Performer Bios
Andre Zachery
Andre Zachery studied architecture and dance at Florida A & M University and Florida State University before transferring to the Ailey/Fordham BFA program. At the Ailey School, he performed works by William Forsythe, Robert Battle, Christopher Huggins, Séan Curran, Elisa Monte, Dwight Rhoden, Nathan Trice, Paul Taylor, and Alvin Ailey. He has also trained and performed works by Ronald K. Brown and Alonzo King. Andre is an alum of Jacob’s Pillow and has danced with Nathan Trice/RITUALS Productions and the Elisa Monte Dance Company.
Dana Dlugosz
Dana Lynn Dlugosz, born and raised in Sellersville, PA, began her formal dance training with Deanna Schubert of Quakertown, PA. Ms. Dlugosz continued her training with Lisa Wasserman of Hatfield, PA followed by a scholarship to Princeton Ballet School, NJ in their Professional Training Program. At Princeton Ballet Dana was invited by artistic director Graham Lustig of American Repertory Ballet to perform Snow and Flowers in the company's Nutcracker.
Joy Havens
Joy Havens began her career performing with Dance Kaleidoscope under the direction of David Hochoy and with the Gregory Hancock Dance Theater in Indianapolis, Indiana. She continued her training at The Ohio State University and attended workshops at Jacob's Pillow and the American Dance Festival on a merit scholarship. Joy's professional credits include: New York Baroque Dance Company, TEA under the direction of Ella Ben-Aharon and Sahar Javedani, High Jinx Stilt Dance Theater, Sarah Edgar/Dance, Lorena Egan Dance and the Bronx Opera among others. She toured India for two months with Thresh under the direction of Preeti Vasudevan, performing in nine cities. She recently performed with the Metropolitain Opera in Orfeo ed Euridice, directed by Mark Morris. She has been recognized with an Award of Merit for Performance from the National Society of Arts and Letters.
Paul Struck
Paul Struck is a native of Pensacola Florida, where he began his dance training studying tap, jazz and theatre-dance, performing with many regional dance and theatre companies. Mr. Struck started his modern dance training at Pensacola Junior College studying the techniques of Doris Humphrey and Jose Limon. In 1984 he moved to Philadelphia to work with Danceteller, under the direction of Trina Collins, where he created numerous roles in original works combining modern dance and traditional theatre techniques.
Scott Lowe
Scott Lowe is a boxer who got interested in engineering, an engineer who got interested in dancing, and a dancer getting interested in writing and standup comedy. He was born and raised (and fought) in the Chicago area, earned his industrial engineering bachelor's degree at Stanford University, which logically (of course) led to an MFA degree in dance performance from Ohio State. He danced for two seasons with Pittsburgh's Dance Alloy Theater, originating roles for Donald Byrd, David Parker, and director Beth Corning. He continues to learn and teach hip hop styles.
Past Performers
Guillermo Ortega
Guillermo Ortega Tanus, a recipient of Performing Artists Fellowship 07-08 from FONCA (National Foundation of Culture and Arts), has had opportunities to perform works by various artists and companies in Mexico and the US: UX Onodanza, A poc A poc, Eterno Caracol, Magdalena Brezzo, Eun Jung Choi-Gonzalez, Kelly Nipper, MIRO Dance Theatre and David Gordon's Pick Up Performance Co.
Jil Stifel
Jil Stifel holds a BFA in dance from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. She is a former company member of Attack Theatre, performing extensively since 2000 in Japan, Monaco, Indonesia, Germany and throughout the United States. She was delighted to perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as the princess in l'Histoire du Soldat.
Kristin Osler
Kristin Osler began her training at the South Dayton School of Dance in Ohio, where she was a member of a pre-professional dance company for eight years. She spent summers training at various programs, including the Dayton Ballet, Pittsburgh Youth Ballet, Point Park College, Boston Ballet, and ABT.
Melissa Toogood
A native of Sydney Australia, Melissa studied at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, Sydney, before moving to the States to recieve her B.F.A in Dance Performance from New World School of the Arts College under Dean Daniel Lewis. Performing works by Jose Limon, Jennifer Muller, Robert Battle, Merce Cunningham, Geri Houlihan, Fred Bratcher and new works by Michael Uthoff and Peter London.
Renee Robinson-Buzby
Renee Robinson-Buzby began her dance training at Dance Theater ofPennsylvania under Marilyn Budzynski, before attending North CarolinaSchool for the Arts where she studied under Susan McCullough, MelissaHayden, Duncan Noble, among others, and performed the repertory ofAlonzo King. She then moved to Virginia to dance professionally withRichmond Ballet.
Rick Callender
Rick Callender began his dance training in Miami, with the New World School for the Arts, and the Martha Mahr School of Ballet. He then moved to Seattle where he trained with Pacific Northwest Ballet. After accepting a position with the Washington Ballet he participated in the Kennedy Center's 25th anniversary, which eventually led to his working with Suzanne Farrell Ballett.