Caroline Calouche
Photo by Michael Church

Courtney Greer
Photo by Scott Chmelar

Diego Carrasco Schoch
Photo by Steve Clarke

Helen Simoneau
Photo by Steve Davis

Jen Guy Metcalf
Photo by Jen Guy Metcalf

Lindsey Kelley
Photo by David Brewer

Artists

The touring roster of the 2011-2012 North Carolina Dance Festival includes work by eight dance artists from across the state:

Caroline Calouche is the director of Caroline Calouche & Co., a contemporary and aerial dance company.  She received two B.F.A. degrees in Ballet and Modern Dance from Texas Christian University.  Her work has been performed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Austria and Germany.  She currently is an adjunct professor of dance at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and has taught at Winthrop University. She is also the creator and founder of the Charlotte Dance Festival.  www.carolinecalouche.org

Courtney Greer graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a BFA in Contemporary Dance.  She serves as a National Board Certified Dance Educator at Enloe Magnet High School (Raleigh, NC) where she directs the Enloe Dance Ensemble. Her other teaching credits include NC Governor's School, NC State University and the UNC School of the Arts.  She has performed with many dance groups, and her choreography has been produced in many settings, American Dance Festival’s Acts to Follow, West Virginia’s Goose Route Dance Festival, Cuba and Brussels, Belgium. She also holds a certification in Pilates.

Diego Carrasco Schoch is a Chicano dance artist, originally from Southern California.  He was a Principal Dancer at the Milwaukee Ballet (1991-2003) and a soloist with the North Carolina Dance Theater under the late Salvatore Aiello (1987-1991).  He has created original dances for a variety of organizations and venues including most recently the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as a member of the Contemporary Dance Faculty (2008-2011).  He is an alumnus of the North Carolina School of the Arts, holds an MFA from the University of Iowa and received his BFA from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. http://www.diegocarrascoschoch.com

Helen Simoneau is a native of Québec, Canada. She currently lives in Winston-Salem and creates with dancers based in both NYC and North Carolina. This past fall, she won The A.W.A.R.D. Show! 2010: New York City, and her choreography has been presented internationally.  She is a 2010 North Carolina Arts Council Choreographic Fellow, and has received other international recognition for her work.  Simoneau earned a BFA from UNCSA and a MFA from Hollins University and has served as visiting and adjunct faculty at the American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, UNCSA, UNCG, and Hollins University.  http://www.helensimoneau.com/

Jen Guy Metcalf established TERRANOVA Dance Theatre in 2008 after she earned an M.F.A. in Dance Choreography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her company performs contemporary work for the stage (concert dance), site (site-specific dance) and screen (dance for camera). Jen has created innovative works using original video, sounds, lights, architecture and multi-media for dance performances and festivals throughout the east coast of the United States and in Canada. http://www.terranovadancetheatre.com

Lindsey Kelley of Asheville, NC, holds a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of South Florida.  Lindsey is a former member of Contemporary Ballet Theatre, The Human Institution, Michiyo and Dancers and STEPS on Broadway’s Repertory Ensemble, and has worked with many independent choreographers.  Her work has been presented at several venues including the American College Dance Festival, Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre's 48-Hour Dance Festival, STEPS on Broadway and the Triskelion Arts Festival in NYC. She is currently the dance program director of the Asheville Performing Arts Academy and resident teacher/choreographer for the Asheville Ballet.  Collaborating with Lindsey Kelley is Mindy Upin.  She holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  Mindy is currently a guest teaching artist at several dance schools in NY.  She is the Rehearsal Director and has been a member of the Steps Repertory Ensemble for four seasons. http://www.lindseykelleydance.com

Natalie Marrone, MFA, created the Dance Cure in Columbus OH in 1998 to showcase her choreographic fusion of Italian folk traditions and contemporary dance.  Her choreography and research have been featured in national commercials, live television events and presented throughout the USA, Italy and Taiwan. In addition to her choreography, Ms. Marrone's college dance consulting firm Dance Decisions was featured in Dance Magazine’s 2008 College Guide. She has taught extensively, including at Ohio State University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Meredith College, Raleigh School of Ballet and Elon University.  http://www.thedancecure.com/

Robin Gee is an Associate Professor of Dance at UNC Greensboro and holds an MFA in Dance Choreography and Performance from Sarah Lawrence College. She specializes in African dance techniques, Caribbean dance forms, and Modern dance techniques. Ms. Gee has performed with several New York based dance companies, including the Cinque Folkloric Dance Company where she served as Choreographer and Artistic Director for 15 years. In 2006 she formed her own company, Sugarfoote Productions, a multiservice arts organization designed to help local audiences experience the richness of African and Diasporan cultural traditions.

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