Mission:
Zoé Dance nurtures the art of dance, dance theatre and performance through accessible performance venues, educates the public and creates social awareness through themes explored in repertory.
About Us:
Founded in 2002, Zoé Dance has presented works by Callie Chapman Korn, Ivan Korn, Emily Beattie and Meghan Ballog.
Zoé Dance continues to perform in publicly accessible venues in order to make the art of dance an approachable art form for all and to heighten the awareness of dance in the Boston area and beyond.
History:
Zoé Dance has presented its work since 2002 in various venues and performance opportunities around Boston and internationally such as: World Music/CRASH Arts’ “Ten’s the Limit” (2005 and 2007), ArtBeat 2004 and 2009, “Virgin”, produced by the Dance Renewal Project, Harvard Square’s “May Fair” 2004, with the Choreographers Group 2004, Earth Dance’s Outdoor Performance Festival 2003, Corporación Cultural de Las Condes (Santiago, Chile) 2007, Boston Center for the Arts’ Mils Gallery as a featured artist of the Movement at the Mills residency. Zoe has also presented its work in self produced concerts: at the Dance Complex, Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center and Tower Auditorium at Massachusetts College of Art, the Boston Common, Union Square Plaza, and Green Street Studios. Zoé Dance was awarded a project grant from the Somerville Arts Council (2010) as well as earning a Fellowship Grant (2013, 2016) and was a finalist for the Boston Dance Alliance’s Rehearsal and Retreat Fellowship (2009). Most recently Zoe Dance was selected as one of three companies to participate in a month long residency retreat at the Boston Center for the Arts (May/June 2016).
Behind the Name:
Zoé, (life in Greek) came about when having a conversation with a man who was reading Kafenion cups at a Greek Festival in 2002. As he was reading our fortunes he spoke about how dance is the source of life and it was wonderful that we were dancers because of its expression. He used the word Zoé several times to describe what he meant by life. After several weeks of contemplation, the name stuck. Zoé Dance was born.
Since then Zoé has produced many works that had to be communicated through dance. The ideas for these works could not be expressed on paper, in words, on canvas or through any other art form. It had to be through the medium of dance.
Bios
Callie Chapman Korn (artistic director): Callie holds a B.F.A. from the Boston Conservatory. With Zoe, Callie has presented her work in venues such as CrashArts‘ “Ten’s the Limit” at the ICA and Green Street Studios, Corporacion Cultural de Las Condes (Santiago, Chile), multiple self-produced concerts, festivals, part of the Dance Renewal Project’s “Virgin”, Dance Complex’s Shared Choreographers Concert, among others. She currently dances for Prometheus Dance and has worked with artists such as: Nicola Hawkins, Karen Murphy and Emily Beattie (among others). She has collaborated with video artists Greg Shea and Ken Kinna, composer Ivan Korn, and composers/musicians Pancho Molina and Billy Herron. Callie also helped develop the Dance Renewal Project and is currently the Marketing and Design Associate for the Boston Dance Alliance. She is also a freelance graphic designer (web + print). In 2009 she was a recipient of the Somerville Arts Council’s Artist Fellowship and in 2010 received a project grant to produce “Depart”, an evening-length performance in the center of Union Sq. that was free and open to the public. Her work has also received recognition as a finalist for the Boston Dance Alliance’s Rehearsal Residency Fellowship in 2009.
Ivan Korn (dancer/composer): Ivan Korn is a dancer, choreographer, composer and musician from Santiago, Chile. He graduated with a M.F.A. from the Boston Conservatory in 2000 and has presented his work in multiple self-produced and shared concerts. As a composer, Ivan has created works that range from contemporary classical to progressive rock. Currently he runs Reality Cocktail, a group dedicated to performing his music repertory, and the Mirrors Neurons, which focuses on rock originals and covers. Ivan currently teaches private piano and is on faculty at the Marblehead School of Ballet where he teaches modern dance. You can check www.ivankorn.com
Caroline Carbo was born and raised in New Orleans, La where she graduated from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, under the direction of Miguel Lopez and mentorship of Jan Miller. She received her BFA, magna cum laude, in Dance Performance from Purchase College. While a member of the Purchase Dance Corps, she performed works by Robert Battle, Kevin Wynn, Megan Williams, Rosalind Newman, and Rosanna Seravalli. She was a member of High Frequency Wavelengths Dance Company, under the artistic direction of Marilynn Danitz, performing at CAVE Art Space, in the WAXworks Festival, in the Chashama Windows Program, and at the ABUNDANCE 2010 Festival in Karlstad, Sweden. Her choreographed solo Unspeakable has been performed with the Hoover Dam Collective at the Launchpad in Brooklyn and for the Fertile Ground Series at Green Space Studios. She briefly worked with Kelley Donovan and Dancers and was a part of 23 Skidoo, a site-specific project of Shandoah Goldman for the Flatiron Building’s 110th anniversary, which appeared in a documentary on PBS. She also participated in Choreolab as a dancer performing works by Darlisa Wajid-Ali and Jonathan Basla at Dance New Amsterdam. Caroline recently relocated to Boston and is working with Echo Contemporary Dance Company, Intimations Dance, and Zoe Dance, as well as with the show Heartbeat at the Oberon.
Gina Masciarelli
Andrea Denise Rios Andrea Ríos was born in 1986 in the city of Monterrey, Mexico. She studied contemporary dance in the professional dance school called Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey. After her graduation she worked with Cuerpo Etéreo and Sunny Savoy Dance Company, two renowned independent contemporary dance companies from Monterrey. At the same time she obtained her bachelor degree in Hispanic Studies. She was selected in a nation wise competition as one of the 50 best modern dancers in Mexico, obtained the Best Dancer award in Festival del Baile ITESM 2010, and got several fellowships to dance and develop artistic projects in Montréal, Canada. Since 2012 she has been working as the director, producer, choreographer and dancer of an independent project call Body in U.
www.highbrideproject.com
Mary Teuscher Mary began dancing with Donna Mejia at Colorado College where she majored in Spanish and with a minor in Dance. Since graduating in 2008 she has had the good fortune to learn and perform with many talented artists including Kristen Van Loon and Kirsten Wilder (Hijack), Jesus Miranda (Andanza), Elia Cortes, Pati Hernandez (Telling My Story), Louise Rickards (Jeh Kulu), Jamie Jewitt (Lostwax Multimedia Dance), Heidi Henderson (Elephant Jane), Alex Springer (Doug Varone and Dancers), Daniel McCusker, Ray Elliot Schwartz, Katy Macnamara, Betsy Miller, Stephanie Albanese, Jessica Howard and Stephanie Turner. Mary lives in Providence Rhode Island where she teaches GED at the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence. In Providence, Mary performs with both Urban Coastal Dance and Happensdance. She also makes time to practice Ashtanga Yoga with Kristen Hore and Louigi Gaccione. Recently, she had the opportunity to study Afro Brazilian and Modern technique with Vera Passos and Roseangela Silvestre at the Silvestre Winter Training Intensive. Mary has enjoyed the artistic processes and multimedia explorations of Zoedance and is thrilled to be dancing in I am Here Now.
Danielle Davidson – Rehearsal Director, is an independent dance artist currently based in Providence, RI. She received her DEC from L’Ecole Superieure de Ballet du Quebec in Montreal. Upon graduation, she was invited to join Le JBQ, a company she toured with throughout Europe and North America, performing in new works by Thierry Malandain, Jean Grand Maitre and Louis Martin Charest, as well as repertory works by George Balanchine, Roland Petit and The Martha Graham Company, to name a few. Danielle has also appeared as a guest artist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Opera Ontario, Banff Festival Company and Les Productions Fila 13/Lina Cruz.
She is currently a company member with Cambridge based, Prometheus Dance Company and appears as an independent artist with a number of other collectives and companies in both Providence and Boston. She teaches modern technique at The Boston Conservatory and has been commissioned to created new works for Brown University, Endicott College, SBDC and Cie. FDanse. She has presented her work at the Ffida, in Toronto and at Le Festival International de La Danse in Montreal.
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Zoe Dance Alumni and Guest Artists
MaryRose Blandino is a graduate of Hampshire College with a BA in Dance Performance and Choreography. She grew up in the studios of Boston Ballet before joining the Five College Dance Department where she performed in works by Morris, Humphrey, Cunningham, and studied under Rebecca Nordstrom, Constance Valis-Hill, Chris Aiken, Katie Martin, Rodger Blum, and many others. Arriving back in Boston, she’s had the pleasure of working with Andary Dance, Quicksilver Dance, and Intimations Dance. She has presented her own work at Hampshire College and Stuffed at the Judson Church. When not dancing, MaryRose helps children and adults improve their reading, comprehension, and beyond with Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes.
Lonnie Stanton (dancer): Lonnie Stanton was born and raised in Paradise, California. While there, she began dancing with the Northern California Ballet. She graduated from the Boston Conservatory Magna Cum Laude in May 2009 with a BFA in Dance. She was the recipient of the Jan Veen Scholarship and Dance Department Merit Scholarship. Upon graduation Miss Stanton has performed with Prometheus Dance and has worked with Boston based companies, Angie Moon Dance Theatre, Bosoma, and is in her second season with Zoe Dance. Her choreography was produced in the Dance Complex’s Fall 2011 Shared Choreographers’ Concert. Lonnie is a guest dancer working with choreographers through the N.A.D.I.N.E. project (New Artists Dance in New England). Miss Stanton enjoys working in the pre-ballet program at Brookline Ballet and is on the dance faculty at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. She also has a growing interest in yoga, and completed her 200 hour certification under Natasha Rizopoulos in August 2011. Lonnie is pleased to continue her performance career and grow further as an instructor and choreographer in the Boston area.
Yuka Takahashi (dancer): is a dancer, performer, improviser, choreographer certified Pilates instructor born and raised in Japan.
After graduating from high school she moved to NYC to attend Joffrey Ballet School. While she was in NY she explored her interest in Modern/ Contemporary Dance and performing arts. While she was in NY Yuka has performed under the direction of Ori Flomin, Kriota Willberg, and Rachel List among others.
In 2006 she moved to Vienna, Austria. There, she regularly presented dance, installations and performing arts. She received a two-year residency at LABfactory and a short residency at D.ID. During the residencies at LABfactory she created inter- disciplinary pieces with full professional support under the direction of Thomas J. Jelinek and Kazuko Kurosaki. While she was in Vienna, she was strongly engaged with artists of other disciplines. One of her collaborative works, with Ursula Endlicher, was performed at the art exhibition of SIGGRAPH ASIA2009 in Yokohama, Japan.
Since she moved to Boston in May 2011, she has presented her own work at Mobius, Boston Center for the Arts, and Boston University, performed Trisha Brown’s work Floor of the Forest at The Institute Of Contemporary Art, and has performed as an improviser at the BCA , Greenway, Mobius as well as other local institutions.
Kathleen Nasti holds a BA in Classical Studies and Theatre from Dickinson College, an MBA from Lehigh University, and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She danced extensively with Alyce Finwall Dance Theatre and worked with many independent New York choreographers including: Scott Lyons, Skip Costa, Giada Ferrone, Lars Rosager, Edward Augustyn, and Max Stone among others. She was also a dancer with the American Dance Machine, Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Broadway Bares. She performs Aerial Track Harness Dance with Lisa Giobbi Movement Theatre and appeared in the film Morphing Gravity. In Boston, she performs with the Urban Nutcracker and Zoe Dance.
She has been a lecturer in the dance departments of Muhlenberg College, Cedar Crest College and Dean College and a guest at University of Scranton, Temple University, Dickinson College, SungKyunKwan University (Seoul, Korea), the American College Dance Festival, and PA Governor’s School for the Arts. She also served as the Director of the Muhlenberg College Community Dance and Pilates Center.
Her choreography has been presented at several venues on the East Coast including Muhlenberg College, Marlboro College, Dickinson College, Cedar Crest College, Green Street Studios, Dance Complex, American College Dance Festival, and the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
As an MBA, she was a Graduate Teaching Fellow and Founder and President of the Lehigh University Chapter of the National Association of Women MBAs. Additionally, she worked as Director for the Office of the Vice President and Associate Provost for Research and Graduate Studies at Lehigh.
While in PA, she established a community organization called the Lehigh Valley Dance Exchange (LVDE) – an organization that supports emerging choreographers and dancers of the Lehigh Valley. In their inaugural season, LVDE successfully produced 12 shows, which included over 20 choreographers and 50 dancers and received the highest level of support from the Lehigh Valley Arts Council. She was a speaker on the topic of Community Entrepreneurship for TedX-Lafayette and Idex-Lehigh.
She spent 2012/13 living in Korea and China with her husband (and new baby), where she studied Traditional Korean Dance Forms and Mandarin Chinese.
Romina de los Santos has been dancing her entire life. She took her first official dance class at the age of 17 and couldn’t bear to consider a different focus for her college years. She attended Cal Arts and eventually earned her BFA at Cal State Long Beach. After several years of traveling and living she attempted an MFA at The Ohio State University where she received an Enrichment Fellowship. After that year Romina returned to pursuing dance as a passion rather than a career and is all the happier for it. She is currently living in Boston while pleasantly day-dreaming about her beautiful country home on an open meadow in a warm climate. There will be a huge sunny barn where she will teach Pilates, Gyrotonic, Dance, and where her own dance company will rehearse and perform. And hummingbirds will provide the music.
Arthur Moore is currently a sophomore at Boston University studying sociology and dance. He began dancing at the Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School as part of their Modern Dance Company and took dance classes with teachers Brenda Divelbliss, Mila Thigpen, and Lauren Simpson. Senior year of high school, Arthur was granted permission from his school to study dance at Harvard University. At Harvard, Arthur studied choreography under visiting choreographer Liz Lerman and performed in the first rendition of her project “Healing Wars” while also studying Forsythe’s improvisational technologies and performing under Jill Johnson, current dance director at the university. As a popper, Arthur trained under Alfonso “Megatron” Hunt at the Phunk Phenomenon Dance Complex in Everett, MA. Arthur currently trains with Bulletproof Funk and Slaughterhouse Dancers as a popping battler, performs with the Boston University Dance Theater Group, Harvard Radcliffe Modern Dance Company and Zoe Dance Company while working on his own choreographic projects and researching meta-analysis in business environments. When not doing schoolwork, training, or performing in an organized fashion, Arthur enjoys giving impromptu performances to passersby. Arthur is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to grow as a dancer and artist through performing in “I Am Here Now.”
Sarah Ackley Turner (dancer): Sarah began her dance training at the age of three. In high school she danced with Roanoke Ballet Theatre where she had the opportunity to work with the Moscow State Ballet, Jaques D’Amboise, and other visiting artists. She graduated magna cum laude with her B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2004. While at VCU Dance, Sarah was a member of D’Feet Tap Ensemble, attended ACDFA, and performed in repertory pieces with Starrene Foster and Clay Taliaferro. She also studied with many guest artists including David Dorfman, Bebe Miller, Donald McKayle, and Gerri Houlihan. Sarah attended Bates Dance Festival during the summer of 2003 where she worked/ performed with Doug Varone. After performing Jose Limon’s Choreographic Offering at the Kennedy Center in June 2004, Sarah relocated to Saratoga Springs, New York where she received a scholarship to attend the Doug Varone and Dancers Summer Workshop. Since moving to Boston in February 2005, Sarah has danced with Boston Dance Collective, Kelley Donovan and Dancers, and Emily Beattie. Sarah currently teaches Tap and Ballet at The Dancing School in North Reading
Kate Neal (dancer): Kate Neal began ballet at the age of three in her hometown of Casper, Wyoming and continued to dance throughout her childhood, adding tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, and pointe to her repetoire. She attended Walnut Hill School for high school, and continued her training at the Boston Conservatory for two years. She then transferred to Mount Holyoke from which she received a B.A. in dance with a minor in Biology in 2009. She then returned to Casper, Wyoming where she taught various styles of dance. Kate returned to Boston last year, where she is teaching dance at The Brookline Ballet School and working with both Prometheus Dance and Zoe Dance. Her performance credits include choreography by Diane Arvanites & Tommy Neblett, Mark Morris, Anna Sokolow, Sean Curran, and Jose Limon.
Naoko Brown (dancer): Naoko was born in Nagoya, Japan. There, at the age of six, she was introduced to the world of dance by Michko Matsumoto. Seven years later, she moved with her family to Lansing, Michigan, where she trained under Barbara Smith. While training there she was able to perform at the National Ballet School of Gdansk Dance Theater in Poland and with dancers from Vaganova Ballet School in St. Petersburg, Russia. Naoko received her B.F.A. in Dance from The Boston Conservatory where she performed works by Daniel Pelzig, Sean Curren, Lar Lubovitch and Jose Limon. Naoko is currently dancing with Promethus Dance and happy to be a part of Zoe Dance Company. Naoko is also a faculty member of The School of Ballet Arts in Concord, MA.
Joe Gonzalez (guest artist): Joe Gonzalez Born and raised in Boston Massachusetts. Joe Gonzalez Started his dance at the age of 13 at the Roxbury Center for the Performing Arts then became an honorable academics dance major at the Boston Arts Academy, attending the National and Regional High School Dance Festival. Joe’s diverse discovery in many styles from Funk to Contemporary has established him as a thinker through the arts and academics thus becoming a choreographer. Joe has participated in distinguished programs such as the Boston Conservatory summer intensive program, American Dance Festival, SpringBroad Montreal and Bates Dance Festival. In addition, he has performed master works from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Anna Sokolow, Ronald K. Brown, Paul Taylor, Sean Curran, Nathan Trice, Pedro Ruiz Jr., Jose Limon, RubberBand Dance Group, Alwin Nikolas, Cas Public and more. Gonzalez has Co-Choreographed on the Boston Conservatory dancers with Anna Myer and Rode Island College Dancer with Adrianne Hawkins. Joe Gonzalez has received his BFA from The Boston Conservatory and has attended many of the Conservatory students and faculty’s performances. He has traveled USA, Canada, Scotland, UK, Denmark, and India to perform. He has choreographed more then 15 original works that have been performed on national stages. Joe has also performed with the ‘A” Major Dance Company, Anna Myer and Dancers, Prometheus Dance, BalletRox and is Co-Director of Jo-Mé Dance Inc.
Catherine Murcek (guest artist): Catherine Murcek, a.k.a. Cat, received her early training at a small ballet school near her hometown of Lewisburg, PA. She was introduced to modern dance in 1999 at the Northfield Mount Hermon School when she joined the dance company there directed by Gretel Schatz. In December 2004, she graduated from Franklin College of Switzerland with a B.A. in International Economics. Since then, she has been concentrating on getting dance back to being a major part of her life. She moved to the Boston area last summer, and has since performed in works by Alisia Waller of Mobius International, Emily Beattie, Nicole Dagesse, and Heather Bryce, in addition to Zoé Dance.