Vail International Dance Festival | Paul Taylor Dancer Bios

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Paul Taylor Dance Company
2008 Vail International Dance Festival

Principal Dancers:
	Lisa Viola Lisa Viola was born in San Francisco and grew up in Honolulu, where she received her early training. She continued her ballet studies in New York with David Howard, The Joffrey School, and at the School of American Ballet. She has performed with DanceExpress, Sounddance, East/West Repertory Dance Ensemble, and the Rod Rodgers Dance Company. In 2004 she received a Bessie Award for Sustained Achievement with the Paul Taylor Dance Company and in 2006 was named the Company's Assistant to the Rehearsal Director. Ms. Viola was a scholarship student at The Taylor School from 1990 until the Fall of 1992, when she made her debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Costa Mesa, California.
	Richard Chen See Richard Chen See is from the island of Jamaica where he studied ballet, modern and Afro-Caribbean dance. He has danced for companies in England, Jamaica and the United States, including Northern Ballet Theatre, Oakland Ballet and Oberlin Dance Company/San Francisco. Mr. Chen See has worked professionally as a choreographer, children's storyteller, dance teacher, and coach. He is also a kayak instructor/guide and often works with the physically disabled. His debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company was at New York City Center in 1993.
	Michael Trusnovec Michael Trusnovec grew up in Yaphank, New York, and started dancing at age six locally and later attended the Nassau BOCES Cultural Arts Center in Syosset, New York from 1989 to 1992. In 1992 he was honored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He furthered his dance training at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, performing the varied works of Humphrey, Graham, Balanchine and Taylor. After receiving his B.F.A. in dance in 1996 he joined Taylor 2. He has also danced in works by Hernando Cortez and Patrick Corbin. Mr. Trusnovec received a 2006 Bessie Award for his Body of Work during the 2005-06 season. Fall 1998 marked his debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company.
	Annmaria Mazzini Annmaria Mazzini began her dance studies in Allentown, Pennsylvania with Frances Evers, and earned her B.F.A. from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University. While working as a model for painters and sculptors, she studied at The Taylor School and in 1995 joined Taylor 2. She has performed in dances of Isadora Duncan, Karla Wolfangle, Juliette Soucie, Patrick Corbin and Kim Gibilisco, as well as her own work. In addition to teaching on the road and at The Taylor School, she designs jewelry. Ms. Mazzini made her debut the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the 1999 American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina.
	Orion Duckstein Orion Duckstein is from Mansfield, Connecticut, where he began dancing after graduating from the University of Connecticut with a B.F.A. in acting. He has danced with the Sung-soo Ahn Pick Up Group, Peter Pucci, Robert Wood Dance, Amy Marshall Dance Company and Takehiro Ueyama. In addition to dance and theatre, he enjoys music and often brings his guitar on tour to play in his spare time. Mr. Duckstein joined Taylor 2 in October 1995. He made his debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in October 1999.
	Amy Young Amy Young began her dance training at age ten in her hometown of Federal Way, Washington. She spent her senior year of high school studying at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan prior to entering The Juilliard School in New York, where she earned a B.F.A. in 1996. She joined Taylor 2 in August of that year. Ms. Young enjoys teaching and has been on the faculty of Alaska Dance Theatre in Anchorage, Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp, and Metropolitan Ballet of Tacoma. She also dances with TAKE Dance Company. Ms. Young made her debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the Paris Opera House in January 2000.
	Robert Kleinendorst Robert Kleinendorst is originally from Roseville, Minnesota. He graduated from Luther College in 1995 with a B.A. in voice and dance. After moving to New York, he danced with the Gail Gilbert Dance Ensemble and Cortez & Co. Mr. Kleinendorst performed with Anna Sokolow's Players Projects at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Having studied at The Taylor School since 1996, he joined Taylor 2 in August 1998. Mr. Kleinendorst joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Fall 2000.
	Julie Tice Julie Tice was born and raised in Petersburg, Illinois, where she began her dance training and grew up dancing with the Springfield Ballet Company. She continued her training at the University of Michigan where she earned a B.F.A. in dance with honors and performed works by Bill DeYoung, Peter Sparling, Martha Graham and Paul Taylor. She received a 2007 Emerging Artist Award from the University's School of Music, Theater and Dance. In New York, Ms. Tice has performed with various choreographers as well as choreographed and performed her own work. She became a scholarship student at The Taylor School in January 1999 and joined Taylor 2 in the Summer of that year. Fall 2000 marked Ms. Tice's debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company.
	James Samson James Samson is a native of Jefferson City, Missouri. He received a B.F.A. in Dance with a minor in Business from Southwest Missouri State University. He went on to study as a scholarship student with the David Parsons New Arts Festival, the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive, and the Pilobolus Intensive Workshop. Mr. Samson has danced for Charleston Ballet Theatre, Omaha Theatre Company Ballet, Omega Dance Company, New England Ballet and Connecticut Ballet. He joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in February 2001.
	Michelle Fleet Michelle Fleet grew up in the Bronx and began her dance training at age four. She attended Ballet Hispanico of New York during her training at Talent Unlimited High School. There she was a member of The Ballet Hispanico Jr. Company. Ms. Fleet earned her B.F.A. in dance from Purchase College in 1999 and received her M.B.A. in business management in 2006. She has performed in works by Bill T. Jones, Merce Cunningham, Kevin Wynn and Carlo Menotti. Ms. Fleet joined Taylor 2 in Summer 1999. She made her debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in September 2002.
	Parisa Khobdeh Parisa Khobdeh, born and raised in Plano, Texas, trained under Kathy Chamberlain and Gilles Tanguay. She earned her B.F.A. from Southern Methodist University and, while a student at SMU and the American Dance Festival, worked with choreographers Robert Battle, Judith Jamison and Donald McKayle, among others. She also attended Taylor and Graham Intensives in New York. She has choreographed dances to benefit human rights organizations, as well as for independent films. In July 2006 she made her New York theatrical debut at the Stella Adler Studios in the lead role of Lanford Wilson's Burn This. She premiered with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the American Dance Festival in Summer 2003.
	Sean Patrick Mahoney Sean Patrick Mahoney was born and raised in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. At age 12 he began training with Fred Knecht and by attending Princeton Ballet School on scholarship. He became an apprentice at American Repertory Ballet (ARB) and then became a featured dancer with the company. After graduating high school in 1993, he was chosen as one of the first members of Taylor 2. Mr. Mahoney later danced for David Parsons, Alex Tressor and Geoffrey Doig-Marx and was in Radio City's Christmas Spectacular. He returned to ARB under the direction of Graham Lustig and married his ance partner, Peggy Petteway. Mr. Mahoney rejoined Taylor 2 in Summer 2002. His debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company was in January 2004.
	Jeffrey Smith Jeffrey Smith was born in Rhode Island and began his performing career singing and tap dancing. Upon entering the Boston Conservatory as a musical theater major, he had the opportunity to perform works by Paul Taylor, José Limón, Sean Curran and Anna Sokolow and later switched majors to graduate with a B.F.A. in dance performance. After graduating in 2001, he became a member of the Martha Graham Ensemble performing featured roles in Diversion of Angels, El Penitente, and the duet from A Dancer's World, and Bertram Ross's Nocturne. During this time he participated in The Taylor School Winter and Summer Intensives and became a member of Taylor 2 in March 2005. He made his debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Cleveland in May 2005.
	Eran Bugge Eran Bugge is from Oviedo, Florida where she began her dance training at the Orlando Ballet School. She went on to study at the Hartt School of the University of Hartford under the direction of Peggy Lyman, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a B.F.A. in ballet pedagogy in 2005. She also attended The Taylor School and the 2004 and 2005 Taylor Summer Intensives. Ms. Bugge has performed in works by Amy Marshall, Katie Stevinson-Nollet and Jean Grand-Maître. She was also a member of Full Force Dance Theatre and the Adam Miller Dance Project. She joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Fall 2005.
	Francisco Graciano Francisco Graciano, a native of San Antonio, began dancing and acting at an early age. He received a B.F.A. in dance from Stephens College for Women (male scholarship), and scholarships from the Alvin Ailey School and The Taylor School. He has been a member of TAKE Dance Company, Connecticut Ballet, Ben Munisteri Dance Company, Cortez & Co. Contemporary/Ballet and Pascal Rioult Dance Theater, and has worked with such choreographers as Max Luna III, A.C. Ciulla, and Richard Chen See, among others. He also appeared in the operas Aida and White Raven directed by Robert Wilson. He joined Taylor 2 in February 2004 and made his debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Granada, Spain in Summer 2006.
	Laura Halzack Laura Halzack grew up in Suffield, Connecticut and began her dance training at the age of four with Brenda Barna. She furthered her training at The School of the Hartford Ballet and studied at the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College. Ms. Halzack graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in History from the University of New Hampshire in 2003. She then studied at the Hartt School and at The Taylor School's 2004 Summer Intensive. She has performed with the Amy Marshall Dance Company and Syren Modern Dance and has enjoyed teaching in her home state. Ms. Halzack studied at The Taylor School for two years before joining the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Summer 2006.

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