Doug Bentz (Teacher and Choreographer) is a Professor at Point Park and is considered a master teacher of contemporary dance, partnering and yoga. Doug is a native of Pittsburgh, and earned his BA in Dance from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Later in New York City, he was a scholarship student at the School of American Ballet and at the Luigi Jazz Dance Center. Doug has danced professionally with the American Dance Machine and the Luigi Jazz Dance Company in NYC, the New Jersey Ballet, the Geneva Ballet (Switzerland) under the Artistic Direction of George Balanchine, and with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Most recently Doug has danced as guest Artist with the Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, the Pittsburgh Opera, and the Mary Miller Dance Company. From 1981-1986, Doug was Artistic Director of The Extension...his own Pittsburgh based contemporary dance company that he co-founded with his wife, Judith Leifer. Together, they created many new and exciting dance works in Pittsburgh, including Doug's evening-length The Jazz Nutcracker which was created through a grant from the Vira I. Heinz Foundation. Doug has performed On and Off Broadway, and has been featured in many summer stock productions with the Kenley Players of Ohio, the Atlanta Theatre of the Stars, and the Burt Reynold's Dinner Theatre in Florida. He has been a member of Actor's EquityAssociation (AEA) since 1969. Doug has taught for Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal in Canada, many American College Dance Festivals (ACDFA), the Slippery Rock University Dance Department, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, the Pittsburgh Dance Alloy School, the Mercyhurst College Dance Department, the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts and previous International Summer Dance Programs here at Point Park University. Doug has choreographed over 50 contemporary dance works including his new beautiful full-length production of Cinderella which will be performed by the Playhouse Dance Company at the Playhouse this December 2006. Last October 2005, Doug was commissioned to stage his original work FAUN on the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company in Texas. Professor Bentz serves as Production Coordinator and Chair of the Artistic Committee of the Dance Department; and has recently joined the Advisory Board of the Pittsburgh Dance Council.
Fara Sciulli-Bowen (Teacher and Rehearsal Director) was born in Pittsburgh and was one of the first dancers to go through the International Summer Dance program where she trained with Roberto Munoz. At the age of 15, Fara went on to work with Laura Alonso's Youth Company, Pro-Danza in Cuba, Argentina and Brazil. She performed various ballets and pas de deux such as Giselle, Kitri in Don Quixote, Black and White Swan in Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, and many new pieces created by Ivan Monreal-Alonso. She worked with Laura for 2 years before joining Lexington Ballet. During Fara's stay in Lexington, Director Rose Miles sent her to Houston for a visit with Houston Ballet. She joined the company for the next six seasons and was featured in ballets such as Ben Stevenson's Dracula, Snow Maiden, Graduation Ball, Swan Lake, Giselle, Peer Gynt, Cleopatra, Sleeping Beauty, Ivan Nagy's La Sylphide and Ronald Hynd's Merry Widow. Fara danced soloist and principal roles in William Forsythe's In the MiddleSomewhat Elevated, Trey McIntyre's Square One, Sean Kelly's Sinuosity, Harold Lander's Etudes, George Balanchine's Four Temperaments, Serenade, and Sir Frederick Ashton's Les Patineurs. Fara retired 3 years ago and has come home to raise her two year old son, Rocco. She enjoys being close to her family again and loves being "home" in the studios at Point Park.
James Caton (Ballet) - Mr. Caton attended the New York School of Ballet on full scholarship, studying with Richard Thomas and Barbara Fallis. Mr. Caton has been a member of Ballet Metropolitan and the Eglevsky Ballet, under the direction of Edward Villella. He has also danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Chicago Ballet and the Florida Ballet. He has performed many principal and soloist roles including Mercutio in Ruth Page's Romeo And Juliet, Gurn in August Bournanville's La Sylphide and the leading man in George Balanchine's Allegro Brilliante And Valse Fantasie. Mr. Caton has danced nearly every male role in various productions of The Nutcracker. Mr. Caton recently served as Dance Consultant/Choreographer for the feature film Passed Away. At CMU, he has done staging and choreography for As You Like It and The Hostage. Before joining the faculty at CMU, Mr. Caton taught classical ballet at Point Park University and at several schools in and around New York City. In the summer, he teaches in the Pre-College Program.
Michele de la Reza - Michele is co-founder of Attack Theatre. Michele received a Master of Science in Education/Motor Learning from the University of Pittsburgh. Michele was a company member of Dance Alloy for 8 years, performing the works of David Rousseve, Ann Carlson, Elizabeth Streb, Doug Elkins and Mark Taylor. A graduate of the Juilliard School, she worked with choreographers including Jos' Lim'n, David Parsons, Benjamin Harkarvy, Martha Clarke, David Dorfman, Paul Taylor and Anna Sokolow and currently performs with NYC based Perks DanceMusicTheatre. She coordinated the development of the CAPA arts curriculum and is currently an arts education consultant for the Pittsburgh Public Schools. She has conducted master classes and residencies in modern dance, contemporary partnering, repertory and improvisation throughout the United States and Europe. She teaches movement and curriculum integration residencies for teachers and administrators, has taught at University of Pittsburgh, Point Park Conservatory, Dickinson College, Mimar Sinan Conservatory, La Roche College and at hundreds of primary and secondary schools.
William DeYoung (Modern)- Professor De Young has danced with the companies of Al Huang, Bella Lewitzky, Rudy Perez, Elizabeth Keen and Cliff Keuter. In 1975, he formed the DeYoung Dance Theatre in New York City and took the company on two national tours. He has received choreography commissions from the Harvard Dance Center, the Joffrey II, the Chautauqua Festival Dance Company, NBC Television, The Yard on Martha's Vineyard, Danza Universitaria in Mexico City, Truzka of Hermosillo, Mexico, Danza Una and Danza Universitaria of Costa Rica, Ann Arbor Dance Works, the National Company of Paraguay, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble Detroit, and others.
Jordeen Ivanov-Ericson (Ballet Teacher and Choreographer) began dancing in Pittsburgh under the direction of Nicolas Petrov, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She continued her studies at the North Carolina School of the Arts and, as an original company member, toured with the North Carolina Dance Theatre. In 1971, upon graduation, she joined the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and was quickly promoted to Principal Dancer. In 1976, she joined the Chicago Ballet as Principal Dancer. Her distinguished instructors and coaches have included Tatiana Grantziva, Ruth Page, Nicolas Petrov, Fredric Franklin and Edward Caton. She has also served as the permanent principal guest artist, as well as the Ballet Mistress with the American Dance Ensemble/Ballet Petrov. Since retiring from her successful performing career, Ms Ivanov- Ericson relocated to the Detroit area and currently teaches, choreographs, and serves as the department chair of the undergraduate dance program at Marygrove College in Detroit.
Kenneth Johnson (Ballet) - American Ballet Theatre, Ruth Page Chicago Ballet. Faculty, Point Park University
Jay Kirk (Ballet) - is celebrating his second year as Assistant Professor of Dance at the Conservatory of Performing Arts of Point Park University. He earned a BA in Dance from Mercyhurst College and has performed professionally with the Chautauqua Festival Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Dallas Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and has worked as a freelance artist with several regional dance companies. Mr. Kirk has danced an eclectic variety of ballets from such noted choreographers as Petipa, Balanchine, Tudor, Culberg and DeMille. He has taught and choreographed numerous works for the Interlochen Center for the Arts and Mercyhurst College. As a graduate teaching assistant at The University of Oklahoma, he has recently completed course work toward a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance. Mr. Kirk has been a member of the dance panel for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and was instrumental in allotting funds for Pennsylvania dance organizations.
Kiesha Lalama-White(Teacher and Choreographer) A Cum Laude graduate of Point Park University, joined the faculty of the Conservatory in 2000. Kiesha's Point Park choreography highlights include: Cabaret, On The Town, Anything Goes, Marat/Sade, Three Penny Opera and King Of Hearts. For the Conservatory Playhouse Jr., Kiesha has directed and choreographed The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood and The Elves and the Shoemaker. For the Playhouse Dance Company, Kiesha's concert works include: Raw, Energy P, Sweet Desire, and Awe. Kiesha has choreographed numerous events for the Pittsburgh CLO. Her most memorable events are the Pittsburgh Pirate Skyblast events and The Richard Rogers Awards. In 2005, Kiesha choreographed Jesus Christ Superstar for the Kansas City Starlight Theater. Kiesha has taught as a guest artist for Carnegie Mellon University, Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet, Booker T. Washington H.S. for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, and Dance Educators of America. Kiesha is grateful for the support of her husband, Roy and two sons, Jake and Jax.
Judith Leifer-Bentz (Modern) - a former member of the Martha Graham Dance Company, has worked with Bertram Ross, Lar Lubovitch, and as a guest artist with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She is co-founder of the Extension Dance Company and has had works commissioned by Physical Theatre Project, Selah and Ann Elliot. Teaching experience includes the Martha Graham School, American Dance Festival, Morelli Ballet, Brooklyn College, Bat D'or and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatr. Judith teaches modern dance, composition and choreography.
Kiki Lucas (Teacher and Choreographer) is currently a member, choreographer and teacher for the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Point Park University with her BA in Dance. This fall she will be setting a new work at her alma mater for their Pittsburgh Connections concert and will also be featured along with the Houston Met in Dance Magazine. Kiki's choreography and teaching credits include: Houston Met Dance Company - Quirky Works II & III - Wortham Theater: ACDFA Nationals - The Kennedy Center - Washington, D.C.: Met II Youth Company - Wortham Theater - Houston, TX: Steven Boyd Dance Ensemble - Houston, TX: Point Park International Summer Dance - Pittsburgh Playhouse: Towson University- Towson, MD: Dallas Morning News Festival - Dallas, TX: Collin County Community College - Collin County, TX: Carnival: "Choreographer's Ball"- Key Club - Los Angeles, CA: Midwestern Arts Conference - Indianapolis, IN: TDEA Convention - Houston, TX: Florida Dance Masters Spring Convention - Ft. Lauderdale, FL: ESPN - "Push the Limits"- National Company Dance Competition: Debbie Reynolds Studio - North Hollywood, CA Dance Precisions - Orange County, CA: Fort Worth Dance Festival - Fort Worth, TX: Spotlight Awards - Dorothy Chandler Pavilion - Los Angeles, CA: Dance Unlimited - Miami, FL: Coast 2 Coast Summer Dance Intensive - Rowland Ballet - Kingwood, TX: Studio 528 - Friendswood, TX: Bonnie's Dance and Performing Arts - Woodlands, TX: Alabama School of Fine Arts- Birmingham, AL: Dance Masters of PA Spring Convention.
Peter Merz (Teacher and Choreographer) began his dance training at the Schwartz School of Dance in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio, the official school of the Dayton Ballet. Subsequently, he danced with the Dayton Ballet, The Louisville Ballet, and later with the Cincinnati Ballet, performing works by twentieth-century masters such as Eugene Loring, Ages de Mille, Paul Taylor, and George Balanchine. Ballets choreographed by Mr. Merz have been danced all over the US and in Europe, and he has taught at schools around the country. He holds a B.F.A. in Theatrical Design and Production from the University of Cincinnati. Before joining the faculty at Point Park University, Mr. Merz served as the Artistic Administrator for the USA International Ballet Competition if Jackson, MS. He has also served on grant review panels for the Mississippi Arts Commission.
Ruth Leney-Midkiff (Modern) - American Dance Ensemble, Pittsburgh International Folk Theatre. Faculty, University of Michigan.
Mary Miller (Modern) - Ms. Miller is founder, Artistic Director and principal choreographer for the Mary Miller Dance Company which has been active in Pittsburgh since 1985. She trained in her native Chicago with the North Shore Academy of Dance and performed with the Phyllis Sabold Dance Company. She continued her career in New York City where she performed with the Peggy Cicierska Company and independent choreographers, Ed Desoto, Jennifer Scanlin and Claire Henry. While dancing professionally in New York City she also received training and certification in Psychomotor Therapy from New York Medical College, Flower and Fifth Avenue Hospital, Mental Retardation Institute. Moving to the West Coast she founded the original Mary Miller Dance Company which she moved to Pittsburgh.
Francis Patrelle(Teacher and Choreographer) Drama has always been the inspiration for choreographer Francis Patrelle. The touch of joy and sorrow from everyday life has inspired the creation of ballets for: Lynn Aaron, Merrill Ashley, Frank Augustyn, Medhi Bahiri, Mary Barton, Seth Belliston, Peter Boal, Sandra Brown, Robert Conn, Duncan Cooper, James Fayette, Lindsay Fischer, Judith Fugate, Espen Giljane, Lynn Glauber, Suzanne Goldman, Marcelo Gomes, Fabrice Herrault, Alan Hineline, Gen Horiuchi, Darla Hoover, James Jordan, Karen Kain, Katrina Killian, Lourdes Lopez, Miriam Mahdaviani, Douglas Martin, John Meehan, Daniel Mejia, Leda Meredith, Carlo Merlo, Owen Montague, Louise Nadeau, Donald Paradise, Francois Perron, Sabra Perry, Joni Petre-Scholz, Kevin O'Day, Johnathan Riseling, Jenifer Ringer, Christine Spizzo, Jock Soto, Miranda Weese, Tim Wengerd, Donald Williams, Deborah Wingert, and Prima Ballerina Cynthia Gregory.
Barbara Pontecorvo (Ballet) - Barbara Pontecorvo, Director, danced professionally for twenty years and has taught ballet for most of her career. She was principal dancer with five ballet companies, including Dayton Ballet, where she was also Director of Dayton Ballet II and Associate Director of the Dayton Ballet School. In addition to her primary focus at PBS, Barbara is also Director of Gem City Ballet and sets the ballets of Stuart Sebastian on companies internationally.
Pearlann Porter - (Jazz) Originally from California, later New Jersey, and currently Pittsburgh, Pearlann received her B.F.A. in Dance from Point Park University in 1999, where her two frist pieces of choreography were selected to represent the university at The American College Dance Festival. She has since choreographed, taught and performed for many local events in the Pittsburgh region, including LABCO Dance, The Dance Alloy, Xpressions Contemporary Dance Company, International Summer Dance, Carnegie Mellon University's Summer Musical Theater program, The Alloy School and The Playhouse Dance Company. For the past seven years she has been adjunct faculty for Point Park University in the Conservatory of Performing Arts teaching contemporary jazz technique/improvisation and rhythm tap. Pearlann is also currently a professional mentor/teacher for the Sto-Rox Community Outreach Program Center (COPC) and a dance consultant for the future Cultural Arts Center in McKees Rocks.
In the Fall of 2004, Pearlann, with long-time friend and collaborator Ryan Hose, founded The Pillow Project: a multimedia, visually connecting collaboration, of which she is the artistic director and principal choreographer. Porter, along with the dancers of The Pillow Project, have received both audience and critical praise for their hyper-stylized choreography that "explodes in every direction and is compelling to the core" (The Pittsburgh Post Gazette) and have been featured in their anual list of Pittsburgh's Best In Dance for 2006. The Pillow Project has performed for the Pittsburgh Symphony's Concert F.O.R. Culture, The Crossroads Film Festival, WQED's On Q Magazine, KDKA-TV's Pittsburgh Today Live, The Shadyside Arts Festival, as well as successfully completing their first two seasons of original work.
Pearlann completed The Pillow Project's Summer/Fall 2006 season which included the production of their fouth and largest-scale endeavor, Striped, (featuring the music of national recording artists The White Stripes) for which they received a grant from The Heinz Endowment. Along side her good friends (and now also fellow artistic collaborators), Pearlann is leading The Pillow Project into the next phase of their evolution by blurring the line between its Video and Performance Departments. With full trust of the artists on board, she aims to direct the company into original and exciting work that will challenge and excite new and already artistically inclined audiences. Now in residence in the upstairs gallery space at Construction Junction, Pearlann and The Pillow Project intend to permanently root themselves in Pittsburgh and continue producing more visually encompassing work to define their mark as Pittsburgh's only 'contemporary hip-hop influenced jazz-based multimedia dance company'.
Karl von Rabenau (Ballet) - Soloist, Prior to joining the company, he danced with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for five seasons. Raised in Duluth, Minnesota, Mr. von Rabenau also performed with the Boston Ballet, Omaha Ballet and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. He received his dance training at the San FranciscoBalletSchool, BostonBalletSchool, Duluth Ballet and Minnesota Dance Theatre.
Jill Randolph(Teacher and Rehearsal Director) graduated from Point Park University in 2002 with a BFA in Dance with a concentration in Jazz. She has recently ended a two year contract dancing with Sesame Street Live. While portraying the characters of Ernie and Rosita, Jill toured the United States, Canada dn Mexico. Prior to Sesame Street Live, she performed in Italy, Greece and Australia as a member of the Karen Tobias Dance Company, where she is currently a teacher and choreographer. Jill also had the honor to work with choreographers such as Patti Obey, Ron Tassone, Doug Bentz, Sam Watson, Dean Harvey and Gus Giordano.
Cynthia Ridler (Teacher and Rehearsal Director) was born in Anchorage, AL, and brought up in Salt Lake City, UT, where she studied extensively with the renowned Willam F. Christensen. As a student, Ms. Ridler received scholarships to train with Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Aspen Summer Dance School and the Harid Conservatory. After attending the University of Utah on the Christensen Scholarship for Ballet, she joined the company of Ballet West and later the Cincinnati Ballet. Throughout her career, Ms. Ridler was privileged to perform for and work with such great contemporary choreographers as Paul Taylor, Val Caniparoli, John Neumier, Mauricio Wainrot, and Kirk Petersen. Her classical repertoire includes Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Giselle, Paquita and Raymonda. Ms. Ridler also had the opportunity to perform many of Balanchine's great works such as Theme and Variations, Who Cares?, Concerto Barroco, Symphony in C, Agon, The Four Temperaments, Scotch Symphony and Divertimento #15. Upon retiring, Ms. Ridler began to teach ballet full time while also completing a degree in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati. She and her daughter Lucy recently relocated to Pittsburgh from Jackson, MS, where she owned her own ballet studio and served as ballet mistress for the Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet, to be with her husband, Peter LeBreton Merz. She is currently on the adjunct faculty at Point Park University.
Nancy Schaffenburg (Ballet) - Radio City Music Hall, Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Former Director, Dance Theatre of Harlem School. Faculty, Point Park University.
Karen Simmons
David Storey (Jazz) - Mr. Storey has appeared in the original casts of 42nd Street and Peter Pan with Sandy Duncan on Broadway. David has also performed in various television specials and with theAmerican DanceMachine, Dallas Ballet, and in the movie He Said, She Said. In New York, David has taught for eighteen years at Steps on Broadway, the BroadwayDanceCenter, and the DanceSpaceCenter. David has also choreographed five Off-Broadway musicals including I' Just So with Andre Shields and Groucho, in addition to many musical productions in Japan. Developing his own contemporary style, David has taught master classes and choreographed work in Japan, Italy, Holland, Singapore, France, Brazil, Denmark and Finland. David had his own company, David Storey DanceWorks that performed in and around New York until 1998. During that time, the company performed a complete original Nutcracker and fourteen other new works. David has also taught for the American Theater Dance Workshop, New York Dance Intensive, Eglevsky Ballet, Dance Masters of America and was a visiting Professor at ShenandoahUniversity last year. This is David's tenth year teaching for International Summer Dance.
Susan Stowe (Artistic Director and Teacher) grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she began her dance studies and eventually joined the Milwaukee Ballet Company. Known for her vibrant performance quality and clean balletic lines, Susan is also noted for her strong dramatic and demi-character roles. Susan's fifteen-year performing career included Burklyn Ballet Theatre, BalletMet, Ballet Austin and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Among her most notable performances were leading roles in Choo' San Goh's Unknown Territory, The House of Bernarda Alba, Agnes DeMille's Fall River Legend, Glenn Tetley's Mythical Hunters, La Sylphide, The Nutcracker, Gaîté Parisienne, Paquita, Sir Fredrick Ashton's Les Patineurs, and Sir Kenneth McMillan's Elite Syncopations. Susan has served as adjunct Ballet Master and taught Master Classes for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, BalletMet, Pittsburgh Youth Ballet, the Dance Alloy, Allegheny Ballet, Hilton Head Dance Theatre, and Slippery Rock University. She was Master Teacher for the West Virginia's Governor's School for the Arts from 1995 through 1998 and was, along with colleague Ruth Leney-Midkiff, co-creator of the dance component of the West Virginia Elementary Arts Institute. In 1995, Susan joined the faculty of Point Park University, where she teaches ballet technique, pointe and variations in addition to staging classical repertoire including Paquita, Raymonda, The Sleeping Beauty and Don Quixote for the Playhouse Dance Company. Susan has been Master Teacher at the Regional Dance America Festival and the American College Dance Festival Association's National Gala. Susan has been Artistic Director of International Summer Dance since 1998 and was appointed Chair of the Department of Dance in 2002. As Chair, Susan continues to bring exciting and demanding new and established masterworks to the stage, highlighting the tremendous dancing and teaching talents housed within the Point Park studios.
Ron Tassone (Teacher and Choreographer) received a B.F.A. degree from The Juilliard School. He began his career in summer stock and, upon graduation, made his Broadway debut in Gypsy, followed by several other Broadway shows. He has appeared in various films and television shows. He established the jazz major within the Point Park Dance Program and assumed the role of Director of Dance for 10 years. Mr. Tassone has choreographed over 25 jazz dace works for performance at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
