Top Row: Justin Andrews, Lorelei Li Chang and John Montalvo.
Bottom Row: Katie Stevinson-Nollet,Leslie Frye, Amanda Moone, Heather Lombardo, Samantha Silvers and Tiana Mancuso.
The Company
Top Row: Justin Andrews, Lorelei Li Chang and John Montalvo.
Bottom Row: Katie Stevinson-Nollet,Leslie Frye, Amanda Moone, Heather Lombardo,
Samantha Silvers and Tiana Mancuso.
Justin Andrews is a Senior dance major at the University of Hartford. Before coming to Hartford he trained at the Las Vegas Academy in Nevada. While in Connecticut he has performed with the Connecticut Opera in their performance of Aida, the New London Nutcracker with Eastern Connecticut Ballet, and The Snow Queen, with Alla Nikitina. Spring 2005 he performed the title role in the Hartt School’s production of Romeo and Juliet
Lorelei Li Chang began dance training at the age of 3 in classical ballet and Chinese folk dance in Beijing, China. She attended various dance institutions and was one of the original members of the Guang Dong Dance Company, the first modern dance company in China under the direction of Yang meiQi and ADF (American Dance Festival). During her years of training she was fortunate to have worked and studied under the tutelages of Luo Binyu, Sarah Stackhouse, Willy cao, Lucas Hoving, Ruby Shang, Douglas Neilson and many other renowned international artists. Her choreography was presented at the Beijing International Dance Festival in 1990, American Dance Festival in USA in 1991, the International Dance Festival in Hong Kong and in India. After moving to the U.S. in 1993, she danced at Moving Forward, an Asian/American dance company in Washington, D.C., the Center Dance Company in Arlington, Virginia, and the Center Dance Ensemble In Arizona when she and her family moved there in 1998. Besides instructing she also performed as principal dancer for the aforementioned companies. Lorelei is currently an adjunct faculty member at The University of Hartford and The Hartt School of Performing Arts, Theater and Dance at the Trinity College, and at the Connecticut Concert Ballet. She also teaches Pilates and Yoga at Manchester Community College and South Windsor Senior Center. Recently, she has worked with two great local artists and formed this newborn dance group called “Dance Connect” and collaborate the concert which performed at Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford, Ct. in April, 07. She is very excited to start her new journey as a choreographer/co-director. She would like to thank Katie for being her mentor and believing in her ability and giving her many opportunities to prove that. Last but not least, her deepest appreciation and thanks go to her family for their continuous love and support; especially her dearest daughter, Cathryn, who is absolutely her biggest fan.
Heather Lombardo is from Hamilton, New Jersey, where she began her dance training. Heather has studied at the Hamilton Ballet Theater, under the direction of Julie Caprio and also at the Simone Dance Studio with Madge Alessi, Deana Frascella and Lois Enorato. She has danced feature roles in Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Godspell, Grease, Hello Dolly and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Currently, Heather is a dance-performance major at the University of Hartford.
Amanda Moone is currently a Senior in the Hartt School’s BFA program with an emphasis in performance. She began her training in New Hampshire at Bedford Dance Center under the direction of Karen Pariseau, where she later became a ballet, modern, and jazz instructor. She attended Burklyn Ballet Theatre's summer programs where she studied with instructors such as Angela Whitehill, David Howard, Thom Clower, Rob Royce, Patty Jones, Arthur Leath, and Julia Gleich. She was awarded Joyce King’s, of Steps on Broadway, Follow Your Dreams Scholarship twice. She has had the opportunity to perform in many of Ms. King’s works throughout New Hampshire as well as in a Steps on Broadway Lab Performance Series. She has attended classes at Broadway Dance Center & Steps on Broadway in New York City where she studied with Frank Hatchett, Michelle Assaf, Chio, Jeff Amsden, Pam Chancey, and LA based teacher Celia Marta.
Samantha Silvers was born and raised in New York, where she has studied at Ballet Academy East with faculty such as Darla Hoover, Peter Frame, Francis Patrelle and Jonathan Riesling. Samantha continued her training at Talent Unlimited High School where she studied ballet and modern dance. Samantha is currently a Senior at the University of Hartford BFA program, where she has performed in works by Katie Stevinson-Nollet, Alla Nikitina, and Jean Grande Maitre. In addition, she has attended both the Paul Taylor Dance Company and Amy Marshall Dance Company’s summer intensive programs for two years. This is Samantha’s first season with Full Force and she is very grateful for this wonderful opportunity. She would also like to thank her family and friends for their infinite love and support.
Guest Artists
Robert Black's interests range from traditional orchestral and chamber music to solo recitals, collaborations with actors, music with computers and MIDI, movement-based improvisations with dancers, and live action-painting performances with artists. He has commissioned, collaborated or performed with a diverse number of musicians from John Cage to D.J. Spooky; Elliot Carter to Meredith Monk; Cecil Taylor to young emerging composers. Robert's recital activities frequently take him to 5 Continents. In addition, Robert performs with the Bang On A Can All Stars (New York City's hard hitting new music ensemble), Basso Bongo (an electronic duo, with percussionist Amy Knoles) and with The School of Hard Knocks (a post-modern dance company). He has collaborated with theater companies, (most recently with Kathryn Walker and the Music Theater Group Music Theater), made music for films by Rudy Burckhardt and performs action-painting improvisations with the Brazilian painter, Ige D'Aquino. He annually appears at chamber music festivals such as Monadnock Music Festival and the Moab Music Festival. He also maintains a full teaching schedule at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford (Hartford, CT) and the Festival Eleazar Carvalho (Fortaleza, Brazil). A recipient of numerous grants, he received a 1998 Bessie Award for his collaborative work with The School of Hard Knocks in NYC. His solo CDs are State of the Bass (O.O. Discs) and The Complete Bass Music of Christian Wolff (Mode Records). Currently, he is working on a recording of the complete bass music of Giacinto Scelsi for Mode Records. Robert has also recorded for Sony Classical, Point/Polygram, Koch International, CRI, Neuma Records, Gasparo, Opus One, Artifact Recordings, and Folkways Records. Additionally, Robert serves on the Board of the International Society of Bassists.
Lisa Race has spent her career as a performer, teacher and choreographer in New York, though has recently shifted her home to Connecticut. While in New York, as director of Race Dance, her work has been featured at such venues as Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, First Night New York, Movement Research at the Judson Church, The Kitchen/Dance-in-Progress and the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, along with venues in Vermont, Iowa, Maine, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Argentina. Since moving to Connecticut she has been working independently, choreographing on students at Connecticut College and Wesleyan University. As a member of David Dorfman Dance from 1989-2000, Race was honored in 1995 with a New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) for her dancing. She and her husband, David Dorfman, created a new duet this year, performed during the company’s run at the Joyce Theater in June. She has an ongoing passion for dancing on feet and hands and all the parts in between. Born in New Jersey, she grew up tapping under the tutelage of Fred Kelly (Gene’s brother), then competed in gymnastics and skiing before returning to dance. She received a BA in Dance from Cook College at Rutgers University. She has participated in Rutgers in New York, and is a member of the Mason Gross School of the Arts Leadership Council. Race has been involved in teaching and choreographing residencies at many universities around the country. Professional companies Aaben Dans in Copenhagen, D9 in Seattle, Labco in Pittsburgh and Atrek in St. Louis have also commissioned her work. In 2003 she was in residence with Force 5 in Derby, England. Race is on faculty at Trinity College/Performing Arts at La Mama in New York. During the spring of 2005, she taught at Wesleyan University and Connecticut College, and continues to teach at the latter. She has taught at ImpulseTanz in Vienna, Festival de Danza in Rosario, Argentina, Tanzwerkstatt in Berlin, Kuopio Dance Festival in Finland and the Kalamata Festival in Greece, along with workshops in London, Copenhagen, Tinos, Greece, Stockholm and Hong Kong. She has also taught numerous times at both the American Dance Festival and Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, Maine. In New York, Race has given classes at Movement Research and Dance Space Center. She is presently giving classes at Dance New Amsterdam (formerly Dance Space Center).