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Lindsey Leduc Brenner (Southbridge, MA) Lindsey began her training with Terri Gordon in Sturbridge, MA. She received a scholarship to Hofstra University in Long Island where she earned her B.A in Dance and Community Health. Lindsey has performed with Robin Becker Dance and under the direction of Tony Award winner, Hinton Battle. Her choreography was in the American College Dance Festival Gala in 2003, and more recently in Director’s Choice of Dance Chicago. Her work can also be seen on Inaside Chicago Dance. Lindsey is on faculty at the Giordano Dance School where she is the leader of the Giordano Juniors red group. She is enjoying her fourth season with GJDC.
Joshua Blake Carter (Atlanta, GA) Joshua is a graduate of the University of Arizona in Tucson where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, as well as the Outstanding Senior Award from the School of Dance. Before arriving in Arizona, Joshua trained at the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts in Atlanta, GA, under the direction of Denise Reeves. In addition, he trained on scholarship with the Giordano Dance School in the summers of 2006 and 2008, and in 2009 he was a member of Giordano II. Joshua has had the opportunity to perform work by internationally recognized choreographers such as Frank Chaves, Susan Quinn, Sam Watson, Michael Williams, Doug Nielsen, Amy Ernst and most recently Mia Michaels. Joshua is the Founding Artistic Director of dance in the RED, a concert that began as his senior capstone project and escalated to an event that raised $10,000 for the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF). He is also the founding director of FURY dance workshop, a weeklong, summer training ground for young dancers. In January of 2009, Joshua was selected as one of three finalists for Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s national choreography competition, dancemakers 2.0, and in April he was selected as the winner. This is Joshua’s first season with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago.
Zachary Heller (Alexandria, VA) Zachary Heller graduated with a BFA in Dance from the University of Arizona, where he performed works by Susan Quinn, Sam Watson, Michael Williams, Douglas Nielsen, Frank Chavez and George Balanchine. He attended the Giordano Dance School Summer Scholarship Program in 2005 and 2006. This will be Zachary’s second season with GJDC. Zachary would like to thank his friends and family for all of their love and support.
Lindsey LaFountain (Utica,NY) Lindsey began her training at the Munson Williams Proctor Institute School of Dance in Upstate New York. Later she attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA where she received her BFA in Modern Dance Performance. There she had the privilege of working with Ginger Cox, Donald Lunsford, Kim Bears-Bailey, Christine Cox, and Zane Booker. She has also studied at Philadanco Studios and Koresh School of Dance. After graduating Lindsey continued working under the direction of Zane Booker as a dancer, and as Artistic Associate for The Smoke, Lilies & Jade Arts Initiative. Lindsey is truly honored to begin her first season with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago.
Maeghan McHale (Baltimore, MD) Maeghan graduated from the Baltimore School for the Arts where she performed works by David Parsons, John Clifford, David Grenke, and Hinton Battle. She received a full scholarship to Dance Theatre of Harlem where she spent three years performing with their second company, Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble. Maeghan studied at Steps on Broadway and performed with Extended Dance, and off-Broadway under Hinton Battle. In 2005 she received a full scholarship to the Giordano Dance School. In 2006 Maeghan was a member of Giordano II and a Performing Apprentice with GJDC. Most recently Maeghan was named one of Dance Magazine's 25 to Watch. This is her third season as a full company member.
Robert Mckee (Meza, AZ) Robert started at a young age with Hip Hop. As he grew older his interest in other forms of dance increased. Robert recently graduated from Point Park University with a B.A. in Dance. At Point Park he worked with Troika Ranch, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Edgar Zendejas, and Kiesha Lalama-White. Robert also enjoys exploring choreography and teaching. He teaches a number of youth hip hop classes and enjoys the curious energy of young minds. Robert is on faculty at Columbia College teaching the Giordano technique. This is his third season with GJDC, and he is excited to be a part of this family.
Cesar G. Salinas (Canby, OR) Cesar graduated from the University at Buffalo, New York, with a BFA in Dance. He received a scholarship at the Giordano Dance School in the summers of 2004 and 2005. After graduating from college, he joined Giordano II. Cesar is also a faculty member at Giordano Dance School where he teaches youth and teen/adult level classes. He is a mentor and group leader for the Giordano Green Group. He is also part of GJDC’s educational outreach program, teaching jazz dance to fifth grade students in underserved public schools. This is Cesar’s fourth season with GJDC.
Meredith Schultz (Medina, OH) Meredith graduated cum laude from the University Of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, with a BFA in dance. While attending college, she performed with the Dayton Ballet and was a member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II. She also had the privilege of performing works by Sean Curran, Paul Taylor, and George Balanchine. Meredith perfected her training at summer programs such as Jacob’s Pillow’s Jazz Intensive, Point Park, American Academy of Ballet, and Mia Michaels’ Live. After graduation, she attended a Giordano workshop and was offered a scholarship to study at the Giordano Dance School. After starting the scholarship Meredith was offered a position with the second company, and was with Giordano II for two seasons. This is Meredith’s second season with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago.
Ashley Lauren Smith (Toledo, OH) Ashley recently received a B.A. in dance from Point Park University with a concentration in Jazz. There she worked with choreographers Ron de Jesus, Lauri Stallings, Kiesha Lalama-White, and Doug Varone. As a member of Actor’s Equity Association she has been in the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s productions of “42nd Street”, “Music Man”, “Hello Dolly!”, and “Me and My Girl”. Last school year Ashley taught in GJDC’s outreach program at Helen Peirce Elementary school. During the 2007-2008 season Ashley was a member of Giordano II. She is honored and excited to begin her second season with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago.
Martin Ortiz Tapia (Chicago, IL) Martin recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, where he earned his degree in Music, Spanish, and Dance. There he performed works by Mia Michaels, Billy Siegenfeld, Mary Anthony, and Susan Marshall. Last summer, Martin was part of the Forum Jazz Dance Theatre and performed "Gekkoh", choreographed by Eddy Ocampo, which won the Gold Leo Award in the Jazz Dance Choreography Competitive Event at the 2007 Jazz Dance World Congress. Martin received a scholarship at the Giordano Dance School in the summer of 2007. 2008-2009 was Martin’s first season with Giordano II. This is Martin's first season with Giordano Jazz dance Chicago.