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Alethea Bodine Alethea (Lea) Bodine completed her BA in Dance Performance from Mercyhurst College in 1991 and has since been Artistic Director, Key Instructor and Chief Administrator of the Titusville Dance Conservatory, North Coast Dance, and the moving space. Between 1991 and the present Ms. Bodine performed as a principal dancer with Erie dance companies Dafmark Dance Theater, her own company Chronic Dance and most recently with Shen and Bones Performance Group. In 1997 Ms. Bodine was accepted and served as a Pennsylvania Roster Artist with the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts until 2006. During this time she collaborated with many leading visual and performance artists while conducting several residencies throughout the Northern Tier, thus shaping her directive to maintain a presence of the arts in formal academic educational programming. As Arts in Education Coordinator for the Lake Erie Ballet, Ms. Bodine continues to conduct dance residencies at several Erie area public and private schools as well as other community based organizations that specialize in providing services for special needs, pre-school and elderly populations . Part of this mission is served by her active role as President Elect of the Erie Dance Consortium, a not for profit organization that conducts Master Classes yearly and Dance Festivals bi-annually. Ms. Bodine is proud to be an active advocate of interdisciplinary arts programming and intergenerational dance education in Erie area schools and other community based organizations.
Christina Maria is the former Artistic/Executive Director of Lake Erie Ballet, Erie. She began her early training in Detroit, MI at Charmaine’s Studio of Dance before moving to Dallas to train with Madame Nathalie Krassovska. She continued training under scholarship with the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet, Honor Company of the Southwest Regional Ballet Association, San Francisco Ballet Summer School and School of American Ballet for summer training. Later, she joined Boston Ballet II and danced extensively with the company. Ms. Maria arrived in 1989 as a member of the first professional ballet company in Erie. As a dancer, Ms. Maria is widely recognized for her dramatic ability. Her style is attributed to her wide and varied background in many forms of dance other than classical ballet. In 1996, she was proclaimed Artistic Director of Lake Erie Ballet after many years of dancing various leading roles and choreographing original works such as “Old Time Religion,” “Ballet in Silhouette,” “DanceBodies,” “Five O‘Clock Shadow“ and several children‘s ballets, “Beauty and the Beast,” “Peter and the Wolf,” “The Little Mermaid“ in conjunction with the Erie Playhouse and Rodgers and Hammerstein‘s “Cinderella“ which is the only production of its type to be granted permission. Also including through invitation, Greg Bach’s “Legend” for the 1999 Summer Festival of the Arts and the full-length children’s ballet, “Grimsby: The Great Lakes Sea Serpent” in 2002. Ms. Maria’s appreciation for the many forms of dance has contributed to her being instrumental in the formation of the Erie Dance Consortium, an organization comprised of local non-profit arts groups that produces the semi-annual Erie Festival of Dance, a performance event celebrating dance in the Erie community. Recently, she has been named the Fine Arts Coordinator for Erie First Assembly of God and has been involved in the formation of the Sacred Arts Academy for dance, art, drama and music, seeking to redeem the arts to bring glory, honor and praise to God. Holly Anderson Holly Anderson is an Erie native who has been studying dance for over 18 years. In 2007 she moved to Oklahoma City where she attended Oklahoma City University to study Dance Management. At OCU Holly studied under the renowned Jo Rowan, Mary Price Boday, Veronica Wilcox, Kay Sandel, Jay Fagan, Jeremy Kiesman, and Tiffany Van Der Merwe, along with numerous other masters of dance. Throughout her dance career she has been trained in tap, rhythm tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, hip hop, swing, adage, lyrical, acrobatics, and theatre dance. In high school, Holly organized her school’s first-ever dance team where she served as captain and choreographer all four years. Several of Holly’s dance appearances include the 2000 Sydney Olympics, The Dave Steven’s Big Band Christmas Spectacular as a member of “City Style Swing”, the Oklahoma Centennial Spectacular (which featured famous Oklahomans such as Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, and the “All-American Rejects”, to name a few) as a member of the American Spirit Dance Company, The Erie Dance Consortium, and the 2nd annual Rock Erie Awards Show. She is also currently a member of the Bayhawks Dance Team. Ms. Anderson has taught a variety of dance styles for many years and has a strong passion for choreographing. She is currently earning a B.S. degree in Business Administration at Edinboro University. Carrie Burns-Frase Carrie Burns-Frase, an Erie native, began her training at the Erie Civic Ballet School under Arlene Hay. She spent summers dancing in the Chautauqua Dance Festival Company under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Violette Verdy. She attended Goucher College in Baltimore, MD where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and was honored with the Rosenberg scholarship and Phi Beta Kappa Award in dance. After graduating, she danced professionally for seven years with the Lake Erie Ballet under various directors and performing numerous ballets. She has performed lead roles as a guest artist in Johnstown, PA and Baltimore, MD in ballets such as Nutcracker, Coppelia, and Sleeping Beauty. Carrie began teaching in 1992 as a ballet instructor with the Erie Bayfront Ballet. She has held teaching positions at Central High School, Northcoast Ballet, Mercyhurst College, Westminster Ice Skating Association, Lake Erie Ballet and other guest locations. Carrie continues to enjoy choreographing and performing liturgical pieces for Erie First Assembly of God Church. Lana Rae-Crotty Lana Rae Crotty graduated
from Mercyhurst College with
a BA in Dance Performance,
as well as a BA in Business
Marketing. Currently, Mrs.
Crotty is working toward
her masters degree in
Organizational Leadership. Her
stage experience includes Le
Corsaire, The Nutcracker, Swan
Lake, and A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, as well as contemporary
choreography and musicals.
Mrs. Crotty’s most recent
role was Effie in Mercyhurst
College’s presentation of La
Sylphide. She has had the
privilege to study from Vivi
Flindt, Janice Barringer, Mdm.
Nathalie Krassovska, Laura
Alonso, Frank Hatchett, and
Savion Glover. Mrs. Crotty
teaching experience includes
Lynn Scott School of Dance,
Perrinton Dance Co.,
Flower City Ballet, and Erie
Bayfront Dance. James Dixon From Erie, PA James Dixon has performed for six seasons with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. A graduate of the School of Performing and Visual Arts at Central High School in Erie, he has also performed with the Cleveland Contemporary Dance Company. His studies began at Erie Bayfront Dance Company under the tutlage of Director, Nathaniel Johnson. He has also attended Philadanco Summer Intensives. Ashlyn Duke Ashlyn Duke is in her fourteenth year of dance with the experience of ballet, tap, jazz, modern and hip-hop from Erie Bayfront Dance. There, she was the assistant to the director under Nathaniel Johnson from 2007-2009. Ashlyn has assisted with many dance classes in all styles for over nine years and just recently taught and choreographed for the first time last dance season. She as taken many master classes from company member Tracy Vogt and choreographer Debbie St. Charles Manning from Philidanco, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) member James Dixon, Broadway performer Mike Kirsch, STOMP member Alec Simmons, and Brandon Albright, creator of the Illstylz Peace Hip-Hop group. Ashlyn wants her new tap students to “keep the rhythm alive and keep those tap shoes tapping”! Kristie Reagle-Falkenhagen Kristie Reagle-Falkenhagen is the founder of Adaptive Arts of Pennsylvania’s Dance Studio. Adaptive Arts of PA strives to provide dance experience to those with developmental disabilities. She has been dancing since the age of 5, training in her hometown of Punxsutawney, until moving on to study dance at Mercyhurst College under Mary Price Boday and Tauna Hunter. She has trained at Dafmark Dance Theatre (under Shelly Barnard-Walker, Dafna Rathouse-Baier, and Jean Marc Baier) and at Connie’s Ballroom Dance Studio. While studying dance at Mercyhurst College she completed her Bachelor of Science Degree. Simultaneously, completing her nursing classes at Gannon University for her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Kristie knew, somehow, there was a way to combine her passion for dance with her passion as a caregiver. In 2002, she returned to Mercyhurst College, completing her degree in Art Therapy with a focus in Dance/ Creative Movement Therapy. Prior to this success, Ms. Falkenhagen worked in dance/movement exercises with Erie Homes for Children and Adults. Her work there encompassed dance and movement, as well as art exercises. Kristie worked alongside Shelly Barnard-Walker, previous Company Manager of Dafmark Dance Studio, assistant teaching the dance classes, designing and constructing all of the costumes and props for the culminating performance, Partners in Dance IV: Mother Nature, Mother Muse. Kristie understands her students’ physical, cognitive, and emotional needs. She knows that the most important need of any individual is emotional expression. Dance is a voice to those who cannot speak. Dance is understood in any language or culture. It transcends the need to speak! Kristie is sharing dance, as a means of expression, with her students’. She believes everyone wants to find their “dancer within”. Rick Gilmore Mr. Gilmore is an instructor of over 30 years. His dance training began at Erie's Dance Academy in the fall of 1949. With a performance history that includes a tour with the US Army, during which time he taught dance classes in Germany, he began performing at the tender age of five - monthly - for the national television show "Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour", a televised program much like the "Star Search" of the 1960's era. His tap stylings are reminiscent of the great performers of the golden era of film performers; Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Fred Astaire. Amy Karlein Griffith, RYT Amy Karlein Griffith returns to Erie after 10 years in Philadelphia, PA and New York City. Upon obtaining her B.F.A. in Dance Performance from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, she moved to New York. While living there, Amy performed as a Radio City Rockette for three seasons, and in productions of “42nd St", “Spamalot” and “Barnum”. Being a dancer her whole life, Amy has a thorough understanding of the body and how it moves. This is inspired her to develop a disciplined yoga practice and become a certified yoga instructor. Amy completed her certifications through Sonic Yoga (200 hours) and The Prenatal Yoga Center (60 hours) both in New York City. Her vinyasa classes flow with creativity and focus on proper alignment. The foundation postures of yoga are well incorporated into every class. Safely learning inversions is also a priority. When the time is right, Amy loves celebrating a student’s first headstand or backbend! Amy truly loves teaching and guiding students through their journey and constant practice that is yoga. Kim Howell Mrs. Howell began her dance training in Florida with Helen Salter, an early member of the New York City Ballet. She furthered her training at North Carolina School of the Arts (summer programs), and the Joffrey Ballet School. She became a member of the Joffrey II Dancers, touring and performing many original works in the United States and the Virgin Islands. Mrs. Howell danced with Berkshire Ballet, Ballet Theater of Pennsylvania, and the Lake Erie Ballet, as well as performing traditional roles as a guest artist for a few regional companies. Mrs. Howell began teaching in high school. While at the Joffrey Ballet School she worked as a teacher assistant and has since taught at the Tallahassee Ballet, the Johnstown Conservatory, the Lake Erie Ballet, as a substitute at Mercyhurst College, and as Director of the Erie Bayfront Ballet. Her current and most rewarding efforts include “co-directing” the Howell household with her husband, Dr. Allen Howell of the Department of Music at Edinboro University. They have five children; Isaac, Christiana, Seth, Ethan, and Emma. Nathaniel Johnson Nathaniel Johnson, Director of Erie Bayfront Dance and Company, attended Du Pont Manuel High/Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville, KY. He was granted a four-year scholarship to attend Western Kentucky University where he received his education in Performing Arts with an emphasis in dance. Mr. Johnson relocated to Erie, PA in 1992 and became Head of the Jazz Department at Long’s School of Dance where he served until 2001. He has been an instructor for the SPAVA Dance Association at Central High School and taught master classes in jazz at various private schools and colleges. Mr. Johnson teaches Jazz technique. Jessica Krahe Ms. Krahe is a native of Erie, PA where she originally started her dance training at the age of three. After four years of much activity within the dance department, she received her B.A in Dance from Slippery Rock University in May 2006. Many years of training have kept Ms. Krahe well rounded in several genres of dance, some of which include adage, ballet, contact improvisation, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, modern, musical theater, pointe, swing, and tap. She has had the great priviledge of teaching dance and technique to a variety of students of all different ages and abilities during the years before, during, and after her college experience. In 2006 Ms. Krahe was named “Outstanding Performer of the Year” by the SRU Dance Department and was chosen to be Student/Director/Performer for guest artist, Princesss M’hoon Cooper’s Mission - a work choreographed on SRU dance students. Ms. Krahe has also attended and performed in two ACDFA conventions. In recognition of her early career in performance and choreography, she was also given the distinct honor of being selected to perform a duet section of A Choreographic Offering, choreographed by Jose Limon and reconstructed by Pablo Fransico Ruvalcobo of the Limon Dance Company. The reconstructed work was then chosen for presentation at Hunter College in NYC at the “Sharing the Legacy” Dance Convention in April 2006. In 2005 she received the SRU Dance Department’s summer scholarship, during which time she was able to attend the TISCH School of the Arts in NYC to study and perform with David Dorfman Dance Company, Sean Currin Company, and Ronald K. Brown/Evidence Company. Ms. Krahe has continued to attend numerous workshops and conventions around the United States and continues to teach and perform professionally. She has attended “Talent Rock” Dance Convention in both Orlando, FL and Las Vegas, NV where she participated in classes and competed. While at “Talent Rock” Ms. Krahe was voted “Top Female Dancer” by a panel of professional dancers and choreographers such as Chris Judd and Glenn Douglas Packard. Most recently, Ms. Krahe traveled to NYC to attend the PULSE Teacher Workshop for teacher certification in order to keep current with trends/styles of teaching and dancing. She has worked with numerous companies and choreographers such as Ursula Payne, Jennifer Keller, Nola Nolen-Holland, Thomas Cobb, Nora Ambrosio, Labco, Dance Alloy, Attack Theater, Jose Limon Dance Co., Evidence Dance Co. Alvin Aliey Dance Co., Koresh Dance Co., Sean Currin Company, David Dorfman Dance Co., MorrisonDance, The Schiff Dance Collective, Ascential Dance Theatre, Brian Freedman, Chris Judd, Mia Michaels, Lorrieann Gibson, and Glenn Douglas Packard. Ms. Krahe was a dancer/performer with the Walt Disney World Company in Orlando, FL where she performed in shows and parades such as High School Musical, Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade, Dreams Come True Parade, and Mickey’s Twas the Night Before Christmas. She as also toured with Feld Entertainment to countries such as Egypt, U.A.E, Spain, Italy, Portugal, etc. where she was a dancer/performer in Mickey’s Magic Show. Ms. Krahe is looking forward to returning to the Erie area to perform and teach within the community. Rachael Leavenworth Ms. Leavenworth is currently in her final year at Mercyhurst College, where she will receive a BA in Dance, with a minor in Arts Administration. Originally from Elmira, NY she began her training under former Kirov principal Rafael Grigorian and Camcie Bishop of Ballet Noveau Colorado. She has also spent summers studying at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and at ConfiDance in Amsterdam under the instruction of Valerie Valentine and Maurice Causey. Presently, Rachael is a Mercyhurst Dancer under director Tauna Hunter where she has performed such roles as the Dying Swan, Zolma in the romantic ballet Giselle, as well as many contemporary pieces. While at Mercyhurst she has had the privilege to study under Bruce Marks, Vivi Flindt, Laura Alonso, the Paul Taylor Company, Bill Evans, and more. Ms. Leavenworth has taught dance previously at Rafael Grigorian’s School of Ballet and Leslie’s School of Dance and is also a certified pilates instructor, with which she has taught lessons at various locations. Ms. Leavenworth will also be teaching open class in the Mercyhurst College Dance Department in the fall. Barb Priestap Falling in Love with Dance. That is the goal that Ms. Priestap projects for each of her early dance students. She has developed a unique curriculum for early dance education that combines music, movement, rhythm, creativity and technique. The young dancer experiences the joy of dance as they apply new skills to their own creative style of dance expression. Ms. Priestap began her early dance training at the Dance Theatre of Erie, Bayfront Ballet and Mercyhurst College. She studied under Robert Steele at the North Coast Ballet where she eventually joined the faculty. Additionally, she served on the faculty at the Bayfront Ballet as teacher, choreographer and performer. She received her BA in Communications/Theatre and teaching certification in English/Communications at Gannon University, where she later served as adjunct faculty and choreographer for the Gannon Theatre. She directed the dance department at Mercyhurst Preparatory School and has choreographed for several schools and universities. Currently, Ms. Priestap serves as a guest ballet instructor at NWPA Collegiate Academy and as the dance coordinator at McLane Church in Edinboro. She also continues to perform for Erie First Assembly’s theatre and dance departments. Ms. Priestap is thrilled to return to Lake Erie Ballet.
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701 Holland St. Erie, PA 16501 |
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