Guest Choreographers

GUEST CHOREOGRAPHERS 2007

Dare to Dance Pleased to Welcome Guest Choreographers

Dance Saskatchewan Inc is pleased to welcome Stephen Findlay and Sherri Scherger, two guest choreographers who will be working with Artistic Director Annie Wood on this year’s Dare to Dance production.

Click here to view the press releases announcing the Guest Choreographers for The Company

Stephen Findlay Stephen began his career with the Alberta Ballet, then moved to Ballet North where he spent four seasons as a soloist. Some past theatre credits include; Joseph And the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Three seasons with the Charlottetown Festival where he played in Anne Of Green Gables, Puttin’ On The Ritz, and Guys And Dolls. Forty Second Street and Crazy For You, both for Huron County Playhouse. Robin Hood and Peter Pan, the pantomimes at the Elgin Theatre. Swing Step, an original Canadian Musical and numerous others.

Film and T.V. credits include: Once Upon A Mattress, The Gemini Awards, Queer As Folk, Stormy Weather, Superstar, and the Canada Day Special for C.B.C. He has had the good fortune to work with artists such as Donny Osmond, Shania Twain, Ernie Coombs, (Mr. Dressup), Rex Harrington, Carol Burnett, Traci Ullman, and Tony Award winning choreographer Kathleen Marshall.

Also a sought after teacher, he has taught for the Edmonton School of Ballet, The Alberta Ballet School, The Young Canadians of Calgary, The Charlottetown Festival Young Company, and is currently on faculty at both George Brown Dance, Sheridan College, and metro Movement. He was founder and producer of "More Than Applause" benefits for the Actors’ Fund of Canada and created an original Canadian television series titled Clipped, which is currently searching out a development deal.

This past season he had the good fortune to choreograph West Side Story for Sheridan College, danced in the Welcome To The Sixties scene for the motion picture Hairspray, and was featured in the Toronto Star "Ask Why" campaign.

Sherri Scherger was principal dancer with Decidedly Jazz Dance Company as well as Las Vegas Company Farrington Production that performed at the Rio and toured Japan. She has performed in The Boyfriend, The MusicMan, 42nd Street, and the Pajama Game. She has done choreography for United Theatre Players, Limelight Theatre, Front Row Centre Players, Fusion Dance Company, The Source Dance Company, and Mount Royal Theatre Arts Faculty. She has also choreographed for the Michael Jackson VH1 Film, Man in the Mirror, Celsius Films, Fashion Television, the Gemini Awards, the Juno Awards, and Disney, and is the recipient of the International Choreography Award. Sherrie is manager and instructor for the Sean Cheesman Dance Camp, who has worked with Janet and Michael Jackson, Prince, Queen Latifah, Britney Spears, and Carmen Electra. She is currently the resident choreographer for the B.C. Lions extreme dance team.

Justine Chambers is a Vancouver-based independent contemporary dance artist. She was a principal dancer and rehearsal director for Desrosiers Dance Theatre, a member of Diavolo Dance Theater in Los Angeles and has worked with a number of independent choreographers worldwide including: Roxanne Huilmand (Brussels), Kota Yamazaki (Japan), Julia Sasso, Turbo Bonz Dance Projects, Atlas Moves Watching Dance Projects, Vicki St. Denys, Sonya Biernath, Princess Productions, Heidi Strauss and Darryl Tracy. In addition to being on faculty at Ryerson University, Dance Teq, The Quinte Ballet School, and the Teacher’s Collective in Toronto, she was invited to hold master classes at McMaster University, Park Avenue Dance Company (Rochester, NY), and for Dance Fuzion Conventions. Chambers is currently on faculty at the Arts Umbrella in Vancouver. She also works actively as a rehearsal director, and has notably directed a remount of James Kudelka’s Soudain L’Hiver Dernier. Chambers has created work for Ryerson Dances, PBJ Dance Company, Series 8:08 Season Finale, Dances for a Small Stage, Quinte Ballet School and will create a new work for the Arts Umbrella Dance Company in spring 2008. Chambers has collaborated on theatre projects as a movement coach and choreographer. In early 2007 she was offered a residency at Colour School at UBC to create a new solo work. Chambers was featured in David Bowie’s music video Dead Man Walking, and has appeared in Canadian television specials, films and in international industrial performances.

Artistic Director Annie Wood is pleased to welcome three guest choreographers to work with Dare to Dance’s Young Company: Jeff Dimitriou, Johanna Bundon, and emerging choreographer, Kelsey Stone.

Click here to view the press releases announcing the Guest Choreographers for The Young Company

Jeff Dimitriou is a dancer, singer, and actor with a unique style and an impressive resume. He began his dance training in Toronto, which led to intensive studies in New York and Los Angeles. He is in high demand as a teacher, adjudicator, and choreographer across North America and Asia. Jeff’s talents have enabled him to perform and/or choreograph in musicals such as High School Musical, Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, Anne of Green Gables, a well as stage shows for Norwegian Cruise Lines, Tokyo Disney, Tokyo Disney Sea, and Canada’s Wonderland. This past summer Jeff choreographed for the acclaimed annual Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance and the B.C. Lions cheerleaders in Vancouver.

Johanna Bundon is a dancer/choreographer from Regina, Saskatchewan. She is also a graduate of LADMMI : Les Ateliers de Danse Moderne de Montreal Inc. This past May, Johanna premiered a new choreographic work entitled Scribe & Gretel as part of the Regina Globe Theatre’s Sandbox Series. Other endeavors include solo work I used to like my poetry (2005) performed at the Performance Perimeters Symposium and Bazooka Jo(e) (2006), which was created for young members of the Youth Ballet Company of Saskatchewan. Johanna has performed choreography by artist Robin Poitras; most notably Memex Ovum; and more recently the role of Ophelia in New Dance Horizons Secret Garden Tour. Johanna frequently works with the Canadian Improv Games facilitating movement/improvisation workshops to high school aged students across the country. She is also the assistant director of the Globe Theatre’s Fusion project and a recent recipient of the City of Regina Mayor’s Arts and Business emerging artist award.

Kelsey Stone Although teaching is relatively new to Kelsey, dancing is certainly not. Trained at La Danse (Saskatoon), Kelsey has enjoyed performing her whole life. After touring professionally for 2 years she moved to Prince Albert to begin teaching dance at the Performing Arts Warehouse. She also had the opportunity to choreograph and perform in musicals for Broadway North Theatre Company. Credits include Beauty and the Beast, Footloose, Cinderella, Cabaret, Annie and Fiddler on the Roof. Awards for choreography include Adjudicator’s Choice Choreographer (2006) at Rhythm Dance Competition in Calgary and Outstanding Lyrical Line (2007) at the Prince Albert Dance Festival.