Instructors
Rodney S. Hill Born and raised in North Philadelphia Rodney entered the hip hop scene in 1988. For more than a decade, Rodney has blazed the stages in venues nationally and abroad. He has been featured in many videos for such artist as Boys II Men, Will Smith, Music Soul Child & EVE just to name a few . Moving on to perform on TV shows such as Soul Train, NBC’S NFL Under The Helmet, BET “Teen Summit,” In addition he has toured and performed with artist such as “EVE”, Teddy Pendergrass, Shanice Wilson, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Philly’s own the Roots . An accomplished teacher and choreographer...
Kimmie Dobbs Chan. Photo by Enoch Chan.
Kimmie Dobbs Chan is Co-Artistic Director of DEVIATED THEATRE, along with Enoch Chan. Together they compose modern fairytales and pioneer new avenues of physical theater, which they call operas of movement. Since their debut at Dance Place in 2008, the Chans have created 4 full evening-length productions, including Sway (2010) which was nominated for several MetroDC Dance Awards, and siGHt (2011) which was commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of P.A.F.E. and the Millennium Stage. Kimmie studied dance in her youth at Ballet Theatre of Annapolis and Fran’s Studio of Dance, and has...
Briana Carper has been dancing and moving since she was a child. She is a strong believer in the positive power that dance has both physically and emotionally and believes that it should be accessible to all. Briana is a licensed ZUMBA instructor, and excited about sharing the fun and fitness. In addition to teaching, she is currently pursuing her passion for dance through performance with REVISION Dance Collaborative and Next Reflex Dance Collective. She was also a competitive varsity gymnast throughout high school and into college. Briana holds a B.A. in Dance and a B.S. in Integrated Science and...
Helanius J. Wilkins is an award winning choreographer, performance artist, and instructor based in Washington, D.C., and the Founder and Artistic Director of EDGEWORKS Dance Theater. Wilkins was the 2008 recipient of the Pola Nirenska Award for Contemporary Achievement in Dance as well as a 2002 and 2006 recipient of The Kennedy Center Local Dance Commissioning Project. In addition to performing the works of several nationally recognized choreographers including Robert Moses, Kevin Wynn, Liz Lerman, and Troy Powell and performing with three companies, Wilkins has enjoyed creating, presenting, and receiving commissions for choreography throughout the United States and abroad. To...
Ronya-Lee Anderson-Thompson is a graduate of Duke Divinity School. She completed her undergraduate degrees in Dance and in English from the University of Maryland at College Park. A former member of the Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble and Carla Perlo’s Carla and Company, Ronya-Lee has traveled extensively teaching, dancing, and choreographing. Her choreography has been presented at the Publick Playhouse, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, THEARC, the Atlas Theater, the Harman Center and in churches throughout the United States, South Africa and Ecuador. Her work has been commissioned by Duke University, PG Community College and Dance For All...
Ralph Glenmore is a former principal dancer with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He has performed in several Broadway productions, including A Chorus Line, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, Reggae and Bubblin’ Brown Sugar. He served as Resident Dance Supervisor for The Lion King-Los Angeles Production. He has worked on several production with Debbie Allen and The Debbie Allen Dance Academy, The Lula Washington Dance Theater, The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, The Duke Ellington School of the Arts, The Dance Institute of Washington as Instructor/Rehearsal Coach/ Choreographer/Stage Manager and Performer. He has recently been awarded The Legend of Dance Award presented...
Daniel Burkholder is the Director of The PlayGround, a dance performance group, which was awarded the 2006 Metro DC Dance Award for “Outstanding Group Performance in a Dance Production” and a 2005 Local Dance Commissioning Project through The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Daniel’s work has been seen in the Metro D.C. area, New York City, San Francisco and the Mid-Atlantic region. Daniel served as the D.C./Local Dancers’ Rehearsal Director for the D.C. presentation of White Oak Dance Project’s “Past Forward” program and as guest teacher for Cirque du Soleil. He has taught at University of Maryland...
Kirk Talbott has been studying t’ai chi since 1982 when he was fortunate to study intensely under Robert W. Smith. Mr. Smith, the first Western student of the renowned master, Cheng Man-ching, passed away this past summer and was widely considered the dean of the internal martial arts in the West. Mr. Smith taught thousands of students in Bethesda, Maryland, as well as wrote several instructional books, many still considered classics today. Kirk, who has also studied yoga and modern dance, as a former student of Carla Perlo’s, practices the short Yang style t’ai chi form as well as “push...
Ilana Silverstein. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.
Ilana Faye Silverstein studies nationally and locally with mentors, supports the next generation of artists, approaches movement with mindfulness and commits to the creative process. She has performed with Dance Box Theater, Daniel Burkholder/The Playground, Lotta Lundgren, Christine Stone Martin and other independent artists in the D.C. area. Ilana’s work has been presented by the Philly Fringe Festival, Gaia in Washington DC, and was selected for the 2011 Source Festival Artistic Blind Dates. She teaches workshops in movement meditation, contact improvisation, partner stretch and an artist feedback structure called Fieldwork. She holds a B.A. in Dance and Environmental studies from...
Adrienne Clancy, Founding & Artistic Director of ClancyWorks Dance Company, is a proclaimed “wizard of invention,” by the Washington Post. As a “tour de force of unpredictable partnering,” her work explores architecturally informed partnering developed amongst diverse artists. Assured to be simultaneously dynamic yet extremely human, the choreography exemplifies an environment of mutual respect and creates images that embrace diversity and community awareness. Over the past twenty years, Clancy has choreographed and performed throughout the world: She was the youngest choreographer to present at the Suzanne Dellal International World Dance Competition in Tel Aviv; and, the sole student choreographer to...
Moonira (Vaunita Goodman)
A “military brat” who found a home in Washington, D.C., her training has been expansive and eccentric, from house parties in Brazil to jam sessions on her living room floor, to spirit filled religious celebrations. She began her professional dance career at one of the first schools devoted to the rich art form of belly dancing, Shiva’s School of Bellydance, in Richmond, Virginia. She has been invited to teach in South America, performed as a soloist at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and at a variety of fundraising engagements in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. Moonira enjoys exploring...
Robin Gilmore, MFA, ATI, began her study of the Alexander Technique and other somatic disciplines in 1980. She is the director of Chesapeake Bay Alexander Studies and runs a teacher training program in Greensboro, NC. Her book, What Every Dancer Needs to Know About the Body, is a required text in numerous university dance departments. As a dancer and choreographer, Robin’s work has been presented internationally.
Tzveta Kassabova performing with PEARSONWIDRIG DANCETHEATER. Photo by Zachary Z. Handler
Tzveta Kassabova believes that dance is a visual art form. She has always been fascinated by the concept of space, and is constantly trying to address it, both in her choreography and design. Tzveta tries to build a world in motion that invites audiences to re-examine their perception of movement, its context, and emotional qualities. As a dancer, Tzveta has been part of Ed Tyler, Sara Pearson/Patrik Widrig and David Dorfman Dance. Her work as a choreographer has been presented both in Europe and US. She received a Metro DC Dance Award (2008), the Prince George’s Arts Council grant (2009)...
Brandon Jones, a native Washingtonian, began dancing at an early age. His early training in tap, hip hop, and lyrical dance was completed at Linda Natoli Studios in Maryland. By the age of 16, he had choreographed recitals, danced on the competitive line, and worked as an instructor at Natoli’s. His training continued at Suitland High School, a performing arts school in Maryland. He served as the Captain of the Brothers and Sisters United (BASU) dance team. BASU performed in the Washington, DC area at various community and philanthropic events.
Shannon Quinn performing with Carla & Company. Photo by Stan Barouh
Shannon Quinn graduated from Winthrop University in South Carolina in 2004. She earned her BA in Dance with K-12 certification. Shannon is currently on staff at Dance Place as the Director of Next Generation Youth Programs. She had taught throughout the DC Metropolitan area in several DC public schools as well as Knock on Wood Tap Studio, Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, Dance Place, and City Dance. Shannon is also on faculty at the Catholic University of America where she teaches beginning and intermediate Modern dance classes. She is the Co-Artistic director of REVISION dance collaborative with Valerie Branch,...
