CSU - Division of Dance & Theatre - Dance

Faculty/Staff

Jane Slusarski-Harris, MFA, University of Colorado at Boulder

Director of Dance

Jane Slusarski-Harris is an associate professor and has been the director of the Colorado State University dance program since 1988. She received her MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder and has studied a wide variety of dance techniques and movement systems including Graham, Limon, Cunningham, Hawkins, Nikolais-Louis, Vaganova, Cecchetti, Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals, and the Pilates Method. She teaches ballet (Vaganova syllabus) and modern dance technique, dance history, dance pedagogy, and dance appreciation. Areas of research include dance pedagogy (both classical and contemporary), and the Pilates method. Slusarski-Harris has choreographed numerous works for the concert stage, musical theatre, and opera, and dances professionally with IMPACT DANCE. She has been a guest artist at the Chung-Hwa School of the Arts in Kaohsiung, Taiwan where she taught all levels of ballet and set a contemporary ballet on the students. Recently, she completed the pedagogy program in Pilates mat work at the Pilates Fitness Studio in Fort Collins, CO and is currently teaching mat classes and working on Pilates reformer pedagogy.

Chung-Fu Chang, MFA, University of California at Irvine

Associate Professor

Chung-Fu Chang is an associate professor in the Dance Division of Colorado State University and director of the CSU Tour Dance Company. He has received an Outstanding Faculty Award from CSU Mortar Board in 2008, and The 2009 Best Teacher Award from The CSU Alumni Association. At CSU, he teaches all levels of modern, Improvisation and choreography, acts as an advisor for senior production.

Born in Taiwan, he danced professionally with the country’s internationally renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and Kaohsiung Contemporary Dance Company. In the United States he has been a guest artist with numerous companies and featured in an array of contemporary choreographers’ work. In 2002, Chung-Fu began to pursue a solo career. His solo works and performances have been showcased at various dance festivals and major performance venues nationally and internationally. He received a Solo Finalist Placement Award at the 2004 Palm Desert Dance Under The Stars Choreography Festival at McCallum Theatre in California. In 2007, he was invited as a special guest artist for the Grand Prix de Argentina in Buenos Aries, Argentina. Most recently, he performed at the Sala Miguel Covarrubias in the Centro Cultural Universitario of the National University of Mexico, Mexico City, and at Performática, Puebla, Mexico.

His choreography has been presented throughout the U.S. and in Argentina, Cyprus, England, Greece, Mexico and Taiwan. A full evening of his work was presented as the closing program of the IX Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporanea Avant Garde 2008 in Merida, Mexico. Among the companies that have commissioned works from Chung-Fu Chang are Aspen Dance Connection (2006, '07 and '08), Ballet Nouveau Colorado (2004, '05 and '07), Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts (CO), Ohio Ballet, Rainbow Chorus (CO), MOMENTA Dance Company (IL), the Dancing Wheels Company’s Icarus Project at the Allen Theatre in Cleveland Playhouse Square (OH), Mulberry Street Theater’s Ear to the Ground Series (New York City), Middle Tennessee State University, Adelphi University (2004 and '06), the Virginia Intermont College Dance Company; and in Taiwan: the 2003 Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival, the 2005 and 2000 Asian-Pacific Young Choreographers' Project, the Solar Site Dance Company (2008 and '09), Chung-Hwa School of the Arts (2003, '05, '06, '07, '08 and '09), National Tainan Chia-Chi Girls’ Senior High School Dance Program (2004, '05, '07 and '09), National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School Dance Program and many others. Chang has held creative residencies at The Yard in 1999, and at the American Dance Festival in 2006 (International Choreographers’ Residency). In 1999, he received choreographic grants from the Jerome Foundation and CSU Academic Enrichment Program Award. His work, Vanish, was performed in the Southwest Regional ACDFA gala in 1997, and another, The Last Autumnal Tints, was nominated for Dance Magazine’s “Outstanding Student Choreography” and performed at ACDFA’s National Gala at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in 1998. Orange County Register dance critic Laura Bleiberg named Chang in “Faces to Watch ’98: A Look at People in the Arts”. Chang has served as adjudicator, juror and panelist for the Illinois Arts Council, the Thornton Arts, Sciences, and Humanities Council in Colorado, and the Bureau of Cultural Affairs Kaohsiung City Government in Taiwan.

Chung-Fu Chang was a Chancellor's Fellowship recipient from the University of California, Irvine, where he completed his M.F.A. in Dance in 1998. Previously he received a full, four-year scholarship at The Boston Conservatory, the Walter Terry Memorial Full Scholarship at Harvard University in 1993 and a full scholarship at Jacob’s Pillow Choreography Workshop in 1994. Prior teaching appointments include University of Florida, Kent State University. He also has taught as a guest artist at major dance companies, institutions and festivals throughout the U.S. and in Canada, Mexico and Taiwan.

Carol Roderick

Assistant Professor of Ballet

Carol comes to Colorado State University in Fall 2008 froma position as Principal Teacher
at AIS International Ballet in Japan. She is no stranger to CSU, having previously been
an artist-in-residence and adjunct faculty member in the Dance Division. She has been
teaching for more than 35 years for professional companies, universities, and prestigious
training institutions in the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe.

She began her dance training in the Boston area and continued at Butler University in Indianapolis and at Indiana University. She received her formal pedagogical training from the late Jurgen Schneider (Bolshoi Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, American Ballet Theatre) and Gabriela Komleva (Kirov/Maryinsky Ballet).

Roderick was a faculty member of the professional divisions of Boston Ballet School and Royal Winnipeg Ballet
School. She directed the schools of Colorado Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, and Ballet Idaho, and was program manager
for the Bolshoi Ballet at Vail program. She taught for many years in the Denver area at the Ballet Arts Center and
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, where she also served as ballet mistress and director of the Children’s
Ballet program. She directed her own chamber dance company in Denver, Classical Ballet Ensemble. Her
students have competed successfully at major international competitions, such as the Prix de Lausanne, Japan
Grand Prix, New York International Ballet Competition, and the USA International Ballet Competition. Many of
these students have gone on to professional performance and teaching careers.

In addition to her teaching and coaching work, Roderick has a special interest in training teachers. She has
developed a training course for teachers which has been presented at CSU several times, and also at various
schools and companies in other parts of the USA and Japan.

Melissa Corr

Adjunct Faculty

Melissa Corr is native New Yorker. She began her dance training with Bolshoi ballerina, Liana Hausler and eventually becoming a soloist with Hausler and Company in New York. Melissa has been teaching for over 30 years and is currently teaching at Canyon Concert Ballet in the pre professional program and is on faculty at Colorado State University. She has taken an active role in productions for Front Range Chamber Players, Centennial Children’s Choir, Canyon Concert Ballet and the Colorado State University dance program. She has choreographed pieces for the concerts and restaged several classic works with university dance students, such as the first act of Giselle ,excerpts from Les Sylphides, Paquita and La Bayadere. Melissa is married to husband Jim and has one daughter, Hailey, who is a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Lisa Morgan

Adjunct Faculty

Lisa Morgan has been a member of the CSU dance faculty since 2000, teaching modern dance technique, choreography and now focusing on Teaching Methods for Children's dance. Her work in dance education and administration spans more than 25 years. She is the Assistant Director of IMPACT Dance, a Fort Collins based modern dance company. She owns and operates "Creative Movement for Kids", a community based dance program teaching creative movement classes to young children and promoting and implementing dance curriculum in the public schools.

David Taylor

Adjunct Faculty

David Taylor has been professionally involved in the Denver dance community for the past thirty-seven years. During the course of a twelve-year dance career, he began choreographing in 1976, and since then has created over 100 original works. In 1979, he founded the David Taylor Dance Theatre, one of the Rocky Mountain region's most acclaimed, well recognized, and respected dance organizations. As Colorado's premiere professional contemporary ballet company, the DTDT has developed a reputation of presenting outstanding original and innovative works. As the principal choreographer, Mr. Taylor's unique creative focal point has remained a fascination with ancient cultures, which have served to provide his 12 member company with a stunning and thought-provoking identity within the world of professional dance. He received the City and County of Denver's first Individual Artist Fellowship award for dance for his critically acclaimed collaborative work, "Anasazi Dream" in 1987. Mr. Taylor received his first out-of-state commission in 1992, choreographing a new contemporary work for the Dayton Ballet in Ohio, and continues to be invited as a guest teacher and choreographer throughout the United States.

Judy Bejarano

Guest Faculty

Judy Bejarano is a frequent choreographer at Colorado State University. She is well known for her innovative evening length productions as the artistic director of IMPACT DANCE, a dance/theatre company whose performances speak to issues in our everyday lives. Bejarno is increasingly interested in exploring the use of dance as a collaborative outreach tool. Her work has been selected for many regional and national festivals including National American College Dance Festival, Colorado Choreographers Showcase, and Gala Concert for the National Dance Association Festival. Bejarno's work continues to be commissioned at the university level and by independent dance, theatre and music groups. Bejarno, an enthusiastic and demanding instructor, also teaches throughout the region. She received her Master of Fine Arts from C.U. Boulder in dance with an emphasis in choreography in 1990.

Linda Parent

Administrative Assistant

Linda Parent has been the CSU Dance Administrative Assistant since 2003. In addition to administrative assistance for faculty and students Linda enjoys doing the graphic design for the department of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

Bruce Burbank

Staff Accompanist

Bruce Burbank is the Music Director and staff accompanist for the Dance Program. Combining training in both classical and contemporary styles of music, he plays piano, organ, harpsichord, guitar, bass and hand percussion. He also holds positions as music director at St. Thomas Episcopal Church and as assistant director of the Rainbow Chorus. He arranges and composes music for dance, choral and instrumental ensembles.

Dave Jacoby

Staff Accompanist

Dave Jacoby is a Colorado Native with an extensive background in dance accompaniment, having worked with Colorado State University, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado Ballet, University of Wyoming, University of Montana, and others. His instrumentation includes Piano, Drumkit, Percussion, Autoharp, Tanpura, and Bagpipes from Scotland, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Russia. Dave likes to apply all of these instruments to the Modern Dance setting, and draws influence from a variety of World music sources, most notably the folk traditions of Finland, Estonia, Karelia, and the Baltic States. An up and coming accompanist in the Ballet field as well, Dave has been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with several noted teachers and refine his skills. He also has written scores of music for a play and dance work, and continues to operate with his solo musical project, which combines electronica with live instrumentation. Dave is blessed and grateful to be on the Staff of Colorado State University's Dance Program.

Lynda White

Faculty

Lynda White is teaching Dance Choreography at CSU Spring 2009. Lynda is co-director of Elgy Productions, a multi-media and interdisciplinary company. She has performed nationally and internationally with USU Danceworks, kim olson/sweet edge http://www.sweetedge.org/, Evolving Doors Dance Project http://www.evolvingdoorsdance.com, Interweave Dance Theatre, 3rd Law Dance/Theater and Helander Dance Theater. She most recently joined Frequent Flyers Productions: Aerial Dance Theatre http://www.frequentflyers.org. ; Lynda is also a teaching assistant for the Frequent Flyers beginning low-flying trapeze class. She has traveled as a teacher and performer to Costa Rica through their Performing Artists of the 21st Century program as well as Ireland, England and Scotland. In 2004 she performed with Michelle Ellsworth and Michael Theodore as a part of their Daisy Project at Julliard and The New School in New York City. Artists she has worked with include; Kim Olson, Nancy Smith, Gabe Masson, David Capps, Katie Elliot, Onye Ozuzu, Bebe Miller, Toby Hankin, Taryn Packheiser, Angie Simmons, Danelle Helander, Wade Madsen, and Michelle Ellsworth.

She has taught modern dance at the University of Colorado and Metro State University. She is a teaching assistant at the Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado and owner of Body Elevated Massage Therapy in Denver, Colorado. Her alter ego Peggy Tulane, performs for a variety of vaudeville shows in the Denver/Boulder area as a Burlesque dancer, comedian and performance poet. Lynda received her MFA in Performance/Choreography/Teaching from the University of Colorado in 2003. She is a sculptor, videographer, and clothing designer.