Tucson Dance Academy 2010 Summer Dance intensive

Guest Faculty

Kirk Henning

Ballet-Jazz-Tumbling-Choreography

Kirk Henning began his training in the west suburbs of Chicago under the tutelage of Watmora Casey and Avnun Yakabov.  He began his professional career in Dayton Ohio with the Dayton Ballet and performed many title roles with national and international choreographers Steven Mills, Septime Webre, and Gerold Arpino.  In 2003 Henning was recognized by the Dayton Dance Community with The Josie Award for individual excellence in dance.  Kirk currently dances as a principle artist with the Richmond Ballet and a Premier Guest Artist with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet Co.  In 2007 Suzanne Farrell in collaboration with the Kennedy Center in New York City awarded Kirk with the Movado Future Legends Award.

Mr Henning frequently guests around the country at various Dance Academies and Schools.  He is excited to be part of the Tucson Dance Academy Summer Dance Intensive.

Ashley Bowman

Ballet-Jazz-Pointe-Choreography

Ashley Bowman is a Co-artistic Director and founding member of Artifact Dance Project, a small company focused on integrating dance, live music and film.

Ashley most recently received her Masters of Fine Arts in dance at the University of Arizona (in addition to her B.F.A) where she was the recipient of the generous Maria Mandell Memorial Scholarship, The Creative Achievement Award 2008 and The Outstanding Teachers Assistant Award 2009 from the College of Fine Arts.  Some of her performance roles at UA Dance included principle in Balanchine’s Allegro Brilliante and Serenade.  She received her early training at Ballet Arts in Tucson, AZ.  Part of her undergraduate studies included Point Park University, Pittsburgh where she performed works by Robert Battle and Margo Sappington (to name a couple).

Prior to returning to Tucson, Ashley danced professionally for Ohio Ballet under the direction of Jeffrey Graham Hughes for three seasons where she performed works by choreographers such as Lynne Taylor Corbett, Sam Watson, Cynthia Gregory and Bengt Jörgen.
In January 2009 Ashley and Joshua Blake Carter (with the support of UA Dance) founded “Dance in the RED” which raised over $9,000 for the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation.
She is the owner and founder of Sheaz Designs, a graphic design business and is the designer for UA School of Dance and Art.if.Act Dance Project. In addition to choreography, Ashley enjoys directing films inspired by dance.  Film credits include:
A Sleeper’s Wake, A Bohemian Departure, All Men Are Mortal, Tragedystrike and Laundromats and Dreamdestroyers.

Jessica Galgiani

Pilates

Jessica Galgiani a lifelong devotee of movement arts, Jessica began studying Pilates in 2001 with Tracie Munn as part of her ballet training with Ballet Tucson. She became a certified Pilates teacher through Corinna Quintana of Lotus Pilates, Indiana, in the tradition of the Pilates Center of Boulder. Jessica continued her study with Marie-Jose Blom and completed a comprehensive certification through Long Beach Dance Conditioning. Jessica also attended Indiana University receiving a Bachelor of Science in both Ballet and Biology.

Through teaching Pilates Jessica wishes to “help others explore movement, developing an increased awareness of the body and strengthening newly discovered muscled and movement pathways to better support the body and help free the body aches and pains or restrictions of motion.” She believes, as our studio does, that “people from all walks of life can benefit from a mind/body connection, and Pilates is a great tool for exploring the self!”

Guest Faculty: Elizabeth George

Yoga

ELIZABETH GEORGE, Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Advisor studied with The School of American Ballet, Ballet Arts in Tucson and Cleveland School of Ballet. She did her undergraduate work as a scholarship student at the University of Arizona, and in May of 2000 graduated Cum Laude with her BFA in Dance and was the recipient of the Maria C. Mandell Memorial Scholarship. Upon graduation she moved to Ohio and danced with the Dayton Ballet. There she worked with nationally recognized choreographers such as Dermot Burke, Stephen Mills, Luis Fuente, and David Nixon. Following her work with the Dayton Ballet, she returned to the University of Arizona and received her Masters in Fine Arts in the spring of 2005 in addition to performing as a guest artist with Ballet Tucson.

While in graduate school, she enjoyed performing works by James Clouser, Amy Ernst, Jory Hancock, Melissa Lowe, and Bella Lewitsky. She is beginning her sixth year as ballet faculty at the University of Arizona. In addition, she teaches and choreographs in the Tucson community and recently received her yoga certification.  She is excited to once again be working with the Dancers at TDA.

Resident Faculty: Cory J. Gram

(Dance Intensive Director) Ballet-Modern

Mr Gram began dancing at the late age of fourteen with the Canton Ballet under the directorship of Cassandra Crowley and later graduated high school from the world renowned private dance school, The Harid Conservatory. He accepted a full ride scholarship to Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana where his repertoire grew throughout the many contemporary and classical ballets performed as well as receiving his foundation in the pedagogical study of dance . He graduated with his BFA in 2000 and joined Dayton Ballet a professional ballet company Ohio. Here under Dermot Burke, artistic and executive director, Gram performed in many ballets and collaborations with choreographers Jeffrey Graham Hughes, Luis Fuente, Stephen Mills, Septime Weber, and many more.

In 2004 Mr. Gram left the professional arena to once again pursue his MFA in dance at the University of Arizona, having the opportunity to teach and perform works by George Balanchine, Ben Stevenson, and Paul Sanasardo. After graduating he returned to the professional world of dance at Ballet Tucson working with ballet greats from American Ballet Theater, Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner.

He has been with TDA since it doors opened educating the dancers in classical ballets such as “The Sleeping Beauty” which was recently shown in TDA’s past performances. He looks forward to many more seasons.