Co-Director - Vivian Little
Vivian Little founded Dance Fremont! in September 1996. She was an original member and performed as a Principal of Pacific Northwest Ballet from 1974-1977. She was a soloist with San Francisco Ballet from 1977-81. After her performing career, she continued to work as a ballet mistress at El Teatro Municipal de Lima, S.A. and on the faculty of Walnut Hill Performing Art School in MA and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle. Vivian has taught as a Guest Lecturer in the University of Washington Dance Department and Cornish College of the Arts.
In addition to teaching ballet to children and adults at Dance Fremont!, she also co-directs Dance Fremont! based performing company, Fremont Danceworks!
Co-Director - Mary Reardon
Mary Reardon started teaching at Dance Fremont! in September 1996. During her professional career she danced with Cincinnati Ballet, Rhode Island Repertory, Chautauqua Opera Company and the Carl Ratcliff Dance Theater. She earned her degree from the University of Cincinnati and later operated her own school in Georgia for ten years. Mary and Vivian Little joined forces in the fall of ‘99 to co-direct Dance Fremont!. Together they have founded Fremont Danceworks, a contemporary company for students who make dance their primary focus. In addition to her teaching at Dance Fremont!, Mary has taught as a Guest Lecturer at Cornish College for the Arts and is occasionally seen as a dance specialist in our public schools.
Mary Kay Bisignano-Vadino
Mary Kay Bisignano-Vadino has been teaching, choreographing and performing dance for more than 20 years. She has focused primarily on the modern dance style with an emphasis on the Hawkins, Limón, Cunningham and Graham techniques. Mary Kay earned a B.F.A. in Dance from Western Michigan University and a Masters in Choreography/Performance from U.C.L.A. Her choreographic work has been seen in and around Seattle as well as in L.A., Denver and Chicago, where she danced professionally for 3 years.
Mary Kay is a yoga enthusiast who weaves her knowledge of this ancient practice with the discipline of contemporary dance technique, bringing a sense of strength, balance and flow to her teaching. She enjoys choreographing for Dance Fremont’s resident company Fremont Danceworks and has also set works on the Kaleidescope Dance Company. Mary Kay also teaches dance at Salmon Bay School.
Steve Casteel
Steve Casteel was born in Tacoma, WA and received his early training from Jan Column School of Classic Ballet. At age sixteen Steve joined Boston Ballet II. In 1987, Steve became a member of Houston Ballet where he was promoted to soloist and performed many of the great classical works such as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Coppélia, and Cinderella. With Houston Ballet, he performed works by such renowned choreographers as Christopher Bruce, Jirí Kylián, Sir Kenneth McMillan, Ben Stevenson, and Paul Taylor. In addition, he has performed with Diablo Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Next Stage Dance Theatre, and Spectrum Dance Theatre. Locally, Steve has danced in works by Kay Englert, Dominique Gabella, Amii LeGendre, Wade Madsen, Dale Merrill, Crispen Spaeth and Deborah Wolf. From 1997 to 1999 he worked for Washington Contemporary Ballet in Tacoma as Assistant to the Director. In 2001, Steve received his Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in dance from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle WA. In 2004, he received his Masters of Fine Arts degree in dance from the University of Arizona in Tucson AZ. From 2004 to 2006 Steve was the Public Relations Coordinator for Next Stage Dance Theatre. Steve has taught at Bainbridge Dance Center (Bainbridge Island), Berkeley Ballet Theater (Berkeley CA), Cornish Preparatory Dance Program (Seattle), Dance Fremont (Seattle), Spectrum Dance Theater (Seattle), and The University of Washington (Seattle).
Alexandra Dickson
Alexandra Dickson was born in Whitehorse, Yukon, and received her training at the Goh Ballet Academy, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Ms. Dickson toured with Ballet British Columbia throughout Canada and the US, performing works by such choreographers as John Alleyne, William Forsythe, James Kudelka, and Paul Taylor. In 1995, Ms. Dickson joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as a Soloist and performed feature roles in George Balanchine’s Agon, A Midsummer Nights Dream, La Valse, Serenade, and The Four Temperaments. Her extensive neo-classical and contemporary repertoire included works by Donald Byrd, Nacho Duato, Eliot Feld, Lar Lubovitch, Kevin O’Day, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, and Kent Stowell. Upon her retirement from PNB in 2005, Ms. Dickson became a Stott certified Pilates instructor. Since 2007 Alexandra has been performing with Seattle Dance Project. She is thrilled to be teaching the students at Dance Fremont.
Ingrid Hurlen
Ingrid Hurlen has been a well-loved teacher of creative dance for all ages since 1987. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco. She has trained with Anne Green Gilbert in numerous Summer Dance Institutes for Teachers at the Creative Dance Center. She is on the faculty of the Creative Dance Center and in the Early Childhood Education program at Edmonds Community College teaching "Movement, Music and Singing With Children" to preschool educators.
She is also a certified InterPlay facilitator, helping build community through movement, story and song, mentoring others and their creative growth. An accomplished performer, her dance/theatre works have been produced in San Francisco and Seattle. She continues to perform as a dancer with the family music ensemble The Tickle Tune Typhoon.
Brenna Monroe Cook
Originally from Oak Park, Illinois, Brenna Monroe-Cook began her dance training at the Academy of Movement and Music under the direction of Stephanie Clemens and performed extensively with the affiliated MOMENTA Performing Arts Company. She went on to receive her BFA from The Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. Professionally she has worked with Buglisi/Foreman Dance, Thang Dao Dance Company, Subtle Changes, Riedel Dance Theatre and enjoyed five years of international touring with the Limon Dance Company. Ms. Monroe-Cook continues to teach Limon technique and stage repertoire for various companies and schools nationwide as well as presenting her own choreographic work. She also received her Pilates Certification from the Kane School of Core Integration in New York City and is an active Pilates instructor.
Jason Ohlberg
Jason is originally from Fresno, CA. He received his formal dance training at the State University of New York at Purchase. Professionally, Jason has danced with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Dance Kaleidoscope, Jan Erkert and dancers, and Wade Madsen and Dancers. In 1997, Jason founded Same Planet Different World Dance Theater in Chicago where he acted as artistic director and head choreographer for four years. Jason’s choreography has been seen throughout the country and locally on the apprentice company of Spectrum Dance Theater, Men in Dance, Lehua Dance Theater, Cornish Dance Theater, Fremont Danceworks, The Seattle Children’s theater and Arc Dance Productions. Jason has been on faculty at Barat College, Jordan Academy, the school of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the University of Washington, Spectrum Dance Theater, Arc Dance Productions, Dance Fremont and the Y.A.I. program of the Seattle Children’s Theater. Jason began his Pilates career in 1995 in Chicago, Il. Upon moving to Seattle he continued his studies with master teacher Dorothee VandeWalle at Metropolitan Pilates where he is a senior instructor.
Paula J. Peters
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Paula J. Peters received her M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Washington in 2011. Prior to completing her B.F.A. in Dance through the Professional Dancers Program at Cornish College of the Arts in 2007, Ms. Peters’ performed professionally with Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle, Washington for fourteen years. With Spectrum, she danced and restaged works by choreographers of national prominence such as Ann Reinking, Margo Sappington, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Claire Bataille, Danny Buracezki, Daniel Ezralow, Trey McIntyre, Donald Byrd, Wade Madsen and Dale A. Merrill, touring throughout the US, Europe and Mexico. In addition to performing with Spectrum, she served as the rehearsal director from 1998 until her retirement from the organization in 2005. She has taught ballet, jazz and modern as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Washington, Adjunct Instructor at Cornish College of the Arts, the Montana Dance Arts Association, and is currently on faculty at Dance Fremont and Cornish Preparatory Dance. In addition to teaching, Ms. Peters choreographed the Junior Broadway Production of Once on This Island for Villa Academy, has created numerous works for Dance Fremont’s Company, Fremont DanceWorks, Cornish Preparatory Dance Junior Company and served as rehearsal assistant to Wade Madsen for Cornish College’s 2008 production of The Pajama Game. Ms. Peters’ scholarly research includes investigation and teaching of the deep influences of African American movement aesthetics present in social, studio, commercial and musical theater traditions of American Jazz Dance.
Markeith Wiley
Markeith Wiley is a twenty-something Californian native now living in Seattle, WA. He is a dance maker, performer and instructor of many styles of dance in the greater Seattle area. He attended Cornish College of the Arts for dance choreography and performance. Markeith has studied under Mark Haines, Wade Madsen, Jason Olberg, Sofia Careras, Daniel Cruz, KT Niehoff and many others. Markeith is a co- founder of Soil Movement Collective as well as the artistic director of his group The New Animals. He has worked with many choreographers all along the west coast such as Mark Haines, Donald McKayle (CA), Wade Madsen, Deb Wolf, Daniel Wilkins and Bill Evans (WA). He has also danced for many groups/companies while living in Seattle including Cruz Control (directed by Daniel Cruz), Kontagious Movement (directed by Yoshi Wright) and Sandstrom Movement (directed by Elle Sandstrom). He is currently part of a new crew called The Seatown Allstarts which is formed of an elite group of male hip hop dancers in Seattle. Lastly, Markeith was just hired as the resident dance instructor at Seattle University.
Guest Faculty
Kitty Daniels
Kitty Daniels is the Chair of the Dance Department at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She began her professional career as a ballet dancer, performing with companies in the United States and Europe. She continued her performing career in modern dance, performing with the Bill Evans Dance Company, Concert Dance Company of Boston and Beth Soll and Dancers as well as numerous Seattle independent choreographers including Pat Graney, Long Nguyen, Erin Matthiessen and Wade Madsen. Internationally-known as a teacher of ballet, modern dance and dance kinesiology, she has taught at the Bill Evans Summer Institutes of Dance, London Contemporary Dance School, California State University Summer Arts Programs, University of Washington, Boston University, Mount Holyoke College and Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts, and has been a guest company teacher to the Mark Morris Dance Group. She has worked clinically as a dance kinesiologist, assisting kinesiologist Karen Clippinger. She holds a B.A. from Goddard College and an M.A. in Dance Kinesiology from Lesley College. She specializes in the application of dance science to dance technique education.
Kathleen Mills
Kathleen Mills earned a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Arranging from Combs College of Music. She studied with composer Romeo Cascarino and concert pianist Susan Starr in Philadelphia, and with Broadway conductor Lehman Engel at BMI’s Musical Theater Workshop in New York City. Her performing experience includes singing and dancing in several musicals, notably 5th Avenue Theater Company′s productions of Cinderella, Jesus Christ Superstar, My Fair Lady and in the national tour of Mame starring Juliet Prowse. She has worked as a private music instructor in Seattle since 1989. She is also the composer, lyricist and librettist of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier, A Story Ballet" produced annually by Dance Fremont! since 1997. Her work with Dance Fremont! since that time has also included writing and directing the Musical Theater/Costume Design and Production Camp show each summer. Kathleen is passionate about helping students identify and use their talents in pursuit of excellence in mind, body, and spirit.
Keith Sabado
Keith (Modern) was born in Seattle and moved to New York City in 1978. From 1980-1984 he performed with several New York modern dance companies, among them the companies of Pearl Lang, Pauline Koner, Hannah Kahn, Jim Self and Rosalind Newman. From 1984 to 1994 he was a member of the Mark Morris Dance Group, and in 1988 he received a New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) for his work with that group. From 1994 to 1997 and again in 2001 he was a member of Mikhail Baryshnikov s White Oak Dance Project. In 2000 he danced with the Lucinda Childs Dance Company during its 25th anniversary year. Most recently he has performed with Richard Daniels, Johannes Wieland and with Paradigm. He has also danced leading roles in opera productions directed by Peter Sellars and Martha Clarke. Keith teaches ballet, modern dance and Pilates and is currently on the faculty at Sarah Lawrence College.
Lynn Wyckoff
Lynn is a performer and costume designer with Seattle Early Dance, and has appeared in concert with Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Early Music Guild operas Venus and Adonis, and Il Ballo della Ingrate, and The Seattle Academy of Baroque Opera. She has studied baroque dance since 1998 with Anna Mansbridge and Catherine Turocy, and appeared in the New York Baroque Dance Company's production, With Sword Drawn, He Dances. As a teacher of ballet, jazz, and character, she has served on the faculties of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Olympic College, Western Washington University, and Everett Community College, where she was also choreographer for the annual musicals. She directed her own school and company, North Seattle Ballet, for eleven years, producing the full-length ballets Coppelia and The Nutcracker. Ms. Wyckoff holds a BFA in Ballet from the University of Utah, and an MA in Dance Theatre from San Francisco State University.