Panelist Bios
Photos by Corey Kessler
"Alana Wallace: has served as Founder and Artistic Director of Dance>Detour since 1995. She graduated from Columbia College in 1985 with a BFA degree in Theater and Music. Wallace, who contracted polio at the age of five, is a professional wheelchair dancer, actress, vocalist, and writer who believes she was born to perform. She had the amazing opportunity to work with Mikhail Baryshnikov and the White Oak Dance Project, as well as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. In 1998, she appeared in the Emmy Award-Winning PBS television documentary, “Dance From the Heart,” hosted by Ben Vereen."
(Bio from Chicago Artists Resource - http://www.chicagoartistsresource.org/artist-stories/alana-yvonne-wallace)
Esther Grimm: Esther’s lifelong career in the arts spans administration, museum education, arts education, and philanthropy. She is the Executive Director of 3Arts, a public grantmaking organization dedicated to supporting women artists, artists of color, and artists with disabilities working in the performing, teaching, and visual arts. Prior to joining 3Arts in 2002, she served first as the Director of Education and then as the Associate Director of Marwen, a non-profit visual arts organization that provides out-of-school art instruction, college planning, and career development programs to Chicago’s under-served youth in grades 6-12. Before joining Marwen, she was the Assistant Director of Museum Education in charge of Teacher Programs at The Art Institute of Chicago. Currently, Esther is on the Grantmakers in the Arts Individual Artist Support Committee and serves on the boards of the Alliance of Artists Communities, Arts Alliance Illinois, and The Hypocrites.
Ginger Lane: Ginger Lane began her dance training in Chicago with Edna McRae, Erik Braun, John Kriza, Bentley-Stone and Walter Camryn, and at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, where she was awarded a scholarship to study with Sheila Reilly, Frances Wright, Maxine Munt and Alfred Brooks and Chester Wolenski. She studied Doris Humphrey technique with Joseph Gifford. She received her B.S. in Theatre and Communication from Northwestern University and began performing and teaching throughout the Chicago area. She had her own dance studio on the North Shore and choreographed for numerous community theaters and school districts. Using a wheelchair since 1984, Ginger collaborated and performed with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and was a member of Dance>Detour, a company of dancers with and without disabilities for ten years. She has been involved with MOMENTA since 2003, performing and choreographing, and, along with Larry Ippel, Anita Fillmore and Kris Lenzo, conducted workshops at the Academy for five years. As Coordinator of the Arts & Culture project at Access Living, the Independent Living Center in Chicago, Ginger has produced the physically integrated dance concert, Counter Balance, for the past six years.
Reveca Torres: "After undergoing a spinal cord injury during a vacation, Reveca finished high school and started college unsure if she could physically pursue the career she had always dreamed of: fashion design. With a few adaptations, she was the first student using a wheelchair to complete the fashion degree at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, and continued her studies in Theater Arts at the University of Arizona (UA). At UA, Reveca met others with spinal cord injuries and became interested in adaptive sports and fitness. Upon returning to Chicago, she noticed the lack of fitness opportunities for people with disabilities in the area and decided to change it. Reveca has worked with Shriners Hospital for Children, Mobility International USA (MIUSA), Athletico Fitness and Performance, and the University of Illinois (UIC) at Chicago’s National Center for Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD). With their help she has been able to provide resources on recreation, disability rights, college, travel, employment, and fitness to people with disabilities, specifically teenagers."
(Bio from Backbones Online - http://backbonesonline.com/?page_id=73)
Carrie Sandahl: "Dr. Carrie Sandahl is head of the Program on Disability Art, Culture, and Humanities, devoted to research on and the creation of disability art, serving as the administrative home for Chicago’s Bodies of Work. Sandahl is frequently invited to present her research and creative work on disability art and culture at universities across the United States, including University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Santa Barbara, Stanford University, Bucknell University, and University of Florida among others. She has keynoted conferences such as the Articulations Conference at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and the Portland Disability Art and Culture Festival in Oregon. Sandahl also regularly presents her research at the Society for Disability Studies and the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, both professional organizations in which she has been an active member for more than fifteen years. She has been active at both the local and national levels in advocating for people with disabilities."
(Bio from UIC Faculty Profiles - Full Bio at: http://ahs.uic.edu/facultyresearch/profiles/name,8705,en.html)
Mary Verdi-Fletcher: "Founder and Artistic Director [of Dancing Wheels], has been a pioneering force in the development and success of physically integrated dance for over 30 years. One of the world's first and foremost professional wheelchair dancers, she has worked and studies with esteemed artists. Seeing the need for training and career opportunities for dancers of all ability levels, Ms. Verdi-Fletcher created the multi-arts Dancing Wheels School in 1990. Attracting students from around the globe, the school is becoming the worldwide center for physically integrated dance. As an educator, Mary has conducted master classes and lectures and has consulted with notable arts institutions across several continents. Also a tireless arts administrator and advocate, Mary has helped develop state and national programs for arts and disability service organizations and has worked to help to pass significant pieces of legislation. Her efforts have paved the way for others in quest for full and equal access."
(Bio from Dancing Wheels School Bios - Full Bio at: http://www.dancingwheels.org/about-us-dancers.asp)
Kris Lenzo: "Kris Lenzo made the transition to dance after more than two decades as a wheelchair athlete and a national champion in wheelchair basketball and wheelchair track. Since 2003, Lenzo has danced with MOMENTA Performing Arts Company. He has performed several times in the Dance St. Louis “Spring to Dance” show (2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013). His appearances have also included Dance Chicago, Duets for My Valentine, Chicago’s Bodies of Work Festival of Disability Art and Culture in 2006 and 2013, Counter Balance (I-VI), and annually at the Chicago Disability Pride Parade. Lenzo has studied at Intensives with Axis Dance in Seattle Washington and Oakland California, and is a dance instructor for MOMENTA's EveryBody Can Dance (EBCD) workshops for dancers with and without disabilities."
(Bio from 3Arts - Full Bio at: http://3arts.org/artist/kris-lenzo/)
Stephanie Clemens: "Stephanie Clemens began her dance studies when a neighbor, the great Adolph Bolm suggested to her mother that she begin to take classes with Lila Zali at the Highland Playhouse in Los Angeles and made her stage debut with The Ruth St. Denis Concert dancers. She attended Juilliard in the late fifties; there her teachers were Anthony Tudor, Alfredo Corvino, Lucas Hoving, José Limón and members of the Graham Company. She has performed on the West Coast with The American Concert Ballet and The Cosmopolitan Opera Company and in the Midwest as a guest with Chicago Contemporary Dance Theatre. She is the owner and director of The Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park and is one of the artistic directors/performers/choreographers of MOMENTA. She is a founding member and was executive director of the Doris Humphrey Society and is a founding member and director of the Tidmarsh Arts Foundation. She served on the board of the Oak Park Area Arts Council for more than ten years. Stephanie has served on the Dance Panel for the Illinois Arts Council and on the Awards Committee for the Chicago Dance and Music Alliance."
(Bio from Momenta Dance - Full Bio at: http://momentadances.org/the-directors/)
Yolanda Cursach: Yolanda Cesta Cursach, Curator of Performance at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, maintains a focus on interdisciplinary theater, dance and music; US touring and creative exchange of international artists; and new works residencies. US Curator, Southern Exposure: Performing Arts of Latin America Program, a program of the NEA/MAAF (2015-16); Board member, NPN International Programs Curator, National Performance Network (2009-2015); Hub Site, National Dance Project of New England Foundation for the Arts (2012-2015); Panelist/nominator, National Endowment for the Arts, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Creative Capital, MAP Fund, Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography,USArtists International, CalArts Herb Alpert Award in the Arts. Regional service: Consortium Member, Chicago Dancemakers Forum; Steering Committee, Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium; Board member, 6018NORTH performance space; volunteer, US State Department International Visitor Leadership Program; Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International’s highest award for humanitarian work.
(Bio from Chicago Artists Resource - http://www.chicagoartistsresource.org/artist-stories/alana-yvonne-wallace)
Esther Grimm: Esther’s lifelong career in the arts spans administration, museum education, arts education, and philanthropy. She is the Executive Director of 3Arts, a public grantmaking organization dedicated to supporting women artists, artists of color, and artists with disabilities working in the performing, teaching, and visual arts. Prior to joining 3Arts in 2002, she served first as the Director of Education and then as the Associate Director of Marwen, a non-profit visual arts organization that provides out-of-school art instruction, college planning, and career development programs to Chicago’s under-served youth in grades 6-12. Before joining Marwen, she was the Assistant Director of Museum Education in charge of Teacher Programs at The Art Institute of Chicago. Currently, Esther is on the Grantmakers in the Arts Individual Artist Support Committee and serves on the boards of the Alliance of Artists Communities, Arts Alliance Illinois, and The Hypocrites.
Ginger Lane: Ginger Lane began her dance training in Chicago with Edna McRae, Erik Braun, John Kriza, Bentley-Stone and Walter Camryn, and at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, where she was awarded a scholarship to study with Sheila Reilly, Frances Wright, Maxine Munt and Alfred Brooks and Chester Wolenski. She studied Doris Humphrey technique with Joseph Gifford. She received her B.S. in Theatre and Communication from Northwestern University and began performing and teaching throughout the Chicago area. She had her own dance studio on the North Shore and choreographed for numerous community theaters and school districts. Using a wheelchair since 1984, Ginger collaborated and performed with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and was a member of Dance>Detour, a company of dancers with and without disabilities for ten years. She has been involved with MOMENTA since 2003, performing and choreographing, and, along with Larry Ippel, Anita Fillmore and Kris Lenzo, conducted workshops at the Academy for five years. As Coordinator of the Arts & Culture project at Access Living, the Independent Living Center in Chicago, Ginger has produced the physically integrated dance concert, Counter Balance, for the past six years.
Reveca Torres: "After undergoing a spinal cord injury during a vacation, Reveca finished high school and started college unsure if she could physically pursue the career she had always dreamed of: fashion design. With a few adaptations, she was the first student using a wheelchair to complete the fashion degree at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, and continued her studies in Theater Arts at the University of Arizona (UA). At UA, Reveca met others with spinal cord injuries and became interested in adaptive sports and fitness. Upon returning to Chicago, she noticed the lack of fitness opportunities for people with disabilities in the area and decided to change it. Reveca has worked with Shriners Hospital for Children, Mobility International USA (MIUSA), Athletico Fitness and Performance, and the University of Illinois (UIC) at Chicago’s National Center for Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD). With their help she has been able to provide resources on recreation, disability rights, college, travel, employment, and fitness to people with disabilities, specifically teenagers."
(Bio from Backbones Online - http://backbonesonline.com/?page_id=73)
Carrie Sandahl: "Dr. Carrie Sandahl is head of the Program on Disability Art, Culture, and Humanities, devoted to research on and the creation of disability art, serving as the administrative home for Chicago’s Bodies of Work. Sandahl is frequently invited to present her research and creative work on disability art and culture at universities across the United States, including University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Santa Barbara, Stanford University, Bucknell University, and University of Florida among others. She has keynoted conferences such as the Articulations Conference at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and the Portland Disability Art and Culture Festival in Oregon. Sandahl also regularly presents her research at the Society for Disability Studies and the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, both professional organizations in which she has been an active member for more than fifteen years. She has been active at both the local and national levels in advocating for people with disabilities."
(Bio from UIC Faculty Profiles - Full Bio at: http://ahs.uic.edu/facultyresearch/profiles/name,8705,en.html)
Mary Verdi-Fletcher: "Founder and Artistic Director [of Dancing Wheels], has been a pioneering force in the development and success of physically integrated dance for over 30 years. One of the world's first and foremost professional wheelchair dancers, she has worked and studies with esteemed artists. Seeing the need for training and career opportunities for dancers of all ability levels, Ms. Verdi-Fletcher created the multi-arts Dancing Wheels School in 1990. Attracting students from around the globe, the school is becoming the worldwide center for physically integrated dance. As an educator, Mary has conducted master classes and lectures and has consulted with notable arts institutions across several continents. Also a tireless arts administrator and advocate, Mary has helped develop state and national programs for arts and disability service organizations and has worked to help to pass significant pieces of legislation. Her efforts have paved the way for others in quest for full and equal access."
(Bio from Dancing Wheels School Bios - Full Bio at: http://www.dancingwheels.org/about-us-dancers.asp)
Kris Lenzo: "Kris Lenzo made the transition to dance after more than two decades as a wheelchair athlete and a national champion in wheelchair basketball and wheelchair track. Since 2003, Lenzo has danced with MOMENTA Performing Arts Company. He has performed several times in the Dance St. Louis “Spring to Dance” show (2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013). His appearances have also included Dance Chicago, Duets for My Valentine, Chicago’s Bodies of Work Festival of Disability Art and Culture in 2006 and 2013, Counter Balance (I-VI), and annually at the Chicago Disability Pride Parade. Lenzo has studied at Intensives with Axis Dance in Seattle Washington and Oakland California, and is a dance instructor for MOMENTA's EveryBody Can Dance (EBCD) workshops for dancers with and without disabilities."
(Bio from 3Arts - Full Bio at: http://3arts.org/artist/kris-lenzo/)
Stephanie Clemens: "Stephanie Clemens began her dance studies when a neighbor, the great Adolph Bolm suggested to her mother that she begin to take classes with Lila Zali at the Highland Playhouse in Los Angeles and made her stage debut with The Ruth St. Denis Concert dancers. She attended Juilliard in the late fifties; there her teachers were Anthony Tudor, Alfredo Corvino, Lucas Hoving, José Limón and members of the Graham Company. She has performed on the West Coast with The American Concert Ballet and The Cosmopolitan Opera Company and in the Midwest as a guest with Chicago Contemporary Dance Theatre. She is the owner and director of The Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park and is one of the artistic directors/performers/choreographers of MOMENTA. She is a founding member and was executive director of the Doris Humphrey Society and is a founding member and director of the Tidmarsh Arts Foundation. She served on the board of the Oak Park Area Arts Council for more than ten years. Stephanie has served on the Dance Panel for the Illinois Arts Council and on the Awards Committee for the Chicago Dance and Music Alliance."
(Bio from Momenta Dance - Full Bio at: http://momentadances.org/the-directors/)
Yolanda Cursach: Yolanda Cesta Cursach, Curator of Performance at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, maintains a focus on interdisciplinary theater, dance and music; US touring and creative exchange of international artists; and new works residencies. US Curator, Southern Exposure: Performing Arts of Latin America Program, a program of the NEA/MAAF (2015-16); Board member, NPN International Programs Curator, National Performance Network (2009-2015); Hub Site, National Dance Project of New England Foundation for the Arts (2012-2015); Panelist/nominator, National Endowment for the Arts, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Creative Capital, MAP Fund, Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography,USArtists International, CalArts Herb Alpert Award in the Arts. Regional service: Consortium Member, Chicago Dancemakers Forum; Steering Committee, Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium; Board member, 6018NORTH performance space; volunteer, US State Department International Visitor Leadership Program; Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International’s highest award for humanitarian work.