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Alma Wiley - Executive Co-Director, Artistic Director, & Teacher |
| A native of Columbus she received her BFA in dance from George Mason University where she performed modern dance and managed the GMU Dance Company. She performed professionally with the Claudia Murphy Dance Company, Lesa McLaughlin and Dancers, and CODA. She received her M.S. in dance from Indiana University in 1989. Ms. Wiley co-founded Dancers Studio, Inc. in 1991. She is an artist for Very Special Arts Indiana. Ms. Wiley has worked as an artist-in-education for the Indiana Arts Commission. She was the recipient of an IAC Individual Artist's Fellowship and the Jaffe Hall Emerging Choreographers Award. She was a performing member of Dancers, Inc. Currently, in addition to being the Director, she teaches and choreographs for Dancers, Inc. and Dancers Studio, Inc. Ms. Wiley was previously on the faculty of Earlham College. |
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The teaching staff includes: |
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Barbara Watt Jorck - Teacher |
| B Watt Jorck started dance training at the age of eight with ballet and tap. In high school she switched to modern dance and began working with a liturgical dance group in Holland, Michigan. She earned a B.A. in Mathematics from Hope College in Holland, Michigan while taking dance classes and performing. She went on to study dance at the University of Iowa and Indiana University. She has been dancing with our dance company, Dancers., Inc., for ten years. B also performs as a mime. |
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George Salinas - Teacher |
| George Salinas attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas, where he was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts finalist for his Mexican “Folklorico” dancing. George received his formal dance training from Denise Vale and Austin Hartel at the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance Pedagogy. While at the university, he was a guest dancer with the SD Prism Dance Theatre in Seattle, Washington, and a scholarship student with the American Dance Festival from 2001 through 2003. George has worked with renowned artists and choreographers: Tatiana Baganova, Kevin Brown, Chuck Davis, Luis Montero, Earl Mosely, Dennis Marshall, and Donald McKayle. He also has danced with Ballet Dallas and Oklahoma Festival Ballet Mexico Lindo Dance Company, and the Modern Repertory Dance Theatre. He is currently in his fifth season with Dance Kaleidoscope. |
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Mariel Greelee - Teacher |
| Mariel Greenlee is originally from Vestal, New York. She received her BA from Point Park University and studied in New York City at Dance Space, The Paul Taylor School and the David Parsons Workshop. She has also worked with Robert Battle, Margo Sappingtion, Doug Bentz, Beth Corning, Jana Hicks and others. This is her fourth season with Dance Kaleidoscope. She has also recently received a grant funding studies at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, an opportunity made possible in part by the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. |
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Brooke Wyatt - Teacher |
| Brooke Wyatt has an extensive ballet and arts administration background, having most recently served as Artistic Administrator of both the 2006 and 2010 USA International Ballet Competition (USA IBC) in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. Brooke trained with Dame Sonia Arova, Thor Sutowski, and Therese Laeger at the Alabama School of Fine Arts; she earned her bachelor’s degree in dance education from Brenau University. Brooke was a company member of the Gainesville Ballet Company and has also danced with several modern dance companies. She has worked as an instructor and teaching artist in Atlanta and New York City with organizations such as American Ballet Theatre, New Dance Group Arts Center, North Atlanta Center for the Performing Arts, Dancewave, and Pentacle. Brooke currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana. |
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Amanda Lahti - Teacher |
| Ms. Lahti’s early studies were with Oklahoma Indian Ballerind Moscelyne Larkin. She earned her BFA in Ballet Performance from the University of Oklahoma, appearing with Oklahoma Festival Ballet (Balse Fantasie, Swan Lake, Camina Burana, The Nutcracker), Modern Repertory Dance Theatre (Openings), and the Musical Theatre Department (A Chorus Line). Ms. Lahti danced professionally with the Louisville Ballet and has had the pleasure of working with JCC Center Stage (La Cage aux Folles, Grease, Guys & Dolls, Chicago) and Music Theatre Louisville (West Side Story, Beauty & The Beast). Her other credits include: Discoveryland! Outdoor Theatre (Oklahoma), Tulsa Ballet (Rhymetron, The Nutcracker) and Tulsa Opera (Aida, The Merry Widow). Amanda has taught and choreographed for Dancers’ Pointe, Michael Thomas Dance Center, and JoAnn Fryrear School of Dance. |
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Robert McFarland - Teacher |
| A native of Santa Cruz, California, Robert McFarland began dancing at the age of 22 after training as an actor. As a classical dancer he has choreographed, taught and performed internationally with numerous professional companies, including Ballet Arizona, Louisville Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theater and The Gothenburg Ballet in Sweden. He has also appeared with the New York City Opera, in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Aida with Pavarotti and created a role in the American premier of Henze's opera Venus und Adonis with Santa Fe Opera. He has taught and performed at the famed Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and, in addition, has studied the repertoire of Bob Fosse with Chet Walker and Gwen Verdon. A versatile performer, Robert has also worked as an actor appearing in lead roles in The Rocky Horror Show, Psycho, Beach Party, A Chorus Line, Welcome to the Moon, and Valparaiso. |
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Valerie Hopkins - Teacher |
| Valerie Hopkins hails from Lawton, Oklahoma, where she earned her BFA in ballet performance from the University of Oklahoma while on full scholarship. She has danced professionally with Southwest Oklahoma Dance Alliance, Oklahoma Festival Ballet, Ohio Dance Theatre, and most recently with Louisville Ballet. Her performing has allowed her to travel abroad to many countries including France and Mexico. Some of Valerie's favorite roles have been Marie Taglioni in Robert Joffrey's Pas de Deeses, The Woman in Red in James Clouser's Carmena Burana, Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, and Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker. Valerie has enjoyed teaching and choreographing all levels of dnace over the last 10 years and is currently performing with Louisville Kentucky's CenterStage. |
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