Faculty Bios Tennessee Dance Festival - Tennessee Association of ...

Faculty Bios
Tennessee Dance Festival ’ 11
Born in Tripoli, Libya, Marcus Alford found his way to
several continents as an Air Force brat. He eventually landed at the
University of Alabama where he earned a B.A. degree. Inspired by his
dance teachers, he headed to Chicago where he choreographed,
taught, danced and toured with the legendary Gus Giordano Jazz Dance
Chicago for a decade.
Mr. Alford has been on the faculty of every major dance
organization including D.M.A., D.E.A., Internationale Tanz Werkstatt,
Southeastern Regional Ballet Association, Boston Dance Teachers Club, Chicago National
Association of Dance Masters, and many others. Marcus’ high energy jazz classes have also
inspired students at the Festival of the World in Hungary, The American College Dance
Festival, The International Ballet Competition, Jackson, Mississippi, Hubbard Street Dance
Studio, Chicago, Joel Ruminer Dance Camps and the North Carolina School of the Arts.
In 1986, Marcus founded “JAZZ ON TAP” (the Metro Atlanta Jazz and Tap Dance
Festival) which has grown to be one of the largest dance events of its kind in the U.S.
featuring master classes and performances involving 2000 dancers annually. In 1991, he
authored Jazz Danceology, now a standard in the libraries of jazz dancers, teachers and
universities everywhere. Alford’s company, Jazz Dance Theatre South, founded in 1986,
toured the U.S. and Europe for 15 years presenting the highest caliber of concert jazz and tap.
Serving the Ballet community with it’s own festival, Mr. Alford founded “BalletFest Atlanta” in
2003.
Marcus Alford has performed in and/or choreographed many award winning industrials
and TV/video projects. His “Customer is King” (Media Mix, London/Atlanta) won a Telly Award
for outstanding television and video production and “Alcatel is Here!” (Networld/Interop
Communications Show) won the Best of Show award. With Gus Giordano Jazz Dance
Chicago, Marcus danced “The Rehearsal”, an Emmy Award winner. Mr. Alford’s industrial
work includes clients such as Kohler Corporation, Sprint, I.B.M., Milliken Carpets and N.F.L.
Commissioners. His concert choreography can be seen on companies throughout the dance
world.
Along with his wife, Annie Day, Mr. Alford serves as Owner/Artistic Director of
Dancentre South, Inc. in metro Atlanta. They were the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement
Award from Chicago National Association of Dance Masters. Marcus loves to share the
wonderful art and excitement of dance with all!
Jennifer Archibald, founder and artistic director of the Arch
Dance Company, graduated from the Alvin Ailey School. She has
performed and choreographed across the U.S. at major venues
including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Aaron
Davis Hall, The Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC, The Duke on
42nd Street, The Colony Theatre in Miami Beach, Judson Memorial

Church, Apollo, MTV, as well as in Europe, Russia and Canada.
She has staged various off-Broadway shows working with casts from Bring in Da
Noise/Bring in Da Funk and the musical Cats. Jennifer has also choreographed for the NBA
New York Knicks City Dancers and The Alvin Ailey School. Her works have been featured
twice at the Elan Awards honoring Rob Marshall (director of the Academy Award winning film,
Chicago) and contemporary dance choreographer, Lar Lubovitch. She has choreographed for
the musicals Carousel, The Music Man, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and
Pippin for professional theater companies; and is also a graduate of the Maggie Flannigan
Acting Conservatory specializing in the Meisner technique. She has worked with chart-listed
singers Ludacris, Olivia, Shaggy as well as actors such as Audrey Tautou (The DaVinci Code
and Amelie) as a movement specialist and choreographer.
Currently on faculty at Dance New Amsterdam, she teaches Contemporary Jazz and
Hip Hop. She is also a long-time faculty member at National Dance Festivals; Bates and
Florida Dance Festival. She has taught master classes and lectured about Hip Hop Dance at
Princeton University, University of South Florida, Miami World School of the Arts, University of
Illinois, Virginia Commonwealth University, Goucher College, FAMU, Studio Harmonique in
France, Jackson School of the Arts in Bermuda and CAP21/NYU. Internationally, she has
taught master classes in France, Russia, Mexico, China, Ecuador, Slovenia, Sweden and
Canada. She has done numerous outreach projects within the New York City Public School
system and was hired by designer Tommy Hilfiger as a guest artist to teach inner city youth.
She completed a solo film project performing in choreographer Michael Foley’s film
Joan in Paris, France in 2006. In the summer of 2007 her work was featured outdoors in the
heart of Time Square for the Solstice Dance Festival, and was presented by the Bates Dance
Festival in a gala concert of international choreographers in 2008 and 2011. Jennifer’s onewoman-show
was recently produced at The Studio@620’s “Le Salon de Danse” in St.
Petersburg, FL. She is a recipient of the "Talk of The Arts" award from the University of South
Florida, which has also honored choreographers Donald McKayle, Bill Irwin and Bill T. Jones.
As an artistic director she has presented Arch Dance Company nationally with two National
Performance Network grants. Jacob’s Pillow presented Arch Dance Company in 2011.
WWW.JENNIFERARCHIBALD.COM
Clifton Keefer Brown was born and raised in Chicago, where he
began his dance studies at Ellis- Du Boulay ballet school. He received
his BFA in dance from the University of Iowa under the guidance of
Francois Martinique and his MFA from the University of Arizona under
the guidance of James Clouser and Melissa Lowe. Mr. Brown
professional career has been Ballet Arizona, Grand Rapids Ballet.
While in Grand Rapids, Clifton presented various classical and
neoclassical works while teaching for the company school, local
studios, and with "Steps in a New Direction," a dance outreach
program designed to engage at-risk children. He has performed with
The Los Angeles Chamber Ballet, and pursued a European career
performing with DjazzX Modern Dance Company in Den Hagg, Holland
and Friedrichstad Palast in Berlin, Germany. In 1997, as a principal dancer he joined
L'Ensemble Da Micha Van Hoecke in Rosignano, Italy. The ensemble tours Italy, Russia and
Spain and performs annually at the Ravenna Fesitval and Theatre Massimo in Palermo, Italy.
Mr. Brown annually produces full length concerts of his choreography in Italy. In 2008, he was
invited by the American Studies Association of Turkey as a guest artist to perform and present
a lecture on the African American Influence on Classical Ballet.

Jeffery N. Bullock, associate professor and chair of Hollins'
University dance program, performed with the North Carolina Dance
Theater following graduation from the University of North Carolina
School of the Arts. He continued his performing career with Pacific
Northwest Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Hubbard Street Dance
Chicago and Sharir + Bustamante DanceWorks, touring nationally and
internationally. Bullock’s repertoire included soloist and principal roles in
an eclectic array of works by George Balanchine, Agnes De Mille, Alvin
Ailey, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Daniel Esralow, Nacho Duato, Lucinda
Childs, Salvatore Aiello, Yacov Sharir, Glen Tetley and others. He was also a featured
performer in the 1986 Paramount Motion Picture The Nutcracker with PNB, and was a
featured performer in the 1983 PBS Special Where Dreams Debut: The North Carolina School
of the Arts. Bullock’s work "At Midnight" earned him a Dance Magazine’s Best Choreography
Nomination at the 1996 American College Dance Festival at the Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts. Jeffery has been a faculty member at the American Dance Festival in
Durham, NC since 1998, teaching in the ADF Six Week School and Young Dancers School; in
ADF/Russia (2000), ADF/Korea (2000 & 2004) and ADF/Mongolia (2004 & 2005). From 2006
- 2010, he served as Director of the ADF Four Week School for Young Dancers. Most recent
teaching engagement was at the international 2006 & 2008 Korean Dance Festival, Seoul,
Korea. Also, Jeffery serves as a site visit consultant/panel member for Dance Advance of the
Pew Charitable Trust located in Philadelphia, PA. He earned his M.F.A. in choreography from
the University of Iowa; taught at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Iowa and
joined the Hollins University Dance Department in 2004, becoming chair in fall 2009 and
Director of the HU/ADF MFA Program in fall 2010.
Barcelona native Noelia Garcia Carmona graduated from Institut
del Theatre i Dansa de Barcelona and the Department of Spanish Dance.
She is an expert in executing and teaching the complex and challenging
rhythms that are the foundation of Spanish Dance. As a faculty member
for New Ballet Ensemble in Memphis, Noelia’s Creative Movement
classes for young children introduce modern concepts, movements to a
strong base of Spanish Dance and ballet training. She believes that
contemporary dance can enhance Spanish Dance without destroying the
most important tenets of its traditions. Noelia is a Flamenco and
Contemporary dancer, choreographer and teacher. She is Catalan having
lived and worked in Barcelona and Madrid (Spain), and has performed throughout Europe, in
China, Israel and the Philippines. Noelia is a founding member of Increpacion Danza. Ms.
Garcia Carmona has choreographed a number of works on New Ballet Ensemble including
Yendo (sponsored by ArtsMemphis and the ABC grant).
The culmination of J Ryan Carroll’s training came together while
working with his great teachers and mentors: Dame Sonia Arova,
Haynes Owens, David Howard, Hilary Cartwright, Graciela Kozak,

Peter Schabel, and Diana Laurenson. At 19 years old he apprenticed with Laura Alonso’s
Cuballet in Havana, Cuba. He went on to dance with Wes Chapman’s Alabama Ballet as a
company member, American Repertory Ballet dancing soloist and principal roles and as a
Principal Soloist with Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico. He has been a guest artist with
Alabama Dance Theater, North West Florida Ballet, Portland Ballet, Mobile Ballet and
Western Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico, to name a few. The Ministry of Culture of Puerto Rico
invited him to be the Premiere Guest Artist at the 2010 International Dance Festival in San
Juan where he danced the Rose in Fokine’s famous “Le Spectre de la Rose” and the Young
Man in Roland Petit’s “Le Jeune Homme et la Mort” in the Festival’s Gala performance.
Some of J Ryan’s favorite roles include Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet,
Franz in Coppelia, Cerventes in Don Quixote, Hilarion in Giselle, Cavalier
in Nutcracker, Moor in Fokine's Petruschka, Prince in Cinderella, Twyla Tharp's
Baker's Dozen, Poet in Jose Pares' Poeme, Alberto Mendez's Pasion, Dracula
in Dracula, and Siegfried in Swan Lake.
J Ryan has been ballet master for Tracie Stanfield’s Synthesis Dance Project in New
York City. He was a company teacher for both the National and
International tours of Fosse. He has taught Kinesthetic Approach to Ballet and
the Fosse technique throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa, Puerto
Rico, and Mexico. He has been on faculty at summer programs for Western Ballet Theater of
Puerto Rico, Alabama Dance Theater, Northwest
Florida Ballet, Southeastern Alabama Dance Theater, Mobile Ballet, International Dance
Festival in New York City, 2nd Annual Alabama Dance Festival, and the American Academy
of Ballet. J Ryan has been a guest master teacher for Broadway Dance Connection and at
Broadway Dance Center in NYC. In 2007, J Ryan was invited to adjudicate for the South
African Dance Championships in Durban, South Africa. While there he taught Cape Town City
Ballet II. J Ryan continues to teach and choreograph for schools and companies worldwide.
Visit www.jryancarroll.us for a full bio.
A native of Union Springs, Alabama, Wes Chapman graduated
from Alabama School of Fine Arts in 1983 with the Duane Dushion
Award and the Prix d’excellence de Danse Award. After dancing for
Alabama Ballet for one season Chapman joined American Ballet
Theatre (ABT) in 1984 as a member of the corps de ballet. He was
promoted to Soloist in 1987 and to Principal Dancer in 1989. With
ABT, Chapman performed all the leading roles in the ballet repertoire
and in works by many of the twentieth century’s master
choreographers, including George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jiri
Killian, Fredrick Ashton, Mats Ek, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, Merce
Cunningham and Antony Tudor. He also created leading roles in Clark
Tippet’s Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 and Twyla Tharp’s The
Elements. Chapman has appeared in Dance in America, the film Dancers and the
documentary Ballet as well as numerous television shows and featured on national news
broadcasts. In 1993, he joined the Bavarian National Ballet as a principal dancer before
returning to ABT in 1995. Chapman appeared with Hamburg Ballet, English National
Ballet, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and Finnish National Ballet as a guest star.

In 1996, Chapman was named Artistic Director of Alabama Ballet. During his
leadership, the company grew from 16 to 44 professional and apprentice dancers. He
also founded the Alabama Ballet School, the apprentice pre-professional training
program, Alabama Ballet Summer Program and Gorham’s Bluff Summer Residency.
Chapman received the Distinguished Career Award from the University of Alabama in
1998, Birmingham Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 in 2004, and was named Alabama
Arts Ambassador by Governor Bill Riley in 2007. Chapman restaged for Alabama Ballet
many of the full-length classical ballets including Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Sleeping
Beauty, Giselle and Coppelia as well as various one act works such as Paquita,
Raymonda Act III and Carnival in Venice. Chapman acquired Balanchine’s The
Nutcracker, stared in Alabama Public Television’s Jekyll and Hyde, and the Making of
Romeo and Juliet.
Mr. Chapman returned to ABT as ballet master in 2006 before being named Artistic
Director of ABT II in 2007-2011. Chapman oversees the ABT Summer Intensive at the
University of Texas Austin, hosts ABT’s Works and Process at the Guggenheim
Museum, Young People’s Ballet Workshop and ABTKids. He also performs with ABT in
various character roles and teaches company class on a regular basis. Additionally he
serves as a national spokesperson for Regional Dance America and as dance advisor for
Angelina Ballerina©.
Amanda Clark received her MFA in Dance from The University
of Oklahoma where she was a Graduate Fellow studying ballet and
modern dance performance, choreography and pedagogy. She holds
a BPA in Dance Performance with an emphasis in jazz, tap and
musical theatre dance from Oklahoma City University. Amanda is
also a certified instructor of beginner-advanced mat Pilates. While at
OU, Amanda instructed ballet technique classes within the School of
Dance and taught jazz and tap classes through the Weitzenhoffer
Department of Musical Theatre. She has also taught and
choreographed for numerous studios within the private sector in
Indiana, Illinois, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Amanda performed
extensively throughout her undergraduate and graduate tenure including performances in the
Leo’s Competitive Event of the Jazz Dance World Congress in Buffalo, New York and
Monterrey, Mexico. Amanda’s choreography encompasses a range of dance styles and
genres and has appeared internationally in Civitiveccia, Italy and Monterrey, Mexico. Her
work has also been performed in the Leo’s Competitive Event and at various American
College Dance Festival Conferences. Amanda has been a guest choreographer at St.
Gregory’s University and has presented dance history lectures at The University of Oklahoma
and the South West Theatre Association Conference.
Mair Culbreth is currently at work on her Ph.D at Ohio
State University.. She recently relocated from San

Francisco, where she danced professionally with Kathleen Hermesdorf/MotionLab, Company
Mecanique, Lizz Roman and Dancers, Sean Dorsey/FreshMeat and Project Bandaloop. In
2003, she received the Bay Area Izzie Award for Performance. Continuing her research from
her M.S. in Kinesiology, she is interested in concepts of embodiment, the intersection of
dance research methodology and the creative process and performativity through sociocultural
constructs
After leaving the dance stage in 2000 to pursue a career in
musical theater, Obie and Bessie award winning Artistic Director
and performer, Mark Dendy, is back with his new company,
Dendy Dancetheater. In the summer of 2008, the company
debuted on the concert stage with the world premiere of:
Preliminary Study for Depth: The Upper Half of High and Low
for the 75th anniversary of the American Dance Festival.
Recent and upcoming projects include the world premiere of two
site-specific works Would you please restate your answer in
the form of the question? and Golden Belt at the 2009
American Dance Festival. They followed with a New York
premiere of Preliminary Study for Depth: The upper half of
high and low at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. This past summer
he was artist in residency and on faculty at Bates College Dance Festival. His work will be
seen in Die Zauberflöte at the Metropolitan Opera House 2009-10 Season. The revival of
Afternoon of the Faunes was performed at New York City Center’s 2009 Fall for Dance
Festival. Upcoming 2010 events and performances: A site specific dance installation at the
North Carolina Museum of Art and a world premiere at ADF, along with Creative Residencies
at ADF, Jacob’s Pillow and The Yard.
Before 2000 Dendy was the Artistic Director of Mark Dendy Dance and Theater
(1983-2000) performing at festivals internationally and in NYC at The Joyce Theatre, Lincoln
Center, PS 122, Dance Theater Workshop, Jacob’s Pillow and regular appearances and
commissions at The American Dance Festival. The company performed throughout the
Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, England, France and Korea. He
choreographed the Evolution Dances for an Emmy award winning Tales of The Human
Dawn episode of the PBS series Smithsonian World. In 1999 he wrote, choreographed,
directed and performed in Dream Analysis which opened at the Joyce Theater to rave
reviews and reopened later that year at Dance Theater Workshop for a sold out 5 week run.
The following year he followed up with I’m going to my room to be cool now and I don’t
want to be disturbed at The Joyce, touring nationally and at the American Dance Festival
before pursuing a career in musical theater. In 2000 Dendy was a recipient of the prestigious
Alpert Award in the Arts and an OBIE for The Wild Party, in addition to numerous NEA,
NYSCA and Jerome Foundation grants, and a NY Dance and Performance Award, “The
Bessie”, for sustained career achievement. He is also the recipient of the American Society of
Arts and Letters Award for outstanding sustained achievement and the American Dance
Festival’s Scripps Humphrey Weidman Limon Award for the creation of new work.
Broadway credits include: Taboo and The Pirate Queen and Off-Broadway: Jacques Brel Is

Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Nominated for Outer Critic Circle, Drama Desk Awards
for Best Revival). Drama League Awards for Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party (Drama Desk
Nomination). Miracle Brothers (Tina Landau, The Vineyard Theater). Other credits include:
Camille Claudel (Goodspeed Opera). Numerous workshops including Sweet Charity, When
You Wish for Disney, Radio City Rockettes in CARNIVALE (Graciela Danielle) at Radio City
Music Hall. National Tour: Pippin (Goodspeed Musicals). The Metropolitan Opera: The Magic
Flute (Julie Taymor).
His teaching and residency credits include the The American Dance Festival, North
Carolina School for the Arts, CalArts, Juilliard, NYU, Harvard Summer Dance, Connecticut
College, University of Washington, Oklahoma University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas,
The Bates Summer Dance Festival, Texas Women’s University among others. Numerous
dance companies have commissioned Dendy, including Art Bridgeman/Myrna Packard,
Pacific Northwest Ballet, Charleston Ballet, Ballet Dortmund, Washington Ballet, Concert
Dance Company of Boston, Dance Kaleidoscope of Indianapolis, and Zenon Dance Company
in Minneapolis. Dendy danced in the companies of Pooh Kaye, Ruby Shang, Pearl Lang, with
The Martha Graham Ensemble and as a collaborating guest artist with Jane Comfort starring
in Deportment and the off-Broadway production of Faith Healing, a deconstruction of
William’sThe Glass Menagerie at Classic Stage Company.
Cara Harker is an assistant professor of
dance at East Tennessee State University,
where she teaches Ballroom, Jazz, Tap, Musical
Theatre Dance, Dance Improvisation and Dance
Composition. Cara graduated from the Chicago
College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt
University with an MFA in Theatre Performance
in 2003. Since that time, she has been working in
dance and theatre as an instructor,
choreographer, director, and performer in
Chicago, Cincinnati, and East Tennessee.
Credits include directing and choreographing ETSU’s production of Quilters and Girl’s Eye
View, a play which she co-wrote, choreographed, and performed in at Ensemble Theatre of
Cincinnati. Cara’s new play, Memoir of a Mythomaniac: the True Story of a Compulsive Liar
(or Tallulah Dies), which features a fusion of spoken word and dance, premiered at the
Cincinnati Fringe Festival in June 2011 and won the Dr. Robert J.
Thierauf Producer’s Pick of the Fringe Award. Cara serves on the
Board of Directors for the Tennessee Association of Dance, oversees
ETSU’s dance minor program and directs the annual Dance Concert
at ETSU.
Jen Kintner has studied Modern, Jazz, Aerial and African dance
techniques as well as Vinyasa Yoga. She performed with the Grinnell
and Dartmouth College Dance Ensembles, and has performed
professionally with Movita Dance Company in Kingston, NY, and
Motion Collective Improvisational dance group in Bar Harbor, ME.
Jen worked with choreographers Ford Evans, Keith Johnson, Andrea

Pastorella, Judith Woodruff, Erin Law, Danah Bella, Cinnamon Halbert- Smith, Daniel Charon
and others, often supporting the development of new works. Jen is the director of Mountain
Movers, ETSU's resident modern dance company, and has taught for Girls Preparatory
School in Chattanooga, Central Ballet Studio in Greenville, Trinity Arts Center in Johnson City,
and at Grinnell College in Iowa. She is delighted to be back teaching for TAD, this year
offering introductory classes on Aerial Fabric.
Having earned a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Maine, and a MS in Pharmacology
from Dartmouth College, Jen now works as a laboratory coordinator in the Microbiology
Department at Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City, TN. Jen also teaches dance
history as well as and modern and aerial dance technique at ETSU in addition to weekly
Vinyasa yoga classes at InnerSea Yoga studio in Johnson City.
An educator, choreographer, dancer, and licensed massage therapist,
Lisa Long is passionate about training the next generation of dancers.
For over a decade she danced professionally for Dallas Black Dance
Theatre, Riedel Dance Theater and Dance Kaleidoscope, where she was
a principal dancer, under the direction of former Martha Graham rehearsal
director, David Hochoy. She holds an MFA in choreography from
California Institute of the Arts, a BFA in ballet from Texas Christian
University and an Associates of Occupational Therapy from Swedish
Institute, College of Health Sciences in NYC.
Her choreography has been produced Off- Broadway, at the Oregon Shakespeare
Festival, Electric Lodge, Miles Memorial Playhouse, New Works Festival, and for Rogue
Machine and Theater Unleashed in Los Angeles.
Specializing in modern technique based upon the principles of Graham,
Horton, ballet, and anatomy, Lisa works from a belief that as physical and energetic creatures
we reach our ultimate potential when these systems flow seamlessly together. In addition to
holding her own workshops, Lisa has taught at California Institute of the Arts, UCLA, Butler
University, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and for Valkyrie Theater of Dance
Drama and Film, a program teaching at risk youth how to channel their life experiences
through the arts. . Currently, Lisa is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Western Kentucky
University where she teaches Modern, Ballet and Improvisation.
Martin O’Connor has become well known in the area
of dance photography. Artists and organizations know he
will provide new and exciting images for them to use in
their promotions, personal portfolios, websites, and social
media. Capturing “defining moments” has allowed
countless individuals to see themselves in a totally different
light. Please join him at the 2011 Tennessee Dance

Festival. As always, a full studio setup and professional dancer will be demonstrating
techniques for capturing movement and artistry at its best.
Credits include: Nashville Ballet, Nashville Ballet II, WIP, Franklin School of Performing Arts,
Tennessee Association of Dance, Contrapasso, Aerial Fabricators, Leopard Arts Dance,
Vanderbilt Dance, University School of Nashville, Playing By Air Productions, Dance Theatre
of Tennessee, Centennial Youth Ballet, MTSU, SEMO, and the Tennessee Arts Commission.
Additional information and work can be seen at the following sites.
www.martinoconnorphoto.com
www.martinoconnorphotoarts.blogspot.com
www.portraitsinmotion.blogspot.com
Lauryn Peterson (RYT-200) is certified as a yoga instructor and
in several styles of bellydance ("Cabaribalusion" style by Ansuya
Rathor, General Skills in American Tribal Style by Carolena Nericcio,
and The 8 Elements: Initiation level by Rachel Brice). Lauryn is an
instructor of bellydance technique at Zanzibar Studio in Chattanooga,
TN and with Chattanooga State's Continuing Education. Lauryn has
also taught bellydance through Dalton State College's Continuing
Education and has taught workshops at Baylor School and Mercer
University. Lauryn has performed with Bard College Bellydance
Collective (2003-2005), Tribe Zanzibar (2005-2009), Dandasha Dance
Company (2008), comedic duo "Lala" with Amberetta (2009), Rising
Point Dance Collective (2010-present) and Mirabai Bellydance (2008present).
Lauryn is a founding member of Mirabai Bellydance
(www.mirabaibellydance.com), a creative dance collective who hosts an annual fundraiser for
local non-profits. Lauryn also studies modern dance, pilates, and aerials and recently began
her Master's program in Dance and Movement Therapy at Pratt Institute in New York.
Laura Pettibone Wright received her M.A. in Dance Education from Columbia
University's Teachers College where she was chosen for the Artist/Scholar Fellowship; her
undergraduate degree from Beloit College was in both Dance and Music Composition. Ms.
Pettibone Wright has taught courses, workshops and master classes for over 20 years at
universities, studios and schools throughout the U.S. and Europe. In addition to teaching
Hawkins’ Technique, she has a special love for studying and teaching about the relationship
between music and dance. A soloist with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company for twelve years,
Ms. Pettibone Wright toured the U.S., Europe and Asia, and taught at the Erick Hawkins
School in New York City. Ms. Pettibone Wright’s own choreography has been seen in
performances and lecture-demonstrations in New York City and throughout the United States.

Since moving to Virginia in 1993 she has taught at the Dance Education Program at Old
Donation Center, Virginia Beach Public Schools.
Margaret Rennerfeldt, Assistant professor of Dance at Austin
Peay State University holds a BFA, and MFA in dance & performance
from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and an MAT in reading
from Rockford College. Ms. Rennerfeldt has danced professionally with
the Chicago Dance Medium, Akasha Dance Company and Without
Shoes Modern Dance Company which she directed from 1993 to 2001.
She has studied with many great teachers including Warren Conover,
Larry Long, Bella Lewitzky, Peggy Hackney, Mark Taylor, Janice
Meaden & Janet Lily. Margaret has taught dance through out the
Midwest serving as assistant professor of dance at Rockford College,
and Beloit College as well as master classes and workshops in Russia, Ecuador and Hong
Kong. She is currently completing her somatic education certification in Body Mind Movement
with Mark Taylor.
Kathleen Wessel earned a BA in psychology from Emory University
and an MFA in dance performance and choreography from Florida State
University. She has performed the works of Doug Varone, Lynda Davis, Susan
Marshall and Martha Graham among many others. Professionally, Kathleen
has been a member of Gathering Wild Dance Company and a guest artist with
David Dorfman Dance, Zoetic Dance Ensemble and T Lang Dance. As a
choreographer, her work has been commissioned by Georgia College and
State University, Emory University, Gathering Wild Dance Company, the
Modern Atlanta Dance Festival, the Orlando Fringe Festival and Spelman
College. Kathleen’s choreographic works have twice been Gala concert
selections at the American College Dance Festival - in 2007 at the University
of Alabama and in 2011 at Florida State University.
Currently, Kathleen is a faculty member in the Department of Drama
and Dance at Spelman College and a teaching specialist in the Emory University Dance Program. In
addition, she is a regular choreographer for Spelman Dance Theater and a two-time guest artist with
Emory Dance Company. She is also a founding company member and managing director of
Staibdance, an Atlanta-based contemporary company. In addition to performing with the company, her
work was recently featured in the Independent Choreographers Exchange concert at 7 Stages Theater
in Atlanta and at the Parco Ibsen in Sorrento, Italy as part of the Staibdance Summer Intensive.
Kathleen is also a member of the Summer Intensive faculty and a certified Pilates instructor.