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The Dance Complex Faculty

(Alphabetical by first name)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Andy Taylor-Blenis (Modern) - started dancing with her parents in International Folk Dance at age 0. Her early Creative Movement experiences were with Ruth Wheeler, co-founder of Dance Collective, and with Ann Brown-Allen. After receiving her BFA in Dance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, she came to Boston and danced with Danny Sloane Dance, Paradigm Dance, Concert Dance Company, Dance Collective, Micki Taylor-Pinney, Dawn Kramer, Miguel Lopez, Milton Myers, Julie Ince-Thompson, ACE Entertainment, and has been with Prometheus Dance Company for 19 years.

She has taught International Dance through the Folk Arts Center of New England, Modern and Jazz Dance at Northwestern and Northeastern Universities, Harvard, Emerson, Boston University, Boston Conservatory and the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio. Andy is the artistic director of Mladost Dance Ensamble and the RSCDS Demonstration Team and loves teaching school residencies thru Mass Movement and Revels Inc. Andy is an adoring admirer of Lynn Simonson. Dance is a musical, satisfying, overwhelming, strengthening, challenging, freeing discipline that applies to and enhances each day of our lives. Enjoy!

To contact Andy, call: 617-875-7426 or email: atayblenis@yahoo.com

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Carl Alleyne www.thecaabgroup.com (Hip-hop) Carl has been involved with the entertainment industry for over 20 years. A native Bostonian, he has spent his time performing, teaching, and choreographing in different parts of the country at many venues. As a performer, he has performed in front of thousands of people, sharing the stage with artists such as Gladys Knight, the late Ray Charles, the O-jays, Fabolous, SPEECH of Arrested Development, Sir Elton John, Neill Young and others. He did a West Coast tour with his 3 time Boston Music Award Winning R & B Band Eye2Eye. He performed at Symphony Hall at Hillary Clinton's event where the Goo Goo Dolls were also special guests. His latest works include choreography and movement coaching for the new feature film “ Furry Vengeance ” starring Brendan Fraser, Brook Shields and Ken Jeong, directed by Roger Kumble, feature film “ Knight and Day ” starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruz where he was the role of one of the groomsmen, the taping of MTV ’ s Made as a dance instructor to an aspiring rapper, Hasbro ’ s Clue Game board as the character Mr. Green, and choreography and movement coaching for YouTube ’ s number one R & B Group, recording artists Ahmir.

Carl spent a few years in New York City working with his Talent Agency that he started, TTE Talent Agency. TTE represented choreographers and dancers who worked with projects and with artists such as Michael Jackson, Destiny ’ s Child, Chris Brown, The Rolling Stones, Don Omar, Coke Commercials, Bombay Dreams National Tour, In the Heights on Broadway, and the list goes on.

Carl brings personality, style, and knowledge to the table. God has blessed him to make great impact on the entertainment industry.

Carolisa moonlightdjs@aol.com (Bellydance and Zumba) has over fifteen years experience as a professional entertainer and dance teacher throughout New England. She teaches beginner through master classes, Zumba, Bellydance, and Dance Fitness and conducts Workshops for company wellness centers, social events & parties, and all ages from seniors to college, teen , & kids’ programs. She especially enjoys motivating and inspiring others of any fitness level or dance experience; and sharing her joy and knowledge in a fun and friendly class!

She is also an experienced DJ with Moonlight Disc Jockeys covering weddings, corporate & private functions, reunions, theme events, family and kids’ parties.

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Deepa Srinath (Bharatanatyam for beginners) is a well known danseuse from Bangalore, India. Introduced to dancing at the tender age of 5, Deepa has continuously been learning and has proved herself time and again on various dance platforms. Having been trained extensively by Guru Radha Sridhar in Bangalore, she has also learnt from Guru Nandini Eshwar (Mysore) and Guru Soundarya Srivatsa (Bangalore). She has performed her “ Arangetram ” (i.e., ‘ Ascent to stage ’ graduation) in the year 2001.

Having done her graduation in the field of business, Deepa ’ s first and foremost passion is dance. Deepa combines in herself a student, performer and choreographer. An assortment of these qualities won her not only awards and certificates but also critical acclaim. With excellent communication skills and imaginative ‘ abhinaya ’ (expression), Deepa has been able to impress and connect herself to laymen and connoisseurs alike while performing.

Deepa has performed extensively throughout India and abroad. She has rendered more than 100 performances – over 40 solo recitals, 10 dance ballets, 40 group performances, and 7 televised shows. She has also choreographed 3 dance ballets herself. She has delivered workshops introducing Bharatanatyam to foreign audience.

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Jennifer Hicks (Butoh) has been performing and teaching for over 25 years. She has been studying Butoh with some of the great Butoh masters since the early 1990s and has been a member of Katsura Kans international dance company since 1999. She received her MFA from Naropa University in Contemporary Performance, her BFA from Tufts University and Degree in Fine Arts from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston. Jennifer won the prestigious The Traveling Scholars Award from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and is an alumnus of Franklin Furnace in NYC. Ms. Hicks is a certified Shintaido Instructor, certified Trance Dance International Facilitator and a Yoga Instructor registered with the National Yoga Alliance. She is a former member of Boston's performance collective called Mobius. She studied shiatsu massage and acupuncture at Boston School of Shiatsu and New England School of Acupuncture as well as with H.F Ito and David Palmer. She is a Certified Personal Trainer with the American Academy of Personal Training and in the process of completing the National Academy of Sports Medicine (CPT) exam. For full resume please go to www.jenniferhicks.org. Ms. Hicks' acclaimed dance company is called CHIMERAlab Dance Theatre is based in Boston. Please join our mailing list for our upcoming shows this season. www.chimeralabtheatre.com.

Johara has been teaching and performing Egyptian and Turkish style Bellydance for over fifteen years. She is a certified yoga instructor in both Hatha and Vinyasa forms. Her teaching style is simple and clear. She fosters a fun and supportive classroom atmosphere. Classes are meant for everyone no matter what age, gender, size or shape. This beautiful dance form uses a variety of music including Middle Eastern, Turkish, Greek, North African and American Bellydance.

Johara’s master’s degree in teaching also allows her to offer an enriched student experience. Her Boston area students have become some of the best new performers. They have won top places in the Boston Belly Dance Awards and one currently performs with the internationally famous Bellydance Superstars. Johara provides her students with opportunities to perform in recitals and in her annual theater show along with her dance company Snake Dance Theater. Visit Johara’s website at for more information: www.joharasnakedance.com.

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Kirsta Sendziak (Ballet) started her dance training in Buffalo, NY with Clare Fetto of The Festival School of Ballet and Elaine Gardner of Pick of the Crop Dance. Kirsta attended Hampshire College, completing a Bachelor of Arts in 2003 in Dance and Psychology. In Boston, she has performed with Kelly Donovan and Dancers, Rozann Kraus and choreographer Josie Bray. In 2008, Kirsta performed a solo from Marcus Schulkind’s “Ladies’ Night Out.” Her dancing has been reviewed numerous times by The Boston Globe. Kirsta also teaches ballet, modern and jazz dance at the Brookline Center for Adult Education..

The School of Classical Ballet was founded in 1985 by Anna Myer and Patricia Adelmann. For 25 years, the school has provided students with classical ballet training and helped to develop student appreciation for dance as an art form. In 2009, under the direction of Ariella Amshalem and Kirsta Sendziak additional dance forms were incorporated into The School of Classical Ballet curricula. Currently, Kirsta continues to provide students the quality instruction upon which the school was founded. The School of Classical Ballet is technique-based. Performances are all-inclusive opportunities for students to showcase their technique as well as their love of dance while gaining experience performing for an audience of family and friends.

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Lolli Hoops (Hoops) has been on the fore front of the hooping scene in Boston since 2003! As a founding member of the Boston Hoop Troop she has helped build a community that embraces Hoop Dance. With fun, dynamic, and flirty performances Lolli Hoops has become a mainstay in the Boston vaudeville and cabaret scene. Lolli has taught hoop dance to hundreds of kids and adults throughout New England and beyond. Beyond teaching multiple Boston based classes weekly she has taught at regional festivals including: Hoop Convergence (NC) Hoop Fest NE (ME), Wildfire (CT), and Pittsfield City Hoopla (MA). Teacher, Performer, Movement Artist, Clothing Designer, Lolli Hoops has something in her bag of tricks that you want to experience!

Lolli Hoops is fully insured carrying both Performers Insurance and Dance Instructor Liability Insurance.

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Mestre Manhoso (Capoeira Angola) Born Charles Davis in 1947, Mestre Manhoso first started studying martial arts at age 12. Beginning with Judo and Boxing but quickly moving on to Goju-ryu Karate, Mestre Manhoso studied with noted instructors Kent Davis and Fred Goodridge for 20 years. In 1966, Mestre Manhoso served in the US military in Vietnam. He took advantage of military life to train with fellow soldiers, from America, Korea and Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he also was exposed to traditional Vietnamese Martial Arts. After being wounded in 1969, he was shipped to Okinawa, where he served for one year while studying Karate in the land in which it originated. Returning from the military in 1970, Mestre Manhoso relocated to Boston, where he began studying Nothern Shaolin Kung Fu and the Filipino knife fighting art of Kali. In 1974, he started classes with sifu Bo Sim Mark, and dedicated himself to the Chinese internal arts of Tai Chi, Ba Gua, and Hsing Yi.

Always curious about the art of Capoeira, Mestre Manhoso was finally able to find a teacher when Mestre Nego Gato began teaching in New York in 1984. After Mestre Deraldo arrived in Boston in 1986, Mestre Manhoso began to train with him. Mestre Manhoso currently teaches at Spontaneous Celebrations, and the Dorchester YMCA. Alongside Mestre Deraldo, Mestre Manhoso has participated in numerous festivals, and expositions throughout the United States and Canada. Manhoso was graduated as a Master of Capoeira in 2010.

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Nani Agbeli (Ghana) Known for his energy, athleticism, and precision on stage, the charismatic Nani Agbeli is one of the leading Ghanaian dancers of his generation. Born into a family of prominent dancers and drummers in Ghana's Volta region, he was trained by his father, the late Godwin K. Agbeli, who performed with the Arts Council of Ghana Folkloric Company and later served as chairman of the Ghanaian National Association of Cultural Groups.

Nani went on to study with artists at the National Arts Center in Accra and, for many years, led the award-winning cultural troupe Sankofa Roots II. For nine years, he served as the lead drum and dance instructor at the Dagbe Cultural Center, a school that trains domestic and international students in Ghanaian traditional arts.

Nani came to the United States in 2006 to teach drumming and dance at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. After five years there, he was recruited by Tufts University in Massachusetts, where he now teaches, and leads Kiniwe; Tufts' African performance ensemble.

Nani also teaches Ghanaian dance and drumming at Brandeis University and Mount Holyoke College. In addition, he's taught at Berklee College of Music, Bowling Green University, and the University of Virginia, and held artistic residencies at many other colleges.

While he's best known as a dancer, Nani is a gifted, multi-talented artist who does textile arts, painting, and computer graphics. Nani's classes are crisply run, energetic, inspiring, and hugely entertaining. Yet the classes are defined by the precision of Nani's instruction, and the cultural context in which he is able to place the art he shares with his students.

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Yeumougor “Paa” Seck Diery (West African Dance) is a dancer from Kaolack, Senegal. He teaches the dances and rhythms called Sabar, the popular dance of Senegal, West Africa. Paa grew up in a griot family and began learning dancing and drumming at age 3 with his father. He has toured and performed in Europe, Japan, United States, and many countries in Africa. His classes start with a thorough warm up, followed by choreography that is broken down section by section, focusing on technique, execution and comprehension of the Sabar rhythms. The class then follows the African Dance Class format of dancing across the floor in lines accompanied by live drummers. Paa’s style of teaching is clear, clean and precise, filled with the warmth, enthusiasm and the unique stylistic qualities that are found in the traditional and contemporary styles of Sabar. His expertise as a drummer, musician and dance performer make the classes a fun and thorough learning experience. All levels of students are welcome.

Rachel Werkman (Samba) discovered samba in 2001 and her life was changed forever. Prior to that Rachel dabbled in other dance styles and practiced yoga. Samba brought dance to the forefront and through its study Rachel built confidence as a dancer and found her place in the vibrant local Brazilian community, as well as the dance community.

Rachel has been teaching samba since 2003, first as a substitute teacher at the Brazilian Cultural Center of New England. She has taught her own classes in and around Cambridge and Boston, and co-teaches on Saturday afternoons at the Dance Complex. She also acts as the Dance Director for the BCCNE’s performance troupe, Samba Tremeterra. Rachel has traveled extensively to Brazil since 2001, including a six month stay in Rio de Janeiro. She has also created a dance tour to Rio de Janeiro which successfully completed its first annual run in February 2009. She is currently co-developing an online subscription samba class offering called BossaMoves!

For Rachel, the joy of samba and other Brazilian rhythms inspires and energizes every day. Her objective in class is to create the welcoming, non-competitive and fun environment that was a hallmark of the BCCNE and laid the foundation for her passion for dance to unfurl.

Born and raised in Boston, Ricardo has been involved with the entertainment industry for over 10 years. Using his special talents as a dancer, choreographer, performer, actor, comedian, and model, he has single-handedly made a name for himself amongst many of today’s popular artists. Working and performing with artists ranging from Jay-Z, Usher, Britney Spears, NSYNC, En-vogue, Uncle Cracker, and Beyonce to old school classics like Naughty by Nature, Wu-Tang clan, and RUN DMC, he has seen it all. Recently he has been focusing his talents on ventures behind the scenes, choreographing for various artists, guest choreographing for major dance companies and crews and producing onstage performances through his production company Unyted Stylz Entertainment. He has also fashioned Unyted Stylz to be an entertainment umbrella housing performers, teachers, and dance groups of different disciplines, styles, and backgrounds to help enrich and broaden the dance community. Ricardo is also proudly one of the main choreographers and developers for the Xbox Kinect video game franchise “Dance Central”. Due to his involvement with these projects and his works showcased on different platforms of entertainment Ricardo has been recently dubbed a world renowned choreographer. All while being a devoted teacher at Dean College for both Jazz and Hip-Hop, as well as constantly doing workshops, master classes, and lectures on the performing arts as a whole.With an outstanding personality, he has a way with audiences, students, and his peers alike. By using comedy, simple physical analogies, and a story-like premise behind all of his dance movements, he looks to have people understand and enjoy his performances, choreography, and classes. All while trying to help people find a new appreciation and love of dance and themselves. Known as a master teacher, an exceptional performer, and an international choreographer Ricardo strives to live up to the standard of “…..not necessarily being the best, just everyone’s personal favorite.”

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Sarah-Katarina “SKooJ CorE-O” Jerome brings her knowledge and talents to with experience in performance, choreography, instruction, and adjudication, with her present main focus on Commercial/Theatrical Hip Hop and Contemporary dance but is strongly trained in many other styles. She is a member of the New England-based Static Noyze Dance Company that has been seen on MTV’s American’s Best Dance Crew and is a Master Teacher, National Adjudicator, and Choreographer of various styles throughout New England. She is also on faculty at Jeannette Neill’s Dance Studio specializing in Hip Hop, Contemporary, and Fitness as a weekly Teacher and Choreographer for their Repertory Concerts. Founder and Director, her choreography has created the Boston Community Dance Project, a professional collective throughout the year expressing their passion through Contemporary dance. Massachusetts Dance Festival, GreenFest Boston, ESPN’s The DewTour, and “Built on Stilts” are among some credits. Other choreography projects have been recognized and awarded at numerous dance competitions and several performances such as National Dance Association Gala, Unyted Stylez Entertainment: Circles, DanceWorks Boston, Australia's own CEO Music, and Turn it Up Dance Challenge’s Annual National Performance Dance Team. Sarah-Kay is a graduate of Dean College with a Degree in Dance and Business Administration. In addition to Dean, she has intensively studied with Kelly Peters, Suzette Sagisi(ABDC), and is currently teaching Performing Arts Conventions along side many inspiring individuals toward the Dance Community

SKooJ CorE-O has entered in the Music Video world with choreographing “Italiano” for International Pop Artist Tamara Rodriguez while performing as a Back-Up Dancer for Erene and many New England Artists. M.A.R.Quise, Leah Hilton Choreography, and Lucia Marie's House of Blue Tour will also be debuting in addition to Choreography for Salty Bovine’s A White Lie Film in 2012! Please check out her YouTube Channel Skooj420 for videos, updates, and for bookings email Skay711@gmail.com

Seydou Coulibaly (African) is one of Mali's leading choreographers and dancers. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the award-winning TROUPE KOUMME DIOSSE. In America, Seydou teaches at Brown University, the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Babemba USA. The Music School, Roger Williams Middle School, and privately in Boston and Connecticut.

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