The People
CORE ARTISTIC Staff
Curtis Uhlemann, -Artistic Director and Costume Designer
Echo Gustafson, Associate Artistic Director
Ronn Stewart, Founder,
Artistic Director Emeritus
Erica Gionfriddo, School Director
Lori Brodi, Ballet Mistress
Kate Eberle, Adult Program Director
ARTISTS
Jesus Cortes
Sarah Goldstone
Rebecah Goldstone
Kevin Gallacher
Erica Gionfriddo
Ariel Gottschall
Sarah Lustbader
Kate Eberle
Phylicia Roybal
STAFF
Laya Amis, Executive Director
Della O'Keffe, Finance Director
Elizabeth McDermaid, Serena Rascon Studio Managers
Paulo Tavares, Resident Graphic Artist and Photographer
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Larry Goldstone
Vice-President
Roger Montoya
Treasurer
Anthony Brooke
Secretary
Dave Jansen
Victoria Addison - Rowe
Claudia Dunitz
Marty Stallings
ADVISORY BOARD
Julie Adams
Tamara Bates
Arne Collen
Kate Collins
Jim Deville
Debra Goeller
Bill Heckel
Jane Groos Hume
Tracie Jansen
Ray Kurshals
Sarah Manges
Elizabeth Martin
Baron Newman Peyton
Anne Royer
Robert Shropshire
Laurie Silver
Rulan Tangen
Ken Truse
Curtis Uhlemann, Artistic Director, costume designer, choreographer, teacher and dancer. Curtis received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree cum laude in Modern Dance/Dance Science and Injury Prevention from Brockport College. While attending State University of New York College at Brockport, he received a full scholarship to the American Dance Festival at Duke University. where he performed the works of such esteemed choreographers as Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Gail Gilbert, David Parsons, and Mark Morris. Curtis became a member of the Moving People Dance in 2003. He currently choreographs for the nine time world champions The Cadets of Bergen County Drum and Bugle Corps and remains a resident choreographer for MPD.
Echo Gustafson, Associate Artistic Director, is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She has danced professionally around the world with companies including the Martha Graham Dance Company and the Pearl Lang Dance Theatre. She is a GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Master Trainer. Gustafson has been dancing with Moving People Dance Santa Fe since 2003. She teaches modern, jazz, and Gyrokinesis® at Moving People Dance Center. As a young dancer in New York City, Gustafson discovered the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®, invented by Juliu Horvath. The system helped her overcome limitations, prevent injuries, and strengthen the innate intelligence of her body. Movement artists that have had a strong influence on Gustafson’s work include Jackie Sleight, Ron Brown, Susan Klien, Max Stone, Christine Dakin, Finus Jung, Simon Dow, Robert Moses, and Gail Gilbert. As a teacher, Gustafson cultivates functional technique, respect for the human body, and true artistic expression. As a dancer and choreographer with MPD, Gustafson continues to evolve as an artist.
*GYROKINESIS and GYROTONIC are registered trademarks of the Gyrotonic Sales Corp. and are used with their permission.
Erica Gionfriddo, School Director, dancer, teacher and choreographer. Erica received her B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography cum laude from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA. Internationally she has performed and studied intensively in Spain and Taiwan. Erica has worked in residency with Second Wind Dance Company in Virginia Beach, where performed featured roles in original Anna Sokolow repertoire, and with Cie: Ekilibre in the U.S. premiere of works directed by Maurice Fraga. Erica is a certified Pilates Mat Teacher Trainer a GYROKINESIS® trainer.
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Kate Eberle, Adult Program Coordinator, dancer, grew up in South Dakota where she began her dance education at the Academy of Dance. At 16 she received a full scholarship to the annual Intensive at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She continued training on full scholarships with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Eberle went on to dance professionally with the Lynda Martha Dance Company in Chicago and with White Wave Rising in New York City, performing in venues in Hong Kong, Korea and at the National Theatre in Taipei, Taiwan. She took a hiatus from dance in 1993 and moved to Santa Fe where she continued to apply her athleticism to the study of Tae Kwon Do in which she holds a Black Belt. In 2004, Eberle co-founded Two Women Dancing. She has been with Moving People Dance Centre since 2005; teaching adult modern and her dance fitness class, Twist & Tone. She is also the Adult Program Director.
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Christin Severini is a former dancer with the American Ballet Theatre in New York City and has performed extensively in numerous full length and repertory ballets throughout the USA and around the world. She trained at the School of American Ballet and the North Carolina School of the Arts while on full scholarship, and has worked with some of the leading teachers and renowned dancers of our time. Christin is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She has been teaching and choreographing in New Mexico for over 4yrs and currently enjoys sharing her love of dance to aspiring dancers of all ages and levels at the National Dance Institute of NM, Dance Arts Los Alamos, and Moving People Dance Centre in Santa Fe.
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Kevin Gallacher started tap dancing at the age of 16. At 17 he began to further his education with ballet training with Park Avenue Dance Works in Colorado, Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and is currently under the special guidance of Moving People Dance Santa Fe. Kevin has taken Master Classes with Gail Gilbert, Sam Watson, Kevin Iega Jeff, Michael Vernon, Valeria Madonia, Layla Amis and Arturo Fernandez. Kevin has performed with Park Avenue Dance Works, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Moving People Too!, Moving People Dance Santa Fe, Valeria Madonia, Circus Luminous, and the Santa Fe Opera, where he recently performed with his mentor Ronn Stewart. This is his second season as a company member of Moving People Dance Santa Fe.
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Sarah Cecile Goldstone is currently studying at The Juilliard School in New York City, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes, where she has performed original Jose Limon and Twyla Tharp repertory, as well as new work by Matthew Neenan. Originally from Santa Fe, Sarah has studied and performed with MPD for the last seven years. She has worked with many renowned chorographers, such as Gail Gilbert, Ronn Stewart, Sam Watson, Robert Moses, Tina Gerstler, Max Stone, Alonzo King and Robert Battle. Sarah is also a certified Gyrotonic instructor.
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Rebecah Goldstone Rebecah Goldstone has been studying with Moving People Dance Santa Fe since 2000. In 2006, she started apprenticing with the professional company. Rebecah has attended the Lines Ballet Summer Intensive in 2003, 2004 and British Columbia Summer Intensive in 2007. She is attending Boston Conservatory in Fall 2008.
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Ariel Gottschall started her training in Santa Fe, NM as soon as she could walk. At eighteen years of age, she graduated with honors from the high school program at North Carolina School of the Arts, and then continued on to New York to study at S.U.N.Y Purchase. Throughout her professional years, Ariel has worked with such artists as Doug Varone, Kazuko Hirabayashi, Pilobilus Dance, Theater, and Leslie Partridge, and continues to perform her own choreographic works. In 2003, Ariel returned to Santa Fe and the dance world within its city limits. The past 5 years have been devoted to choreographing for productions by The Southwest Children’s Theater, and other public school performances, and teaching technique at Charisma/Dance for Joy. This is her first season with Moving People Dance Santa Fe.
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Sarah Lustbader is currently earning her BFA in dance at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA. Through her program she has the opportunity to work with many accomplished teachers and
choreographers, including master classes with renowned artists such as Bebe Miller, Bill Evans,
and Ronni Favors of Alvin Ailey. Sarah was born in Santa Fe where she began her dance training
with Audrey Derell’s Charisma Dance Company and Cathy Roe’s Something in the Air. She then studied with Moving People Dance Santa Fe where she apprenticed for two seasons. This is her
first season performing with MPD as a company member. She is deeply grateful to her many
mentors at Moving People for their artistic inspiration and support.
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Phylicia Roybal, a native of Santa Fe begain her training with Moving People a the age of 10. She is currently pursuing her BFA at the University of Arizona. She has been priviledged to work with renowned artists such as Alonzo King, Robert Moses, Max Stone, Sam Watson, Gail Gilbert, Kevin
Iega Jeff and John Lehrer. Phylicia has apprenticed for Moving People for three years, this is her first season performing as a company member.
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STAFF:
Layla Amis, Executive Director, a native of Florida, attended New World College of The Arts in Miami on full scholarship. She continued her education in Chicago, training with Biruite Barodicaite, Anna Czaun, Jonathan Levy, Elana Anderson, Kevin Iega Jeff, Hubbard Street Chicago and on full scholarship at Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Center. Layla has danced professionally with New World Modern Dance Company, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and as a principal dancer with Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, the Gail Gilbert Dance Ensemble and Moving People Dance Theatre. She has performed works by Mia Michaels, Kevin Iega Jeff, Gary Abbott, Tomi Paasonen, Gail Gilbert, Robert Moses, Nora Reynolds, Raoul Trujillio, Rulan Tangen, Kevin Wynn, Ronn Stewart and Sam Watson. In 1998 Layla moved to Santa Fe, NM and became the artistic director of Dance Arts Los Alamos. There, she taught ballet and modern dance technique, choreographed numerous works, and staged The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.
In 1999 Layla co-founded and became the co-artistic director for Moving People Dance Theatre, a non-profit professional contemporary dance company. Layla served as school director Moving People Dance Theatre for four years, teaching ballet, modern dance technique and repertoire, as well as directing and choreographing for over 20 pre-professional and professional productions.
From 2005 - 2009 Layla served as School Director for Alonzo King's LINES Ballet. She accepted the Executive Director position at Moving People Dance in 2009. Layla's goal as a dance educator is to continually create, explore, and develop a functional and universal technique that trains the mind and body simultaneously and encourages fluency of expression and trust in the intuitive intelligence of the body, mind and spirit.
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Della O'Keffe, Finance Director, has worked in the field of finances for 26 years. She received a Certificate of Accountancy from the Santa Fe Business College in 1983. Since that time, she has worked as a full-charge bookkeeper and accountant for a variety of businesses, from real estate to architecture to nonprofits, giving her a broad scope of the financial world. Additionally, Della holds a B.A. in Music from Hartt School of Music. She particularly enjoys melding her skills with both numbers and music person by managing finances in an artistic setting.