Jocelyn Hrzic
Jocelyn Hrzic Jocelyn Hrzic is a graduate from Point Park University with a B.A. in dance. She danced/directed for Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean. She also danced with Maxine Sherman’s Company and Theatre West Virginia. She danced on full Scholarship at Steps on Broadway in New York City. Joci teaches master classes for Penn State University and Point Park University, as well as set choreography. She started The Gala Weekend performance at Grier School with guest teachers A.C Ciulla, Mia Price,Tracie Stanfield, Paul Abramhamson, Jon Lehrer, and Chio Yamada. This year will be hosting a choreography Festival along with the Grier Gala Workshop. Joci is in her third year running her own professional dance company called “Fluidity”. In encouraging excellence in training with performance, Joci started the “Motion- Movement for Life” Dance Competition and Convention, which will have locations this year in Pittsburgh, Altoona, Buffalo, and Long Island. Joci has been artistic director for the Grier Summer Program as well as teaching at Point Park’s international summer dance workshop and Allegheny Ballet’s Summer workshop. She has studied with Mia Micheals, Joe Lanteri, Dwight Rhoden, Wade Robson, Val Suarez, Max Stone, Tyce Diorio, Jason Parsons, as well as many others.
Renee Anderko
Renee Anderko is from Altoona, PA. She attended Altoona Area High School and graduated in 2007 as Valedictorian. She graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in May 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Arts and a minor in Spanish. Renee trained with Jocelyn Labriola Hrzic since the age of eleven and was an original company member of Fluidity. Since the founding of Fluidity in 2008, she has had the honor to perform in Times Square and at the Steps Performance Lab, Jazz Dance World Congress, and the Koresh Artist Showcase. She also has performed alongside Houston Met, LehrerDance, Synthesis Dance Project, Giordano, and J. Compagnia in the Grier Gala and has worked with choreographers Jason McDole, Kiesha Lalama-White, Pascal Rioult, Jon Lehrer, and Maria Caruso.
Renee has attended the summer intensives at Bates University and Bodiography Contemporary Ballet. Currently, she is training with Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre in New York City.
Francesca Dario
Francesca Dario (Venice, Italy) received her formal training at the Scuola Di Danza Edda Marcialis in Venice, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and with the 4th Professional Specialization Dance Course in Rovigo, Italy. Her early professional career consisted of performances with Teatro Sociale di Rovigo and Compagnia Fabula Saltica, where she performed works by Fabrizio Monteverde and Claudio
Ronda. Ms. Dario has also performed in the musical opera La Divina Commedia, with choreography by Anna Cuocolo. She was a principal guest dancer in Carmen from Bizet, with choreography by Mario Piazza. In 2004, Ms. Dario joined Compagnia Pantarei (Artistic Director Michele Oliva), where she was a soloist and rehearsal director for Mr. Oliva’s work. In 2009 she was a soloist with Balletto 90. Ms. Dario has danced for Complexions Contemporary Ballet in New York City from 2010 to 2012.
As a dance instructor, she has taught numerous workshops, including Mediterraneo Dance Festival in Italy from 2008-2009, Word Dance Movement in Italy from 2011-2012, and TBH in Prague from 2009-2011. Ms. Dario has also taught several classes for Peridance Capezio Center in NYC and was a guest teacher at New York University. From 2012 Francesca is Co-Director of Oliva Contemporary Dance Project.
Kiesha Lalama
Choreographer and Educator, Kiesha Lalama has created more than 30 works today. Her conceived and choreographed full-length dance theatre production, The Bench received rave reviews and was honored to make it to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s “Best of Dance” Top Ten list in both 2009 and 2010. Most recently, Kiesha choreographed for the upcoming film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the National High School Musical Theater Awards on Broadway, a second work for Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, and a new creation for the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble. Lalama has created works for companies such as Ballet Arkansas, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Jazz Dance World Congress, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, the Youth American Grand Prix and the film Sorority Row.
In 2009, Kiesha Lalama was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” and has been awarded a Leo’s Award for choreography at the Jazz Dance World Congress. The Youth American Grand Prix has twice named Lalama to the coveted “Top 12″ and honored her with the Outstanding Choreography Award.
As an educator, Kiesha serves as an Assistant Professor in the Point Park University Dance Department and as the Education Director for the Pittsburgh CLO. She has taught master classes and workshops for Cirque Du Soleil, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, Oakland University, Carnegie Mellon University, Wright State University, Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet, Booker T. Washington H.S. for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Dance Educators of America.
Kiesha Lalama graduated with an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College and has her BA in Dance from Point Park University.
Michele Oliva
Michele Oliva is originally from southern Italy. He began his studies of classical and modern dance in the city of Bari, and then moved to Rome and began a career in various modern techniques.
He perfected his studies in the various dance centers around the world such as Steps and BDC in New York, Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, and Pineapple Dance Center in London.
Between 1999 to 2003 he was a dancer for international stars such as Geri Halliwell and Kylie Minogue, touring with them around the world (UK, Spain, France, Russia, Germany, Australia, Canada, China). Michele then worked as assistant choreographer and dancer for the popular
Italian television program Amici, which proved to be a huge success.
He currently teaches numerous workshops and choreographs contemporary work for companies throughout Italy and Europe . Teacher for Complexions Summer Intensive New York 2011 .
Michele is the Artistic Director of the company Pantarei.
James A Washington
Originally from Rochester NY began his dance training at Dance 22. James graduated cum laude from the Conservatory at Point Park University, earning his Bachelors of Arts Degree in Dance. He has had the honor to work with and perform pieces by Francesca Harper, David Parsons, Kyle Abraham, Darrell Grand- Moultaire, Jason McDole, Robert Battle, Daniel Ezralow, Cheryl Mann, Christopher Huggins among others. Last summer, James had the honor to attend the prestigious project “Springboard Danse Montreal” in Quebec. While in Quebec, he worked with “Ballet Jazz de Montreal (BJM)” and performed choreography by Azsure Barton. James’ choreography has been seen on Lifetime’s Hit Television show “Dance Moms”. James is currently being represented by Clear Talent Group in Los Angeles, California and is a dancer with the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble under the Direction of Greer Reed-Jones in Pittsburgh, PA.
Andrea Young
Andrea Young is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, where she received a B.A. in Integrative Arts with a concentration in Dance and a B.S. from the Smeal College Of Business. During her time at Penn State, Andrea received Penn State’s Most Valuable Dancer and the Outstanding Senior Award and was able to get her choreography adjudicated at ACDFA. Since graduating, Andrea has worked at the Grier School in Tyrone, Pa teaching all forms and levels and was a proud founding member of Fluidity Dance Company under the direction of Jocelyn Hrzic. She has performed in shows with companies that include LehrerDance, Synthesis Dance Project, Koresh Dance Company, J. Compagnia, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Houston MET, and Jason Parsons. Andrea has also had the privilege of dancing in the works of Pascal Rioult, Jason McDole, Jon Lehrer, Kiesha Lalama, Maria Caruso, and Sidra Bell. She has performed at Chicago’s Jazz Dance World Congress, California’s Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival, and NYC’s Project Live in association with Project Dance to name a few. She is currently the Managing Director and apprentice of August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble.
