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2009
Faculty
Click
on the faculty name or scroll down to see the entire list.
KATE
AHUMADA (San Francisco, California)
LAUREN BEALE (Boulder,
Colorado)
NANCY CRANBOURNE (Boulder, Colorado & Seattle,
Washington)
PETER
DAVISON (Boulder,
Colorado)
CHRIS HARRIS
(Denver, Colorado)
JESSICA HENDRICKS
(Dallas, Texas)
KARI
HERMAN-TAFOYA (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
AMANDA LEISE (Studio City,
California)
TIFFANY LEISE (Longmont,
Colorado)
WADE
MADSEN (Seattle, Washington)
BRITTANY MAXWELL
(Mt. Pleasant, Utah)
CHRISTY MCNEIL (Seattle,
Washington)
JENNY
SCHIFF (Boulder, Colorado)
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Kate
Ahumada (San
Francisco, California)
Kate is a dancer and Pilates teacher living in San Francisco,
California. She has a classical ballet background and graduated
from UC Santa Barbara in 2005 with a B.F.A. in dance. Guided
by a thirst for more body knowledge in 2006, she became a
certified Pilates mat teacher through Monica Anderson at Tone
in Santa Rosa, a Pilates Method Alliance Studio. For the following
year, she taught Pilates and dance at Tone as well as at Elevation
studio in San Francisco. Now, Kate continues to study dance
at ODC in SF, she performs with San Francisco dance company
Vispo Dance, and teaches private Pilates sessions. She has
been a dancer with Interweave Dance Theatre since 2003 and
first attended the BJDW as a student in 2002. |
| Lauren
Beale (Boulder, Colorado)
Following
the footsteps of her soul, Lauren began her movement journey
in Colorado 27 years ago. Since then, she has received a
BFA in Dance from the University of Colorado in Boulder
and performed and traveled the world with Colorado companies
Helander Dance Theater, David/Capps Dances, Interweave Dance
Theater; and artists Jerri Davis, Len Barron and many others.
On some sort of calling, she then moved to New York City
where she performed nationally and internationally with
Curt Haworth, Ellis Wood, Jane Comfort; and produced her
own work and co-created Two Peas & A Pod, a new dance
company with her fellow native Coloradoan and partner in
crime Jessica Hendricks. In the mean time, she received
her Vinyasa Yoga teaching certification from NYC's Om Yoga
Center. Delightfully back in Colorado, Lauren teaches dance
and yoga throughout the area including the Boulder Jazz
Dance Workshop and C.U., Boulder where she was on faculty
in the Dance Department in fall 2005. Lauren is looking
forward to performing with Kim Olson/Sweet Edge and 3rd
Law Dance, collaborating with her boyfriend Jimmy on interdisciplinary
performance art and saving the world with her newly discovered
super powers. |
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Nancy
Cranbourne (Boulder, CO &
Seattle, WA) 
Nancy Cranbourne began her dance career in Seattle, Washington,
where she performed extensively with Wade Madsen in their
collaboratiove show Duo, among many other film, theater, and
dance projects. She has served on the dance faculties of Colorado
State University, Cornish College of the Arts, the National
Theater Conservatory, and currently teaches at the University
of Colorado/Boulder. Nancy has been a guest artist for numerous
dance festivals including the New Orleans Dance Project, Spectrum
Dance Theater, and the Bates Dance Festival. She has earned
several awards for performance in theater: 2 Denver Drama
Critics Circle Awards (for Betrayal, an Actors Ensemble production,
and 2 Women Avoiding Involuntary Hospitalization with Patti
Dobrowolski for BMoCA), and was named "Best Actress 2002"
by Westword Magazine. Nancy's current passion is her dance
company, 40 Women Over 40 (featured on the Hallmark Channel
and Dance Teacher Magazine). 40 Women Over 40 presented "Sweet
Release" at the Dairy Center for the Arts in November
2007 to standing-room-only audiences. They will perform again
at the Dairy in the spring of 2009, with more than 100 women
on stage!! |
Peter
Davison (Boulder,
Colorado)
Peter Davison brings 35-years of diverse performing experience
to his current role as Artistic Co-Director of Boulder Ballet.
Peter studied ballet with Larry Boyette, Ana Claire, Barbara
Demaree, Finis Jhung and Donald Mahler; modern dance with
Danelle Helander, and tap with Susan Hadley and Lynn Dally,
among others. In 1982 Peter became a founding member of the
trio Airjazz with whom he appeared at venues such as the Jacob's
Pillow Dance Festival, New Zealand International Festival
of the Arts, BAM, and the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Peter has
also been a member of David Taylor Dance Theater, Jan Justis
Dance Company, Kim Robards Dance, 3rd Law Dance/Theater, and
has performed principal roles with
Boulder Ballet since 1987. He has performed solo shows at
the Carmel/California Performing Arts Festival, Cincinnati
Playhouse, and Utah State Arts Tour, and has appeared as a
featured soloist on the CBS, BBC and Fox television networks.
Peter has received numerous awards and grants including the
Arts Innovation Award from the Colorado Federation of the
Arts, and the Performance Fellowship from the Colorado Council
on the Arts. Peter has choreographed works for several Colorado-based
companies, and he is a recipient of the 2009 Ballet Builders
Award for Choreography, from New Choreographers on Pointe
in New York City. |
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Chris
Harris (Denver, Colorado)
Chris Harris was born in Denver and try as she might
she just can't leave the mountains. She has a BFA in Dance
from the University of Colorado and a second Bachelor's
in Architecture. She
is currently an Artist in residence at the
Denver School of the Arts, and
on the Faculty
of Kim Robards Dance, Dance
Kaleidoscope, Gwen Bowen Dance Studio, Mosaic Movement Arts,
and A Living Arts Center. She is
the Artistic Director/Choreographer for Louder Than Words
Dancetheatre in Denver, has
choreographed for Magic Moments and local Radio Disney shows,
acted with Littleton Town Hall, been a guest lecturer at
The Arts Institute of Colorado, and has designed 4 different
websites. Chris is the Assistant Artistic Director for Interweave
Dance Theatre as well as a co-director for the Boulder Jazz
Dance Workshop. Her current obsession is creating a system
to record choreography using digital media and animation. |
Jessica
Hendricks (Dallas, Texas)
Jessica Hendricks graduated from the University of Colorado
with a BFA in Dance. Her credits include commercials and
industrials for Godiva, Loreal, Reebok, Toys R Us, Universal
Studios, Volkswagen and Warner Brothers. Jessica has worked
on the European tour of HAIR as Dance Captain, performed
for the opening premiers of Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby
and can be seen in such movies as Living Out Loud and Between
The Sheets. She has danced in the Elan Awards, Bob Fosse
Awards, Ms. America Pageant, Carnival and Broadway Bares.
Jessica has choreographed the New York musicals “The
Shaggs”, “The Book Of The Dun Cow” and
“Dead City” as well as the movie musical “Free
Fall” and the music video “Just A Dress”
for the Berlin Film Festival. She recently choreographed
a music video for European artist Sofia Strati which airs
in Europe as of next month. Jessica has taught in Cypress,
France, Italy, Japan, Norway and the United States. She
currently dances with “The Wes Veldink Movement”,
co-creates with Lauren Beale for their company “Two
Peas & A Pod” and has recently moved from New
York City to co-direct a performing arts center in Dallas. |
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Kari
Herman-Tafoya (Colorado
Springs, Colorado)
Kari is the owner and artistic director of Synergy Dance
Academy. She started teaching at age fourteen and began
dancing professionally at seventeen. Her performance experience
includes commercials, music videos, and industrial shows
throughout California, Houston, Las Vegas and Colorado.
She returned to her home town of Colorado Springs after
training and performing in Los Angeles with the industry’s
top instructors and choreographers. Kari’s versatile
dance background and passion for the arts enables her to
instruct and choreograph in jazz, lyrical, ballet and hip
hop. Her energetic teaching style motivates dancers to take
their training to the next level. Her students have received
top honors at competitions, and scholarships at The EDGE
Performing Arts Studio, the University of Arizona and Walt
Disney. |
Amanda
Leise (Studio City,
California)
Amanda Leise, originally
from Boulder, Colorado has been performing, teaching and
choreographing in LA for the past 5 years. Her film and
industrial credits include Dance 10, Disney Scooby Doo industrial,
Heart Association Ball and Cherry Creek Arts. Her stage
appearances include Kitty McNamee Benefit, Carnival performances
at the Key Club, California Adventure, EDGE scholarship
show, and Adam Parson’s Essentials show. Amanda currently
teaches at the EDGE Performing Arts Center and is also on
the Urban Jamm faculty. She is in high demand as a Master
teacher and choreographer all around the world. This past
summer she was a guest teacher in Nicosia, Cyprus for Dance
Anonymous, as well as for the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop.
She looks forward to sharing her passion of dance and teaching
her students how to express themselves through the art of
dance. |
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Tiffany
Leise (Longmont, Colorado)
Tiffany Leise, just recently made her way back to Colorado
after spending 15 years in LA as a professional dancer,
teacher, and choreographer. She was twice selected for The
Colorado Tap Dance Residencies to study with tap greats
Honi Coles and Jimmy Slyde. She performed for the premiere
of the movie TAP starring Gregory Hines in New York. Her
film and TV credits include Hoodlums, A Life In The Theatre,
King of The Ants, Stanley’s Gig, and Opposite Sex.
National tour, stage appearances, and industrials include
Sugar Babies, The Flintstones, Tap Girls, McDonald’s,
Intel, Compaq and Kraftmaid. Tiffany has taught at the EDGE
Performing Arts Center and toured nationally with L.A. Danceforce
(LADF), Urban Jamm and Tamjams. Tiffany is currently teaching
in Longmont at her parents' dance studio Dance Dimensions
and continues to teach and choreograph nationally. She is
excited to be back teaching for BJDW and hopes to pass on
her passion for dance to future generations. |
Wade
Madsen (Seattle, Washington)
Wade
Madsen has been teaching, performing and choreographing
in Seattle for 30 years. A former dancer with Tandy Beale
& Company and with the Bill Evans Dance Company, Wade
is a professor of dance at Cornish College of the Arts in
Seattle. He has guest taught at the University of Colorado,
University of New Mexico, UC Santa Cruz, and the University
of Washington. He taught as a Guest Artist for the New Orleans
Jazz Dance Project from 1997 through 2003 and as artist
in residence at Mt. Holyoke College, Massachusetts. Wade
has been commissioned to set his work on dance companies
in El Paso, New Orleans, Durango, Bellingham and Seattle.
His choreography has been featured several times at the
American College Dance Festival. Wade has created well over
160 choreographic works and has received two individual
choreography grants from the National Endowment for the
Arts. He has appeared in films and on Star Search with his
dance company, Wade Madsen and Dancers. In 2002, he acted
as Interim Director for Dance Spectrum, Seattle. Wade has
been a regular faculty member for the Boulder Jazz Dance
Workshop since 1983. His modern class blends Pilates floor
work, Limon, Cunningham and release technique and Wade's
own unique movement vocabulary. His modern jazz is influenced
by Lynn Simonson, Bob Fosse ,Jack Cole, and Luigi. |
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Brittany
Maxwell (Mt. Pleasant,
Utah)
Brittany Maxwell is originally from
Greenville, Texas.
She started dancing at the age of five. She graduated
with a Bachelor's Degree in Art History from Principia
College, where she also taught and choreographed
within the Theater and Dance Department.
After
graduation she moved to Chicago to perform
professionally with various jazz and modern dance
companies, including the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance
Chicago Second Company and The Valerie Alpert Dance
Company. She has worked with choreographers Jon
Lehrer, Nan Giordano, Ron DeJesus, Eddy Ocampo, Frank Boehm,
and Rick Robinson. Brittany
taught at Evanston's Giordano Dance Center and at studios
in Aurora and Vernon Hills, Illinois and has been a guest
artist at both Principia College and Snow College. She was
a 2008 semi-finalist on "So You Think you can Dance."
Brittany loves living in Mount Pleasant, Utah where she
has headed the dance program at Wasatch Academy for four
years. Brittany is excited for another great summer teaching
at the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop and dancing with Interweave
Dance Theater! |
Christy
McNeil (Seattle, Washington)
Christy has enjoyed life as a dancer since age 3 where she
began her training at a studio just outside of Seattle.
At age 15 she traveled to Kazan, Russia to perform in the
Rudolf Nureyev Ballet Festival with the Evergreen City Ballet.
She was then honored with the Kreilsheimer Scholarship from
Cornish College of the Arts from where she earned a Bachelor
of Fine Arts in Dance and the Outstanding Dance Major Award.
Upon graduation, Christy joined the Cornish faculty as well
as faculty at Shoreline Community College and continued
teaching at studios around the Seattle area. Her choreography
credits include Cornish Dance Theater, American College
Dance Festival, Eastside Moving Company, and several Theater
Department productions at Cornish. For two years she performed
with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as Dance Captain and Company
Manager. After tiring from dancing through hurricanes, Christy
returned to Seattle and currently is busy creating a dance
program at Sammamish High School as well as teaching at
two studios and choreographing for several youth performing
groups and two college dance programs. |
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Jenny
Schiff (Boulder,Colorado)
Jenny
Schiff is a sought-after choreographer and teacher with roots
in Los Angeles, Denver, and Boulder. Beginning her professional
career at the age of eleven, she has worked with some of today's
finest choreographers including; Joe Tremaine, Doug Caldwell,
Mia Michaels, Marguerite Derricks, Rudy Perez, Karon Brown-Lehman,
Donald McKayle, and Cleo Parker Robinson. Jenny uses her extensive
knowledge of both the commercial and contemporary dance world
to offer her students a unique class experience. She has been
a guest artist at Colorado College and University of Northern
Colorado, Greeley. Currently she directs The Schiff Dance
Collective and teaches throughout Colorado. |
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We reserve the right to substitute teachers as necessary.
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