Deborah
Farris
Executive
Director
Deborah Farris has an eclectic background in both the performing arts and business administration. Prior to coming toDanceworks in 2002, Ms. Farris worked with Milwaukee Ballet as Director of Education and Outreach and was on the Milwaukee Ballet School Faculty. Before returning to Milwaukee in 1999, Ms. Farris was Assistant Director for Business and Finance of the North Carolina Botanical Garden at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C. from 1995-1999; Financial Manager (1992-1995); Assistant Financial Manager (1987-1992); where within her tenure revenues increased over 400%. She has served on the Department of Dance and Theatre faculties of Tulane University, University of NC at Chapel Hill and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she is also currently an adjunct faculty member. As an equity actress and dancer, she has performed extensively throughout the United States, appearing Off and Off-Off Broadway as well as in regional theatre and dance companies. Originally from Milwaukee, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Masters Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Amy Brinkman-Sustache
Studio Director
Artistic Director-Dancworks on Tap
As one of the founding members of Danceworks, Amy has a long history with the organization as a teacher, choreographer, and administrator and in 1998 she became the studio director for Danceworks. As a performer, Ms. Brinkman has an extensive background in both dance and musical theater and has the opportunity to perform throughout Europe, California, Florida and the Mid-West. Ms. Brinkman developed a dance curriculum for Pius XI High School Theatre Arts program where she taught and choreographed concert dance and musical theatre from 1992-2000. She currently serves on the Department of Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette University as well as on the Danceworks faculty. Ms Brinkman is the Artistic Director of Danceworks on Tap (DOT), Danceworks resident tap performance ensemble and is the state representative for the International Tap Association (ITA).
Janet Lew Carr
Community Programming, Director
Gallery Curator
As a community artist and art therapist, Janet is interested in developing holistic models of creative expression through inter-arts collaboration with artists, and facilitating the creative energies inherent in people of all ages. She works solo and collaboratively to design residencies, workshops, community events, and presentations for small groups as well as entire schools and organizations. Janet presents regularly at local, state, national and international forums. Personal and project artworks have been featured in gallery, museum, public and juried exhibits. Recent residencies include: A surround vision mural for the Gilda's Club of Milwaukee partnering with Arts@Large and MPS; and, as recipient of a Wisconsin Arts Board individual artist grant, she worked with the Betty Brinn Children’s permanent installation. Janet’s experience includes the creative arts, nursing, and social activism. She is a board certified and registered art therapist (ATR-BC) and registered nurse (RN), and has worked in clinical and community settings. She is active on the state and national levels of the American Art Therapy Association; a member of the WI Dept. of Regulation & Licensing Advisory Committee for Music, Art & Dance Therapies; director of the OCA-WI Hate Crimes Prevention Project; and, adjunct faculty and intern supervisor at Mount Mary College Art Therapy Graduate Department.
Dani
Kuepper
Artistic Director
Danceworks Performance Company
Dani is the Artistic Director of Danceworks Performance Company. She has choreographed 18 works for the company since she became a member in 1997. She has also created choreography for First Stage Children’s Theatre, Next Actors-a theatre training program for youth, North Shore Academy of the Arts, the University of Wisconsin-Washington County and the Monomoy Theatre in Chatham, Massachussetts. Dani also serves as Danceworks’ Community Liaison, working to integrate dance into the lives of community members of all ages through multi-arts and multi-generational residencies. She currently holds BFA and MFA degrees in dance performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she has been an adjunct faculty member since 1999.
Andrea-Hill
Johnson
Artistic Director, DPC-2
Branch Manager
Andrea Hill Johnson graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in 1996 with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts Degree in Dance and a Minor in Comparative Literature. She graduated with Academic Honors, as well as High Honors in Dance. Andrea joined Danceworks as an instructor in 1997 and as a founding member of Danceworks Performance Company. Andrea was the Outreach Coordinator (2000-2001) for Danceworks as well as Assistant Office Manager (1999-2001). She continues to instruct Danceworks' students at Studio 1661 as well as the Jewish Community Center. In August 2005 she was given the position of Branch Manager. Mrs. Hill Johnson oversees the classes and staff at our satellite locations: the Jewish Community Center and the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. Andrea's position as Branch Manager ensures the commitment from Danceworks to provide the same quality instruction and clear communication that our main studio offers. The Intensive Study Scholarship (ISS) and DPC2 (Pre-Professional Repertory and Internship Company) are under the direction of Mrs. Hill Johnson.
Liz
Hildebrandt
Associate Studio Director
Liz Hildebrandt, a Wisconsin native, is a graduate from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (BFA, Dance). A competitive gymnast for seven years, Liz turned to dancing when she arrived at UWM in 2001. Liz is coming up on her sixth year with Danceworks, Inc and is enthusiastic about taking on a new role as Associate Studio Director. Hildebrandt has had the pleasure of working with some of the Milwaukee’s greatest artists and is looking forward to continuing her work in the theatre as well as the community. She is joining the Danceworks Performance Company for her fourth consecutive season and couldn’t be happier to be back.
Melissa
Dineen
Business Manager
Melissa Dineen is currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, pursuing a degree in Organizational Administration. Melissa joined Danceworks’ staff three years ago and has served as Registrar and Database Manager. In addition to Danceworks,, she has been involved in a number of non-profit organizations in Milwaukee, including UWM Center for Volunteerism and Student Leadership and Habitat for Humanity at UWM where she has held a number of positions on the Executive Board, including Board President for the 20062007 Year.
Hannah Kostrzewa
Marketing/Development Manager
Hannah Kostrzewa graduated from the UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts Dance Program in 2003. While at UW-M, she studied under and performed in works by Marcia Parsons, Ed Burgess, Janet Lilly, Andre Tyson, Simone Ferro and guest artist Heidi Latsky. After graduating, Ms. Kostrzewa danced with the Pastiche Dance Ensemble Company in association with Milwaukee Rock Theatre in The Who’s Tommy and The Festival of Concept Albums, as well as projects with the Milwaukee Public Theatre. Ms. Kostrzewa joins DPC2 for her second season, serving as rehearsal director for one of the pieces set on the company, as well as dancer and choreographer. She is the Marketing and Development Associate for Danceworks, Inc., as well as a Ballroom teacher for the Danceworks Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap Program and Pre-Ballet teacher at the JCC.
Jan Kellogg
Production Manager
Jan Kellogg comes to Danceworks as its Production Manager after spending many season as Danceworks Performance Company’s Lighting Designer and Stage Manager. Her credits with DPC include Living Breathless, Classic Examples, Lucky Seven and ‘til Death Do Us Part, along with all three installments of the Wide Sky Dance Project. She is also the Stage Manager and Lighting Designer for the Danceworks Summer Series. Outside of Danceworks, Jan has stage managed and designed the lights for various theatre and dance companies. Credits include Place and Occasion, Various States of Undress, Dancing Aloud, and Hand to Mouth (Angels Feed Me) at Wild Space Dance Company. She designed the lights for Joe Egg at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Topdog/Underdog and the Red Pepper Jelly series at Renaissance Theaterworks, and The Zoo Story, Far Away and Bash at Bialystock and Bloom. Other credits include Foothold Dance/Performance, Your Mother Dances, Catey Ott Dance Collective, Theatre X, Carroll College, the UWM Dance Department, Wausau Dance Theatre and work with independent artists Sofi Askenazi, Janet Lilly and Katie Sopoci. Jan received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Marquette University.
Sarah Hernandez
Mad Hot Ballroom Project Manager
Ms. Hernandez background in dance assumes many styles. Her focus on ballroom took shape in 1999, where after studying at a local studio was quickly invited into their faculty. She joined the Mad Hot Ballroom program in their first season teaching five schools. Being passionate for what the program stood for she was invited into the studio on an administrative level. As an extension of the program she began teaching ballroom classes at the studio for both children and adults. Ms. Hernandez attended college towards her Business Administration degree. She will continue to teach through the programs she is currently involved with along with running the Danceworks Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap Program as the new Project Manager.
Rachel Payden
Registrar
Rachel works as an administrative assistant in the Danceworks office and is also a member of the studio, summer camp, and Mad Hot Ballroom teaching faculty. She graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2006 where she received a BA degree in Theater Arts and a minor in Dance. A highlight for Rachel during her time there was working with and performing work by choreographer David Dorfman of the New York city based David Dorfman Dance company. Since she returned to Milwaukee, Rachel was a founding member of Danceworks Performance Company 2 and is also a member of Danceworks's resident tap company, Danceworks On Tap.
Shira Fagan
Administrative Assistant
Shira Fagan (teacher and office assistant) graduated with a BA in English from Grinnell College and is currently working on her Masters degree in dance from UWM. Shira teaches at the Danceworks Studio on Water St., and at the JCC, a Danceworks satellite location. Shira is also part of Danceworks outreach faculty as well as the Mad Hot Ballroom program. Shira has been teaching dance for over 8 years, specializing in ballet, tap and jazz.
Jules LaRosa
Box Office Manager
Julianna LaRosa is excited to join the Danceworks Box Office Management Team! She recently graduated with High Honors with her Bachelor’s degree in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Julianna is currently pursuing her 2nd degree at UWM with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She has been involved in several arts organizations such as the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and ComedySportz. As Julianna is preparing for a career in the arts, she is thrilled to be apart of one of her favorite dance studios in town!
Sarah Wallisch
Administrative Assistant
Keith
Knox
Videographer
A
Milwaukee native, Keith holds a B.A. from Oberlin College in English with concentration
on media and mythic narrative. He studied Tai Chi Chuan and Asian healing arts
with Marshall Ho'o at the Aspen Academy of Martial Arts from 1975 to 1978. He
worked in the
fields oftransportation and IT from 1972 to 1995. He began his ballet training
in 1993 under Juanita Makaroff in Appleton, WI. From 1994 to 1996 he was granted
an internship with Amy Reusch, one of America's foremost dance videographers,
in Milwaukee, Chicago, and New York. He has written dance criticism for the
Shepherd Express, Dance Magazine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and other
publications. His website Pavlova's Dog documents his life in the dance, and
his romantic poetry is collected under the title Diamonds so Deep. Keith has
performed with the Fox Valley Children's Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Danceworks
Ballet Performance Workshop, and Milwaukee's City Ballet Theater. He has shot
video for those companies, the Doris Humphrey School in Oak Park, the UWM Dance
Department, the Florentine and Skylight Operas, and many other theatrical organizations.
He is a licensed ship's captain and spends his summers cruising and racing sailboats
on the Great Lakes.