Mount Hood

Les Watanabe

Les Watanabe is a NTT Assistant Professor at Western Oregon University, where he teaches Ballet, Modern and Dance Seminar. Les Watanabe received his B.F.A in dance from California Institute of the Arts and his M.F.A. from UC Irvine as a Chancellor’s Fellow. He has been Artist in Residence at: University of Oregon, University of California-Irvine, University of Arizona, University of Maryland, Portland State University, Theater An Der Wien in Vienna, Austria and the Rotterdam Academy in the Netherlands. Les has also taught master classes at dance festivals in France, Austria, The Netherlands, German and Spain. In addition to his expansive career as a dance educator, Mr. Watanabe has had an illustrious career as a performer. He performed as soloist for such companies as: Donald McKayle’s Inner City Repertory Company, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Joyce Trisler’s Danscompany, Alvin Ailey II, Burch Mann Folk Ballet, Sachiyo Ito Japanese Dance Company, L.A. Jazz, and with Peter Goss Dance Company in Paris, France. Performances in theater and television include: Hal Prince and Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway production of Pacific Overtures, The Who’s Tommy, Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, Alvin Ailey Presents Duke Ellington CBS special , the Bill Cosby Shows, Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, French variety television and a national tour with Rita Moreno’s (‘Westside Story’) The Act. As a choreographer, Mr. Watanabe is known for his eclectic and stylistic dynamism. Luna which he set for Djazzex in the Netherlands was nominated for the American Choreographers Award and toured Europe for 1 year. Cantes de Ida y Vuelta (a dance illustrating Creolization of cultures in the New World) was showcased for Univ. of California, Irvine and the Lester Horton Festival in Los Angeles. His theatrical credits include: Pajama Game, Blood Wedding, Company, Journey, Rhinocerous (Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts), Midsummer Night’s Dream, Guys and Dolls, Beethoven n’ Pierott (Denver Center Theatre Company); Judy Garland (St. Pölten Stadt Theater in Austria); Gift of the Magi (Cleveland Playhouse).

 

The teachers who are the most influential in his career:

Janice Gudde Plastino, Ph.D. who as his first teacher at Harbor Junior College and then at UC Irvine, gave Les encouragement and said to him that it was possible if he “worked hard for 10 years that he could make it as a dancer”.  Also, Donald McKayle who, as a mentor exemplified the highest ideas as a teacher, choreographer and human being.  And the great Eugene Loring, who once said, “your commitment to dance..is your security”.

 

Darryl Thomas

Darryl Thomas is a Professor of Dance at Western Oregon University where he teaches composition, jazz dance, contemporary partnering and modern technique. As Co-Artistic Director of Rainbow Dance Theatre, Darryl has performed and choreographed in Bermuda, England, Denmark, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico and throughout the United States including Hawaii and Alaska. In 1993 he received the Hawaii State Dance Council Award for choreography. A former dancer and artistic collaborator in the world-renowned Pilobolus Dance Theatre, Darryl’s performing credits include the 1996 Centennial Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and the PBS televised special for the 25th Anniversary of the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC for which he received an EMMY. Most recently he performed at the 5th Annual Contemporary Dance Festival in Mexico City, D.F. In Summer 1999 Darryl taught contemporary partnering Kalani Honua in Hilo, Hawaii. In addition he received a commission to choreograph a new work for Nemian Contemporary Dance Company in Mexico City, D.F. In both the Summer 2000 & 2001 he was the artist in residence for the Santa Fe Dance Institute held in Gainesville, Florida. Darryl’s teaching appointments include visiting professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida and Pusan National University in Pusan, South Korea and as guest instructor at the Centro Nacional des Bellas Artes of Mexico City, D.F. and Studio Dance Tanz in Osaka, Japan. Darryl received his Masters of Fine Arts in performance and choreography from the University of Hawaii. In February 2002 Darryl was honored with the Living Legend Award given by Willamette University for his artistic contributions within the Willamette Valley.

Amy McDonnell

Amy Rance McDonnell has been teaching at Western Oregon University since 2007 where she teaches ballet, modern, dance history, composition, somatics, and Pilates courses. She also teaches and choreographs at Modern Dance Technique and Creative Movement in Corvallis, OR. Ms. McDonnell is originally from the Finger Lakes region of upstate NY where she studied dance with Garth Fagan and Elizabeth Clark. Prior to receiving her MFA in performance and choreography from SUNY Brockport, Amy obtained her BA from Goucher College in Interdisciplinary Studies combining dance, art, and anthropology. She has lived and performed in New York City with Lexington Dance Exchange and Collective Dance NY and has worked with artists such as Sean Curran, Sara Pearson and Patrick Widrig, Bill Evans, Gabe Masson, and Vincent Mantsoe. Amy’s work has been shown at the American Dance Festival’s International Dance for the Camera Festival, the Heidelberg New Music and Dance Festival, and at Western Oregon University. Ms. McDonnell is a certified Pilates Mat instructor through Balanced Body.

Sharon Oberst

Sharon Stokes Oberst is a Professor of Dance at Western Oregon University where she teaches ballet technique, pedagogy, dance history, dance production, dance and gender and dance in musical theatre courses. She attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and studied at the Houston Ballet Academy. She has performed with the Houston Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Allegro Ballet of Houston Beaumont Ballet Theatre and Theatre Under the Stars. Oberst earned her bachelor’s degree in dance and theatre from Lamar University and master’s degree in dance from the University of Oregon. Her research has focused on dance administration, pedagogy, the history of dance in musical theatre and film and historical dance forms for the theatre. In addition to choreographing for numerous dance concerts, Oberst regularly choreographs theatrical productions such as Romeo and Juliet BobRauschenbergAmerica, The Inspector General, and Pride and Prejudice. Oberst has directed and choreographed numerous musical productions including Kiss Me, Kate, Victor/Victoria, West Side Story, Thoroughly Modern Millie and 42nd Street. She has served on the Board of Directors, as Treasurer and is the current Secretary for CORPS de Ballet International, a professional organization dedicated to the development, exploration, and advancement of ballet in higher education. She was honored with the organization’s Award for Outstanding Service in 2007. Professor Oberst is the 2006 recipient of the Western Oregon University Mario and Alma Pastega Excellence in Teaching Award.

Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner

Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner is a choreographer and dance educator committed to inclusion, representation and social consciousness in both pedagogy and creative practice.  She received her B.F.A. Summa Cum Laude at the University of Minnesota, and her M.F.A. as an Advanced Opportunity Fellow at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts. She has served as the Choreographer in Residence for the Minnesota Dance Theater, under the direction of Lise Houlton, and is a four- time winner of the Arizona Choreography Competition’s Professional Division.  Original works by Gutierrez-Garner have been commissioned by numerous colleges and universities across the U.S. including Kent State University, University of Minnesota, Arizona State University, Gustavus Adolphus College, University of Oregon, University of Wisconsin, Middle Tennessee State University, University of Texas Rio Grande and the American University. Additionally she has enjoyed commissions by professional companies including the Minnesota Dance Theater, Dulce Dance Company, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Zenon Dance Company and JazzAntiqua.  Gutierrez-Garner’s work has seen support from organizations such as the Jerome Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Walker Art Center, and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. She has taught on the dance faculties of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and Gustavus Adolphus College, among others, as well as the prestigious Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, Maine and as a guest faculty at Xuchang University in China. She currently serves on the faculty of Western Oregon University and is the Artistic Director of Company Movimiento, based in Eugene, OR.

 

Marita Cardinal

Marita Cardinal, is currently a Professor in the Division of Health and Physical Education at Western Oregon University. She teaches courses for both the Division of Health and Physical Education and the Department of Dance in the areas of dance, exercise/fitness, and elementary physical education teacher education and dancer wellness, conditioning, and kinesiology. She grew up studying ballet and as an adult expanded her repertoire to include a variety of dance genres. In the 1980s, she performed in a variety of dance and musical theatre venues, including a Department of Defense Southeast Asia tour of the production, Godspell and a dance company in the Baltimore, MD area. She has taught dance to children through adults in private schools of dance, recreation centers, child-care centers, and after-school programs. At the university level, she has choreographed, directed a jazz dance company, and taught courses in a wide range of dance techniques. She received her bachelors and master’s degrees from Eastern Washington University and her doctoral degree from Temple University and previously served as a faculty member at Wayne State University. Her research has focused on curricular models for dance wellness education, conditioning programs for dancers, creative movement integration in elementary classrooms, and strategies for health and physical activity behavior change. Her publications can be found in the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science; Medical Problems of Performing Artists; IMPULSE: the International Journal of Dance Science, Medicine, and Education; Kinesiology and Medicine for Dance; Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport; Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise; and the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, among others. She has given over 56 presentations at the national and international levels, including invited lectures in dance wellness and dance education in South Korea in 1995, 2007, 2009, and 2014. She was a Visiting Scholar in Dance Science at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2009 and was a keynote presenter at a 5-day dance workshop in Bangkok, Thailand in 2014. She served on the Board of Directors for the National Dance Association and the Research Consortium of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, and on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Dance Education. She received the Mario & Alma Pastega Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Faculty Academic Advisor of the Year Award at Western Oregon University in 2008 and the National Dance Association Scholar/Artist Award in 2009.

Ryan Wright

Ryan Wright / Technical Director: Ryan received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Technical and Design from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. While in college he worked for the Santa Fe Opera (Santa Fe, NM) and Pennsylvania Center Stages (State College, PA) as part of the stage and electrics crews. Since graduating, Ryan has worked at a number of professional theatres and entertainment companies across the United States. These include Fireside Dinner Theatre (Fort Atkinson, WI) as Master Electrician, Field Installation Supervisor and Regional Manager for Creative Realities Inc. (Fairfield, NJ), Technical Director for Rollins College, as a Master Electrician and a general technician for Innovative Show Designs (Longwood, FL).

Kent Neely

Kent Neely, Professor (RA 106, 838-9253, neelyk@wou.edu): Kent earned a BA in Speech/Drama at Oklahoma City University and an MA and PhD in Theatre at Wayne State University where he and his wife were members of the Hilberry Repertory Theatre. He was on the theatre arts faculty at the University of Minnesota where he was Managing Director of the University Theatre and Director of the MA/PhD program. While at Minnesota, he oversaw the managerial responsibilities for over 270 theatre productions across five different venues. Kent’s scholarly work about experimental theatre of the 1990’s and historical subjects has appeared in Theatre Journal, Text and Presentation, Theatre History Studies, The Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism and High Performance. He has also published on theatrical management issues in Fund Raising Management, Theatre Topics and Theatre Design and Technology. From 1992 until 1998, he served as Editor for “PRAXIS: The Performance Study and Review Section” of The Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism. He made scholarly presentations at numerous regional and national conferences and has served as an officer for various organizations including the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, the Mid-America Theatre Conference and the National Association of Schools of Theatre. Kent was Chair of Theatre and Dance at Boise State University before entering university administration full time. Thereafter, he was Dean of Arts and Sciences at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and then Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Western Oregon University. One of his most valued accomplishments was producing, with his wife and three other friends, a traveling children’s theatre for inner-city youth in Detroit while in graduate school.

Ted DeChatelet

Ted DeChatelet / Full-time Non-Tenure Faculty: Ted deChatelet:  Ted is a professional actor, director, teacher and fight choreographer who has worked extensively in New York and in Regional Theatres around the country including: Classic Stage Company, The Culture Project NYC, ACT Seattle, Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Third Rail Repertory, Public Playhouse, Profile Theatre, CoHo Theatre, Milagro Theatre, the Oregon Symphony, Salem Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Buffalo Studio Arena and the Shakespeare Festivals of Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois and North Carolina. In addition to the stage, Ted has worked in front of the camera in numerous commercials, industrials, and films. Ted has studied with Wynn Handman in NYC and with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He is an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voiceworkä and a Certified Teacher of Stage Combat with the Society of American Fight Directors. He co-owns Revenge Arts Stage Combat (www.revengearts.com) and has directed violence for over 40 professional and collegiate productions.

Thaddeus Shannon

Tad Shannon / Assistant Professor; Lighting Designer: (RA 108, 838-8095, shannont@wou.edu): Tad recently joined the WOU faculty after many years as a freelance lighting designer. He has been the resident designer with Portland’s Do Jump Movement Theatre since 1992, designing the lighting and rigging for national tours in 2000, 2001 and 2007. He received a Theatre LA Ovation award for the lighting of the Los Angeles production of Do Jump’s Openings and Doors at the Geffen Playhouse. He has designed lights for a wide variety of regional dance and theatre companies including many productions as the resident designer for Portland’s New Rose Theatre and San Francisco’s Sweet Can Productions. He has designed for Rainbow Dance Theatre since 2002. Tad received his Ph.D. in Systems Science from Portland State University in 2007.

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