Shannon Alvis (30, Indianapolis) returns to the main company after performing as a guest artist in 2006. Alvis originally joined HS2 in 1998 and moved to the main company in 2000, departing in 2005. She previously performed with the Utah Ballet, Indianapolis Ballet Theatre and Chautauqua Ballet Company. HS2 company members Kellie Epperheimer (22, Los Osos, California) and Jessica Tong (23, Binghamton, New York) have been promoted to apprentices in the main company. Epperheimer, who joined HS2 in 2005, has studied with the Joffrey Ballet, The Juilliard School and Alonzo King, and she has performed with the Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo and toured Russia with the Deyo Dancers.
Tong, who joined HS2 in 2004, has studied with American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet School, Boston Ballet and Lou Conte Dance Studio (LCDS), and she has danced professionally with both BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio and Ballet Tech in New York City. Larry Trice (23, Kansas City, Missouri), an apprentice since 2005, has been promoted to full company member. Previously, he was a three-time scholarship recipient at the Ailey School and received his B.F.A. from Boston Conservatory. He wasthe 2003 recipient of the Ruth S. Ambrose Award and the Jan Veen Scholarship.
Dancers who have left the main company are Sebastian Matthias Gehrke, who has returned to Europe; Mistaya Hemingway, who has returned to Montreal to dance with La La La Human Steps; Taryn Kaschock, for personal reasons; and Hope Muir, who is pursuing other professional opportunities.
Four dancers are joining HS2. Kira Blazek (24, Houston), a former LCDS scholarship student who has performed with Hedwig Dances and at Dance Chicago, trained at Houston Ballet Academy and San Francisco Ballet, and she has performed with Houston Ballet and at the American Dance Festival. James E. Johnson V (20, Chicago) has studied at LCDS, Joel Hall Dance Center and the State University of New York/Purchase. He has performed with the Dutch National Ballet, Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago, Joffrey Ballet of Chicago and at Dance Chicago. Hogan McLaughlin (17, Chicago), a former LCDS scholarship student, also studied with Boston Ballet and Ruth Page Center for the Arts. He most recently performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
New HS2 apprentice Ghrai D. Harrison (17, Washington, D.C.) most recently was a member of Chicago's Deeply Rooted Dance Theater 2 (DRDT2) and also has performed with Ballet Chicago, David Rousseve, Donald Byrd/The Group and Joel Hall Dancers. Her training includes summer programs with Alonzo King's Lines Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Chicago and Kirov Academy of Ballet. Donna Michelle Vaughn (22, Baltimore), an HS2 apprentice since June 2006, becomes a full company member. She studied at Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and has worked with such artists as Robert Battle, Donald McKayle and Gerri Houlihan, among others.
In addition to Epperheimer and Tong moving to the main company, other departing HS2 dancers are William Cannon, who is joining in Dayton Ballet, and Luis Oscar Ramos, who is traveling in Europe.
Both the main company and HS2 are preparing for the 2007 Spring Series April 11-22 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park. Chase is HSDC's 2007 Spring Series and Lead Corporate Gala Sponsor. For more information, visit hubbardstreetdance.com.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC), under the dynamic leadership of Artistic Director Jim Vincent, is among the most original forces in contemporary dance. Critically acclaimed for its exuberant, athletic and innovative repertory, HSDC presents performances that inspire, challenge and engage audiences worldwide. The company's ensemble of dancers displays unparalleled versatility and virtuosity, allowing HSDC to expand its eclectic repertory continually with works by master American and international choreographers. HSDC also contributes to dance's evolution by developing new choreographic talent and collaborating with artists in music, visual art and theatre.
Since Lou Conte founded the company in 1977, HSDC has expanded beyond its main company to include Hubbard Street 2, which cultivates young professional dancers and choreographers, serves as the foundation of HSDC's education initiatives and performs nationally and internationally with a diverse and engaging repertory; extensive Education & Community Programs, under the direction of Kathryn Humphreys, which offer city- and state-accredited professional development for teachers to incorporate movement into curriculums and expose young people to dance; and the Lou Conte Dance Studio, under the direction of Lou Conte and Claire Bataille, one of the original HSDC dancers, which offers a wide variety of classes weekly in jazz, ballet, modern, tap and hip-hop at levels from basic to professional, as well as workshops and master classes. -- www.hubbardstreetdance.com
Posted January 23rd, 2007 by ruzik_tuzik
