Artistic Staff
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Artistic Director
Gretchen Pick has a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, an MFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin, and is a certified Laban Movement Analyst. She has been an active dancer, teacher and choreographer in the Twin Cities since 1993. The companies and choreographers she has danced for include 45 Chartreuse, Gomez Dance Group, 10,000 Dances, Flying Sisters Theater, Dancing People Company, Sarah Hauss and Megan Flood.
Gretchen's own choreography has been in original concerts at Studio 6A, Red Eye Collaborations and Old Arizona Studios in Minneapolis. She has also presented her choreography at the Show Off Gallery in Bellingham, WA and the International Festival of Contemporary Dance in Bytom, Poland. Her work has been commissioned by the Walker Art Center, Winona State University and Carleton College. Gretchen teaches dance and yoga to students of all ages at various schools in the Twin Cities metro area. She is adjuncy faculty at the University of Minnesota. Gretchen also works in the Minneapolis Public Schools developing curriculum that infuses dance into academics. She has received funding for her work as both a choreographer and as a teacher from the Lyndale Neighborhood association and the Perpich Center for Arts Education. Gretchen will be working with all levels as both a teacher and a choreographer and overseeing the choreography projects of the dancers.
Jennifer Glaws, Programs Manager, is a choreographer, dancer, and educator in the Twin Cities passionate about modern and the renovation of the jazz dance form. Currently, she teaches dance at Apple Valley High School and is the Director of Dance at Eagan High School. She performs with Eclectic Edge Ensemble and has been a guest artist and choreographer for Breck Preparatory College, the Zenon Block E Scholarship Program, and has worked as the youth performance director for the Youth Dance Ensemble. Originally, from the Chicago area, Jennifer holds a BFA in dance and photography from Arizona State University and a Post Baccalaureate certificate in Photography from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Prior to college, she danced with Greg Thompson Productions and Perry Mansfield Dance Company touring both nationally and internationally with them.
2009-2010 Teaching Staff
Maggie Bergeron, graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Minnesota with a BFA Summa cum Laude in Dance, completing a thesis project entitled "Bodies that Dance: Mixed-Ability Movement in Dance." Currently she is the Director of the Dance Program at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, an adjunct professor in the University of Minnesota’s Dance Program and dances for Shapiro and Smith Dance. She had the privilege of touring nationally with Shapiro and Smith Dance’s production of “Anytown,” which included a week-long season at the Joyce Theater in New York. Her work has been commisioned by Keshet Dance Company (a mixed ability dance company) in Albauquerque, NM.Her choreography for Maggie Bergeron & Company has been seen at the Walker Art Center, Best Feet Forward Festival, Kinetic Kitchen Dance Series and Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis, MN. Maggie will be teaching the Adaptive Creative Dance classes.
Brian J. Evans hails from the hub of Sibley County, Gaylord, MN. He recently graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a B.A. in dance. Brian began his professional career with Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater in 2007. Having recently moved to the Twin Cities, he plans to find out whether or not the world produces art, or if art produces the world! Brian would like to thank his friends and family for their support in pushing him to follow his dreams and to follow them with passion. Brian teaches the Middles A and High School classes.
Denise Gagner received her BA in Dance from St. Olaf College. She is the School Coordinator for Zenon Dance School, and also a free lance performer working and choreographing with several Twin Cities artists. She choreographed a dance with the Young Dance company in 2007-08 and this year joins Young Dance to teach Creative Movement.
Sarah Jacobs, Guest teacher and choreographer: An active teacher throughout southeast Minnesota, Sarah Jacobs recently relocated back to Minneapolis. She has performed with various Twin Cities choreographers and has been a guest artist at Florida State University and the Florence Dance Center (Italy). She has presented her work at the Walker Art Center, Bryant Lake Bowl, Red Eye Theater, and at Florida State University. Jacobs holds a degree in dance from Carleton College where she received honors for Excellence in Performance. Recent study includes a month in Berlin, Germany, practicing action theater with performance artist Sten Rudstrom.
Justin Jones, guest teacher and choreographer: is a dancer, choreographer, sound designer and child educator based in Minneapolis, MN. He is the recipient of a 2003 NYFA New York Fellowship for Peforming Artists and 1 2007 McKnight Fellowship for Choreographers. His work has been seen at many venues including the Bryant Lake Bowl, The Southern Theater and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and CBGB's and the Kitchen in New York. He creates sound design for his own work as well as for the work of other local choreographers. He is also a teacher at Temple Israel Early Childhood Center in Minneapolis
Erin Thompson, began her dance career with the Minnesota Dance Theatre and continued in New York City in the companies of Nina Wiener and Bebe Miller. Erin has been on faculty at the University of Minnesota's Department of Theater Arts and Dance since 1990, teaching beginning to advanced level modern dance technique classes and as well as an Alexander Technique for Performing Artists course. She also teaches at Zenon Dance School where she provides professional modern dance training for the Twin City's dance community. Erin graduated in 2004 from the Alexander Alliance in Philadelphia, PA. She was awarded a 2008 Sage Award for Outstanding Dance Educator in Minnesota. Erin will be teaching the Ballet class.
2009-2010 Guest Artists
Michael Hay, is the Youth Programs Manager of Phillips Community Television, he has overseen the development and operations of the after-school/summer program for eight years. He received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA in film and videoproduction from the University of Illinois, Chicago, where he taught art and media at the Boys and Girls’ Club of Chicago and at archi-treasures. He has also taught summer youth media classes at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. He will co-direct the Dance Film Choreography Project.
Leah Nelson, is a Zimbabwean dancer, choreographer and producer who graduated with a BFA from the North Carolina School of the Arts. She has performed internationally from Brussels to Brazil, and extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada. Ms. Nelson is a Co-Founding Director and Dance Curator, Youth Workshop, and DJ Coordinator of B-Girl BE: A Celebration of Women in Hip-Hop at Intermedia Arts. Leah is Artistic Director of Nubia – a pan-African performing arts collective that believes in access to community creativity. Nubia provides classes in hip-hop culture - b-boying, popping, locking, dj'ing, mc'ing, circus and aerosol arts. She has been running a after-school program at Bloomington Public Schools (2004- present) for Galaxy After School Program in 3 sites. Leah taught the 2009 Summer program at Young Dance and will choreograph a dance with the company this fall.
Nic Zapko, is the co-director of Storyblend which is an annual ASL interpreting immersion program and the athletic director of the Minnesota North Star Academy, a deaf charter high school. She has worked as an ASL Tutor at the College of St. Catherine and been contracted as an ASL Coach/Mentor/Tutor for newer and veteran interpreters. She has been a professional actress for the past 15 years performing for large theatre companies including Mixed Blood Theatre, National Theatre of the Deaf, Northern Sign Theatre and numerous independent productions. Her one-woman show, “A Look in the Mirror” will be running the month of October at Dreamland Arts. Nic collaborated with Gretchen last year and will return this spring to direct a theater/movement piece created by an Young Dance members and youth who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing.