Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company's Move-It 2008 Summer Workshop Series
July 21 - August 16, 2008, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Instructors:
Kay Andersen received his BA from Southern Utah University and his MA from New York University in dance profession with an emphasis in performance and chore-ography. For 11 years he was a soloist, participated in the creation of important roles, and taught company and master classes with the Nikolais and Murray Louis Dance Company. He has performed in well-known venues throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America. He performed extensively with the American Folk Ballet and was a member of the company for 24 years. Mr. Andersen has been an Associate Professor of Dance at Southern Utah University for nine years.
Georganne Ballif Arrington (Gigi) gave her first dance concert at the age of 3 in her grandparents' home and waited impatiently for 1 year to begin formal training with Virginia Tanner. She was a full-time dancer with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company from 1979-1981 and the experience continues to inspire and sustain her. She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Brigham Young University and taught 3 years as a member of the dance faculty. Gigi taught at the University of Nevada/Reno, the University of Nevada/Las Vegas and Arizona State University. She helped establish the Children's Creative Dance Lab in Las Vegas and the Sierra Repertory Dance Theatre in Reno, and performed with a.ludwigco. in Phoenix. After returning to Utah, Gigi performed with Contemporary DanceWORKS, and in 1996 rejoined the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company as Director of Education Services.
Charlotte Boye-Christensen, a native of Denmark, has fulfilled the extremely demanding career of freelance choreographer, teacher and dancer for the past 11 years. She joined Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in 2002 to assist in the artistic direction of the company. She received her formal training in London and completed her MFA Degree at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.
She has been commissioned to create new works for many companies, including Singapore Dance Theatre, Tisch School of the Arts' Second Avenue Dance Company, the National School for Contemporary Dance in Denmark, and the Royal Danish Ballet School. She is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship and was recently awarded the Choo-San Goh award for choreographic excellence.
Jan Erkert is a dance-maker, author and Head of the Department of Dance at University of Illinois. As Artistic Director of Jan Erkert & Dancers from 1979 - 2000, she created over 70 works, critically acclaimed for their lush, evocative imagery. Ms. Erkert's work has been seen throughout the United States as well as in Germany, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, Uruguay and Israel. She has received two Fulbright Scholar Awards and served on the Fulbright panel. Throughout her career she has devoted much of her energy to advancing teaching and learning. She authored Harnessing the Wind: The Art of Teaching Modern Dance, which was published in 2003 by Human Kinetics and she has been a master teacher at universities and colleges throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe and Asia.
Photo by Roz Newmark
Abby Fiat choreographs and teaches technique, composition, improvisation, pedagogy, and honors courses at the University of Utah. Ms. Fiat has choreographed internationally for the National University in Costa Rica and nationally for Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, University of Utah, University of Central Oklahoma, Brigham Young University, Contemporary Danceworks, Weber State College, Utah State University, Maricopa Institute of the Arts, and in other settings. Two of her works, Inclinations and Frieze, were performed at ACDFA Gala concerts and Inclinations was performed at the National ACDFA Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 1999, she received The University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award and in 2005, she received the College of Fine Arts Student's Choice Teaching Award and the College of Fine Arts Faculty Excellence Award.
Eric Handman graduated from Skidmore College in 1991 with a degree in English. He spent much of the next decade in New York City performing as a member of various companies, such as Doug Varone and Dancers, nicholasleichterdance, and Joy Kellman & Co. He also worked as a freelancer for choreographers Stephen Koester, David Dorfman, Lisa Race, Pooh Kaye, Wendy Perron, Simone Forti, Debra Fernandez, Tim Harling & Lisa Giobbi, Eun Me Ahn and Koosil-ja Hwang (Kumiko Kimoto). In 2003, Handman received his M.F.A. from the University of Utah's Department of Modern Dance, where he focused on studying and creating dance films. He now serves the department as an Assistant Professor/Lecturer and teaches technique and theory classes, as well as research methods for departmental graduate students.
Jamaika is from Northeastern Brazil, the birthplace of Capoeira. In 1996, 1997, and 1998 Jamaika won the Brazilian Capoeira Confederation Champion-ship - the biggest Capoeira compet-ition in Brazil. In 1997 he received the title of "Professor" in Capoeira, certifying him to teach. In 1999, Jamaika was invited to teach in Israel where he lived for six months. That same year, he was invited to teach in the United States and has been here since. He gives workshops all over the United States, Brazil, and Israel. Jamaika currently lives in Salt Lake City where he teaches and performs. He has extensive experience as a teacher, performer, and musician and would like to continue to reach people through this multi-faceted martial art.
Geno Salvatori has been practicing Aikido for 13 years and has a ranking known as Nidan which is a 2nd degree black belt. He has trained primarily at Utah Aikikai and is one of Utah Aikikai's senior students and instructors. He has also trained with many high ranking instructors around the country. Aikido is often referred to as the Art of Peace. What attracted him to this martial art was its focus on harmony as the key element in dealing with conflict. Geno has a M.A. from Ohio State Univeristy where he studied film and has now been working as a cinematographer for 27 years.
Sandra Shotwell is a Professor of Theatre teaching voice, speech and acting in the Actor Training Program (ATP) in the Department of Theatre, University of Utah. She has an MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, an Advanced Diploma in Voice and Speech (ADVS), with Distinction, from the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and is certified Laban-Bartenieff Movement Analyst (CLMA). Her directing credit include Anna Christie, Street Scene, Playboy of the Western World, Top Girls, Measure for Measure, Long Day's Journey into Night, Dancing at Lughnasa, and A Streetcar Named Desire; with the Utah Classical Greek Theatre Festival Trojan Women, Persians, Hippolytus, Oedipus at Colonus which toured to Greece, and Electra with the University of Middesota/Guthrie Theatre BFA Classical Actor Training Program.
Tom Welsh is on the dance faculty at Florida State University where he teaches dance conditioning, kinesiology, and teaching methods. He also teaches dancers to use the Pilates Reformer to supplement their studio training and advises dancers on injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies. Dr. Welsh conducts empirical research on healthy approaches to training dancers and publishes his work in international journals. Tom is an alumnus of the University of Utah graduate program in Modern Dance.
Accompanists: Mason Aeschdacher, Steven Valdean, Aaron Chavez