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l Dancers
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 Sarah Caldabaugh is a recent 2008 graduate from the University of Florida receiving a BFA in dance and graduating Suma Cum Laude. Her love for movement started at age 3 and has been a consistent passion throughout her life, especially with the introduction of modern dance at the start of her college career. Among others she has performed at the Kennedy Center in conjunction with the American College Dance Festival in honor of Nationals 2006. She has also had her own choreographic work featured in the 2008 American College Dance Festival South Eastern Conference. Her day job includes lifeguarding on the beautiful beaches of Sarasota County. This is her second season with Fuzión, which she is enjoying immensely. |
 Alyson Dolan received her BFA in Dance with a concentration in Choreography from Florida State University in 2008. While attending Florida State she had the pleasure of working with such notable faculty members and renowned choreographers as Lynda Davis, Gerri Houlihan, Dan Wagoner, and Jawole Zollar, just to name a few. In 2007 Alyson attended the FSU in New York program where she interned with Monica Bill Barnes & Company. She has performed during APAP and Dance Harlem as a member of Millicent Johnnie & Company, Solar Powered Dance Festival 2008, and in a commercial for TDK in Amsterdam. She has shown her own work at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn and during various concerts at Florida State. Post graduation Alyson backpacked through Europe for four months creating her own dance inspired study abroad, specifically in the Netherlands where she took class with world-renowned dancers and choreographers at The Henry Jurrien's Foundation. Although not too excited to trade her Amsterdam bike in for a Tampa car, Alyson is happy to be back in Florida and performing in her first season with Fuzión Dance Artists. |
|  Carolina Garcia is a native of Miami, Florida where she attended PAVAC, New World School of the Arts andreceived her BFA in Dance. She has toured nationally and internationally as a member of the Urban Bush Women (NYC). She has been an artist in residence in NY public schools through programs with the 92nd Street Y, the Clark Center and City Center. She now teaches and choreographs in the Tampa Bay area for Blake High school, St. Pete College the Prodigy programs and more. She is also an actress and has played leading roles in Denis Calendar’s Cuban Bread (USF) and Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding (Riverfront Theatre). She hopes to keep furthering herself as an artist, mother, and a human being through opportunities that are full of love, light and hope. She’s grateful to be doing her second season concert with Fuzión and has been working with Artistic Director, Leymis, since 1996.
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|  Sayward Grindley is a graduate of East Carolina University with a BFA in Dance Performance and Dance Education. She has performed in choreography by Tree O'Connor, Build Ruiz, Paul Sutherland, Elie Lazar, Galina Panova and many others. Before moving to Florida, Sayward had performed throughout North Carolina, and in South Carolina, Maine, Maryland, and Virginia. Since becoming a member of Fuzión, she has had the opportunity to also perform in Chicago, New York City and throughout Florida. She was the former Director of Dance for Booker Middle's VPA Program and is now the Education Director for the Sarasota Ballet, operating the school, summer programs, trainee program and all education programs. This is Sayward's third season with Fuzión.
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Ashley Duncan Hassler is a native of Pensacola, Florida and is in her forth season dancing with Fuzión Dance Artists. She is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a degree in Dance Education and has also studied at Florida State University and the Laban Centre in London. While living in Tampa, she had opportunities to dance with Moving Current and Dance, Music, Design, as well as teach at USF's Summerplay. Ashley currently enjoys teaching a variety of dance styles and choreography at Electa Lee Magnet Middle School in Bradenton.
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 Angela Rauter has had a life long love affair with dance beginning with ballet at the age of five. Since then she has come to know and love many different forms of dance including jazz, African, Horton, Limon, Duncan, Flamenco, Salsa, and Middle-Eastern to name a few. She studied at Pinellas County Center for the Performing Arts, Alvin Ailey, SUNY Purchase, and the Jose Limón Institute. Professionally she danced with EBA Dance Theatre, the Ellen SInopoli Company, Eva Dean Dance, Jenny Roche and Vanessa Paige. Dedicated to the health and happiness of her fellow human beings, she teaches Pilates and Yoga and is a Licensed Massage Therapist in both New York and Florida. This is her third season dancing with Fuzión Dance Artists |
 Jahrel Thompson started dancing ballroom in 1997 in his senior year at Riverview High School in Sarasota. Shortly after he began teaching at Wilson's Dance Sport and at Purple Tiger for Wilson Barrera and Margaret Burns. In 2002, he attended the New World School of the Arts College in Miami for training in ballet and contemporary dance. During his time there he worked with several choreographers and companies including Fredrick Bratcher and Co., Momentum Dance, Katie Marlow’s Danceation, and Sobepac. In 2006, he continued his training with Billie Fajardo and later performed for Celebrity Cruise Lines. He then returned to Sarasota and has performed with the West Coast Civic Ballet, Players Theatre, and now in his third season with Fuzión.
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 Koeiya Mclroy - APPRENTICE - was born and raised in Palmetto,
Florida
,
has had a passion for dance since the age of 10. She
attends
Manatee
Community College
, and after she
plans to attend a University double majoring in Broadcast
Journalism and Dance. She received her training from
Manatee
School
for the Arts and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.
She has studied with Troy O'Neil Powell, Tracey Inman,
Robert Atwood, Elena Comendador, Joan Peters and Maguette Camara. This is her first
season dancing with Fuzion Dance Artist as an apprentice and is very grateful
for the opportunity.
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PROJECT-BASED DANCERS
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 Pedro Batista
received a BA in dance from
James
Madison
University
and has performed with the Roanoke Ballet Theatre,
Florida Dance Theatre, and worked with Artistic Director
Carol Krajacic-Erkes on
several occasions. Recently, Pedro has been working
with the Westcoast Civic Ballet,
Sarasota's
Players Theatre, and Manatee Players Theatre.
This is his first season working with Fuzión
Dance Artists on a project basis.
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 Keely Henry, born and raised in Sarasota, Florida, began her dancing with the Florida Ballet Arts School. After graduating from Booker Visual & Performing Arts High School, Keely attended the American Dance Festival in the summer of 1999. In August 2004, Keely graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Performance and Choreography from Columbia College. While attending Columbia Coll`ege, she performed two pieces at the American College Dance Festival 2003 in Miami, one of which made its way into the Gala Performance. She has been dancing with since 2005 Fuzión Dance Artists and currently with Moving Ethos.
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Courtney Smith's passion lies in the world of modern dance and she is determined
to perpetuate its existence via her 5’2’’
frame through performing, teaching and choreographing.
She got her BFA in Dance from UF and has worked with
Mark Haim, Nicholas Leichter, Pam Pietro, Moving Current,
Michael Foley and Elsa Valbuena, among others. She
also started a dance company in Sarasota, Moving Ethos.
This is her second season with Fuzión. |
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Scott Blum (Composer/Musician) is a drummer and percussionist originally from the New Jersey and New York area He has performed with guitarist Esteban at the Van Wezel, Ringling Museum, and Manatee Community College, with Don Scaletta and the Jazz Project at Big Arts in Sanibel, Vero Beach Art Center, and The Savannah House in the Villages, in the production of Swing at Manatee Players Theater, Circus Sarasota, New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, concerts throughout the United States with various jazz artists. As a recognized percussionist, his performances include dance bands, theatre productions, parades, ethnic festivals, jazz festivals, operas, radio, television, and studio recording. Blum is a recipient of the Arts Council Manatee County 2006 volunteer award. Blum was awarded two grants for percussion instruction from The Florida Alliance for Arts and Education and Arts for a Complete Education; he received the 2007 award for Volunteer of the Year in the state of Florida. He has taught extensively locally.
Stephanie Carter (Guest Choreographer) is a teacher and contact improvisation/partnering specialist. She has served as an Adjunct Professor of Dance for the University of Florida and New College of Florida, Artist in Residence for UF/MOD, an is the former Director of Dance at Booker High School's Visual and Performing Arts Center in Sarasota, Florida. Dr. Carter has studied/performed with many renowned teachers such as David Dorfman, Mark Haim, Lois Henry, Gerri Houlihan, Ralph Lemon, Bebe Miller, Daniel Nagrin and Liz Lerman. She has also studied contact improvisation with Chris Aiken, David Beadle, Daniel Lepkoff and Nancy Stark Smith. She teaches release-based technique as well as partnering, critical analysis, contact improvisation, kinesiology, modern dance history, and composition.
Edward Cosla (Composer) has had compositions performed at The American Dance Festival and The Joyce Theater (NYC) and has created works for choreographers such as Peter Pucci and Elisa Monte. He draws inspiration from the interplay of movement, sound, and music. This is his third season collaborating with Leymis Bolaños Wilmott of Fuzión Dance Artists.
Elizabeth Higgins (Guest Choreographer) As a choreographer, she has presented her work throughout the United States and in South America. She won the New Moves NY State Choreography Competition, the Turner Choreography Award and her work was chosen as one of the critics' "Best Picks" by Back Stage Magazine. She received a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Dance as a University Fellow from Florida State University and holds her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Rutgers University. As a performer, Ms. Higgins toured nationally and internationally with Murray Louis and Nikolais Dance, in addition to several other companies. She served as an Assistant Professor of Dance at Marymount Manhattan College from 2003-6, and has taught at several studios and institutions including Columbia University, FSU, the NYC Ballet Education Program, Peridance and the Center for Modern Dance Education.
Gerri Houlihan (Guest Choreographer) began her professional career at the Julliard School studying with Antony Tudor, Alfredo Corvino, and members of the Martha Graham and Jose Limón dance companies. She performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Paul Sanasardo Dance Company, and spent five years as a soloist with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company touring extensively throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Houlihan has taught and choreographed at numerous institutions in the United States. She has been on the faculty of the American Dance Festival, 1981-1983, and 1987 to the present, and is an international representative for ADF whereby she has participated in fifteen international linkages, teaching all over the world. From 1984-1987 she directed her own school and company, the Boston Project. Ms. Houlihan was also on the faculty of New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL, 1988-1999; during that time; she was also the artistic director of Houlihan and Dancers and the recipient of two Florida Individual Artists Fellowships in Dance/Choreography. She is the 2005 recipient of the Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching, and received her MFA degree in 2007 from the Hollins University/American Dance Festival. She is currently an associate professor at Florida State University.
Francis Schwartz (Composer/Polyartist) is an internationally acclaimed composer who resides in Sarasota. He holds advanced degrees from The Juilliard School and the University of Paris. Schwartz’s music is performed regularly around the world and he is particularly noted for his unique music-theater strategies, which includes the attending public in the artistic performance. He also expands the performance tools of the musicians and dancers by having them make vocal sounds and gestures outside the traditional formulae. Schwartz’s multi-media creation “Mon Oeuf” has been hailed as an important contribution to contemporary art and was exhibited at the Pompidou Center and the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. Schwartz is an active collaborator and supporter of the Fuzión Dance Artists and has written for many of the world’s leading artists and ensembles.
Celeste Silsby Mannerud (Lighting design) is co-founder of Flip Flop Productions, specializing in event design for performance arts and private celebrations. She received her BA in Theatre Design from USF and her MFA in Media Design Management from IADT, and her repertoire includes: technical/artistic design in Germany for the prestigious ArtLab Studios and the groundbreaking Tap Dogs; multimedia support for the Doobie Brothers, Wynonna, and. Michael Bolton.
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