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CityDance Ensemble, Inc. Staff
Paul Gordon
Emerson, Artistic Director &
Co-Founder
Paul Gordon Emerson moved to Washington for what was supposed to be a brief stopover while waiting for his first posting in the U.S. Foreign Service. He ended up serving as Legislative Director to the late Thomas M. Foglietta (D-PA) for seven years and liaison to the House Armed Services Committee. He has worked on more than 20 federal campaigns, including races for the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives. Paul is a published author on defense and foreign policy, and is a former radio broadcaster, having served as a news director, disk jockey, and sports announcer for several radio stations in Ohio. He has traveled nationally as a professional photographer, specializing in industrial photography. He has worked as a journeyman in construction and design and dabbles in bronze as a sculptor. He served as Executive Director for CityDance Ensemble from 1996-2004 and has been Artistic Director since 2000. During his tenure with CityDance Ensemble, the company has been awarded the 2009 DC Mayor's Arts Award for Artistic Excellence, 2003 DC Mayors Arts Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist and the 2005 DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Innovation in the Arts, has been named a “Top 25 To Watch” worldwide by Dance Magazine, created one of the largest and most successful education outreach programs in the region, launched CityDance FilmWORKS, and opened the CityDance Centers at Strathmore and Mt. Vernon Square. He has guided CityDance through five international concert tours since 2003, traveling to a dozen countries. In 2006, Paul received the Pola Nirenska Award for Artistic Excellence in Dance. He is the co-host of the Addy Winning "Performance Moves" television news magazine, which airs on Montgomery County Cable in Maryland. His God children Aidan and Nathan are his real pride and joy. (top)
Email: pemerson@mac.com
Phone: 202.347.3909
Alexandra Nowakowski, Executive Director
Alexandra Nowakowski is responsible for CityDance Ensemble’s
overall business and financial operations including strategic planning,
business development, fundraising, and marketing, working closely
with the Artistic Director and the Board to ensure that the organization's
artistic and programmatic goals are supported by a viable strategic
and operational plan. After ten years of professional experience
in the for-profit sector, Alexe made the transition to providing
professional services to the dance community. As former Vice President
of Product Development for MarketResearch.com and a Sales Operations
manager for WorldCom (now Verizon), Alexe
uses her broad business background to implement the best-practices
of financial, operational and marketing strategies for CityDance.
(top)
Email: alexe@citydance.net
Phone: 202.347.3909
Lorraine Audéoud Spiegler,
Director of Studio Education & the Conservatory
Lorraine Spiegler has 25 years of experience in the dance field
as an educator, director, and choreographer.
Ms. Spiegler holds a B.A. in Dance cum laude (1979) as well as
Masters in Dance and Arts Management
(1991) from American University. She began her studies at the Washington
School of Ballet under the
direction of Mary Day. Ms. Spiegler is the co-founder of The Washington
Ballet’s DanceDC Program and
served as the organization’s first Director of Education
and Outreach from 1999-2001.
Ms. Spiegler returns to the U.S. after working at the Escola Americana
do Rio de Janeiro as a Dance
and Language Specialist. She has completed numerous Brazilian projects,
among them serving as a
choreographer-in-residence for Richard Cragun’s Ballet DeAnima,
co-creating the Goucher College
international study abroad course “History and Practice of
Brazilian Dance,” and functioning as a dance
education advisor for Centro de Movimento Deborah Colker. (top)
Email: lorraine@citydance.net
Phone: 301.581.5204
Christopher K. Morgan,
Rehearsal Director & Choreographer-in-Residence
Christopher is a choreographer, performer, and arts facilitator who divides his time between New York and Washington, DC. His work stems from a belief in the urgency of art in an increasingly isolating, commercial, and digital world. Said to be "charming and poignant" by The New York Times, he has been presented in Germany, Lithuania, Ireland, Poland, Hong Kong, and throughout the U.S. In addition to his work for CityDance Ensemble, Christopher creates work through New York based pick up dance company Muse, which he founded in 2005. Christopher is also the Director of the Dance Omi International Dance Collective, an annual 3-week collaborative residency for professional dancer/ choreographers. Teaching credits include Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Shawbrook (Ireland), Iwanson Schule (Munich), Stephens College, Western Kentucky University, and lectures for the Alliance of Artist Communities, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, New York City Ballet’s Education Department, and Dance Theater Workshop. He recently served on an NEA funding panel. Performing credits include David Gordon, Fabulous Beast Dance Theater (Ireland/UK), Malashock Dance & Co., Verb Ballets, Selfish Shellfish (Germany), as a soloist with the Washington National, Houston Grand, San Diego and New York City Operas, and continued work as a Guest Artist for the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.
Christopher is also a panelist for the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Classics in Context series, joining some of DC's other leading players in the arts and political spectrum to respond to work created onstage at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. (top)
Email: christopher@citydance.net
Phone: 202.347.3909
Letitia Hays,
Director of Operations
Letitia Hays began her formal dance training locally at the Suitland Center for Visual and Performing Arts. Continuing on to pursue her love of dance though academia, Ms. Hays delved into a myriad of dance studies, finally focusing on Dance Ethnography at Florida International University in Miami where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Religious Studies. Ms. Hays returned to the DC metro area to accept a fellowship from American University where she graduated with a Masters in Choreography and Performance and a Certificate in Arts Management. A little luck from the cosmos brought Ms. Hays to CityDance, where a semester internship while finishing her Masters blossomed into an abounding year of growth with the company. During her tenure, Ms. Hays has undertaken many roles with CityDance, including Project and Business Management, managing the CityDance Center at Strathmore, and most recently Director of Operations for CityDance Ensemble, Inc. (top)
Email: letitia@citydance.net
Phone: 202.347.3909
Betsy Lundgren,
Director of Marketing
Betsy Lundgren grew up in Wisconsin where she studied dance, piano, voice,
and theatre while performing with Wisconsin Dance Ensemble, Performing Arts
for Children, and several other dance and theatre companies. She attended the
University of Wisconsin – Madison where she earned a B.A. in Journalism
and Communication Arts. While in college, Betsy began dancing with Jazzworks
Dance Company and remained a member of the company for five years. Betsy returned
to the University of Wisconsin – Madison
to pursue a M.A. in Business through the Bolz Center for Arts Administration.
Before moving to Washington, D.C., she worked in the marketing department of
the Madison Symphony Orchestra. She joined CityDance in June 2006 and is happy
to be working with the company as the Director of Marketing. (top)
Email: betsy@citydance.net
Phone: 202.347.3909
Asanga Domask,
Director of Administration
Asanga Domask grew up in Sri Lanka, where she devoted most of her childhood to the art of traditional Kandian and Low Country dance and has won solo and group awards in national competitions in Sri Lankan. Ms. Domask received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Mary Baldwin College and soon thereafter began working at the World Wildlife Fund. Ms. Domask left WWF to pursue her passion for dance and completed her Master of Arts in Dance from the American University in 2006 with a thesis focused on Sri Lankan classical dance preservation. Over the years, Ms. Domask has been a teacher, performer, dancer, and a choreographer. Ms. Domask has taught creative movement, early childhood dance, modern and Sri Lankan dance at various studio programs. She has also worked with many renowned choreographers including Vladimir Angelov, Peter Dimuro and Elizabeth Johnson, and has choreographed and performed in many events in the greater DC area, including AU dance concerts, Sri Lankan Embassy events, Joy of Motion Choreographic Showcase, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Capital Fringe Festival, American College Dance Festival and the American Performing Arts Presenters Conference in NYC.
Ms. Domask joined CityDance Ensemble in 2005 and has taken many exciting roles within the company, including Project Manager, teacher, Assistant Manager and later Manager for CityDance Center at Strathmore, Director of Finance and is happy to work as the Director of Administration in her current position. (top)
Email: asanga@citydance.net
Phone: 202.347.3909
Kelli Quinn, Manager, Outreach Education
Kelli Quinn was raised in Cape May Court House, New Jersey, where her passion and love for dance were discovered and nurtured at Dance Dynamics. She continued her education at Towson University, where she graduated with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance, and received the Jim Snyder Award for Technical Excellence. During her time at Towson, Kelli performed both soloist and corps roles in pieces choreographed by Paul Taylor, Jawole Willa Jo Zolar, Dana Tai Soon Burgess, and Nai Ni Chen, as well as various other local choreographers. Upon graduating, Kelli taught in various studios, served on the Acces to Arts committee in NJ, and worked as a Program Intern and Dance Facilitator for Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care in Washington DC. (top)
Email: kelli@citydance.net
Phone: 301.581.5204
Kate Jordan, CD2 Company Manager
Kate Jordan holds an MFA in Dance from the State University of New York at Brockport and a BS in Marketing Management from Grove City College. She currently dances for CityDance 2, Bosma Dance, and Karen Reedy Dance. In the past she has performed with MERGE Dance/Meghan Durham, 7Dance Company, At Marah Dance Theatre, and Gwendolyn Bye’s Dancefusion in Philadelphia. This summer and fall she had the privilege of performing solo work by Tara Madsen in Greece, Italy, and Guatemala with DanceForms Productions. Her choreography has been featured at the 2008 Philly Dance Collective and commissioned by Perpetual Motion/Modern Dance Oklahoma. Kate has also been on faculty at DeSales University and Jeanne Ruddy Dance, and currently teaches at CityDance Center at Strathmore.(www.katejordan.net)
(top)
Email: katej@citydance.net
Phone: 301.581.5204
Dina Ghandour,
Manager of Business & Government Relations
Originally from Palestine, Dina grew up in the United Arab
Emirates where her interest in dance began with traditional Arabic
Folk Dance. She later joined a hip hop troupe, performing in cities
including Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In 2007, Dina graduated from Duquesne
University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she earned her Bachelors
Degree in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Studio
Art and a certificate in International Business Administration. While
in Pittsburgh, Dina was highly involved in both Duquesne University's
theater and musical theater companies as a performer, choreographer,
dancer, singer, and board member. Upon moving to Washington, DC,
Dina joined City Dance as marketing intern in June 2007. Dina began
her position as Marketing and Development Associate in August 2007
and is excited to be part of the team. (top)
Email: dina@citydance.net
Phone: 202.347.3909
Kate McDonald, Education Program Manager & CityDance Select Administrator
Kate McDonald is from the Pacific Northwest where she began her dance training at a young age with Anacortes Dance Center under the direction of Paula Clancey. She holds a B.F.A. in modern dance from Texas Christian University where she was a recipient of the Fine Arts Guild Scholarship Award. She has danced professionally with Caroline Calouche & Co., Martha Connerton's KineticWorks, and Opera Carolina in addition to working with such artists as Leah Cox, Christian von Howard, Jin-Wen Yu, Susan Douglas Roberts, Elizabeth Gillaspy, and the late Fernando Bujones. She has taught at numerous institutions including The Perfect Step (Gastonia, NC), the North Carolina Dance Theatre School of Dance (Charlotte, NC), and was a full-time Dance Educator in a public high school. Currently she is a faculty member and Outreach Program Manager with CityDance Ensemble and a member of the Studio Company. (top)
Email: katem@citydance.net
Phone: 301.581.5204
Katy Dolan, Front Desk Associate, CityDance Center
Biography to come. (top)
Email: katy@citydance.ne
Phone: 301.581.5204
Julie Ana Dobo, Production & Company Manager
Julie specializes in lighting design and production management for national and international music concerts, festivals, special events, fashion shows, performance art, its artists and their companies. She recently concluded a production management "tour of duty" at New York City’s Joyce SoHo, a pre-eminent "downtown" dance performance space. For the last 11.5 years Julie has commissioned her energies and expertise as an integral force in the growth of Joyce SoHo’s dance performance space, picking up from a pioneering salon showcase format and "riding the wave" into one of the most coveted NYC downtown contemporary dance venues. Her most current commitment is as technical director and light designer for CityDance Ensemble’s contemporary dance company, which is based at the innovative Music Center at Strathmore in Rockville, Maryland. Julie has joined forces with CityDance Ensemble to participate in their pursuit of a more "perfect world!" (top)
Email: julie@citydance.net
Phone: 202.347.3909
Francisco Campos-Lopez, FilmWORKS Manager
Francisco Campos-Lopez was born in a small town in Chile. He has been shooting since he was a little kid. At 17 years old, he moved to Santiago to begin his formal studies in film making. He attended the Chilean Film School (Escuela de Cine de Chile) at Santiago for one year. The next year, he moved to Buenos Aires where he begin his career as a filmmaker with mentoring by the finest in the Argentinean film industry in directing, screenwriting, and acting directing. Francisco partnered with actors and producers, starting his own production company at the age of 21, LoboFilms Argentina. Since then, he has directed music videos for Argentina, Chile, and Mexico and shot the award-winning and worldwide shown film Acassis, which won the "Best Thriller Award" at the New York International Independent Film Festival 2007. The New York press proclaimed him as one of "the upcoming latin directors to watch." In 2009, Francisco relocated to the United States to get funds for his feature film project and continue his career shooting music videos and documentaries. (top)
Email: francisco@citydance.net
Phone: 301.581.5205
Michelle Sarson, On-Site Director, The Madeira School
Michelle Sarson, entering her fourth year of instruction at CityDance, is very excited about her dance programs. Michelle is the on-site Director of Dance - Fine Arts Department, and Musical Choreographer at The Madeira School in McLean, Va. Michelle has been teaching jazz in the area for many years including at The Washington School of Ballet, Maryland Youth Ballet, and The Kirov Academy. She was the studio owner of the acclaimed Worldgate Studio Dance for 15 years that showcased a dance company that performed at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra in performances entitled Music That Moves, and the dance number One for the Broadway Revue while working closely with renowned composer Marvin Hamlisch. Michelle’s other accomplishments include choreographing and staging for Bob McGrath’s Sesame Street shows, and she was also the in-house choreographer for the International Children’s Festival held at Wolf Trap in Va. Michelle has trained dancers and choreographed for the University of Virginia, James Madison University, and several other quality institutions. Michelle’s students have performed on Broadway in 42nd Street, The Rockettes, movies such as The Babysitter, and she has one student that is currently a cast member in the new television show Glee. (top)
Phone: 301.581.5204
Ivy Chow, Conservatory/Select Administration Assistant and Rehearsal Assistant
Ivy, a native of the metropolitan DC area, began her training with the Russell School of Ballet. Following graduation, she was invited into the Graduate Program at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre where she studied under Roberto Munoz, Dana Arey, Marianna Tcherkassky, Marjorie Grundvig, and Dennis Marshall. While with PBT, she performed in Terrence Orr’s The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. Ivy then received her degree from the Indiana University Jacob’s School of Music in Ballet Performance, where she studied under Violette Verdy, Michael Vernon, Jaques Cesbron, and Guoping Wang. While at Indiana University she was featured in Isadora Duncan’s Many Faces of Love staged by Lori Belilove and performed leading roles in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker and Endless Night. While at Indiana University, she was on the Pre-College Ballet faculty teaching ages 3-18 and taught college ballet elective for undergraduate and graduate students. She also attended summer programs at American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Chicago, International Summer Dance at Point Park University, Washington Ballet, Complexions and CityDance Ensemble of Washington DC. Ivy is very excited to be on faculty and having the chance to share her love of dance.
Email: ivy@citydance.net
Phone: 301.581.5204
Susan Burt, Registrar & Conservatory Liaison
Susan Burt holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Toronto and taught for 15 years as a teacher before moving on to executive management positions with different corporate companies. During this time she acquired her intermediate/advanced accounting degree from the University of New York. In 2001 she retired as the Director of Risk Management for Premcor Oil Company and moved with her husband to San Francisco. There she developed the pastoral care program for Grace Cathedral and directed their homeless and outreach/inreach programs in the city and state prison system. In October 2007, Susan moved to Washington, DC, where she now works for CityDance Ensemble at CityDance Center at Strathmore as Registrar and Conservatory Liaison. (top)
Email: susan@citydance.net
Phone: 301.581.5204
Jacqueline Akhmedova, Ballet Master, CityDance Select/Conservatory
Jacqueline was a principal dancer with The Bolshoi Theatre Tashkent, The Munich State Opera Ballet in Germany, and The Vienna State Opera Ballet in Austria from 1977-1998, dancing all major roles in the classical and contemporary repertoire. She worked with the world’s greatest choreographers like Jiri Kylian, John Neumeier, Rudolph Nurreyev, Hans van Manen, and Peter Wright and toured extensively across Europe with Stars of the Russian Ballet and as a guest artist in several major companies throughout the globe. Jaqueline graduated with Honors from the Ballet Academy in Tashkent, where she studied under Varvara Pavlovna Mey, Valentin Proskurina and Bernara Karieva. She holds a Master’s Degree from the Ukrainian Academy of Dance Kiev with a specialization in pedagogy and choreography. Jacqueline restaged and coached students and dancers in all major roles in the classical repertoire and her students won international ballet competitions like Youth America Grand Prix and Prix de Lausanne and have gone on to a successful careers with world known companies including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Dresden Ballet, Munich State Opera Ballet, and Stuttgart Ballet. Jacqueline specializes in highly developed and advanced technique, particularly in pointe work and classical repertoire. Currently she is teaching at CityDance Center at Strathmore, coaching professional, serious students for competitions, and giving private lessons on a regular basis.
In February 2010 one of Jacqueline Akhmedova's students won Gold in the Classical Ballet category, Bronze in the Contemporary category and a Special Award at the International Ballet Competition "Tanzolymp" in Berlin/Germany.
Email: akhmedova@citydance.net
Phone: 301.581.5204
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