Amanda Cantrell Roche Amanda Cantrell Roche divides her time between dance, writing, Teaching Artistry, activism and mothering two children. She is the co-founder of Blue Moves Modern Dance Company based in Murfreesboro, TN. Since its inception in 1989, she has remained a performing member and choreographer, choreographing her way through life's milestones. She has often used choreography to bring attention to human rights concerns, as in her recent work, “Breaking the Bones:  A Plea for Tibet.”

Amanda's modern dance training includes an eclectic mix of Graham, Cunningham, Limon and Horton techniques, with Sonjé Mayo among her most influential instructors.  At conferences and intensives she has studied under such masters as Denise Jefferson, Freddy Moore, Chuck Davis and others, and she continues to take ongoing classes locally. She holds a minor in dance from MTSU, where she earned an Honors Degree with majors in journalism and English.
In recent years, Amanda has become an advocate for the arts and believes in the power of authentic experiences with the arts to heighten awareness, cultivate understanding and invigorate both children and adults alike through discovery-based learning. Amanda has been a Teaching Artist with the ArtSmart program of TPAC Education since 2000, and enjoys the privilege of working with a team of talented colleagues to develop and facilitate seminars for Teacher and Teaching Artist professional development.

BACK TO TOP

Aundra Lafayette Aundra W. LaFayette is a native of Nashville, Tennessee and has been a teaching artist and choreographer for at least 35 years.  Before moving back to the area, Aundra was the Dance Coordinator for ArtsReach Studio, a program through Kentucky Center for the Arts, as well as workshops for Jefferson County School System and Actors Theatre of Louisville.  Other educational credits include Desisto Therapeutic Boarding School in the Berkshires as the Director and Choreographer (which included a production of HAIR performed in Talin, Soviet Union). After 25 years on the east coast teaching and choreographing, Ms. LaFayette returned to her hometown of Nashville and developed a program for the Hume Fogg Academic Magnet School.

Aundra has trained with Philadelphia Dance Academy, Alvin Ailey Dance Workshops, to name a few, as well as participated in the International Choreographers festival in Antigua and Guatemala in 1999. Aundra W. LaFayette is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She joined the ArtSmart Teaching Artist faculty in December 2006


BACK TO TOP

Beth Anne Musiker Beth Anne Musiker has called Nashville home since the mid ‘90s. Over the years she has lent her voice to jingles, voice-overs, animated film scores, theatrical productions and a variety of Country projects both live and recorded. In addition to pursuing her own career as a recording artist, Beth Anne has become quite active in arts education and training in Nashville working as a live performance coach, musical director/conductor for high school musicals and, of course, as a Teaching Artist for TPAC Ed. Through her company, Redesigned Memories, she also creates high-end designer pillows, quilts and more using vintage concert t-shirts. Beth Anne is a graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in theater and a minor in art history.  She has trained extensively as a classical pianist and violinist, studied voice with top vocal instructors and spent many years in New York City as a working singer/actress/dancer. She has also had occasion to work as a director/choreographer, vocal arranger and record producer, as well.

She has performed many styles of music-from Rock to Broadway – and in virtually every type of venue- from small clubs to outdoor audiences of 12,000.  Her Nashville debut was an appearance in the national tour of Roger Miller’s Big River, sharing the stage with Mr. Miller, himself.  Other career highlights include performing in Germany as the wall came down and working with some of the greatest composers, lyricists and songwriters of our time, including Jule Styne (Funny Girl), Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof), Jimmy Webb (Up, Up and Away), Wayne Carson (Always on my Mind), Buzz Cason (Everlasting Love), and David Freeman (No More ‘I Love Yous’) and Victoria Shaw (The River), to name just a few.
Beth Anne performed the National Anthem for the Nashville Predators in their inaugural season and has been a featured participant in the TPAC Inside/Out concert series, Bravo Broadway from 2001-2004 as well as TPAC’s Fest de Ville Summer Series and Gala benefit for TPAC Education.

Beth Anne can be seen and heard at clubs throughout Nashville and on the following websites:

http://www.stickam.com/viewMedia.do?mId=180045489

http://www.myspace.com/bethannemusiker

http://www.southernartistry.org/Beth_Anne_Musiker.

BACK TO TOP

Carol Ponder Carol Ponder Carol Ponder, a Southeastern regional performing artist by choice, has worked for 40 years as a singer, recording artist, actress, and musician. As an educator, Carol has over 20 years of intensive experience in partnering with classroom teachers to develop and carry out learning-through-the-arts curriculum. She has served the NIA/Leonard Bernstein Center/TPAC Education in a variety of roles since 1988. In recent years, she has turned her focus as an artist more to music with the occasional theatrical performance. Her many performance venues include The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, The Ulster American Folk Park in Northern Ireland, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Caffe’ Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY.

She has performed Appalachian Roots, sometimes with residencies, for six Aesthetic Education Institutes and many other education organizations. She has three highly acclaimed CDs, PRETTY BIRD, LITTLE JOURNEYS, and GOING ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN: SONGS OF WAR AND SEPARATION (a duet album with famed finger-style guitarist and TA, John Knowles). Carol brings her perspectives and knowledge as a working artist to her work as an educator. Carol’s professional development clients (for artists, teachers, and administrators) include: six of the Aesthetic Education Institutes; the Empire State Partnerships Project in New York State; the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center; Cleveland Young Audiences; the Common Ground Conference in Albany, NY; the first annual International VSA Artist Training; and the Annual Partnerships Conference at the Kennedy Center. She is a published author in the field, including MUSIC FROM THE INSIDE OUT, a music curriculum based on the film of the same name, designed to foster collaboration between classroom teachers and music teachers. Carol has received 3 awards for music excellence, including the Tennessee Arts Commission's Individual Artist Award and three awards for her TA work, including the first national TA Fellowship at the Montalvo Center for the Arts in California. She was one of six national members of the 12-member Lincoln Center-based Teaching Artist Mentoring Project (TAMP). In November she will take up the first two weeks of a six-week, nomination-only Fellowship for artistic excellence at The Hermitage in Florida. In a tangential project based on TA methods, Carol and her husband, Robert Kiefer, will soon release (to waiting wedding planners) a self-published workbook, HOW TO WRITE YOUR OWN WEDDING VOWS AND TOASTS: A WORKBOOK FOR BRIDES AND THE MEN WHO LOVE THEM. For more information about all of Carol's career paths - education through the arts, music, theatre, and publishing - please go to www.carolponder.com.

BACK TO TOP

Connye Florance

Connye Florance is a native of North Carolina and career professional in the performing arts who enjoys the stage and a roster of achievements including film, radio, television, Broadway and regional theater and studio recording. Along with accolades from Black Entertainment Television in 2000 as Jazz Vocalist of The Year, professional endorsements include Community Foundation of Middle TN and Southern Arts Federation, as one of the Southeastern Region’s most esteemed artists.

Skilled vocalist and actress, accomplished playwright and published songwriter, Connye’s audiences enjoy her enigmatic “velvet & wine” performances of classic and contemporary jazz as featured vocalist with The Modern Jazz Tuba Project and with her own outstanding ensemble of musicians at area jazz festivals, concerts and special events, including Germantown Performing Arts Center, The Renaissance Center, Phillippe Performing Arts Center, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Cumberland County Playhouse and others.

She is honored to have shared the stage with a variety of notable artists, including Steinway Artist Beegie Adair, Grammy award-winners Randy Brecker, and Kirk Whalum and Tony award-winner Jennifer Holliday. Television and film credits include “Literacy Link” series for PBS, John Grisham's thriller, "The Client,” Ruckus Film's “Existo” and a variety of national and regional commercials including Ace Hardware, Warner Brothers Television and Major League Baseball.

A caring and dedicated educator, Connye is among the sought-after instructors of performance courses at Nashville Jazz Workshop. Additional workshop installations include: Cumberland University, Fisk University, Belmont University, Young Adult Theater Academy at River Park Center.


BACK TO TOP

Danny Brewington Danny Brewington joins the ArtSmart program with a background of over twenty years in the entertainment field. His experience encompasses theater, television, film, industrials, commercials, cruise ships, and theme parks. His last engagement was playing the role of Dracula in Universal’s Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Revue in Los Angeles, California, where every performance he enjoyed opening the show by “flying” onto the stage. Danny's other musical theater experience includes West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar,  Promises, Promises,  No, No, Nanette, the international tour of A Chorus Line  and the European tour of Sophisticated Ladies. He has enjoyed extensive travel to exotic locales and appeared in various commercials and corporate events. He has worked with numerous personalities, including Matthew Broderick, Natalie Cole, Carol Channing, Barry Williams, Debby Boone, Ben Vereen, and Carol Lawrence. Film credits include Inspector Gadget and Psycho Beach Party.

BACK TO TOP

Dorothy Robinson Gemini born, Dorothy Marie Robinson is a stage director, actor, teacher, sculptor, designer and writer. Robinson spent the first 21 years of her life in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania trying to figure out how to pursue a life in the arts. She saved enough money to begin study at the Pittsburgh Playhouse School of Theatre and was then awarded a full scholarship. Moving to New York City, Dorothy was accepted into the advanced acting classes of the renowned Uta Hagen. Her first professional contract came after auditioning for a national tour of Gypsy sharing the stage with Bernadette Peters. Directing seemed to come easily to Robinson who learned by doing and then participated in a master workshop held at Columbia University. In 1983 she cast and directed Kevin Spacey in The Mousetrap. She is strongly influenced by the innovative Anne Bogart, whose work and rehearsal process she has been able to observe at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. She is a long time member of both Actors Equity Association and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. Her biography is included in Who’s Who in America (2005); Who’s Who in American Women (2006).

Dorothy Marie Robinson has worked on and off-Broadway and in the resident companies of Barter Theatre, VA (1968-1992), Stage West, MA, Berkshire Playhouse, and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. After moving to Nashville, Dorothy has been a Teaching Artist since 1988 and spent eight years as Artistic Director of LifeWork Productions taking plays of social significance to some 100,000 school students. She produced and directed The Cave Dwellers, Black Comedy, Quilters, Open Admissions, Vincent, Transformations, How She Played The Game, The Skin Of Our Teeth, Top Girls and Marvins Room for Nashville Public Theatre. As a leading actor in over 40 shows at Barter, her favorite role was Miss Gilchrist in Brendan Behan’s The Hostage. She appeared in You Can’t Take It With You, ‘Night Mother, The Sound of Music and To Kill A Mockingbird with Tennessee Repertory Theatre. Dorothy was asked to stage a production of Steel Magnolias in 2000 for the Dixie Theatre in Apalachicola, FL and also play the role of Ouiser. She returned to direct Driving Miss Daisy in 2006, act in Queen of Bingo in 2007 and direct A Nice Family Gathering in 2008.
In 2002, after completing The Hollywood Film Institute training and a screenplay-writing class with Steve Womack, Robinson ventured into Independent movie-making…producing, co-writing and directing the feature film Alternate Routes.

Fascinated by the assemblage sculpture of Louise Nevelson, Robinson creates dimensional landscapes, labyrinths and “stages” out of containers and pieces of wood that are usually discarded.
The way that a person is influenced by architectural space has always been of interest to her. She was an active member of the new-building committee for Family & Children’s Service and First Church Unity, has designed many homes of which two have been built, created the entrance for an office in Venture Park, consulted on two sites for “Curves,” and renovated several living spaces.

F. Lynne Bachleda After earning a BS in Criminology and Religion and a MS in Mass Communication at Florida State, F. Lynne Bachleda became the associate producer for two PBS documentaries at the Tallahassee affiliate.  Returning home to Tennessee, Lynne administered the literature and media arts programs at the Tennessee Arts Commission. In 1981, she began freelancing as a graphic designer, photographer, scriptwriter and was a picture researcher for Time-Life Books.  As the co-director of Sinking Creek, Nashville's independent film and video festival, in 1988 Lynne started her writing and teaching relationship with TPAC EDUCATION. Her curatorial work expanded in the 1990's when she collaborated with local, regional, and national design firms and museums to plan their social history, sports, humanities, botanical, and art exhibitions.

As a non-fiction writer, Lynne's work has appeared in Homeworks, the Tennessee Arts Commission's bicentennial anthology, and she researched and composed the interpretive copy engraved on the Tennessee Bicentennial Mall for the Tennessee State Museum.   Her first book, Blue Mountain: A Spiritual Anthology Celebrating the Earth was named to amazon.com's Spiritual and Inspirational Top 10 Books of 2000, and her regional series Dangerous Wildlife: A Guide to Safe Encounters at Home and in the Wild was launched in the spring of 2002.   In 2004 she choreographed her first dance, “Atma Jyoti,” for the University School of Nashville, and Loyola Press of Chicago published Canticles of the Earth. In 2005 Menasha Ridge Press published A Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway. She continues to teach and is writing her next book, From the Ground Up:  What the Earth Teaches About Change.

Born in Batesville, Mississippi and having lived in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and now Tennessee, Ginger Newman is a born and bred southerner to the core!  She attended eight schools in twelve years and graduated valedictorian of her Texas high school. After Belmont University as a Vocal Performance major she went on to win the regional division of the Metropolitan Opera auditions.  Ginger has been a professional artist for thirty years: in that time she has toured all fifty states and been around the world in theatres, concert halls, convention centers and cruise ships such as the QEII, performing her One Woman Show! She has performed locally in many shows at Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Nashville Opera and as a guest artist with the Nashville Symphony and on board the General Jackson showboat. She performed with Mike Eldred for the TPAC Gala Fest de Ville in Jackson Hall and starred, to critical acclaim, in the Tennessee premiere of SOUVENIR-A FANTASIA BASED ON THE LIFE OF FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS.
She is an Adjunct Voice Professor at Cumberland University and she coached Jr. and Sr. Musical Theatre Majors as an adjunct professor at Belmont University (she also was the Musical Director for their production of SEUSSICAL!). For the past four years she was the Musical Director/Conductor for the University School Middle School production of their fall musical at the beautiful Ingram Hall. (Yes, there were 102 middle school students on one stage singing their little hearts out to SRO audiences!)  She is the Education Director of Green Room Projects which works with at-risk youth creating programs to empower them using theatre, music, and anything else we can come up with! Currently she is working on a new Cabaret show which will be coming soon…

As a TPAC Education Teaching Artist, her greatest inspiration continually comes from the works of art and the students who share their creative genius during the processes. Her own son, Daniel, shares her philosophy:  always listen, learn, laugh and love...not necessarily in that order!

BACK TO TOP

Ginger Sands Award-winning performing and teaching artist Ginger Sands is inspired by a love of storytelling in all its forms. She has performed professionally as a singer, songwriter, band leader, storyteller, actress and puppeteer. Active in both the education and arts communities, Ginger has been teaching and presenting arts-integrated programming to young children in schools and libraries throughout Tennessee as well on the West Coast for over 25 years. Her independently released children’s CD, The Gift of Make-Believe, is a multi-awarding collection of songs “for the young and young at heart.” The Gift of Make-Believe received a Parent’s Choice Recommended Award, a NAPPA (Nat’l Association of Parenting Publications) Gold Award and was nominated as “Best Children’s Recording” by the Nashville Music Awards. Ginger followed the CD with a video version of “Make-Believe” which earned a Telly award for excellence in media.

Since 2007, Ginger has been a teaching artist for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap program, which provides arts-infused learning experiences for preschool children in HEADSTART. In these settings, she provides age-appropriate, interactive lessons which incorporate music, movement, theatre, poetry and puppets to support curriculum.

In addition to her role as teaching artist in educational settings, Ginger’s work as an independent recording artist allows her to perform for adult audiences at a wide range of venues. She is currently finishing up a new recording project titled Back to the Garden, a blend of folk and folk-rock songs celebrating gardening, nature and re-connecting to the land. This recording has been greatly inspired by Ginger’s involvement in sustainable local food issues.

Ginger Sands continues to explore various avenues of songwriting, performance and production in music and theater in the larger Nashville community. She is a member of the Americana Music Association, ASCAP and the Tennessee Association for Arts in Education. www.gingersands.com

BACK TO TOP

Holly Canon-Hesse

Holly Cannon-Hesse began her studies at Middle Tennessee State University where she majored in Speech and Theatre with an emphasis on education and minored in dance. She studied under the likes of Anne Holland, Nancy Turpin, and Rossi Turner learning a variety of disciplines, such as Modern, Ballet, and choreographic technique. Holly has continued her education at many Black Collage Dance Exchanges and many different workshops. Always a dancer at heart, Holly has been performing since High School and continues to do so today. Holly began dancing with a small company in Murfreesboro Tennessee, under the direction of Rossi Turner. In 1994 she found a home with the local Blue Moves Modern Dance Company as a dancer and choreographer. Blue Moves tackles important social and personal issues in a very quirky and creative that makes you laugh without diluting the seriousness of their message. Holly also performed with the Glen Fredrick’s Repertory Theater in Tsunami Echoes: Katrina Cries, a benefit for those devastated by the recent deadly storms that no one should soon forget. Holly has recently been working with the company Whispers. Whispers’ main goal is to shed light on the many social issues we face today. Holly also performs, upon occasion, with a vaudeville act called The Marvelous Mangos. Holly has been working with children for over ten years teaching dance, creative movement, and the importance of health and fitness. Holly began teaching in Murfreesboro for the Extended School Program (ESP) in several local elementary schools. While in Murfreesboro, she also taught for the Governor’s School Program under the direction of Nancy Turpin. She then branched out to Smithville, Tennessee where she opened up her own studio, The Right Moves; A Studio Dedicated to the Arts. She offered classes in all the fundamentals of dance, but also had self defense and guitar lessons readily available. She then moved to Knoxville, Tennessee for a year, where she found herself working for the highly reputable Rocky Hill Studio for the Arts teaching pre- ballet and African classes. Upon her return to Nashville four years ago, Holly began working with the company KidSkills. She teaches dance and gymnastics while emphasizing the importance of health and fitness; The Stuff Every Kid Should Know. Holly is very excited to be working with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Teaching Artist residency program, which she joined in December 2006. She looks forward to a journey of discovery while embracing aesthetic education.

BACK TO TOP

Jamie London

Greetings – my name is Jamie London. I have had the great privilege of serving as a Teaching Artist for Artsmart since 1998, for Theatrecraft since 1997, and for Stageworks Performing Arts Academy & Camps since 2000. I also was site director for Project for Neighborhood Aftercare at Lockland Middle School from 1997- 2000, and I served as Youth Ministry Director at Unity Church for Positive Living from 2000 – 2002. In addition to my Teaching Artist opportunities I am currently acting as a substitute for the Wilson County School system, attending MTSU pursuing a degree in Theatre Education, and creating and facilitating spiritual workshops for Unity Churches and spiritual retreats. I am blessed to be “momma’ to an amazing 7 ½ year old daughter named Stella, and partner and wife of 16 years to “super- tour-manager” Don. This fall marks my 30th year on my incredible journey in performing arts. I am so lucky to have had so many amazing performance opportunities in so many forms of music, theatre and dance. My goals this year as your Teaching Artist are: 1. to return to the original model of Teaching Artist and Classroom Teacher partnership; 2. to co-create with you lessons containing the true aesthetic education paradigm, that will inspire students to intellectually posses the WOA; and 3. to exemplify the Artsmart approach in the most positive and exciting way imaginable. I look forward to working with you this year.


BACK TO TOP

Jill Massie has been a Teaching Artist with TPAC Education since 1993.  She is an actor, director, teacher and dialect coach. This year, Jill was dialect consultant on a feature film, “Microwave Park” and has appeared on camera in several projects. She recently directed the play “Popcorn” for Street Theater Co.  Jill is an audio describer for TPAC ‘s program which augments theatre performance for sight challenged people. This being a year of firsts, Jill is in the process of developing an improv group for teens, while also producing her first commercial.  She hopes to continue bringing arts experiences to learners of all ages and considers aesthetic education life changing and vital.

BACK TO TOP

Julia Cawthon is a storyteller, performer, and teacher.  She holds an MA in English with a minor in theatre from MTSU.  When she's not teaching at Vol State, Julia can be found onstage acting or telling stories.  As a storyteller, she loves to share folktales, true stories, and her own "masterpieces" with anyone who'll listen!  She has been a featured storyteller for both the Broadway Dinner Train and Tennessee Central Railway Museum and currently performs at churches, libraries, and festivals. As an actor, Julia has worked with school and community groups, participated in historical cemetery walks, and written and performed pieces for the Cities of Lebanon and Watertown.  Today, she is a regular with Stage Struck Productions' dinner theatre and serves on the Board of Hard Corn Players, a group dedicated to preserving the tradition of the tent show.  She is also developing a series of murder mysteries and themed teas for local restaurants.

BACK TO TOP

Julie Cox Julie Cox, a native of Nashville, has been a Teaching Artist with TPAC Education since 2001. Julie made her Off-Broadway debut in Romberg’s New Moon as part of the City Center’s Encores and was thrilled to be part of the acclaimed cast recording released in  2004. She has performed with regional companies such as Nashville Symphony, Nashville Opera, Tennessee Repertory Theater, Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Cumberland County Playhouse, Natchez Opera Festival, Ash Lawn-Highland Summer Festival, and Opera Colorado.  She is featured in a new recording of Ravel’s opera L’Enfant et les Sortileges with the Nashville Symphony on the Naxos label. Julie received her Bachelor of Music from Belmont University, where she graduated cum laude with a degree in Vocal Performance.

She has won much acclaim regionally and nationally as a NATS competition winner, Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition Finalist, Orpheus Competition semi-finalist, and recipient of the Helen Nepp Socolofsky Memorial and Frances Westbrook Shafter Vocal Awards.  In addition to her stage credits, Ms. Cox is a songwriter, has over seventeen years of singing experience in the recording studio, and has had the opportunity to work with artists such as Marie Osmond, Sandi Patti, and Vince Gill. As a product of two parents who were both Metro teachers, Julie feels like she is giving back to her roots. She enjoys this work and looks forward to exploring it with you!

BACK TO TOP

Kathleen Lynam

 Kathleen Lynam is the founder and principal puppeteer of Crafty Characters Puppet Troupe, established in 1989. Ten culturally diverse stories are presented to young audiences, K-3 throughout Tennessee and neighboring states. Literature and reading are stressed as the characters jump from the page to the puppet stage.

Commissioned puppets have been purchased by Vanderbilt University, Travelers Rest historic home and private individuals. Over 700 hand sculpted finger puppets were made by Kathleen and sold through CRIZMAC Art and Cultural Education Materials Catalog. In 1999, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts purchased a set of her puppets.

Workshops have been presented for university students, teachers, parents, and librarians nationwide. The workshops range from exploration of character, voice, movement, to hands-on puppet making. As a Wolf Trap Master artist, her workshop, "Let Your Voices Be Heard:  Using Puppets to Bring Stories to Life" has been presented across the country to educators by the Wolf Trap Foundation in Vienna, Va.   A workshop targeted for elementary school educators has been developed in association with the Kennedy Center in Washington, D. C. This workshop, "Meeting Famous Americans:  A History Lesson through Puppetry" will be presented again at the Kennedy Center in March of 2004.

Kathleen has been a Wolf Trap artist since 1991 and a Wolf Trap Master artist since 2001. Working with 3-5 year olds is her first love. She has developed numerous activities, songs and puppets for the preschool child that will foster a love for learning."Professor Smartypants", "Mr. Germ" and an assortment of nursery rhyme puppets are but a few of the magical characters that will keep pre-schoolers engaged, focused and on-task. These activities are directly connected to basic life, academic, or curriculum based skills. These songs, poems and stories can be found in her book, "The Keys to Your Imagination".

BACK TO TOP

Lindsey Pitts

Lindsey Pitts is an immense arts lover and is well versed in dance, music, and theater. She currently performs with Nashville Ballet II and dedicates her spare time to teaching at the School of Nashville Ballet and Legacy Dance. Lindsey began her dance training in Midland, TX where she studied under the direction of Susan Clark and continued her development at intensives with Texas Christian University, Milwaukee Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and Orlando Ballet. During this time she also appeared in community theatrical productions and excelled at the violin, in which she won all-state merits for solo and ensemble. She is a graduate of Butler University in Indianapolis where she earned dual degrees in Journalism and Dance-Arts Administration. She has also served arts organizations such as Dance Kaleidoscope and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Lindsey is excited for her inaugural year with the Teaching Artists and wants to inspire others to enrich their lives with arts.
BACK TO TOP

Marci Murphree Marci Murphreecomes with over 30 years experience as a dance teacher and choreographer for many fine arts organizations and schools, including University School of Nashville, Metro Parks, and Vanderbilt Dance Group. She teaches modern dance, ballet, tap, and drama for children and is a veteran Teaching Artist with TPAC Education’s ArtSmart program.  In 2007, Marci opened Second Story Studio for dance, yoga and related arts in West Nashville, offering an alternative to the traditional dance school fare with experienced teachers and a more contemporary, creative approach to instruction and performance. Marci was a featured dancer and founding member of the highly-acclaimed modern dance company Tennessee Dance Theater for 12 years, with glowing reviews from the Tennessean to the New York Times.  She performed in works by dance greats Charles Weidman, Doris Humphreys, Billy Siegenfeld and Dan Waggoner and in many original roles created by TDT artistic director Donna Rizzo.

Marci was certified to teach dance through Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and Southern Association of Dance Masters. She continued to train extensively in dance, seeking out many of the best teachers in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Kansas City. An interest in theater led her to the late Ruth Sweet, well-known actress, master teacher, and director of The Acting Studio, Nashville's only acting conservatory. Marci was invited to join the faculty of as movement instructor for the actors, and went on to work with Jill Massie in it's resurrection as the Dramatic Arts Studio. Her desire to make a difference in the lives of young people led Marci to become Artistic Director of LifeWork Productions from 1995-2004 - writing, directing and producing shows to address personal and social challenges such as accepting diversity, teen stress and suicide, self-esteem and family issues. LifeWork shows, featuring some of Nashville's most talented young professional entertainers, were seen by tens of thousands of children in Middle Tennessee schools and public events. Throughout her evolving career, Marci's dedication to teaching dance has remained while her methods and motivation changed. She is recognized in Nashville for the development of a Creative Ballet curriculum for grades K - 12, designed to introduce students to ballet technique incrementally, while exploring the musical, theatrical and expressive art of dance. Many of her students have gone on to college dance programs and careers in dance and musical theater, and still others have opted to raise families and continue their relationship with Marci by bringing their children to her for dance lessons!

BACK TO TOP

Marie-Vanel Borderon Marie-Vanel Borderon is excited and proud to be working as the new Teaching Artist for the ArtSmart program at TPAC. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Marie-Vanel has lived in Nashville since January of 2000 working as Music Educator, performer, and acting for film and stage. She has performed and recorded with various artists in New York and the Nashville area, local credits including J.D. Souther, Abby Burke and the Manly Band, Music City Samba, Nashville Opera, Roxy Regional Theatre, Amun Ra Theatre, Actors Bridge, Boiler Room Theatre, and others.
Marie-Vanel enjoys working with all ages, from birth and oldest thus far being 80 (you CAN learn and grow at any age!). Some of her most blessed memorable experiences have been teaching music to exceptional learners, teaching basic Latin dance to adults, working with at-risk youth, performing and conducting in choirs travelling through Europe, Mexico, Canada, and across the United States, and working with children in musicals. She received the Bachelors of Music in Music Education from The Crane School of Music in NY, and Masters of Music with honors in Vocal Pedagogy from Belmont University. She is grateful for every opportunity to sow into the life of another, sharing her talents and love for the arts.

BACK TO TOP

Marla Faith

Marla Faith is a visual artist whose main mediums of creative expression are painting, drawing, and collage (she also loves poetry, storytelling, and dance). She has made her living teaching art (to all ages) in schools, directing education programs in art museums, and currently, teaching AP art history in high school. Marla's intention is to help others to see the beauty within and around them, so that they become more aware, sensitive individuals, who feel good expressing themselves creatively.

A native of Chicago, Marla moved to Nashville in 1990 from New York. She earned her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her MS at Bank Street College. In addition to making and exhibiting her art while in Nashville, Marla has held positions in art edcation at Eakin Elementary, Westminster School (now Currey Ingram), and Harpeth Hall School. Past museum positions include Cheekwood, the Guggenheim, Storm King Art Center, and the Art Institute of Chicago. In Nashville, recent exhibitions of her art have been at the Parthenon, the Airport, and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission. http://www.marlafaith.com

Michael Cooper Michael Cooper is well into his second decade of painting large-scale murals. Since starting Murals & More LLC, he has been involved in projects ranging from small interior residential rooms to massive exterior highway projects. Also an accomplished faux painter, he has transformed many walls into fabulous brick, intricate marble and marvelous textures. He is known throughout the country for his attention to detail and his ability to create realistic and whimsical applications of trompe l'oeil. People have simply been amazed at discovering what they thought was a series of wrought iron balconies or a clumsily placed ladder was actually a flat painted surface. Cooper founded Murals & More LLC after painting murals as a hobby for nearly his entire life. His first association with a mural was actually in the first grade, (too many years ago!) where his winning drawings were incorporated into a large wall mosaic, which still exists today. Even though his specialty is large-scale murals, Michael has also provided his clients with painted furniture, floor cloths, backdrops, scenics, etc.

His most recent commercial projects include two large (30’ x 50’ and 15’ x 100’) exterior murals for the town of Lynchburg, Virginia; 5 murals for the Kirk Family YMCA in Roanoke, Virginia; a large interior mural for the Salem, Virginia Family YMCA; transforming the exterior of Cumberland Transit (an outdoor sports and hiking store in Nashville), and painting the first work of public art in downtown Dickson, Tennessee, on a 40' x 80' exterior brick wall. He just finished a 15' x 300’ trompe l’oeil wall for Nashville’s Bicentennial Mall, right after painting faux finishes and trompe l’oeil stone on over a mile and a half of highway retaining walls and parapet walls in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Whew! And that’s not even mentioning his residential projects! In order to share his almost 20 years of experience as a professional muralist, Michael has also been teaching classes in the art and business of mural painting in his large Franklin studio, as well as seminars throughout the country. He is a member of the Artist's Advisory Council and the Community Relations Board for the Frist Center of the Visual Arts, a teacher with the TPAC ArtSmart Program, an avid racquetball player, and in his spare time, Mike plays a decent 12 string guitar and a mean djembé.

And if it weren't for his wife, Mickie, he wouldn't be here at all!

BACK TO TOP

Pam Atha Pam Atha has been living and working in and around Nashville for over 20 years.  She holds a BSE in Dance Education from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and an MAE from Cumberland University in Lebanon, TN.  She originally came to town to break into the music business, but was very fortunate to take a side step with Donna Rizzo and Andrew Krichels as a founding member of Tennessee Dance Theatre.  While dancing with TDT, she had the pleasure of also working with notable figures such as Bill Evans, Dan Waggoner and Billy Siegenfeld.  Other notable dance/theatre training includes Joe Layton, Danny Ezralow, Penelope Hanstein, Danny Herman, Louis Falco, and Danny Burzechski.

Pam attributes much of her artistic growth to the time she spent in Cherokee, NC with the seasonal outdoor drama Unto These Hills. Comprised of educators and long time returning cast and artistic staff members, artists were encouraged to experiment and grow freely within the confines of a resident company, in a camp-like atmosphere. As choreographer for over 20 years, she had the opportunity to work with a group of 20 dancer/actors, and production staff each season, to bring new life and energy to the dynamic native and modern based dances in the drama, which she researched and created. In Nashville, she enjoys a career as free-lance choreographer, teacher, and performing artist. In recent years, Pam has been adding more directing credits to her resume. Regionally, she has worked for The Rep, Nashville Children's Theatre, Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, Boiler Room Theatre, Phoenix Rising Entertainment, Cumberland County Playhouse, Circle Players, North Carolina Theatre, and Flat Rock Playhouse the State Theatre of North Carolina.

BACK TO TOP

Rachel Sumner Rachel Sumner has been an ArtSmart Teaching Artist since 1994. Her background in performing is extensive. She is a prolific writer, singer and actor who has sung with twenty-one piece orchestras, numerous bands and musicals. She has acted in national television commercials, children’s theater and radio commercials. Since moving to Nashville, Rachel has written and released six award-winning recordings for young people, a video of sign language and foreign language songs and a curriculum/songbook. Her latest release "Join The Parade" (especially for ages 3-10) has been hailed as one of the best children’s recordings of the year with its catchy melodies, silly jokes and delightful stories.

Rachel’s music and stories can be found on most major MP3 downloading sites and can be heard on children’s radio, satellite and airline programming around the world. Her music videos were also featured regularly for many years on The Learning Channel’s "Ready, Set, Learn" during Short Stuff.

If you would like to hear her music, find out where she is performing or learn about her keynotes, workshops and in-service training, stop by http://www.rachelsumner.com.

BACK TO TOP

Rising Moon

For more than fifteen years, Rising Moon—visual artist, poet, storyteller and general mischief-maker—has been playfully facilitating learners of all ages in creative and personal discovery. She is prone to overly dramatic pauses in conversation, unpredictable detours in thought and picking up shiny things, all of which become fodder for her artwork and writing. A professional Teaching Artist since 2000, Rising Moon lives, writes, paints, plays and teaches throughout the Southeast.

BACK TO TOP

Robyn Berg

Robyn Berg is an actor, director, professor and teaching artist. Recent Music City credits include Lindsey in Potty Talk for Rhubarb Theatre Company and direction of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman at Lipscomb University, where she is also Adjunct Professor of Theatre. She holds the same title at Volunteer State and runs the drama program at Franklin School of Performing Arts. In the fall of 2009, Robyn relocated from New York City, where she worked with multiple theatre companies including The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Stages on the Sound and IDEAS Drama.

Robyn holds a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Florida, where she taught multiple courses and played leading ladies like Ranevskaya in Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, Mrs. Loveit in The Man of Mode and Lampito in Lysistrata (which also toured Greece). Robyn began her career in her hometown of Chicago after earning a bachelor’s in Theatre Performance and Communications Radio/Television from Bradley University, where she also studied aboard in London, England. For more information, see robynberg.com.

BACK TO TOP

Sandy Tipping

Sandy was born and raised in a small town north of Toronto, Ontario. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating summa cum laude in 2000, and moved to Nashville where he has frittered away the last four years as a recording engineer, music director, elementary music teacher, session and touring keyboard player and record producer.

He has produced records for Denver and The Mile High Orchestra, engineered albums for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Bobby Osborne and continues to perform with the Drifters, Coasters, Platters and Martha Reeves. Sandy became involved in the ArtSmart program as a participating teacher during his two years at Neely's Bend Elementary School in Madison and is pleased to still be connected to the ArtSmart gang.

BACK TO TOP

---

Steve West

Steve West has been actively involved in live music presentation for the past twenty-five years as a concert producer and as a venue owner. He started Go West Presents in 1986 and opened 328 Performance Hall in 1990. He founded the Nashville Music Extravaganza, also in 1986 and Leadership Music's Nashville Music Awards in 1995. In 2000, he opened the Basement, another live music venue, and started Funky Cowboy Music, a publishing company for the songs he writes and performs. He is a BMI writer and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association. Steve is also a successful state championship level baseball coach. He plays guitar and sings with R&B cover band Z and 60s/70s rock band Zig Zag. He currently produces the 12 South Concert in the Park Series at Sevier Park. He is a graduate of Leadership Music, Leadership Nashville, and Belmont University.

He joined the ArtSmart Teaching Artist Faculty in fall 2003.

BACK TO TOP

---

Stephanie Walker

Stephanie Walker is a vibrantly animated person. She enjoys teaching dance and allows that joy to enthusiastically come through in every dance experience.

Born and raised in Riverside, CA, Stephanie moved to Nashville to attend Fisk University. While earning a bachelor degree in Chemistry, she was a cast member and student choreographer for the resident Dance Company Orchesis. In 1995, Stephanie founded the Fisk University Songleaders, a sporting event dance performance team that is still performing (as “Ladies of R.A.G.E.") to date. She has collaborated with such organizations as Ipsi Dixit Community Theatre, Salama Urban ministries, Gospel Music Workshop of America and the Full Gospel Christian Fellowship and various churches in America’s southern region.

In 2004, Stephanie moved to Sydney, Australia to study dance performance at Wesley Institute. Through various performances throughout eastern cost of Australia she explored how dance & theology fit together as a relevant medium in today’s society. After returning to Nashville, Stephanie began dancing with Glen Frederick Dance Theatre. Since it’s disbandment, Ms Walker has worked as a freelance exploratory dance and movement teacher in addition to teaching ballet, tap, hip-hop, jazz and contemporary in Rutherford county.

BACK TO TOP

Terry Occhiogrosso

Terry Occhiogrosso has been an Arts-in-Education actor, director and teacher for many years in New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area, where she performed in the world premiere of Kelly Patton’s “A Child Goes Forth”. She ran the Theatre Dept. at Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. Jr./Sr. H.S. for ten years and taught teacher in-service workshops at Southampton College, N.Y. She was a co-founder and program director of Theatre Arts in Education, which produced and toured original curriculum-related shows in schools, conducted student and teacher workshops and artist residencies.

Her one woman show, Animal Crackers and Crumbs, was selected by the NY State Council on the Arts to showcase at an Arts in Education symposium in Saratoga Springs. She is also currently a Teaching Artist for The Nashville Shakespeare Festival and formerly for the YMCA artEMBRACE program, and has acted in productions for Tennessee Women’s Theater Project, Groundworks Theatre and The Boiler Room Theatre.

BACK TO TOP