National Museum of Dance - Dance Education America Exhibit Project Management Staff
Lees-McRae College – Banner Elk, NC

Kacy E. Crabtree, MFA, MAAA is the Project Director and Co-Curator for Dance Education in America. She holds a M.F.A. in Dance - Choreography and Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, her teaching license in Dance Education through the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and her M.A. in Arts Administration from Goucher College. As the Assistant Chair and Director of Dance for the Division of Performing Arts at Lees-McRae College, Kacy enjoys teaching and preparing young professionals for aspiring careers in the creative and performing arts. A Ph.D. candidate at Union University and Institute, Kacy is focusing her studies on Interdisciplinary Studies - Arts and Sciences with a specialization in Arts Management and Creative Leadership. She has served in numerous non-profit leadership positions within the scope of her professional work at the state, regional and national level. Currently, Kacy serves as Vice President for Dance Education for the National Dance Association in Reston, VA; she brings to the Dance Education in America Project thirty years of combined experience in arts education, management and non-profit leadership.

Student Interns

Mindi Bishop, costume designer and dance performer, is originally from Miami, Florida. For the past several years, she has been an active member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), a not-for-profit educational living history group studying and recreating the Renaissance and Middle Ages. As a member, Mindi has researched, designed and made several costumes spanning over a 1000 year time period from many different cultures, including Greek, Viking, Middle Eastern, and 13th to 15th Century English and French fashion. She has received SCA awards and won SCA competitions for her research and projects in the needlework, embroidery and beadwork techniques of those cultures and time periods. Mindi has been dancing for over 20 years and has recently returned to school at Lees-McRae College to obtain her degree in Performing Arts Studies with an emphasis in Dance. She and her husband Jim live in Spruce Pine, North Carolina.

Sheena Bergeron, costume designer, costume builder and performer is originally from Greensboro, NC. She is a senior at Lees-McRae College where she is the Co-Coordinator and member of LMC Players, an Arts-Education performance group. In addition she serves as the Student Costume Shop Supervisor and Secretary of Alpha Psi Omega. She is also involved in Highland Improv Companies (HICS). Sheena has built costumes for shows at LMC for the past two years including Seussical the Musical, Merry Wives of Windsor and Once on this Island. She was also the Costume Assistant for the 2006 Summer and Ghost Train seasons at Tweetsie Railroad. Along with performing in LMC Players, Sheena has performed in shows such as Laundry and Burbon, Seussical and Once on this Island. Sheena will be graduating in 2007 and hopes to continue costuming and performing for the next few years. Eventually she would like to settle down and open a children’s theatre company that incorporates all art forms.

Mackenzie Clevenger is currently a senior at Lees-McRae College and plans to graduate in May 2007 with B.A. degree in Performing Arts Studies with an emphasis in dance and choreography. Mackenzie's interest in choreography has led her to choreographing and performing modern dance and performance art work in many dance concerts. She has also coordinated dance auditions and assisted in master classes at local high school. New to musical theater, Mackenzie was recently seen in the musical Once On This Island. Her leadership experiences include serving as Vice-President of Special Events for Nu Delta Alpha and Dance Program Assistant for the Division of Performing Arts. After studying at the American Dance Festival in 2006, Mackenzie has shared her new interest and knowledge of dance improvisation with other students on campus. She also hopes to become a professional choreographer one day and looks forward to a life full of teaching and advocating for dance and dance education.

Kirsten Davis, most recently from Trinidad, Colorado, is a Senior Performing Arts Studies major at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Kisten is a writer, manager, director and actor and enjoys all aspects of arts education. In addition to working towards her degree, Kirsten is the Co-Coordinator and member for two years of the LMC Players, an Arts-In-Education touring performance group. She also served as the Student Coordinator for the Coffeehouse Performance Hour in the fall of 2006 and currently serves as the Secretary of the LMC Chapter of Nu Delta Alpha. Kirsten has also written and performed her own Performance Art pieces on campus and has been an active member of the dance program at LMC since her arrival, working with student choreographers and dancing in the Pillow Dance Concert and Kaleidoscope Dance Concert. Additionally, Kirsten has acted in many shows during her college career at LMC, Trinidad State Junior College, and Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre Company. Among others, she played Bella in Lost in Yonkers, Ginger in The 1940s Radio Hour, and multiple roles in The Laramie Project. Kirsten is a very passionate about Arts Education and feels that the future of our communities is dependent on our ability to offer the arts to every person. Graduating in May 2007, Kirsten plans to seek a career not only in performance but in Arts Advocacy and Education.

Christine Deal, choreographer, manager, dancer, and musical theatre performer, is from Taylorsville, NC. She is a senior at Lees-McRae College where she is majoring in Performing Arts Studies with an emphasis in Dance, Choreography and Musical Theatre. Since arriving at Lees-McRae College, Christine has been actively involved in the dance program. She serves as Dance Program assistant, assistant Concert Coordinator, assistant coordinator for the Guest Artist Program, and was recently elected as President of the college chapter of Nu Delta Alpha, a national dance honor society. She has participated in the annual Pillow Dance Concert, an informal showing of dance works in progress and Kaleidoscope, a formal spring dance concert of student and faculty works. She has performed in these concerts as both dancer and choreographer and for the past two years has served as the student concert coordinator.
As assistant of the dance program she enjoys conducting dance auditions for the performing arts department throughout the year serves as an assistant teacher for first level technique classes. Christine performs in main stage shows as a dancer or actor including, Once on this Island, Seussical, Working, Elegy for a Lady, Thistle Blossoms, and A Thing of Beauty. She recently performed with Lees-McRae Summer Theatre as Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Mitzi in Crazy for You. As a student, Christine has maintained a G.P.A. of 3.8-4.0 and had the privilege to attend several master classes including a residency with Lori Belilove and Co., resident company of the Isadora Duncan Foundation, Valerie Midgett, the co-director of X- Factor, and many faculty and alumni. While Christine enjoys all of the arts, dance is her first passion. After graduation in May, Christine hopes to join a modern dance company as either a performer or choreographer or work within the musical theatre dance venue. Eventually, Christine desires to own a dance company and performing arts center where all genres of dance can be taught to the community, focusing on education and appreciation for dance as an art form.

Dana M. Erdman, writer, manager, director and actor, is from Jamestown, NC and is currently a senior at Lees-McRae College pursuing a B.A. degree in Performing Arts Studies.  Dana is currently the president of Alpha Psi Omega, the honors theatre fraternity on campus.  She has been heavily involved in all aspects of theatre, including theatre management, dance administration, acting, playwriting, and directing.  She recently completed a three month internship for Arts Management at the B Street Theatre in Sacramento, CA.  At Lees-McRae College, she has served as stage manager for the spring dance concert, Kaleidoscope for the past three years and was also involved with the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation residency, in which she served as co-stage manager for their concert. She has played a variety of roles while at Lees McRae College including Delightful in Dearly Departed, Reggie Fluty and others in The Laramie Project, and Pistol in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor. Dana has also written Two Sides of the Same Universe, a one-act that she directed last spring, as well as Fight Like Hell, a full-length play that had its first staged reading in December. Dana also serves as assistant marketing coordinator and grant writer for the Division of Performing Arts. After graduation in May, Dana plans on moving to New York City and throw herself into her work, hopefully landing a job in the management field to get herself up off the ground. Eventually, she would like to be known as an established playwright, a credible actor, a phenomenal manager, and a daring director.

Clay Allen. Jenkins hails from Cramerton, North Carolina. He has studied communication, visual and creative arts for four years at Lees-McRae College, where he found interest in graphic design and digital art. Clay has designed the cover for the 2007-2009 school catalog, as well as a marketing brochure for the Communication Arts Department. While he never thought his graphic arts interest would bridge with the dance community, Clay is excited to be part of this project and looks forward to having his work showcased in a national museum. Clay will graduate in May 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.  After graduation he hopes to pursue art in the professional field of video gaming or web design.
 
Glenn M. Snellgrose II, is a native of Athens, Tennessee, but has made his home in the mountains for the past 4 years at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC. He is a choreographer, dancer, musical theatre performer and arts manager. Glenn has found a new passion for dance while training and studying dance at Lees-McRae College. He has developed interest in choreography, dance scholarship, and dance and theatre management. Although he did not start any formal dance training until the age of sixteen, this had not stopped Glenn from pursuing dance and theatre as a chosen career field. His performing credits include Fydeka in Fiddler on the Roof, Bernardo in West Side Story, dancer in Paul Green’s The Lost Colony, Whickersham Brother/Chorus in Suessical: The Musical, Daniel in Once on This Island, and Penguin Player in Dolly’s Imagination Playhouse at Dollywood. He has danced and choreographed for the college’s annual Kaleidoscope and Pillow Concert, the Lees-McRae Clogging Team, and with several local studios in the East Tennessee and North West Carolina area. In 2005 Glenn was named Grand Master Champion Clogger by the North Carolina Clogging Association. In addition to his performance studies, he serves as the Publicity Coordinator for the Division of Performing Arts. He is a currently a member of the national honors theatre fraternity Alpha Psi Omega and a company member of Highland Improv Company. Glenn will graduate in May 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Performing Arts Studies, with an emphasis in Dance and Musical Theatre. After graduation he hopes to professionally pursue dance and theatre on a cruise ship, a touring show, or a modern dance company.

NDA welcomes all dance specialists to enjoy the beauty of Saratoga Springs while shaping the future of dance education at this historical conference.  To register, link to http://www.aahperd.org or call (800) 213-7193 Ex 464 or Ex 436.