Lisa Nikssarian has been dancing since
Abigail Raasch is currently working on a B.S. in Dance with a minor in musical theater. She is looking forward to performing in DancersDrummersDreamers this semester with the Lionel Hampton School of Music. She has trained with Ballet Magnificat!, Festival Dance Academy and Performing Arts, Eugene Ballet Company and Idaho Dance Education Organization and will be participating at the American Dance Festival this spring. She is looking forward to a future in performing and choreographing for musical theater and has already gotten a glimpse of that while teaching jazz at Festival Dance Academy and choreographing for multiple Troy Arts Council Performances. Lauren Smith is a dancer, teacher and choreographer. She is completing her B.S. in Dance and a B.S. in Exercise Science and Health. She has taught ballet, jazz and modern courses for UI and ballet for Festival Dance Academy. She has danced professionally with Long Beach Ballet and has performed all throughout China and across the United States. Her choreographic work has been showcased at UI, American College Dance Association, the National Water Dance and throughout the Pacific Northwest on tour. She is a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science where she presented her research in dance biomechanics in 2015.
Celadon Wood is a second-generation
Oriental Raqs Sharqy dancer. She has been performing, choreographing and teaching in Los Angeles for the past five years after graduating from UI’s Dance Program in 2010. She has worked with many legendary bellydancers while in Los Angeles. In addition to bellydance, Celadon performs and teaches many dance styles, including modern/contemporary, jazz, hip hop and Bollywood. As a teacher and choreographer, she patiently instructs and motivates dancers of all ages, levels and styles. On stage since the age of two, Celadon is known for her innovative choreography and musicality. Her dynamic stage presence captivates audiences with her enthusiasm, adventurous spirit and warmth that can be felt both on stage and off.
Swing Devils of the Palouse are a group of swing dance
enthusiasts who bring the music, culture and history of swing to the Palouse. They celebrate the invention of swing music by planning and organizing vintage swing dance events. Established in 1997, the Swing Devils promote jazz dance and jazz music by hosting dances, teaching lessons and supporting jazz musicians. SWING: it’s fun, it’s social, it’s art and it’s amazing! This merry band of social dancers welcomes those with two left feet as they have extra right ones to spare.
University of Idaho Ballroom Dance Team is
a formation team focused on promoting dance in the Palouse region and performing ballroom dance in shows and competitions. The team welcomes dancers of all skill and experience levels. In addition, the team also teach lessons and holds social dances throughout the semester where anyone can come, learn and have fun dancing. Our 2017 teachers are Josh Bianco, Brendan Souvenir and Alicia Hodnik.
50th Annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival
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WORKSHOPS
she was young. She started out at a small dance studio in Castro Valley, California, learning all types of dance styles. She focused her learning on tap, jazz, ballet and hip hop, and competed in and won many national dance competitions. In her high school and early college years, she had the opportunity to teach at her home studio. After performing for over a year at Las Positas College, she has continued pursuing her dancing career as a dance major at the University of Idaho and hopes to continue teaching, choreographing and performing.