COREY BLISS was born and raised in Red Bank, NJ. She graduated cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham Bachelor of Fine Arts Program in Dance in 2007, with a minor in Communication and Media Studies. She began training with Nancy Turano at the New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble (NJDTE) in 1995. She has worked with and performed works by many renowned choreographers, such as Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor, David Parsons, Seán Curran, Eduardo Vilaro, and Jean Emile. In 2011, she apprenticed with Stephen Petronio Company, and was also an apprentice with RIOULT for their 2006-2007 season. She is also currently a member of BodyStories/Teresa Fellion Dance. Corey works as a dance facilitator at the Arts Access Program at Matheny Medical & Educational Center in Peapack, NJ (a fine arts program for adults with medically complex disabilities), in addition to serving as the Company Manager for NJDTE. Corey is thrilled to return for her fifth season with Gehring Dancetheatre!
NEVA COCKRELL grew up in Pueblo, CO, where her love for physical activity began with competitive sports and outdoor recreation. She found dance at Oberlin College, and graduated with a degree in Dance and Environmental Science. Since moving to NYC a few years ago, she has performed and worked with Kinesis Project, ANIKAI, Racoco Productions, Gehring Dancetheater, Kelley Donovan and Dancers, among others—performing in many venues in NY and the surrounding areas, and abroad in a seven-city tour to India and a residency in Cork, Ireland. She is also currently the choreographer and co-artistic director of Loom Ensemble, an interdisciplinary theater company, and an instructor at Physique 57. She is thrilled to be dancing with Gehring Dancetheatre for the third season!
ERIN DILLON started her training at The Academy of Dance Arts in Red Bank, NJ under the direction of Jennifer James Church. She recently graduated with a BFA from The Hartt School at The University of Hartford where she trained with teachers such as Stephen Pier, Nina Watt and Hilda Morales. While there she performed works by Jose Limon, Martha Graham and George Balanchine. She was also able to work with choreographers such as Pascal Rioult, Emery LeCrone, Charlotte Griffin, Stephen Pier and Katie Stevinson Nollet. Erin also had the privilege to attend the summer dance festival Julidans in Amsterdam where she was able to take master classes with companies such as Ultima Vez, Maguy Marin and Netherlands Dans Theater.
ALISA FENDLEY was pleased to join Gehring Dancetheatre this summer. She currently performs with Racoco Productions, Grounded Aerial and Time Lapse Dance and has recently worked with Teresa Fellion BodyStories, Boxed Wine Productions, and Rocha Dance Theatre. Alisa graduated from New York University with degrees in Dance and English and created Fendley’s Fingerprints, a multimedia dance company founded in 2010 whose work has been presented at The Raw Festival DanceNOW [NYC], Dixon Place, The Tank, The Rover SoHo, Dance Teacher Summit, and Triskelion Arts Comedy in Dance Festival, among others. Check out www.fendleysfingerprints.
LEIGH SCHANFEIN is a freelance dancer, choreographer, and teacher as well as a Research Associate at the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, NYU Langone Medical Center. She received her M.S. degree in kinesiology with a specialization in biomechanics from Purdue University, and her B.S. degree in animal physiology and neuroscience with a minor in dance from the University of California San Diego. As a graduate student, she received multiple awards for her research with dancers including two awards through the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Her research has focused on the mechanisms by which humans control balance and how sensory feedback is integrated for the control of posture. Ms. Schanfein has taught courses in health, motor development, biomechanics lab, and stress at Purdue University, and is a regular guest instructor and choreographer for dance schools in Indiana, Montana, California, Idaho, and New York. She has trained and performed across the USA and abroad in modern, ballet, and contemporary dance, and currently performs professionally in NYC. She has performed ballet, contemporary, and modern styles with companies such as City Ballet of San Diego, Collective Body|Dancelab, Indelible Dance, Mark Lamb Dance, Christopher Caines Dance Company, Yoo and Dancers, and Gehring Dancetheatre. Leigh is a contributing writer for Dance Informa Magazine. Her most recent endeavor is as Artistic Director of Dance for Periapsis Music and Dance, a non- profit designed to eliminate the gap between emerging choreographers and live music by living composers. Find out more at shannyfine.webs.com.
DANITA SHAHEEN is a dancer and choreographer who has always drawn inspiration from a wide variety of artistic mediums. She was classically trained in Balanchine technique under the direction of former New York City Ballet soloist David Otto and the Capital Ballet Company. Shaheen has done intensive training with the Boston Ballet, River North Dance Company, Burklyn Ballet, Bates Dance Festival, and Parsons Dance. She graduated magna cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College’s BFA program and has been performing professionally in New York since 2006. During that time she has had the honor of working with Gehring Dancetheatre, Jacobs/Campbell Dance, Ariel Rivka Dance, Dance Cat-alyst, Banana Peel Dance, Tamara Saari Dance, MAD About Dance, H.T. Chen and Dancers, AERA, Beth Soll & Company, Andrea Gise and Dancers, Laura Ward/ Octavia Cup Dance Theatre, and Nina Buisson Contemporary Move. Danita’s own works, including collaborations with various choreographers and artists, have been seen throughout the metropolitan region. Shaheen is a founding member and head choreographer for Dance Riot Rep., a local contemporary dance company. She is also the founder and President of the Alternative Arts Association, a multimedia arts organization and registered 501c3. www.alternativearts.org
APPRENTICES
Sophia Marx
Katie Pecora
Bridget Struthers