| DANCERS 2007/2008 Season |
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Kimberley Cooper, Artistic Associate & Resident Choreographer
Kimberley began dancing with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks as an apprentice in 1989 and has been Artistic Associate/Resident Choreographer since she returned from a sabbatical funded by Canada Council for the Arts in 2000/2001. In 2001 she created her first full-length work, Popular, that was produced by DJD for One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo. Since then she has co-created Velvet and the critically acclaimed cross-cultural mega show ¡Bulla! A Loud Cuban Jazz Experiment, with DJD Co-Founder Hannah Stilwell. In addition to continuing to dance full-time with the DJD company, Cooper is an important voice in the independent dance scene in western Canada, both as a dancer and as a choreographer. Her work has been produced locally by Dancers' Studio West, the University of Calgary’s Program of Dance, One Yellow Rabbit, eko dance projects, Springboard Dance, in Edmonton by Alberta Dance Alliance, and in Vancouver at Dances for small Stages. In 2002 she was named Emerging Artist of the Year by Alberta Dance Alliance. In 2004 she created the dance film Distemper with Director John Albanis. Funded by BRAVOFact! and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Distemper enjoyed success in festivals across North America and Europe. The two recently released their newest short film Methusulah, with Jason Stroh as a co-choreographer. In 2006 she created in Charcoal & Crimson, a parallactic fairy tale which the company performed at Calgary's newest venue The GRAND Theatre.
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Sarisa Figueroa, Artistic Assistant/Dancer
Sarisa began her formal dance training in classical ballet at the age of seven, graduated from the Edmonton School of Ballet’s Professional Program in 1993, and has danced with Decidedly Jazz ever since (apart from a year-long sabbatical during the 2003-2004 season to pursue independent interests in theatre and dance). Her dance studies have taken her to New York, Los Angeles, Montana, Cuba, and Spain and across Canada studying jazz dance and many of its root forms. Apart from dancing with DJD, she has performed with One Yellow Rabbit, Springboard Dance Collective, Theatre of the Living Statue, Sage Theatre as well as for various independent choreographers and directors. She was Artistic Director for DJD’s dancer-choreographed evening Larimer St. in 2005 and root 7 in 2006. She also choreographs, acts and teaches in Calgary and throughout Western Canada.
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Catherine Hayward, Apprentice Dancer
Catherine grew up in Winnipeg where she began dancing at the age of 5. Her dance studies led her to Ryerson University where she graduated with honours from the dance program earning her BFA. At Ryerson, Catherine had the opportunity to work with independent choreographers such as Heidi Strauss, Kathleen Rea, and Vicki St. Denys. An interest in jazz dance brought her to Calgary to train in the pre-professional program at DJD. During this time she immersed herself in the Calgary community performing in Footprints, the DJD school tour Live and in Sync, Alberta Dance Explosions, Shift and with eko dance projects. Catherine's love of jazz dance has most recently taken her to Sweden to study Lindy Hop. Catherine is excited to be in her first season dancing with DJD
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Laura Kleiner, Dancer
Laura didn’t always want to be a jazz dancer. She grew up in Red Deer with the dream of becoming a ballerina and attended the National Ballet School. It wasn’t until she was 14, when her mom took her to a DJD show, that her love of jazz was born. While attending the University of Calgary, she was also a scholarship student at the School of Decidedly Jazz. In 1998 she performed in an apprentice role in DJD’s Classic Jam. Later that year, Laura traveled to Chicago to study with Billy Siegenfeld. With his company, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, Laura performed nationally and internationally for four years. Last year, Laura took a year away to spend more time with her kids as they entered primary school. She is excited to be back and is enjoying her fourth season with DJD. Laura would like to thank her family and especially her husband, for all their support.
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Dinou Marlett Stuart, Dancer
After dancing for twelve years in Calgary, Dinou traveled to England to attend Performers Dance College. She completed a three-year degree programme with 3rd year honors and continued to dance professionally throughout England for two years in many lead roles in original productions. Since returning to Calgary in 1994, Dinou has been teaching, as well as artistic directing, producing, choreographing and performing in various projects including Calgary Cares and Alberta Dance Explosions. Dinou was a guest artist in the DJD school show Live and in Sync (2001) and Kimberley Cooper’s Popular (2001) that was performed at OYR's High Performance Rodeo. She understudied many roles in Perched on the Edge of a Quarter Note (2002) and was a full time company member from 2002-2004. Dinou was blessed with her daughter Tianna in October 2004 and since motherhood, Dinou has had a chance to work with Kimberley Cooper as a dancer and Rehearsal Mistress for the Bravo production of Distemper and In Charcoal and Crimson. She has also been teaching for DJD's Artist in Residence Program as well as independently and at the School of Decidedly Jazz. She is excited to be returning to the stage with dancers she loves.
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Ivan Nunez Segui, Dancer
Ivan started dancing at
the age of nine. When he was 12 years old he began his formal training
at the National School of Art in Havana, Cuba and after seven years
graduated from the school in 1990. Upon graduation, he joined the
Folklorico Nacional de Cuba and was principal soloist from 1996 until
he left the company in 2001. Since then, he has been a freelance dancer
and teacher working in Cuba, Japan, England and Canada. He was a guest
dancer for DJD’s ¡BULLA! project in 2004, and returned to Calgary in
the fall of 2005 to continue dancing with the company. This is his
third season with DJD. |
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Malika Srivastava, Dancer
At the age of 13, Malika discovered
jazz music and dance at the School of Decidedly Jazz. In 2001 she
traveled to Toronto where she studied contemporary dance at York
University, but her love for jazz dance brought her back to Calgary
where she studied at the U of C Dance Program and with the School of
Decidedly Jazz in the Pre-Professional Program. During this time Malika
immersed herself in the Calgary dance community working with various
choreographers and performing in Alberta Dance Explosions, Dance
Montage, eko dance projects and the U of C’s Mainstage. Apart from
studying in Calgary, Malika’s love for jazz has taken her to Cuba, New
Orleans and most recently to Brazil. This is her second season with DJD. |
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Danielle Wensley, Apprentice Dancer
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Deanne Walsh, Dancer
Deanne is thrilled to be
dancing with DJD, a company she has long admired. Growing up in
Calgary, as a teen she danced with eko dance projects (formerly Youth
Dance Unlimited) and later returned as a dance captain. In 2003, Deanne
completed her B.A. Dance degree with distinction from the University of
Calgary. She has choreographed for many years in Alberta including for
U of C's Dance Montage, Alberta Dance Explosions, The F.E.A.T.S.
Festival and eko dance projects. The pursuit of the roots of jazz has
taken her to New York, California and frequently to West Africa. Her
travels to Guinea have been a great source of inspiration and personal
growth. Deanne teaches around Calgary and in the School of Decidedly
Jazz. She is very much enjoying her fourth year with the DJD Company.
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