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Kathy Meyer
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Kathy Meyer, Dance Department Chair, has been a full time dance instructor for the Grossmont
College Dance Department since 1989. She served as department chair from 1991 to Spring
2011, served as co-chair with David Mullen for the Spring 2013 semester, and resumed
the chair position in 2017. She received her B.A. in Dance from California State University
at Long Beach and her M.A. in dance and theater at California State University at
Fullerton. She has danced with the Gloria Newman Dance Theater, The Matti Lasco Dance
Company, and studied and performed with Repertory Dance Theater (RDT). She has danced
and choreographed for a variety of musicals including Sweet Charity, Pajama Game, Dancin’, The Lorax, Fiddler on the Roof, Once Upon a Mattress, and others. She has performed in musical videos and various industrials. Additional
teacher/ master class teacher credits include CAHPERD workshops and Pilates master
classes for Grossmont High School, Valhalla High School, and Sweetwater Springs High
School. She completed her comprehensive Pilates certification through On Center Conditioning under the tutelage of master instructor Rael Isacowitz. She developed the Pilates
courses for the Grossmont College Dance Department in 2001. Kathy was the recipient
of Grossmont College's "Excellence in Teaching" award (2005) and New Village Arts
Theatre's San Diego Theatre Critics Circle award for "Best Choreography" for "Sailor's Song" (2007). She also initiated and instructed
the curriculum for the following courses: Musical Theater Dance, Dance History, Turns,
Studio Workshop in Ballet, Studio Workshop in Jazz, Studio Workshop in Modern, Dance
Appreciation, and the Beg/Int/Adv courses in Teaching Practicum in Dance. Kathy currently
teaches Pilates I/II/III/IV, Modern I, Modern II/III/IV, Choreography I/II, Dance
Appreciation, Teaching Practicum in Dance and co-directs both the faculty and student
choreographed dance concerts.
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David Mullen
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David Mullen has been teaching at Grossmont College since 1998. He holds a B.A. degree in teaching
of dance from UC Irvine and an M.F.A., with an emphasis in choreography, from the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The majority of David’s experience is
in theater dance, having performed on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in industrials,
national tours, and videos. He has also performed with Ballet Pacifica, and the San
Francisco-based post-modern dance company, High Risk Group. In addition to choreographing
for annual faculty dance concerts, he has also choreographed a variety of musicals
and plays including Annie, Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, The Club, The Fantasticks, Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, West Side Story, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Wizard of Oz, Working, Young Frankenstein, The Lorax, Zombie Prom and The Minneola Twins. Other guest artist/teaching credits include annual CAHPERD workshops (1997, 2001),
and Cal Poly Pomona. David teaches Jazz technique, Modern technique, Introduction
to Dance, Musical Theater Dance, Improvisation, and Studio Workshop classes in Jazz
and Modern Dance. Dave also co-directs the department’s annual student and faculty
dance concerts and is director of the Grossmont College Dance Company.
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ADJUNCT FACULTY
Melissa Adao
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Melissa Adao - B.A, M.A. in Dance - is known for her energetic performances and her continuous
passion to become a better dancer and educator. She began training at the age of 17
and since then, has soared into an amazing journey of hip hop, jazz and modern dance
experiences. Melissa’s professional dance background includes Unity Dance Ensemble,
Urban FX, EKetc and Super Galactic Beat Manipulators. Representation through Bloc
Dance and Choreography has opened opportunities for her to work with artists like
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Andy Dick, Athena Cage, No Doubt and Nickelodeon’s "Taina".
She earned her B.A. in Dance from San Diego State University and her M.A. from California
State University, Long Beach. She is now a dance instructor at California State University,
San Marcos, Mesa College and Grossmont Community College. She enjoys sharing the love
and passion for dance with her students and is blessed to be a part of their journey.
She impresses the importance of educating the cultural and historical significance
of our past in order to preserve our future dance community.
Aside from teaching and performing, she is also the Founder and CEO of Outreach Through
Dance, a production company that produces dance showcases and events to benefit various
charities and organizations in the San Diego community. OTD’s yearly event “Dance
For A Wish” raises money to adopt a child’s wish from Make-A-Wish, San Diego. She
wants to use her gift of dance to benefit the community, positively educate those
who seek to know the art and culture, and expose to others the amazing impact hip
hop can bring to one’s life.
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Kristin Arcidiacono
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Kristin Arcidiacono has been teaching in San Diego for over 20 years. She holds a Masters Degree in Education
and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance. She has performed with Strictly Jazz
Dance Company and Jazz Unlimited Dance Company in San Diego and toured Europe as a
Jazz and Musical Theater dancer with various dance companies. Kristin also performed
in a German television documentary on Jazz Dance. She has acted and danced in several
television commercials, and has worked with local T.V. personalities on Industrials
and charity events with her choreography endeavors. She was Dance Captain for the
Cashai Dancers during their weekly performances in San Diego and on tour for several
years. Kristin has choreographed for the Dance Departments at UCSD, San Diego Ballet,
Stage 7, Peninsula Dance Arts, Mesa College, City College and Grossmont College. She
is currently on the Faculty at UCSD, City, Mesa and Grossmont Colleges and teaches
Ballet, Jazz, Tap and Musical Theater Dance.
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Nancy Boskin-Mullen
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Nancy Boskin-Mullen, Adjunct Associate Professor, teaches Tap, Ballroom Dance, Musical Theater Dance
and Introduction to Dance at Grossmont College. She enjoyed a nomadic career as a
professional dancer and choreographer which spanned three decades and three continents. She
attended UCLA, where she received a B.A. in World Arts and Cultures with a concentration
in dance, and an M.A. in Dance. She has been on faculty at several colleges in Los
Angeles and San Diego, instructing a variety of classes including Jazz, Tap, Modern,
Swing Dance, World Dance, Ballroom Dance, Latin American Dance and Choreography. She
has also instructed lecture courses in Global Modern Dance, Dance Appreciation, Field
Studies, and Movement as Cultural Behavior. Nancy is the director of the California
Rhythm Project tap dance company. Together with her husband David Mullen, she also
co-choreographs the Spring musical for the La Jolla High School drama department, has
taught jazz and tap to musical theater students at the Coronado School of the Arts,
and has served as a guest mentor for the Arts for Learning Teacher Training Intensive.
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Lesa M. Green
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Lesa M. Green took her first steps in dance class at the age of two in New York. Over the years,
she has trained in Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop and Modern. Some of her performance
credits include MTV, Super Bowl Pre-Game Show, company dancer for bKSoul, choreographer
for local colleges and schools, dancer for The Lollipop Girls Burlesque and competitor
on America's Got Talent. You may have even seen her in movies--"Bring it On" and "Traffic"--as
well as TV shows such as "Veronica Mars".
Lesa has her B.A. in Dance from UCSD, trained at The Ailey School in NYC and has her
M.S. in Physical Education from Azusa Pacific University. Her love for kinesiology
and belief in positive body image have led her in her journey as a certified personal
trainer, registered yoga instructor (200hr E-RYT & Aerial Yoga) and proud owner/creator
of The MIX Technique® (her Ballet basics infused barre, Horton Modern, Yoga boot camp
workout class format). Her Contemporary Jazz style is a fusion of all of her favorite
things--Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Tap, Hip Hop and Yoga--creating a movement that is athletic
as well as graceful, yet hard-hitting. Lesa believes that everyone can greatly benefit
from dance, yoga and fitness.
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Sylvia Morales
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Sylvia Morales has danced all her life. Her extensive training and professional experience began
with ballet and has since included other forms – modern, jazz, classical Spanish and
flamenco. Sylvia had the honor of performing as a youth in the children's ensemble
during The Bolshoi Ballet Company tour to her home city and as a corps dancer during
the first two seasons of the California Ballet Company. She has performed as a soloist
and ensemble dancer throughout the United States at major theaters such as Lincoln
Center in New York City, Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
in Los Angeles, Civic Theater and Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego. As a soloist
and choreographer Sylvia performed in prestigious venues including Jacob’s Pillow
Dance Festival, Colorado Dance Festival, Los Angeles Olympic Arts Festival and with
The San Diego Symphony. She was a featured dancer with the Los Angeles Opera Company,
the American Opera Center in New York City and Ballet Metropolitano de Caracas, Venezuela.
Sylvia is also a member of Screen Actor’s Guild. She has performed and choreographed
solo and ensemble projects for commercial film and television. She has taught dance
for many years in the public and private sectors including master classes at major
dance festivals and for university and public school arts programs. Sylvia has worked
as an arts coordinator creating curriculum, teaching classes to students and teachers
including improvisation-choreography, dance technique, appreciation and history. She
coaches and directs students, teachers and other professionals in successful performance
practices. Sylvia also completed a comprehensive teacher-training course in pilates.
Ms. Morales currently teaches at the college level, choreographs solo and ensemble
works and for special occasions performs original pieces and improvisations. Sylvia
has taught ballet for the Grossmont College Dance Department since Spring 2008. Ms.
Morales has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from The Juilliard School in New York
City and a Master of Fine Arts degree in dance performance and choreography from UCLA.
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Colleen Shipkowski
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Colleen Shipkowski began her training under artists of the San Francisco Opera Ballet, then received
her B.A. and M.F.A. degrees in dance from UC Irvine. She is the author of “Passing
Through Plateaus: Effective Teaching Methods,” published by Dance Teacher Now. Colleen’s
eclectic credits include choreography and dancing for ballet companies, musical theatre
productions, concert dance companies, industrials, and two KPBS television specials.
In San Diego, she has created ballet departments for three dance studios, and successfully
developed the “Backwards Dance History” courses at Mesa, and Grossmont colleges, as
well as a Pointe & Partnering class at Grossmont and Southwestern College. Since 1983,
Colleen has created at least three choreographic works each semester for three college
dance companies. She has been on faculty at Southwestern College since 1993, Mesa
College since 1987, and in 2001 she was honored with the Excellence In Teaching Award
from Grossmont College, where she has been teaching ballet for 34 years. Currently,
Colleen is working to bring an awareness of dance therapies to her ballet students
and has also designed a Floor Barre Series for her classes.
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Gina Bolles Sorensen (MFA, E-RYT) is one part dance educator, one part choreographer, and one part yogini.
As the Co-Artistic Director of somebodies dance theater (somebodiesdancetheater.com), her choreography has been presented to critical acclaim
in New York, San Francisco, Houston, Minneapolis, Mexico, and Israel among others.
Awards include Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Dance Production at the SD
International Fringe Festival and the SD Young Choreographers Prize. She has published
original research on imagery in dance learning in the Journal of Dance Education,
has been the recipient of two grants to study classical Indian dance in India, and
was awarded a National Artist Teacher Fellowship from the Boston Arts Academy Center
for Arts in Education. In 2018, she was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus award in
Dance from the University of Oregon. She has recently enjoyed creating commissioned
works for San Diego Dance Theater, Bellingham Repertory Dance (WA), and Moving Current
Dance Collective (FL), and performing herself in works by Jesse Zaritt, for youTurn
Arts, and Yolande Snaith. She serves on the dance faculties at Grossmont College and
the Coronado School of the Arts, teaches yoga through her online website www.YogaNatyamOnline.com, and co-teaches SubtleBodyBigDance at San Diego Dance Theater.
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Kyle Sorensen
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Kyle Sorensen has been making dances for over 12 years. Known for creating work that emphasizes
collaborative processes, dynamic physicality, and embodied presence, his choreography
has been exhibited and awarded special honors in both national and international venues,
including the Tanzsommer Festival in Austria. Most recently, Kyle was awarded a Fulbright
Fellowship to study contemporary dance and choreographic processes in Israel for 2013-14.
In the Fall of 2013, he was commissioned to choreograph a piece for the 15th annual
Trolley Dances produced by San Diego Dance Theater. Kyle has danced professionally
in Los Angeles, Oregon, Washington, and San Diego for choreographers including Yolande
Snaith, Joe Alter, Jean Isaacs, Elfi Schaefer-Schafroth, and Alicia Peterson Baskel,
as well as performed in works by Tere O’Connor, Susan Marshall, and Gabe Masson. Kyle
has studied the Gaga technique developed by Ohad Naharin of the Batsheva Dance Company,
as well as choreographic practices with Bebe Miller, K.J. Holmes, and Nina Martin,
and dance-for-the-camera with Ellen Bromberg. Kyle has taught full courses in Contemporary
Dance and Hip Hop Dance at the University of California San Diego and San Diego City
College, as well as master classes at Winthrop University (Rock Hill, SC), Johnson
C. Smith University (Charlotte, NC), and Southwestern College (Chula Vista, CA). He
served as the Assistant Choreographer to Yolande Snaith for the University of California
San Diego’s devised theater work, “Sexual Selection: Darwin and Shakespeare Ponder
Love.” Kyle has a MFA in Dance Theatre from the University of California San Diego,
where he was awarded the Achievement Award in Teaching, and a BA in Dance at the University
of Oregon, where he was recognized with the Dance Achievement Award in Recognition
of Undergraduate Excellence as a Developing Artist. Kyle is currently Co-Artistic
Director of somebodies dance theater in San Diego and on faculty at Grossmont College, the University of California San
Diego, San Diego City College, and Southwestern College.
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Debi Toth-Ward
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Debi Toth-Ward holds a BFA in Performing Arts from Johnson State College in Vermont and an MA from
San Diego State University, where she was awarded the 1998 alumnus of the year. Debi’s
choreography has been presented in New York, San Diego, Los Angeles, and recently
in the “Other Side” festival in Seattle. In 1996, Debi was selected by the San Diego
Union as one of the top ten choreographers to be watched. She has an extensive performing
career as will. She was a member of the Throne Dance Theater in New York, where she
appeared with Dave Brubeck and sons. In San Diego she has been seen with Three’s Company,
Patricia Sandback and Dancers, and was a founding member of Malashock Dance, where
she assisted the director for nine years. Debi presented work in the 2016 San Diego
Fringe Festival. In 2017 she presented a work in the annual San Diego Trolley Dances
and her piece was voted that year's "best of dance". She was asked to stage this piece
again in 2018 for Jean Isaacs' San Diego Dance Theater's "20th Anniversary Best of
Trolley Dances". Debi has taught children of all ages, several college residencies
nationally, and is on the faculty at Grossmont College and City College.
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