CSU - Division of Dance & Theatre - Dance

Faculty/Staff

Jane Slusarski-Harris, MFA, University of Colorado at Boulder

Director of Dance

Jane Slusarski-Harris is an associate professor and has been the director of the Colorado State University dance program since 1988. She received her MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder and has studied a wide variety of dance techniques and movement systems including Graham, Limon, Cunningham, Hawkins, Nikolais-Louis, Vaganova, Cecchetti, Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals, and the Pilates Method. She teaches ballet (Vaganova syllabus) and modern dance technique, dance history, dance pedagogy, and dance appreciation. Areas of research include dance pedagogy (both classical and contemporary), and the Pilates method. Slusarski-Harris has choreographed numerous works for the concert stage, musical theatre, and opera, and dances professionally with IMPACT DANCE. She has been a guest artist at the Chung-Hwa School of the Arts in Kaohsiung, Taiwan where she taught all levels of ballet and set a contemporary ballet on the students. Recently, she completed the pedagogy program in Pilates mat work at the Pilates Fitness Studio in Fort Collins, CO and is currently teaching mat classes and working on Pilates reformer pedagogy.

Chung-Fu Chang, MFA, University of California at Irvine

Associate Professor

Chung-Fu Chang is an associate professor in the Dance Division of Colorado State University and director of the CSU Tour Dance Company. He has received an Outstanding Faculty Award from CSU Mortar Board in 2008, and The 2009 Best Teacher Award from The CSU Alumni Association. At CSU, he teaches all levels of modern, improvisation and choreography, acts as an advisor for senior production.

Born in Taiwan, he danced professionally with the country’s internationally renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and Kaohsiung Contemporary Dance Company. In the United States he has been a guest artist with numerous companies and featured in an array of contemporary choreographers’ work. In 2002, Chung-Fu began to pursue a solo career. His solo works and performances have been showcased at various dance festivals and major performance venues nationally and internationally. He received a Solo Finalist Placement Award at the 2004 Palm Desert Dance Under The Stars Choreography Festival at McCallum Theatre in California. In 2007, he was invited as a special guest artist for the Grand Prix de Argentina in Buenos Aries, Argentina.

His choreography has been presented throughout the U.S. and in Argentina, Cyprus, England, Greece, Mexico and Taiwan. A full evening of his work was presented as the closing program of the X and IX Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporanea Avant Garde 2009 and 2008 in Merida, Mexico. Among the companies that have commissioned works from Chung-Fu Chang are Aspen Dance Connection (2006, '07 and '08), Ballet Nouveau Colorado (2004, '05 and '07), Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts (CO), Ohio Ballet, Ormao Dance Company (CO), Rainbow Chorus (CO), MOMENTA Dance Company (IL), the Dancing Wheels Company’s Icarus Project at the Allen Theatre in Cleveland Playhouse Square, Mulberry Street Theater’s Ear to the Ground Series (New York City), Middle Tennessee State University, Adelphi University (2004 and '06), the Virginia Intermont College Dance Company; and in Taiwan: the 2003 Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival, the 2005 and 2000 Asian-Pacific Young Choreographers' Project, the Counterpoint Chamber Music company’s evening show – Peter Pan, Queen Children Ballet, the Solar Site Dance Company (2008, '09 and '10), Chung-Hwa School of the Arts (2003, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09 and '10), National Tainan Chia-Chi Girls’ Senior High School Dance Program (2004, '05, '07, '09, and '10), National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School Dance Program (2009 and '10) and many others. Chang has held creative residencies at The Yard in 1999, and at the American Dance Festival in 2006 (International Choreographers’ Residency). In 1999, he received choreographic grants from the Jerome Foundation and CSU Academic Enrichment Program Award. His work, The Last Autumnal Tints, was nominated for Dance Magazine’s “Outstanding Student Choreography” and performed at ACDFA’s National Gala at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in 1998. Orange County Register dance critic Laura Bleiberg named Chang in “Faces to Watch ’98: A Look at People in the Arts”. Chang has served as adjudicator, juror and panelist for the Illinois Arts Council, the Thornton Arts, Sciences, and Humanities Council in Colorado, and the Bureau of Cultural Affairs Kaohsiung City Government in Taiwan.

Chung-Fu Chang was a Chancellor's Fellowship recipient from the University of California, Irvine, where he completed his M.F.A. in Dance in 1998, and was named Distinguish Alumni. Previously he received a full, four-year scholarship at The Boston Conservatory, the Walter Terry Memorial Full Scholarship at Harvard University in 1993 and a full scholarship at Jacob’s Pillow Choreography Workshop in 1994. Prior teaching appointments include University of Florida and Kent State University. He also has taught as a guest artist at major dance companies, institutions and festivals throughout the U.S. and in Canada, Mexico and Taiwan. Chung-Fu also enjoys teaching Yoga, he has received his YogaFit® Level One Certificate from YogaFit®.

Carol Roderick

Assistant Professor of Ballet

Carol Roderick is assistant professor of Ballet and Pedagogy, and director of the CSU Dance Teachers' Institute. She came to Colorado State University in Fall 2008 from a position as Principal Teacher at AIS International Ballet in Japan. She is no stranger to CSU, having previously been an artist-in-residence and adjunct faculty member in the Dance Division. She has been teaching for more than 35 years for professional companies, universities, and prestigious training institutions in the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe.

She began her dance training in the Boston area and continued at Butler University in Indianapolis and at Indiana University. She received her formal pedagogical training from the late Jurgen Schneider (Bolshoi Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, American Ballet Theatre) and Gabriela Komleva (Kirov/Maryinsky Ballet).

Roderick was a faculty member of the professional divisions of Boston Ballet School and Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. She directed the schools of Colorado Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, and Ballet Idaho, and was program manager for the Bolshoi Ballet at Vail program. She taught for many years in the Denver area at the Ballet Arts Center and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, where she also served as ballet mistress and director of the Children's Ballet program. She directed her own chamber dance company in Denver, Classical Ballet Ensemble. Her students have competed successfully at major international competitions, such as the Prix de Lausanne, Japan Grand Prix, New York International Ballet Competition, and the USA International Ballet Competition. Many of these students have gone on to professional performance and teaching careers.

Now a component of the Dance Teachers' Institue at CSU, Roderick has developed a training course for teachers which has been presented at CSU several times, and also at various schools and companies in other parts of the USA and Japan.

Melissa Corr

Adjunct Faculty

Melissa Corr is native New Yorker. She began her dance training with Bolshoi ballerina, Liana Hausler and eventually becoming a soloist with Hausler and Company in New York. Melissa has been teaching for over 30 years and is currently teaching at Canyon Concert Ballet in the pre professional program and is on faculty at Colorado State University. She has taken an active role in productions for Front Range Chamber Players, Centennial Children’s Choir, Canyon Concert Ballet and the Colorado State University dance program. She has choreographed pieces for the concerts and restaged several classic works with university dance students, such as the first act of Giselle ,excerpts from Les Sylphides, Paquita and La Bayadere. Melissa is married to husband Jim and has one daughter, Hailey, who is a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Amber Mazurana

Adjunct Faculty

Amber Mazurana is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, but has been enjoying the Colorado vistas since 2001. She graduated in 1999 with a B.A. in dance pedagogy from Butler University, and in 1995 she graduated from North Carolina School of the Arts. Amber was a member of the Hannah Kahn Dance Company from 2001- 2004, and before that danced as a soloist with Peter Sparling Dance Company in Michigan. She has studied under the direction of talented dancers such as Bill Evans and Melissa Hayden, as well as with Ballet Internationale, Dance Kaleidoscope, and Boston Ballet. Amber spent two summers, in 1997 and 1998, studying African drumming and dance at the University of Ghana, West Africa. She has been dancing with IMPACT Dance Company since 2005 and teaches modern dance in the Dance Division at Colorado State University. She directs the Canyon Concert Youth Ensemble and was previously the School Director at Canyon Concert Ballet and Dance Center. When she is not dancing or teaching she is busy chasing after her two children, Cole and Keira, or hiking in the mountains with her husband Michael.

Lisa Morgan

Adjunct Faculty

Lisa Morgan has been a member of the CSU dance faculty since 2000, teaching modern dance technique, choreography and now focusing on Teaching Methods for Children's dance. Her work in dance education and administration spans more than 25 years. She is the Assistant Director of IMPACT Dance, a Fort Collins based modern dance company. She owns and operates "Creative Movement for Kids", a community based dance program teaching creative movement classes to young children and promoting and implementing dance curriculum in the public schools.

David Taylor

Adjunct Faculty

David Taylor has been professionally involved in the Denver dance community for the past thirty-seven years. During the course of a twelve-year dance career, he began choreographing in 1976, and since then has created over 100 original works. In 1979, he founded the David Taylor Dance Theatre, one of the Rocky Mountain region's most acclaimed, well recognized, and respected dance organizations. As Colorado's premiere professional contemporary ballet company, the DTDT has developed a reputation of presenting outstanding original and innovative works. As the principal choreographer, Mr. Taylor's unique creative focal point has remained a fascination with ancient cultures, which have served to provide his 12 member company with a stunning and thought-provoking identity within the world of professional dance. He received the City and County of Denver's first Individual Artist Fellowship award for dance for his critically acclaimed collaborative work, "Anasazi Dream" in 1987. Mr. Taylor received his first out-of-state commission in 1992, choreographing a new contemporary work for the Dayton Ballet in Ohio, and continues to be invited as a guest teacher and choreographer throughout the United States.

Judy Bejarano

Guest Faculty

Judy Bejarano is a frequent choreographer at Colorado State University. She is well known for her innovative evening length productions as the artistic director of IMPACT DANCE, a dance/theatre company whose performances speak to issues in our everyday lives. Bejarno is increasingly interested in exploring the use of dance as a collaborative outreach tool. Her work has been selected for many regional and national festivals including National American College Dance Festival, Colorado Choreographers Showcase, and Gala Concert for the National Dance Association Festival. Bejarno's work continues to be commissioned at the university level and by independent dance, theatre and music groups. Bejarno, an enthusiastic and demanding instructor, also teaches throughout the region. She received her Master of Fine Arts from C.U. Boulder in dance with an emphasis in choreography in 1990.

David McArthur

Director of Music, Ballet Division

David McArthur is a Doctoral Candidate in Piano Performance at the University of Colorado-Boulder, studying with Professor Doris Lehnert. He holds Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from Colorado State University, where he coached with Professor Janet Landreth.

An avid performer, Mr. McArthur has given solo recitals in the U.S., Bulgaria, Italy, and the Czech Republic. In addition, he concertizes frequently with his wife as the Mintcheva/McArthur Piano Duo, performing 4-hand and two-piano music.

In September 2008, he was invited with Mira Mintcheva to give a recital at the American University in Bulgaria, and to participate as guest artist in the XIIIth International Music Festival �Hopes, Talents, Masters� in Dobrich, Bulgaria.

Most recently, the duo was awarded the Ted Manning Prize and the Dean�s Audience Favorite Prize in recognition of their riveting performance during the 2009 Bruce Ekstrand Graduate Student Performance Competition at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

In addition to performing, Mr. McArthur has been teaching piano and theory since 1999, both privately and at the university level. He has presented his research at the 2007 Colorado Teachers Music Association State Conference. In the same year, he was also selected as the U.S. national winner of the prestigious Studio Fellowship Award for teaching. This award is granted to a talented young music professional by the Music Teachers National Association.

Dave Jacoby

Director of Music, Modern Dance Division

Dave Jacoby is a Colorado Native with an extensive background in dance accompaniment, having worked with Colorado State University, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado Ballet, University of Wyoming, University of Montana, and others. His instrumentation includes Piano, Drumkit, Percussion, Autoharp, Tanpura, and Bagpipes from Scotland, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Russia. Dave likes to apply all of these instruments to the Modern Dance setting, and draws influence from a variety of World music sources, most notably the folk traditions of Finland, Estonia, Karelia, and the Baltic States. An up and coming accompanist in the Ballet field as well, Dave has been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with several noted teachers and refine his skills. He also has written scores of music for a play and dance work, and continues to operate with his solo musical project, which combines electronica with live instrumentation. Dave is blessed and grateful to be on the Staff of Colorado State University's Dance Program.