dance ceres

Founded in 2004 by Brittany Brown Ceres, dance ceres, is an ensemble of dancers who devour the performance arena. Ceres believes in weighted fluidity, extensions that reach through time and space, and a dynamically expressive commitment. Ceres creates work described by critics as, “swift and irresistible” (Allan Ulrich, Voiceofdance.com, July ’06) and “lucid and voluptuous” (Rita Felciano, SFBG, Dec ’07). The core inspiration of the work examines crisis and resilience through intricate and energetic dance. The company has produced work in the San Francisco Bay Area at the WestWave Dance Festival, CounterPULSE, Project Artaud Theater, The Cowell Theater, Jon Sims Center for the Arts, Noh Space Theater, ODC Theater, The Thumbnail Festival, Dancers' Group's Local Series, Venue 9 Series & at the American College Dance Festival.

It is the mission of dance ceres is to realize subtlety through action, individuality through community, immediacy through timelessness, and equality through art.

Stephanie Ballas grew up in Los Angeles where she began dancing at the age of 3. She studied jazz dance predominantly before becoming a member of the Pasadena Dance Theater, under the artistic direction of Cynthia Young and Laurence Blake. Stephanie's introduction to modern dance was in 1999 at the Ailey School. In 2001 she traveled to the Bay Area to attend St. Mary's college where she received a B.A. in Dance. Stephanie is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Choreography and Performance at Mills College. She has worked with several Bay Area choreographers and movement practitioners, including Randee Paufve, Stacey Printz, Katie Faulkner, Shelley Senter, Sonya Delwaide, and anticipates an upcoming season with Hope Mohr Dance. The is Stephanie's first project with Dance Ceres and she'd like to thank Brittany for a wonderfully creative and intellectual experience.

stephanie

Rebecca Gilbert began dancing in a small hometown studio studying ballet, jazz and lyrical but once she discovered modern dance with the Isaacs McCaleb summer workshops in San Diego she never went back. She studied under Jean Isaacs, Peter Czerner, Bill de Young and many other wonderful teachers during the workshops. She went on to receive her BA in dance from Mills College and has performed with SF Dance Repertory, Dance Elixir, Kate Mitchell and Dancers, Group A, Artface and others. Rebecca has co-produced three shows with fellow Mills alum under the name of Barely Complete Productions. On her off time Rebecca is a full time massage therapist in San Francisco. She is currently a member of Ahdanco and Katie Faulkner's little seismic dance company. This is her second season with Dance Ceres.

Claudia Hubiak was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado. A two time all-around state champion in gymnastics, Claudia spent much of her young life training in a gym. In 2004 she received her BFA in dance from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Since relocating to the Bay Area, she has danced with Anne Bluethenthal and is a founding member of
Vispo Dance.

Gianna Shepard grew up in Boulder, CO. where she trained at the Ballet Arts Academy and performed with Boulder Ballet. Following high school, Ms. Shepard joined the Colorado Ballet as an apprentice for one season. After a two-year hiatus from dancing, she became a member of Yale Dancers with whom she performed, choreographed, and served on the board. Ms. Shepard received her BA in Anthropology from Yale University in May of 2002. In addition to performing with Dance Ceres, she has worked with Kate Mitchell & Dancers and served as Development Associate for ODC from 2003-2008. Gianna is currently pursuing an MBA at NYU.

Jenny Ward is the CEO of Playward , author, speaker and a proud Mom. She received her MFA in Dance from NYU and is excited to produce her first documentary in 2009. She created Playward.com with the intention of reminding adults the importance of enjoying life. Jenny received her masters from New York University, is a Licensed Life Coach and Yoga Teacher. As a performer, Jenny has appeared on, Sex in the City, As the World Turns, Law and Order and numerous Off Broadway productions in New York City. Her one woman show "Who Said So? about Beauty" continues to be seen all over the country in colleges and high schools. Jenny is the author of "Who Said So? ...creating a life outside the box" and "101 Ways to Play." Recently Playward was honored in an exhibit for the Int.'l Women's Museum. Playward's interactive workshops encourage the participants to experience joy not just talk about it. Their clients include Alza, Johnson and Johnson, Merrill Lynch, Telik, UC, Calavie Resort and Spa and more. Playward is serious about one thing, reminding their clients the importance of enjoying life, through retreats, workshops, books, play-yoga and corporate trainings

Jayme Winell began dancing in Australia at the age of 5. She got serious about her training when she was 13 while in Santa Cruz, California. Assertive as usual, she convinced her mother to move to the Bay Area so she could attend the San Francisco School of the Arts. The four years she spent at SOTA were transformative as she trained
with Yannis Adoniou (Kunst-Stoff), Lee Wei Chao (Millwake Ballet Company), Cheryl Chaddick (Company Chaddick), Gregory Dawson (Alonzo King Lines Ballet) and Brittany Ceres - all under the direction of Elvia Marta. This summer she will joyfully apprentice with Dance Ceres. In the fall, Jayme will be moving to Massachusetts to attend Hampshire College where she will study dance and how it relates to social justice movements. Not yet 18, Jayme is thrilled to have such opportunities for creativity with a mentor like Brittany.

Hailed by dance critic Allan Ulrich as a choreographer with 'genuine craft & individual sensibility,' Brittany Brown Ceres is the founder of Dance Ceres and was associate director of the WestWave Dance Festival from 2003- 2007. She grew up in Portland, Oregon and received her first professional choreographic gig at the age of fifteen. She attended UC, San Diego

and secured a BA in Theater, with a double minor in Dance and Biology (’95) in three years, under the mentorship of Jean Isaacs, Nina Martin, Kathryn Irey & Margaret Marshall. In San Diego, she studied extensively with Lower Left Dance, Isaacs/McCaleb & Dancers and performed and choreographed her own work for Synaptic Alternative Dance Project. In 1997 she moved to New Zealand to choreograph and perform with Christchurch's Dance Core, under the direction of Sheryl Robinson and Fleur DeTheir. While in NZ she choreographed for St. Margaret’s College and taught modern dance at Hadley College.

Ceres was drawn to the Bay Area after working with Joe Goode in 1998 and over the last decade has produced her own work all over the West Coast. In addition to Goode, Ceres has trained with Janice Garrett, Robert Moses, Mary Carbonara, Diane Frank and Kim Epifano. Ceres was one of the first graduate students to complete an MFA in Choreography from SUNY, Purchase College (2000). She went on to finish her studies with an MA in Dance Education at Stanford (2001). A multi-year winner of the Mary Edith Clifford Award for Alumni Choreography, Ceres is regularly commissioned by the Dance Division for new work, in conjunction with Stanford Lively Arts. She has previously danced with Deborah Slater Dance Theater, Black Label Dance, Dance Elixir, Davalos Dance Company, and managed ODC Theater from ‘03-‘06.

Additionally, she teaches choreography at SF School of the Arts & hatha yoga at City College. Ceres is currently the office manager and controller for the San Francisco based start-up: Widgetbox, Inc.

Current Company Members:

The Company