Bebe Miller's Blessed "In the Spirit" section was originally staged on CORE Concert Dance Company in 1998. CORE Alum return to perform this work again, 20 years later, and prepared with coaching residency by Bebe Miller in January, 2018. The piece opened the 2018 CORE Contemporary Aerial and Dance season WITHOUT (within) BORDERS, Thurs.-Sat. FEB. 22-24 held at the UGA Department of Dance.

Bebe Miller, Choreographer

Bebe Miller has received four New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Awards and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, Guggenheim Foundation and many others. She was a United States Artists Ford Fellow, received one of the first Doris Duke Artists Awards and a New York Live Arts’ 2013 David White Award, and was a 2015 Movement Research Honoree. A Distinguished Professor in Dance at The Ohio State University’s College of Arts and Humanities from 2000–2016, Miller received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Ursinus College in 2009.

 

Miller’s vision of dance and performance resides in her faith in the moving body as a record of thought, experience, and beauty. Her aesthetic relies on the interplay of a work’s idea, its physicality, and the contributions of company members to fashion its singular voice. Seeking to expand the language of dance, Bebe Miller Company’s work encompasses choreography, writing, film, video and digital media. Committed to keeping dance available to a wide spectrum of people and to further the conversation about the role of arts and creativity in our culture, BMC is dedicated to providing access to the creative process and expression to diverse communities. Bebe Miller Company was formed in 1985; since then, Miller has created more than 50 dance works for the company that have been performed in nearly 400 engagements worldwide. BMC has been commissioned and presented by leading venues including 651 ARTS, BAM Next Wave, DTW, Jacob’s Pillow, Joyce Theater, PICA, REDCAT, Walker Art Center and Wexner Center for the Arts. The company’s newest project, Vault, is a series of artist-driven national convenings, meant to share innovative methodologies for documenting, archiving and sharing the dance-making process. Activities with artists, presenters, curators, archivists, scholars and technologists range from peer-to-peer and intergenerational mentoring, informal “campfire” talks, formal presentations on recent practices, and resource-sharing. Gatherings have been held in New York City and Seattle, and plans are afoot for a gathering in the Columbus area in 2018.

 

CORE Alum Blessed Project Performers

*original 1998 Blessed performers

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*Blake Dalton

Blake Dalton danced with Core at UGA in the 90s and  then went on to dance with Core Perfomance Company in Atlanta GA.  Blake toured nationally and internationally with Core for 14 years.  Blake founded his own company Crossover Movement Arts and spends time creating and performing work in Atlanta - often collaborating with his wife Erin!  Blake teaches Pilates, Redcord, and Kettlebells at Studio Lotus in Atlanta and continues to teach Freestyle Poling out and about. Blake is currently  exploring new choreography with his 2 year old son Finn. 

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Heather Hogan

Heather Hogan is a CORE Alum graduate from 2001. She performed with CORE on their China tour and danced professionally for several years. Currently, she owns her own company doing real estate title work and is married to fellow CORE Alum, Erik Hogan. They reside in Athens with their two children who are extremely active in the arts in the Athens community.

 

*Stephanie Napierala Little

Stephanie Napierala Little graduated from UGA with her BS in Dance Education in 2000. In addition to spending three years with Core Concert Dance Company, she was a multi-year recipient of the Lucy Lampkin Dance Scholarship and was the first ever recipient of the Cynthia Jarvis Memorial Scholarship for Summer Study in Dance. After graduation, Stephanie performed with Zoetic Dance Ensemble in Atlanta and taught for the Atlanta Ballet Center for Dance Education prior to relocating permanently to New York City. She has choreographed and performed Latin/rhythm ballroom dance in the United States and abroad and was a member of Drye/Marinaro Dance Company (NYC) until 2016. Stephanie holds an MBA in Finance from Fordham University and is currently the Director of Finance & Human Resources at ProPublica in New York City, where she resides with her family.

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*Anne Shaffer, Blessed Project Coordinator

Anne Shaffer performed with CORE from 1996-1998. She continued to live and perform in Athens for a few years before moving to Minneapolis, where she earned her PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Minnesota. Back in Athens since 2008, she is a founding member of Underground Dance Society, a repertory company member at Canopy Aerial Dance Studio, and an Associate Professor of Psychology at UGA.

 

*Jennifer Tweed Morlock, Blessed Project Coordinator

Jennifer Tweed Morlock enjoyed performing as a member of CORE repertory company from 1995 to 1998 after which she went on to complete her Masters of Physical Therapy at East Tennessee State University.  She moved back to Athens to marry a most amazing man and they have been blessed with two most amazing children.  She continues her practice of physical therapy specializing in chronic back pain at Athens Orthopedic Clinic as well as her life long practice of dance currently through Underground Dance Society, Canopy Aerial Studio, Center City Ballet and Movement Arts and anywhere else that will let her come play.

 

Maryn Whitmore

Maryn Whitmore is a performance artist, dance maker, and certified Pilates instructor with more than 20 years of experience as a teacher of movement. Maryn is a 2001 graduate of the UGA Department of Dance where she trained and performed with Core Concert Dance Company under the direction of Bala Sarasvati. She later earned a 600-hour comprehensive certification in the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning to support her dance training. In 2010, Maryn and her partner Matt founded Skwhirlhaus, a backyard stage bringing creatives and the community together for unique performance events. She is currently a part-time instructor in the Dance Department at UGA teaching Mindfulness, Yoga, and Pilates. Maryn also shares her lifelong love of dance through her teaching at Center City Ballet and Movement Arts. Maryn lives in Athens GA with her partner Matt and their two daughters, Naomi and Sorci.

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*Genie Wiggins

Genie graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Science in Dance Education from the University of Georgia. She also studied Creative Expression at the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology. She has served as the Director of Dance at the Academy of Performing and Visual Arts at Shuman Middle School in Savannah and as Director of Dance at Oconee County High School in Watkinsville. Genie acted as adjudicator for the Professional Dance Teacher’s Association National Dance Competition and Stars of Tomorrow Dance Competition. She has taught at numerous studios throughout the Southeast, performing in a variety of productions and choreographing award winning pieces along the way. In 2010, she received the DanceAthens award for excellence for her contributions to the Athens dance community. As an accomplished filmmaker, Genie was chosen in 2011 to create a music video for the Foo Fighter's Grammy Award winning album, "Wasting Light."  She has worked extensively directing creative arts programs for individuals with developmental disabilities, and currently works as a dance and special educator  for the Clarke County School District.