Dance Faculty
holds a BFA in dance from the Juilliard School and an MFA from Purchase College, SUNY. A former member of the Jose Limón Dance Company, he has also performed with WORKS/Laura Glenn Dance, and the Jacob’s Pillow Men’s Dancers: The Ted Shawn Legacy. Paul is currently on faculty at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and The Five College Dance Department. Paul has been with the festival for four years.
, owner and director of the Huntsville Health Movement, has more than 10 years experience in Somatic Therapies. Sarah began her training in somatic techniques at Texas Woman’s University, where she earned her MFA in dance in 1999. Sarah’s certifications include Neuromuscular Fitness and Therapy, Pilates, Yoga, Ayurveda and Thai Yoga Massage. Sarah most recently became a certified Sivanada yoga teacher in 2008. This will be Sarah’s seventh summer at the festival.
, guest faculty, is a senior lecturer in the dance program at Princeton University; artistic director of her own dance company, Terrain; and artist-in-residence at Movement Research. Involved with WMSDF for over 20 years, she has performed with WORKS/Laura Glenn Dance, and was festival director and faculty member from 2003 to 2006. She trained at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and graduated from The Juilliard School. Terrain has performed nationally and internationally.
is a professor of dance at George Mason University. He has instructed workshops and choreographed both nationally and internationally, including a collaboration with Cuban choreographer Narciso Medina that premiered in Havana. Certified in Laban Movement Analysis, he earned his MFA at Temple University. Jim performed with Carolyn Carlson’s La Fenice Dance/Theater (Venice) and the Jose Limòn Company (NYC). He has been with the festival for 20 years.
is associate arts professor and associate chair of the dance department at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he has been a full-time faculty member since 1990. He has danced with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane and Company and The New York Baroque Dance Company, among others. Jim has taught at schools and festivals worldwide, including the Ballet Academy of Stockholm and the American Dance Festival. His choreography has been produced in New York City by P.S. 122, the 92nd Street Y, and The Soho Arts Festival at Dia Center for the Arts. This marks Jim’s 13th year at the festival.
, guest faculty, graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1958 and joined the Martha Graham Dance Company. She also taught at the Martha Graham School. After 10 years with the company, she established the dance major at University of California Berkeley. Marnie received three Isadora Duncan Awards for her contribution to the professional dance scene in the San Francisco Bay Area. Upon retirement from the university, she returned to New York to serve as director of the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Currently, Marnie serves as a consultant and rehearsal coach for the Graham Company and is a faculty member of the Martha Graham School and Peridance International.
is professor of dance at James Madison University, where she teaches courses including anatomy and somatic studies for the dancer. She has taught anatomy and conditioning at several dance festivals and intensives, and has recently developed a series of creative movement workshops to teach anatomy to children. She holds graduate degrees in dance from Ohio State University and Temple University, and certification in Infant Developmental Movement Education from the School for Body-Mind Centering. Kate has taught and performed throughout the US and in China, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Portugal. This will be Kate’s third summer at WMSDF.
, guest faculty, is a graduate of the Juilliard School. She has performed in the companies of Laura Glenn, Ohad Naharin, and Mark Haim, and with the Mark Morris Dance Group. She has staged Mark Morris’ work at the Boston Ballet, The Juilliard School, and the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College, where she has been on the modern dance faculty since 1999. Her own choreography as a solo artist has been produced by DancenowNYC at Joe’s Pub and Dance Theatre Workshop in New York. Megan has been a part of the festival, periodically, since its beginning.
Musicians
is a composer, percussionist, and vocalist living in Brooklyn, New York. An active composer for choreography, he has premiered works in New York City and at the Philly Fringe Festival, Hofstra University, Connecticut College, and the University of Buffalo. As a vocalist, he has sung with the National Men and Boys Choir, The Milleridge Singers, the Harrisburg Opera, and The GWM Singers, of which he is a founding member. Matthew has been featured on numerous recordings and is an active drum set player in New York.
, a musician/composer, has provided music for dance since 1978. He was the musical director for the Bill Evans Dance Company in Seattle for five years, and has worked with Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, and many other choreographers. He is currently providing music for dance classes in New York City and pursuing his interest in composing music for film. This will be David’s ninth year at the festival.
is a percussionist, composer, and painter based in Durham, NC. He has accompanied dance at Texas Christian University, University of Texas at Austin, Connecticut College, Hollins University, and the American Dance Festivals as well as the White Mountain Summer Dance Festival for the past 13 years. Ken Ray has appeared with Stage West, Hip Pocket, and Jubilee Theaters in Fort Worth, TX.