In 1987 DanceAbility started as an experiment. How can all people dance together?
Since then, the DanceAbility experiment has blossomed into a movement that envisions an inclusive world.
These are the people who embody that vision, and who have helped bring the DanceAbility dream to life. It is with great admiration and gratitude that we present the following individuals who continue to master "the Art of Being Together."
Master Teachers
DanceAbility Master Teachers have completed 120-hours of the Teacher Certification course, and the 60-hour Master Teacher course. This program equips participants to teach the (30-hour) DanceAbility Intensive, which is the foundation of the DanceAbility Method and empowers students to use the methodology in their work, their communities, and beyond.
Ralf Otto
Martina Pusterhofer
Marina Siebert
Denise Busch
Corrie Cowart
Susanna Odovaine
Chiara Parisi
Amy Weinkauf
Giovanna Barbero
Arvin Cheng
Scarlette Cheng
Ann-Nepheli Lagos
Claudia Pisani
Cyntia Ceron
Theodora Tsirogianni
Lu Lu Arroyo
Sara Wiktorwicz
Fernanda
Aaron Wheeler
Chiara Campi
Giulia Giraldo
Emmaly Wiederholt
Tonya Rivera
Lucia Ulrich
Veronica Dewitt
Jana Meszaros
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Master Trainers
DanceAbility Master Trainers have completed 120-hours of the Teaching Certification course, the 60-hour Master Teacher certification course, and the 70-hour Master Trainer course. This advanced program equips participants to teach all DanceAbility classes, including the 30-hour DanceAbility Intensive, and the 120-hour DanceAbility Teaching Certification course.
Laura Banfi; Italy
Michaela Knox; Maine, USA
Connie Vandarakis; Philadelphia, USA
Maja Hehlen; Germany
Michelle Silagy; Canada
Cesar Martinez; Uruguay
Nigar Sultanova; Azerbaijan
Fabian Chyle; Germany
Neca Zarvos; Brazil
India Harville; USA
Ah Wong; Hong Kong
Active DanceAbility Teachers
From teaching, to choreography, to performance, all of the people listed here are using the DanceAbility Method, whether solely or in combination with other techniques. They have completed the four week, 125 hour DanceAbility Teacher Certification Course. To contact any of these teachers please send us an email to Alito Alessi, alito@danceability.com or call us at the DanceAbility International office in Eugene, Oregon, USA and we will be happy to connect you!
North America
USA:
DanceAbility Method Founder: Alito Alessi (Eugene, OR and internationally active)
Master Trainers: Connie Vandarakis, MA (Philadelphia, PA),
India Harville (Oakland, CA), Michaela Knox, Portland, ME
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Master Teachers: Jana Meszaros (Eugene, OR), Veronica DeWitt (Austin, TX), Aaron Wheeler-Kay (Portland, OR) Sarah Furnish (Iowa City, IA)
Teachers:
Irvine, CA: Timorei Andraos
Nevada City, CA: Liza Bender
Riverside, CA: Sydney Erlikh
Colorado: Abbey Dubois
Atlanta, GA: Oleg Borunov, Ashlee Ramsey
Chicago, IL: Alison Kopit, Stefanie Piatkiewicz
Detroit, MI: Cara Graninger
Minneapolis, MN: Olive Bieringa, Susan Kraemer
Greenville, NC: Boni Boswell, PhD
Albuquerque, NM: Tonya (Maria) Rivera
Endicott, NY: Tina Christina-Price
New York, NY: Courtney Conigatti, Rachel Dorsey, PT, DPT, Alexis James, Elisabet “Eli” Marcos Furones
Columbus, OH: Kyla Makovsky READ ARTICLE
Corvallis, OR: Lisa Wells
Eugene, OR: Maria Antonieta "Toni" Alvarez, Emery Blackwell, Karen Daly, Illana Jakubowski, Celeste Peterson, Bakul Willard, Shannon Mockli, Madeleine Sisson, Brittney
Hietala, Jay Hall-Schnurrpusch,
Portland, OR: Kathy Coleman, Erik Ferguson, Joan Gunness, Laura Hiszczynskyj, Lark Jarvis, Jessie Nowack, Denise Busch
Monmouth, OR: Tim Cowart
Allentown, PA: Corrie Cowart, Tim Cowart
Philadelphia, PA: Jacqueline Cardile, Courtney Conigatti, Alex Fluharty, Caitlin Solazzo, Natalie Subbloie
Austin, TX: Christian Bergin, Hope Breeding, Dany Casey, Errin Delperdang, Linda Farwell, Carol Gilson, Kelly Hasandras, Jae Hoon Lim, Michael Joplin, Silva Laukkanen, Amy Litzinger, Vivian Lugo, Juan Munoz, Olivia O’’Hare, David Phillips, Emily Thompson, Donna Woods
San Antonio, TX: Allyson Morales
W. Halifax, VT: Sakura Lepkoff
Puyallup, WA: Amanda Herman
Other: Alicia Bingley, Cornelia Lee
CANADA:
Master Teacher: Michelle Silagy (Toronto)
Teachers:
Calgary, Alberta: Pamela Boyd, Oriana Pagnotta
Vancouver, B.C.: Naomi Brand
Ottawa, Ontario: Shara Weaver, Olivia Faveri
Toronto, Ontario: Lawrence Shapiro, Oriana Pagnotta
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MEXICO:
Master Teacher: Lourdes Arroyo (Mexico City, Puebla Saltillo)
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Teachers:
Azcapotzalco: Arceli Leon Torrijos
Ensenada: Richard Paz
Hermosillo: Karla Alejandra Martinez
Mexico City: Cyntia Céron, Teresa Carlos
Tijuana: Gema Rodriguez
South America
ARGENTINA:
Master Teachers: Andrea Fernandez and Marina Gubbay (Buenos Aires)
Teachers:
Nequen: Monica Centeno, Claudia Gasparini
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BRAZIL:
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Master Trainer: Neca Zarvos (São Paulo)
Master Teachers: Fernada Amaral (São Paulo),
Teachers:
Natal, Rio Grande do Norte: Elke Beatriz Riedel
Campinas: Marília Carneiro
Florianópolis: Ana Alonso
São Paulo: Priscila Jorge, Estela Lapponi, Silvana Melo (Osasco, Santos areas), Leticia Sekito
Other: Pedro Pinheiro
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CHILE:
Teachers:
Santiago: Javiera Sanhueza, Angela Vega, Charlotte Aguilera Saba
COLOMBIA:
Teachers:
Barranquilla: Vicky Garcia Toloza
Bogota: Paulina Avellaneda, Bellaluz Gutierrez, Nazly Puentes, Nayibe Sanchez
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URUGUAY:
Master Teacher: César Martínez (Montevideo)
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Teachers:
Montevideo: Catalina Artecona, Daniela Barbeito, Lucia Bidegain, Fabiana Ciroli, Claudia Cavalli, Natalia Farías, Valentina Kaplan, Juancho Noblia, Victoria Pin, Tania Quintana
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VENEZUELA:
Teacher: Alejandra Peña
Europe & the UK
AUSTRIA:
Teachers:
Innsbruck: Christine Riegler
Koflach/Graz: Angelika Holzer
Berkfeld/Graz: Sonja Felber
Mödling: Rossana Wareka
Upper Austria: Elisabeth Charlotte Sellinger
Vienna: Anita Besler, Vera Rosner-Nóogel, Regina Erben-Hartig, Lau Lukkarila, Monika Bischof, Katharina Zabransky, Julia Präauer
Wien: Karolina Kras, Anna Scheer, Gabrielle Cram, Lisa Mai, Marianne Hollwegwe, Ronja Eder, Tunde Toth
CROATIA:
Teachers:
Zagreb: Sandra Kerovec
CZECH REPUBLIC
Jitka Mozorová - DanceAbility teacher (DA teacher certification in Vienna 2023)
DanceAbility Czech Republic
FINLAND:
Master Teacher: Sally Davison (Helsinki)
Teachers:
Helsinki: Niina Bell, Vera Lapitskaya, Jonna Lehto, Pia Lindy, Emmi Vainio, Noora Västinen
Jyväskylä: Helena Ratinen
Kauniainen: Gunilla Sjovall
Tampere: Milla Ikonen
Vantaa: Jojo Salonen
GERMANY:
Master Trainers: Maja Helen (Trier/Luxembourg), Dr. Fabian Chyle-Silvestri (www.kulturellebildung.de, www.fabianchyle.de)
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Master Teachers: Anne Chérel (Trier/Lux), Tonja Rausch (Trier/Lux),
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Teachers:
Berlin: Bernhard Richarz, Claudia Neumayer
Botman: Beate Remark
Cologne: Elena Kazarnovskaya
Frankfurt: Silke Schonfleisch, Sandra Baumeister
Hamburg: Christian Judith, Dorothée de Place
Heidelberg: Danilo Floreani
Munich: Alexandra Bauer, Ralf Otto
Ravensburg: Evelyn Schick
Regensburg, Bavaria: Marina Siebert
Trier/Luxembourg: Marina Idaczyk, Gudrun Paulsen
Other: Barbara Eckert
GREECE:
Teachers:
Athens: Anna-Nepheli Lyras Lagos
Thessaloniki: Natassa Damask, Theodora Tsirogianni
HUNGARY:
Teacher: Sara Toth
ITALY:
Master Trainer: Laura Banfi (Milan)
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Master Teacher: Giulia Giraldo (Milan)
Teachers:
Umbria: Jessica Carloni
Arco: Chiara Ferraglia
Brescia: Fabio Micco
Bologna: Michela Turrini
Campania: Nicoletta De Domenico
Genova: Claudia Crivellari
Genzano di Roma: Valentina Abbatini
Livorno: Macero Sauro
Milan: Raffaella Agate, Paola Banone, Eleonora Colombini
Padova: Laura Biasioli, Marianna Benasciutti, Silvia Bianco, Laura Garrone, Marina Giacometti, Alessandra Lunardelli, Juri Roverato, Anna Ruzza, Sara Zanotto
Padova: Stefania Limina
Parma: Erica Brindisi
Piacenza: Santa Paduano
Pordenone: Lorella Ideari
Rome: Ilaria Bracagli, Luigi Carresi, Emilia Martinelli, Susanna Odevaine, Chiara Mattogno, Delfi Ospici, Chiara Parisi
Schio: Nadia Righele, Pierluigi Zonzin
Verona: Frederica Brutti, Giorgia Panetto, Giulia Olivieri
Other: Giovanna Barbero, Silvia Bianco, Ilaria Bracaglia, Federica Brutti, Giacomo Curti, Lidia Marinaro, Erika Vallese, Martina Sarcina
LUXEMBOURG:
Master Teacher: Maja Helen (Trier/Luxembourg) Anne Chérel (Trier/Lux), Tonja Rausch (Trier/Lux)​
Teachers: Marina Idaczyk, Gudrun Paulsen
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NETHERLANDS:
Master Trainer: Dr. Fabian Chyle-Silvestri
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Master Teacher: Sara Wiktorowicz (Amsterdam)
Teacher: Lenna Schouten (www.lennaschouten.com)
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POLAND:
Teacher: Adrianna Michalska
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PORTUGAL:
Lisbon: Ana Rita Barata, Bernardo Gama, Joana Santos, Patricia ferreira de Carvalho Macedo.
SPAIN:
Teacher: Lorena Escribano González: (0034 651112315)
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UK:
Teachers:
Naomi Welford (London)
Mason Fung Mei Sheung (London)
Asia
HONG KONG:
Master Trainer: Ann Wong Yuk-Ming
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Teachers:
Scarlette Cheng, Mimi Lo, Yuen Kin-Leung Maru, Pearl Tse
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SOUTH KOREA:
Teacher: YangMi Lee
Africa
SOUTH AFRICA:
Teacher: Nadine McKenzie
Caucasus & Middle East
AZERBAIJAN:
Master Trainer: Nigar Sultanova
Australia & New Zealand
NEW ZEALAND:
Teacher: Auckland: Alisha McLennan Marler
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Australia:
Teacher: Melbourne: Joe Chan
Future DanceAbility Teachers
The following people have completed the five-day, 30 hour DanceAbility Intensives and teach, choreograph, and/or perform in mixed-abilities dance, using the DanceAbility Method purely or combined with other techniques.
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Quito, Ecuador: Juan Ochoa
Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Tiara Bramarani and Nalitari Community (Yogyakarta)
Portland, Oregon: Yulia Arakelyan
Santa Fe, New Mexico: Emmaly Wiederholt
Mexico City: Karime Alonso
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