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Laura Ward
Laura Victoria Ward is a maximalist artist, choreographer, somatic movement educator, Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst, teacher, musician, and painter. She is the artistic director of Kingston Contemporary Dance Theatre (formerly Octavia Cup Dance Theatre), a multi-disciplinary, multi-generational company. She has been creating dance theater and performing in New York City, the Hudson Valley, and internationally for over 25 years. She regularly creates and performs with Tonus Maximus and the Glam Rock Cabaret, The Goddess Party, and she is in your grandmother's punk rock band, a.k.a. Dick Pinchers. Recently, she played Columbia in the Rocky Horror Picture Show with R’Ville Stage Creations. She holds a BA from SUNY Empire State in Dance, Theatre, and Movement Studies and has studied with Irene Dowd, Liz Koch, and Gil Hedley. She studied the Meisner technique with Michael Harney. Her teaching experience includes Wagner College, Gina Gibney, Dance New Amsterdam, Equinox, Dutchess Community College, Manhattan School of Music, the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, as well as privately. She has received several KCACTF Awards for her choreography at Ramapo College in New Jersey, as have the ensembles she has worked with. Her Ramapo choreography credits include Spring Awakening, Twelfth Night, Urinetown, and Church. Georgina Aragon
Georgina Aragon began her training in New Paltz, NY with Deborah Vinton. Lee Thompson, Hilda Morales and Elizabeth Carr were very important instructors to her. She graduated high school from the North Carolina School of the Arts. She attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and studied under Deborah Noble at S.U.N.Y., New Paltz. In 1996, Georgina joined In Forward Motion Dance Company, with whom she performed the works of Jean Churchill, Alan Danielson, Colin Connor, Neta Pulvermacher and also danced in Dave Matthews’ music video "Crash." She has performed in Tucson, AZ with the Arizona Dance Collective under the direction of Jane Willet and Richard Holden, where she was featured as the Gypsy Queen in Two Pigeons and danced in Guido Tuveri's Fourth Wall. Georgina has worked with Configurations Dance Company, Figures in Flight, Artist Alliance Against Violence, Flamenco Dance and The Sisters Surly Burlesque Troupe. Georgina has been on faculty at Dutchess Community College since Fall 2002, and has also taught at Equinox Fitness Clubs in NYC. In 2003, began teaching dance at High Meadow School in Stone Ridge, New York. Faculty at New Paltz School of Ballet since 2000 and dances the role of Grandma and Mouse King for New Paltz Ballet Theatres’ production of The Nutcracker. Georgina continues to do video work with kindie rock band Ratboy Jr., and sci-fi rockers Americans UK. Happily commuting from New Paltz every week to rehearse with the company, Georgina joined Octavia Cup in 2000 after meeting Laura Ward at a choreographer's concert in Woodstock, NY in August 1999. Cassie Roberts
Cassie Roberts grew up dancing in New Jersey and trained in ballet, tap, and jazz at a local studio as well as with the NJ School of Ballet. Cassie holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Arizona State University and an Ed.M. in Dance Education from Rutgers University. While in Arizona she danced with Temenos Dance Collective and Dance Arizona Repertory Theater where she worked in the community to help bring dance to youth throughout the greater Phoenix Area. She currently teaches dance at a high school in New Jersey, and also teaches jazz at the New Jersey School of Ballet. She is the Assistant Director of the Rutgers Pre-College Summer Dance Conservatory & Camp, and also teaches modern technique and repertory for the program. Cassie is a Certified Barre Shaper and Pilates Instructor and teaches at Work it Out in Hoboken. Cassie has been with Octavia Cup since 2011. Natalia McCarthy
Natalia McCarthy has worked with companies and choreographers including Laura Ward/Octavia Cup, Brooklyn Ballet, Lydia Johnson Dance, Exit 12, Benny Simon and Benjamin Briones, among others, and recently performed as guest artist in Bayonne, France in the summer of 2014. She began her career in the corps de ballet of the National Ballet of Poland (Wrocław), dancing corps and soloist roles in classical and contemporary repertoires. Natalia studied at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Principal teachers include Hugh Nini (Denton Ballet Academy), Danièle Villers (Paris Opera Ballet School), Lisa Lockwood and Arleen Sugano. Hiroko Uchino Hiroko Uchino was born and raised in Fukuoka, Japan. She started training ballet since she was 4 years old. Hiroko moved to New York in 2009 where she continued training and performing various styles of dance. Hiroko was last seen touring over 30 cities at iconic theaters across Northern America and Canada, including the Beacon Theatre in New York City, in the National Theatre of " Chuggington Live! Great Rescue Live". Additionally, Hiroko performed in the music video called "Hello" from the electronic music group "Above and Beyond." And a member of the New York Lizards Dance Team which is a professional NY Lacrosse Team and part of Major League Lacrosse. |
