Summer Modern Dance Teen Intensive and Pre-College

JEANNE MAM-LUFT

Artistic and Executive Director of Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Center (Graduate, Carnegie Mellon University and Texas Woman’s University)

Jeanne Mam-Luft is the Artistic and Executive Director of Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Center, founded as MamLuft&Co. Dance. She holds Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Texas Woman’s University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. Mam-Luft is certified in Labanotation from the Dance Notation Bureau (NY). She served on the board of OhioDance (the state-wide organization for dance) for 6 years, was Assistant Director of Contemporary Dance Theater for 4 years, and is a founding member of Greater Cincinnati Dance Alliance. Mam-Luft has served on the governance committee of the local chapter of Ohio Alliance for Arts Education. She was the first and only dance artist to be named a Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellow in support of an original dance-for-camera she choreographed, filmed, and edited in 2014-2015. She has guest-taught and/or set work on university students at Texas Woman’s University, University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky, Wittenberg University, Northern Kentucky University, Tarrant County College, and Kent State, where she was an artist-in-residence in 2016. As an artist-producer, Mam-Luft has worked with numerous Cincinnati organizations, including Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Contemporary Arts Center, and Clifton Cultural Arts Center. Mam-Luft has also worked for several architectural design firms and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional. As a professional photographer, she will also be taking the students’ headshots and dance photos as part of the week activities!

CLAIRE DIERINGER

Education and Outreach Coordinator of Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Center (Graduate, Kent State University)

Claire Dieringer joined MūDa as a Company Member of MamLuft&Co. Dance in 2017 and became its Education and Outreach Coordinator in 2018. Dieringer’s duties include managing the education and outreach staff and volunteers and overseeing numerous programs that take place in up to 14 different locations (which sees 400 children who attend on a weekly basis, whether it be for 6 weeks or 30 weeks). Dieringer manages crucial partnerships with schools and community centers, coordinates educational lecture-demonstrations, and manages the organization’s financial aid program.

Claire Dieringer is a 2016 graduate of Kent State University, from which she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Magna Cum Laude. Claire has worked professionally as the director of the dance program at Lake Bryn Mawr Camp in Pennsylvania, and as a dance educator at several studios. In 2017, Claire joined both MamLuft&Co. Dance and Seven Dance Company. She is now MamLuft&Co. Dance’s Education and Outreach Coordinator, as well. As a student, Dieringer was a member of the Kent Dance Ensemble and performed in faculty-choreographed concerts. In 2014, she performed at American College Dance Association and also studied at American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina, studying with numerous teachers in multiple styles from all over the world. Dieringer previously served as the President of the Student Dance Education Organization of Kent State. Claire was recognized on the Dean’s List every semester of her college career while also receiving many accolades such as the Dance Faculty Award for Service to the dance division and Outstanding Achievement Award as an Emerging Artist Award.

THERESA BAUTISTA

Recipient of the Al Smith Fellowship in Choreography and Faculty Member of the University of Kentucky Department of Theatre and Dance (Graduate, Indiana University)

Theresa Bautista has been hailed by the Louisville Courier Journal as “a delight to watch” and “mesmerizing” on stage by Louisville Arts Review. A dancer, choreographer and educator based in Louisville, KY, she earned her B.S. in Biology from Indiana University. Theresa has performed with ICONography Dance, The Susie Thiel Collaborative, Brown Dance Projects, Anna Sapozhnikov’s MOYAMO DANCE, Gordon Dance Projects, Rachel James, jan street dance theatre, and Art! Art! Barking Dog Dance Company. She is the recipient of the FY21 Al Smith Fellowship in Choreography and a 2019 Hadley Creative. In addition to being the Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Moving Collective, she created works for the Louisville Ballet Studio Company, University of Kentucky’s Department of Theatre and Dance, Louisville Ballet Youth Ensemble, School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Youth Performing Arts School, Cincinnati’s Area Choreographer’s Festival, Centre College, Moving Collective, the Berea College Modern Dance Troupe, University of Louisville Dance Theatre, The Center for Women and Families, Empujon, Bluegrass Youth Ballet, and University of Kentucky Dance Ensemble. In 2019, Theresa presented Santa Ana at the Southeast Regional Ballet Association Dance Festival, Listen to This, co-choreographed with Lauren Frederick, at the National High School Dance Festival, and received Gala honors for Inalienable Wrongs at the ACDA South Festival. Described as “a petite powerhouse” on stage by artintercepts.org, she performs regularly in regional dance festivals. Theresa teaches for the UK’s Department of Theatre and Dance, Louisville Ballet School, and Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts.

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ASHLEY GOOS, MFA

Faculty Member of Miami University (Graduate, The Florida State University and Miami Unviersity)

Ashley is a dance artist, educator, and somatics practitioner. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from The Florida State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Miami University (OH). She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at Miami University. Ashley has set work at the Bourdelle Museum in Paris, France, Missouri State University in Springfield Missouri, Miami University (OH), Xavier University, The School for Creative and Performing Arts, Moving Current in Tampa, Florida, the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, the Area Choreographer’s Festival, and at Gallery 621 in Tallahassee, FL.  She has danced for Alex Ketley, Emily Johnson, Yanira Castro, Rodger Belman, Heather Britt, Diane Germaine, and Loren Davidson among others. Ashley has also provided administrative consultation and development support for non-profit arts organizations around the United States. Some of her administrative partners include See Chicago Dance, The Cincinnati Ballet, The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival (Louisville, KY), and Same Planet Different World Dance Theatre (Chicago, IL). In the fall of 2017 Ashley was a Full Time Guest Artist at Missouri State University, and since then has worked as an adjunct professor of dance at Xavier University, Northern Kentucky University, Miami University, and Thomas Moore University. Ashley’s writing has been published in See Chicago Dance.com, the National Dance Educator’s Organization’s Guest Series, and Dansdocent.nu (the Dutch version of Dance Teacher Magazine).

SUSAN HONER, MFA

Associate Curator of Mutual Dance Theatre (former Company Member and Choreographer)

Susan Honer hails from Virginia and has been performing and choreographing in Southwest Ohio since 2008. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Hollins University in 2004 and her Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Hollins University/American Dance Festival in 2008. She has studied with renowned teachers and artists such as Donna Faye Burchfield, David Dorfman, Jennifer Nugent, Gerri Houlihan, Douglas Becker, Miguel Gutierrez, and Pamela Pietro. Susan worked with Mutual Dance Theatre (then MamLuft&Co. Dance) from 2010-2019 as a dancer, choreographer, and company director. She has set her own work on regional ballet schools including Northwest Florida Ballet and Southwest Virginia Ballet. She has travelled to universities to set Müda repertory on universities such as Kent State and Northern Kentucky University. Susan regularly collaborates with sound and multimedia artist Sean Simon to create original music for her work. Susan’s work Iceman 3000 received an NEA grant through Müda which premiered at the Cincinnati Art Center in 2018. Her work has been seen at festivals in North Carolina for the Merge Records’ 20th Anniversary Performance, Connecticut College’s Art and Technology Symposium, Cincinnati’s Area Choreographer’s Festival, at the WUK in Vienna, Austria, and in Virginia and New York City. Susan is owner of Present Body Pilates in Dayton, Ohio where she teaches Pilates, Roll Model Method® self myofascial release, and SmartSpine© Therapeutic Bodywork. She also currently serves as Mutual Dance Theatre’s Associate Curator for its Jefferson James Contemporary Dance Theater Series.

ELENA RODRIGUEZ MOORE

Formerly of Mutual Dance Theatre (Rehearsal Director and Choreographer), Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant, Certified in Myofascial Taping (Graduate Goucher College, Baltimore, MD)

Elena danced for eight seasons with MamLuft&Co. Dance (now Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Center) and served both as the company’s Repertory Rehearsal Director and a choreographer.

Elena has assisted in choreographing several shows for the company, including Double|Sided, a full-length work created in collaboration with Steven P. Evans, which premiered at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center during the 2015-2016 season.

Born in Queens, New York, Elena received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance Cum Laude with a concentration in choreography from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland. While at Goucher, Elena performed and studied under such esteemed artists as Gabriel Masson, Alan Hineline, Roger Jeffrey, Heather McArdle, Anne Hutchinson Guest, Mino Nicholas, and Janice Garret. After graduating, she moved to Dayton, Ohio and danced for SMAG Dance Collective under the direction of Michael Groomes, and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2 under the direction of Shonna Hickman-Matlock. Elena holds a Physical Therapist Assistant degree and is a Physical Therapist Assistant at a skilled nursing facility.

ROBERT PULIDO

Company Member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

Robert Pulido is a CSU Fullerton Alumni (2015) with his Bachelor of Arts in Dance and is currently dancing with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) in his 6th season. He has performed and taught throughout the United States and abroad such as: Russia, China, and Kazakhstan. He dances many various styles or whatever type of movement is asked (from the head of the room) and he loves to teach hip hop, modern and contemporary. He hopes you enjoy the combo(s) and movement and take away at least one thing from the class whilst having fun.

ROWAN SALEM, MFA

Company Member of Mutual Dance Theatre (Graduate, Smith College)

Rowan Salem is a choreographer, performer, and teacher originally from Massachusetts. As an artist, her interests lie in compositional improvisation and philosophy’s links to movement. Her teaching is influenced by Humphrey/Limon technique, contact improvisation, and contemporary forms. Rowan earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Choreography and Performance as a Teaching Fellow/Gretchen Moran Scholar at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her teaching affiliations include Amherst College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Rowan recently relocated from Denver, Colorado, where she held faculty positions at Colorado Ballet Academy (the official school of the Colorado Ballet), Aspen Academy, Colorado Academy, and Metropolitan State University of Denver. She has recently collaborated on and performed in the work of Chris Aiken, Angie Hauser, Kate Speer, and Tara Rynders. Rowan’s work has been presented at Redline Contemporary Arts Center, Counterpath Exhibition Space, Green Street Studios, and Art Gym, Denver where she was the 2017 recipient of the Create Award Residency.

RODNEY VEAL, MFA

Faculty Member of Sinclair College and host of The Art Show (Graduate, The Ohio State University)

Rodney Veal, an independent choreographer and multi-disciplinary artist, serves as adjunct faculty Sinclair Community College and In addition, he currently serves as  a Career Community Coordinator for Sinclair Community College as well. He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University with a B.S in Political Science and Visual Arts. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Choreography from The Ohio State University. Rodney currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Ohio Dance as  President and on the boards of Levitt Pavilions Dayton, HomeFull, Dayton Live! and WYSO.

Mr. Veal is the recipient of several Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District grants and fellowships, including a MCACD Fellowship for 2010-2011.  He was one of five artists chosen nationwide to participate in the Blue Sky Dayton Project Artist in Residency Program held in collaboration with the University of Dayton in the summer of 2009.  Mr. Veal has choreographed and presented performance installations all over the Miami Valley; recent notable projects being Reveal: Five Zones of Beauty presented at the Springfield Museum of Art in 2011 and the GHETTO installation at the University of Dayton’s ArtStreet in 2015.  Rodney can currently be seen as the Host of the Emmy© Award winningTelevision series THE ART SHOW on Think TV Channel 16 which is currently in production for its 12th season.

HANNAH WILLIAMSON

Rehearsal Director of Mutual Dance Theatre (Graduate, Wright State University)

Hannah Williamson, a 4-year performing member of Mutual Dance Theatre (formerly MamLuft&Co. Dance), also functions as the company’s Rehearsal Director and the Academy’s senior ensemble. She is a 2017 graduate of Wright State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance – Magna Cum Laude.  In college she performed numerous dance concerts and musical theater productions including The Great Gatsby and No, No, Nanette as well as a work entitled “Testament” choreographed and set by Dwight Rhoden and Clifford Williams of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Upon graduation, Hannah apprenticed with Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre in Carmel, IN and performed in the 2017 Bollywood production of A Night In India.

In addition to her work as a professional dancer, Hannah also has a passion for choreography. Through her art she strives to communicate eternal truths where mere words come up short. And she did that in her piece entitled “White Shores” which was chosen from among the entire 2017 graduating class’ works to be performed in the annual faculty concert. The piece was later selected through an adjudication process to the Columbus Modern Dance Company’s January 2018 Emerging Choreographer Residency and was selected to be performed at the 2018 Area Choreographers Festival in Cincinnati. As a member of Mutual Dance Theatre, Hannah choreographed a piece for the 2019 spring production. This work went on to be chosen for performance at the YES! Dance Festival in Richmond, Virginia and at the 2020 Area Choreographers Festival in Cincinnati.

COUNTESS V. WINFREY

Company Member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Theater (Graduate, University of Memphis)

Countess V. Winfrey, a native of Nashville, TN, currently serves as a performer, teaching artist, choreographer, and rehearsal director for the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. She began her dance training at the age of 11 at Wharton Arts Magnet Middle school and continued her training at Nashville School of the Arts. She later attended the University of Memphis as a Health and Human Performance Major, and a Dance minor. Post-graduation, she joined Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s (DCDC) pre-professional ensemble in 2012, which then led to her professional dance career. Countess’ professional experience includes DCDC and ClancyWorks Dance Company (Washington, D.C.).

Countess has had the opportunity to teach master classes for The University of Memphis, the Grier School, the International Association of Blacks in Dance, Shanghai Normal University, Bethune-Cookman University, and most recently was a Visiting Artist and Choreographer for the Ohio State University in the spring of 2021. Her experience in curriculum development for community arts education has led to her current position on the Ohio Arts Council Teaching Artist Roster. In addition to choreographing regionally for DCDC and DCDC2, she has also choreographed nationally (ClancyWorks Dance Company) and internationally (Kazyna Dance Company). Her most recent collaborations include an opportunity to produce and direct her first evening-length production entitled “Memories of Walking in Memphis,” which was commissioned for the University of Memphis. Career highlights include appearing as a soloist in “Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder” at the world-famous Bolshoi Theater (DanceMotion USA tour) and at Lincoln Center during Donald McKayle’s Memorial performance.  Additionally, she has toured nationally and internationally to Russia, Kazakhstan, China, and Bermuda. She has performed works by Ulysses Dove, Donald McKayle, Ray Mercer, Dwight Rhoden, Ronald K. Brown, Debbie Blunden-Diggs, Abby Zbikowski, Dianne McIntyre, and Donald Byrd.