The People
CORE ARTISTIC Staff
Ronn Stewart, Co-Artistic Director
Curtis Uhlemann, Co-Artistic Director and Costume Designer
Echo Gustafson, Associate Artistic Director
Erica Gionfriddo, School Director
Lori Brodi, Ballet Mistress
Kate Eberle, Adult Program Director
ARTISTS
Aaron Carr
Jesus Cortes
Sarah Goldstone
Rebecah Goldstone
Kevin Gallacher
Erica Gionfriddo
Ariel Gottschall
Sarah Lustbader
Luke Reid-Grassia
Kyle Robinson
Phylicia Roybal
Laura Stokes
STAFF
Elaine Hausman, Executive Director
Kelly Hill, Administrative Director
Paulo Tavares, Studio Manager
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Polly White
Vice-President
Roger Montoya
Treasurer
Larry Goldstone
Secretary
Debby Everett
Marlene Armijo
Brad Berge
Julie Zimber
ADVISORY BOARD
Tamara Bates
Arne Collen
Kate Collins
Judi DeBella
Jim Deville
Amanda Evans
Deborah Gibbs-Brooks
Debra Goeller
Larry Goldstone
Bill Heckel
Tracie Jansen
Ray Kurshals
Jon Lehrer
Sarah Manges
Elizabeth Martin
Lindsay Mayo
Anne Royer
Robert Shropshire
Laurie Slver
Rulan Tangen
Ken Truse
Claudia Tuckman
Julie Zimber
Curtis Uhlemann, Co-Artistic Director , is costume designer, choreographer, teacher and dancer. Uhlemann is from upstate New York where he began performing at age eleven. He toured nationally with both scholastic and independent winter guard performance ensembles for eleven years. At age twenty-two Curtis began his dance training at the State University of New York College at Brockport where he graduated with honors. Uhlemann received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Modern Dance/Dance Science and Injury Prevention. While attending State University of New York College at Brockport, he received a full scholarship to the American Dance Festival at Duke University. He was privileged to perform the works of such esteemed choreographers as Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Gail Gilbert, David Parsons, and Mark Morris. Uhlemann became a member of the Moving People Dance Santa Fe in 2003. With MPD, he performed works by guest artists Robert Moses, Gail Gilbert, Sam Watson, and Kevin Wynn. Uhlemann currently choreographs for the nine time world champions The Cadets of Bergen County Drum and Bugle Corps and remains a resident choreographer for MPD.
Echo Gustafson, Associate Artistic Director, is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She has danced professionally around the world with companies including the Martha Graham Dance Company and the Pearl Lang Dance Theatre. She is a GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Master Trainer. Gustafson has been dancing with Moving People Dance Santa Fe since 2003. She teaches modern, jazz, and Gyrokinesis® at Moving People Dance Center. As a young dancer in New York City, Gustafson discovered the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®, invented by Juliu Horvath. The system helped her overcome limitations, prevent injuries, and strengthen the innate intelligence of her body. Movement artists that have had a strong influence on Gustafson’s work include Jackie Sleight, Ron Brown, Susan Klien, Max Stone, Christine Dakin, Finus Jung, Simon Dow, Robert Moses, and Gail Gilbert. As a teacher, Gustafson cultivates functional technique, respect for the human body, and true artistic expression. As a dancer and choreographer with MPD, Gustafson continues to evolve as an artist.
*GYROKINESIS and GYROTONIC are registered trademarks of the Gyrotonic Sales Corp. and are used with their permission.
Erica Gionfriddo, School Director, a native of Enfield, CT., began her arts career in theater and vocal performance. Her dance training began in 2000 at the New England Dance Conservatory in Longmeadow, MA where she was invited into the pre-professional program. In May of 2006 Erica received her B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA. During her time with the Shenandoah Dance Ensemble, Erica was selected to perform works by John Mead, Rebecca Lazier, and David Parsons, as well as in works presented at the Kennedy Center and Joy of Motion Dance Center in Washington, D.C. Erica’s choreography was performed for adjudication at America College Dance Festival. Internationally she has performed and studied intensively in Spain and Taiwan. In the summer of 2005, Erica worked in residency with Second Wind Dance Company in Virginia Beach, VA, where performed featured roles in original Anna Sokolow repertoire. In April 2006 she performed with Cie: Ekilibre; international dance company directed by Maurice Fraga. Erica is a Certified Pilates instructor.
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Kate Eberle grew up in South Dakota where she began her dance education at the Academy of Dance. At 16 she received her first scholarship to the annual Intensive at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She continued training on full scholarships with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Eberle went on to dance professionally with the Lynda Martha Dance Company in Chicago and with White Wave Rising in New York City. She took a hiatus from dance in 1993 and moved to Santa Fe where she continued to apply her athleticism to the study of Tae Kwon Do in which she holds a Black Belt. In 2004, Eberle co-founded Two Women Dancing with her collaborative partner, Julie Brette Adams. She has been with Moving People Dance Centre since 2005 - teaching adult jazz, modern and her dance fitness classes, Twist & Tone and Dance Conditioning.
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Aaron Carr began his training in his hometown of Pensacola, Florida under the direction of Dorothy Lister and the faculty of Kaleidoscope and Ballet Pensacola. While in Pensacola he danced lead roles in numerous ballets including Les Sylphides, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty. He trained for three summers with American Ballet Theatre as a national training scholar. Mr. Carr is currently second year of studying for a BFA at The Juilliard School in New York City.
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Jesus Cortes was born in Veracruz Mexico in 1979. He began his training in Mexican folk dance when he was 6 years old under the direction of his uncle Juan Natoli. In 2000 ,at the age of 21,he started dancing with Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez in the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City. He became a soloist in the role of The deer Dance “La Danza Del Venado” and toured Mexico, Europe and the US. In 2008 he founded and is the artistic director of Cuicacalli, a new dance school/company in San Francisco. In the summers, he teaches hundreds of elementary school children as part of the Moving People Dance Espanola program in Espanola, New Mexico. He joined MPD in June 2005.
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Kevin Gallacher started tap dancing at the age of 16. At 17 he began to further his education with ballet training with Park Avenue Dance Works in Colorado, Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and is currently under the special guidance of Moving People Dance Santa Fe. Kevin has taken Master Classes with Gail Gilbert, Sam Watson, Kevin Iega Jeff, Michael Vernon, Valeria Madonia, Layla Amis and Arturo Fernandez. Kevin has performed with Park Avenue Dance Works, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Moving People Too!, Moving People Dance Santa Fe, Valeria Madonia, Circus Luminous, and the Santa Fe Opera, where he recently performed with his mentor Ronn Stewart. This is his second season as a company member of Moving People Dance Santa Fe.
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Sarah Cecile Goldstone is currently studying at The Juilliard School in New York City, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes, where she has performed original Jose Limon and Twyla Tharp repertory, as well as new work by Matthew Neenan. Originally from Santa Fe, Sarah has studied and performed with MPD for the last seven years. She has worked with many renowned chorographers, such as Gail Gilbert, Ronn Stewart, Sam Watson, Robert Moses, Tina Gerstler, Max Stone, Alonzo King and Robert Battle. Sarah is also a certified Gyrotonic instructor.
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Rebecah Goldstone Rebecah Goldstone has been studying with Moving People Dance Santa Fe since 2000. In 2006, she started apprenticing with the professional company. Rebecah has attended the Lines Ballet Summer Intensive in 2003, 2004 and British Columbia Summer Intensive in 2007. She is attending Boston Conservatory in Fall 2008.
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Ariel Gottschall started her training in Santa Fe, NM as soon as she could walk. At eighteen years of age, she graduated with honors from the high school program at North Carolina School of the Arts, and then continued on to New York to study at S.U.N.Y Purchase. Throughout her professional years, Ariel has worked with such artists as Doug Varone, Kazuko Hirabayashi, Pilobilus Dance, Theater, and Leslie Partridge, and continues to perform her own choreographic works. In 2003, Ariel returned to Santa Fe and the dance world within its city limits. The past 5 years have been devoted to choreographing for productions by The Southwest Children’s Theater, and other public school performances, and teaching technique at Charisma/Dance for Joy. This is her first season with Moving People Dance Santa Fe.
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Sarah Lustbader is currently earning her BFA in dance at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA. Through her program she has the opportunity to work with many accomplished teachers and
choreographers, including master classes with renowned artists such as Bebe Miller, Bill Evans,
and Ronni Favors of Alvin Ailey. Sarah was born in Santa Fe where she began her dance training
with Audrey Derell’s Charisma Dance Company and Cathy Roe’s Something in the Air. She then studied with Moving People Dance Santa Fe where she apprenticed for two seasons. This is her
first season performing with MPD as a company member. She is deeply grateful to her many
mentors at Moving People for their artistic inspiration and support.
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Luke Reid-Grassia began his dance training with Charisma Dance Company and the National
Dance Institute of New Mexico. He has studied and performed with Moving People Too! since 2006
and this is his first year as a company member with Moving People Dance Santa Fe. In addition, Luke has trained at the Ailey School and Steps On Broadway in New York City, Walnut Hill in Boston, and with Alonzo King at LINES Ballet School in San Francisco. In the fall he will be attending NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a full tuition scholarship working towards a BFA in dance.
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Originally from Massachusetts, Kyle Robinson began his dance training at The Gold School in
Brockton. He is currently studying at The Juilliard School, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes,
where he has performed works by Jose Limon, Twyla Tharp and Nicolo Fonte. Kyle has also had
the opportunity of working with Aszure Barton on tour with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Hell’s Kitchen
Dance.
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Phylicia Roybal, a native of Santa Fe begain her training with Moving People a the age of 10. She is currently pursuing her BFA at the University of Arizona. She has been priviledged to work with renowned artists such as Alonzo King, Robert Moses, Max Stone, Sam Watson, Gail Gilbert, Kevin
Iega Jeff and John Lehrer. Phylicia has apprenticed for Moving People for three years, this is her first season performing as a company member.
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STAFF:
Elaine Hausman, has been the Executive Director of MPD since early 2006, after serving as Treasurer on the MPD Board of Directors for 2 years. As a strong supporter of youth arts in the community, Elaine was a founding director of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony in 1994, and was on the board of that organization for 12 years. Elaine and her husband Rob Hausman owned and operated Rockridge Data Services, a computer consulting firm in Santa Fe, for 11 years. Prior to opening Rockridge, Elaine served as CFO of Galaxy Computer Services, an information security firm based in Santa Fe and Washington DC. Elaine was a collegiate gymnast, gymnastics coach and Elite level judge, and continues to take dance classes at MPD in her spare moments.
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Kelly Hill, Administrative Director, joined MPD in 2005. She has consulted to other Santa Fe organizations including Little Canyon Wine, Woman’s Health Services and the Santa Fe Children’s Museum. She is also a certified mediator, facilitating for the Santa Fe Magistrate court and County departments and uses her skills in mediation and conflict resolution in all of her work. Ms. Hill especially enjoys supporting Moving People Dance Santa Fe as it expands its capacity to increase access to dance to children, young adults and the local community.
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