EDUCATION & OUTREACH FOR YOUTH
INSTRUCTORS
KASANDRA GRUENER, MA
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & OUTREACH
Specialty - Creative Movement; Modern Dance; Challenged Children; Teacher Training; Contemplative Education
Oregon native Kasandra Gruener has a BA in Dance from Mills College and an MA in Contemplative Education from Naropa University. She was a member of San Francisco based Margaret Jenkins Dance Co., and founded her own company, Henry Harris Green. In her 35+ years as a teaching artist, she has conducted master classes, workshops, and daily technique classes in dance studios, NEA-funded Artist-in-Schools programs in the Midwest, private and public K-12 schools, colleges, community centers, hospitals, group homes, and child care centers. A specialist in teaching at-risk youth, Kasandra earned the 2007 and 2009 Young Audiences' Sunburst Award for commitment to arts education. In 2009, Kasandra was a guest professor at Portland State University in the theatre department's dance minor program. She presently serves on the Community Arts Team, a committee of arts and education leaders working to assist Portland’s Regional Arts and Culture Council (a 2010 Kennedy Center Partner in Education) in its efforts to expand arts education and professional development in our schools.
JESSE BERDINE
Specialty - Rhythmic/Folkloric Traditions; Percussion; Modern Dance
Jesse Berdine has been educating children and adults for over seven years
beginning as a workshop instructor for Miracle Theatre. He has extensive
knowledge of Caribbean folklore and popular dance, rhythm and song. His
training in these forms comes through his extensive studies in Jamaica,
Trinidad, Cuba, Brazil, and most recently Puerto Rico. Jesse has taught
percussion and dance in a variety of venues including the Portland Public
Schools, Portland State University, Oregon Ballet Theatre Outreach Programs, Conduit, Buckman School and Central Lutheran Church Outreach. He was a member
of Dance Gatherer from 1995 to 2002, directed by choreographer Keith V. Goodman, and
works closely with Mr. Goodman on a variety of educational and artistic endeavors. He has worked with Oslund and Company/Dance, Carla Mann, Daniel Addy/Aviator, and currently dances with Tere Mathern Dance. Jesse joined OBT in 2001.
TRACY BROYLES
Contemporary Dance; Choreography
Tracy Broyles is a dance artist who has lived in the Northwest for a
decade, and is the founder and co-director of Theory 1: Dance. Tracy is a
recipient of the 2006 Lilla Jewel Award and was selected to be one of
10 Northwest artists to participate in the National Dance Project's
DanceLab. She attended a residency at Caldera Arts in January of 2007
and her most recent work, "Cocoon Bird," was partially funded by
Regional Arts and Culture Council. In Portland Theory 1:Dance has
self produced several evening length pieces, in addition to being
presented by Conduit, Performance Works Northwest, Aviator Aerial
Dance, 10 Tiny Dances among others. As a movement teacher she has
taught at Conduit, Center for Movement Arts, Lewis and Clark College as well as the outreach program at Oregon Ballet Theatre. Tracy's performance credits include Monstersquad, Aviator, Mike Barber and Jae Diego. Tracy joined OBT in 2007.
HANNAH DOWNS
Ballet; Creative Movement; Early Childhood Education
Hannah began her formal dance training at
Colorado West Ballet in Grand Junction, CO and
continued her training at Ballet West Conservatory in
Salt Lake City, UT. She obtained her B.A. in dance
from the University of Oregon and has performed
professionally with Ballet West, Aspen Ballet Company,
Dance Theatre of Oregon, and Traduza Dance
Company. Hannah began teaching dance in 2000, and has
worked extensively with children 3 through teen in
private studios, community centers, child development
centers, pre-schools, and public schools. She joined OBT as an Outreach Teacher in 2006.
BOBBY FOUTHER
Specialty - West African Dance; Afro-Brazilian Dance; Dances of the 60’s/Civil Rights Movement; Percussion; Africa to America Dance Workshop
Bobby Fouther's career in the Northwest spans over forty years of artistic expression. Of primary focus is his lifelong goal of bringing communities together via the arts. Bobby has a proven track record of creating and implementing dance projects for young people. Having filled the rolls of producer, director, performer, designer, exhibitor and teacher, his work has influenced thousands of students, peers and audiences in communities throughout the United States. For many years, Bobby has also served as a Portland Public Schools dance instructor and as an artist-in-education in statewide artist residency programs sponsored by the Oregon, Washington and Idaho Arts Commissions and the National Endowment for the Arts. He has been a member of the OBT Outreach staff since 1995.
JOE JANIGA
Percussionist; Composer; Performer
Joe Janiga has worked as a percussionist, composer, accompanist and band leader since 1988. He has recorded, composed and arranged music for film, dance, theater, and various musical projects. Joe scored music for the 2009 Oscar Nominated film "The Final Inch" directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky. He has worked with Academy Award winner Joan Gratz on "The Dowaggers Feast" and on the critically acclaimed animator Chel White's film "Magda".
Mr. Janiga has played and recorded on drumset and acoustic/electronic percussion over the years in many musical genres. He co-leads KLEZMOCRACY, a unique fusion of jazz/latin/klezmer and rock music and VONIGA an electro/acoustic duo. VONIGA exists as a music/production house and a performing project that plays "Music to Live Your Life By."
Joe has played and recorded for 3 LEG TORSO, MCKINLEY and BOSSANOUVEAU. He was a musical director for LIVE WIRE radio and continues to play on the monthly radio show. Since 2000 Joe has played with DOJUMP THEATER, a vaudevillian acrobatic troupe that has performed all over the United States, including a run at the New Victory Theater (Broadway, N.Y.), at the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.) and at the Geffen Theater (Westwood, L.A.).
CHANDA WALKER HALL
Specialty - Ballet; Creative Movement; Music and Rhythm
Chanda Walker Hall has a varied background in the performing arts. Since receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Gustavus Adolphus College (MN), she has been a composer, performer, and teacher. She enjoys finding connections between music, theatre, and dance, using all three in her work with children and youth. Chanda has worked with City Center's "Young People's Dance Series" in Manhattan, Northwest Children's Theatre, Oregon Children's Theatre, and as an arts specialist in public and private schools. She is the founder of the award-winning Musical Theatre Intensive series for high school students in Oregon. Chanda joined OBT in 2001.
