Dance Alloy

Last updated

Dance Alloy was a modern dance repertory company based in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's neighborhood of Friendship. It suspended operations in 2012 following a merger with the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater. [1]

Contents

History and mission

The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy was founded in 1976 at the University of Pittsburgh as an artistic collective of nine dancers. [2] Margaret Skrinar, Director of Dance, was the founder with the help of Yolanda Marino and Mary Goodman of the Pittsburgh Dance Council and guest artists Murray Louis, Kathryn Posin and Dan Wagoner. The first concert was performed in December 1976 at the Stephen Foster Memorial Theater and was directed by company choreographer, Rebecca Rice. The Dance Alloy moved off-campus in 1980, and two years later Susan Gillis and Elsa Limbach were named co-artistic directors. Limbach became sole artistic director in 1984 and moved the company to studio space in the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh.

Established New York choreographer Mark Taylor became artistic director in 1991 and the company continued to grow, touring extensively both nationally and internationally, and offering dance classes in the community. In 1995 it expanded again, under the executive director Stephanie Flom, building its own state-of-the-art studios and employing six full-time dancers as well as numerous technical staff and arts administrators.

Dance Alloy's repertory included works by Claudia Gitelman, Lynn Dally, Kathryn Posin, Carolyn Brown, Elsa Limbach, Susan Gillis, Mark Dendy, Eiko & Koma, Bill T. Jones, José Limón, Victoria Marks, Charles Moulton, Mark Taylor, Douglas Nielson, Tere O'Connor, Pilobolus, Bill Evans, Rebecca Rice Flanagan, J Michael Kane, Gail Stepanek, Jerry Pearson and Elizabeth Streb. In 2003, Beth Corning was chosen to be the next artistic director. Corning was the force behind the reconstruction of the company, and "changed its name to better reflect the diversity of this genre." The last Artistic Director was Greer Reed-Jones. [3]

Dance Alloy's mission was something called "Breaking the Fourth Wall." The back wall, when the audience looks at the stage, is referred to as the upstage. The next two walls are the wings or the sides of the stage, and the fourth wall is the barrier between the audience and the stage. This is the wall that Dance Alloy tried to break, the point being to completely engage the audience in the performance. They also set goals to immerse themselves in the community surrounding Dance Alloy, and they achieved this by offering dance education to adults and children of all ages.

On June 27, 2012, a merger was announced between the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty and Dance Alloy. Kelly-Strayhorn would manage daily operations of Dance Alloy and the Dance Alloy School but the dance company itself would not be active. [1]

The final Company was under the artistic direction of Greer Reed Jones when it dissolved in 2012. Jones joined the Dance Alloy staff in June 2009. [4] Along with the artistic director the company also employed five contracted dancers, including Maribeth Maxa, Stephanie Dumaine, Christopher Bandy, Michael Walsh and Adrienne Misko.

Staff of ALLOY School today

NameDance Background [3]
Greer Reed-Jones (Education Director/ Artistic Director)Greer began training with the Pittsburgh Black Dance Ensemble then continued on to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and the Dance Theater of Harlem in New York. She then became a member of the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble after completing the programs of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She then moved on to become a dancer with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company in Dayton, Ohio.
Michael Walsh (Teacher/ Contracted Dancer)Michael has danced with Shawn Womack Dance Projects in Cincinnati, Ohio. Michael began teaching at the Dance Alloy in 1999.
Christopher Bandy (Teacher/ Contracted Dancer)Christopher began his career with American Repertory Ballet in 1997. He has experience with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Terpsicorps Theater of Dance in Asheville, North Carolina.
Kadiatou Conte-Forte (Teacher)As a teenager, Kadiatou was accepted into Les Ballets Africans, the national dance company of Guinea. She later moved to the United States and began her own group, Balafon West African Dance Company. She then moved to Pittsburgh and became the Artistic Director of UMOJA African Arts Company.
Teena Custer (Teacher)Teena earned a BA in Dance from Slippery Rock University and an MFA degree from Ohio State University. She has danced with Dance Alloy, Attack Theater, and Ursula Payne.
Veronica Sansing (Teacher)Veronica is currently a member of Sahara Dance Troupe, a belly dance company in Pittsburgh. Her Middle Eastern skills include Tunisian folkloric, American tribal, Greek and Turkish rom, Lebanese cabaret, Egyptian Cabaret, classical and Raqs Sharqi. She also has background in modern dance, hip hop, swing, ballet, African dance, and Latin dance.
Mary Ann Blair (Teacher)Mary performs with the Sahara Dance Company. She has also performed with Raqia Hassan, Mona El Said, Mahmoud Reda, Dr. Mo Geddawi and Yousry Sharif.
Aboubacar Camara (Teacher)Oscar has been a dancer and choreographer for Les Ballets Africains in the Republic of Guinea, the Ballet d'Afrique Noir in the Republic of Senegal, and Koteba D'Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. He has performed in many important venues including at the Apollo Theater in New York and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
Allie Greene (Teacher)Allie created CLIMB (Creative Learning in Moving Bodies), a program used for children with special needs. She is the owner of Pittsburgh Pilates Studio at Wexford Dance Academy.
Shira Krasnow (Teacher)Shira teaches Hip Hop at universities around Pittsburgh. She choreographs musicals at Taylor Allderdice. She has danced for Flo Rida, Nas, Clipse, Lupe Fiasco, Young Jeezy and Vanilla Ice.
Gretchen Moore (Teacher)Gretchen is a member of Laboratory Company Dance (LABCO). She teaches dance classes at Chatham College and West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Ayisha A. Morgan-Lee (Teacher)Ayisha Founded Hill Dance Academy Theater and is the Artistic Director of the dance company Ju-B-Lation: Spirit Filled Feet. She received The African American Council of the Arts Onyx Award for Best Choreography in a Musical for Black Nativity in 2007.
Jennifer Quinio (Teacher)Jennifer has taught Zumba many places around Pittsburgh including Modern Formations Gallery and Performance Space and Club. She is a board member of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation.
Trinidad "Trini" Regaspi (Teacher)Trini and her husband founded PATangoS (Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society) in 2002.
Mercedes Searer (Teacher)Mercedes began her career with Windhover Dance Company. She has performed with Attack Theater and Tracie Yorke Dance. She choreographs and dances with Knot Dance in Pittsburgh and has taught outreach programs for Attack Theater, Dance Alloy, and Civic Light Opera.
Marlon Silvia (Teacher)Marlon choreographs, teaches and performs Salsa and Merengue. He is the host of the Let's Dance Salsa video series.
Laurie Tarter (Teacher)Laurie has a background in tai chi, contemporary dance, aerobics, and yoga. She is one of the original members of the Dance Alloy, as a performer, choreographer, and teacher. Laurie came up with the name "Dance Alloy" in 1976. The name was overwhelmingly agreed upon by the original members of the company.
Maribeth Maxa (Contracted Dancer)Maribeth graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Juilliard School. She has performed with the Metropolitan Repertory Ballet, Gleich Dances Contemporary Ballet, and Fly-By-Night, a trapeze dance company.
Stephanie Dumaine (Contracted Dancer)Stephanie attended North Carolina School of the Arts. She has been a member of the Casco Bay Movers Jazz Company in Portland, Maine, and Corning and Dances Company.
Adrienne Misko (Contracted Dancer)Adrienne graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

See also

Related Research Articles

Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is a professional ballet company based in Houston, Texas. The company consists of 59 dancers and produces over 85 performances per year. It is the 5th largest ballet company in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Public Theater</span>

Pittsburgh Public Theater, or The Public for short, is a professional theater company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After the retirement of longtime Producing Artistic Director Ted Pappas, The Public began the 2018–2019 season with a new leadership team: Artistic Director Marya Sea Kaminski and Managing Director Lou Castelli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre</span> Ballet company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) is an American professional ballet company based in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall W. Mason</span>

Marshall W. Mason is an American theater director, educator, and writer. Mason founded the Circle Repertory Company in New York City and was artistic director of the company for 18 years (1969–1987). He received an Obie Award for Sustained Achievement in 1983. In 2016, he received the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater.

Paul Taylor Dance Company is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is a contemporary dance company based in Chicago. Hubbard Street performs in downtown Chicago at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance and at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Hubbard Street also tours nationally and internationally throughout the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater</span> Modern dance company based in New York City

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is a modern dance company based in New York City. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey. It is made up of 32 dancers, led by artistic director Robert Battle and associate artistic director Matthew Rushing.

Marie Anne Chiment has created sets and costumes for hundreds of productions across the United States for opera, theatre and dance. Chiment’s sets and costumes have been used on the stages of Santa Fe Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Kennedy Center, Wolftrap Opera and Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre. She has designed national tours of Grease and Carousel, as well as the GLAMA award winning world premiere of Patience & Sarah for the Lincoln Center Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati Ballet</span> American ballet company

The Cincinnati Ballet is a professional ballet company founded as Cincinnati Civic Ballet in 1958, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. After being registered as a company, it had its first performance in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ODC/Dance</span>

ODC, formerly the Oberlin Dance Collective, is a contemporary dance and arts organization founded in 1971, in Oberlin, Ohio, by current artistic director Brenda Way. ODC relocated to San Francisco in 1976 and in 1979 became the first modern dance company in America to build its own facility, from which it still operates. ODC comprises ODC/Dance, its contemporary dance company, ODC Theater, and ODC School, which provides classes and training for youth, teen, and adult dancers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AXIS Dance Company</span>

AXIS Dance Company is a professional physically integrated contemporary dance company and dance education organization founded in 1987 and based in Oakland, California. It is one of the first contemporary dance companies in the world to consciously develop choreography that integrates dancers with and without physical disabilities. Their work has received nine Isadora Duncan Dance Awards and nine additional nominations for both their artistry and production values.

Capital Repertory Theatre is a 309-seat professional regional theatre in Albany, New York. Capital Rep is the only theatre in the Capital District that is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT). As a member, it operates under collective bargaining agreements with Actors' Equity Association and other theatre worker unions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre in Pittsburgh</span> Overview about theatre in Pittsburgh

Theater in Pittsburgh has existed professionally since the early 1800s and has continued to expand, having emerged as an important cultural force in the city over the past several decades.

Kyle Abraham is an American choreographer and dancer. He founded his own company A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2006 in New York City and has produced many original works for A.I.M such as The Radio Show (2010), Absent Matter (2015), Pavement (2012), Dearest Home (2017), Drive (2017), INDY (2018), Studies on Farewell (2019), and An Untitled Love (2021). Kyle has also been commissioned to create new works for international dance companies such as Untitled America (2016) for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Runaway (2018) for New York City Ballet, The Bystander (2019) for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Only The Lonely (2019) for Paul Taylor American Modern Dance and Ash (2019).

Bruce Marks is an American dancer, performing both in ballet and modern dance. He continues to work as a choreographer, coach and teacher and is a tireless advocate for the art form.

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, which was founded in 1968 by Dayton, Ohio native, Jeraldyne Blunden, is the oldest modern dance company in Ohio, and one of the largest companies of its kind between Chicago and New York City.

The August Strindberg Repertory Theatre is the resident company at the Gene Frankel Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly-Strayhorn Theater</span> Performing arts center in Pennsylvania

Kelly Strayhorn Theater is a performing arts center located at 5941 Penn Avenue in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. named in honor of Pittsburgh natives Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn. The theater is committed to providing a platform for emerging artists, community producers, and progressive arts and cultural experiences that address contemporary issues.

Kathryn Posin is an American choreographer known for her musical and sculptural fusing of ballet and modern dance genres. In addition to choreographing, she has also taught technique and composition at several American universities. Her most recent season with The Kathryn Posin Dance Company commissioned by 92nd Street Y in February 2016 received an award from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and an Arts Works Grant from the NEA in 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 Bauknecht, Sara (July 3, 2012). "Kelly-Strayhorn, Dance Alloy to merge theatrical forces". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. 1–3. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  2. ↑ Indiana Gazette. December 3, 1976.[ full citation needed ]
  3. 1 2 "Dance Alloy". Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Pittsburgh Post Gazette". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.[ full citation needed ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.