Current Choreographers 2008-2009

Sally Ashcraft.jpg (55631 bytes)Sally Ashcraft

Sally received her bachelors degree from the University of Arkansas. Sally began taking dance when she was 3 at the Connie Booth Dance School in southern Arkansas, and since has had the joy of training with studios and companies in many places - The Premiere Ballet School in Pine Bluff, Ballet Arkansas in Little Rock, The Fayetteville Dance Center in Northwest Arkansas, The North Carolina Dance Theater in Charlotte, Dancebase in Edinburgh, Scotland, The Manor School of Ballet and Morningside Ballet Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, Steps On Broadway in New York City, and The San Diego City Ballet.  Her background also includes gymnastics and aerial performance with the Zoppe Circo Europa. Sally currently dances at the Fayetteville Dance Center in south Fayetteville under Roselyn Cicerone and works with the Elite School of Dance on Main in Johnson.  She has served on the board of Dance Coalition for four years, and acted as board president for two of those years.  Professionally, she works in brand management at Tyson Foods, Inc., and she and her husband reside in Springdale.

 

Anabelle Berry.jpg (10686 bytes)Anabelle Steelman-Berry

Anabelle Steelman-Berry has been a resident of Fayetteville for over 25 years and is a charter member of the Dance Coalition. Originally from the East coast, she trained at the New York School of Ballet and Dance Arts as well as the National Academy of Ballet in New York City. She is a Life Member of the Texas Association Teachers of Dance as well as a certified examiner for that organization. She has over 30 years of teaching experience in state of New Jersey, Dallas Texas, and Texarkana Texas. For 18 years she was director of the Northwest Arkansas School of Dance in Fayetteville, AR. A past recipient of the Dance Artists of Tulsa Choreographers Award, Anabelle currently teaches ballet and Spanish dance and is a member of the Board of Dance Coalition.

 

Mary Trulock.jpg (31315 bytes)Mary Trulock

Mary Trulock received her ballet training in Little Rock under the direction of Manolo Agullo and Anotonio Mesa.  She also studied modern dance with Rachel Lampert.  Ms. Trulock was a soloist with Ballet Arkansas and also received the Governor's Art Award for Choreography in 2001, for Cascading Waters and The Sky Begins at Your Feet.  She received her B.A. in Anthropology from UALR, her M.S. in Drama from the University of Arkansas, and her M. Ed. from UALR.  She is currently the art teacher at Westwood Elementary School in Springdale.  Ms. Trulock teaches advanced ballet at Rhythm and Shoes dance studio in Tontitown.  Her husband Steven is an English instructor, poet, and musician and son Drew is also a musician and loves skateboarding.  Ms. Trulock and her family live in Fayetteville.

 

concert_-_elite.jpg (15378 bytes)Emily Viator

Emily Viator has been extensively trained in ballet, jazz, and tap dancing. She annually attends master classes and conventions around the United States. She has won many awards for her gift in choreography and was also certified upon completion of the teacher's course at Company Dance in Memphis and Tulsa. She has choreographed for Ozark Film and Video and her work has been featured in several Dance Coalition concerts. Her personal studies in anatomy and physiology have assisted her in training healthy dancers. She has been senior instructor at the Elite Dance Studio in Berryville for over eight years as well as tap instructor at the Montessori School in Fayetteville for the past four years.

 

Past Choreographers

 

Michelle Brekelbaum.jpg (11654 bytes)Michelle Brekelbaum

Michelle Brekelbaum, a Dance Coalition choreographer and the Education Committee Chair for Dance Coalition, has been dancing since the age of three.   Before moving to Northwest Arkansas area Michelle was a company member in the professional dance company La JAZDANZ, under the direction of Frank Vega.  Later in her professional dance career, Michelle toured Europe and Egypt as a principal dancer for On Stage Productions.  

 

L. Terry Brusstar
L. Terry Brusstar, Professor of Dance, has a Ph.D. in Dance and Related Arts from the Texas Womans University. A two-time Fulbright Scholar and National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, she has taught modern dance technique and Choreographed in South Africa (1995) and Santiago Chile (1986). She is the recipient of an Arkansas Choreographer's Award from the Arkansas Arts Council. Prior to coming to Arkansas she was an actor, singer, dancer with the St. Petersburg Music Box Theatre for several seasons and a performer in the St. Leo Concert Dance Company, both based in Florida.

 

Roselyn Cicerone.jpg (11714 bytes)Roselyn Cicerone

Roselyn Cicerone has been director of Fayetteville Dance Center first from 1983 to 1987, then from 1991 to the present. Prior to moving to Arkansas, Roselyn taught, choreographed and performed for Oakland Civic Ballet Arts Center in Oakland CA, and for Richmond Ballet in Richmond, CA. During her four year absence from Fayetteville in the late 80's she performed with Ballet Russe of San Francisco, a company that performed the traditional dances of Russia and Eastern Europe, and had her choreography presented by the Augustino Dance Company at the Open Arts Circle in Oakland, CA. Roselyn is the founding member of the Dance Coalition.

 

Amy_in_the_spotlight.jpg (6435 bytes)Amy Kessler

Amy has been a dancer and choreographer for Dance Coalition for eight years.  Ms. Kessler is the founder and director of Ozark Dance Theatre.  She is also the director of dance at The New School and teaches at The Art of Motion.  Ms. Kessler has a great love for her home in the Ozarks, dance, and working with children and seeks to unite these interests through her work.

 

Gail Leftwich

A resident of Fayetteville for 23 years, Gail Leftwich has been an adjunct instructor of dance in the department of Drama at the University of Arkansas for 11 of those years. She is a founding member and choreographer of the Dance Coalition. Her choreography has been seen in Dance Coalition concerts, as well as in musicals produced by the University of Arkansas, area high schools, and local performing groups. In 2001, she was the recipient of an Individual Artistic Fellowship award in choreography from the Arkansas Arts Council. Her greatest desire is to see dance as a performing art flourish in Northwest Arkansas.  Gail currently serves as an advisory board member to Dance Coalition.

 

Hannah Pasquinzo.jpg (9982 bytes)Hannah Pasquinzo

Hannah Pasquinzo, a Rogers, Arkansas native, has been dancing and performing in the Northwest Arkansas area for seventeen years.  Hannah has also studied in New York City, where she worked with Michelle Assaf, Sheila Barker, Michelle Barber, and Alex Hasbany.  On both the regional and national competition circuit, her jazz and lyrical choreography have earned first, second, and third place awards.   Hannah is now Director of The Art of Motion dance studio in Fayetteville.   She loves being a member of Dance Coalition, which she feels allows more opportunities to help celebrate dance and her passion in Northwest Arkansas.