15th Annual
MINNESOTA DANCE FESTIVAL
April 2-6, 2003

Fitzgerald Theater, St Paul
Directions to Fitzgerald Theater

Artistic Director: Andrew Rist
Festival Coordinator/Adjudicator: Paula Mann
Executive Director: Cynthia Betz
Stage Manager: Jim Arnold


Festival Guests 2003

Biographies

MDF Curator, Coordinator Profile:
PAULA MANN: Paula moved to the Twin Cities from New York in 1987, armed with a BA & MFA in dance from New York University, following eight years as co-director of the New York based company, Dudek/Mann + Dancers.Building on a background of modern dance technique and ballet, she has expanded the scope of her work as a dancer and choreographer to include animation, text, sound collage and physical theater to create unique performance experiences. Mann is artistic director of TIME TRACK PRODUCTIONS whose mission is to explore the relationship between media and humanity using live performance as a foundation. TIME TRACK PRODUCTIONS' new evening length piece, 'All That Is Solid Melts Into Air' will premier in September 2003 at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium as part of the Women of Substance series.

Mann's work has been presented by many performance venues both in New York - at Dance Theater Workshop, P.S 122, Danspace, Off Broadway at Douglas Fairbanks Theater and Movement Research - and in the Twin Cities, by the Southern Theater, the O'Shaughnessy Dance Series, the Walker Arts Center, the MN Dance Alliance and Hamline University. Her Solo work has been presented throughout the US and Canada. Mann has been recognized with several awards from the McKnight Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, Meet the Composer, the MN State Arts Board, MRAC Arts Activities and Community Arts, two Sage Cowles Chairs at the University of Minnesota and a Bush Artist Fellowship. She is currently on faculty at the University of Minnesota Department of Theater and Dance.

James Sewell Ballet

Dance Profile:
A FEW NOTES ABOUT 'WHALING WATERS': Commercial whaling began in the late 1700s and early 1800s, and declined starting around 1860 due to over fishing and the 1859 discovery of oil in Pennsylvania. In settling Maine and Nova Scotia, the British introduced simple pipes, horns, mandolins, guitars and many songs.
      First performed on a boat anchored in the harbor, "Whaling Waters received its dry-land premiere at an annual folk music festival at Swans Island, Maine. The ballet follows the classical pas de deux formula (adagio duet, female and male variations, and coda) in relating the story of a couple wed on the eve of the husband's departure for sea. Imagining the worst during his lengthy absence, the woman takes advantage of the Widow,s Walk a small balcony from which wives awaited their husbands,s returning ships. Meanwhile, the husband is hoisting sails and hunting whales. In the coda, they wonder how life will be when they are reunited, and the joyous finale answers the question infectiously.

Choreographer / Artistic Director / Founder Profile
ABOUT JAMES SEWELL BALLET: Since 1993, Minnesota's James Sewell Ballet has performed an average of once per week at more than 200 venues in more than 40 Minnesota communities, 25 states, and Bermuda. It is the company,s mission to create and perform an engaging repertoire based in the ballet idiom in an effort to broaden audience access to dance and to advance the art form. The organization defines its artistic product as a valued and meaningful experience shared between artists and audiences. The essential elements of the product are the choreography of Artistic Director James Sewell, performances by the dancers, the process of education, and the engagement of audiences. The company performs biennially in St. Paul, annually in St. Cloud and Rochester, and on tour throughout the United States.


Minnesota Dance Theatre 

Company Profile:
MINNESOTA DANCE THEATER
      Founded in 1962, Minnesota Dance Theatre (MDT) celebrates a deep and personal connection to its past, and is presently flourishing by creating and commissioning new dance repetoire. MDT is renowned as one of Minnesota's cultural treasures with an eclectic international voice that builds upon a 40-year tradition of delighting audiences. Its repetoire is a tapestry of work that expresses its spirit in vividly expressive dancing and choreographic adventures.

Choreographer / Dancer Profile:
STEPHANE ANDRE:
      Stephane Andre is a native of France. After completing his ballet studies at the Paris National Conservatory under Attilio Labis and Roland Duflot he was awarded a scholarship at the San Francisco Ballet School and the Joffrey School.
      Mr Andre has danced for many major companies throughout North America including the Joffrey Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet amongst others. He has danced works of internationally renowned choreographers such as Kylian, Duato, Van Manen, Tetley, Morris and Kudelka. Mr Andre has danced extensively in the Twin Cities since his arrival in 1998. He has danced leading roles with Zenon, Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell and Corning Dances.
      Stephane has been teaching ballet for 8 years throughout the world. He is a certified Pilates instructor and soon to be an Instructor Trainer in the Stott Method of Pilates.


Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre

Artistic Director / Choreographer / Founder / Dancer Profile:
SUSANA DI PALMA:
      The vision for Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre come from Artistic Director, Susana di Palma. She is unparalleled as a performer and choreographer, both in the United States and abroad. Ms di Palma receives widespread acclaim for her daring and sumptuous choreography, imbuing jewels of literature (from where she gets much of her inspiration) with the freshness, candor and immediacy that only flamenco can bring.
      Susana di Palma studied Spanish dance from childhood, primarily in Madrid, with maestros Manolete, Tomas de Madrid, Carmen Mora and Merche Esmerelda, and in Sevilla with Enrique "El Cojo" and Manolo Marin. After living and working in Spain with such companies as La Singla and Rafael de Cordova among others, in "tablaos" in Madrid and numerous festivals throughout Spain and Europe, she returned to the United States.
      Her original theater flamenco choreographies have been awarded grants from the McKnight Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, National Endowment for the Arts, Bush Foundation, and Jerome Foundation, among others. She is the 1999-2001 recipient of the McKnight Artist Fellowship for Choreographers through the Minnesota Dance Alliance. She recently performed Garcia Lorca's 'Blood Wedding' Ms di Palma resides in Madrid and Minneapolis.
      These full-length works, along with the many smaller works, designate di Palma as an outstanding and unique visionary force in Spanish dance in the United States.

Dancer Profile:
ANDREA J FRENZEL:
      Andrea found flamenco in 1993. Her background in dance and Spanish language unite in this art form. A Minneapolis native, Ms Frenzel has studied and worked under the guidance of internationally recognized flamenco choreographer Susana di Palma. She is a founding member of the Twin Cities based flamenco ensemble 'Majas', and has performed with Susana di Palma's Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre in "Kathak Flamenco: Negra" 2000, "Soul y Flamenco" 2001, and "Gernika" 2002. She also performs regularly with renowned Flamenco guitarist Michael Hauser and his groups Trio Flamenco, Cuadro Flamenco and Cuadro Folklorico.
      To keep up with the current trends and techniques of her art, Ms Frenzel travels frequently to Madrid, Spain, where she studies Flamenco dance with renowned teachers such as Maria Magdalena, Yolanda Heredia, La China, Antonio Reyes, Domingo Ortega and Tomas de Madrid
       Since joining the teaching staff of Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre and School in Minneapolis in 1999, Ms Frenzel has taught workshops and master classes around the Twin Cities and in Greater Minnesota. She is currently on the faculty of the University of Minnesota Dance Department.

Dancer Profile:
DEBORAH ELIAS MORSE:
      Debra has studied Flamenco dance since 1994 under the guidance of Susana di Palma. She has also studied in Spain, taking classes with Flamenco masters Merche Esmeralda, La Tati, Ciro and Antonio Reyes. She is a founding member of Majas and has danced with Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre in Garden of Names, Kathak Flamenco: United Rhythm-Passion, First I Dream, La Virtud Negra, and Soul y Flamenco. Besides these theatre works, Ms Morse performs traditional Flamenco in a variety of venues in and around the Twin Cities, as well as in K-12 schools as part of the St Paul Chamber Orchestra Cultural Partners Program.


Zenon Dance Company

Company Profile:
ABOUT ZENON DANCE COMPANY:   Since its first performance in 1983, Zenon Dance Company has grown to be one of the nation's premiere repertory dance companies. It is one of only a few United States companies to commission and perform both modern and jazz works often created by emerging Twin Cities choreographers as well as internationally renowned masters. Zenon's unique, eclectic repertory has allowed it to reach a broad range of audiences - from dedicated Twin Cities' dance enthusiasts to elder care residents in Greater Minnesota. Often times these diverse audiences are reached through the company's Educational Outreach Program which allows Zenon's Artistic Director, Linda Z. Andrews, and the company members to work creatively with students of all ages and abilities. In the past five years the company has participated in over fifty residencies working with school and communities including the deaf and hard of hearing community and at-risk youth programs

Choreographer Profile:
COLLEEN THOMAS, choreographer, has danced with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Bebe Miller Company, Nina Weiner Dance Company, Donald Byrd/The Group, the Kevin Wynn Collection, Sung Su Ahn and Miami Ballet, among others. She currently performs with Bill Young and Dancers and has collaborated with Mr. Young as co-choreographer on numerous projects. Her work has been seen in Slovakia, Hong Kong, Estonia, Taiwan, Brazil, Venezuela as well as in New York City, Raleigh, California State Long Beach, and the University of Wisconsin ­ Milwaukee. She is an Associate Professor at Long Island University.

Choreographer Profile:
BILL YOUNG winner of a 1997 Guggenheim Fellowship, discovered dance through contact improvisation while studying music at Oberlin College. He showed early work in San Francisco, while dancing with Margaret Jenkins, and later moved to New York where he danced with Douglas Dunn, Randy Warshaw, Merce Cunningham (on video). In 1988 he established Bill Young & Dancers, which has been presented in NYC at the Joyce Theater, The Kitchen, Danspace Project, PS 122, and DTW, as well as on repeated international tours, including performances in Austria, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Finland, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela. Combining a deep musicality and sense of structure with a wide range of movement techniques (from Classical to Contact), Young has created over 50 works, noted for their virtuosity as well as emotional range and power; his commissions include new works for the Estonian National Opera Ballet, Pennsylvania Dance Theater, DanceArt Hong Kong, the Wildspace Dance Company (Milwaukee), Teoria de Gravedad (Mexico), Bratislava Dance Theater (Slovakia), and the Madach Theater Dancers (Budapest).

Composer Profile
MIO MORALES has worked extensively as a composer for dance. He has created scores for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Nieuwe Dans Group of Holland, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Dance Theater of Harlem, Concordanse Compaigne International de Danse de Paris, Oregon Ballet Theater, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and the Nashville Ballet among others. His collaborations with Bill Young and Dancers began in 1988, and since they have created over 20 works together. He has also worked with choreographers Donald Byrd, Gus Solomons, Jane Comfort, Doug Elkins, Milton Meyers, and Renee Wadleigh. Mr. Morales leads NYCUSA, a new music ensemble, and is a teacher of Alexander Technique.

Costume Designer Profile
MARY HANSMEYER has designed for JAZZDANCE by Danny Buraczeski, Zenon Dance Company, Chuck Davis, Ballet Memphis, Shapiro & Smith, James Sewell Ballet, Ragamala Music and Dance Theater, ARENA Dances by Mathew Janczewski, Paula Mann Dance, and the University of Minnesota Theater/Dance Department. While working with UrepCo (University of Minnesota Repertory Company), she designed costumes for works by Bebe Miller, Neil Greenberg, Merce Cunningham, Mark Morris, Billy Siegenfeld, and Dan Wagoner.


Ragamala Music and Dance Theater

Choreographer / Artistic Director / Founder Profile
RANEE RAMASWAMY (Artistic Director/Choreographer), a native of India, has been teaching and performing Bharatanatyam in the Twin Cities since 1978. She has had the good fortune to train under Alarmel Valli, a leading exponent of the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam, which requires grace and subtlety of expression. Ranee has received many grants and fellowships in the recognition of her dancing, choreography, and tireless work with Bharatanatyam in the Minnesota area, including 12 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Choreographers, two McKnight Artist Fellowships for Interdisciplinary Artists, a two-year National Endowment for the Arts Choreographer Fellowship in 1994, a Bush Fellowship for Choreography in 1996, a 1998 LIN (Leadership Initiative Neighborhood) Grant from the St Paul Companies, and a 2000 Minnesota State Arts Board Choreography Fellowship. Throughout her career, Ranee has collaborated with celebrated artists of diverse backgrounds and disciplines, such as poet Robert Bly, Jazz musician Howard Levy, Milwaukee-based African dance troupeKo-Thi Dance Company, and Deaf actress Nicole Zapko.

Dance Profile
'AAVYA' The choreography for 'Aavya' reflects the rhythmic aspect of Bharatanatyam, the classical dance of southern India, in  which music is interpreted through abstract movement. The varied hand gestures are used ornamentally, as the dancers express the mood of the music

Composers / Musical Ensemble Profile
SPEAKING IN TONGUES: draws on the wisdom of ancestors and the resonating voices of timeless traditions to speak directly to the new millennium. Four astonishing musicians from four countries with four native tongues combine for one common purpose - to actualize the vitality of diversity and the the grace of respect. Speaking in Tongues features Ghanaian Drummer Sowah Mensah, Mexican virtuoso bassist Enrique Toussaint, multi-percussionist Marc Anderson, and world renowned Chinese pipa player Gao Hong.


Ballet Minnesota
                       MDF:   April 4, 10:00am ,  April 5, 8:00pm

Director Profile
CHERYL RIST: Cheryl, a graduate of the Cornish School of Arts in Seattle, was the recipient of (7) Arts Scholarships. Her teachers include Robert Joffrey, Loyce Houlton, Hanya Holm, Flemming Halby and Frank Bourman. She began dancing with Sacramento Ballet under the direction of Jean-Paul Comelin (formerly Paris Opera Ballet). She danced as a principal with the Banff Festival, the Minnesota Dance Theater (under the direction of Loyce Houlton) and Ballet Minnesota. Cheryl has restaged the classic ballets for Ballet Minnesota including "Swan Lake", "Giselle", "Sleeping Beauty", "Les Sylphides","La Bayadere", "Coppelia", "Pas de Quatre" and "Flower Festival pas de deux". Cheryl is director of the Classical Ballet Academy of Minnesota (St Paul)

Dancer Profile
MELANIE HUGHES: Melanie joined the company in November 2000. She has trained at the Royal Ballet in England and the Australian Ballet in Australia. Melanie has danced with the Australian Ballet, Ballet West,Milwaukee Ballet and James Sewell Ballet. Since joining Ballet Minnesota, Melanie has danced the Rose in the Nutcracker, the lead in Paquita, Swanhilda in Coppelia, among many other roles.

Dancer Profile
GIARY ATALY: Forthcoming

Dancer Profile
TAYLOR DREYLING: Forthcoming

Dancer Profile
ERIN WARN: Forthcoming

Artistic Director / Choreographer Profile
ANDREW RIST: Andrew's interests have always been in the areas of teaching, directing & choreography. After dancing professionally for 14 years, Loyce Houlton encouraged Andrew to become Avocational Director of the Minnesota Dance Theater school (1986-87). In 1987 Andrew co-founded the Classical Ballet Academy of Minnesota and in 1990 he co-founded and became artistic director of Ballet Minnesota. Under his direction, Ballet Minnesota has developed a strong season which includes the Nutcracker, The Youth Concert Series, The Minnesota Dance Festival and the Summer River Tour. As a choreographer, Anderw prefers working with original compositions. He has created works in collaboration with Robert E Hindel, Charlie Maguire (National Park Service "Singing Ranger") and the rock group Mock Duck. His choreographic works include "Pachelbel", "At the Museum", "Nutcraker", "The Egg", "Oleon" and "Italian Symphony"

Ballet Profile   Notes from Corpus Cristi Baller at http://www.tamu.edu/ccballet/coppelia.html
'COPPELIA': ACT I: The scene is a village square in a small town in southern Poland. On one side of the square is the house where Swanilda, the heroine, lives. On the other is the mysterious workshop of Dr. Coppélius, a toymaker suspected of possessing magical gifts. In the upstairs window of the toymaker's house sit's Coppélia, a doll, with a book in her hands. Swanilda enters, sees the doll, and bows to it, not knowing it is a doll. Her friendly bows, gestures, and greetings make no impression and she stamps her foot in irritation.
     Hearing the arrival of Franz, her sweetheart, she hides, suspicious of his interest in the remote Coppélia. Her thoughts are justified, for the young man flirts with Coppélia until the old doctor moves the doll away. Swanilda appears from her hiding place, where she has been able to observe her swain's interest in the mysterious girl, and pretends to chase a butterfly. Franz joins her and pins the butterfly to his jacket. Swanilda cries out as if her own heart had been pricked. The two lovers are interrupted by the villagers, who dance a lively Mazurka. The burgermeister arrives to announce a special festival to be held in honor of a new bell given by the local lord for the church. Dowries will also be presented to girls about to be married. The burgermeister gives Swanilda a stalk of wheat to test her love. Traditionally, if the wheat rattles when shaken, her love will be true. Swanilda and Franz dance with the wheat, but, when she shakes the stalk, she and her friends hear nothing. Although Franz says he hears it, she refuses to believe him. The marriage appears to be off.

ACT II: Dusk begins to settle and the celebrants depart. Dr. Coppélius emerges from his house, carefully locking the door and placing the key in his pocket. But some of the town bullies push him around and the key falls to the ground. Swanilda and her girl friends appear, find the key, and, under Swanilda's urging, sneak into the house of the toymaker. Then Franz appears carrying a ladder that he pushes against the balcony of Dr. Coppélius's house. As the curtain closes, Franz starts to climb up.
      Placed around the room are several life-sized automated dolls: a harlequin doll, a Spanish doll, a Scottish doll, a Russian doll, a Chinese doll, and an astrologer. Nervously, Swanilda and her companions enter the dimly lighted room. Then, Swanilda is dared by her companions to approach the curtained alcove to search for Coppélia. They soon discover that the object of Franz's admiration is no more than a mechanical doll. All fear is gone now and the girls dance merrily, setting all the life-sized dolls in motion.
      Suddenly, they are interrupted by the return of a furious Dr. Coppélius. They all escape, except Swanilda, who, unseen by Dr. Coppélius, hides behind the curtain that conceals Coppélia. There Swanilda exchanges places with the doll Coppélia.
      Having, as he thinks, rid his house of intruders, Dr. Coppélius sees Franz entering through the half-open window at the back of the room. Dr. Coppélius allows Franz to enter and then seizes him as he creeps towards Coppélia's alcove. Franz tries to make his way back to the window, but the old man bars his way and demands an explanation. Franz admits that he is in love with Coppélia and had entered the house to find her.
     Dr. Coppélius invites Franz to take wine with him. After slipping a sleeping powder into oneglass, Dr. Coppélius pours out two glasses. He offers one to Franz, and then, unobserved, throws away the contents of the other on the floor. Franz slumps over on the table in a stupor. Dr. Coppélius consults the Book of Magic and then wheels Coppélia in from the alcove. He tries to draw the life force from Franz and then to transfer it to the doll. The doll, who is actually Swanilda, seems to come to life to the intense joy of Dr. Coppélius.
     Finally, Swanilda reveals her identity; and she and the revived Franz flee the workshop.
Realizing that he has been tricked, Dr. Coppélius collapses at the feet of his precious Coppélia doll.

ACT III:The final preparations for the village festival are in progress, a pageant to celebrate a new bell for the church. The Burgermeister arrives to preside over the blessing of the bell and to bless the betrothed couples in the village by giving them their promised bags of gold. Dr. Coppélius storms into the square, accusing the lovers of having destroyed his workshop. Swanilda offers to pay for the damage with her dowry, thus placating Dr. Coppélius, who then remains to enjoy the celebrations. The reconciled Swanilda and Franz lead their friends in the entertainment of a celebration of village life.




Hijack           TBA
                    Website:



Aparna Ramaswamy   

Dancer Profile
APARNA RAMASWAMY: Aparna has performed Bharatanatyam in the Twin Cities from a young age and has been studying with Ms Alarmel Valli, the world's leading exponent of the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam, since the age of eight. She has been awarded several honors, including a McKnight Artist Fellowship for Dancers, a Jerome Foundation Travel Study Grant, and a McKnight Artist Fellowship for Choreography. She was named the "Best Dancer" in the City Pages "Best of the Twin Cities 1999," and was named one of "One Hundred People to Watch" by Mpls/St Paul Magazine (February 2000). Most recently, in 2002, she received an Arts and Religion in the Twin Cities grant, a Neighborhood Arts Project Grant from the City of St Minneapolis, and a two-year Choreography Fellowship from the Bush Foundation. Aparna is a 1997 graduate of Carleton College, with a degree in International Relations and Political Science.

Dancer Profile:
TONI PIERCE-SANDS: Tonie trained under Loyce Houlton at the Minnesota Dance Theater and School, and began her professional career with the company. She went on to a distinguished career with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she was a soloist and principal dancer. She also danced with the Company Rick Odums in Paris and TanzForum in Germany. Toni's continuing commitment to the vision of Mr Ailey, now carried on by Judith Jamison, and her command of the Horton technique have led to teaching posts throughout Europe and the United States. She currently holds a position as a dance instructor and rehearsal director for UDT (University Dance Theater) at the University of Minnesota. Toni remains committed to her desire to grow as a performer, and to continue the steps that have been taken by her mentors before her.



Catalyst, dances by emily johnson
Company Profile
ABOUT CATALYST, DANCES BY EMILY JOHNSON Catalyst, dances by emily Johnson has performed regularly since 1998 with support from the Minnesota State Arts Board and Jerome Foundation. The six member company works to examine physical and emotional extremes, taking a fierce and emphatic look at the most pervasive and often unnerving realities of everyday life.



Matt Jenson's New & Slightly Used Dance
Company / Choreographer / Artistic Director / Founder Profile
ABOUT MATT JENSON'S NEW AND SLIGHTLY USED DANCE Matt Jenson (artistic director of New and Slightly Used Dance) has presented work many places locally including MN Dance Alliance Studio 6A, the Red Eye Theater, the Walker Art Center and the Southern Theater and in New York at Dance Theatre Workshop's "Fresh Tracks Series", HERE and in Dance Space's "In the Company of Men" Series. Recent projects have included two collaborations: "The Road to Compostela" with early music ensemble The Rose Ensemble and "Travel Home" with visual artist Diane Katsiaficas and students from the Dance Program and Visual Arts Department at the University of Minnesota. Matt has served as choreographer for four main-stage productions at the Children's Theater. His work has been supported by the McKnight Foundation, the MN State Arts Board and the Jerome Foundation. Matt is currently on the faculty of the University of Minnesota Dance Program and the Children's Theater Company. Since 1999, Matt has performed with Sturat Pimsler Dance & Theater.

Dance Profile"   
"BURY ME LONESOME" is a new sextet set to the dizzying finger-pickin' and melancholy musings of Bluegrass music. The dancers' journey through the musical highs and lows with gently angular movement, wicked text, fast footwork and unadorned moments of stillness suggest an attempt to interact with a loved one who suffers from manic depression


Deborah Jinza Thayer  
Dancer / Choreographer Profile"
DEBORAH JINZA THAYER
Deborah Jinza Thayer has been performing and choreographing in multidisciplinary work for over ten years in New York City, Washington DC metro region, and Minneapolis. A native New Yorker, she graduated from John Hopkins University and received an MFA in Dance from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Since relocating to Minneapolis in 1997, she has been presenting her Movement Architecture which constructs imagery by blending dance and theater in strutured enviorments. She has twice been a semi-finalist for France's Renocntres choreographies internationales de Seine-Sait-Denis (Bagnolet). She currently teaches technique and composition at Zenon Dance Company and School in Minneapolis.



Uri Sands  
Dance Profile
'WORK XIII'
Work XIII is an excerpt from a piece entitled "Brothers and Keepers". Whether we realize it or not, we are intimately and untimately related through existence. Whether our relations are good or indifferent we are connected as "brothers or what I refer to in fishing terms as a friend, a "Keeper".

Choreographer Profile
'URI SANDS'
Uri Sands is currently a principal dancer and choreographer with the North Carolina Dance Theatre in Charlotte, NC. He has also been a principal dancer and resident choreographer with the Minnesota Dance Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. He continues to choreograph and appear as a guest artist with "Complexions" under the direction of Dwight Roden and Desmond Richardson. He was a principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre for five years. As a principal dancer with that company his repertoire included works by Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, Donald McKayle, Ulysess Dove, John Butler, George Faison, and Judith Jamison among others. He previously danced for two years with Philadanco in Philadelphia, and with Miami's Fredrick Bratcher Contemporary Dance Theater. In addition to several film and television credits, Uri has taught dance and performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe.


Penelope Freeh   

Dancer / Choreographer Profile
PENNY FREEH
Penny has lived in the twin cities since 1994 when she relocated from New York City to join the James Sewell Ballet where she continues to dance. Her choreography has been presented by James Sewell Ballet, Ballet Builders (NYC), and Danny Buraczeski at the Illusion Theater. She has received commissions from the MN Orchestra and 3 Legged Race's Blizzards 2001 & 2002. Her newest work will be performed by the James Sewell Ballet for their Spring Season.

Dancer Profile
CHRISTINE MAGINNIS
TBA


The Dancer's Studio