MDAA 2021 SPRING WORKSHOP FACULTY - Montana Dance ...
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MDAA 2021 SPRING WORKSHOP FACULTY
BALLET
Alexis Drabek received her early dance training in Colorado and was
awarded scholarships to the summer programs of School of American Ballet
and Pacific Northwest Ballet. She attended Interlochen Arts Academy in
Michigan and was a NFAA/ARTS awardee in both Ballet and Modern. Ms.
Drabek earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Juilliard School in
NYC, where she trained under the country’s top ballet and modern teachers
including Benjamin Harkarvy, Hector Zaraspe, Stephen Pier, Alexandra Wells,
Lupe Serrano, Alphonse Poulin, Laura Glenn, Carolyn Adams, Linda Kent,
Jacqulyn Buglisi and Christine Dakin. As part of the Juilliard Dance Ensemble,
Ms. Drabek performed works by Colin Connor, Adam Hougland, Jose Limon,
Igal Perry, Abdul Rahim-Jackson, Maurice Wainrot and Reginald Yates. Ms.
Drabek also danced with Desmond Richardson at the Guggenheim’s Work &
Process: Picasso Dances, choreographed by George Faison. She has
performed with David Taylor Dance Theater, Kim Robards Dance, Diablo Ballet, Oakland Ballet,
Company C Contemporary Ballet, and BRIAH Danse, performing leading roles in works by Charles
Anderson, Patrick Corbin, Jayne Persch, James Sewell, Twyla Tharp and Antony Tudor. Ms. Drabek also
served as Ballet Mistress for Company C Contemporary Ballet and BRIAH Danse, assisting many
choreographers including Maurice Causey, Dennis Nahat, Peter Anastos, and Susan Jaffe. Ms. Drabek
currently lives in Lakewood, Colorado and is on faculty at the Colorado Ballet Academy.
Jazz/Musical Theater
Sean McKnight brings over 20 years of experience in professional theatre
to The Hybrid Agency. Together with owner/founder Rikky Fishbein, their
clients appear nightly on Broadway, in national touring companies, and on
stages across the world as well as appearing regularly on TV and film. As a
performer, Sean has an extensive list of credits on Broadway/Tour
including Anything Goes, Shrek, Curtains, A Christmas Story, The
Producers, 42nd Street, Cinderella, and Annie Get Your Gun. His
choreography has earned him nominations for both the Ovation! and LA
Drama Critics Circle Awards. He holds a BFA degree in Musical Theatre from
the University of Michigan and is currently on faculty at The New School.
Contemporary
Mary Tarpley began dancing under the tutelage of Frances Taylor in
Durango, Colorado. She continued her training nationally at Interlochen
Arts Academy and internationally at The Rambert School of Ballet and
Contemporary Dance in London. After graduating, Mary danced with
companies all over the world. Upon returning to the US, Mary danced
with State Street Ballet, as a Soloist for Santa Barbara Ballet, a Principal
for City Ballet of L.A., and Invertigo Dance Theatre. In Chicago, Mary has
been a First Company member of Chicago Dance Crash, danced for Civic
Ballet of Chicago, Chicago Repertory Ballet, Be The Groove, and Dance
For Life, to name a few. Mary has also done an extensive amount of print
and video work for dance, including Jordan Matter’s Dancers Among Us
and Dancers After Dark. Mrs. Tarpley has taught in Chicago at Hubbard
Street Youth Dance Program, as a Company Director for Lake Forest
Dance Academy, and as a Ballet Mistress at OYT. She is on summer
faculty for Ballet Durango in Colorado, coaches for Youth American Grand Prix, and teaches master
classes around the country and abroad. Additionally, she tours the country as a competition judge,
including Dance Worlds. Mary recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from DePaul University where
she received dual degrees in Mathematics and Physics. Now back in Los Angles, Mary continues to
teach, choreograph, and perform.
Tap
Chris Rutledge started his dance training at 19 in Alabama, by the
renowned Lisa Lyndon. He has training in Tap, Jazz, and Ballet, but his
Professional Career is mainly Tap Dance and Body Percussion. Chris has Co-
choreographed/performed in tap shows for both Universal Studios
Hollywood and Disneyland. He also helped co-write, co-produce, and co-
choreograph performances and full-length stage shows, for the leading
step/body percussion group MOLODI (mo.lah.dee), out of Las Vegas. He
choreographed and was featured in a body percussion number for Italian
pop star, Tiziano Ferro, called ‘Per Dono’, for his world tour. ‘Hines/Pollock’
is an award-winning Performance Art act he created in 2010 as ‘the Tap
Artist’, where paintings are made by tapdancing in paint, on a canvas! He
wrote a full stage show called Foot Prints of a Tap Dancer, which was seen
with his company the FYV group, around LA and in the Hollywood Fringe
Festival. Chris is a premier performer in the new Holiday Tap Show based out of Minneapolis, MN called
“Who Brought The Humbug!?” In the summer of 2019, he spent 4 months in Turkey with All Stars
Entertainment for a 5-Star Resort touring show as a performer. He has been a judge/instructor for over
10 years with companies such as DEA, Dance Olympus, Canadian Dance Teachers Association,
Starquest, Dance Talent Challenge, and Spotlight! For 20 years, Chris has been sought-after
internationally as an instructor and choreographer for competition, concert, and film purposes. Chris is
extra excited about his new position as Tap Master at the world-famous Columbia Performing Arts
Center, where he will add his style and technique to an already stellar faculty.
Afrofusion
Leslie A. Yancey has directed her own dance/theatre company, worked
and toured professionally in Europe, South America, and the States, and
has taught in both private and public schools for over 30 years. She was
introduced to West African and Haitian based dance by Elise Smith Gent
in Santa Fe, NM and has done several workshops with Youssouf
Kombassa, the Baryshikov of African Dance, and many other artists from
Africa. She has been to Tanzania, East Africa where she taught Teacher
workshops combining Creative Movement & Academics. She has taught
Afrofusion classes with live drumming now for over 10 years throughout
the Flathead Valley.
Afrofusion is earthy, grounded and can be energetic movement. It
embraces all physical abilities and diverse body types. She loves to
share the experience of dancing and live drumming with others as it
puts a smile on your face and in your heart.
Beyond The Steps
Ballet II
Wendy Masterson has an extensive career as an educator,
administrator, choreographer, and artist that spans 40 years. Upon
retiring from Interlochen Arts Academy (Michigan) in 2016, she opened
The Motion Space in Montana where she combines her background as
a Body-Mind Centering® Practitioner and Infant Developmental
Movement Educator; GYROTONIC® Pre-Trainer/Trainer and
GYROKINESIS® Trainer; Somatic Dance Educator; and Reiki Master in
working with infants through adults on balancing movement, fitness
and recuperation. She holds sessions online and in her studio. Wendy
served on the BMCA Board of Directors for six years and co-directed
The Kinesthetic Learning Center, a BMCsm licensed training program.
She has presented her work at international somatic movement and
dance medicine conferences and has written articles for somatic
journals and other publications.
Jazz II
Alissa Tucker is a professional dancer, actor, and singer originally from
Missoula, Montana. At eighteen Alissa moved to New York City to intern and
train at Broadway Dance Center. While living in New York Alissa had the
privilege of performing in NYC Fashion Week, Off Broadway with Coco and
the Vanity Vixens and in several regional theatre productions. Some
favorites include West Side Story (Graziella), Peter Pan (Tiger Lily), Cats
(Silabub), 42nd Street and the regional premier of Saturday Night Fever.
With over ten years of professional experience spanning from coast-to-coast
Alissa has done everything from musical theater to music videos, film,
commercials, and cruise ships. A NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Corrective
Exercise Specialist, Yoga Teacher and Master Trainer at AKT; Alissa has
trained celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Hilary Duff, Nicole Scherzinger and
Dakota Fanning. Alissa also has a passion for teaching dance and sharing her
knowledge and experience with next generations of artists. She spent two semesters teaching Jazz for
the Ballet Department at The University of Utah. She has also had the joy of teaching all over the
country as a master teacher and choreographing multiple award-winning competition numbers. During
her time in Los Angeles Alissa performed in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with
SYTYCD choreographer Dave Scott and in La Mirada’s production of South Pacific with director Glenn
Casale. Most recently, Alissa appeared in the movie musical, Christmas on the Square with Dolly Parton,
directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen. Alissa is so grateful to do what she loves for a living and
to have the opportunity to share her passion with others through performing and teaching.
Contemporary II
Rylee Moore is from Missoula, Montana and grew up dancing at Ballet
Arts Academy under Michele Antonioli studying primarily ballet. Rylee
attended University of North Carolina School for the Arts as a high school
ballet major and then contemporary major. Rylee then studied at London
Contemporary Dance School for two years studying release-based
techniques, flying low, Cunningham, improvisation, and somatic work with
various focuses. Rylee has had the chance to work with Bare Bait Dance a
number of times here in Montana as a dancer, as well as performed in North
Carolina and London. Rylee is currently a teacher at Ballet Arts Academy and
hopes to continue teaching, creating, and dancing more in the near future.
Tap II
Andie LoPresti is a lifetime tapper and a Feat x Feet alumna,
performing and working with talents such as Derick K. Grant, Aaron
Tolson, Michelle Dorrance, Sarah Petronio, Carson Murphy Young, and
more. She spends the majority of her free time with her husband and
two rescue dogs, and lives to dance, draw, paint, play the cello and
piano, and listen to The Beatles.
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