Are you wondering who will be teaching at Vitacca Productions & Company’s 2013 Fusion Dance Intensive? Here is a bit of background on the Intensive faculty members. Registration is now open and space is limited to 30 students, so early registration is encouraged. 
Barbara Bears
Pointe & Variations
Barbara Bears, winner of the silver medal at the 1991 International Ballet Competition, was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and received her early dance training from Victoria Leigh and James Franklin. Ms. Bears joined Houston Ballet in 1988 and that same season was selected by Sir Kenneth MacMillan to dance the lead in his ballet Gloria. Since then she has gone on to dance Manon in Sir MacMillan’s Manon and the leading roles in his Elite Syncopations and Solitaire.
Ms. Bears’ classical repertoire includes Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Giselle in Giselle, Aurora and Princess Florise in The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella in Cinderella, the Sylph in La Sylphide, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra in Cleopatra, the Snow Maiden in The Snow Maiden, the Sugarplum Fairy and the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, Valencienne and Hanna in The Merry Widow, Solvieg and the Green Lady in Peer Gynt, the Firebird in Firebird, Sue in Pecos Bill and Svetlana in Dracula, a role Mr. Stevenson created for her in 1997. Under Artistic Director Stanton Welch, Ms. Bears had the honor of dancing Cio-Cio-San in Welch’s Madame Butterfly, Countess de Noailles in Welch’s Marie and Tatiana in Houston Ballet’s premiere of John Cranko’s Onegin.
Ms. Bears’ contemporary repertoire includes Stanton Welch’s Indigo, Bruiser, Divergence, A Dance in the Garden of Mirth, Big Sky, Cline Time movements of Mr. Welch’s Tales of Texas, Nosotros, Maninyas, Wild Life, Play, Blindness, Red Earth, Brigade, Carmina Burana, Tutu, Clear and Four Seasons; Christopher Bruce’s Rooster, Ghost Dances, Sergeant Early’s Dream, Cruel Garden, Land and Journey; George Balanchine’s Serenade, La Valse, The Four Temperaments, Western Symphony, Agon and Apollo; Glen Tetley’s The Rite of Spring, Daphnis and Chloe, Voluntaries, and Lux and Tenebris; Ben Stevenson’s Four Last Songs, Three Preludes, Evening, Miraculous Mandarin, Image, Five Poems and Bartok Concerto; Jiří Kylián’s Sinfonietta, Forgotten Land, Svebedka, Petite Mort and Symphony in D; Nacho Duato’s Without Words; Jerome Robbins’ The Concert; Trey McIntyre’s Bound, Skeleton Clock, Second Before the Ground, Peter Pan and Curupira; James Kudelka’s Musings; Mark Morris’ Sandpaper Ballet; Christopher Wheeldon’s Carnival of the
Animals and various roles in works by Sir Fredrick Ashton, William Forsythe, Helgi Tomasson, John McFall, Natalie Weir, Adrian Burnett, Julia Adam, Joe Layton, Dominic Walsh and Sean Kelly.
In 2001, Ms. Bears was honored to be featured on the cover of both Dance Magazine and Pointe Magazine. She was also voted best dancer by the Houston Press in 2001 and 2004. After 20 years with the Houston Ballet, Ms. Bears retired in 2010 and now serves as a part-time teacher and coach for the Houston Ballet and Houston Ballet 2.
Phillip Broomhead
Ballet
Phillip Broomhead was born in London, England, trained at the Royal Ballet School, and joined The Royal Ballet in 1981. He was promoted to Soloist in 1983 and to Principal in 1986. Several roles were created specifically for Broomhead, including The Southern Cape Zebra in Still Life at the Penguin Café and roles in Varii Capricci, Isadora, Pursuit, Number One, Enclosure, and L’Invitation au Voyage. He performed numerous times in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, the Queen Mother, and at many other royal galas. Broomhead joined Houston Ballet as a Principal dancer in January of 1991 and made his debut in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella. He was featured in all of Stevenson’s ballets, and many other works. In March 1991, while on vacation in Washington, D.C., he attended a Royal Ballet performance of Swan Lake. During Act I, their Principal dancer sustained a serious injury and Broomhead found himself thrust onto the Kennedy Center Stage as Prince Siegfried; his performance won him worldwide critical acclaim. Broomhead has also created roles numerous world premieres including Glen Tetley’s Lux in Tenebris, Ben Stevenson’s Eclipse, and Trey McIntyre’s Peter Pan. He retired from Houston Ballet as a dancer in June 2004 after performing with the company for 13 years at which time he joined the artistic staff as Ballet Master, a position he held until 2011. In 2012 Broomhead joined Vitacca Productions & Company as Artistic Advisor.
Neil Dimmock
Pilates
Neil Dimmonck is a veteran in the fitness industry, with a long career of over 19 years. During this time he’s worked hard to obtain a range of qualifications from the NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) and the APPI (Australian Pilates and Physiotherapy Institute) focusing on corrective exercise and strength and conditioning. He’s also certified through the Pilates Method Alliance. His passion lies in working with clients on their specific goals to help them lead active and healthy lives.
A native Londoner, Neil has managed various fitness centers and studios before discovering a love for pilates. Most recently he worked as a master trainer and studio manager for TenPilates, London’s premier pilates studio. Helping develop and grow a single studio into a major fitness brand, Neil launched and managed studios in Mayfair, St James’s, Notting Hill and West London. Teaching an innovative and dynamic style of pilates, the studios attracted celebrities who demanded the best of London, such as Claudia Schiffer and Lily Allen.
Neil now brings the best of London-style pilates to Houston through Montrose studio, Green Park Pilates. Despite his British roots, this ex-pat has discovered a love of barbecue, warm weather and all things Texas.
Jeremy Duvall
Commercial Jazz
Jeremy Duvall carries all facets of the industry with him as a working dancer/teacher/choreographer. His performance credits include Dance Captain for the hit Broadway musical Wicked in its Chicago and 2nd national touring companies, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Tokyo Disney’s premier cast of Encore, Camelot at the Hollywood Bowl, assisting and performing for Director/Choreographer Michele Assaf in Opera Pacific shows Aida and Samson & Delilah, as well as Madison Opera’s Carmen. He has been in numerous shows with the Music Theatre of Wichita, and performed with such dance companies as Jeff Amsden’s A Few Good Men Dancin, Mark Meismer’s Evolution, and Justin Giles’ SoulEscape, to name a few.
Jeremy has taught at numerous college/universities across the country and been on faculty at the prestigious dance facilities Broadway Dance Center, Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio, and Edge Performing Arts Center. His knowledge of dance and choreography has taken him around the world to Japan, Italy, France, and Canada. Jeremy is thrilled with any opportunity to share the knowledge he received with the aspiring youth of today and ever growing artists of tomorrow.
Autumn Eckman
Contemporary & Repertorie
Autumn Eckman, an Atlanta native, received her classical training from Houston Ballet Academy under Clara Cravey and Steve Brulee. In 2000, Eckman relocated to Chicago to join Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, where she is currently serving as Artistic Associate and Director of Giordano II. She has also been a dancer with State Street Ballet (Santa Barbara), Cangelosi Dance Project, Lucky Plush Productions, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ron De Jesus Dance, and Collective Body Dance Lab. Eckman has created five works for the Giordano company and has been commissioned by several companies, universities, and schools including Western Michigan University, KRESA, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, State Street Ballet Young Dancers, and Contemporary Dance South. In 2010, she was named as a “standout choreographer” in the Chicago Tribune. In addition, Eckman is a full-time instructor at Northern Illinois University where she enjoys teaching all disciplines of dance and is a teacher at the Lou Conte Dance Studio and Visceral Dance Chicago.
Alex Pandiscio
Ballet
A teacher who combines a passion for classical ballet with anatomical and physiological perspectives, Alex Pandiscio shares with his students an artistic heritage rooted in the traditions of Bournonville, Vaganova, and Balanchine. His classes are known for emphasizing musicality, alignment, and a dynamic use of energy and space.
A former student of Jacqueline Cronsberg, Mr. Pandiscio was twice selected as an American Ballet Theatre National Training Scholar, and attended both the Royal Danish Ballet and San Francisco Ballet School on full scholarship. He has performed with the San Francisco Ballet and Houston Ballet. As a member of Houston Ballet from 2003-2010, he danced in over seventy ballets, including featured roles in works by Ben Stevenson, Stanton Welch, George Balanchine, and Jiri Kylian. During this time he also worked with a wide range of international teachers and choreographers that includes Lazaro Carreño, Maina Gielgud, Yannick Boquin, Mark Morris, and Christopher Wheeldon.
In 2011, Rice University chose Mr. Pandiscio as the recipient of the Brotzen Award, a fellowship that allowed him to study ballet kinesiology and Vaganova methodology privately with master teacher Judith Reyn in Vienna, Austria. He has taught for the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy, Greater Milford Ballet, Ad Deum Dance, University of Houston Department of Dance, Vitacca Dance Project, and the Uptown Dance Centre. Mr. Pandiscio is currently a student of Kinesiology and Sports Medicine at Rice University and the Ballet Master for Uptown Dance Company in Houston, TX.
Kelly Ann Vitacca
Contemporary
Kelly Ann Vitacca is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She received her Bachelor’s in Performing Arts in Dance Performance at Oklahoma City University and extended Arts Management master studies at Columbia College, Chicago. Vitacca currently teaches master classes nationally while teaching on the dance faculty at West University Dance Centre and Center Stage Dance. She served on the dance faculty at Joel Hall Dance Center, State Street Dance Studio and the Wright College Dance Program, while acting as Founding Artistic Director for Inaside Chicago Dance. In 2003 Vitacca founded the professional contemporary jazz company Inaside Chicago Dance and received invitations to perform her work in Dance Chicago, Espacio Cultural Metropolitano, International Choreographers Showcase (Madrid, Spain), Duets For My Valentine; as well as guest performances with NorthWest Ballet, Evanston Art’s and the Dance Chicago Tour. Vitacca was awarded a Leo’s International Choreography Award at Jazz Dance World Congress (Monterrey, Mexico) and was recognized as a Dance Chicago Outstanding Choreographer in 2005. She has served as a guest choreographer for Cedar Lake II, Forum Jazz Dance Theater, Equity Fights Aids Events, Evanston Dance Ensemble, Copeland Dance Company, and Dance Houston to name a few.
Vitacca’s extensive training on scholarship at Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Steps on Broadway and the Kirov Ballet Intensive afforded her guest artist roles with Instruments of Movement, Cirque Rivera Dance Theatre, LA Jazz Dance Company and lead soloist at Espacio Cultural Metropolitano (Tampico, Mexico). In 2003 Vitacca utilized her artistic strengths in a new direction and joined the national Equity, Broadway Tour of 42nd Street The Musical. Vitacca was invited to return to complete the national tour run in 2005.
In 2006, Vitacca received the Illinois Artist Fellowship Award, which led to the launch and production of Inaside Dance Project and For The Cause (a benefit performance for Gilda’s Club Chicago cancer support community). As Inaside Chicago Dance Founding Artistic Director, Vitacca conceptualized, co-choreographed and produced the Jackson Pollock inspired evening length In the Painting, which received the acclaim “Shows technical moxie” by Chicago Tribune critic Sid Smith. In addition Vitacca spearheaded the Youth Trainee Program (YTP), offering an advanced training and performance program for emerging dancers, which supports their professional career goals and future education.
In 2008 Vitacca joined Houston Ballet’s artistic staff as Artistic Coordinator and Chaired the Dance/USA Host Programming Committee. With the support of Dance Source Houston and fellow Committee members Vitacca curated and produced the Dance/USA Annual Conference opening program, Houston Dance Inside Out, at Discovery Green on June 3, 2009. On behalf of the committee, Vitacca had the honor of receiving the official Houston Dance Day certificate from Ms. Minnette Boesel, Mayor’s Assistant for Cultural Affairs. In 2010 Vitacca was appointed Dance Houston Director of Programming where she developed the Dance Houston Spotlight Tour, Houston Youth Showcase (Jones Plaza), H-Town Get Down (Warehouse Live) and Dance Houston Youth Festival (formerly known as No Limits) (Wortham Theater). Vitacca also acted as the educational programs liaison, supporting dance educators and filling the dance class needs within Houston Independent School District (HISD) schools and at-risk facilities. She recently served as Production Manager for the professional festival, Dance Houston 2012 (Wortham Theater); served as programming panelist for the Texas Weekend of Contemporary Dance (Miller Theater); acted as Choreographic Adjudicator for Houston Royal Academy of Fine Arts; and was cast as an expert ballet coach on MTV’s MADE television series, which continues to air nationwide.
Currently Vitacca assists as Dance Houston’s Creative Director. As contract Choreographer/Creative Director Vitacca works on high production commercial events such as: Carpet One’s Annual Conference, Annual Halloween Expo Fashion Show, and Microsoft Convergence 2012 keynote opening show for Colin Powell.
Vitacca’s vast artistic achievements, arts management experience, industry networks and dedication to advance the dance art form allows her to pioneer Vitacca Productions & Company, which will be home to artistic, commercial and community dance projects.
For more info on the 2013 Fusion Dance Intensive and for registration visit: vitacca.org.
Vitacca Vocational School for Dance 