sign in sign up
<<
Home , Ballet Arizona, Ballet Austin, Ballet Hispanico, Ballet San Jose, Barcelona Ballet, Charlotte Ballet

PERFORMING ARTISTS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS OF THE WAKE FOREST DANCE FESTIVAL 2018

JOSÉ LIMÓN (Founder of the José Limón Dance Company/Choreographer, 1908-1972) electrified the world with his dynamic masculine dancing and dramatic choreography. One of the 20th century’s most important and influential dance makers, he spent his career pioneering a new art form and fighting for its recognition. Born in Culiacán, Mexico in 1908, he moved to California in 1915, and in 1928 came to New York where he saw his first dance program. Limón enrolled in Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman’s dance school and performed in several of their works from 1930 to 1940. In 1946, with Doris Humphrey as Artistic Director, Limón formed his own company. His company was a major force of 20th century (and now 21st century) dance.,distinguishing itself as the first dance group to tour internationally under the auspices of the State Department and the first modern dance company to perform at Lincoln Center in New York, as well as performing twice at The White House. Thematically, José Limón possessed a social awareness that transcended distinct groups to address how we all search for commonality, earning him a special place in American culture. With their arresting visual clarity, theatricality, and rhythmic and musical life, his works continue to influence the evolution of the art form more than 50 years after his passing. The José Limón Dance Foundation, encompassing the Company and the educational and licensing Institute, was awarded a 2008 National Medal of the Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence. Limón created a total of seventy-four works, including The Moor’s Pavane, Concerto Grosso, andMissa Brevis.

PEDRO RUIZ was trained in his native country, Cuba and in Venezuela, Mr. Ruiz choreographed three celebrated while a with Hispanico for twenty-one years. Choreography credits include: The , Luna Negra, , The Tribeca PA C, The Jacob's Pillow Festival, The Marymount College, the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Program, Ailey’s Spring Celebration and Summer Sizzler concerts. He is on the dance faculty of Marymount College, the staff of The Ailey School and Scarsdale Ballet. Awards include: the Bessie Award, the Choo-San Goh Award, The Cuban Artist’s Fund, and The Joyce Foundation Award to create a new work for The Joffrey. Mr. Ruiz has performed at the White House and was profiled nationally on PBS’s In the Life. For extended bio please visit:​ ​https://www.wakeforestdancefestival.org/blog/2018/5/3/pedro-ruiz

GREGORY DALBASHIAN - Born and raised in Gregory made his professional stage debut at the age of eight with the Glimmerglass Opera Company and in the Philip Glass/Robert Wilson world tour of Einstein on the Beach. Gregory received his dance training at the Alvin Ailey School, then graduated cum laude from SUNY Purchase dance conservatory. Awards include The Bessie Schoenberg Residency at The Yard, winner of The Pretty Creatives Competition for Northwest Dance Project and The Hubbard Street 2 International Choreographic Competition, second place in 's New American Talent competition, and the audience prize at DanceNOW at joe’s pub in 2014 and again in 2017. Company commissions include , TU Dance in Minnesota, Zenon Dance Company, Ballet Austin, LA Contemporary Dance Company, Hubbard Street 2, City Dance Ensemble in D.C, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance in Dallas, and Northwest Dance Project in Portland Oregon, and most recently for St. Louis Ballet as part of the Dance St. Louis Festival. Dolbashian has also received commissions from American Dance Festival as a featured choreographer in The Footprints Program and also has created multiple works for principals and soloists at Theater including Jeffrey Cirio, Daniil Simkin, and Hee Seo, all premiering at The JOYCE and The Great Mountains Music Fest in , Korea. College commissions include SUNY Purchase, University of Minnesota, University of Hawaii, DeSales University, The Hartt School, Point Park, Fordham/ Ailey, Long Island University, NYU Tisch, James Madison University, and the Juilliard School. He debuted his own company The DASH Ensemble, in December 2010 at JOYCE SoHo. (See Company Bio for more background) Dolbashian also teaches workshops and intensives all over the country at universities, companies, and competitive studios. As a and performer, Gregory has performed in multiple DASH repertory shows. His solo work was also presented at American Dance Festival in his one man show Awkward Magic. In addition to his choreography, Gregory, alongside fellow choreographer Loni Landon, is the co-founder of The Playground, a choreographic initiative that was voted 25 to Watch in 2013 by Dance Magazine.

M. CLAYTON BARRIER is a native of Durham, North Carolina and graduated from North Carolina Central University. While in college, he took every opportunity to be involved in fitness and dance. Most recently, he is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher for various dance organizations and an up-and-coming local dance company. In addition to being a theater, dance, and physical education/health teacher at a public college prep charter school, Clayton is trained in various yoga practices through YogaFit. Currently, he teaches yoga and barre in various locations around the Triangle. Additionally, he teaches ballet and jazz for adults. Clayton prides himself in meeting his students at their level, raising the bar, and serving as support to reaching that goal. His no-nonsense approach has a number of dancers and athletes who train under him independently.

MANUEL BARRIGA Born in Holland and raised in Madrid (), Manuel Barriga studied ballet with Victor Ullate Ballet Academy and Carmina Ocaña School of Ballet. He started his professional career with (San Jose, California) then moved to New York City to dance with New York Theatre Ballet while occasionally performing with Ballet (known formerly as Corella Ballet) in Natalya Makarova’s La Bayadere and the in Maurice Bejart’s Bolero for the Lincoln Center Festival. In August 2012 Mr. Barriga joined for their 15th season and continued to perform with them for five more seasons. In May 2017, Mr. Barriga retired from the stage to continue teaching ballet, he became a Certified Gyrotonic® Trainer, and recently graduated as a Massage Therapist from Wake Tech Community College. This is Mr. Barriga’s second appearance as a guest artist for the Wake Forest Dance Festival. In his first appearance in 2017, he performed “Yo te quiero siempre”, a song by composer Ernesto Lecuona, with his wife and dancer Mayerlin Muñoz. Mr. Barriga is currently a faculty member at Destiny Dance Institute in Wake Forest.

MAGGIE BRADLEY Born in Los Angeles, CA, Maggie Bradley is a wife and mother, community herbalist and dance artist living in Chapel Hill. Her training included the high school program at UNCSA, The Hungarian National Ballet and Cornish College of the Arts. While living in New York, Maggie danced with various companies, taking company class and learning repertory with Merce Cunningham. She currently performs with Tornow’s COMPANY.

ANTONIO BROWN is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, where he began his dance training at the Cleveland School of the Arts. In 2007, he received his BFA from The Juilliard School under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. While there, he had the opportunity to perform works by Jose Limon, , Jiri Kylian, , Aszure Barton, Jessica Lang, Susan Marshall, Larry Keigwin, among others. Mr. Brown has also worked with Nilas Martins Dance Company, Stephen Pier and Sidra Bell Dance New York. Antonio is currently dancing with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Camille A. Brown & Dancers and is grateful to share his gifts and talents with the world.

CORRINE CANAVARRO ​is a graduate of NCSU and holds BS degrees in both Chemistry and Environmental Technology & Management. She began her dance journey in the public school system where she was fortunate to have several dedicated dance teachers who encouraged her to continue learning. While at NCSU she was a member of the Panoramic Dance Project under the direction of Tara Mullins where she had the opportunity to work with choreographers Lavender D. Burris, Baba Chuck Davis, Willie Hinton, and Autumn Mist Belk. She also participated and choreographed for several student dance groups on campus. Her training includes ballet, modern (Horton technique), jazz, improvisation techniques, and Latin dance. Corinne attended the American Dance Festival six-week school in 2014 and has worked with Code f.a.d. Company (Autumn Mist Belk). She has been a member of Koffee Dance Company since 2012 and is currently a member of Mambo Dinamico. In addition to working full time in the pharmaceutical industry, she is also active in the hip hop community.

JUDE CASSEDAY aka dejacusse is a soundscape artist and electronic musician from Durham, North Carolina. Her work ranges from sound experimentation to more structured compositions for dance, film, art events and yoga/movement classes. Her band iBoD (the idiosyncratic beats of dejacusse) creates Nested Soundscapes in acoustically interesting spaces. In October, she will begin work on her first data sonification project in conjunction with Rob Dunn Labs at NCSU and the As If Center in Penland NC. Her soundscapes have been featured at the Durham Arts Council, NC Museum of Natural Sciences and American Dance Festival classes. Her work can be downloaded at Soundcloud and Bandcamp.

JAM NIEL DELGADO was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He started dancing at the age of sixteen. In 2010, he started his studies at the School of the Arts, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, and right away Mr. Delgado was offered a position in the company, as well as an invitation to attend competitions with HB (formerly known as Heavenly Bodies). In 2012, he had the opportunity to perform in the famous show “La Vecindad del Chavo”. After graduating from high school, Mr. Delgado joined the dance company at the Metropolitan University (UMET) in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, while studying a degree in Public Relations. After moving to West Virginia, he started taking ballet lessons and found himself teaching jazz classes at the same time. In 2014, Mr. Delgado moved to North Carolina and joined Koffee Dance Company as a dancer and . performed in “Insomnia” at the Burning Coal Theatre in Raleigh​ Additionally he has performed with the Winston Salem Festival Ballet and Taylor Dance. Mr. Delgado is currently a contemporary and jazz teacher with Infinity Ballet and Conservatory in Apex, NC. This is his first appearance as a guest artist for the Wake Forest Dance Festival.

ANTONIO FINI ​is an Italian born modern dancer, choreographer, and director. Antonio has performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company and Graham II, Eric Hawkins, Dance Company, Kosovo Ballet, Staten Island Ballet, Boca Ballet Theatre, Mare Nostrum Elements, and Michael Mao Dance, with whom he has performed as principal dancer since 2011. In 2011, he created Alto Jonio Dance Festival in Villapiana, Calabria to provide exceptional dancers in Italy the opportunity to perform with established companies in New York. In 2013, Antonio expanded his vision by founding the Italian International Dance Award, which recognizes phenomenal Italian and international dancers for their accomplishments. In 2014 Alto Jonio was transformed into Fini Dance Festival with the mission of establishing greater connections between dancers in New York and Italy. The festivals have been listed as one of the top summer dance festivals in the (Dance Informa) and Europe (Ballet 2000). Furthering his mission to unite the international dance community, The Antonio has developed a dance competition and mentorship program for television called ​ Audition .​ Distributed in partnership with Delta Star Pictures, the show will premiere in 2018 on

Amazon Prime. For expanded bio please visit: ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Fini

ISABELLE FRAME ​o​riginally began her dance studies at Beckley Dance Theatre in West Virginia. She continued her training in Durham, North Carolina with the Durham School for Ballet and the Performing Arts under the direction of the Boleyn Willis-Zeger where she started in countless storybook ballets. Isabelle was also accepted to attend summer training programs at the procedures and . She has performed as the with Charlotte and received leading roles with the Academy. Her favorite ballet roles include Polly and Pineapple Poll, Wendy in Peter Pan, and the title role in and a Little Mermaid. She also has studied and performed a variety of contemporary repertory rooted in the research Shaga and the Gaga Movement Language as well as William Forsythe’s Improvisation Technologies Unser the direction of ShaLeigh Comerford, Artistic Director of ShaLeigh Dance Works, where she is currently a company member.

MYCHAL KEELS ​Sumter, South Carolina native Mychal Keels is a Political Science graduate of North Carolina Central University. Despite his major he has acquired an immense love for dance, exploring a myriad of styles and concentrations in the process. Only beginning dance four years ago, he has grown leaps and bounds having an understanding of jazz, ballet, hip-hop and contemporary, but specializes in Horton Modern technique. Mychal has taught master classes and set pieces on many schools in the NC area including Hillside High School, Longleaf School of the Arts, Durham School of the Arts, and Fayetteville State University. Mychal was able to participate in the American Dance Festival where he performed in Charles Anderson’s repertory piece as well as trained with former Frankfurt Ballet principal dancer Elizabeth Corbett. Mychal has been a member of Koffee Dance Company since 2014.

DANIELLE KEITH is a junior at Fayetteville State University, majoring in biology and minoring in dance. From Albany, Georgia, she is a member of the FSU dance ensemble and one of the newest members of Koffee Dance Company. Danielle started dancing at age three with the Dance Etcetera Youth Ensemble, and joined the company at age 7 and has competed with the company for over 10 years. She has trained in jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, hip-hop and contemporary, and has competed in DanceMakers, Inc. StarQuest, Encore and Show Stoppers circuits. Danielle is a former dance instructor for South West Georgia Performing Arts Dance Academy, where she choreographed dances for the junior company competition teams (ages 7-13), and presently teaches at Yvette’s Dance Academy in Fayetteville NC.

LOGAN FRANCES KRUGER became the Company's Rehearsal Director in 2017. She has been a member of the Limón Dance Company since 2009, performing feature roles in the works by José Limón, Jiří Kylián, Rodrigo Pederneiras, and Kate Weare. Kruger hails from Atlanta, GA, trained with Annette Lewis and Pamala Jones-Malave, and received B.F.A. from The Julliard School. She has performed in theaters across five continents, working with choreographers such as Adam H. Weinert, Jonah Bokaer, with the company Shen Wei Dance Artists, and with Damian Woetzel's DEMO. As a teacher, Kriger has worked with students of all ages and levels in North and South America, Europe, and Africa, and is currently on faculty at the Limón Institute. Kruger also acts as a reconstructor of Limón dances and has stages works for the Limón Institute's Professional Studies Program, DanceWave, and the Vail International Dance Festival.

KALITO LUNA ​is a senior at Duke University majoring in Public Policy. He began dancing in high school where his love for the art quickly grew. While at Duke, he has taken the opportunity to learn from amazing Professors Barbara Dickenson, Andrea Woods-Valdez, Nina Wheeler, and Ava Vinesett. While focusing on Modern Dance, he has enjoyed exploring African and Jazz Dance. He is a member of Nakisai, Duke’s premier African Dance Ensemble, where he has had the opportunity to choreograph and perform at many major on-campus events. He has learned from Mrs. Avis Hatcher-Puzzo for a short time in high school and is excited for this opportunity to do so again.

MASHA DASHKINA MADDUX ​(Founder/Director) is a professional concert dance performer and a dance educator. A native of Kiev, Ukraine she was first introduced to dance through the classical Vaganova ballet technique. After moving to United States she studied under the direction of Ruth Weisen at the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet of Miami, FL and ultimately graduated summa cum laude with her BFA from New World School of the Arts under the directorship of Daniel Lewis. Ms. Dashkina Maddux joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2007 and rose to the rank of the principal dancer, performing major roles in classical Graham repertoire along with works created by some of the most influential contemporary choreographers. Ms. Dashkina Maddux was featured in Dance Magazine's "Dancer's Choice", and also appeared in projects including newly released Martha Graham Dance Technique DVD, directed by Miki Orihara and Susan Kikuchi, and in a feature film Fall to Rise, written and directed by Jayce Bartok. In addition to performing, Ms. Dashkina Maddux has collaborated with photographers to capture the art of dance. Most recently her image was selected for the cover of The Art of Movement, a highly anticipated book conceived and created by Ken Browar and Deborah Ory. Ms. Dashkina Maddux is an ambassador for the Dancing Angels Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that provides scholarships and other assistance to help passionate and committed young dancers fulfill their dreams. This summer, she received Alto Jonio Best Dancer Award in Calabria, Italy.

MAYERLYN MUNOZ began dancing at the age of eight at the school Incolballet (Cali, Colombia). During her training, her studies included extensive work in ballet, modern, folklore, and contemporary dance. Her professional career started with Colombian Ballet Company in 2007, where she performed several classical ballets. In 2009 she was invited to go on tour to Germany and US with Colegio del Cuerpo Company. In 2011, she won a scholarship for the Summer Intensive in New York City, and was asked to perform with the company. Following the summer, she was offered a position with the newly created Ballet Hispanico 2 as a founding member. Ms. Muñoz expanded her contemporary and modern experience on stage as a member of JKing Dance Company, and performing in Alvin Ailey’s workshops. Additionally, she has been teaching ballet to little kids for several years. This is Ms. Muñoz’s second appearance as a guest artist with the Wake Forest Dance Festival along with her husband and dancer Manuel Barriga. Currently, she teaches ballet and specializes with kids aged 18 month-8 years old, and is the main teacher and studio manager at Tutu School Raleigh and Tutu School Cary.

RANDI OSETEK was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and trained in Chicago, Illinois and Green Bay, Wisconsin before accepting a full scholarship to study at the School of American Ballet in New York City. Ms. Osetek completed her training with in Seattle where she performed regularly with the company. Ms. Osetek joined Carolina Ballet in 2002 as a member of the corps de ballet and was promoted to Soloist in 2008. Ms. Osetek has made guest appearances throughout the United States and toured China as a Soloist with Carolina Ballet. Ms. Osetek credits her love of dance to a few special teachers including Timothy Josephs and Jane Meredith at the Green Bay School of Dance, and Susan Pilarre and Suki Schorer at the School of American Ballet. Ms. Osetek enjoys travel, the beach, everything Disney, designer shoes, and the Green Bay Packers.

ISAIES SANTAMARIA PEREZ Born in France, Isaies studied dance in Paris at Latin and tropical dance School and at Rick Odums School of Ballet Jazz. During his free time, he took classes with his mentor Dominique Lesdema and he also studied break dance and develop his own moves in different session. Isaies worked with Latin jazz company as Isis Figaro Team and french choreographers such as Alexandra Lemoine et Tatiana Seguin. Also, he has been part of "You Can Dance", the French television version of “So You think you can dance”. Recently, Isaies moved to New York to broaden his horizon and vision to study at Peridance Capezio Center. He is now working with Dash Ensemble ( Gregory Dolbashian), Manuel Vignoulle, Sonya Tayeh, and Zvi Dance.

AVIS HATCHER PUZZO is known regionally for her work as a choreographer for numerous dance venues and musicals however in August 2012, she founded her own dance/theater company, Koffee Dance Company (KDC), which premiered in March 2013, at North Carolina School of Math and Science in Durham. An NC resident since 2008, this Connecticut-native holds a BA in Dance/Theater from Trinity College, an MFA in Theater Arts and Dance from Case Western Reserve University, and a MS in Higher Education from Capella University. Previously having trained and performed in New England, New York and the Midwest, her choreographic emphasis is in Horton, Cunningham and Graham modern dance techniques as well as jazz, hip-hop cultural and contemporary movement styles. Avis has developed a hybrid dance style which incorporates the grace of Ailey based modern (Horton) with highly rhythmic and athletic gestures. Studying Wette Paint at Ailey, in addition to , Ned Williams, and she founded ​ Dance Theater ​, in Connecticut a contemporary dance and theater company which toured the east coast. Winner of the North Carolina Dance Alliance Annual award 2013, Avis most recently performed with Ronald K. Brown / Evidence Dance Company & Community Dancers of Durham for the ADF LifeTime Achievement Award Concert and is also the Associate professor of dance/theater at Fayetteville State University.

DEPRECIA SIMPSON is the daughter of Cortez and Marva Simpson and the granddaughter of Rev. Dr. Joe and Wanda Simpson. She was born is Durham, North Carolina May 6, 1998, but calls Fayetteville her home. Deprecia has been dancing since the age of three and continues to excel with her God given talent. She also holds a First Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, and graduated from Terry Sanford High School with a 3.84 GPA. She has danced with numerous choreographers: Debbie Allen of Fame, Desmond Richardson of Alvin Ailey, Dave Scott from Stomp the Yard, Brian Friedman, Mia Michaels and others. Deprecia recently graduated the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York, completing her degree in record time. She’s presently working at her alma mater school of dance for over 15 years. She has danced such principal roles as Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara, Jewel, and Snow Queen in , Fairy of Energy from Sleeping Beauty, and many more with the NC State Ballet Company. Later this year Deprecia will be working with The Moscow Ballet as they bring their version of the Nutcracker to Fayetteville, NC.

JUSTIN TORNOW ​is a North Carolina native, currently based in Durham, NC. She is the artistic director of COMPANY, a producer of the local artist series PROMPTS, and a co-founder and -organizer with Durham Independent Dance Artists (DIDA.) Justin’s work is often collaborative and interdisciplinary, partnering with composers, musicians, film and video artists, and visual artists. Her projects have been presented by CAM-Raleigh, Tanzart Atelier in Germany, 21c Hotel and Museum, UGA Dancz Center for New Music, The UNC Process Series, the SaxOpen Festival in Strasbourg, France, UGA-Cortona in Cortona, Italy, DUMBO Dance Festival, WAXworks, CoolNY Festival, Philly Fringe, and the NC Dance Festival. In 2010, Justin received an MFA in Choreography from UNC-Greensboro; she lived and worked in NYC from 2010-2013, and relocated to Durham, NC in June 2013. Justin served as artist-in-residence at Tanzart Atelier in Kirschau, Germany in Fall/Winter 2017. She is faculty at the American Dance Festival Summer Dance Intensive teaching composition and Cunningham-based technique courses, and serves as part-time dance faculty at UNC-Greensboro and Elon University, teaching studio courses in technique, composition, and repertory. Additionally, Justin is a Merce Cunningham dance research fellow for the New York Public Library this Fall/Winter 2018-2019.

JUSTIN WILLIAMS ​is a graduate of North Carolina Central University with a degree in Mass Communication. However, even though he is busy shaping the world of media, his love for dance has caused him to dive head first into the art form. After taking a long break from dance, he began working in the world of musical theatre where he found his love for dancing again. Since then he has become adept in the styles of hip hop, jazz, Modern Horton technique, and contemporary. Justin was also able to participate in the American Dance Festival (2017) where he was blessed to take part in the Bill T. Jones repertory under Shayla-vie Jenkins. He has also been able to study with former principal dancer of the Frankfurt Ballet, Elizabeth Corbett. Justin has also been able to set pieces on Durham School of the Arts and teach master classes at Hillside High School, Longleaf School of the Arts, and Fayetteville State University. Beyond dance, Justin is an avid photographer, videographer, and graphic designer. Justin has been a member of Koffee Dance Company since 2014.