Dance Company : Company Bios

Photo: Larry Hanelin

Nancy Mellan, ZUZI! Co-Founder, obtained her BFA in dance from Temple University. Before moving to Tucson, Nancy had established her own school and collaborative dance company in the Philadelphia area. She has served as artist in residence in synagogues locally and nationally and teaches Modern Dance at Pima Community College and ZUZI! Dance Lab. Nancy continues to develop her artistry through intensive study with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.  Nancy is the proprietor of  the Casa Luna Bed and Breakfast in Tucson.

Emily Willard

Zan Savage

Bridget Gunning

Carie Schneider, ZUZI Theater Facilities Liaison, has pursued her love of dance since age five, studying creative movement, improvisational dance and gymnastics. As a teenager in the modern dance program at Rincon/University High School, she choreographed, performed, and taught workshops. Her choreography and performance art has been showcased in many of ZUZI's "No Frills" performances. Carie is currently a senior at the U of A, and enjoying her second season as a ZUZI company member.

Nathan Dryden holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in art from U.C. Irvine and is a Certified Skinner Releasing Teacher. Along with his own choreography, Nathan has danced and performed with John White, Stephanie Skura, ORTS Theatre of Dance, Zenith Dance Collective, and New ARTiculations Dance Company. Nathan has served on the staff at the Florida Dance Festival and with Robert Davidson at the University of Washington where he taught Aerial Dance. Nathan has been teaching, choreographing and performing with ZUZI since its beginnings in 1998.

Lia Greisser began dancing at the age of three.  She has studied modern, jazz, aerial, tap, ballet, hip hop, and step. Lia has been dancing with ZUZI! since its beginning, starting in the youth aerial company. Outside of ZUZI! Lia has danced competitively on A Tucson Dance Company’s dance team and has performed with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and the Moscow Ballet

Wendy Joy has an MFA in dance from the University of Arizona and a BA in Dance from Douglas College at Rutgers University. She has extensive training in both classical ballet and modern dance. Wendy was the owner and Artistic Director of dance images by Wendy joy in Ventnor, NJ. Currently, she is a teaching artist with TUSD’s OMA program as well as the director/developer of PROJECT:connect, a dance program linking TUSD and the University of Arizona. Wendy has been teaching, choreographing, and performing with ZUZI since its beginnings!

ZUZI is delighted to present its Youth Aerial Company - unique to Tucson begun in 2004 by Nanette Robinson and Emily Willard! This company is currently composed of 9 youth ages 9-14, who have made a commitment to working together and performing for the Tucson community. We are honored to work with these beautiful, creative and promising youth.

Through this program ZUZI hopes to provide the challenges necessary for growth as a dancer and an individual –through choreography, performances, and aerial and modern technique classes.

Much of the choreography is the creation of the youth themselves under the current facilitation of Alison Hart

 

Many Limbs Youth Aerial Company Members:

Amanda Boyd is 13 years old and attends Paulo Freire Freedom School. She has been been dancing with Zuzi for 7 years and this is her third year with the youth company. In her spare time, Amand likes hanging out with her friends.

Amelia Marsh is 14 years old and has danced with ZUZI! for 10 years. She is going to be a sophmore at University High School. She plays soccer and piano and loves to read and watch old movies.

Galyn Sumida-Ross began aerial dance when she was four and began dancing with ZUZI! when she was six.  She's a freshman in high school, plays the harp, lives with 2 cats (and a tortoise) and enjoys drawing, swimming and acting and loves to bake.

Kelia Gallagher is 14 yeas old and will be a freshman in High School.

Celia Patania is 13 years old and a 8th grader at Miles Exploratory Learning Center. She has studied dance for 6 years, at ZUZI! for 4 years. She is fluent in American Sign Language and loves to play with her family's two dogs and two cats.

Lily Ryan will be a sophmore at Tucson High. She has been dancing at ZUZI! for 5 years. Besides dancing and flying, she likes to walk, read and listen to music.

Ross Sounart is eleven years old and a 6th grader at Orange Grove Middle School. He is thrilled to be entering his third season with ZUZI!. He has attended the summer camp at ZUZI for three years.

Mackay Perry is 14 years old and will be a freshman at Tucson High School.

Photo: Larry Hanelin

 

Hailey Sounart is 16 years old and will be a junior at Catalina Foothills High School. She first came to ZUZI! with the High Flying Arts Camp and has been dancing at ZUZI! for 8 years since then. She was in the "Many Limbs" Youth Aerial Company for several years and then joined the Apprentce Company before her freshman year of High School.

Tonisha Weaver is 15 years old and attends Pima Community College. She is studying sign lanuagae and hopes to get her Bachelor's degree in dance. She has been dancing at ZUZI! for 7 years and was originally in the "Many Limbs" Youth Company. She took a break from ZUZI ! to record her album It Is What It Is in Los Angeles, California, but is now back for her second season in the Aprentice Company.

Ione Locher is 16  years old and will be a junior at University High School.

Lauren Bianco is in her second season as part of ZUZI! Apprentice Company.