Dance in the Parks

Katie McCann. Photo by August Tye

DIRECTOR 

Katie McCann, a graduate of Butler University, performed soloist and principal roles with the university performance company including Myrtha in Giselle and Odile in Swan Lake.  She also performed in original contemporary ballet and modern-dance works by choreographers Donald Byrd and former Martha Graham company member Larry White. After graduation, Kathleen danced with Kentucky Ballet Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky for three years.  She performed soloist roles in Paquita, Dracula, The Nutcracker, and various short repertory pieces.  Now in Chicago, she performs occasionally and teaches student and professional-level ballet classes throughout the area. She founded Dance in the Parks in 2009 as a way to bring dance to new audiences throughout the city.

Brent Caburnay

BRENT CABURNAY

Brent Caburnay, from Chicago Illinois, began dancing at Rolling Meadows High School. At 16, Mr. Caburnay was a First Place recipient of the National Arts and Letters Modern Dance Competition and was a full scholarship student at Gus Giordano Dance Center. He accepted full scholarships to train with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and the Boston Ballet. Whilst enrolled in the University of Michigan Dance Department, Mr. Caburnay was a principal dancer with the Ann Arbor Ballet Theatre and a soloist with the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble in addition to performing principal roles in works by legendary artists Paul Taylor and Donald MacKayle. He was an honored graduate from the University where he received numerous awards including Outstanding Student of the Year by the Dean of Students. Upon graduation, Mr. Caburnay danced with the Joffrey Ballet, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and was a principle dancer with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He was chosen to perform for 10 consecutive years in the Dance For Life finale choreographed by Randy Duncan. Mr. Caburnay has been both a performer and choreographer for Dance Chicago and with the Dutch National Ballet. On other creative fronts, Mr. Caburnay has been a costume designer for Gus Giordano 2, Hubbard Street 2, Eddy Ocampo's Black Box Dance, and Forum Jazz Dance Theatre. As the current Ballet Master for Forum Jazz Dance and Ballet Instructor for Talent Forum, Mr. Caburnay's works have been seen throughout the United States and Europe where he has received numerous awards including the Dance Chicago "New Voices" award.

AUTUMN ECKMAN

A former dancer with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Luna Negra, State Street Ballet, and Lucky Plush, Ms. Eckman has choreographed for several Chicago areacompanies including Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Inaside Chicago Dance, Momenta, Instruments of Movement, Northwest Ballet Ensemble, Terpsichore Dance Company, Indiana Ballet Theater, and Schaumburg Dance Ensemble, where she also dances regularly as a guest artist. Other works include pieces for Hubbard Street’s “Inside/Out”, Duets For My Valentine, Dance Chance Redux, and State Street Evenings. Several of her works have been selected for the Regional Dance America Festival in both the emerging artist and professional divisions. Recently, she received the 2009 Dance Chicago’s Outstanding Choreography Award (New Voice) for new works including her piece” Yes, and…” created for Western Michigan University’s Western Dance Project.  Autumn recently received warm reviews for her premiere of “commonthread” on Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago featuring an original score composed by husband, Dan Myers. This is Ms. Eckman's third season working with Dance in the Parks!

Autumn Eckman. Photo by Benjamin Wardell

Peff Modelski

PEFF MODELSKI

Mme Modelski is currently a ballet teacher at Visceral Dance Center and a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. A renowned teacher for over 25 years at STEPS in New York City, Mme Modelski has taught and coached professional classical ballet and Broadway principal dancers, as well as pre-professional figure skaters and gymnasts. She is a theatrical movement consultant for singers, actors, and musicians, and conducts workshops for injury prevention and recovery for dancers, athletes, performing artists, and teachers. Her performing career spanned the breadth of the dance spectrum from classical ballet with American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, to the original Broadway cast of Fiddler on the Roof, and Novantiqua Renaissance Company. Dance in the Parks is so grateful for her help in coaching Cupid from Don Quixote.

RACHEL PREMO

Rachel Premo. Photo by Mary Premo

Santo Scavuzzo. Photo by Bill Frederking

SANTO SCAVUZZO

Santo Scavuzzo III, from Western Springs, IL., holds an MFA in Dance Performance from the University of Iowa and a BS in Dance Performance and French from Illinois State University. Since beginning dance at age eighteen, he has had the honor of performing in works by such renowned choreographers as Lucas Crandall, Louis Falco, Joe Goode, Jon Lehrer, and Paul Taylor. Scavuzzo has had the privilege of setting works on the companies of Niles North HS, Lyons Township HS, Illinois State University, and Dance In The Parks. Currently, he dances for Same Planet Different World of Chicago and continues to teach and choreograph throughout the area. This is Scavuzzo’s third year with Dance In The Parks and he is grateful for the opportunity to work with such talented dancers!

WADE SCHAAF

Wade Schaaf hails from the Chicago area and graduated Cum Laude from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater arts (emphasis dance performance). During his professional career, Wade has danced for such companies as the Ohio Ballet, State Street Ballet Santa Barbara, The Omaha Theater Ballet, Thodos Dance Chicago, and River North Chicago Dance Company. He has worked with choreographers Septime Weber, Stephen Mills, Kennet Oberly, Bill Soleau, Frank Chaves, Laurie Stallings, Ron DeJesus, and the Tony Award-winning choreographer Ann Reinking. Wade has been privileged to dance such roles as Tybalt in Robin Welche's Romeo and Juliet, Snow Pas de Deux in Welche's The Nutcracker, Jonathan in Oberly's Dracula, and most recently danced the role of Mayor Carter Harrison which was created on him in the 2011 Thodos/Reinking collaboration The White City. He has set his own work on the Omaha Theater Ballet, Groundwork Dance Company, and Thodos Dance Chicago. Currently, Wade has two pieces of choreography in the Thodos Dance Chicago’s repertoire. Wade is a certified Pilates instructor and teaches extensively throughout Chicago in most disciplines of dance. This is Wade’s first season working with Dance in the Parks.

Wade Schaaf. Photo by Cheryl Mann

RONN STEWART

An award-winning choreographer and teacher, Ronn Stewart is known for the high standards of excellence which he honed at the Moving People Dance contemporary dance company and dance centre in Santa Fe, New Mexico which he founded and ran for ten years. A strong believer in the power of dance to move people forward in their lives, Ronn is passionate about making dance more accessible to people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities.

Ronn is also the creator of “More People Dancing,” or MoPeD – his signature dance technique and approach to movement and body awareness that combines dance improvisation, imagery, and experiential anatomy.

Excited to be back in the Windy City and teaching for the Joffrey Ballet Academy, Ronn brings a fresh approach to the Chicago dance scene, fusing his love of jazz with technical mastery to create a distinct brand of dance that leaves dancers and audiences energized and asking for more. www.ronnstewart.com

MARY TISA 

Mary Tisa received her BA in English and Dance from The George Washington University.  While at university, she received the Presidential Arts Scholarship in Dance and the Nancy Diers Johnston Award for Outstanding Choreography, danced with Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Co. as a Performing Apprentice, and performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Since coming to Chicago, she has been a company member of Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Corpo Dance Company, and Chicago Dance Crash, and was a performing apprentice with Inaside Chicago Dance.  She has choreographed works on Core Project as well as various student dance companies around Chicagoland.  In 2010, her choreography was chosen at the Inaside Choreographic Sponsorship Evening to be presented at their spring concert, and was selected as a contender in The A.W.A.R.D. Show 2010: Chicago. In 2011, her choreography was chosen to be a part of Going Dutch, a festival celebrating female contemporary choreographers. This is Ms. Tisa’s second year choreographing for Dance in the Parks.

Mary Tisa. Photo by Renee Gooch.

Nebi Berhane. Photo by Brannon Chase

NEBI BERHANE

Nebi Berhane originally hails from Concord, MA. He began his training in Atlanta, GA and continued his studies by attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX and University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Professionally, he has had the pleasure of working with Dance Theater of Harlem, Ballet West, and Chicago’s Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater to name a few. Nebi recently moved back to Chicago via the dirtiest of dirty (Atlanta, GA) and looks forward to sharing with and learning from this great city. This is his first summer with Dance in the Parks, and he would like to thank Katie for the opportunity. He thanks his friends and family for their support. 

Katy Fredrick

KATY FREDRICK

Katy is originally from Memphis, TN where she trained and started her professional career at Ballet Memphis under the direction of Janet Parke and Karl Condon. While at Ballet Memphis, she performed Mark Godden's What Can I Tell My Bones, Joseph Jeffries' Cinderella, Momentum, and Karl Condon's The Nutcracker. She also danced one season with Nashville Ballet. Since moving to Chicago, she has danced with Paul Abrahamson's Chicago Ballet, as a guest artist in Larry Long's The Nutcracker, and in several performances with Chicago Freelance Dance.  Currently, she is a company member of Madison Ballet in Madison, Wisconsin and Elements Contemporary Dance here in Chicago. This is her third season dancing with Dance in the Parks!

KATE GODDARD

Kate received the majority of her early training at the Academy of Russian Ballet under the direction of Elizabeth Shipiatsky in her hometown of Denver, Colorado. Before attending college, she was a trainee with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. She received a scholarship to attend Point Park University where she graduated Magna cum Laude with a B.A. in Dance. She has been a part of Thodos' New Dances in Chicago and the Staycee Pearl Dance Project in Pittsburgh, PA. Currently, Kate is a member of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago's second company. This is her first season with Dance in the Parks.

Kate Goddard

Monica Patzer

MONICA PATZER 

Monica Patzer recently graduated from Northern Illinois University with her BFA Degree. Her previous performances at Northern Illinois University include The Nutcracker,Carmina Burana, Le Histoir du Soldat, and Le Corsair. She danced with Dansz Loop Chicago in The Escapes, and participated in the Lar Lubovich Summer program in 2010. She is studying on scholarship at Lou Conte Dance Studio this summer. This is Monica’s first season dancing with Dance in the Parks.

PETER VANDIVIER

Peter Vandivier is a freelance performer and dance teacher in the Chicago area. Originally from Pittsburgh, he began studying with Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. After achieving his BFA from Point Park University, he worked with Southwest Pennsylvania companies including Pillow Project, Attack Theater, Pittsburgh Opera, and Staycee Pearl Dance Project. Since moving to Chicago, he has had the pleasure of working with Thodos' New Dances, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, and the Drury Lane Theater in Oakbrook. This is his first season with Dance in the Parks.

Peter Vandivier

Miodrag Guberinic

Miodrag is proud to be working with Dance in the Parks this season! Recently graduated from Northwestern University with an MFA in Costume Design, Miodrag received his BFA from the University of Applied Arts in Belgrade, Serbia in 2005. His most recent works include Where we were born with Brad Akin and Animals Out of Paper with Jaclynn Jutting at the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre this spring. His Northwestern University design credits include Spinning Into Butter with director Derrick Sanders, Tartuffe with Sean Graney, Lie of the Mind with Brad Akin, In Trousers with Jess McLeod, and The Mass with Dominic Missimi. Miodrag’s USA debut costume design was The Seagull at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN in 2008.

This year, his work was displayed at the USITT Young Designer's Forum, and he received the Award for Best Graduating Designer Exhibition at the Goodman Theatre, and the Norrenbroock Design Award from Northwesterrn University. Miodrag’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including Northwestern University’s MFA Showcase in Chicago, a personal work exhibition on Photoshop sketching at Franklin College, USA, Prague Quadrennial exhibition in the Czech Republic, and more than twenty group exhibitions in Serbia. He is currently working on the new play Ghost Girl that will premier off-Broadway at WorkShop Theater Company in New York.