Diana Cabrera
Diana Cabrera is a native of Havana, Cuba where she studied dance at Escuela Nacional de Arte- the National School of Dance. She later graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte with a BA in Dance and Performing Arts. She began dancing as a company member of Danza
Contemporanea de Cuba in 1998 and became a principal dancer in 2002. During her tenure with Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, she performed in the Venice Opera and the Biennale of Venice; The International Dance Festival in Berlin, Germany; The Holland Dance Festival; the Sintra Dance Festival in Portugal and Temps D’Images of Dusseldorf. She has worked with notable choreographers such as Giovanni di Cicco, Joaquin Sabaté, Jan Linkens, Cathy Marston, Rafael Bonachela, Carlos Junior Acosta, George Cespedes, Julio César Iglesias, Samir Akika, Luca Bruni, Kenneth Kvarnström and Susan Collard. Diana moved to Asheville in 2008 and become a company member of ACDT and instructed modern dance at University of
North Carolina Asheville and the New Studio of Dance where she is happy to be back. Diana loves sharing her skills and creativity as an instructor and mentor. Her diverse experiences as a dancer and her passion for dance have helped shape her teaching style and approach. Her classes offer an inspiring environment to learn and grow as a dancer.
Justin Chaple
Originally from San Bernardino, California Justin began dancing at the old age of 7. He had the pleasure to float around the world dancing for Holland America, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean. During that time he was dance captain and company manager of up to 16 cast members. Justin performed in shows featuring themes from Las Vegas to Broadway where he traveled the globe. Justin is certified in tap and jazz through Dance Masters of America. You may have seen him tap dancing and sword fighting in The Pirate Queen and recently choreographed the Drowsy Chaperone with HCT – it did have tap dancing, alas no sword fighting. Justin is currently a doctor of physical therapy and is working towards blending the art and science of human movement.
Giles Collard
Bio Coming Soon!
Susan Collard
DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER, ASHEVILLE CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATRE
Susan has been dancing all her life. She grew up studying Classical Ballet and was introduced to Modern Dance at the age of 20 through a graduate student at Temple University in Philadelphia. She transitioned into Modern Dance after many seasons of study at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC and The Colorado Dance Festival in Boulder, CO.
She has performed most recently in Havana, Cuba for the International Festival of Dance in Urban Landscapes – “Habana Viejo Movimiento,” where she choreographed a piece for Cuban and American dancers, and for the OFF Festival in Montpelier, France. Collard has choreographed over 60 productions including Jody Foster’s film, “Nell.”
She’s traveled extensively, deriving her choreographic inspiration from diverse cultural experiences. And has toured with her company Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre to Cuba, France, Mexico, Canada and Colombia — creating international exchanges, with dance artists from these countries, along the way.
She has also taught for many years at the New Studio of Dance, the school of the Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre. In 1991, she received a Mary Biddle Duke Foundation grant to produce “Democracy,” a multi-arts production. In 1998, she was commissioned by the Thomas Wolfe Society to choreograph “A Leaf, A Door, and a Stone” to be performed for the Thomas Wolfe Festival.
Recognized for her choreography inspired by female artists and international collaborations, Susan has also choreographed for film and theatre. She is currently working with international artists on a new collaborative venture: White Dog Dance Project International.
Susan is the Founder and Director of the New Studio of Dance, and the creator of the Asheville Fringe Festival and 48 Hours Dance Project, as well as Asheville’s first black box theatre The BeBe.
Anita Feldman
Anita Feldman has loved being a tap dancer since she was 5 years old. She gained an international reputation as a leading innovator of tap dance beginning in 1983, choreographing pieces in collaboration with new music composers. Anita Feldman Tap, a company of musicians and dancers, appeared at over 100 venues in the U.S., Japan and Germany. The company performed regularly in New York City, including at Dance Theater Workshop, the Whitney Museum, and the Village Gate. Additional residencies and appearances included two seasons at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina, and performances at tap festivals throughout the U.S. She was a professor at Hofstra University in New York, where she started and directed a tap program and a dance education program. In 2016 she received the Outstanding Post Secondary Dance Educator Award from the New York State Dance Education Association. Her book Inside Tap is published by Princeton Books. She is one of the featured artists in the documentary “Thinking on Their Feet: Women of the Tap Renaissance.” Currently she is Professor Emerita of Hofstra University and has lived in Asheville for five years. She loves teaching students of every level and is so happy to teach rhythm tap workshops at ACDT.
Gillian Maurer (they/them)
Gillian grew up in Asheville, where they have been exploring various forms of visual and performing arts for their whole life. As they worked with multiple disciplines of dance and movement, aerial arts became the main focus of Gillian’s passion and talent. They began teaching aerial silks and acrobatics with ACDT in 2015, and have been teaching ever since with a particular focus on safety, sustainability and autonomy in each student’s aerial practice. In addition to teaching, they have a passion for performance work and have performed regionally as well as internationally. They graduated from the University of North Carolina Asheville with a BA in sociology and BFA in fine arts in 2021, both of which inform their artistic and teaching practices. When they are not hanging upside down, Gillian is a fine artist and muralist with a focus on solidarity and liberation. They find a great deal of excitement in finding new ways to fuse these multiple passions, and in using arts of all kinds to contribute to the building of more vibrant, resilient, and accessible communities.
Rebecca O’Quinn
Seasoned movement artist, Rebecca O’Quinn is a widely experienced and trained ballet, modern, jazz, musical theatre, hip hop, and tap dancer. With decades of professional experience as a dancer, choreographer, and instructor, Fancy brings her strength as a musical artist into the creative artistry that is this complete artistic tapestry. Originally from Raleigh-Durham, NC, Rebecca’s early dance training began with the Raleigh School of Ballet primarily under the tutelage of Mary Legere. Coupled with lessons and performance experience in piano, choir, and theatre, she went on to study musical theatre and dance performance at Elon University where she attended North Carolina dance festival, and earned a BFA in musical theatre, studying with teachers such as Gene Medler, Nina Wheeler, and Cherie Bower. Thereafter, Rebecca spent the next 8 years traveling nationally and internationally as a singer and dancer with various regional theatres and cruise lines before arriving in Asheville, NC in 2012 which she made her home. Since then, she has been engrossed in the theatre, dance, and music scene, choreographing, dancing, singing, and acting in productions with Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, the Asheville Ballet, the Magnetic Theatre, Asheville Fringe Fest, and Asheville Community Theatre. You can find her still dancing Nutcrackers and choreographing original contemporary works on stages like The Diana Wortham Theatre. Musically, you may catch her as Columbia in The Rocky Horror Music Show, as a vocalist with Dirty Logic, and singing and songwriting for her band, Fancy and the Gentlemen. After participating as a ballet, jazz, tap, modern, contemporary dance instructor for many local dance studios and colleges throughout Western North Carolina, Rebecca is thrilled to be joining the faculty at the New Studio of Dance and to once again have the opportunity to help grow creativity, self-esteem, community, self-discovery, and physical, emotional, and mental wellness in its students.
Jerri Lynn Reeves
Jerri Lynn Reeves is a native of Asheville and began her classical training in American and Italian traditions across Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina later attending the University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music as a ballet major. Upon returning home, she instructed classical ballet at several Asheville studios including the New Studio of Dance. She also performed with the Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre. Jerri took a break from
performing, teaching, and choreography to obtain a degree in Web Technologies. Currently, she is a contractor web developer with the National Centers for Environmental Information. She has been creating classical ballet headpieces for the last ten years for companies and performers across the world. Jerri returned to the New Studio of Dance in 2022 as a classical ballet instructor.
Melissa Wilhoit Lugo (she/her)
Melissa Wilhoit is a dynamic dance educator, choreographer, and dancer who deeply values the power of movement to convey personal and generational memories through kinesthetic empathy. With over 25 years of teaching experience across studio, pre-professional, public school, and university settings, Melissa is dedicated to nurturing the expressive potential of every individual through dance.
She holds a BFA in Dance from George Mason University and draws inspiration from her training with the Limón Dance Company, which greatly influences her teaching approach. Melissa’s philosophy revolves around fostering curiosity and lifelong learning as essential traits of a dedicated educator, believing that everyone can find their unique voice and self-expression through dance.