Department of Dance
Dance Faculty and Other Important People to Know
DUANE CYRUS, Assistant Professor, joined the dance faculty in fall, 2005, teaching dance technique and other studio courses. Duane holds a BFA from the Juilliard School and an MFA from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In between, he danced with the Martha Graham Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, in musical theater (including the original London production of Lion King), on television, and in a variety of other venues. He has worked as an independent artist throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia as teacher, performer, and choreographer, and was also a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Illinois. His list of honors and awards includes the Princess Grace Foundation Award for Emerging Artists. He is the co-author and editor of the book Vital Grace--The Black Male Dancer, a photographic celebration of black men in dance. Office 220D, phone 256-1486, email: dacyrus@uncg.edu
DR. ANN DILS, Associate Professor, is a dance historian. She teaches undergraduate courses in dance history and appreciation, and is a current member of UNCG's Women's and Gender Studies Coordinating Council. Ann is co-editor of Moving History/Dancing Cultures, a reader used in dance history courses throughout the United States and around the world, and of Intersections: Dance, Place, and Identity, edited with UNCG faculty member Robin Gee and instructor Matthew Brookoff. She also edits Dance Research Journal, a publication of the Congress on Research in Dance. She received a Ph.D. from the Department of Performance Studies at New York University. Office 220K, phone 334-3047, email: ahdils@uncg.edu
R. MITCHELL FORE, APT Technical Director and Associate Professor, joined the dance faculty in 1994. In a design and production career that spans more than 25 years, he has designed the lighting and/or scenery, and served as Technical Director for more than 400 dance, opera and theatre productions. He is one of the instructors for DCE 555, Technology in the Creation and Preservation of Dance Works. He also leads the Production Practicum classes (DCE255 and 355), which provide concert running crews. Office 318, phone 334-3263, email: rmfore@uncg.edu
JOHN GAMBLE, Professor, is a choreographer, lighting designer, and digital artist. He was the 1991 recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council’s Choreographic Fellowship and he received the 2006 NC Board of Governors’ Teaching Excellence Award, the state’s highest award for teaching. In 2007, he received the North Carolina Dance Alliance Annual Award for his outstanding contributions to dance in North Carolina. His undergraduate teaching includes Introduction to Dance (DCE 101), Contact Improvisation (DCE 417), Repertory (DCE 343 and DCE 443), Creative Synthesis (DCE 470), and Technology for the Creation and Preservation of Dance Works (DCE 555). John is the director of John Gamble Dance Theater. Office 220J, phone 334-3042, email: jjgamble@uncg.edu
ROBIN GEE, Assistant Professor, holds an MFA in Dance Choreography and Performance from Sarah Lawrence College and specializes in African dance techniques, Caribbean dance forms, and Contemporary dance techniques. Robin teaches African dance and Contemporary dance classes at UNCG and lectures in the Dance Appreciation and Dance History courses. She is the recipient of the West African Research Association's Post Doctoral Fellowship in African Research in 2005 and the Central Piedmont Artist's Hub Grant for her work on dance and music in West Africa. Most recently she is the recipient of the American Association of University Women's Post Doctoral Research Award (2006 - 2007) for her work on The Mande Legacy – A Multimedia Dance Documentation Project for which she spent six months in Guinea in 2007. Office 220A, phone: 256-1487, e-mail rmgee@uncg.edu
DR. AMY GINSBURG, Visiting Assistant Professor, holds an MA in Dance from the University of Illinois, and an Ed.D. in Dance from Temple University. Amy developed and directed the dance program at Dickinson College, where she was Associate Professor and Director of Dance, before relocating to Durham, NC in 2005. She has continued to teach a variety of dance courses at area schools including Duke University, UNC-G, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, and Meredith College. Amy’s teaching is strongly influenced by Limón and Cunningham techniques, along with principles drawn from Laban studies and Ideokinesis. Comprehensively trained in Pilates, Amy also developed a practice at InsideOut Body Therapies in Durham. Amy serves on the Executive Board of the American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA), and has worked as a consultant to granting organizations and college and university dance programs around the country. Office 220B, phone 334-3262, email alginsbu@uncg.edu
DR. JILL GREEN, Professor, is Director of Graduate Studies and teaches body and dance education courses. She teaches The Body and Motion in Dance (DCE 340), Kinetic Awareness and other body-mind approaches. Dr. Green received her Ph.D. in Movement Arts and Somatics from Ohio State University. She has been co-editor of Dance Research Journal, and was a 2003 Fulbright scholar in Finland. Office 317, phone 334-3266, email jillgreen@uncg.edu
DR. LARRY LAVENDER, Professor, holds an MFA in Dance from UC-Irvine and a Ph.D. in Dance Education from New York University. Larry's primary areas of research and teaching are choreography, dance criticism, and aesthetic and cultural trends in contemporary dance. Larry has presented and taught all over the United States, as well as in Canada, Great Britain, Mexico, Portugal, and New Zealand. Office HHP 320, phone 334-3046, email lavender@uncg.edu
DR. SUE STINSON, Professor, is the Department's undergraduate coordinator. Her 30 years at UNCG have included serving as Department Head from 1991-2002. She has presented and published her research nationally and internationally, is active on the national scene in arts education, and has published a book on teaching dance to young children. Her undergraduate teaching at UNCG is in the area of dance education. Office 220C, phone 334-3048, email sue_stinson@uncg.edu
B.J. SULLIVAN, Associate Professor, teaches contemporary and ballet technique, repertory, and choreography. B.J. has developed the "Safety Release Technique" incorporating somatics with release forms, which she has taught internationally. Her choreography relates to the passions and curiosities of human existence. Before coming to UNCG, B.J. received her BFA from the Juilliard School; performed with companies and choreographers including Joe Goode, Ralph Lemon and Bill Young; and received her MFA while teaching and choreographing on dance majors at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Office 222, phone 334-3264, email ejsulli2@uncg.edu
DR. JAN VAN DYKE, Professor and Head of the Department, teaches contemporary dance technique, choreography (DCE 253), repertory, career management, and dance for the camera. She is director of the Jan Van Dyke Dance Group and the NC Dance Festival. As a choreographer and guest artist, she has taught both nationally and internationally, most recently at the Western Australia Academy for the Performing Arts. She also writes about social and economic issues in the modern dance field and has published a book, Modern Dance in a Post Modern World. A 1993 Fulbright Scholar, she spent one semester teaching dance at the Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa in Portugal. In 1993 she was awarded a Choreography Fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council, and in 2001 she was honored with the NC Dance Alliance award for contributions to the development of dance in North Carolina. Office 321, phone 334-3043, e-mail jevandyk@uncg.edu
FRANK VULPI, APT Assistant Professor, has been a musician for dance his entire professional career. He teaches Music for Dance (DCE 341), plays for contemporary and ballet classes and composes. He has had articles published in the field of Comparative Literature and on the relationship between Music and Dance. Office 220H, phone 334-3064, e-mail fjvulpi@uncg.edu
MELINDA WAEGERLE, ¾ time APT Assistant Professor, teaches dance education (DCE 345) for elementary education majors and does other teaching and supervising in dance education. She earned her BS and MA degrees in dance education from UNCG, and has taught K-12 dance in public schools. She is a Fellow in the A+ Schools Program. Office 220C, Phone 334-9845, e-mail mhwaeger@uncg.edu
Other part-time faculty during 08-09 (office 220F) include Amy Beasley, Karla Coghill, Jennifer Guy, Kerrie-Jean Hudson, Julie Mulvihill, and Madeleine Reber.
GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS: (office 220G, phone 334-4064): Amanda Diorio, Alison Duffy, Loren Groenendaal, Elizabeth Lane, Erin LaSala, Anne Morris, Caitlin Spencer, Katherine Keifer Stark, Justin Tornow, Tricia Zweier.
OTHER IMPORTANT PEOPLE TO KNOW:
AARON KING is the athletic trainer for Dance. Office 139 (Applied Neuromechanics Research Lab), phone 334-3039, email atking@uncg.edu
KATIE FENNELL is the Department Program Assistant. Office 321A, phone 334-5955, email skfennel@uncg.edu
BEVERLY STALLINGS is the Department Secretary. Office 323, phone 334-5570, email b_stall2@uncg.edu
Information on Dance Department Faculty, Staff and TAs