Kate Mattingly, Assistant Professor
Courses Taught: Dance History, Ballet, Dance Criticism, Teaching Principles, Equity in Dance Education, Dance Studies, Performance Studies, Interdisciplinary Methodologies, Research Methods, Media Studies, Yoga, Pilates, and Dance and Its Audiences
Kate Mattingly is a teacher, researcher, and writer who focuses on fostering equity in dance education. Her dance training began at the Washington School of Ballet, under the leadership of Mary Day, and continued as a scholarship student at summer programs with Ballet West and San Francisco Ballet. Her undergraduate degree is in Architecture: History and Theory (from Princeton University), her Master of Fine Arts degree is in Dance and she performed choreography by William Forsythe and Amanda Miller as a graduate student (at New York University). She received her doctorate in Performance Studies with a designated emphasis in New Media Studies (from the University of California, Berkeley). Her writing has been published in the New York Times, Village Voice, Dance and Pointe Magazines,The Washington Post, and academic journals: Performance Research, Mapping Meaning, Dance Chronicle, Convergence, International Journal of Screendance, and Dance Research Journal. She recently published a co-written article with Kristin Marrs for the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice. In 2022, Kate joined the faculty of the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts at Old Dominion University. Her book, Shaping Dance Canons: Criticism, Aesthetics and Equity, will be published in 2023, and she is currently co-editing an anthology with Iyun Ashani Harrison called Antiracism in Ballet Teaching.
James Morrow, Assistant Professor, Dance Major Advisor, Student Dance Association Advisor
Courses Taught: Hip Hop Dance & Culture, Dance Composition, Dance and Its Audience, Modern Dance, Jazz
A native of Chicago, IL. James Morrow is the founder and artistic director of james morrow/ The Movement. Coming from an urban background, Morrow yearns to see the contemporary composition prevalent in concert dance integrated into the hip-hop culture with which he is submerged. His movement has become a fusion of modern, contemporary, and urban dance styles. His choreography can be seen on companies throughout the U.S. and internationally working in Utrecht, Vienna, Mumbai, Puebla, Toronto, Montreal, Krasnoyarsk, Kerch, and New Brighton.
Morrow was on Faculty at the American Dance Festival (summer 2010) and at the Bates Dance Festival's Youth Arts Program (2018). He received a fellowship to Hollins University/The American Dance Festival (2011) where he earned his MFA in dance. He has been recipient of the Artist Ambassador Award to Northeastern Illinois University (2001), The Mordine and Co. Mentoring Project (2006), Chicago Cultural Dance Center's Dance Bridge (2008), Movement Research at Judson Church (2012), SOLO Commissioned Choreographer for Minnesota's McKnight Dance Fellow (Stephen Schroeder 2012), Bates Teacher Fellowship (2013), the Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Choreography (2014), The Helen Coburn Meier & Tim Meier Foundation Achievement Award (2015), Boston Center for the Arts Choreographic Residency (2016), and The Boston Dance Alliance Retreat and Rehearsal Fellowship (2017).As a dancer/ performer, Morrow has worked with Chicago based companies: The Joel Hall Dancers, Deeply Rooted Productions, Ascension/The Kirby Reed Project, Ken Von Heidecke's Festival Ballet, Larry Long's Civic Ballet, Culture Shock Chicago, Concert Dance, Inc., Mordine and Co., Hedwig Dances, The Tyego Dance Project, Impetus Dance Chicago, MOMENTA, and Nick Cave's (Soundsuits) of The Art Institute of Chicago. Other performance credits include working with New York's: Helen Pickett, nicholasleichterdance, Gina Kohler/ Dream Factories, Danielle Russo Dance Company, Tami Stronach Dance, Tessa Chandler, Margaret Morrison, Wendell Cooper, Yozmit, DeeLite, DJ Kotchy, Bahama's: The Baha Men, Minnesota's: Sesame Street Live, Toronto's:Gerry Trentham/ Pounds Per Square Inch Theatre, Michigan's: Kalamazoo Ballet, Berlin's : Tino Sehgal, North Carolina's: Tommy DeFrantz/ Slippage, Ellen Hemphill/ Archipelago Theater, Jim Havercamp, Alex Maness, Florida's: Jacksonville Dance Theater, Rachael McClellan Leonard, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Elevated Aerial Dance, and Massachusetts's: Jen Pollins, Paul Matteson, Peter Dimuro, Caitlin Corbett, Meghan McLyman, Across The Ages Dance Project..
As an educator, Morrow has worked as full- time dance faculty/ Assistant Professor of Dance at Northeastern Illinois University, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Hartford Academy for the Arts, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts, and Salem State University. He is currently living in Virginia Beach,VA. and working as an assistant professor of dance at Old Dominion University.
Megan Thompson, Associate Professor, Dance Program Director
Courses Taught: Modern Dance, Dance Appreciation, Improvisation, Pilates, Yoga.
Megan Thompson is an active dance artist and educator who completed her BS in Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MFA in Dance at the University of Maryland. She also studied at the Laban Center in London and completed training programs in Pilates (700 hour), Yoga (200 hour) and Extreme Moves. She has danced professionally in the Li Chiao-Ping Dance Company, The Maida Withers Dance Construction Company and RTG Dance. In 2009, Megan co-founded the Jen Stone and Megan Thompson Dance Project with performing artist Jen Stone. Together they have taught, performed and collaborated with artists and communities both locally and internationally. Megan is also a founding member of the Norfolk arts group, ArtPile, for which she has created site-specific work and structured group improvisations. As a choreographer, Megan creates work from a place of collaboration and discovery. Her choreography involves dynamic physicality intended to be performed honestly and with a desire to create a shared experience for performers and audience. Megan's choreography has been curated and presented nationally and internationally at festivals such as the Seattle International Dance Festival (Seattle, WA), the DUMBO Dance Festival (NYC), the Mid-Atlantic Choreographers' Showcase (Richmond, VA), The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Scotland), The Isadora Festival (Russia), PANPAPANPAYLYA (Australia) and Performática (Mexico). In her research, Megan explores interdisciplinary and innovative methods of art-making with a focus on performance and interactive technology for unconventional formats and environments. Recent immersive installations and site-specific works have been presented locally at The NEON Festival, The Chrysler Museum of Art, The Hermitage Museum and Gardens and internationally at The Ocean Dance Festival in Bangladesh.
Victoria Fink
Courses Taught: Dance and Its Audience, Modern
Victoria (Vicki) Fink earned her MFA in Dance at Temple University Dance Department in Philadelphia, PA. While at Temple, she started teaching as a Teaching Assistant and earned a scholarship for her thesis concert in 2001. Vicki earned her BFA in Theater and Minor in Dance at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, in 1995. She has been an adjunct dance faculty member for Temple University (1999-2001), Virginia Commonwealth University (2003-2005) and William & Mary (2016-2022). Vicki was the lead dance teacher at the Henrico High School, Center for the Arts Honors Program from (2006-2016.) In addition to teaching higher education and high school dance, she is involved with many Partners in the Arts Projects, funded by Virginia Commission of the Arts, a freelance dancer within NYC, Philadelphia, and Richmond, a founding member of Ground Zero Dance Company and currently dances for Leah Glenn Dance Theatre.
Vicki joined the ODU dance department in Spring 2017 as adjunct faculty, teaching Modern Technique 1-6 and Dance and its Audience. In addition, she has been a choreographer for Spring and Fall University Dance Theater concerts.
Danica Kalemdaroglu
Courses Taught: Anatomy and Kinesiology for Dance
Danica Kalemdaroglu has been a Pilates practitioner and movement educator for over 20 years. Guided by the methodology of Joseph Pilates, she teaches to educate each body about its individual movement potential. She is a licensed NCPT and an advanced graduate of the Pilates Center, Boulder where she studied closely with the Taylor sisters.
She holds an MFA from the University of Colorado and a BA from Goucher College; both in Dance Performance/Choreography. She has had the privilege to share the stage with numerous choreographers and has been a collaborative creator of multiple award-winning companies.
Currently, she is the director of modern dance at West End Academy of Dance but has been honored to have held teaching positions at Virginia Commonwealth University, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, and the University of Colorado at Boulder among others.
Danica is also the creator of Somaphyx™, Pilates training for practitioners and movement educators. She offers apprentice-based teacher training as well as bridge and mentorship programs. You can train virtually or in person with her at her fully equipped studio, Pilates 804, in Richmond, VA.
Amelia Martinez
Courses Taught: Dance and Its Audience
Amelia Martinez (MFA) is a dancing artist (modern dance based). She choreographs with yarn in recurring themes of femininity, Latinidad, and community. She graduated from Temple University in 2021 with a Master of Fine Arts and Old Dominion University in 2014 with a BA in Dance Performance and a minor in Psychology. Notable choreographies are Latina, a dance film Thesis for Temple University 2021, Unravel Me for the Choreographers of Virginia Showcase at the Museum of Contemporary Art 2019, and Duality/Prayers of My People performed for Temple University's Endings Showcase 2019. She has danced with local dance companies and ensembles such as the Elbert Watson Dance Company, Todd Rosenlieb Ensemble, and the Virginia Opera.
Her teaching style is based on humanizing the student's experience while cultivating their curiosity. She has been teaching children and adults in various dance forms such as ballet, modern, jazz, and musical theater since 2010. Local studios she has worked with have been Studio 360, Allonge Dance Academy, and Lakewood Dance and Music Center. Upon completing her graduate degree, her love of teaching began to grow towards University students and their intellectual creativity. Beginning in 2022 she has taught for Old Dominion University and Christopher Newport University.
Shane O' Hara
Courses Taught: Dance and Its Audience, Improvisation
The power and energy behind Shane O'Hara's work is deeply rooted in the human condition. O'Hara's dances are created from the inside out, each finding its own life path and form. As a performer, he has shared his work with audiences throughout the United States and Europe including concerts in Lisbon, Athens, Krakow, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. He has worked with the thompson & trammell dance company in residencies in Poland, Denmark, Portugal and Germany. O'Hara was also a guest instructor at the Pro Danza Italia Summer Workshop in Tuscany in 1998 and at the White Mountain Summer Dance Festival in 2005. He has received grants from the USIS/American Embassy, Pennsylvania Council for the Arts and Virginia Commission for the Arts as well as a Fulbright Fellowship to Portugal and a Guest Professorship at the University of Martinique.
O'Hara is a Professor Emeritus of Dance Program at James Madison University and currently works setting commissioned dances throughout the U.S., performing a concert of Daniel Nagrin's solo works entitled The Nagrin Project and touring as Shane O'Hara * Solo Dance. His artistic activities include performances in The New Dance Festival in Virginia, Joyce Soho in New York, Dance Place in Washington, D.C., Tribute to Daniel Nagrin Festival at Arizona State University and Richmond, and the Dancing Rebels National Conference in Saratoga Springs. Presently, he is in the position of "Artistic Director" of the Nagrin Foundation by dance master Daniel Nagrin, and will be in charge of all setting of Mr. Nagrin's historic solos nationally and internationally. O'Hara is also a 500-hour Yoga Teaching Alliance yoga instructor and currently teaches master classes in dance and yoga throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
Lauren Sinclair
Courses Taught: Ballet and Yoga
Lauren Sinclair began her ballet training with Sandra Balestracci in Williamsburg, VA. Lauren is a graduate of the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC, where she trained under the tutelage of Alla Sizova, Nikolai Morozov and Ludmila Morkovina. During her ten-year professional dance career, Lauren performed with Ballet Austin, Virginia Ballet Theatre, Todd Rosenlieb Dance and Elbert Watson Dance Company. Her performances included roles in Serenade, Allegro Brillante, Cinderella, Coppélia, Nutcracker, and many other classical and contemporary works. She has a BS in Communication from Old Dominion University (ODU) and is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 500) and Certified Pilates Mat instructor. Lauren strives to create a supportive environment for all her students, so they can learn and grow to their maximum potential without a fear of failure. She has a passion for the mental health of dancers and is a Mental Wellness Certified Dance Educator through Danscend. She is also trained in the following programs: Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT), SugarFoot Therapy (SFT) Injury Prevention for Dancers, and Flexistretcher (FLX). Lauren has been on the faculty of The Governor's School for the Arts (GSA) since 2012, teaching for the Dance, Musical Theatre and Vocal Music Departments and has choreographed for Dance and Vocal Music. Lauren joined ODU as an Adjunct Instructor in 2020. She teaches Master Classes in the Hampton Roads area and for the Regional High School Dance Festival.
Janelle Spruill
Courses Taught: Jazz
Janelle N. Spruill graduated from The Governor's School for the Arts in 2003 and earned her BFA in Dance and minor in Media Studies from Marymount Manhattan College in 2007. While there, she had the pleasure to perform works by Twyla Tharp, Doug Varone, Martha Graham and many others. She was a member of the Elizabeth Higgins Dance Theater from 2004-2007. She was a scholarship student at The Ailey School, The Gus Giordano Dance School, American Dance Festival (ADF), and Garth Fagan Dance where she also had the opportunity to work and perform with the company. In 2013, she was the recipient of the NAACP Area II ACT-SO Award in Dance. She has been a teacher's assistant at Broadway Dance Center for Shelia Barker as well as a Rehearsal Assistant for the Richmond Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker." She has taught at the Regional and National High School Dance Festivals in Virginia, Florida and Pennsylvania as well as the West Virginia Dance Festival in Charleston. Her works have recently been accepted to the Regional and National High School Dance Festivals and the Richmond Choreographer's Showcase. She has also choreographed for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra's PB & J Series: Dance to The Music, Virginia Arts Festival "Rhythm Live Project", Norfolk's Grand Illumination Parade and for Todd Rosenlieb Dance. She has also been a guest artist at Old Dominion University and Shenandoah University. She is currently a part of the faculty at The Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia teaching and choreographing for both the Dance and Musical Theatre Departments and just recently received her MA in Arts Administration from Goucher College.
Tami White
Courses Taught: Dance and Its Audience
Tami White studied dance at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Virginia School of the Arts, University of Richmond Summer Governor's School, Virginia Governor's Magnet School for the Arts, and Old Dominion University. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science in Education degrees from Old Dominion University as well as a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Virginia. She completed graduate coursework in dance under the direction of Amanda Kinzer at Old Dominion University. Tami taught dance locally for many years at The Starting Pointe, Creative Energy, the Jewish Community Center, and the YMCA, and has performed locally in both self-choreographed pieces and in work by Beverly Cordova Duane. She has published a text for her course titled "Dance and Its Audience: Appreciating the Art of Movement." Tami has taught Dance and Its Audience here at ODU since 2001.
Christina Yoshida
Courses Taught: Pilates,Tap and Yoga
Christina Yoshida earned her BA degree in dance from Old Dominion University and has her Pilates Certification from the Pilates studio at TRDance. She currently teaches Pilates Mat, Tap and Pilates private lessons for ODU. She also teaches at Todd Rosenlieb Dance and the Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk. She has performed with Second Wind Dance Company and Todd Rosenlieb Dance Company.
Marilyn Marloff, Professor Emerita
Courses Taught: Modern Dance, Beginning and Intermediate Ballet, Jazz, Anatomy/Kinesiology, Pedagogy, Composition, Dance Appreciation, Chief Advisor for Dance.
Marilyn Marloff has been with Old Dominion University since 1987 and holds a B.F.A. and a M.F.A. degree in dance from the University of Oklahoma. Her early dance training included study at Chautauqua Institution, Point Park College, and the Fort Lauderdale Academy for the Performing Arts. She has performed and choreographed for dance companies in New York and throughout the United States including Broadway Express, Ananda Dancers, New Orleans Contemporary Dance Company, Oklahoma Repertory Dance Theatre, Virginia Ballet Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Second Wind Dance Company and CREO New Music Ensemble. Her choreography has also been presented at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; the Richmond Choreographers' Showcase; Dance Exchange in Tulsa, OK; the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York City; and the Virginia Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (VAHPERD) and Norfolk NEON Festival. Her film and video work has received awards in Europe, Canada, the United States, and South America. Ms. Marloff is the co-artistic director of Old Dominion University Dance Theatre and teaches all levels of modern technique, beginning and intermediate ballet technique, anatomy / kinesiology for dance, dance pedagogy, dance composition and dance appreciation.