Adria Applebee (Dancer)

Adria is a full time dual enrolled student at CCBC who has been with the dance company for 3 years.  She enjoys being able to dance across the floor and outside of boxes as well as being able to work with our guest artist.  Dancing at CCBC has helped Adria grow in technique and performance quality along with preparing her for the future.

Sarah Harris (Dancer)

Sarah is in her second semester at CCBC and with the dance company! She is in 12th grade currently and will be attending the University of Arizona this Fall. She has also been rehearsing at @centrepointeperformingarts. She enjoyed how exciting this school year was and that everyone was willing to help her learn new things and push her boundaries! She enjoys dancing at CCBC, and it has helped to improve her dance education and given her wonderful experiences in dance.  

Rachel Huber (Dancer)

Rachel is in her first year, dancing at CCBC and this is her second semester with the Dance Company.  She has enjoyed working with some amazing people this semester. Everyone has been so welcoming, kind, and accepting. It has been a great environment to fuel her creativity and determination. 

Melissa Lloyd (Dancer)
Melissa began dancing at CCBC wanting to get back to doing something she loved as a child and early teen. As a young adult, uncertain of her career path, she found a home in the CCBC dance program and finally declared a major. Since attending CCBC, she went on to continue her studies in California at The Performing Arts of San Diego and El Camino College in Los Angeles. She danced with New York based company, Zullo Raw Movement under the direction of John J Zullo, along with Baltimore based companies: Trajectory Dance Project under the direction of Alice Howes, Deep Vision Dance Company under the direction of Nicole Martinell, and Vaught Contemporary Ballet under the direction of Katie Vaught. Outside of performing, she works as a personal trainer and yoga instructor, helping others find health and healing through movement. She is enjoying being reunited with her past peers, sharing the stage with beloved teachers, and performing a piece restaged in which my aunt originally danced in 30 years ago!

Anastasia McKenzie (Dancer)
Anastasia is a CCBC Dance Company alum and dancer with Trajectory Dance Project. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in Sports Science and Rehabilitation at Logan University. She is enjoying being able to dance again and is excited to perform for an actual audience.

Lia Mervis (Dancer)
Lia is from Baltimore, Maryland and has been dancing since she was four years old. She attended a performing arts middle school, as well as the Prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts. Ms. Mervis received additional training at Goucher College and Nashville Ballet before attending college at The Community College of Baltimore County and Virginia Commomwealth University as a dance major. She has taught at MGM Dance Studio, Arthur Murray Dance center and her choreography was chosen and showcased at The Community College of Baltimore County. Lia attended the Disney College Program and has every intention to keep dancing with the Trajectory Dance Project.

Maegan Read (Dancer)
Maegan is a CCBC Dance Company alum and graduated from CCBC in June 2021. This semester she is enjoying being able to dance with her friends again after graduating from CCBC last year. She is back dancing at CCBC this semester because she missed her friends and missed dancing in a studio and just dancing in general. Since graduation, Maegan has not been dancing as much and is very thankful for this opportunity.

Samantha Roche (Dancer)
Samantha is a CCBC Dance Company alum and is enjoying being challenged with new, innovative, and methodical choreography, while also experiencing the joy and whimsey of movement. It is amazing to be back on stage after such a long time apart and sharing different forms of dance with the CCBC students and community. Currently she is pursuing her master’s degree at Stevenson University. Samantha has this to say about her experiences dancing at CCBC: As a student, and now as an alum, CCBC has always been a melting pot for different styles, dance genres, and artists to come together and explore movement. I loved my time as a student in CCBC Dance program so much that I would jump at any opportunity to be involved with such a dynamic group of individuals that promote diversity, inclusion, self-awareness, and discipline. I recommend the CCBC Dance Company and dance classes to anyone looking for an accepting and welcome environment based around a board spectrum of dance that promotes arts education and technical skills.

Shannon Willing (Dancer)
Shannon is a community member joining us this semester. She is an alumnus of Towson University and danced at the Ballet Royal Academy studio until 2007. She is grateful to Kristi Schaffner for inviting her to join her piece.

Melinda Blomquist (Artistic Director/Choreographer)

Melinda Blomquist holds a M.F.A in Dance Choreography and Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Master of Arts in Dance Pedagogy from Brigham Young University.

Melinda has presented her choreographic work at numerous venues nationally and internationally including the Mid-Atlantic and South-Central American College Dance Festival, Northwest Vista College, Towson University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the Attakkalari Festival in Bangalore India.

Currently Melinda is an Associate Professor of Dance at the Community College of Baltimore County, and she also serves as the Artistic Director for the CCBC Dance Company. Melinda has also worked with Trajectory Dance Project and with the Theatre and Music departments as a choreographer for Musical Theatre productions in Arizona, Texas and Maryland including The Fantasticks, Fiddler on the Roof, Good News, and She Loves Me. Melinda is involved in community outreach, focusing on promoting the importance of dance as art form in public education. She has provided workshops and master classes in Texas, Alaska, and Maryland to students at the Elementary, Middle, and High School levels. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Deep Vision Dance Company and as President of the Maryland Dance Education Association.

Adrienne Kraus Latanishen (Choreographer)

Adrienne is proud to have graduated with honors from The Community College of Baltimore County with her A.A. in Dance.  She then transferred to The University of Maryland where she also graduated with honors with her B.A. in Dance.  Besides being an adjunct dance faculty member at CCBC, she dances professionally for Trajectory Dance Project and independently for herself.  Previously, she also danced for BlueShift Dance (principal dancer), The Collective (dancer, choreographer, educator), B3W of New York City, Andary Dance (soloist, principal dancer), and withhart.dance.projects (founding member, assistant director, soloist, principal dancer).  She was Director of Dance at St. Timothy's School, a private and boarding school for girls and she choreographed as Artist in Residence at Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts for numerous years.  Recently, Adrienne choreographed for The Salem Players Theatre Company, Northeast High School, and Baltimore Composers Forum. 

Tommy Parlon (Dance Coordinator/Choreographer)

Tommy a native of Washington, D.C., received his M.F.A. in Dance (Choreography and Technology) from Arizona State University and his B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. From 1998-2002 he was an Assistant Professor of Dance at Kent State University. While in New York City he danced with J. Fregalette Janson Dance, Centaur Dance Theatre, Beyondance Inc! and the Paris based multi-media performance art company FIASCO. Mr. Parlon has danced in pieces by Doug Varone, Stephen Petronio, Alvin Mayes, Laura Dean and Elizabeth Streb. In 1996-1998 he collaborated on Falling to Earth, an interactive multi-media performance piece created with the Institute for Studies in the Arts at Arizona State University. His choreography has been commissioned by Incidents Physical Theater of New York City, NEW ARTiculations in Tucson, Arizona, Lansing Chamber Dance in Michigan, and numerous colleges throughout the United States. He was awarded an Individual Artist Award in Solo Dance Performance from the Maryland State Arts Council in 2004 and an Artist Award in Choreography in 2007. Mr. Parlon is currently the Artistic Director of Tommy Parlon Dance Projects in Washington, D.C., the Artistic Associate of Ground Zero Dance in Richmond and the Dance Coordinator at CCBC.

Kristi Schaffner (Associate Director/Choreographer)

Kristi attended the University of Oklahoma as a teaching fellow where she received her MFA in modern dance (2011). She also has BFA in dance education from Kent State University (2004).  Through a graduate student grant, she studied Laban Movement Analysis at the Laban Institute in NYC. Ms. Schaffner has performed with Jeslyn Dance Gallery, Clawson Dances, Junction Dance Theatre, and Tommy Parlon Dance Projects among others, and is a current dancer and Director of Education and Outreach for Dragonfly Dance Experiment. Her choreography has been presented across the country including Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City, Washington D.C., Annapolis, Baltimore, Salt Lake City and at the Howard County Dance Festival. A passion for education has inspired her to create and implement dance curricula for both preschools and charter school students diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. Ms. Schaffner is a current adjunct faculty member in the dance divisions of Anne Arundel Community College and the Community College of Baltimore County and is a frequent guest instructor and performer in schools and community events.

Alice Howes (Choreographer)

Alice is a dance artist and educator who is director of Trajectory Dance Project, a Baltimore-based modern dance ensemble. She has held full-time faculty positions at universities including Coppin State University, UNC Charlotte, and Lamar University.  In addition, she served from 1995 to 2004 as artistic director and resident choreographer of Washington, D.C.’s Sister’s Trousers Dance Company, a modern dance ensemble based in the D.C. area. Sarah Kaufman of The Washington Post described Howes’ performance as “riveting, thrilling and deeply mysterious”.  Howes’ choreography has appeared in selective showcases at venues such as D.C.’s Dance Place, The Booth Theater in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater and Millennium Stage. She holds an MA in dance from American University and an MFA in dance from Sam Houston State University. Howes also has earned a Certificate of Movement Analysis (CMA) from the Laban Institute of Movement Studies in New York City.

Carole Drake Cascio (Choreographer)
Carole earned a bachelor's degree in Physical Education (PE) from Towson State College (now Towson University) and a master's degree from George Washington University where her emphasis was in Modern Dance. She was a Professor of Dance and PE at Goucher College before transferring to Essex Community College (now called Community College of Baltimore County) to teach dance classes and coach the women’s lacrosse team. While at Essex, Carole created their dance department and was the Dance Department Chairperson from 1969 to 1996. She founded the college's original dance company, Dimensional Dance Media (DDM) in 1974. Carole choreographed and directed DDM for many years. Carole studied with Maida Withers, Don Redlich, Al Huang, and Bill Evans. Choreographic credits include: Towson University, George Washington University Goucher College, Essex and the Dance Construction Company in Washington D.C. Movement, in its various forms has been central to Carole’s artistic and educational endeavors. In her words, “As we experience our world through moving in it and dancing about it, we remind our ourselves of the truth and knowledge that is stored, away from awareness. When a dance is performed and watched, both dancer and audience share another person’s awareness conveyed by a language that is universal and for which no words suffice.” To Carole, dance is a rich and continuous medium for art making, as well as for intellectual and personal revelation. After retiring from Essex, Carole continued to share her knowledge and experience. Carole also devoted much of her time to her career as a painter and ceramist. She created many watercolor and clay works in her personal space, Lifesong Studio, a short walk from her home. She was always learning and experimenting with new ideas. Her work has been displayed and sold in galleries in Chestertown, Easton, and Annapolis. Carole was an active member of Kent Island Federation of Arts, ArtEast and Working Artists Forum in Easton. Carole loved beauty and creativity in all forms. She and her husband, Andy Cascio, designed the landscape and gardens at her home. She loved all animals. She loved her cats, dogs, birds, horses and even a duck. Carole had a gift for connecting with animals as much as she did with people. She also was involved in supporting her community, judging at the 4-H fair and supporting fundraising for various organizations. Carole’s warmth, caring and concern touched many people and her memory will live through all those that knew her. Her legacy as a dancer, a dance educator and a choreographer will live on through the foundation she has created, the Carole Cascio Fund for Mind Movement Dance Connections.

José Limón (Choreographer)
José Limón (1908-1972) electrified the world with his dynamic masculine dancing and dramatic choreography. One of the 20th century’s most important and influential dance makers, he spent his entire career pioneering a new art form and fighting for the recognition and establishment of the American Modern Dance. Born in Culiacán, Mexico in 1908, he immigrated to California in 1915, and in 1928 Limón came to New York and saw his first dance program. Limón enrolled in the dance school of Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman and, from 1930 - 1940, performed in works created by his teachers. In 1946, with Doris Humphrey as Artistic Director, Limón formed his own company. Over the following 25 years, he established himself and his company as one of the major forces of 20th century dance. Limón was a key faculty member in The Juilliard School's Dance Division beginning in 1953 and continued choreographing until his death in 1972. Limón choreographed a total of seventy-four works, including The Moor’s Pavane, Missa Brevis, There is a Time, The Traitor, and Psalm .

Natalie Desch (Choreographer)
Natalie, a BFA graduate of the Juilliard School and an MFA graduate of the University of Washington, performed for five seasons with the Limón Dance Company and eleven seasons with Doug Varone and Dancers in NYC. She additionally danced in various productions at the Metropolitan Opera and other regional opera companies–Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Palm Beach Opera, Longleaf Opera (NC), Lincoln Center Institute (NYC). From 2005-2012 she taught at Hunter College (City University of New York) and has also been a visiting faculty member at Weber State University (UT), University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Beijing Dance Academy. Additionally, she has taught for the following summer festivals: Doug Varone and Dancers, the Limón Dance Company, UNCSA, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, the Bates Dance Festival, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, and the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theater, among others. Natalie has restaged the works of José Limón, Doug Varone, Jirí Kylián, and Daniel Charon on performing groups around the world, and her choreography has been presented at venues throughout the US. In 2014 Natalie relocated to Salt Lake City, UT, and began teaching at Ballet West Academy, Westminster College, Utah Valley University, and Salt Lake Community College. Natalie joined the University of Utah’s School of Dance as an Assistant Professor in the fall of 2019.

Jason Randolph (Technical Director)

BS Math, College of William and Mary
MFA Rinehart School of Sculpture, MICA
MFA Technical Theatre and Design, UVA
TD/Resident Scenic Designer Single Carrot Theatre 2014-2017
TD CCBC Essex 2015-present
TD Cockpit in Court Summer Theater 2016-present

Terri Raulie (Lighting Designer)

Terri is an Assistant Professor in the Performing Arts and Humanities Department at CCBC. She holds a BFA and an MA in Theatre Design and Production from Montclair State University in New Jersey.  Professional and regional credits include The Whole Theatre, The Hangar Theatre, and Playwright Horizons in New Jersey and New York.  Locally, she has designed sets and/or lights for productions with Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre, Phoenix Festival Theatre, and the Baltimore School for the Arts.

Lisa L. Boeren (Production Coordinator)

Lisa has worked on over sixty productions in the Baltimore area for many companies including Dundalk Community Theatre, Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre, and Phoenix Festival Theatre. Lisa just celebrated 15 years as the Box Office Manager for CCBC and also serves as the Administrative Manager for Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre. In her spare time, she sits on the Board of Directors for Dundalk Community Theatre and the Twirltastix Boosters. 

Peter Pucci (Video Director)
Peter Pucci is a Lucille Lortel Award winner and Drama Desk Nominate for Outstanding choreography for Queens Boulevard (the musical). Peter also received a Drama Desk Award for his work on The Orphans' Home Cycle. Peter graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a BFA in Modern Dance. Peter was a principal dancer and rehearsal director with Pilobolus Dance Theatre for nine years. While with Pilobolus, Peter toured and taught worldwide, made several film and television appearances, performed on Broadway, collaborated on many Pilobolus pieces, before forming his own company, Peter Pucci Plus Dancers. Pucci Plus performed in New York City on Broadway and five seasons at The Joyce Theater. Peter has choreographed over 150 dances, including commissioned works for The Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Ballet Hispanico, Colorado Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Alberta Ballet and the Big Apple Circus. He has also served as movement director on numerous theatrical productions. Recent commissions include a new commission for the University of Richmond’s Theatre & Dance department’s University Dancers, Fete du Ballet for the Texas Christian University’s School of Classical & Contemporary Dance, a NEA funded production of Migration, a group work for 50 dancers produced by the Community College of Baltimore County, Dream On By for the State Street Ballet in California and the Joffrey Ballet Ensemble in New York City. Peter has also directed two dance films, Swag n' Bach: A Path To Choreography and In the Garden that premiered at the Jacob Burns Film Center. His third dance film Exuviae will premiere in the fall of 2022. Peter is a Trustee Host for the Dance on Film Series at Jacob Burns and has curated many short dance films programs for the Dance on Film Series. He was an Artist in Residence at Manhattanville College for nine years and a Guest Choreographer/Movement Director for seven years at the Juilliard School of Drama. Additional information at: https://pucciplus.com/