CORE Concert Contemporary and Aerial Dance Company 2017 Bios

 

Mitzi Anderson, 2017 UGA Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance  

Originally from LaGrange, Ga, Mitzi received prior dance training at LaFayette Society for Performing Arts, specifically LaFayette Ballet Company and LaFayette Dance Academy under the directions of Amy Carter Orr and Angela Mitchell Anderson. Mitzi is a second year CORE Concert Dance Company member and in her fourth year as a B.F.A. candidate in dance. She was a company member of the Ballet Ensemble in 2013-14 and was President of the ensemble in 2014-15. Along with performing ballet, Mitzi performed in Spring Dance Concert in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Mitzi has performed in Senior Exit and Emerging Choreographer's concerts in 2014, 2015 and 2016. She currently serves as President of the Young Choreographer's Series. Mitzi has experience teaching and choreographing at LaFayette Dance Academy and Southern Union State Community College in Wadley, Al. Mitzi Is thankful for her growth with CORE Concert Dance Company and is looking forward to performing for this upcoming year. 

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Francesca Mokry, 2017 UGA Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance  

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Francesca received her early training from Carla Berry at Carla’s Dance Factory, Fayetteville, GA. She is currently in her final year at the University of Georgia pursing a B.F.A. in Dance with Pre-Physical Therapy requirements. She is a fourth year member of CORE Concert Dance Company, performing contemporary and aerial dance, and was a featured performer in “DAAP Stellar and the Dream Chasers!” (2014), “The Human Soul Connection” (2015), and “Everything in its (Right) Place” (2016) CORE concerts. She has also performed for the LIMS “Mosaic @ Crossing Boundaries” concerts in New York City in both 2014 and 2015. This past summer 2016, Francesca received the Young Choreographers Series Scholarship and was able to attend an aerial summer intensive at the Circus Project in Portland, Oregon. In 2014, 2015, and 2016, she received the Lucy Lampkin/FRIENDS of DANCE Scholarship. In addition, this is her third year as co-director for the Encore II (youth) dance company based at Alice Depass’s Dance Studio. Francesca intends to focus on further aerial dance training post-college with a career aspiration of joining Cirque du Soleil.

 

Rebecca Patsalos, 2017 UGA Bachelor of Arts in Dance

Originally from Newburgh, New York, Rebecca began her dance training at the Hudson Valley Conservatory of Performing Arts in Walden, NY. She is a second year CORE Concert Dance Company member and fourth year as a B.F.A. candidate in dance. She is also working towards earning her teaching certification in dance education. While at UGA, Rebecca was a member of the Ballet ensemble from 2013-2015. She has performed in the Young Choreographer's Series and Senior Exit Concert in 2013 - 2016 and presented her own choreography for YCS in 2014- 2016. Rebecca also had the opportunity to perform with Danza Universitaria in San Jose, Costa Rica in May 2014, and studied dance in London during the spring semester of 2015, where she competed a semester of Study Abroad. Rebecca is grateful for her time working with the CORE Concert Dance Company and is excited about performing with the company for the second annual season.

 

Morgan Rossi, 2020 UGA Bachelor of Science in Dietetics

Originally from Atlanta, GA, Morgan is a first year student at the University of Georgia and first year CORE Concert Dance Company member. She is pursuing a degree inn Dietetics but hopes to continue performing as a professional aerial silks artist and contortionist. She has trained for 10 years under aerialist Liana Repass and additionally spent summers studying at The Circus Warehouse in New York City. She now works for an Atlanta-based performance company called Infinity Circus Productions and has performed at various festivals, parties, and events throughout the Southeast including Artesphere Arts Festival in Greenville SC, An Evening In Orange hosted by The University of Tennessee Medical Center, the opening of the Natural Sciences Museum in Raleigh, NC, and on the set of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta". In her spare time, Morgan works as an aerial instructor for Circus Camp based in Decatur Georgia, where she aspires to inspire kids through circus arts.

 

Jenn Vigh, 2017 UGA Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies 

Originally from Roanoke, Virginia, Jenn is a fourth year transfer student pursuing a double minor in dance and public health as well as a BA in communication studies. She is a second year CORE Concert Dance Company member, enjoying her first year training on the trapeze. Jenn previously trained at James Madison University from 2013-2014 as well as at the University of Winchester, the University of London and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in the summer of 2014. In the summer of 2015, she was privileged to intern for Dance Canvas, a choreography presenting company, in Atlanta, Georgia. The past two fall semesters she has performed in the Young Choreographer’s Showcase at UGA. Jenn is excited to have the opportunity to train and perform as a part of the fierce five artistic athletes of the 2017 CORE Concert Contemporary and Aerial Dance Company season.

 

 

GUEST PERFORMERS

 

Michael Ball, UGA Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance

Originally from Statham, GA, Michael completed four years at the University of Georgia and is (all but degree) taking a hiatus from earning his BFA in Dance. He began receiving formal dance training after graduating highschool at DanceFX in Athens, where he is currently a teacher and choreographer. Michael performed with CORE Concert Dance Company for two seasons 2014-16. Returning to his first love of hip hop dance, he looks forward to the many skills and opportunities that lie ahead of him over the next few years. 

 

Ethan Hogan

Ethan Hogan is a fifth grader at Double Helix STEAM School, where his passion has become engineering and art. Recently he competed in the regional Lego League competition with his school, and their focus was on ways to keep humans from harming animals. His group focused on shark finning, and ways technology could prevent it by building robots and machinery to fit those needs. Ethan loves to act, and he has been in eight productions at Athens Little Playhouse over the past 3 years. He is currently working on Seussical the Musical as one of the Wickersham Brothers. Most importantly, Ethan is the oldest child to CORE Concert dance alumns Heather Abernathy-Hogan and Erik Hogan.

 

Hazel Hogan

Hazel Hogan is a second grader at Timothy Road Elementary school, and is known as an old soul in an 8-year old body. She performs with the Kinder Company at Dancefx, does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Megaladon Gym, does gymnastics at Georgia Elite Gymnastics, and occasionally acts in productions at Athens Little Playhouse. Not only is she a force to be reckoned with, but she is also a driving force of good in our community. Most recently, she hosted Hazel's Hut for the Homeless and raised $800.00 for the Athens Area Homeless Shelter, by selling treats and lemonade at her own stand. Hazel plans to contribute even more in 2017 by hosting other charities at her Hut. She is the youngest child to CORE Concert dance alumns Heather Abernathy-Hogan and Erik Hogan.

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Alex Ozbilen, 2020 UGA Supply Chain Management & International Business​

Alex Ozbilen, originally from Newnan, GA, is a first year student at the University of Georgia. She is pursuing a degree in Supply Chain Management with a co major in international business. This is her second year participating in aerial dance with CORE. She has a background in gymnastics, cheerleading, and pole vaulting.  She started gymnastics when she was three years old, and stopped when she was in level nine at the age of sixteen. She went to Newnan School of Gymnastics, and her coaches were Lyumila Sorokina and Cricket. She then moved on to competitive cheerleading for two different teams, and took up pole vaulting during her senior year. Her previous experience with these sports has been a great aid in participating in CORE. She is looking forward to performing in an aerial dance production.

 

Nicolas Lindell, 2018 B.S. Mathematics, B.Mus. Music Performance

Originally from Marietta, Georgia, and Dayton, Ohio before that, Nicholas began playing the violin at age seven through the University of Dayton’s String Project. Soon after, he began private violin lessons, and he later learned the viola and some cello; now, if faced with a decision between them, he couldn’t choose just one. Nicholas currently studies with Dr. Michael Heald and Maggie Snyder at UGA and serves as Assistant Principal Second Violin in the UGA Symphony Orchestra.

While his music education involves primarily classical music, Nicholas has fostered a love for playing many alternative styles. Jazz and Celtic and bluegrass fiddling are among his favorites. He hopes to share his wide range of talents and interests along a variety of avenues, whether in the concert hall with the symphony or a chamber ensemble, with his folk band Candle Hill Lions, or on the streets of Athens playing for tips.

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Concert Collaboration and Production 

 

Jacquelyn Kibbe, Technical Director and Lighting Design

Jacque Kibbe is thankful to be working With Core for the second Year.  Jacque is a native of Pennsylvania but has spent ten years traveling all over the world with shows like Sesame Street Live, Disney on Ice and many others. She continues to teach the aspects of live theater and dance to people all over the area and is innovating the way people think of touring live shows.  Jacque is accompanied on this journey, by her 2 zany kids and her wife who thankfully understands how much work live shows take.

 

Joseph Stunzi, Photography, Film and Technology Integration

Joseph Stunzi studied Biology and Psychology at the University of Georgia as a former Foundation Fellow with graduate work in Educational Technology focused on Creativity, Innovation and Technology.  A creative technologist and film director, Joseph's past clients include Apple, AT&T, CBS Sports, Facebook, MTV, NFL Network, Showtime Sports, and the Shedd Aquarium. His experience ranges from developing the camera workflow for protoype Canon cameras to producing the Emmy award-winning "Great Camera Shootout" to engineering bullet time and other specialty shots for the NCAA Final Four. Through his creative agency Locomotive, Joseph has traveled more than 150,000 miles in the past three years shooting mini-documentary stories for Facebook Stories. Specializing in work for science, technology and healthcare companies, Joseph aims to creatively impact the world through the cinemative lens. Joseph’s true passion is education and helping people see things differently through the cinematic lens of story.