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OUR MISSION
KineoLab is a center for dance, kinetic exploration, and community, seeking to preserve and advance a rich heritage of American and Global dance. We promote integrated wellness, address conflict, and cultivate collaborative communities for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
PROGRAMMING | PEOPLE | PLACE
Programming is the way in which organizations engage and interact with People. We believe that programming must arise from a genuine need within a community, and that the composition of any given program be informed by that community.
People are the core of everything we do. An organization is just an empty structure without people to enliven and engage it. In dance, the body is basis. It is our instrument, our tool, our platform for communication and connection. By bringing people together through dance and movement we hope to address conflict and nurture positive interaction and collaboration.
Place is not just about a location or a point in space. It is layered with meaning, memory, and purpose. Place is significant because of the ways in which we engage it, and the meaning we assign it based on the activities it supports. Through the ways in which we engage People with our Programming, we hope to build a sense of Place that encourages and nurtures self and group discovery, transparent and honest communication, and sustainable growth and prosperity in our communities.
PROGRAMMING
KineoLab is a not-for-profit organization that endeavors to be both a catalyst and key contributor to the dance field in New York State. We will accomplish this in part by:
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offering dance and movement training that teaches the necessary means to master one’s own movement and use of space and time;
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advocating for and expanding the presence and role of dance education in K-12 schools throughout NYS;
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providing opportunities and resources for the creation, production, and performance of movement-centered works;
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providing resources and training in dance management for dance artists and managers;
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inspiring, nurturing and growing appreciation for dance in NYS;
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and advocating for the field at all layers of government, and in training our next generation of dance advocates.
Community is central to all that we do at KineoLab. More than just an idea or a buzz word, community is the lifeblood of our organization, and that of the cities and regions that we serve. We aspire to cultivate collaborative communities for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds by:
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addressing conflict in our communities and providing sustainable solutions for those communities to transform themselves from the inside out;
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providing performance and communal spaces that spark and support critical thought and dialogue;
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and offering community-based workshops and practices that nurture the bonds that connect community as they empower and strengthen, providing a platform for the voices of those who continue to go unheard.
PEOPLE
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Governance | Accountability | Support
Whitney Denesha - President
Curtis Stedge - Vice President | Treasurer
Alex Andrasik - Secretary
CURTIS STEDGE MFA, MA, CMA
Founder | Executive/Artistic Director
Curtis is a dancer, choreographer, educator, researcher, and an arts manager. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Dance and Business Administration from SUNY Potsdam (Potsdam, NY), a Master of Arts in Arts Management from the University at Buffalo (Buffalo, NY), an MFA in Dance from the University of Maryland (College Park, MD), and a CMA in Laban Movement Analysis from the Laban Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies (New York, NY).
As a professional dancer Curtis has toured regionally as a principal with Geomantics Dance Theater (Rochester, NY). From 2005 to 2011, he studied contemporary dance and Laban Movement Analysis intensively with CMA Richard Haisma. He has also studied with Christopher K Morgan, Adriane Fang, PEARSONWIDRIG DanceTheater, Elizabeth Streb, Catherine Burge, Troika Ranch, Ruth Solomon, and Wally Cardona.
As an educator Curtis has taught both arts management and dance at the undergraduate level in higher education, and has taught dance extensively to people of all ages and backgrounds. Curtis' areas of research interest include the choreographic process, dance and community, dance and peacebuilding, as well as dance and placemaking. He is a certified K-12 dance teacher in the state of New Jersey and is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at Bard High School Early College in Newark, NJ.
As an arts manager he has worked for various national and international not-for-profit arts organizations including The National Centre for Early Music (York, England) as Marketing Associate, Geva Theatre Center (Rochester, NY) as Associate Director of Box Office Operations, Capital Fringe Festival (Washington, DC) as Box Office Manager, Projective Kinetics (Rochester, NY) as Executive Director, and Neglia Ballet Artists (Buffalo, NY) as Managing Director. He is currently Executive Director of he Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in addition to being the Founder, Artistic Director & CEO of KineoLab.
WHITNEY DENESHA LMSW, R-DMT (candidate)
Associate Artistic Director |
Director of Community Collaboration
Whitney is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and social worker. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Dance from SUNY Potsdam (Potsdam, NY), and a Masters of Social Work from the University at Buffalo (Buffalo, NY).
As a dancer she began her movement training in the Cecchetti Method of classical ballet at age eight, under the artistic direction of Jean Spear. She had performed as a company member with the Thousand Islands Festival Ballet for four years, touring throughout the Northeast US and Canada. She has worked extensively with internationally known teacher, choreographer and performer, Richard Haisma, and was a principal dancer in Mr. Haisma's company Geomantics Dance Theater from 2005 to 2013.
As a social worker, Whitney has worked extensively throughout the greater Rochester area with Mary Cariola Children's Center (Rochester, NY), and House of Mercy (Rochester, NY) serving diverse populations, including developmentally delayed youth and their families, underserved youth, and the homeless. She is the Associate Artistic Director and Director of Community Collaboration for KineoLab.
NANAKO HORIKAWA MANDRINO BFA, CPK
Assistant Artistic Director | Teacher
Originally from Sapporo, Japan, Nanako is a Rochester-based freelance dance artist, who graduated from The College at Brockport, SUNY with a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Theater. She was the recipient of the Santo Giglio Choreography Award and was recognized as the Departmental Scholar in Dance.
Since graduating from Brockport, Nanako had danced for Mariah Maloney Dance and Geomantic Dance Theater, and currently works with KineoLab, BIODANCE, Heather Roffe Dance, Hanlon Dance & Company (HaDCo), and Another River Interdisciplinary Ensemble. She also dances with individual artists including Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp, Natalia Lisina, and Mariko Yamada. Additionally, Nanako had the privilege to perform in productions such as “Les Enfants Terribles” and “Orfeo ed Euridice” with Eastman Opera Theatre, “Life is a Dream” directed by Frank Kuhn, and “Rosa Luxemburg” with Theatre Sennen Oukoku.
As a choreographer, Nanako co-produced ”WA” and performed with Yuko Hashimoto and Kanako Horikawa, touring Europe and Japan. Her recent works have been presented during the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival, Vision of Sound, and Dances at MuCCC. Nanako is also a certified Projective Kineticist (CPK) in Projective Kinetics Analysis and Training (PKAT), directed by Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) Richard Haisma.
ADVISORY BOARD
Wisdom | Expertise | Support
TBA
PLACE
Our work spans the states of New York and New Jersey with three centers of operation: Yonkers, New York | Rochester, New York | Old Forge, New York
KineoLab @ North Woods Community Center, Inc.
110 Crosby Blvd
Old Forge, NY 13420