Choreography
This piece developed while I was completing graduate work in Interdisciplinary Art.
Listen / Buying Light / Saints and Tears
In recent years, I have done a couple of pieces of choreography and performance in the local community.
Dido and Aeneas (2012 - Galesburg Community Chorus)
This performance was a collaborative endeavor between the Galesburg Community Chorus, the Dancer's Studio (in Monmouth) and myself. The performance was a concert version of the opera, so there was limited stage movement and spoken lines between the singing. Director, Tim Pahel, wanted to enhance the experience of the performance, so he brought in dancers for some of the orchestral music and songs.
Dancing for Dreams (2011 - Warren County YMCA)
Dancing for Dreams is a yearly fundraiser for the YMCA. It is based in the TV show, Dancing with the Stars, but here our "celebrities" are individuals in the community who compete to see who can raise the most money. In addition to the dances by these local stars and their dance coaches, there are spotlight and showcase dances by other community performers.
In 2011, I choreographed and performed a waltz trio.
In 2011, I choreographed and performed a waltz trio.
When I moved to Illinois and began working at Monmouth College, I served as choreographer for three musical theater productions:
Sweeney Todd (2010 - Monmouth College)
Urinetown (2008 - Monmouth College)
The Music Man (2006 - Monmouth College)
Early Training
I received my early dance training with the Civic Ballet Company in Huntsville, Alabama, under the direction of Lloyd Tygett and Karen Gibb. In addition to the excellent technique training offered there, Tygett, Gibb, and the other choreographers (Butler, Dickinson, Handy-Cleveland, and Harriot) served as excellent role models for how to create dances that were expressive, inventive, and intimately connected to the music which supported them. I studied with these individuals until I graduated from high school and moved away from Huntsville.
A collection of photos from performances of the Civic Ballet Company. I was in high school for these shows.
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I went to college at the University of Montevallo where I was an Art major and a Dance minor (there was no Dance major, or else I would have doubled). Our small dance company was called, Orchesis, and was directed by Deborah Mauldin. Through this company I had extensive opportunities to choreograph and direct. We performed concerts once or twice a year, participated in regional choreography competitions, and attended ACDFA (American College Dance Festival Association) conferences (we even hosted ACDFA at UM one year).
After UM, I lived in Gainesville, Florida, for three years. I taught art and dance for children at O2B Kids! (an enrichment center) and at Millhopper Montessori School (for grades 1-8). At the Montessori School, I choreographed two end-of-year recitals: Dances around the World, and The Lion King. At O2B Kids! I choreographed pieces for the recital, Seasons of Dance.