Congrats to the Following Selected Dancers
Alex Aguilar
Eleanor Baker
EE Balcos
Michelle Burgess
Caroline Calouche
Kaila Dockal
Amber Johnson
Caleb Moss
Sarah Ritchy
 

Performance Dates
CEDA & U-CEDA | March 12 @ 5pm | Center for Dance
Dance Charlotte | March 18 3pm & 8pm | Duke Energy Theater

Pay: $200 + 2 comp tickets to Dance Charlotte and CEDA

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Choreographer: Daniel Gwirtzman
gwirtzmandance.org

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Daniel Gwirtzman–producer, director, educator, filmmaker and dancer–celebrates twenty-one years as a New York choreographer and company director. His diverse repertory has earned praise for its humor, stylistic versatility, musicality, charisma and accessibility. “A flair for the entertaining,” says critic Elizabeth Zimmer. “Mr. Gwirtzman does know that in dance less can be more. And that’s a good thing for any choreographer to know” writes The New York Times. The New Yorker describes him as a choreographer of “high spirits and skill.”

For the New York City-based Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company he has created more than one hundred repertory works known for their playfully virtuosity, blending robust physicality with universal themes. His choreography has been performed at venues throughout the country and abroad. He has been awarded commissions, residencies and fellowships from institutions including the Joyce Theater Foundation (NY), The Yard (MA), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (MA), Djerassi Resident Artists Program (CA), Sfakiotes (Greece), Raumars (Finland) and the Sacatar Foundation (Brazil).

A master teacher, Gwirtzman has worked at numerous universities. Daniel holds degrees from The University of Michigan and The University of Wisconsin. He danced in the companies of Garth Fagan Dance and the Mark Morris Dance Group among others. He co-founded Artichoke Dance Company in 1995, which The New York Times called “a welcome addition to the New York dance scene.” As a dancer he has been described as a willowy John Travolta, sensual, playful, a rag doll, unusually supple, and one who moves like the wind. Summer 2016 he will be in residence at the Maison Dora Maar in France and the Aktuelle Architektur der Kultur in Spain.

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Alex Aguilar, originally from Miami, FL, is a double major obtaining his B.A. in Biology and Dance at UNC Charlotte. After graduating, he will continue his education in Physical Therapy. He has trained in Ballroom and Latin dances with Queen City Ballroom where he instructed, and has performed locally in theater for the ten years he’s resided in Charlotte. He has received an MTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, Altar Boyz (Juan), and was last seen performing at Halton Theater in Disney’s Aladdin Jr. (Aladdin), Chicago the Musical (Mary Sunshine), and Sister Act (Pablo).

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E.E. Balcos, originally from Minneapolis, MN is an Associate Professor of Dance at UNC Charlotte. He has been a professional dancer and choreographer for over 30 years. At the age of 19, he began studying with modern dance pioneer Hanya Holm at the Colorado College. As a performer he toured nationally and internationally with Shapiro & Smith Dance (NYC), Demetrius Klein Dance Company (FL), Zenon Dance Company (MPLS), 10,000 Dances (St. Paul), and worked with renowned choreographers including Danny Buraczeski, Ping Chong, Seán Curran, David Dorfman, Joe Goode, Dwight Rhoden, David Rousseve, Stephanie Skura, Jan Van Dyke, and Bill Young.

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Ellie Baker comes to Charlotte from Greenville, NC where she began her dance training. Under Kimberly Gray-Saad, Ellie trained in styles with the Greenville Civic Ballet including ballet/pointe, contemporary and jazz. She performed with Greenville Civic Ballet’s pre-professional company, The Dance Collective 2002-2012. Dance Collective roles included: Sugarplum fairy, Cinderella, and other soloist roles choreographed by guests such as Melissa Hale-Coyle and Alan Arnett. Ellie attended summer intensives at UNCSA and Hubbard Street Chicago, and will perform as a guest with Bodiography Contemporary Ballet Charlotte this year. Ellie graduated from ECU in 2014 with a Biology degree and married her husband, Franklin Baker in 2015.

 

Michelle Burgess graduated with a degree in Dance from Winthrop University in South Carolina, where she received the Medal of Honor in the Arts scholarship for artistic and scholastic excellence. She has previously performed as a company dancer of Caroline Calouche & Co., and has most recently been teaching classes in ballet, jazz, and contemporary at her home studio in Central Florida. There she also collaborated on aerial and modern dance-for-film projects with choreographer Heather White Hagar. She is thrilled to be back in Charlotte and honored to be dancing at CDF.

Caroline Calouche is a Gastonia native and is the Artistic and Executive Director of Caroline Calouche & Co. as well as the Founder and Director of the Charlotte Dance Fetsival.   She graduated from Texas Christian University with two B.F.A. degrees in Ballet and Modern Dance.  Caroline also completed a post-graduate choreography program at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance.  She has danced for Contemporary Ballet Dallas, Contemporary Dance Fort Worth as well as Leah Cox, Jennifer Archibald and Maria Caruso.  She began her aerial dance training nine years ago and has worked with Elsie and Serenity Smith, Jamie Hodgson, Susan Murphy and Christine van Loo.  

Kaila Dockal is a graduate from Winthrop University with her B.A. in Dance with a Concentration in K-12 Teacher Certification. Kaila has been dancing for the past 19 years studying the styles of ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, and modern.  She has also been teaching dance for the past 7 years, teaching ballet, tap, jazz and hip-hop at Fascinating Rhythm Studio in York, SC. Kaila is also a company dancer, dance teacher, and Education Coordinator’s Assistant for Caroline Calouche & Co.
 

Caleb Moss has been dancing since he was 6 years old, training in jazz, lyrical, ballet, tap, and contemporary. Caleb has trained with some of the worlds leading choreographers such as “Mia Michaels, Travis Wall, Danny Tidwell & Brian Freedman”, In 2008 & 2009 he was featured on Fox’s "So You Think You Can Dance”. Caleb has toured around the world dancing and performing in “Australia, London, Italy & Greece”. He has performed for congressmen and world leaders. Caleb has danced/choreographed for “Dancing With The Stars”, Some of Caleb’s credits include “Royal 

Caribbean Cruise Lines, Verizon Wireless, Hersheypark, My Redneck Roots, Holland America Line, North Carolina Lottery, and The LOGO Network

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Sarah Ritchy graduated from East Carolina University with a Multi-Disciplinary degree in dance, theatre, and choreography. While growing up, Sarah trained as a Level 10 and Jr. Elite competitive gymnast. She has studied modern, jazz, ballet, and musical theatre techniques with Teal Darkenwald, John Dixon, Tommi Galaska, and Galina Panova. Sarah has choreographed for numerous choreography projects and shows, as well as full-length musicals. Currently, she is a USA Gymnastics Team coach with Everest Gymnastics, and in her 2nd year as a main company dancer with Caroline Calouche & Co a contemporary and aerial company in Charlotte, NC.