Project Dance Houston 2010 Teacher Line-up

PROJECT DANCE
Houston 2010

Teacher Bios

RANDALL FLINN is the founder/artistic director of Ad Deum Dance Company, a professional contemporary dance company in Houston, Texas. Mr. Flinn is a master modern/contemporary dance teacher for Houston Ballet, and has been a past guest artist and modern dance/jazz teacher for Guangdong Modern Dance Company in China under the invitation of Willy Tsao. He has also given master dance classes for City Contemporary Dance Co. in Hong Kong and worked for Hong Kong Ballet under the direction of Gary Trinder. He has appeared on national television in Hong Kong and interviewed for his choreographic work and artistic vision. He has also received invitations to teach for Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In the USA, Mr. Flinn has worked as a coach and choreographer for CIRQUE DU SOLEIL in their production of ALEGRIA and his choreography has been featured in the INTERNATIONAL DANCE SALAD FESTIVAL in Houston, Texas, sharing the same stage with artists from Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company and Guangdong Modern Dance Company. His choreographic works have also been set on professional companies and dancers in both Europe and Asia including Singapore and Malaysia. Recently Randall’s work has been commissioned for Houston’s Dance of Asia America performances at Houston’s Miller Theatre and for Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance. http://www.danceaddeum.com/ Randy’s modern class will be used as an optional audition class.

AMANDA BREWSTER from Lancaster, NH to New York City, Amanda has picked up a B.A in Fine Arts from St. Olaf College, sweat it out at The Ailey School, danced with the Peridance Training Ensemble and performed on the Weathervane Theatre stage (favorite roles include Louise in Carousel and Anybodys in West Side Story) where she also choreographed and taught for their college accredited Intern Program. She is a co-founder and choreographer of Skylight Dance Theatre (www.skylightdancetheatre.org) based here in NYC and as a free-lance choreographer her works have contributed to the repertoire of Perichoresis, a company of Redeemer Church and Atmosphere, a company of Project Dance.

SHELBY SKIDMORE is a Texas native who has been dancing for 19 years. Her training encompasses all genres of dance, which she has studied at EDGE Performing Arts Center, Broadway Dance Center, and Westwood Fine Arts Academy in Austin. She spent two years at the University of Texas in Austin studying Dance Performance, and she graduated from Abilene Christian University with a degree in Dance Education. Throughout her life, Shelby has performed in and directed several dance companies, including Roustabouts Dance Company in Austin. Shelby travels the nation choreographing for various dance programs both privately and through Encore Creative Productions. She makes her current home in New York City, where she performs with multiple dance companies and projects including Fear.Less Dance, Atmosphere, and Kairos.

AUTUMN MORGENSTERN grew up in Orlando, FL where she performed with Orlando Ballet’s The Nutcracker and danced at Walt Disney World. She also worked at Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. She performed with the Radio City Rockettes for 7 years and was extremely honored to be apart of such a prestigious, internationally known group. She also enjoys teaching, judging and choreographing across the US. Currently, she teaches a workshop to studios across the country called Dance Audition Workshop and performs at churches. Autumn has also danced for Holland America Cruise Lines. Among her other experiences include work in film and television with musical groups such as Outkast and appearances on The Today Show, CNN, The Division and America’s Health Network. Along with her dance career, she graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in Telecommunications with an emphasis’ on directing and producing and a Minor in Theatre. She then continued her education in NYC at The Kane School of Core Integration for Pilates. When Autumn isn’t performing she enjoys traveling around the world, learning foreign languages and being active in her church community. While living in Tokyo she had the unique experience of climbing 12,396 ft to the top of Mt. Fuji!

LIZA POLLOK was born and raised in Queensland Australia and has been dancing since age 5. Training and completing her ballet exams in R.A.D, C.S.T.D, C.B.A. and S.C.B., Liza completed her teachers in C.S.T.D and C.B.A. and S.C.B. She moved to Canada to teach and dance for 18 months, then on to the States to dance with some companies including 3 years with Ad Deum Dance Company. Liza has traveled extensively with dance as a ministry as well as professionally to Jamacia, South America, Finland, Russia, Boulgaria, Greece, China, England, USA and Australia. This will be her 7th year working with Project Dance, having the privallage to teach and minister in New York, L.A., Sydney Australia, Atlanta and now Houston. Liza is the Co-owner of Excelsior School of Dance in The Woodlands and the Director of Ballet Excelsior of Houston. Mrs. Pollok is the proud mother of 2 beautiful children, Andrew 5 yrs and Isabel 4 yrs. She has been blessed with an amazing husband of almost 10 yrs, Scot Pollok.

DANIEL COSSETTE is a graduate of Mimeistry International, trained in the Marceau-style of French mime by Masters Todd and Marilyn Farley. He toured with Mimeistry for two years, teaching and performing, before founding Ambassador Arts in Connecticut. There he has taught mime and theatrical combat/fencing both for the public school system, and many after school programs, as well as premiered the shows Say it Loud! and Christmivest. Dan has performed in prelude to Dance Houston, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 50th Anniversary Tour, made guest appearances with First Night Hartford, Project Dance New York , and the Eastern States Exposition. Recently he moved to Texas and continues to teach and perform mime, while dancing with Ad Deum Dance Company and teaching for the Houston Ballet Outreach Program.

MRS. BETSY MCMILLAN began her ballet training at the age of nine with the Alabama Dance Theater in Montgomery, Alabama. She was scholarshiped and attended summer workshops with the Joffery Ballet New York, Houston Ballet, and Ballet Magnificat. At the age of thirteen Betsy was accepted into the Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy in the Pre-Professional division. She also received acceptance to the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) in Houston, Texas. After two years Betsy was promoted to the Professional Division of the Academy/level 8 and was placed on a full merit scholarship. In January of 2000 Betsy joined Ballet Magnificat as a trainee. She was apprenticed in 2002 and became a full Company Member in 2003. As a Company Member with Ballet Magnificat, Betsy toured nationally as well as internationally for seven years. Betsy also taught Master Classes while on tour, and various technique classes during Ballet Magnificat’s Summer Dance Intensives. In August of 2006 Betsy became an Adjunct Professor of Dance for Belhaven University. In August of 2008 she was promoted to the full time faculty position of Specialty Instructor of Dance. Betsy also founded and was Artistic Director for the Belhaven University Dance Ministry Ensemble. Currently Betsy is Ballet Mistress for Houston Metropolitan Dance Company. She is also an Instructor for Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy as well as Ad Deum Dance Company.

BETHANY BRANTLEY was born in College Station, Texas. At the young age of five, she already knew what she wanted to do for the rest of her life ¬dance! Her desire to dance was birthed at Suzanne’s School of Dance in 1994 under the direction of Suzanne Moreau. Then in 2004, God opened doors for her to train and perform for five years with Ad Deum Dance Company in Houston, Texas. As an Ad Deum Company member, she has performed in many places: Texas, New York, Georgia, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Malaysia. Other companies that she has guest performed for recently include Arrow’s International on their mission’s trip to Guatemala, Sandra Organ’s Dance Company in Houston, and Atmosphere at a Purelife Conference in New York City. Aside from performing, Bethany enjoys sharing her gift of dance through having taught locally at various dance studios in the Houston area and having choreographed for Houston Community College. Internationally, Bethany has taught for Jubilee in Costa Rica, Dunamis’s Worship Conferences in South Africa for two events, and King’s Kids in Holland at different training sessions for the past three years. Currently, she stepped down as a full time company member with Ad Deum in order to have more time to minister in different countries. In February 2010, Bethany joined King’s Kids in Holland helping them to prepare for a Youth Explosion in South Africa, and helping start a Christian dance school in Holland with dreams of putting a Christian professional company together.
Jeremiah 29:11-14

JEFF LEWIS has choreographed and performed in over 20 musicals, as well as danced in several professional dance companies. He has ministered in dance in Russia, Rome, Canada, The Dominican Republic, England, Central America and many others. He was a part of the Young Messiah Tour with artists such as Carman, Crystal Lewis, Avalon, Newsong, and more. Jeff is also involved in Israel with the Feast of Tabernacles under ICEJ, YWAM, International Christian Dance Fellowship and Dance Revolution Conventions. He is currently the founder and director of Arrows International – a ministry dedicated to bring forth the harvest of the end of the age, restore true worship and the heaviness of the Lord’s glory to the streets, churches, prisons, and orphanages of the nations.

NATALIE LEWIS has traveled internationally and in almost every major city in the USA performing professionally, teaching, choreographing, and ministering. She has credits in television, industrials, theatre, cruise ships and concert tours in the music industry. Some highlights of her career include, performing with Carman as dance captain on the Heart of the Champion Tour with other artists Zoe Girl and Russ Lee in 2000/2001, and dancing at the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel with ICEJ. She continues to teach and/or choreograph for Dance Revolution Convention, Project Dance, YWAM, ICDF ( International Christian Dance Fellowship. She also enjoys working with music artist Chuck King, where she and her husband Jeff choreograph, dance, and worship in his concerts. Most excitingly, she is co-director with her husband Jeff Lewis in their ministry Arrows International.

KRISSY RICHMOND is a former principal dancer with the Houston Ballet. Her choreographic credits include works for the Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, the Encores production of The New Moon and numerous regional theaters around the country. Her Broadway experience includes roles such as Hunyak and Roxie Hart in Chicago the Musical. Her Broadway debut was the role of the Queen in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake. Regional theater credits include principal roles in Carnival, Gigi, White Christmas and Elizaveta Grushinskaya in Grand Hotel.