Dance & Performance Studies Guest Artists

Each semester RWU’s Dance & Performance Studies Program welcomes a diverse roster of artists to work directly with our students via our outstanding guest artist residency program.  These internationally renowned artists offer students a range of dynamic first-hand learning experiences via master classes, repertory rehearsals, and face to face feedback – enhancing each dancer’s networking skills and professional contacts.

Working with a steady rotation of touring artists also helps RWU dancers experience the vast potential and varied paths within the field of movement studies – which helps each student develop their own identities as artists, scholars, and professionals.

Follow us on Instagram @rwudancetheatre

Fall 2024

Rose Woods Dance Collaborative – September 16 – 21

Rose Woods Dance Collaborative ( RWDC ) is a dance theatre and performance art company founded by New England dancers and choreographers, Jenna Gross and Jillian MacLaughlin. Their work offers social commentary through pantomime-inspired comedy and absurdism.  They are experts at making serious topics into jokes – and taking jokes seriously.  

RWDC’s distinct mix of full-bodied athleticism, dramatic physicality, and comedic levity brings freshness to the role dance plays in communities.  Jenna and Jillian’s keen understanding of the dualities of human nature help make their work absolutely engaging, touching, and fun to be a part of.

Jenna Gross is a dancer, choreographer, and multimedia artist from Westford, MA. They received their BA in Dance & Performance with a minor in Graphic Design Communications from Roger Williams University.  In addition to being Co-Director of RWDC, Jenna has worked with Laila Franklin, Lorriane Chapman (LCTC), Cathrine Siller, Eliza Malecki, Natalie Johnson Dance, Providence Ballet Theatre, Karen Bray, and the Milton branch of the Isadora Duncan Company.  Jenna’s movement research explores kinesthetically sound movement and dynamic partnering; but their passion and impulse for comedy entwines – often creating a quirky duality that pokes fun at the prestige of dance. When Jenna is not dancing, they can be found knitting, creating ceramic pieces, or acquiring another craft hobby.

Jillian MacLaughlin is a choreographer, dance performance artist, singer, administrator, educator and artistic director currently based in Boston and the Seacoast of New Hampshire. Jillian graduated Summa Cum Laude from Roger Williams University, where she earned a BA in Dance & Performance Studies. Jillian has an innate passion for sharing dance on and off the stage, and in addition to being Co-Director of RWDC, she has had the pleasure of dancing under the direction of artists such as Lorraine Chapman (LCTC), Natalie Johnson Dance, Amy Stacy Curtis, Dance Lab Creative, Eliza Malecki, Karen Bray and the Milton branch of the Isadora Duncan Company. In the classroom, she focuses on rigorous technical movement, anatomical safety, and creative individualism for dancers of all ages.  Her professional choreographic work explores themes of politics, climate justice, mental health, and the nature of human connection through an absurdist, comedic, and fantastical lens.

Kellie Ann Lynch – October 21 – 25

Kellie Ann Lynch is a CT-based dance artist. She is a co-founder and Co-Artistic Director of Elm City Dance Collective (ECDC) in New Haven (elmcitydance.org), and she spent many years collaborating and performing with Adele Myers and Dancers and David Dorfman Dance. Other companies Kellie spent time working with include Kate Weare Company and Doug Elkins Choreography, etc. As a freelance dance artist, she has had the opportunity to work with incredible independent choreographers along the East Coast, many of which are located right here in New England. Kellie has received artists fellowships to support her choreography projects; and her work has been presented throughout the Northeast. Kellie is a somatic movement educator, trained in several modalities including Pilates and The Feldenkrais Method. She maintains her teaching practice, Being Movement, in the historic Erector Square Building of New Haven. Kellie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from Rhode Island College and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Smith College. 

Hannah Ekholm – Dancing in London Semester Abroad Choreographer

Originally from Gothenburg, Sweden, Hannah Ekholm began her training at the National Swedish Ballet School and The Royal Swedish Ballet School before moving to England to continue her training at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts.  As a freelance dancer Hannah has worked in both theatre spaces as well as commercial spaces.  She has had the opportunity to work with artists and brands such as Gareth Pugh, Benjamin Milan, Chrysalis London, Kiani Del Valle, Pablo Bronstein, Alexander Whitley, BBC, CR Fashion Book, Nowness, YEARS & YEARS, Joy Crookes, James Wilton and others, getting to tour all around the UK and internationally. Hannah has also choreographed adverts and music videos, taught in different institutions, as well as traveling around Europe battling and judging in the vogue scene.

Past Residencies

Click to Open

ANTHONY TORRES

CLAUDIA-LYNN RIGHTMIRE

SIMON THOMAS-TRAIN

LAYNE PARADIS WILLIS

ANNA TSE

JANICE ROSARIO

HANNAH BARROWS

COLIN STILWELL

CHARLES Z. KALAJIAN

MOUSSA TRAORÉ

NICOLE GALLO

SEYDOU COULIBALY

ASSITAN COULIBALY

MERYL "MEZ" GENDREAU

MIKE TYUS

SHAWN AHERN

JASON ARYEH

EPHRAT ASHERIE

ALEKSANDRA "Shura" LANG BARYSHNIKOV

TANDY BEAL

MARY ELLEN BEAUDREAU

MARTY BELLER

MICHAEL BOLGER

JANIS BRENNER

DANNY BURACZESKI

CREACH/KOESTER

GISELA CREUS

TERESE FREEDMAN COLEMAN

JIM COLEMAN

FRED CURCHACK

SEAN CURRAN

DANIELLE DAVIDSON

KELLEY DONOVAN

DAVID DORFMAN/LISA RACE

HILLARY EASTON

CHRIS ELAM

DOUG ELKINS

BILL EVANS

MOLISSA FENLEY

CARL FLINK

OLASE FREEMAN

MARGIE GILLIS

ARTHUR HULL

JOSH HILBERMAN

RANDY JAMES

PETER KALIVAS

JEFF KAZAN

LESLIE KRAUS

JANICE LANCASTER

HEIDI LATSKY

NICHOLAS LEICHTER

FRED MANN

SAYER MANSFIELD

KATHRYN E. MCNAMARA

TIFFANY MILLS

MEREDITH MONK

CATHY NICOLI

DAVID PARKER

DEANNA PELLECCHIA

EMILY PLAUCHÉ

CLAIRE PORTER

NETA PULVERMARCHER

TROIKA RANCH

CHRISTINA JANE ROBSON

JENNY ROCHA

OTIS SALLID

GREG SCHANUEL

MARY SEIDMAN

DEGANIT SHEMY

HELEN SIMONEAU

BILLY SIEGENFELD

SYDNEY SKYBETTER

CHRIS LEWIS SMITH

KATHY GORDON SMITH

DANIEL STEIN

L’ANTOINETTE STINES

TAKEHIRO UEYAMA

MELODY RUFFIN WARD

KATE WEARE

ELLIS WOOD

RAPHAEL XAVIER

 

BRYN COHN

NETTA YERUSHALMY

JENNY ROCHA

BEBE MILLER

HOLLIS BARTLETT & NATALIE TROGDAN

CANDICE SALYERS

CHRISTOPHER-RASHEEM MCMILLAN

JOAN RODRIGUEZ

KATIE MOORHEAD

FRITHA PENGELLY

ANDY RUSS

ALYSSA GLANTZ

HEIDI HENDERSON

ASHLEY RICH

ARETHA AOKI

Past Residencies London

Click to Open

Jean Abreu

Jorge Cresis

Malgorzata Dzierson

TJ LOWE

KATIE LUSBY

ALEXANDER WHITLEY

RENAUD WISER

 

More about RWU’s Dance & Performance Program

• The Dance and Performance Studies Major and Minor
• Dance/Performance Web Pages
• RWU Dance Theatre Instagram

Contact

Professor of Dance and Performance Studies, Cathy Nicoli, cnicoli@rwu.edu