This page contains professional bios and contact information for Dance Program faculty and staff.
You can also find Theatre Program Faculty.
From off campus, dial 484-664- plus the four-digit extension. If no number is listed, please call the main Theatre & Dance number, 484-664-3335.
Dance Faculty
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Karen Dearborn, Dance Program Chair Professor, Ballet, Composition, and Dance History; Karen Dearborn is the founder and Director of Dance for Muhlenberg College. She has choreographed more than 80 works in concert dance, theatre, and musical theatre, including National Tours of the Tony Award-winning National Theatre of the Deaf and Equity theatre companies. As a dancer, she performed professionally for 12 years in concert dance and musical theatre productions. Her research interests include performance studies, disability studies, and dance pedagogy, and her writing has been published in the Journal of Dance Education and the book Performing Magic on the Western Stage. She has presented papers at numerous conferences including National Dance Educators Organization (NDEO), Congress on Research in Dance, and the National Dance Association. Currently she is Treasurer of the American College Dance Association (ACDA), a member of CORPS de Ballet International, NDEO, Society of Dance History Scholars and AEA. Distinguished teaching awards include the Limback and the Spira. she/her/hers | [email protected] | x3335 |
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Heidi Cruz-Austin, Director of Dance Recruitment Assistant Professor: Ballet and Dance Education; Heidi Cruz-Austin has studied at the School of American Ballet and The Pennsylvania Ballet, where she received an apprenticeship in 1994 and joined the Company as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 1995. She has danced numerous featured roles for various choreographers, including Val Caniparoli, Ben Stevenson, Alvin Ailey, Margo Sappington, Christopher d'Amboise, and Matthew Neenan. She has also had featured roles in many George Balanchine ballets. Heidi has also danced with the Philadelphia-based company Ballet X and has performed as a guest artist through the United States and Europe. As a choreographer, she was a winner in the 2003 Ballet Builders showcase in New York City and has been commissioned to create works for Muhlenberg College, Franklin and Marshall College, Bryn Mawr College, and Repertory Dance Theatre. She was a recipient of the 2004-2005 New Edge Residency at the Community Education Center of Philadelphia and a 2008 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. She is currently a Co-Director of a Trenton-based Contemporary Ballet company called, DanceSpora, which is the resident dance company of the Passage Theater Company in Trenton, NJ. In addition to our local performances, DanceSpora has been invited to perform at many prestigious festivals and events including; Jacob's Pillow Festival in Massachusetts, NYC10 Festival, Koresh "Come Together" Festival in Philadelphia, The Outlet Dance Festival at the Grounds For Sculpture, and the Independence Seaport Museum's Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River exhibit opening. she/her/hers | [email protected] | x4366 |
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Visiting Assistant Professor: Modern, Dance Histories Elizabeth June Bergman is a dancer, scholar, and educator currently based in Philadelphia. She holds a Ph.D. in Dance Studies from Temple University (2019) and is teacher-certified at the 500-hour level in hatha yoga. Elizabeth has taught various movement and dance studies courses at The University of Iowa, Temple University, and Bryn Mawr College. Her body of creative work includes improvisational performance, screendance/video dance, and scholarship on popular and commercial dance. As a freelance dancer, she has worked with many choreographers including Joanna Rosenthal-Reed, Rosy Simas, April Sellers, Amy Lynne Barr, Analia Alegre-Weber, Lynn Bowman, Emily Gastineau, Nichol Mason-Lazenby, Christina Eltvedt, and Megan Flynn. She currently serves as Chair of Pop Moves Americas, a node of the international research group for popular dance and performance. elizabethjunebergman.com. she/her/hers | [email protected] | x4066 |
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Adjunct Professor: Jazz and Ballet Pattie Bostick has had 10 years of professional dance experience in shows throughout the United States, Europe, China, Japan, and the Caribbean. She is a certified teacher who has taught for Dance Educators of America and Dance Olympus. She also choreographs shows and special events for Confetti Entertainment. Pattie is a member of the dance faculty at both Muhlenberg College and Cedar Crest College. She is also the co-owner of a private studio, The Patricia Bostick Dance Center. she/her/hers | [email protected] |
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Adjunct Professor: Tap Rebekkah Brown is a 1999 graduate of Muhlenberg's Theatre & Dance Department. Here, she performed in and choreographed for several Department theatre productions and Summer Music Theatre shows, including Brigadoon, Anything Goes, 42nd Street, Summer Share, Oklahoma, and Cabaret. She also performed in department dance concerts and danced as a member of the Jazz Tap Ensemble. By day, Rebekkah serves as Muhlenberg's Vice President for Advancement, a position she has held since 2011. she/her/hers | [email protected] |
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Adjunct Professor: Modern and Ballet Lisa Busfield is an educator, dancer, and choreographer. As a dancer, she has performed works by: Liz Monnier, Jennifer Weaver, and Elizabeth Mikautadze. Lisa's choreography has been presented at the Indiana Dance Festival, the New American Youth Ballet Conservatory, and IPFW's Purely Dance Concerts, among others. She has also served on faculty at various institutions, charter schools, and studios over the last 15 years including: Indiana University – Purdue University, Fort Wayne; Huntington University; and the University of Saint Francis. Lisa is a graduate of Muhlenberg College's dance program and received her Ed.M. in dance education from Temple University. she/her/hers | [email protected] |
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Visiting Assistant Professor: Jazz Annielille “Anito” Gavino, affectionately known as Anito (meaning "Spirit" in Tagalog), is a Filipinx movement artist, choreographer, educator, writer, cultural worker, and multidisciplinary storyteller native to the island of Panay, Philippines. Since immigrating to the United States in 2000, Gavino has danced professionally with Rod Rodgers Dance Company, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Latin Ballet of Virginia, Kun Yang- Lin/ Dancers, Ananya Dance Theater and has had to honor of working with Katherine Dunham, Eleo Pomare, Donald McKayle, Alonzo King, Diane McIntyre, Milton Myers, Ronald K. Brown, to name a few. In Philadelphia, she directs her project-based company Ani/Malayaworks where she utilizes dance, film and literature as vessels for inscription, community engagement, resistance, and spiritual journeys. Her identity as a mother and as a foreign-born immigrant is her driving force for decolonial art activism. Since the conception of Ani/Malayaworks in 2014, she has been supported by the MAPfund, Velocity Fund, Scribe Film Grant, Asian Arts Initiative, Career Transition Award, Dance Place, Fleisher Art Memorial, Barnes Foundation, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, Dance Place DC, National Performance Network, Small but Mighty Arts, Painted Bride, and was a recipient of the 2021 Leeway Transformation Award. She hopes to continue the work of using dance as a conduit to inquiry and social change. Annielille is also a dance writer for thINKing Dance and an MFA graduate of Hollins University. www.anigavino.com. she/they/siya | [email protected] |
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Assistant Professor: Modern and Dance Education; Natalie Gotter is a dance performer, choreographer, instructor, filmmaker and researcher interested in social perceptions of the physical form and how relationships through movement provide insight into the individual. She received her MFA in Modern Dance with emphasis on Gender Studies and Screendance Certification from the University of Utah. Her work has been presented at the Dance in the Desert Festival, Utah Dance Film Festival (recipient of 2019 Audience Choice award), Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival, and commissioned and presented by companies in New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Minneapolis. She has performed with Tsunami Dance Company, MotionVivid Dance Company, and was a featured dancer in the Alwin Nikolais Centennial Celebration in 2011. she/her/hers | [email protected] | x4017 |
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Adjunct Professor: Movement Workshop for Dancers and Actors Loren Groenendaal is a dancer, improviser, choreographer, educator, and curator, active in Philadelphia since 2003. She is most interested in creating structures that extend freedom, adaptation, and empathy. She particularly values movement and sound improvisation because they highlight the liveness of humans and the fleetingness of everything. She has co-founded many organizations and events in support of improvisation in Philadelphia including: the Mascher Space Cooperative 2005, the Thursday Contact Improvisation Jam 2011, the monthly Philadelphia Underscore and The H-O-T Series of Philadelphia 2013, the Impermanent Society of Philadelphia 2015, monthly Philly Compositional Improvisation Lab 2018 and the Dissolving Doors Festival 2019. She is the artistic director for Vervet Dance, a Philadelphia-based contemporary dance company. Although subject matter varies, what is characteristic of the company is an ongoing intellectual diligence meeting a curious playfulness and an exploration of the visual and visceral components of dance. she/her/hers | [email protected] |
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Adjunct Professor: Anatomy & Kinesiology for Dancers, conditioning, and Advanced Topics in Dance Science; Gayanne Grossman is a physical therapist for dancers at Muhlenberg as well as an associate instructor of anatomy and kinesiology for the Temple University and Muhlenberg College dance programs. She currently serves on the board of directors and the educational committee for the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. She has authored several papers and a book chapter on subjects such as physical therapy for dancers, management of dance injuries, advocating for dance science education, and dance-specific conditioning. Dr. Grossman lectures nationally and internationally on dance medicine and science. she/her/hers | [email protected] |
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Adjunct Professor: Tap Nicole B. Hockenberry, a Pennsylvania native, has been tap dancing professionally for over 20 years. She became a performing member of A&G Dance in 1991, under the artistic direction of Germaine Salsberg, and Manhattan Tap in 1992, under the artistic direction of Heather Cornell. She is the founder and director of TAP: Teach All People, which she operated from 1995 to 2006 and relaunched with her husband, Mark, in 2013. Nicole has taught and performed with organizations across the country, including the New York Foundation for the Arts, the St. Louis Tap Festival, Soul to Sole (Austin), Columbus Taps, and Third Coast Rhythm Project (San Antonio). Her choreography has been commissioned by numerous tap companies, including RPM (San Antonio), Tap Ties (Allentown), and In Motion (Chester, N.J.). Nicole spent twelve years as an adjunct professor of dance at Cedar Crest College (Allentown) and three years as a Master Lecturer at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Nicole and Mark also operate Crafty Nicole (www.craftynicole.com), an online custom-designed clay charm and pendant business that services the international tap community. she/her/hers | [email protected] |
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Adjunct Professor: Hip Hop While at UArts, Samuel Antonio Reyes received the Cushman Acting Award and the ensemble theater award for his outstanding achievements in dramatic arts. After college, Sammy continued his dance training with Ronen Koresh, Rennie Harris, and Kip Martin. He was rehearsal director and dance member of Dance Theater X Project, directed by Charles O. Anderson. Sammy recently completed touring the nation with television and radio artist Raven Symone. Sammy continues to choreograph independently for numerous events including the Philadelphia Gay Pride Event at the Kimmel Center in May 2001. A highlight of his career occurred recently when he was nominated for a Barrymore Award in 2007 for Best Choreography for The Bombitty of Errors with 11th Hour Theater Company. Sammy is Artistic Director of Sanbrooka productions in Philadelphia. His recent choreographic work includes the Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre production of In the Heights and the Muhlenberg mainstage productions of The Pirates of Penzance and Wig Out! he/him/his | [email protected] |
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Adjunct Professor: Aerial Acrobatics Chelsea Thompson is an aerialist, dance performer, and actor from Philadelphia. She began her circus training at Muhlenberg where she was an original cast member of the Muhlenberg Circus Workshop. She currently trains at Philadelphia School of Circus Arts and is the aerial instructor at Dance Fusion Performing Arts Studio. Outside of the circus world, Chelsea is a member of InFlux Dance Company (dir. Jessica Bostock) and has performed with the children’s theatre company T4Y Playmakers in productions of Charlotte’s Web, Peter Pan, and The Secret Garden. Most recently, Chelsea appeared in the Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre circus productions of Wild, Tal: Beyond Imagination, and Bohemia. she/her/hers | [email protected] |
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Lecturer: Tap A native of Philadelphia, Watson has performed with innovators and trailblazers in the discipline of tap dance, including Dianne Walker, Germaine Ingram, Savion Glover and the late, legendary Mabel Lee. In 2016 served as the tap instructor for the Broadway sensation Shuffle Along. She also has been a collaborator with Grammy Award-winning MacArthur Genius recipient Rhiannon Giddens. She was the featured dancer on the Grammy nominated album American Originals: 1918, along with Giddens, for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Over the past ten years she has had the opportunity to work and study under the direction of Tony Award-winning choreographer Savion Glover, performing in several of his productions, including Sole Power, Stepz and Bare Soundz. Robyn was a resident artist at the Painted Bride Art Center, where she began developing The Blackbirds’ Suites, a trilogy of tap dance narratives that address Black women’s identity throughout American history. she/her/hers | [email protected] | x3281 |
Theatre & Dance Staff
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Director of Operations and Production Jessica Bien has served as the department's general manager since 2006. She returns to her native Allentown from Boston, where she worked as executive assistant to the chief operating officer of the Wang Center for the Performing Arts. She also held positions as theatre manager and access coordinator at the Wang. She has served as marketing associate for Zoellner Center for the Arts, at Lehigh University; box office manager and director of marketing for the AmeriCulture Arts Festival; marketing and public relations intern for the Williamstown Theatre Festival; and communications and publications assistant for Hartwick College. Jess has also held production and administrative positions for events at Kutztown University, Civic Theatre, and Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre. Jess holds a certificate in Arts Administration from the University of Massachusetts and is also a 200-hour certified yoga teacher. In addition to her administrative role, she teachers courses in Stage Management and Accessibility in the Arts. She is the recipient of the 2018 Arts Ovation Award for Service to the Arts. she/her/hers | [email protected] | x3087 |
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Technical Director Eric Covell's responsibilities include overseeing all scenic builds for department productions, and supervising and teaching work study, stagecraft and volunteer students in shop safety and construction. His professional experience includes freelance designer and sound engineer at Fitchburg State College, Bay Street Theatre, and AmeriCulture Arts Festival. He served for two years as resident scenic and lighting designer, facility manager, and technical director at Civic Theatre of Allentown. Most recently he was the project manager for Great Eastern Seating, restoring and installing theatre seats in the tri-state area, including work at the Apollo Theatre. he/him/his | [email protected] | x3644 |
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Audience Services and Company Manager Maya Costanzo is a 2021 graduate and Scholar of American University, where she double-majored in International Studies & Foreign Language and Communication Media Studies, with specializations in Film & Media Arts. Most recently, she has enjoyed working with (and might have sold her soul to) the AU Rude Mechanicals as an actor, director, and executive board member. She is especially grateful for her time with The Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theater and Wildwood Summer Theater. Maya is passionate about exploring the relationship that the arts share with identity and community growth. She has a love for telling and elevating human stories and experiences through service, theatre, film, photography, and design. She especially enjoys when opportunities to work and exist and create in these worlds intersect. Maya is beyond excited to craft the new role of Audience Services and Company Manager with and for the faculty, staff, and students of Muhlenberg College! Learn more about Maya here: mayarenee616.wixsite.com/mysite she/her/hers | [email protected] | x3637 |
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Office Manager Alessandra Fanelli is a 2016 West Chester University graduate with a B.A. in Communication Studies, a Minor in Italian, and a concentration in Civic Leadership. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in Arts Administration at Kutztown University. Alessandra has held administrative positions at non-profit arts organizations in the Lehigh Valley, including Civic Theatre of Allentown and The Pennsylvania Playhouse. She has served as Film Manager, Box Office Manager & Volunteer Coordinator, and Development Chair. She sits on the Cinema Committee at Arts Quest Center and currently curates film series at Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas. Alessandra has performed on stage, produced, and trained as an Intimacy Coordinator for various community theatre productions. She has been a guest teacher for Parkland School District and East Penn School District and has served Kutztown University in fundraising and assessment for the Office of Student Involvement and Community Outreach Center, with special attention to the university's activities board and campus special events. she/her/hers | [email protected] | x3335 |
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Wardrobe, Crafts & Stock Coordinator Lex Gurst's costume credits include Big Love, The Possibilities, Polaroid Stories, On the Town, Stop Kiss, The Winter’s Tale, and Dance Emerge for Muhlenberg College; Psycho Beach Party and Belle Reprieve for The Theatre Outlet; and Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre productions of Avenue Q, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Seussical, A Year with Frog and Toad, and the world premieres of Gruff! and Grimm! Previously, she has worked at the Creede Repertory Theatre in Creede, Colo. In her spare time, Lex is known as Minerva Steel and volunteers with the Lehigh Valley’s premier roller derby league, The Lehigh Valley Roller Girls. she/her/hers | [email protected] | x3589 |
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Props Master, Scenic Artist Ms. Miller has served as charge artist at the Barn Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Music Theatre Wichita, and Lehigh University. She has also served as Props Supervisor and Scenic Charge Artist for two seasons at Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre. she/her/hers | [email protected] |
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Costume Shop First Hand she/her/hers | [email protected] |
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Marketing & Development Manager Scott Snyder served for 11 years as managing director of the Civic Theatre of Allentown. In that position, he developed marketing and communications strategies that increased attendance, personal contributions, and corporate and foundation support for the theatre, helping to position Civic as a community arts center for the region. Prior to beginning work at Muhlenberg in 2010, he spent three years as director of alumni communications for Lehigh University. Scott has also served as production stage manager and designed sound, props, and projections for numerous theatre productions. he/him/his | [email protected] | x3693 |
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Costume Cutter/Draper Samantha trained at Swarthmore College and the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, and has pursued a career that has brought her to operas and regional theaters up and down the eastern seaboard. Her work has been onstage at Yale Repertory Theater, Glimmerglass Opera, Arena Stage, Bristol Riverside Theater, the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and Radio City Music Hall, among others. Locally, she has been involved in the Theater Departments at Lehigh University, DeSales University, and Muhlenberg College prior to joining in this full time role. she/her/hers | [email protected] |
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Theatre Technician Paul E. Theisen, Jr. has designed lights, sound, projection content, and scenic elements for many of the theatre and dance productions on the Muhlenberg Theatre & Dance mainstage. Paul is the resident lighting designer for the student dance concerts at Muhlenberg. He earned his MFA in technical productions from the University of Delaware. Paul has had experience as technical director in the York Little Theatre and the Lincoln Amphitheatre, and as a free-lance designer/technician in Wisconsin, Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania. he/him/his | [email protected] | x3119 |
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Costume Shop Manager Whitney Vaughan has worked all over the country working in costuming. Before attending graduate school she worked in wardrobe management for opera, theatre and dance. Some of her highlights include working for Pittsburgh Public Theater, Playmakers Repertory Company, and touring with the Broadway tour of Evita. After many years in wardrobe Whitney decided to attend graduate school to receive her M.F.A. in costume production from Boston University, to pursue her goal of becoming a costume shop manager. After graduating, Whitney went on to be the Costume Head at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. Whitney’s love in life is creating costumes and being a part of a costume shop. she/her/hers | [email protected] | x3589 |
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Assistant Technical Director Kait Welch is a graduate of DeSales University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. Her love for the arts goes beyond performing on stage, as she has enjoyed applying her technical skills to the shows she has been involved in. She has done work for the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre, and various community theatres in the Lehigh Valley. she/her/hers | [email protected] | x3332 |
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