Part-Time Faculty

BALLET

Tekla Kostek
Tekla Kostek is a graduate of the National Ballet School and former member of the Boston Ballet. In Canada she had the opportunity to work with Karen Kain, Cilia Franca, German choreographer John Neumeyer, and performed solo modern works by Molissa Fenley. Upon returning to the United States, Tekla furthered her training with the former Kirov members Tatiana Legat and Tatiana Terekhova. As a member of the Boston Ballet, her repertoire included Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Nutcracker, Giselle, and numerous Balanchine works. Major choreographers she has worked with include Ben Stevenson, Christopher Wheeldon, and Mark Morris. Tekla currently teaches at the Westside School of Ballet and Loyola Marymount University.

Caprice Walker walker

Caprice Walker received her early ballet training with Irina Kosmovska and continued her studies with David Linchine and Taiana Riabouchinska. She was a member of Ballet of Los Angeles/Western Ballet and performed with distinction in George Balanchine’s Serenade, 3rd movement Symphony in C and Allegro Brilliante. Ms. Walker was a soloist with Ballet Society of Los Angeles under the co-artistic direction of Tatiana Riabouchinska and Kenneth Kree. She has performed in films and on the stage with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Association. She is currently on the faculty of the Westside School of Ballet directed by Yvonne Mounsey, former ballerina with New York City Ballet.

MODERN

Holly Johnston
Holly Johnston is a Los Angeles based dance artist and educator. She graduated in 1996 with a BA in Dance from Loyola Marymount University, under the direction of Judy Scalin. In 1997, she was invited to become a founding member of TONGUE by Artistic Director, Stephanie Gilliland. Since then she has worked extensively with Gilliland as a principle dancer, rehearsal director, and teacher. Gilliland has been instrumental in her training and development as an artist, educator, and choreographer.

Holly brings with her a developed understanding of the movement arts and sciences, including biomechanics of contemporary and classical dance techniques. She has also created a unique system for actualizing functional physicality, injury prevention for dancers, and specialized rehabilitation techniques. She also works as a massage therapist and is deeply inspired by the transformative practice of yoga.

For many seasons, Loyola Marymount University and most recently Scottsdale Community College have commissioned choreographic work from Holly. Her work, “Door One, Left”, was selected for the Southwest Regional Gala Concert at the American College Dance Festival 2004; she was a guest artist for LMU. She has taught modern dance classes for Idyllwild Arts Academy; University of California, Santa Barbara; California State University, Fullerton; UC Irvine; Moorpark College; University of California, San Diego; and numerous TONGUE workshops and Master Classes throughout southern California. She has toured nationally and internationally with Tongue, and is currently the only collegiate access to the Gilliland technique. She is also the Director of The Ledges and Bones Dance Project, a dance laboratory for emerging artists seeking professional careers in concert dance. Holly is currently a part of the dance faculty at Loyola Marymount University and is committed to the rigor that transforms passion into art.

Kristen Smiarowski
Kristen Smiarowski – choreographer, educator, performer, and collaborator – has been creating and performing original dance works since 1996. Her theater-based and site-specific choreography have been presented in L.A. by the Skirball Cultural Center, Highways Performance Space, U.C.L.A. and the Electric Lodge; and in New York City by Dancing in the Streets, Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church, Dixon Place, and Mulberry Street Theater. Smiarowski maintains ongoing collaborative relationships with composer Douglas C. Wadle, as well as choreographers Stephanie Nugent and Victoria Marks. She was Assistant Choreographer to Marks on her recent dance film, Touch (2003), and for the live performance of The Father/Daughter Project in Houston, TX (2001). In 2004, she re-set Marks’ seminal quartet, Dancing to Music, on two casts, including Dance Alloy in Pittsburgh. Smiarowski choreographed the feature-length musical comedy Open House (2001), and is currently working on a commission from U.C.L.A.’s Department of World Arts and Cultures to collaborate with filmmaker John Bishop on a short documentary about the U.C.L.A. dance department. Her work has been supported by the Dana Foundation, U.C. Santa Barbara, and the American Composers Forum (for her first collaboration with Wadle).

As an educator, Smiarowski has taught choreography, improvisation, and modern dance technique at U.C.L.A. and has guest-lectured at Mount St. Mary’s College and the Skirball Cultural Center. She currently teaches creative dance at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences, is a teaching artist for the Los Angeles Music Center Education Division, The HeArt Project, and the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning in the Arts, and is on faculty at the Center for Movement Education and Research. She teaches both folk dance and modern dance in Los Angeles and Orange County public schools, and is a member of AMAN Dance Educators, a collective of teachers that emerged from the AMAN International Folk Ensemble.

Smiarowski grew up in Pasadena, California and has lived and worked in Northern California, Israel, and New York City. She has performed with choreographers Carmela Hermann, Liz Lerman, Victoria Marks, and Stephanie Nugent, among others. She received an M.F.A. in Dance/Choreography from U.C.L.A. in 2002, where she was honored with numerous awards, including the Glorya Kaufman Award for Excellence in Choreography and the Alma Hawkins Choreographic Award.

JAZZ

Denise Leitner leitner
Denise Leitner made her mark on the Los Angeles dance community over twenty years ago when she began teaching at the Dupre Dance Academy. Sin then, she has been a master teacher and guest choreographer from coast to coast as well as abroad. Her choreography has been seen on the stage, film, television and music video. Denise’s work for the children series Fairy Tales Across the World won her a cable award for choreography. Denise has been a contorting choreographer for Jazz Dance LA and is a member of the foundations’ Artistic Advisory Board.

Jason Myhre
Jason Myhre is a graduate of the Chicago Academy for the Arts High School. His dance training also includes scholarships with teh Lou Conte Dance Studio (home of Hubbard Street Dance Company), Chicago City Ballet, and EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood. Jason has performed in a number of industrials for Kraft, Disney, Six Flags, and showcases around the Los Angeles area. Mr. Myhre is a noted choreographer and his work has been seen on MTV, CBS, Los Angeles Clipper games, Jazz Dance LA, and the international video series "Paris By Night." Additional career highlights include work with Janet Jackson, Aerosmith, Shakira, Jade, Expose, and U.S. figure skater Rory Flack-Burghart. Jason is also the Assistant Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Teen Dance Company of the Bay Area, a company that expands the artistic vision of youth dancers and prepares them for a career in the arts.

Paige Porter
Pursuing her long time passion for dance, Paige earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts from Oklahoma City University. Her numerous professional credits include extensive work internationally, most notably the European tour of "42nd Street" and as featured dancer at the acclaimed Sporting Club in Monaco, where she had the opportunity to work with artists such as Vanessa Williams, Liza Minelli, Rod Stewart, and Elton John. Enjoying choreographing and teaching immensely, Paige has received national recognition for her choreography and travels throughout the country teaching master classes and workshops. In addition, Paige is currently artistic director of two local companies of aspiring young dancers.

TAP

Denise Scheerer
Denise Scheerer has performed with “The Jazz Tap Ensemble” at the Jazz Bakery, Ford Amphitheater and Morgan-Wixon Theatre. She studied and performed with tap legends, Eddie Brown and Sam Weber. She and her daughter, Angel, performed as a Mother-Daughter Act at the Four Queens in Las Vegas, The Jazz Bakery and Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles and the Cabaret Dinner Theatre in Ashland, OR.

Denise danced in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Hotel in “Hallelujah Hollywood” for 4 years before moving to Seattle. In Seattle, she performed with “That’s Jazz,” a Seattle based Jazz Dance Company. The company performed at the Seattle Center Playhouse and the Britt Music Festival. While in Seattle, Denise choreographed for The Seattle Opera, The Empty Space Theatre, The Pioneer Square Theatre and the Seattle Civic Light Opera. Denise danced in the Albert Brooks film “I’ll Do Anything.” She was featured in the Roy Clark Special “Especially Roy.”

Denise has taught workshops and master classes all over the Northwest and California and has taught in Los Angeles at the Colburne Music School. She currently teaches Tap at Loyola Marymount University, The Tap Academy and Hama’s Dance Center. She plays the drums and studies with Jerry Kalaf, musical director of “The Jazz Tap Ensemble.”

WORLD DANCE

Jose Hernandez - Dance of Mexico
Jose Hernandez bio coming soon.

Athan Karras - Dance of Greece
Athan Karras’ name is synonymous with Greek dance. He has appeared on Broadway, television, and in numerous motion pictures, but he always returns to his favorite passion, the Greek dance, where he has done extensive research. He has written articles on Greek dance and music, and he has successfully compiled several recordings to further widen the scope of Greek folk music and dance appreciation. In the early sixties he founded the Intersection Folk Dance Center in Los Angeles, which has become a landmark of folk cultures and a unique center for music and dance. His course will explore various styles of Greek fold dance, covering the many provinces and the islands of the Aegean. The music and dances will be investigated as an integral part of the Greek culture experience. The history of early forms of folk culture will lead the student to ancient traditions still thriving as a living art in many regions of Greece. The analysis of movement technique and the exuberant group dynamics would benefit not only the trained dancer, but everyone who is interested in having a joyous time.

Rolanda Reese - Dance of Hawaii
Rolanda Reese bio coming soon.

OTHER SELECTED FACULTY

Judith B. Alter - Dance Education
Judith B. Alter has her Ed.D. (1980) and an MA in Teaching (1961) from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and an MA in Dance (1970) from Mills College. She is Associate Professor in Dance in the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures. She teaches graduate education, research and bibliography, theory and philosophy, dance history, and injury prevention to graduates and undergraduates. Previously she taught dance at Tufts University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and part-time at UC Riverside, and Scripps College. She also currently guest teaches undergraduate dance pedagogy at Loyola Marymount University. Dr. Alter studied dance with company members of Humphrey-Weidman, Graham, Wigman, and Horton and choreographed solos and group works for twenty-two years. Her thirty-year dance teacher-training experience ranges from pre-school children to senior citizens. She is author of articles on dance philosophy (two are translated into Chinese), education, history, the creative potential of performing arts students, and has published four books: Surviving Exercise, 1983 (1990), translated into Dutch and German, Stretch and Strengthen, 1986 (1990), translated into Dutch and German, Dance-Based Dance Theory, 1991, translated into Korean, and Dancing and Mixed Media (1994). Dr. Alter has taught workshops on injury prevention in dance technique in more than fifteen states in the U.S. and overseas. She has taught in Portugal on a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship and has guest-taught in Nice, France; Jyvalsyla, Finland; Kiel, Germany; and at the Beijing Dance Academy in China. Dr. Alter has served as outside expert on two Ph.D. defense committees in Finland and Portugal and on an MA defense in Portugal as well. She is currently Chair of Assessment for the California Dance Educators Association and lectures widely on how to implement "authentic assessment" in the arts and physical education. Dr. Alter has also been on the teams to rewrite the dance sections in California Visual and Performing Arts Framework and the CA Standards in the Arts.

Meri Bender - Choreography
Meri Benderhas been teaching, dancing and performing in the Los Angles area for over 30 years. She received her early training at the American School of Dance, studying ballet with Eugene Loring and modern dance with Gloria Newman. Ms. Bender went on to dance professionally with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, Los Angeles Junior Programs and Gloria Newman Dance Theatre. She received her BA (with honors) and MA in Dance from UCLA and was a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship. Ms. Bender was active with Concert Dance Workshop at Loyola Marymount and with Choreographer’s Theatre Ensemble. She has been on the faculty of Loyola Marymount University, UCLA and Santa Monica College and was chosen to teach a special class for gifted high school students for UCLA extension. She was part of the “Artists in the Schools Program” funded by the California Arts Council. She has been teaching dance and directing the choreography program at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts for the last 15 years. She has also been on the faculty of Santa Monica College for the last 25 years and is currently teaching beginning and intermediate modern dance at the College. She has received seven grants from the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department and from private organizations. Ms. Bender’s dances have appeared on Dance Kaleidoscope at Cal State and at other dance festivals. Videotapes of her dance/dramas have been used to stimulate discussions in ESL classrooms around the country. Her work, “Sequela,” was recently performed at the Fountain Theater and will be performed at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica.

Susan Cambigue-Tracey - Dance Education
Susan Cambigue-Tracey has amassed an impressive list of credits over the past 42 years as a dancer, arts education consultant and administrator, writer, and nationally recognized dance educator. She began her career as a high school dance teacher, and then became the Associate Director of the Jeri Salkin Dance Studio and Center for Child Study where she taught dance to all ages, including emotionally disturbed, and directed the all-arts pre-school there.

She was the dance consultant and artist for the national Arts IMPACT project for the Glendale Unified School District in California and traveled across the country doing two to six week residencies as a dance movement specialist for the National Endowment for the Arts for 12 years, as well as being one of their national consultants. During this time, she also founded and directed the Free Flight Improvisational Dance Company, presenting school performances and community performances called "Viewing Art from a Dancer's Eye" – on-site dance projects that related to art exhibits.

She is also a Past-President of the California Dance Educators Association and has been honored with their prestigious "Dance Educator of the Year" award. As a dance consultant and arts education administrator, she worked for Performing Tree, the Galef Institute, and has been a member of the dance team for The California Arts Project (TCAP) at CSU Northridge, as well as instructing dance at the TCAP Leadership Academy. Currently, she is Director of Curriculum and Teaching Artist Training for The Music Center of Los Angeles County, Education Division, and is on the Dance Faculty at Loyola Marymount University. Recently, she ended a 12-year artist-in-residency at Echo Horizon Elementary School, and is past Chair and long-time board member for the California Alliance for Arts Education.

June Duarte - Dance Education
June Duarte has been active in the field of elementary physical education since obtaining her teaching credential and taught elementary students for eight years. June's philosophy is based on making activities fun as well as educational. This will help keep children interested in movement as they grow, which is one of the keys to helping them lead healthy and productive lives. She has trained student teachers as well as schoool districts in the latest requirements according to the California State framework. She conducts workshops and in-services for schools interested in implementing the health-related program she specializes in. June also teaches at California State University - Long Beach, and has taught courses at California State University - Fullerton.

Monti Louis Ellison - Music & Drumming for Dance
Mr. Ellison is a distinguished artists with many talents. Teaching Music for Dance and playing music for many of LMU’s dance classes, he has been a welcome addition to the program. With background in Film, Television, and Theatre, Mr. Ellison has appeared in The Blade, One Foot in the Grave, Guys and Dolls, Buddy—The Buddy Holly Story, and many more. As a singer/musician, he has performed with Harry Belafonte, the Frank Valdor Orchestra, Stephanie Mills, and Lonnie Liston-Smith to name a few. He is a trained actor, dancer, and musician, and continues to use his multifaceted knowledge to open up new experiences for his students.

Jill Nunes Jensen - Dance History
Jill Nunes Jensen holds a Masters of Arts in Dance from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as Bachelors of Arts degrees in both Dance and Political Science from the University of California, Irvine. At UCI, Nunes Jensen was a member of Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society, as well as The Golden Key and Pi Sigma Alpha honoraries. Pursuing her Masters allowed the opportunity to serve on the steering committee for the first annual Dance Under Construction Graduate Dance Theory Conference (for which she was the chairperson in 2001). Currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Dance History and Theory at the University of California, Riverside, Nunes Jensen has enjoyed teaching dance history at LMU as well as for the California State Summer School of the Arts Dance program held this past summer at CalArts.

With a background in ballet, Nunes Jensen has performed regionally with the Fresno Ballet and the Central California Ballet, however, Nunes Jensen’s academic work seeks to re-view the female ballet dancing body for a contemporary audience.

OTHER MOVEMENT FACULTY

Paul Kibbey - Martial Arts
Paul Kibbey began studying the art of Aikido in 1980. He has studied with many teachers, some of whom studied with the founder of Aikido, Aorihei Ueshiba. He received his 3rd dan in the art of Aikido from Aikido Schools of Ueshiba in 1997. Paul has taught Aikido at Westside Aikido School, Second Wind Dojo, Broadway Gymnastics, and Glendale Aikikai. He has a special interest in exploring the principles of Aikido and how they may relate to everyday life, particularly in the area of conflict resolution.

Kambiz Moghaddam - Martial Arts
Kambiz Moghaddam has been teaching for the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance since spring 1991. He holds the 8th degree black belt (Chief master instructor level) in Korean Integrated Martial Arts Systems, which includes three styles of Tae Kwon Do, Hap Ki Do and Kuk Sool. His academic background extends to exercise science, kinesiology, biomechanics and human motion kinematics. Currently Kami is working on completion of his doctoral degree. He is an international certified chief master instructor and member of the World Ki Do Federation, the only traditional martial arts federation recognized by the government of the Republic of South Korea, as well as a the World Tae Kwon Do Federation headquartered in Seoul, Korea.

Kami is the founder and director of Korea Institute of Martial Arts (KIMA) headquartered in California. KIMA is an international charter center for training, teaching, testing and certification of black belts and leaders from the military and private sectors. In 200, Kami was appointed as
the Chairman of the International Institute of Martial Science and Applied Leadership, a non-profit international martial science and leadership research center, which serves the United States government and the private sector.

Carol Rossi - Yoga rossi-04
Carol Rossi teaches yoga at Loyola Marymount University, Santa Monica College, and East Los Angeles College, as well as privately. She is a certified yoga instructor and holds M.A. degrees in both Dance Ethnology and Applied Experimental Psychology. In addition to her yoga studies, Carol has 20 years of experience with diverse movement genres including ballet, modern dance, traditional dance forms such as West African and Javanese dance, and aerobics. Her practice and teaching include attention to all aspects of yoga: postures, breathing, meditation, philosophy, and lifestyle practices, which are presented in appropriate combinations according to the needs of the individual student or group. Carol has studied Sanskrit and ancient yogic texts and is a co-founder and former chair of Positive Yoga in Los Angeles, an annual fundraiser for cancer research.