Dance & Performance Studies Guest Artists

Each semester RWU’s Dance & Performance Studies Program welcomes a diverse roster of artists to work directly with our students via our outstanding guest artist residency program.  These internationally renowned artists offer students a range of dynamic first-hand learning experiences via master classes, repertory rehearsals, and face to face feedback – enhancing each dancer’s networking skills and professional contacts.

Working with a steady rotation of touring artists also helps RWU dancers experience the vast potential and varied paths within the field of movement studies – which helps each student develop their own identities as artists, scholars, and professionals.

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Spring 2025

Monica Bill Barnes & Company –February 3 to 7

Monica Bill BarnesMONICA BILL BARNES is a dancer and choreographer. Since MBB&CO’s founding in 1997, her choreography has been seen in many places, such as New York City’s Bowling Green public fountain, on stage at Carnegie Hall, throughout the galleries of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and in Greta Gerwig’s film “Little Women.” The company has been presented in over 50 cities and internationally in venues ranging from The Kennedy Center to the Sydney Opera House in a collaboration with Ira Glass in Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host. Barnes began collaborating with Robbie Saenz de Viteri in 2013 at which point the company adopted the motto of “bringing dance where it doesn’t belong.” Recent collaborations include a national tour of The Running Show; a site-specific show in a mall - Days Go By; and two online works created during the pandemic - Keep Moving and It’s 3:07 Again. The company just presented a three-week run of their new show, Many Happy Returns at Playwrights Horizons in January 2025.  More info about Monica and her company.

Flannery GreggFLANNERY GREGG is a performer and movement director based in NYC. She has rehearsal directed and performed in Monica Bill Barnes & Company’s productions of The Running Show, Day’s Go ByKeepIt’s 3:07 Again and Many Happy Returns. She has also worked alongside Barnes as associate choreographer/dancer on the Greta Gerwig directed film “Little Women.” Flannery has worked as a movement director for NYU, staging student performances at the Barclays Center, Radio City Music Hall, and NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. She was the assistant choreographer to Sam Pinkleton on the Broadway musical Natasha Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 and the associate choreographer to Sonya Tayeh for Sing Street, a new musical. She is thrilled to be performing and teaching with MBB&Co.!

 

Christina Robson –March 17 to 21

Christina RobsonCHRISTINA ROBSON is a performer, educator, and choreographer from Boston, Massachusetts. Her extensive performance career includes long term collaborations with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, David Dorfman Dance and Sean Curran Company where she performed historic repertory and premiered several original evening length works at The Kennedy Center, American Dance Festival, Jacobs Pillow, and The Joyce Theater. She has toured two seasons with DanceMotion USA, a cross cultural exchange partnership between Brooklyn Academy of Music and The US Department of State. Robson’s work with Monica Bill Barnes & Company includes collaborations with American Public Radio personality Ira Glass in Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host as well as This American Life Live! at NYU’s Skirball Center. Robson was a performer in the Bessie Award-winning immersive theater show Then She Fell by Third Rail Productions and has decade-long collaborative tenures with choreographers Heidi Henderson and Kendra Portier. Rachel Rizzuto, associate editor of Dance Magazine, described Robson as, “The modern dancer to watch of this next generation. Her ability to mold herself to any number of choreographers’ styles with ease and detail is truly exceptional.” Christina has been on rotating faculty at Gibney Dance and Peridance Capezio Center, and instructed pre-professional training programs at The Joffrey Ballet, DanceWave, and 92nd Street Y. In 2018, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company partnered with The Mellon Foundation through Arts Transcending Borders, where Robson facilitated NCAA Division 1 athletes at The College of the Holy Cross in a choreographic residency highlighting the physical negotiation of partnering with the mutual effort of team sports. Robson’s choreographic work has been presented by a range of institutions such as NYU Tisch, Barnard College, SUNY Purchase, Hartt School, The Wooden Floor, Providence Water Fire Festival, Bethany Arts, and Boston University.

Christina is an alumna of Roger William University’s Dance & Performance Program, where she majored in and earned a BA in Dance.  She dedicates much of her professional success to the amazing opportunities that the Dance and Performance Studies Program offered.  After graduating, and several years of touring the globe as a professional dancer, she earned an MFA in Dance at the University of Maryland.  She is now Assistant Professor of Dance at George Mason University – and is very excited to be coming back to RWU!  Find out more about Christina.

Hannah Ekholm

HANNA EKHOLM

Kellie Ann Lynch

KELLIE ANN LYNCH

 Jenna Gross and Jillian MacLaughlin

JILL MAC LAUGHLIN

JENNA GROSS

ROSE WOODS DANCE COLLABORATIVE 

Headshot of Anthony Torres

ANTHONY TORRES

Claudia-Lynn Rightmire Dancing

CLAUDIA-LYNN RIGHTMIRE

Simon Thomas-Train Dancing

SIMON THOMAS-TRAIN

Layne Paradis Willis headshot

LAYNE PARADIS WILLIS

Anna Tse

ANNA TSE

Janice Rosario dancing

JANICE ROSARIO

Hannah Barrows Dancing

HANNAH BARROWS

Colin Stilwell Dancing

COLIN STILWELL

Charles Z. Kalajian

CHARLES Z. KALAJIAN

Moussa Traoré

MOUSSA TRAORÉ

Nicole Gallo

NICOLE GALLO

Seydou Coulibaly

SEYDOU COULIBALY

Assitan Coulibaly

ASSITAN COULIBALY

Meryl "Mez" Gendreau

MERYL "MEZ" GENDREAU

Mike Tyus

MIKE TYUS

Shawn Ahern

SHAWN AHERN

Jason Aryeh

JASON ARYEH

Ephrat Asherie

EPHRAT ASHERIE

Shura Baryshnikov

ALEKSANDRA "Shura" LANG BARYSHNIKOV

TANDY BEAL

TANDY BEAL

Mary Ellen Beaudreau

MARY ELLEN BEAUDREAU

MARTY BELLER

MARTY BELLER

Michael Bolger

MICHAEL BOLGER

JANIS BRENNER

JANIS BRENNER

DANNY BURACZESKI

DANNY BURACZESKI

CREACH/KOESTER

CREACH/KOESTER

Gisela Creus

GISELA CREUS

TERESE FREEDMAN

TERESE FREEDMAN COLEMAN

Coleman

JIM COLEMAN

FRED CURCHACK

FRED CURCHACK

SEAN CURRAN

SEAN CURRAN

Danielle Davidson

DANIELLE DAVIDSON

Kelley Donovan

KELLEY DONOVAN

DAVID DORFMAN

DAVID DORFMAN/LISA RACE

HILLARY EASTON

HILLARY EASTON

CHRIS ELAM

CHRIS ELAM

DOUG ELKINS

DOUG ELKINS

BILL EVANS

BILL EVANS

MOLISSA FENLEY

MOLISSA FENLEY

CARL FLINK

CARL FLINK

Olase Freeman

OLASE FREEMAN

MARGIE GILLIS

MARGIE GILLIS

ARTHUR HALL

ARTHUR HULL

JOSH HILBERMAN

JOSH HILBERMAN

RANDY JAMES

RANDY JAMES

PETER KALIVAS

PETER KALIVAS

Jeff Kazan

JEFF KAZAN

Leslie Kraus

LESLIE KRAUS

Janice Lancaster

JANICE LANCASTER

HEIDI LATSKY

HEIDI LATSKY

NICHOLAS LEICHTER

NICHOLAS LEICHTER

FRED MANN

FRED MANN

Sayer Mansfield

SAYER MANSFIELD

Kathryn E. McNamara

KATHRYN E. MCNAMARA

TIFFANY MILLS

TIFFANY MILLS

MEREDITH MONK

MEREDITH MONK

CATHY NICOLI

CATHY NICOLI

David Parker

DAVID PARKER

DEANNA PELLECCHIA

DEANNA PELLECCHIA

EMILY PLAUCHÉ

EMILY PLAUCHÉ

CLAIRE PORTER

CLAIRE PORTER

NETA PULVERMARCHER

NETA PULVERMARCHER

TROIKA RANCH

TROIKA RANCH

Christina Jane Robson

CHRISTINA JANE ROBSON

JENNY ROCHA

JENNY ROCHA

OTIS SALLID

OTIS SALLID

GREG SCHANUEL

GREG SCHANUEL

MARY SEIDMAN

MARY SEIDMAN

Deganit Shemy

DEGANIT SHEMY

Helen Simoneau

HELEN SIMONEAU

BILLY SIEGENFELD

BILLY SIEGENFELD

Sydney Skybetter

SYDNEY SKYBETTER

Chris Lewis Smith

CHRIS LEWIS SMITH

Kathy Gordon Smith

KATHY GORDON SMITH

DANIEL STEIN

DANIEL STEIN

L’ANTOINETTE STINES

L’ANTOINETTE STINES

Takehiro Ueyama

TAKEHIRO UEYAMA

MELODY RUFFIN WARD

MELODY RUFFIN WARD

Kate Weare

KATE WEARE

ELLIS WOOD

ELLIS WOOD

Raphael Xavier

RAPHAEL XAVIER

 

Bryn Cohn

BRYN COHN

Netta Yerushalmy

NETTA YERUSHALMY

Jenny Rocha

JENNY ROCHA

Bebe Miller

BEBE MILLER

Hollis Bartlett & Nattie Trogdan

HOLLIS BARTLETT & NATALIE TROGDAN

Candice Salyers

CANDICE SALYERS

Christopher-Rasheem McMillan

CHRISTOPHER-RASHEEM MCMILLAN

Joan Rodrigues

JOAN RODRIGUEZ

Katie Moorhead

KATIE MOORHEAD

Fritha Pengelly

FRITHA PENGELLY

Andy Russ

ANDY RUSS

Alyssa Glantz

ALYSSA GLANTZ

Heidi Henderson

HEIDI HENDERSON

Ashley Rich

ASHLEY RICH

Aretha Aoki

ARETHA AOKI

Jean Abreu

Jean Abreu

Jorge Cresis

Jorge Cresis

Malgorzata Dzierson

Malgorzata Dzierson

TJ LOWE

TJ LOWE

Katie Lusby

KATIE LUSBY

Alexander Whitley

ALEXANDER WHITLEY

Renaud Wiser

RENAUD WISER

 

More about RWU’s Dance & Performance Program

Contact

Professor of Dance and Performance Studies, Cathy Nicoli, cnicoli@rwu.edu