THE DANCERS

Courtney Peix

Courtney, the founder and artistic director of Contrapose Dance, began her training under the supervision of Russell Chambers and later performed with the Chambers Ballet Company under the direction of Anthony Williams and Wayne Stewarte. She has performed with the Boston Liturgical Dance Ensemble and Margot Parsons Dance Company in such shows as Dancers at the Robsham and the noted Dance on the Top Floor. In 2009, she was named an Emerging Artist, receiving a space grant from Green Street Studios. She also had the pleasure of returning to her alma mater, Stonehill College, to set the first section of benchmark on the Stonehill College Dance Company. Courtney is currently a member of Sokolow Now!, the Anna Sokolow Archival Company. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Stonehill College and teaches ballet at several area schools in Massachusetts.

Amy Caine

Amy received her formal ballet training from Deborah Stanton-Bianca of Dance Theater of New England, the State Ballet of Rhode Island under the direction of Herci Marsden and Ana Marsden Fox, and Festival Ballet. Amy continued to study under Fusionworks Dance Company, Jill D’Aguanno, Ajah Krzywonos, and Derrick Davis. Amy has had the opportunity of dancing with BalletRox, UMass Boston, Liz Lapuh, Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theatre, State Ballet of Rhode Island, Cecilia Raassina, etc. She is now a senior at UMass Boston majoring in English and Dance. Amy is delighted to be part of Contrapose Dance.

Magdalena Gyftopoulos

Magdalena began her dance training at the Boston Ballet School under the direction of Anne-Marie Holmes. She also trained with Pittsburg Ballet Theatre, & completed her studies in the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre Young Dancer's Program where she worked with Jose Mateo, Mary Thompson, & Cosmin Marculetiu. Magdalena then joined the company at Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, & remains a member of the teaching faculty. Currently, she is working with various companies in the Boston area, including Contrapose Dance.

Jenny Lustig

Jenny is originally from Rochester, NY where she began her dance training with MaryKay Touris. She attended Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, graduating in 2005 with a BA in Dance and Art. While at Goucher, Jenny performed in many original works by students, faculty and guest artists, in addition to favorites such as George Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie and selections from August Bournonville’s Napoli. She has also had the pleasure of studying dance at Middlesex University in London, and the summer intensives of The Princeton Ballet School and Ballet Austin. Since moving to Boston in 2005, Jenny has performed with Northern Ballet Theatre, Anna Myer and Dancers and Boston Dance Company, before finding a home with Contrapose Dance for which she is a founding company member. Jenny is also a company member of EgoArt, Inc and teaches ballet and contemporary dance at two Boston-area dance schools.

Tara McCrystal

Tara began her early dance training under the artistic direction of Lee Lund, and then went on to train at The Boston Conservatory under the artistic direction of Yasuko Tokunaga. Tara holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Boco, where she performed reconstructed works of Martha Graham and Jose Limon, explored and presented her own work, and graduated in 2005 with honors. She is a Doctor of Physical Therapy from the MGH Institute of Health Professions and is honored to have received the 2010 Ionta Award for Clinical Excellence. She practices at The Boston Conservatory, The Boston Ballet, is involved in ongoing community education and outreach surrounding dancer health and wellness and is an Early Intervention Therapist. Tara has been dancing professionally in the Boston dance scene for 6 years, she's worked with artists including Bosoma Dance, Lorraine Chapman, Adrienne Hawkins, Collage Dance Ensemble and has developed Spunk and Company Dance Collective with Jillian Grunnah. She continues to teach dance and is a yogi at heart who hopes to have her yoga teacher certification this year. Tara is excited and honored to be working with the beautiful artists and movers of Contrapose Dance.

Cecilia Raassina

Cecilia spent the first nine years of her life in four countries and two states. She danced through her childhood at small studios in Sweden, Atlanta and France, and began her more serious classical training under the direction of Judith Koeckhoven at the Academy of Ballet Arts in Chelmsford, MA. During high school, Cecilia completed dance intensives at Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, the Walnut Hill School and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She went on to study dance at the Boston Conservatory for two years. Wishing to inform herself of the world outside of dance, Cecilia transferred to the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where she earned a B.A. in Philosophy in and a Master's Certificate from the Center for Women in Politics in 2009. Cecilia has danced demi-soloist and soloist roles in classical works as well as performed choreography by Martha Graham, George Balanchine, Murray Lewis and Jose Limon. She has been dancing professionally on and off for five years, doing freelance dance and performance work in the Boston area. Cecilia is currently on the dance faculty at The Brookline Ballet School in Brookline, MA.

Rebecca Stancliffe

Rebecca graduated in 2008 from Laban, London with First Class Honors, working with choreographers including Jeremy Nelson, Rosalind Crisp, Lea Anderson, and Marie Gabrielle-Rotie. At graduation she was presented with the ‘Sylvia Bodmer Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreological Studies’ for her Bachelors thesis specializing in Laban’s choreutic theories and Labanotation. In 2008 Rebecca became a company member of EDge09, London, touring original works by choreographers including Jeremy Nelson, Andreja Rausch and Hanna Gilgren throughout Europe and the UK. In 2009 Rebecca started teaching release-based technique on the under-graduate and post-graduate programs at Laban, and contemporary technique and creative dance at the Siobhan Davies Studios, London. In September 2010 Rebecca graduated with a Master of Arts degree (Distinction) from London Contemporary Dance School. Rebecca is very excited to be dancing with Contrapose Dance.

Amberlee Timm

Amberlee's early dance education was at Petit Papillon School of Ballet in Concord, NH under Pat Walker and Kelly Stuart. She attended many different prestigious summer dance programs including the Hartford Ballet, The International Ballet Competition in Jackson MS, and Bates Dance Festival. In 2006 Amberlee received her BFA in Modern Dance from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase in New York where she trained in ballet under Tedd Kivitt, Betty Jane Sills, Rosanna Seravalli and Richard Cook. She studied modern dance techniques (Graham, Cunningham and Taylor) with Stephanie Tooman, Larry Clark, Megan Williams, Kevin Wynn and Neil Greenberg, and choreography with Kazuko Hirabayashi. Through her professional dance career she has had the privilege to work with many amazing choreographers such as Mark Morris, Kevin Wynn, Nathan Trice, Megan Williams and more, traveling nationally and internationally. Ms. Timm is currently teaching and choreographing original works for Ballet New England, Phillips Exeter Academy and Bewick Academy. Amberlee is a certified in Kripalu Yoga, Rasamaya Yoga, and Power Pilates Mat. In addition to joining and performing with Neoteric Dance Collaborative out of Boston MA in 2008, she is now pursuing a duel licensor Masters degree program at Lesley University in Dance/Movement Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. Her goal as a therapist and teacher is to share the joy of discovery of one's own body through movement and to guide students to relish the wisdom that comes from within as their connection to self deepens.

Tony Tucker

Tony is a dancer, choreographer, performer and educator. After discovering a new love for dance while attending Boston University's summer dance program "Reach" he joined forces with J.S. Fusement and started training more passionately in hip hop, Haitian folklore and jazz dance. He soon became a member of J.S. Extension, the performing company and was seen all over Massachusetts as a talented local artist. Under the direction of Jeffrey Louizia, Tony continued to perform and guest teach at workshops, conventions and assist with master classes all over New England. Besides dancing with Bosoma, Mr. Tucker is also a proud member of Modern Dyscomfort, a Boston based modern dance company under the direction of Ricardo Foster Jr, as well as a member of The Braintree Ballet Company/Dance Studio of Braintree where he trains with Melissa Kelley Clark and Ricardo Machado. He performs as a soloist for the Braintree Ballet Company. Tony continues his education by attending classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, modern and pas de deux. He is a dedicated dancer and a talented choreographer. As a teacher he is adored by students all over Massachusetts and continues to share his gift of dance and love of the art form in every way he can.

Arian Winn

Arian began her training with the Atlanta Ballet in her hometown of Atlanta, GA. She graduated magna cum laude with her BFA in Dance from The Boston Conservatory, and upon graduation moved to San Francisco to indulge in its rich dance community. There she worked with Trey McIntyre Project as their Operations Manager, developing her skills in Arts Administration. Arian most recently danced in Atlanta with contemporary collaborative platform gloATL, performing the work of choreographer Lauri Stallings. She is ecstatic to be back in Boston and dancing with Contrapose Dance. Arian is also a certified Gyrotonic Expansion System® Instructor.

Camden Ierardi

Camden received his dance training at the Ballet Arts Center of Winchester under the direction of Debbie Boyle and Lorraine Chapman. He is a current company member of Dance Prism, and is working as a guest artist with The Deborah Abel Dance Company. Camden has worked with several dance companies in the Boston area, including David Parker and the Bang Group, Lorraine Chapman the Company, and the Boston Dance Company, among others. Camden is excited to be working with Contrapose Dance.

Andy Cook - Guest Dancer

Andy Cook began his dance training under the direction of his mother; his first and still favorite teacher. After high school Andy continued his training at Chapman University, earning a BFA in Dance in 2005. Since graduating, Andy has had the privilege to perform and tour with Backhausdance in Orange, CA and Shen Wei Dance Arts and Keigwin+Co in New York City. Currently, Andy is studying to become a physical therapist in hopes that he can someday help dancers not hurt quite so much.

Catherine “Cat” Murcek - Guest Dancer

Catherine received her BA in International Economics from Franklin College of Switzerland in 2004 & soon thereafter decided she would rather pursue the life of a starving artist. Over the last 3 years that she has been in the Boston area, she has had the pleasure & good fortune to work with many different choreographers & companies including: Bryce Dance, Nicole Dagesse, Emily Beattie, Ruth Bronwen, Carey Foster, Mariah Steele, Weberdance, Stephen Koplowitz, Contrapose Dance, & Sara Rudner. She is currently a member of Lorraine Chapman: The Company, The & So No Sin Performance Troupe, & ZoeDance, & dabbles in her own choreography periodically. She is also a 200-hr certified yoga instructor.

Kathryn Dunkel - Guest Dancer

Kathryn received her BA in Dance from Hamilton College with a Minor in Anthropology. While at Hamilton, she studied with Elaine Heekin, Leslie Norton, & Bruce Walczyk. Katie is a graduate of the Trinity/La Mama program out of New York City, where she studied with Maureen Fleming, Tiffany Mills, & Lisa Race, among others. Since moving to Boston, she has had the pleasure of performing work by choreographers & companies including: Contrapose Dance, Audra Carabetta, EgoArt, Inc., Cat Murcek, Mariah Steele, Danny Swain Dance Company, & WeberDance. Katie has presented her own work in Cambridge at The Dance Complex & Green Street Studios, the Triskelion Arts Center in Brooklyn, & The Annex at La MaMa E.T.C. in New York City. Katie teaches dance at Dancers Workshop in Sudbury, Ballet Arts Center of Winchester, & Green Street Studios.