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MEET THE ARTISTS:
KATIE KASARI / KASARI DANCE
Katie Kasari is the Director and Producer of Louisville Dance Series, which she founded in 2016. Katie also directs a rotating collective of dancers under the name Kasari Dance, producing new modern dance works each year. Katie received her early dance training in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and graduated with a B.A. in Dance from DeSales University. She has performed and taught extensively throughout the Northeast, and was Co-Founder and Artistic Director of a Philadelphia-based modern dance company, VADA Dance Collective, from 2005-2013. Since moving to Louisville, Katie has choreographed for Moving Collective, Suspend Performing Arts, and Vandivier Ford Dance Company, and participated in outreach programs such as Kentucky Refugee Ministries’ ‘We Create’ World Refugee Week Festival, the Americana Festival, and New Hope Services ACES program for adults with intellectual disabilities. She is currently an instructor at Louisville Dance Alliance and Louisville Academy of Fine Arts. Katie is committed to creating and furthering dance opportunities in Louisville through performance and outreach. Follow Louisville Dance Series on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on happenings and performances!
ACADEMY OF FLAMENCO ARTS
Academy of Flamenco Arts is dedicated to promoting and inspiring appreciation of the Spanish culture by providing authentic flamenco dance and music entertainment as well as educational programming. With company artists and students from Argentina, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and the States, we pride ourselves on being diverse, culturally rich and collaborative. Collectively, our company dancers and musicians have trained and performed with dozens of world-renowned Flamenco artists in order to grow in their knowledge and experience of the art form. This group of talented artists has been entertaining crowds at community festivals, university events, fundraisers and more as well as captivating audiences in more intimate settings such as wine dinners and cafes in the Greater Louisville area for almost 15 years. Academy of Flamenco Arts offers classes for adults and children at their studio in the Highlands located at 1228 East Breckinridge Street. All classes and programming are available in both Spanish and English. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
AMBO DANCE THEATRE
Ambo Dance Theatre is a local modern and post-modern dance company under the direction of Amberly M. Simpson, formally established in April of 2019. Their work is often interdisciplinary in nature, combining elements from theatre, film, photography, and visual arts to create works that touch on social issues and the human condition. Using a collaborative model for creation, Ambo Dance Theatre not only presents the unique voice of the choreographer, but also the direct input and movement vocabulary of the dancers themselves to create innovative, integrative, and original modern dance works.
JORDAN CLARK / CIRQUELOUIS
Jordan Clark is a Louisville native and circus performer. He graduated from the prestigious National Circus School of Montreal in 2012. In 2018 he took on the role of Artistic Director for local circus company Cirquelouis. Jordan has performed in over 25 countries and is excited to bring his work back to the community in his home town. www.CirqueLouis.com
YINGHAO DONG
Yinghao Dong is a professional dancer, choreographer and educator focused on Chinese classic dance and folk dance. She received her Bachelors of Arts degree in Dance Performance and Education from Wuhan Conservatory of Music in China. She is a registered dance teacher of Chinese Dancers Association, dance teacher of Chinese Folk dance grade test center, and Hubei Dancer's Association. After moving to the US, she was granted Alien of Extraordinary Ability (EB1A) on dance performing/choreography by the US government. She has engaged in dance teaching for over 15 years in China and the US. In 2019, she founded Spirit of Arts Education Center (SAEC). She hopes to use the education center as a platform to promote Chinese cultural heritage and exchange between east and west.
TREVOR EDWARDS
Trevor Dylan Edwards is a native of Glasgow, KY, and a 2013 graduate of the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts for Dance. He holds a B.A. in Dance and a minor in Performing Arts Administration from Western Kentucky University. During his time at WKU, Edwards developed a work called "The Lunar Effect" alongside mentor Meghen McKinley through research uncovering choreographic storytelling combined with dance on film technologies receiving honors for this Faculty Undergraduate Student Engagement Grant. He has danced with Numinous Flux Dance Company of Nashville, TN; Jon Lehrer Dance Company; and he has spent a year teaching and choreographing at Wrk. Plc. for Dancers under the direction of Jessi Peralta. This past summer, Edwards enjoyed being back with his Foster family for his 4th year with the Stephen Foster Drama Association in Bardstown, KY. This past fall (2019), Edwards made a major, intentional career shift, giving up the opportunities offered by metropolitan living and national touring to fulfill a lifelong dream: to bring dance to rural spaces-- artistically "barren" lands-- starting with his hometown of Glasgow in Barren County, KY. Friend and dance colleague Abbey Lutts and partner Christopher Hobdy together with Edwards formed the team to open SOMA-- a dance studio and community of dancers making dance accessible to all ages, sizes, shapes, colors, orientations, genders, and bodies because "every body" is a dance body. SOMA works to "unearth movement as a vital form of expression" in everyday living and people. Visit somaky.org for more information.
ABI ELLIOTT
Abi Elliott trained at Allegro Dance Theatre and expanded her studies through The Kentucky Center Governor’s School for the Arts in 2011 before earning her BFA from the UIUC in 2017. During her undergraduate experience, Abi appeared in works by Tere O’Connor, Rebecca Nettl-Fiol, Endalyn Taylor, and Abby Zbikowski, among others. Abi also returned home in between semesters to serve as the Dance Discipline Assistant for GSA in 2016 and 2017. Upon graduation, Abi danced with Moving Collective during their 2017-2018 season and premiered her own self-choreographed solo, “Shifted, Shift, Shifting,” through the JELLO Performance Series at Links Hall in Chicago, Illinois. This piece was later accepted and performed at RAD Fest in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the Louisville Dance Series in the spring of 2019. Abi most recently participated in projects with Kentucky based artists Theresa Bautista and Katie Kasari, and she continues to teach, choreograph, and perform in the Louisville region.
FLAMENCO LOUISVILLE
Flamenco Louisville is a community of dancers, musicians and aficionados, connected through the love of flamenco and the joy of sharing it. Committed to authenticity and excellence, we offer training for all levels and ages in our Frankfort Avenue studio, and deliver educational programming in the schools, community programs and professional performances throughout the region. Our unique relationships with flamenco artists in Sevilla and Madrid for almost two decades inform our practice and presentation of the artform to ensure that the heart of flamenco puro beats even here, in Louisville, Kentucky! Find us on Facebook and online: www.flamencolouisville.org
MARY KATE FORD
Mary Kate Ford grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, while working as a certified yoga instructor. Mary Kate has performed in works by Abby Zbikowski, Ell Emadian, Roxane D'Orleans Juste, Linda Lehovec, Jennifer Monson, Rebecca Nettl-Fiol, Kendra Portier, Endalyn Taylor, Renée Wadleigh, and more. She has created works for both live performance and screendance, including Honey Heart, which premiered in 2019. Mary Kate's research in dance and visual arts has awarded her a grant from the Office of Undergraduate Research, a recipient of the 2019 Image of Research, and a finalist in the Illinifest Student Film Festival. She has received awards through the Department of Dance for performance, choreography, and overall outstanding achievement. Mary Kate likes to relish in the communicative space between her body and yours - the space where we can slip into the vital and creative intellect of our bellies.
RYAN GREEN
Ryan Green is a local dancer and choreographer. He currently runs the Movement Project which is a fusion contemporary class that runs once a week. He is a member of The Colony, a Chicago company directed by Seth Robinson. He trains at Vision in Louisville, and has taught at multiple studios. www.movementproject19.com.
LOUISVILLE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
Louisville Academy of Fine Arts was founded to inspire and nurture artists of all kinds. The studio has a strong classical ballet program, which is a huge proponent for technique of all other forms of dance. Louisville Academy of Fine Arts offers instruction in all forms of dance, music, acting and visual art. Visit www.louafa.com.
GRACE McWILLIAMS / GRACEFUL MOVEMENT DANCE COMPANY
Grace McWilliams is the Assistant Director at Louisville Academy of Fine Arts. Grace graduated with a dance major from the Youth Performing Arts School in 2015. She has performed in numerous shows with Sacred Heart School for the Arts, the Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville Dance Alliance, and the Vandivier Ford Dance Company. Grace has been a dance teacher for 5 years now, with knowledge in ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, with some tap, hip hop, and yoga experience. In the past, she taught dance at Sacred Heart School for the Arts for 4 years and Louisville Dance Alliance for 2 years. Grace has created numerous works, winning awards, and had the opportunity to present her work with the 2015 Regional Dance Festival, Moving Collective in 2015, Vandivier Ford Dance Company in 2018, and presented her first work as the Graceful Movement Dance Company with the Louisville Dance Series in 2019.
MOTION STUDIO
Motion Studio is located in New Albany, Indiana and dedicated to creating young artists through a foundation of ballet technique and empowering their students through excellent instruction in modern, jazz, tap, acro, and hip hop as well. www.motionstudioonline.com.
EMMA RANEY
Emma Raney is a native of Louisville and is thrilled to be dancing in her 4th Louisville Dance Series. She is especially excited to be premiering choreography in the show. Her early training was as a gymnast and a dancer. Most recently she played a lead soloist in the Chicago musical, “Making the Squad,” by award winning John Ruffin with music by Grammy winner Percy Bady. She has danced locally with many companies including Vandivier Ford Dance Company, Moving Collective, Kasari Dance, Amberly Marianne, and Big Three Basketball. Although she is pursuing a degree in bioengineering at the Louisville Speed School, she plans to continue dancing professionally.
SHEILA ZENG
Sheila Zeng is an artist, dancer, and educator in the Louisville Metro Area. She received her BFA in Dance and graduated magna cum laude from the Ohio State University. She has performed various works with world-renown choreographers, and continues to do so through freelance work. She performed various repertory work ranging from classical ballet, contemporary/modern dance, site-specific, and improvisation styles. After recently receiving her master’s in rehabilitation counseling, she hopes to use dance as a holistic healing process to various populations in the community as a school-based therapist.
VANDIVIER FORD DANCE COMPANY
Vandivier Ford Dance Company (VFDC) is a modern dance company based out of Louisville Dance Alliance. VFDC is a mix of students and professionals who perform in multiple events throughout the community as well as in their own annual modern dance concert held in the spring. VFDC has performed at the KY State Fair, ReSurfaced, the Chicago Youth Arts Summit, Art After Dark, the Speed Art Museum, the Louisville Dance Series, and recently performed at Walt Disney World. www.louisvilledancealliance.com.