instructors

Aurora Corsano is the director of Luminz Studio and has studied, taught and performed dance for over 20 years. Aurora was a guest student at the European Dance Development Center in the Netherlands and has danced in the productions of choreographers Yoshiko Chuma, Mary Fulkerson and Angus Balbernie in Europe and New York. She toured the Netherlands and Spain as an aerialist with the experimental electronic music group Kreepa, danced in spectacle productions for Pink Inc. throughout the US and has presented her own work in venues in NYC and Vermont. She founded the multimedia performance group Luminzcircus in 2003 with Jana Zeller and has produced art circuses, cabarets and choreographed many dance pieces. She has taught workshops on dance for children in Barcelona, Amsterdam and London with Kreepa, choreographed work for elementary school students and college students in Vermont and has been teaching Modern dance in Brattleboro for the past five years.

Jacqueline Angrisani has 10 years of experience spinning fire. Since her first spin, she has continued to expand her repertoire of techniques and to evolve her dance style using various models of poi. A resident of Vermont, she has instructed several Poi classes and held workshops specifically geared toward dancing with fire poi. She continues to study poi as the dance form evolves, and performs as a fire dancer at special events.

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Christie Clovis recently returned to the east coast after 12 years in San Francisco. She has been dancing ballet, modern, and jazz for the past 25 years. She studied and performed dance at Wesleyan University, as well as trained in Modern Jazz Blues for 11 years with her teachers Bayan Jamay and Elvia Marta of San Francisco. Her influences include Alvin Ailey, Horton, Graham, Limon, and lyrical jazz. Christie is dedicated to sharing with her students the spirit, heart, and emotional expression that is released through dance. She is thrilled to introduce the style of Modern Jazz Blues to Southern Vermont.

Shawn DJ grew up dancing in Urban Battle competitions in Jeresy City, NJ. In 1995 he was invited to work with Def Jam Records and became dance coordinator for the dance team. He has danced with Tommy the Clown and is in the film Rize. He brings fresh new moves to his students at Luminz Studio in Brattleboro, VT.

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Gene Eckhoff has been an enthusiastic Latin dancer for more than 20 years and has been dancing Argentine Tango for over 13 years. Gene says he is, “drawn to the dance because of its infinite possibilities of expression and connection that can be demonstrated in something as simple as an embrace.” He began teaching Argentine tango in 2000 with Estudio Tango in Hadley, MA, locally in Brattleboro at the former
Brattleboro Area Argentine Tango Society and privately. Gene’s welcoming and patient teaching style supports dancers in the community and beyond whether teaching fundamentals to beginners or technique to experienced dancers. He has studied with many teachers both local and international including Jackie Maidana, Brigitta Winkler, Tomas Howlin and Gustavo Naviera. He is assisted in his teaching by Christine Kierstead, his partner since 2006.

Cyndal Ellis is currently finishing her bachelors degree at Smith
College in dance and anthropology. She’s been studying and performing
dance for 15 years with particular emphasis on modern dance, ballet,
and most recently, belly dance and tribal fusion. She has
choreographed and performed Tribal Fusion for numerous haflas in New
England and at Smith College.

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Amanda Goble is a certified Pilates instructor and personal trainer.  She discovered Pilates in 2000, and was later certified through the Physical Mind Institute, Vitality Pilates & Physical Therapy, and the Pilates Method Alliance.  She is also an ACE certified personal trainer.  With a background in gymnastics, dance, and circus arts, she performs both ground and aerial circus/theater acts, and teaches workshops on trapeze and conditioning.  She has found Pilates to be a useful tool for maintaining balance and focus of body and mind throughout her pursuits, and believes it can help others in the same way.  Amanda is dedicated to continuing education and has been fortunate to have been taught and inspired by incredible sources of information and wisdom – her many teachers, mentors, colleagues, friends, and clients!  With a strong foundation in anatomy and a keen eye for alignment, Amanda utilizes imagery and intuition to enable clients to find deepened body awareness in both stillness and motion. She appreciates the continuing opportunity to work with a wide range of clients - assisting them to realize their potential, while honoring their individual needs.  Amanda also teaches private lessons - for more information visit www.eqpilates.com.

Kristin Horrigan has taught contact improvisation across the East Coast and Midwest at festivals, jams, dance centers, and universities. She is a modern dancer and choreographer, and has recently come to Brattleboro to serve as an Assistant Professor of Dance at Marlboro College. She remains the Artistic Director of the Dance Generators, an intergenerational dance company in Northampton, MA. Her latest adventure was a five week journey dancing across Europe, attending along the way several international contact improvisation festivals.

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Trixie Little Long ago in Charm City, before there was Trixie Little, there was Tiny T. Tiny T was born into a large circus family. Unfortunately, Tiny T was also orphaned at a young age after a terrible elephant tight rope accident. Things got worse for Tiny T when she was forced to live with her mean Uncle Tosso…The Knife Thrower…and his mean monkey, Muddles. Life with Tosso was hard. Until one day when Tosso’s trailer was struck by a bolt of PINK LIGHTNING! This bolt of lightning killed Tosso immediately! And froze Tiny T at her prepubescent height, amplified her cuteness to heroic proportions, and imbued her with super-human spanking powers! Creating the sassy burlesque superstar that is Trixie Little! This same bolt of lighting had an effect on Muddles as well. Muddles had become terribly twisted under Tosso’s tutelage. And the powerful electric shock turned an already mean circus monkey into The Evil Hate Monkey! Thusly juxtaposed, Trixie Little and The Evil Hate Monkey have been fighting, dancing, flipping and stripping for the opposing forces of good and evil, ever since.

Molly Melloan works as a musician, illustrator, choreographer, writer and intuitive consultant. She has performed as part of Luminzcircus for the past five years and has choreographed for the Brattleboro School of Dance.

Gershom Moore has been breakin and house dancing since the 1980’s when the style was taking form. He has taught children at The Brattleboro School of Dance and Flow Yoga Center in Brattleboro, Vt.

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Leah Mutz is the co direcor of Luminz Studio. She graduated with a degree in dance and movement studies from Antioch College. She has performed with Sandglass Theater, The Company of Strangers, and The Hibakusha Peace Project and performed and directed for Luminzcircus. She has taught movement to children and adults with a focus on core strengthening and lengthening of the body into space. Inherent in her work is the understanding that in order to approach our world with generosity and positivity we must first understand ourselves and our bodies as deeply good and intrinsically beautiful.

Carrie Towle began her dance training in Brattleboro, Vermont and went on to study at the Boston Ballet, the New York School of Ballet, was a dance major at SUNY Purchase and performed with the Purchase Dance Corps. Carrie taught for several studios in Albuquerque while also dancing and teaching for the New Mexico Ballet Company. Carrie has taught ballet to all ages and levels for over fifteen years. In Vermont and Massachusetts, she has taught for Deerfield Academy, The Stoneleigh Burnham School, The Brattleboro School of Dance, the Perfoming Arts/Dance Program of the Windham Regional Career Center, Vermont Academy, Marlboro College, The Williston North Hampton School, and Kelly’s Dance Academy. She holds a MA in Counselor Education from the University of New Mexico and lives in Dummerston with her three beautiful children

Meg Van Dyck has taught, choreographed and performed throughout New England and New York City over the past ten years. She recently moved to Vermont and served as the artistic director of dance for the Journey East Program at Leland and Gray High School. She accompanied 23 students as they performed her choreography throughout China and Inner Mongolia. Meg has danced with Dodge Dance Company in New York City and Sorvino Dance Project in Western Massachusetts and is a graduate of Smith College. She has also taught dance at Foreign Language School International at Tufts University, Theater of Dreams in New York City, and Deerfield Academy. She enjoys sharing her love for dance with others

David Woodberry worked with Steve Paxton from 1972 - 1975, at the very beginning of contact improvisation; and toured with him across the country as we performed up and down the CA coast, the East Coast, and in Europe.
David enjoyed a post modern dance career in NYC til 1986; working with many post modern companies, including Lucinda Childs, Douglas Dunn, Pauline DeGroot, Mary Fulkerson, and, in the Philip Glass opera “Einstein on the Beach”. His own company, Running & Rolling Foundation, toured Europe 12 times. His signature piece: “Nijinsky Suicide Health Club”, toured in both the US and Europe. His choreography was awarded grants from the NEA, VCA, NYSCA, and private foundations.