Registration is OPEN NOW!
Please use the link above to complete the registration form and secure your spot to dance with us this Spring. To ensure intimacy and an individualized training experience for our workshop participants spots will be limited.
Day Passes for April Workshop are now available! Join us for 1 or 2 days of our weekend workshop. It is required that dancers participate in the workshop day(s) in their entirety.
We can’t wait to dance with you! Xxx
APRIL FACULTY:
Learn more about our incredible April Workshop Faculty below!
JULIANNE PEDERSEN
Dean and Director of Dance, Chapman University
Modern Foundations / Q+A
Julianne O’Brien has a background in the field of dance as a performer, choreographer, academic leader, and dance educator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Connecticut College, a Master of Fine Arts from the Ohio State University, and is certified yoga instructor and Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst.
Prior to joining Chapman University, she served as the Dean of the School of Dance at Dean College in Massachusetts and as program director and professor at Eastern Michigan University. She teaches modern techniques, pedagogy, dance history, career seminars, yoga, Bartenieff Fundamentals, Laban movement analysis, improvisation, and choreography.
Julianne performed as a founding member and soloist for fourteen years with the Peter Sparling Dance Company. While with Sparling, who was a member of both the Limon Company and the Graham Company, she had the opportunity to train deeply in two foundational modern techniques. She has also had the privilege of performing with William (Bill) Evans, and in repertory by Isadora Duncan set by Lori Bellilove. She has choreographed more than fifty works that have been seen in venues across the states and in El Salvador and received numerous grants and awards for choreography including funding from the US Embassy in El Salvador, and selection for the 2016 American College Regional Dance Festival.
An interest in K–12 movement integration curriculum has spanned two decades: receiving multiple grants from the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children to work with under-served K–3 students in science and history classes; developing math in motion curriculum with the Malashock Dance School in San Diego, CA; multiple year teaching residencies with Malashock and Freese elementary school; and spear-heading movement curriculum into the Franklin, MA public schools in partnership with college internship programs.
BRET EASTERLING
Modern Faculty, University of Southern California
GAGA
Bret Easterling has been surrounded by dance ever since he was born in Palo Alto, CA. After growing up in his mother’s dance studio, his career began at the age of seven, dancing in commercial work including a duet with Angela Lansbury in Mrs. Santa Claus, and in Fiona Apple’s music video for Paper Bag. At the age of 11, he was a founding member of Teen Dance Company of the Bay Area, an original cast member of New York Stage Original’s Tap Kids, and an annual performer in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
After high school, Bret moved to New York City to study at The Juilliard School, where he received his BFA and the Hector Zaraspe Prize for Choreography in 2010. While in school, he was a formative member of Andrea Miller’s Gallim Dance, and a guest performer with Buglisi Dance Theatre.Bret received his BFA and the Hector Zaraspe Prize for Choreography from The Juilliard School and was a formative member for Gallim Dance. After graduating, Bret joined Batsheva Dance Company under the direction of Ohad Naharin.
During his time in Tel Aviv, he became a certified Gaga teacher and an Ilan Lev Method practitioner. Bret currently teaches at USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and is the Artistic Director of BEMOVING, an LGBTQ+ led nonprofit that builds nurturing communal environments for the research, development, and dissemination of dance works and movement practices.
LIZ MAXWELL
Modern Faculty, Chapman University
Somatic Disciplines / Creative Processes
Liz Maxwell, MFA, CLMA, RSME, is an associate professor of dance at Chapman University, specializing in teaching somatic disciplines, modern dance techniques, dance history, and choreography. She received her BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School.
Liz went on to earn her MFA in Dance at the University of Washington’s unique “returning professional” program where she honed an interest in dance aesthetics and philosophy. While attending UW, she was a member of the Chamber Dance Ensemble, a company dedicated to the preservation and reconstruction of historically significant dance works, and there performed in seminal works by Isadora Duncan, Danny Buraczeski, Louis Falco, Doris Humphrey, Laura Dean, and Zvi Gotheiner. Liz has taught in many dance programs such as The California Institute of the Arts, Loyola Marymount University, CalPoly-Pomona, Rio Hondo College, UC Riverside, California State University—Long Beach, Scripps College, and Pomona College.
In addition, she is a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst (CLMA) through Integrated Movement Studies (IMS), and a Registered Somatic Movement Educator (RSME) through the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). Current research projects include papers, workshops, and performances presented at The Congress on Research in Dance, The Society of Dance History Scholars, Motus Humanus, American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA), National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), and she chaired a recent panel for NDEO and ISMETA's special topic on somatics which she titled "If They Build it...Will They Come? How to Integrate Somatic Education into Post-Secondary Dance Curriculum."
DOUG BAUM
Ballet and Modern Faculty, University of Southern California
Contemporary / Modern
Doug Baum began his dance training in Maryland at Mid-Atlantic Center for the Performing Arts before graduating from the Baltimore School for the Arts in 2006. In 2010, Doug received his B.F.A. from Fordham University in collaboration with The Ailey School, where he apprenticed with Ailey II. Since graduating, he has performed with Rock the Ballet, Compagnie Flak, Les Ballets Jazz and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Doug has completed three seasons with Zhukov Dance Theater in addition to guesting with Peridance, Ezdanza, Thang Dao, and Company XIV. Most recently Doug finished his last tour with LA Dance Project under the direction of Benjamin Millepied & is now an adjunct instructor at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.
BONNIE ODA-HOMSEY
Former Adjudicate Professor and Faculty, University of Southern California
Career Development for Young Artists / "Your New Role" Parent Seminar
Bonnie Oda Homsey is founding director of Los Angeles Dance Foundation providing career consultancy services to artists and organizations. She serves on the board and co-chairs the Program Committee for Gold Standard ArtsFoundation, a national resource for AAPI creatives. For 20 years, Bonnie was Chair of Dance for The Princess Grace Foundation USA and has served on funding panels including National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, United States Artists, and California Arts Council.
She has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor at USC Kaufman School of Dance, and Special Faculty at California Institute for the Arts. A member of the Martha Graham Company, directed by Ms. Graham, she toured internationally and performed works with Rudolph Nureyev and Dame Margot Fonteyn. She is an alum of The Juilliard School and established a named endowed scholarship for their AAPI dancers, and a dance scholarship at Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu, Hawaii. Bonnie received a M.F.A. in Dance as the Chancellor’s Fellowshiprecipient from UC, Irvine, and is the recipient of two Lester Horton Awards.
FIONA EDDY
Ballet and Modern Faculty, University of Southern California
Contemporary Ballet / Jiri Kylian (NDT) Repertoire
Fiona Lummis-Eddy was a principal dancer for two decades with the Netherlands Dance Theatre, and was involved in over thirty creations by Jiri Kylian, Hans Van Manen, Nacho Duato, Ohad Naharin, Christopher Bruce and Mats Ek among other choreographers, as well as dancing featured roles in ballets by William Forsythe, Jerome Robbins, Lar Lubovitch and Glen Tetley and many more. Ms. Lummis is a graduate of the Elmhurst School of Dance in Birmingham, England and the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London. Fiona now is on faculty of Los Angeles High School of the Arts as well as University of Southern California giving ballet lectures and staging Repertoire.
EMILY WANSERSKI
Creative Financial Advisor and Career Coach, LMU, University of Michigan, UCLA
Introduction to Finance for Young Artists
Emily Wanserski has worked with cultural nonprofits, for-profit entertainment entities, higher education institutions, and multiple public agencies. With 10+ years of experience in LA's creative economy, she collaborates with entrepreneurs and artists to bring light to immediate action items that get them closer to their vision. Selected clients, projects, and employers include: the Annenberg Foundation, Arts Bridging the Gap, Barak Ballet, Banjee Ball/Purple Crush, BODYTRAFFIC, Boeing, Chicago Bulls, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, City of West Hollywood, Ground Grooves TV, Intel, Invertigo Dance Theatre, Jim Henson Company, LA Contemporary Dance Company, LA Follies, MashUp Contemporary Dance Company, Marissa Labog, Melanie George, MUDA, Nike, Royal Shakespeare Company, Suarez Dance Theater, Sundance Film Festival, Teresa Toogie Barcelo, University of Southern California, UP Productionz, and WHYTEBERG.
Emily has taught at AMDA, CalState LA, LMU, Santa Monica College, UCLA, and the University of Michigan, and she was honored to be part of the Artist Campaign School's inaugural cohort in 2017. Emily holds dual degrees, BA in Political Science & BFA in Dance, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
PAIGE BOROWSKI
Collegiate Arts Prep, Founder and Director
Event Artistic Director / Ballet / Networking
Paige Borowski received her BFA degree from The Juilliard School in 2018. There she studied under world renowned instructors and choreographers, including: Jiri Kylian, Crystal Pite, Aszure Barton, Ohad Naharin, Pam Tanowitz, and Bobbi Jene Smith. She continued on to dance in Switzerland for the Ballett Theater Basel where she performed and toured works by Bryan Arias, Johan Inger, Jiri Porkorny, Alexander Ekman, and Sharon Eyal. In addition, Paige was on faculty for the Ballettschule Theater Basel, where she assisted in developing their Modern and youth programs. Paige is on faculty at Orange County High School of the Arts and is now the founder and director of a collegiate arts preparation program, Collegiate Arts Prep, and currently continues to live and work in Orange County, CA.
*Faculty Subject to Change
Location and additional details coming soon!