Faculty
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Lori E. Cunningham,
Founder
and Director
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... received her BFA
from Rutgers University- Mason Gross
School of the Arts (’97). Additionally
she has trained at Princeton Ballet, NJ
Ballet, Alvin Ailey and the Perm Opera
Ballet School (Russia) and with dance
greats Don Redlich, Claudia Gitelman,
Nancy Turano, E. Laura Haussman and the
late Pauline Goddard. A graduate of the
NJ Dance Theatre Professional Training
Program, Lori has performed
principal/solo dance roles with Atlantic
Coast Ballet, Cape Cod Ballet,
Connecticut Ballet, Acrodanse Theatre,
and the NJ Dance Theatre Ensemble and
has appeared with Bergen Ballet, Lumiere
Ballet, L.I., & the RU Opera Co. At 10
Ms. Cunningham appeared in commercials
for Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club and at 16
traveled to Russia for a summer exchange
program with The Bolshoi Ballet,
appearing as a soloist on Moscow
television. A featured dancer in over 10
productions sponsored by Plays in the
Park, Lori has also been busy behind the
scenes working as resident choreographer
for the Donetsk Ballet, NJCoD, M.C.C
Youth Arts Feld, R.U. Cabaret Theatre,
MV Ballet and now her own company, MV
Dance Theatre.
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JEROME 'NUNEY" STIGLER,
2007/2008
GUEST ARTIST TEACHER
... a native of St. Louis, MO,
began his training at the Katherine Dunham
Children's Workshop and the Center of
Contemporary Arts. (COCA). He has received
two degrees in dance, a BFA from the University
of Missouri-Kansas City and a MFA from the
University of Iowa. He has received
scholarships to the Alvin Ailey American Dance
Center, Milwaukee Ballet, American Dance
Festival and the Yard at Martha's Vineyard.
He has taught and choreographed for numerous
schools throughout the United States. Mr.
Stigler has performed with the Dayton
Contemporary Dance Company , Albany Berkshire
Ballet, Dallas Black Dance theatre, Columbia
City Ballet, Florida Dance Theatre, St. Louis
Ballet, Charlotte Adams and Dancers, Walt Disney
World. He is currently a member of the
Wylliams/Henry Danse Theatre and Deeply Rooted
Dance Theatre.
Aside from offering artistic
advisement and counsel, Mr. Steigler is slated
to set a new work on the MVDT Performing Company
and select school students for the MVDT New Rep.
Program.
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CLAIRE L. PHELAN,
MVDT 2007
Guest Artist Teacher
... began performing professionally at the age
of 13 with the Actors Training Program at Solano
College, Suisun, CA. Her credits with the
group include Peter Pan, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dream Coat, West Side Story, The
Taming of the Shrew (Bianca), and Romeo and
Juliet (Juliet). In 2002, she earned
her Associates in Musical Theater from that very
same program.
Ms. Phelan also trained extensively in ballet
and jazz under the tutelage of Lisa Clarke at
Lisa Clarke Dancers' Studio, CA and appeared
professionally with Ms. Clarke's musical theatre
production company in Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dream Coat and the Wizard of Oz.
Post graduate work includes performances with
Darkroom Productions- Twelfth Night and Suburbia
(Bebe). And, her on island credits include,
Nutcracker with the Cape Cod Ballet, Transitions
with MV Dance Theatre and the Mikado under the
direction of Lee Fiero and Peter Bouck.
Ms. Phelan will be teaching
KinderDance, Beg Jazz and Ballet I for the
2007/2008 season as well as setting a musical
dance theater piece on the Company and select
dancers for the MVDT New Rep. Program. |
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SHANNON LOBDELL,
MVDT 2007
Summer Program Faculty
... began
her ballet training at age 3 with Barry Edson of
the Martha's Vineyard School of Ballet. As her
interest in dance grew, she expanded her studies
to include additional classes with Cathy and
Bill Costanza at Vineyard Dance as well as with
Sandra Stone, former Principal Dancer of the
Paul Taylor Company. Extremely dedicated,
Shannon would travel to the Cape on weekends to
rehearsals, learning various roles for the Cape
Cod Ballets production of Nutcracker. She
is proud to boast that 2005 marked her 15th year
of performance with the company.
For the past six years Shannon has been training
under the tutelage of Lori Cunningham and
has been a member of the MVDT Performing Company
since it's inception. As a soloist with
the Company, Ms. Lobdell has been seen
performing as a fairy in the Sleeping Beauty
Variations, as well as had several company
reparatory pieces set on her specifically.
This year the MVDT Association awarded her with
one of it's two professional performance
contracts- the first ever to go to a graduate of
the program.
Outside of
her dance training, Shannon has found time to
pursue her love of music. During her high school
career, Ms. Lobdell traveled to England and
Ireland as a member of the Minnesingers
to compete and perform as well as participated
in all of their holiday and touring concerts
around the island. She was also a
violinist in the MVRHS String Quartet and most
notably, she performed the lead role of Sandy in
the High School's production of "Grease."
Shannon
just finished her first year at Bucknell
University, where she is studying music
education as well as continuing her dance
training.
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ABBEY STONE,
MVDT 2007 Summer Program Faculty
... has been dancing almost as long as she has
been walking, and has loved every minute of it.
Her formal training began at the Academy of
Movement in Nashua, NH. Upon moving to the
Vineyard in 2002, Abbey continued her studies at Danceworks. Her first year at the school
she was invited to join the Performing and
Competition Company. With Danceworks, Ms.
Stone participated in the New York City Dance
Alliance (NYCDA) and CoDance conventions and had
the opportunity to work with renowned
professionals Sheila Barker, Tyce Diorio, and
Brian Friedman (the latter two are featured
choreographers and judges on Fox’s So You
Think You Can Dance).
Outside of Danceworks, Abbey has also benefited
from studying under accomplished dancer, Sandra
Stone, former member of the Paul Taylor Company.
And, in 2005 she joined the MV Dance Theatre
under the Direction of Lori E. Cunningham.
She was quickly awarded solo work due to her
strong technical ability, musicality and work
ethic. This year the MVDT Association
awarded her one of two professional contracts
for the 2007 season- a first ever for a graduate
of the program.
Currently
Abbey is pursuing her bachelor’s degree at
Barnard College of Columbia University in New
York City. These days her dance education
includes professionals hailing from New York
City Ballet and the companies of Martha Graham,
Twyla Tharp, and Paul Taylor.
Abbey is
excited to be able to share her knowledge and
experience with the students of MVDT!
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Former MVDT Faculty and Advisers...
Shannon
batTiste,
Special
Guest Teacher AND ADVISER
...
received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from
Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the
Arts (Class of '99). She has performed
extensively throughout the NY/NJ area as a
principal dancer with Acrodanse Theater as well
as with the 92nd St Y and the Harkness Ballet,
NYC and has made guest appearances with the
Lumiere Ballet, L.I. She has coined such
roles as "Juliet" in Romeo and Juliet, "Titania"
in Midsummer’s Night Dream, "Sugarplum Fairy" in
the Nutcracker and "Princess Aurora" in the
Sleeping Beauty. Shannon has trained at world
renown company schools such as The Joffery
Ballet, Alvin Ailey, and David Howard. During
her years as a member of the NJ Dance Theatre
Guild- a widely respected youth ballet company
now known as the NJ Dance Theatre Ensemble- Ms.
O'Connell Batiste was invited travel to Russia
for a summer exchange program with The Bolshoi
Ballet and appeared on Moscow television.
Currently she is on faculty at Spotlight on
Dance in NJ teaching the advanced ballet and
pointe classes.
Jil
Matrisciano,
2006/2007
Guest artist teacher
...
is Artistic Director of
She-figured Dance
and bases her work between Boston and Martha’s
Vineyard. She established She-figured Dance in 2001 and has since performed for
Choreographer’s Group 2004, TEN’S THE LIMIT 2003, SUNY Brockport 2003, The 2002
Cape & Islands Dance Festival, and Built On Stilts 2000-2006. A former member of
NYC’s Wood Dance, Jil’s performing credits include: Tribecca Performing Arts
Center, Judson Church, St. Marks Church, The Yard, UC Berkeley, and SUNY
Brockport. Jil has an AA in Dance and BS in Physical Education. In 2003, she
received her MFA in Choreography and Performance from the State University of
New York College at Brockport while on scholarship as a Teaching Assistant for
the college’s dance department. Jil’s choreography has been recognized by The
American Dance Festival naming her the 1999 recipient of the Bessie Schöenberg
Scholarship for Choreographic Potential —acknowledging her solo work, Her Last
Breath. Other honors include The American College Dance Festival, SUNY College
at Brockport, and Dean College. She has performed the work of choreographers,
Shapiro & Smitth, Randy James, and Susannah Newman. In addition to managing SfD,
Jil works as adjunct faculty for Dean College’s Dance Department, is a
free-lance dance writer and is currently pursuing certification in classic
Pilates technique at The Vineyard Pilates Center.
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