Maray Gutierrez
Maray Gutierrez is a native of Havana, Cuba where she trained at the National School of Dance. She was a principal dancer for Danza Contemporanea de Cuba for 10 years and worked with esteemed choreographers Giovanni de Cicco, Donald McKayle, Joaquin Sabaté, Jan Linkens, and Marianela Boan, among others. She has performed throughout Europe, the U.S., and the Caribbean, as well as for British television and the Venice Opera. Maray has participated in the American Dance Festival; The International Dance Festival in Berlin, Germany; The Holland Dance Festival; and the International Ballet Festival in Genoa, Italy. Since relocating to the U.S., she has danced with Hedwig Dances for 11 years, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Concert Dance Inc; the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Houston Grand Opera. She was an Emmy-nominated dancer in 2008 performing “Billy Sunday” (Ruth Page Foundation). Maray has choreographed three works for Hedwig Dances, and was featured in the film Arch of Repose produced by Hedwig Dances in 2009. Maray was selected by “See Chicago Dance” as one of the 10 Top Women in 2006 for her choreography, Eterno Despertar for Luna Negra Dance Theater. She has choreographed for Ballet Hispanico of New York (2010) and Milwaukee Ballet II (2013). Maray has taught at Hedwig Dances; Faubourg School of Ballet; School of DanceWest Ballet; Southeast Missouri State University; Kansas State University; and, the Milwaukee Ballet School.
Years as Artistic Associate: 2007 – present
Mei-Kuang Chen
Ms. Chen was born in Taipei, Taiwan and began her dance training in Chinese opera dance and ballet. After graduating with honors from an intensive dance program at Tainan Jounior College, Ms. Chen moved to the United States in 1993. Since then she has earned a BFA in Dance from Ohio State University and a two year scholarship in completing the graduate program from the dance department of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Upon graduating, Ms. Chen danced professionally with Hedwig Dances from 1999-2007. She became the Artistic Associate for the company in 2002. She was hailed at her debut by the Chicago Sun-Times as a “dancer of tremendous authority.” Throughout her dance career, Ms. Chen had the opportunity to perform and create original dances with many of leading contemporary choreographers: Bill Young, Jan Erkert, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Renee Wadleigh, and Jan Bartoszek,to name a few. In 2003, Ms. Chen received the prestigious Chicago Dance Achievement Award and was honored by the Taiwanese Cultural Center for Outstanding Contribution that same year. Ms. Chen enjoys collaborating and performing with many international dance artists as well. The most recent were with Jin-Wen Yu and Chong-Fu Zhang, both former Cloud Gate Dance members of Taiwan, and with Maray Gutierrez and Victor Alexander from Cuba. Presently a faculty member of the Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park and the resident dance company member of MOMENTA, Ms. Chen continues to perform, choreograph, and teach. She is currently and instructor of dance at Loyola University Chicago.
Years as Artistic Associate: 2002 – 2007
Peter Sciscioli
Peter Sciscioli is a Brooklyn-based performer, choreographer, educator and producer whose work encompasses dance, music (voice and violin) and theater. Since 1997 he has been creating interdisciplinary performance works through a choreographic lens with a wide variety of collaborators, for concert, site-specific and theater venues throughout the world. In 2008, he founded Peter Sciscioli Performance Projects, and is currently collaborating on a duet for stage and screen with Serbian actress/vocalist Ana Sofrenovic. Peter is also a founding member of The M6: Meredith Monk Music Third Generation, helping to preserve Ms. Monk’s extraordinary musical legacy, and founder of the International Interdisciplinary Artists Consortium. Peter has understudied and performed with Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble since 2003 and can be heard on Monk’s most recent release, Songs of Ascension, on ECM Records. He has additionally performed in work by such luminaries as Ping Chong, DD Dorvillier, Daria Fain, Philip Glass, Susan Marshall, Fiona Templeton, Mary Zimmerman and as a member of Jane Comfort and Company (2004-2010) in U.S. and European venues including BAM, the Barbican, City Center, Goodman Theater and The Joyce Theater. From 1996-2002, Peter was also a performer and choreographer with Hedwig Dances and the Chicago Moving Company in Chicago, IL.
Years as Artistic Associate: 1998 – 2002
Sheldon B. Smith
Sheldon B. Smith has been making dances, music and video art for over 25 years in both the Midwest and California. Originally trained in ballet and french horn his interests have since shifted. A lot. He likes creating things that cross disciplines but movement is usually at the core. He has been interested in technology for many years and with Lisa, regularly makes performance work that skillfully integrates technology and dance in ways that try to allow both elements to speak to common human experience. His current creative interests are focused on developing workable strategies for integrating technology into improvisational performance. A version of this work will premiere in the work Number Zero in June of 2014. In 2013, he taught at the fabulous Maine Island Dance Festival, shared a show with his old friend and mentor Bob Eisen; created an algorithmic video piece called Endless Gestures of Goodwill that premiered at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago; and co-created (with Scott Wells) an evening length work called Father On, which was named one of San Francisco Chronicle’s 10 best shows of the year. For the last five years he has been a full-time Visiting Assistant Professor in the Mills College Dance Department. There he teaches various composition, music, technology and theory related courses. He has a BA in Dance from Colorado College and an MFA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has fond memories of both institutions.
Years as Artistic Associate: 1993 – 1997