Boulder, Co. Her background is in modern dance. Tabitha earned a BFA in dance from Columbia College Chicago. Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Tabitha has been a founding member in Breakbone DanceCo. since 2001 under the artistic direction of Atalee Judy. She has been a member of several dance companies in the Chicago area including Chicago Moving Company, Synapse Arts Collective, and Without Shoes Modern Dance Company. This past year she co-produced a performance with Synapse and Elisa Foshay to present original choreography. She traveled to Paraguay courtesy of the Peace Corps and to Hawaii to teach dance workshops. Tabitha is thrilled to be creating a life in Chicago as a Pilates instructor and performing artist.

Sara Fisher

Sara Fisher is a certified personal trainer and dancer. She works with OSAR Consulting as a personal trainer and is currently designing a stroller fitness class. Evan Osar has also selected her to write a chapter on perinatal fitness for his upcoming book on Women's Fitness. She graduated from the University of Iowa with honors and a BFA in dance, and while at the university, she began teaching dance classes in the Talented and Gifted program. Since then, she has taught at various studios in Iowa and Illinois. Since moving to Chicago in 2001, she has performed modern and ballet works with various companies. Currently, Sara is working on a collaboration with Tangleweed, a local Bluegrass band, who will perform in September as part of the Great Performers of Illinois Series.

Jyl Fehrenkamp

 

Johnny Gillespie

Johnny Gillespie studied martial arts for 6 years when his instructors suggested that yoga would benefit his martial arts work. He found himself addicted to the physical and spiritual benefits of the practice, and began devoting his studies primarily to yoga. He later completed the teacher certification program at NU Yoga Center, under the supervision of Suddha Weixler. Johnny continues to study the teaching styles of Classical Hatha, Iyengar and Ashtanga systems, as well yoga psychology, diet and nutrition, anatomy and the business of yoga. He currently teaches yoga at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, Grace Place, Oasis Women's Fitness & Spa and through his own business, Yogavoice Quest, which he and his wife Marie co-operate.

Christina Gonzalez-Gillett

Christina Gonzalez-Gillett grew up in the Chicagoland area and studied locally until attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she graduated with a BFA in Dance. During her time as an undergraduate, Christina also studied at the Ailey School in New York City and spent a year abroad in London at the Laban Centre where she returned upon graduation from the University of Illinois to pursue a master's degree. After completing an MA in Dance Studies at Laban, she remained in London to teach and continue projects with several choreographers and BlueWhite Dance Company under the direction of Melanie Clarke. Christina decided to return to Chicago in 2003 and has since been thrilled to continue to pursue her passion for teaching at Columbia College and perform with The Seldoms under the direction of Carrie Hanson. Christina completed her Pilates teacher certification in the fall of 2006 and teaches throughout Chicago.

Jennifer Grisham

Jennifer Grisham, received a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Arizona. She has been performing, choreographing and teaching in Chicago for the past 9 years. Her work has been produced for local festivals, some of which include Chicago's Next Dance Festival and the Around the Coyote. She has also co-produced the Valentine's day extravaganza, "ValenSWINE". Jen has been performing with The Seldoms since 2003.

Veronica Guadalupe

Veronica Guadalupe is a Chicago area native that received her dance training at the Virginia School of the Arts in Lynchburg, VA. Under the artistic direction of Petrus Bosman and the tutelage of the V.S.A. faculty, she was given the opportunity to perform in France and Italy. Veronica went on to study on scholarship at the Giordano Dance Center and perform with their second company, the GGJDCII's. She also spent a season as an apprentice with River North Chicago Dance Company and has been dancing with Luna Negra Dance Theater since 2002. In addition to her company work, Veronica has had the great experience of working with a wide variety of independent choreographers such as Randy Duncan, Lauri Stallings, and Eddy Ocampo. While working for Eddy Ocampo and Lauri Stallings, she was able to travel to Istanbul, Turkey to perform their works. Veronica is certified in Authentic Pilates (also called Romana's Pilates) through Romana Krzyzanowska and studied at the Pilates Studio of the Midwest Training Center under Master Teacher Juanita Lopez. She has also had the great opportunity of working with Master Teacher Sari Mejia-Santos and a number of wonderful teacher trainers from across the country. Veronica is an independent Pilates instructor working mainly in one-one sessions as well as duet and small group classes. She has been teaching Pilates to the students of Columbia College since 2002.

Colleen Halloran

Colleen Halloran - with a BA in Dance from Columbia College Chicago, Colleen has been making dance/theatre work in Chicago for over ten years. Her work often employs different disciplines to illustrate universal stories told from an autobiographical stand point. Ms. Halloran's work has been commissioned by such companies as Mordine & Company Dance Theatre, The Dance COLEctive, and Same Planet, Different World Dance Theatre. Colleen teaches Choreographic Workshop, Senior Concert Practicum and Composition. She is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in Film at Columbia College Chicago where she was a Follett Fellowship recipient.

Jeff Hancock

Jeff Hancock was a founding member of River North Dance Chicago, has danced for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Jan Erkert & Dancers, Dance Kaleidoscope, WatsOn Dance, Joe Goode, Same Planet Different World Dance Theater, and a long list of independent choreographers and artists. West Side Story, Song and Dance, Oklahoma, Romeo and Juliet, and Disney are some of the tours he has done, nationally and internationally. He has set choreography on River North Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street ll, Columbia College, Northwestern University, the Edinburgh Festival, Ruth Mitchell Dance Theater, Dance Chicago, and Same Planet Different World among others. He has been teaching for 17 years, at a variety of schools,festivals, organizations, and Universities, including Columbia College Chicago, Northwestern University, Lou Conte Dance Studio, Butler College, Chicago National Assoc. of Dance Masters, and was a Co-Artistic Director of Same Planet Different World Dance Theater for many years. He has created and constructed costumes also for a variety of companies and artists, among them, River North, Gus Giordano, The Dance ColeCtive, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago Cultural Center and many others. He has been nominated for Ruth Page Awards for his dancing and choreography, and recieved a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

Daniel Halkin

 

Lisa Johnson-Willingham

 

Mary Klonowski

Mary Klonowski has been practicing yoga since 1985 and teaching since 1995. She quit her 9-5 day job and began teaching yoga full-time in September 2001. She currently teaches Ashtanga, Iyengar and therapeutic forms of yoga at various studios throughout Chicago, including her own studio on the Northwest side and at Gilda's Club - a cancer wellness center. Mary pursued continuing education through her study with Sri K. Pattabhis Jois, the 89 year-old master of the Astanga method of yoga. She was meditating with him and 250 other yogis in the early hours of September 11th in New York City, a profound experience that has strongly affected her yoga practice. Other study included with Tim Miller, L'no Miele, Dennis Dean, Marju Jois (Pattabhis' son), Lori King and Dena Kingsberg.

Hau Kum Leung-Kneip

Hau Kum Leung-Kneip teaches Tai Chi. She received the bulk of her training in Hong Kong and Taiwan, in association with Master Cheng Shen Chi. Hau Kum has won the All-China Martial Arts Demonstration Contest and a provincial head Tai Chi Chuan Master. She now uses her skills as a teacher and lecturer.

Elizabeth Lentz

Elizabeth Lentz graduated from Carleton College with a major in Religious Studies and a concentration in Women's Studies. Her dance career has taken her across France, Brazil, Mexico and the U.S., working with Tennessee Dance Theater, Lucky Plush Productions, Breakbone DanceCo., Chicago Moving Company, and many wonderful independent choreographers. Each fall Elizabeth co-curates/produces The Other Dance Festival, featuring some of Chicago's finest modern dance artists. Elizabeth also teaches at Loyola Academy and in the Dance and Theater Departments of Columbia College, and she leads a Spirituality in Movement series at All Saints' Church.

Yael Levitin

 

Michael McGinn

Michael McGinn holds a BA in Dance, Columbia College, and teaches Tai Chi. Michael brings a diverse synthesis of holistic healing and movement disciplines to his practice. He also teaches Tai Chi to chronically and terminally ill students.

Kevin O'Donnell

Kevin O'Donnell has been composing music for dance and theater since 1994, when he graduated from the Northwestern University School of Music. He worked with the choreographer Molly Shanahan extensively from '94 to 2004, dancing from '94à2000, occasionally writing text and co-directing, and serving as Composer-In-Residence until 2004. Two of his scores for Shanahan were nominated by the Chicago Musicand Dance Alliance (for Outstanding Achievement). As a composer for theater he has received an After Dark Award (Outstanding Season '05-'06), and been nominated for 8 Joseph Jefferson Citations, receiving 3 for his work with The House Theatre of Chicago, with whom he is a company member; he has also worked with Lookingglass, Steppenwolf, ATC, Collaboraction, and The Hypocrites; as well as choreographers Margi Cole, Julia Rhodes, Colleen Halloran, Tommy Rapley, Jan Bartozek, and Shirley Mordine; as a musician he has performed and/or recorded with Andrew Bird, Nickel Creek, Jon Rauhouse, Roger Eno, and Plumbline, among many others.

Jimmy Payne Jr.

Jimmy Payne Jr. began his tap lessons at the Jimmy Payne School of Dance located in Chicago. His teacher and father was legendary tap master Jimmy Payne, who taught Afro-Cuban and tap in New York and Chicago for over seventy years. Jimmy Payne Jr. is an evolution of rhythm tap dance that knows no boundaries. When Jimmy Sr. taught his son to tap; he stressed the importance of having a strong tap vocabulary and practicing to perfection. Because of this training Jimmy Jr. is able to create solo pieces for himself, duets with his sister Sara, and group numbers for his company, Perfect Timing. Jimmy is especially known for the pieces he creates while in performance. Jimmy attributes his gift of improvising to having a good vocabulary of steps and his willingness to explore and build. One critic describes Jimmy's dancing as, ìdigging deep. He's not tapping around it; he becomes itî. A few of Jimmy's performance credits include Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Blues Fest, and Dance Chicago. Jimmy has also performed with legendary saxophonist Von Freeman, Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and 21st Century Jazz Review, whom he accompanied to India for a series of concerts. Jimmy also teaches at several leading dance institutions in the Chicagoland area including Jo's Footwork Dance Studios, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, and Dorothy's Dance Unlimited.

Kimberly Pugh

 

Natalie Rast

Natalie Rast began her study of ballet in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 10. She continued her studies in Chicago with Richard Ellis and Christine DuBoulay (formerly of the Royal Ballet) when her family relocated to DeKalb, IL. She attended Northern Illinois University for three years as a dance major. She transferred to Barat College where she was introduced to jazz dance. Shortly thereafter, she auditioned for Joel Hall Dancers, ending her college studies but beginning her professional dance career. She was a principal dancer with Joel Hall Dancers from 1981-1986 during which time the company toured extensively. During this same period she was on faculty at the Joel Hall Dance Center as well. In addition to studying with Joel Hall, Homer Bryant, Anna Czajun and Orin Kayan. Natalie is proud to have studied with Larry Long, Birute Barodicaite, Dolores Lipinski and Maria Tallchief. She studied extensively with Anna Paskevska and credits her with understanding of teaching dance today. She danced with the Chicago Dance Medium as well as many independent Chicago choreographers including Winifred Haun, Christy Munch and David Puszch. Her teaching credits include Joel Hall Dance Center, Chicago City Ballet, Joseph Holmes Dance Theater, Hyde Park School of Ballet, Columbia College Dance Center and the Chicago Academy for the Arts. She has served has served as ballet mistress for Winifred Haun and Dancers and Zephyr Dance. She founded Rast Ballet, a school focused on the study of ballet for the adult student, in December 1993. In March 2007, she opened her own dance space, Rast Ballet and Dance Studio, where she now holds classes for children as well as adults. The space is also used by many Chicago dance companies for rehearsal space. She is pleased to be joining the dance faculty at the Chicago Academy for the Arts in the school year 2007-08.

Kevin Rechner

Kevin Rechner has been the Production Manager, Technical Director and Lighting Designer for the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago since 1996. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre from Illinois State University and spent 3 years in Paris, France studying Movement Theatre with Jacques Lecoq and Daniel Stein, He has created 4 solo performance works including I AM HUGO. Technically, he has worn many hats for many people including: The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Ballet Theatre of Chicago, Daniel Stein, Akira Kasai, Kota Yamazaki, XSIGHT!, MASS, Momenta!, Robin Lakes Rough Dance, Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, Hedwig Dances and others. He has designed lights for Peter Carpenter, Urban Bush Women, Mordine & Company Dance Theatre, HT Chen and Dancers, Natya Dance Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, Latin Street Dancing, Lucky Plush, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, The Dance COLEctive, The Seldoms, and others. He served as the LD / TD for the Dance Division of the National High School Institute for 5 years, and can still say ìSTOPî and ìNOî in many languages.

Kirby Reed

Kirby Reed is the Artistic Director of Ascension/The Kirby Reed Project and founder of House of Ascension; Mr. Reed is a former Joel Hall Dancer, Mr. Reed was picked twice for top Jazz Classes In Chicago out of ten must take classes in the city in Dance Spirit Magazine Jan., 2005. Voted Best Hip Hop teacher by Chicago Magazine (Best of Chicago) Aug. 2003. Currently teaching at Columbia College, Joel Hall Dance Center, and Francis W. Parker where he is developing a dance program for the upper school. Mr. Reed has received 2 awards in Canada for best choreography and seven consecutive nominations from The Black Theatre Alliance for best choreography in a Music/Dance program. Having choreographed musicals such as West Side Story, Anything Goes, Honk and Fame. He has worked in various capacities in the dance community, as a dancer, choreographer and instructor. Kirby has traveled extensively both in and out of the country teaching master classes and judging future dancers, through Dance America, Dance Olympus, Dance Educators of America and International Dance Competition to name a few. He has appeared as a dancer for television, in movies and live in concert with a variety of today's pop and hip hop artist.

Katrina Ryan

Katrina Ryan is the Yoga Program Coordinator, and teaches Hatha yoga, which she has practiced for over 20 years. She began her career as a dancer, studying under Alvin Ailey, Bella Lewitsky and Bill Evans. After becoming certified in massage therapy in California, she developed two teaching institutions that offer a diverse program of body/mind integration. She brings this wide spectrum of experience into her teaching and massage practice, giving strong emphasis to the breath.

Anna Sapozhnikov

Anna Sapozhnikov is the founder and Artistic Director of MOYAMO DANCE, a company featuring many dancers and choreographers from the Chicagoland area and the Midwest. She has served on dance faculty at the Youth Performing Arts High School in Louisville, Kentucky from 2002-2005, as well as the Louisville Ballet School. Anna received her MFA in dance from the University of Illinois in Champaign, where she was also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance for the 2005-2006 school year. Her choreography has been produced in various venues throughout Chicago, including Links Hall, Hamlin Park, ìDance Chicago'sî Athenaeum Theatre, and in Thodos Dance Chicago's ìNew Dancesî at Ruth Page. Her work has also been produced at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Champaign, at the American College Dance Festival at the University of Michigan and University of Iowa, and various venues throughout Louisville, Ohio, and Colorado. Anna is the recipient of numerous grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the Kentucky Arts Council, which led to the production of ìLast Lullabies,î an evening length work based on breast cancer, and ìFEM,î focusing on the depiction of women in history, media and relationships. Over the last decade, Anna has worked and danced with Gabriel Masson, Tere O'Connor, Joe Goode, Risa Steinberg, Bill T. Jones, Shelley Washington, Sara Hook, Cynthia Oliver, Renee Wadleigh, Linda Lehovec, Becky Nettl-Fiol, Alan Lommasson's Barking Dog Dance Company, and Chicago choreographers Molly Shanahan/Madshak, Lisa Wymore, and Michelle Blakely. Currently, Anna is a member of Sara Hook Dances, Thread Meddle Outfit, and will be performing with David Parker and the Bang Group in February 2007. She looks forward to continuing her work with her company and teaching at Columbia College and throughout the Chicagoland area.

Sarah Schafer

 

Emily Stein

Emily Stein began dancing as a child in Buffalo, New York. While studying at the University of Iowa under Francoise Martinet, she began teaching in the university's Talented and Gifted childrens' program. She holds an MFA in Performance and Choreography from Smith College. Before joining the faculty of the Dance Center of Columbia College, she taught ballet and modern technique at Smith College, Hampshire College, the University of Massachusetts and Barat College, and at a wide variety of private studios in the Chicago area. Since 1993, she has choreographed and performed with Chicago's Zephyr Dance, of which she is Associate Artistic Director. With Zephyr, her dancing and choreography have been seen throughout the US, from Florida to Texas to New York City and Toronto. Emily has also produced several independent concerts of her work in Chicago and her work has twice been nominated for Chicago Dance Achievement/Ruth Page Awards. Since 1995, she has been a teaching artist through Zephyr Dance in the Chicago Public Schools, practicing Zephyr's collaborative model of Arts Integration. Her own dancing journey has taken her from Balanchine to Deborah Hay and everywhere in between, and she strives to use this breadth to train dancers with open minds and intelligent bodies.

Ni'Ja Whitson

Ni'Ja Whitson is a multi-disciplinary dance, performance, and visual artist. She received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she was a Merit Grant and Scholarship student, and BA from Oberlin College. At both institutions she received recognition and awards for her artistic contributions and innovation. At Oberlin she received the Helen M. Ward memorial award in theater and dance, as a result of a groundbreaking full-length senior work. Still a college student she founded And What!? an all women's hip hop performance group which has been noted for its unique education & expression combination,  along with its activism. As a choreographer in Chicago, she has been sought out for productions from the Victory Gardens Theater to the Vic Theater. Ms. Whitson regularly teaches workshops and conducts residencies in and outside of Chicago displaying her many interests, installation, media, and live performance which are informed by her intense study of contemporary dance and art. Ms. Whitson received an MFA Fellowship Award at SAIC, where she is also faculty, and has received many grants for completion of new and experimental work. 

Thomas Zwergel