Jessica Hentoff
Jessica Hentoff the artistic/executive director of Circus Day Foundation, which she founded
in 2001, has been involved in circus arts since 1973. She has toured with numerous circuses throughout the United States and Canada
performing as an aerialist, clown, juggler, bareback-rider, small animal trainer and fire-eater. Jessica
was the director of the Circus Flora School in Missouri and co-director of the Berkshire Children's Circus
Camp in Massachusetts.
She was fortunate to be a founding member of both the Big Apple Circus in NYC and Circus Flora in St. Louis.
She also runs everydaycircus, a family entertainment business based in the fantastic City Museum in St. Louis.
She has coached and choreographed the nationally renowned St. Louis Arches, youth circus troupe since their
inception in 1989.
Ms. Hentoff has been honored by Gitana Productions with the title "St. Louis Extraordinary/ Ordinary Person
of the Year for Deeds of Love Beyond Race" for the work she does using circus arts to bring multicultural
communities together. She was the recipient of the SGMA Heroes Award for her dedication to youth sports in the
community. And she serves on the advisory board of the American Youth Circus Organization and Circus
Fan Association Circus Youth Committee
Donald Hughes
Donald Hughes was one of the original St. Louis Arches — the star youth circus performers
from the Circus Day Foundation. Now, he is the lead instructor for Circus Day. Donald has toured throughout the
United States with The Circus Kingdom and Circus Flora.
As a performer, Donald was famous for his fantastic flips over Flora the elephant and daring dives through a hoop
of fire. His skills include tumbling, juggling, unicycling, rolling globe, mini-trampoline, rolla bolla and bare-back
riding. Donald is also an accomplished circus teacher and choreographer. He has taught at Center of Creative Arts'
urban and main campus programs, Edgewood Children's Center, Prison Performing Arts, PAKT Community Center in Kinloch,
Clayton School District, Collinsville Parks and Recreation Department, Webster University, St. Joseph's Institute
for the Deaf, Downtown Youth and Family Center, Circus Flora Community Camp and at numerous other venues.
Donald has choreographed circus acts for children with a wide range of ages and abilities.
Michael Hagerstrom
Michael Hagerstrom discovered the silent film antics of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin at a
young age. He was soon falling down stairs and jumping off rooftops, all in the name of entertainment (and giving
his mother a few gray hairs in the process.)
For the past fifteen years, Michael has brought his unique brand of performing to audiences across the United States
and Europe. He has entertained spectators in San Francisco and St. Louis, Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C.,
as well as delighting audiences in Italy, France and Germany. Michael has studied at the San Francisco Circus Center
and is a graduate of the prestigious Clown Conservatory in California.
Michael is Circus Day Foundation's magic and clowning teacher. He has taught magic, clowning and circus to school
children, homeless families, college students, senior citizens, nuns, and surprised passersby on the street.
Michael Uthoff
Michael Uthoff, Artistic and Executive Director, joined Dance St. Louis on July 1, 2006.
Mr. Uthoff was born in Santiago, Chile to former dancers and moved to New York after high school to attend the Juilliard
School of Music, School of American Ballet, and Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Later, he danced with the
Limón Dance Company and was a principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet.
He has served as guest teacher, choreographer and artistic advisor to organizations including the government of Chile,
the Shanghai Ballet of China, Portland Opera Performing Institute, the Ballet Estable of the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, and his own company, Michael Uthoff Dance Theatre. He established the Hartford Ballet in Hartford, Connecticut
in 1972 and served there for 20 years as their artistic director. He then accepted the position of artistic director of
Ballet Arizona in 1992 where he stayed until 1999. Mr. Uthoff has served on the board of DANCE/USA and panels of the
National Endowment for the Arts
Janet Brown
Janet Brown came to Dance St. Louis in June of 2006 as Director of Operations and Education. Dr. Brown received her B.S.
in Education, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Speech and Dramatic Arts from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Her work experience includes a variety of positions in both education and the arts including Director of Planning and
Artistic Director for the Greater Hartford Academy of Performing Arts, and Director of Education for the Center of Creative
Arts in St. Louis, MO.
Dr. Brown has authored arts curriculum, two books of theatre criticism, and many plays and articles. Additionally, she
served as chair of the Theatre Department at the University of Hartford and has, over the course of her career, directed
numerous productions from Shakespeare plays to musical theatre.
Danial Shapiro and Joanie Smith
Danial Shapiro and Joanie Smith, husband and wife, collaborate to create their work as visiting instructors at Dance
St. Louis.
Shapiro and Smith met during their years dancing with Murray Louis and Alwin Nikolais. After leaving in 1985, they spent a
year in Helsinki, Finland on a Fulbright Lectureship grant awarded to Ms. Smith. Since then, Shapiro and Smith's work has
been commissioned by companies as diverse as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Phoenix Dance Company of Leeds, UK, and
the PACT Dance Company in Pretoria, South Africa.
For their work together Smith and Shapiro have received a Choreographers Fellowship from the NEA, an American Choreographer's
Award from the National Corporate Fund, the Paul Taylor Choreographic Fellowship from the Yard, two Fellowships in Choreography
from the New York Foundation for the Arts and Metropolitan Life Foundation's Emerging Artist Award.
Jelon Vieira
Jelon Vieira is a visiting instructor at Dance St. Louis and is the Founder and Artistic Director of The
Capoeira Foundation and DanceBrazil. He and the late Loremil Machado are considered the first artists to bring traditional
Afro-Brazilian dance and Capoeira to the United States.
For 25 years, Vieira has guided DanceBrazil through breathtaking performances throughout the United Sttes, including performances
at Spoleto USA, the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. The company has also toured in Europe, Asia and Brazil. Viera has worked
with numerous major cultural institutions, including the Caribbean Cultural Center in New York and the Carver Community Cultural
Center in San Antonio.
CityLore, a New York City community organization, inducted him into its Hall of Fame for lifetime contribution in 1999. In 20000,
Vieira was recognized by the Brazilian Cultural Center in New York City as the Pioneer of Capoeira in the United States. He has
been a guest master teacher at Yale, Oberlin College, Columbia University, Princeton University, and Stanford University, among
others. In 2000, he was the Bacardi Distinguished Visiting Eminent Scholar at the University of Florida at Gainesville.
Bobby Norfolk
Bobby Norfolk is an internationally known story performer and teaching artist. This three-time Emmy Award winner
for the Channel 4 series "Gator Tales," and six-time Parents' Choice honoree is one of the most popular and dynamic story-educators
in the country today!
A St. Louis native, Bobby began his career as a stand up comedian in area comedy clubs. From there, he worked for 10 years as a
National Park Service Ranger presenting historical interpretive programs for school groups and community at the Jefferson National
Expansion Memorial (The Arch and The Old Courthouse). In the evenings, he worked as an actor and director in local community theatres.
He became a full-time teller in 1987 and is well-known for his high-energy performances and lively animation. His stories promote
character education, cultural diversity and self-esteem, and are geared for audiences of all ages.
Bobby has also served as a board member for the following: St. Louis Storytelling Festival, Corn Island Storytelling Festival, Missouri
Storytelling, and most recently was voted in to serve with the National Storytelling Network. From park ranger to TV host, recording
artist to author, Bobby has traveled an interesting life path that is revealed by his creative stories and crowd-pleasing concerts,
enriched with language, movement and clever sound effects.
Sherry Norfolk
Sherry Norfolk is an exceptionally engaging, dynamic performer, appearing at festivals, schools, museums and libraries
nationwide and abroad.
Sherry has been applauded at the International Storytelling Center, St. Louis Storytelling Festival, Corn Island Storytelling Festival,
Hong Kong International School, Children's Museum of Atlanta, Hawaii State Libraries, and Anchorage Municipal Libraries, among others. She
is on the roster of 7 state arts councils, a testimony to her value in the classroom and as a workshop leader.
Sherry is co-author with her husband Bobby of The Moral of the Story: Folktales for Character Development, 2nd Ed. (August House, 2006),
and co-author of The Storytelling Classroom: Applications Across the Curriculum (Libraries Unlimited, 2006). Sherry's dedication to and
deep interest in children and literacy have been recognized with national awards from the American Library Association, the Association
for Library Service for Children, the National Association of Counties, and the Florida Library Association.
Karen Mullen
Karen Mullen, Curator of Education is responsible for the development, administration and implementation of educational
programming for children and adults, including art camp, art classes, educator workshops, special events and exhibitions. She has been
at Laumeier since 1999 and has assisted with special events at the park since 1994.
She graduated from Webster University with a BFA in painting and is a certified art teacher grades K-12. Mullen also studied at Penland
School of Arts and Crafts and in Leiden, Netherlands.
Prior to taking the position at Laumeier, Mullen taught in both the Rockwood and St. Louis Public School Districts, owned her own mural
painting business and was the Executive Director of Bellington Educational Laboratory.
Clara Collins Coleman
Clara Collins Coleman, Curator of Interpretation is responsible for the Docent-tour program, community collaborations
and partnerships, volunteers and the development and implementation of future integrated programs for audiences of all ages.
Her previous responsibilities in the museum field have included not only museum administration and collections management but also
planning, developing, managing and implementing special programs, exhibits and activities for diverse audiences of all ages at the
Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association, the Louisiana State Museum, Amistad Research Center (Aaron Douglas Art Collection)
and the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. Coleman served on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation's Board of Directors, 1982-1999.
Coleman is an artist with a BFA from Webster University; she has been with Laumeier since 1999 and served as Interim director, November
2000 to August 2001; and Curator of Collections, 2001-2005.
Susan Grigsby
Susan Grigsby, a freelance writer and educator, recently completed her MAT at Webster University with a focus on
poetry and its integration with students' explorations of the natural sciences, folklore, social studies and the arts. She teaches
poetry workshops in public and parochial schools and in community outreach programs. She developed and ran a summer enrichment program,
Poetry Pioneers, for gifted writers in grades K-8.
Her poetry has appeared in national literary journals and won several awards. She has presented her poetry at local venues including
Focal Point, The St. Louis Art Museum, Craft Alliance and the River Styx Series at Duff's. Her undergraduate work focused on poetry,
literature and theater arts. She also holds an MBA and worked for several years as a director in an academic medical center.
Her academic publication credits include JAMA. She is presently working on several manuscripts including a children's book series on
garden exploration.
Jane Ellen Ibur
Jane Ellen Ibur, poet/educator teaches creative writing in non-traditional settings: prisons, homeless shelters,
residential schools, art museums; is Lead Faculty for the Community Arts Training (CAT) Institute, uniting artists and social/community
service professionals to mentor the arts with underserved populations; in 1993 received A World of Difference Award from the Anti-Defamation
League for her multi-cultural work with juvenile male prisoners; co-hosts Literature for the Halibut on KDHX-FM, St. Louis; in 2004,
received a Certificate for Excellence in Teaching from the Missouri Scholarship Academy; co-directs The Gifted Writers Project for gifted
middle and high school students.
For the past 3 summers she's taught creative writing to second, third and fourth graders at Adams School through Urban Strategies.
Sally Van Doren
Sally Van Doren has taught poetry and creative writing workshops for elementary, middle and high school students at St.
Louis Public Schools and the St. Louis County Juvenile Detention Center.
Since 2005, she has been a poetry teacher in the "Room For Writing," a pilot program offered through the partnership of Gundlach Elementary
and Springboard to Learning.
Marie Chewe-Elliott
Marie Chewe-Elliott, B.A., M.A., has more than 20 years in media communications, outreach, and children's services. She
first coordinated writing and poetry workshops for children in 1986 in rural Mississippi.
Marie currently serves as media and outreach coordinator for an area health center providing media relations strategies and health related
programming for school children.
Susan Mintz
Susan Mintz became the director of The Green Center in April 2006. She holds graduation degrees in ecology, as well as
German literature. Having taught in both these subject areas for the past ten years, she brings a high degree of educational expertise to
the Center.
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Susan spent many afternoons outside as a child. These experiences, combined with frequent travels
across the U.S. and abroad, inspired in her a deep commitment to the environment. She is especially passionate about increasing public
science literacy among low social-economic status and immigrant populations.
Prior to joining the Green Center, Susan worked as Coordinator of Outreach Programming at the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Carissa Gigliotti
Carissa Gigliotti joined The Green Center in August 2006 as Restoration and Facilities Coordinator. In her role as
Coordinator, she assists with the restoration of The Green Center's outdoor learning spaces, as well as maintenance of our headquarters
site.
Carissa's involvement in environmental education and public outreach has deep roots. Most recently, Carissa worked as a science educator
at Gateway Middle School. There, she not only taught in the classroom, but also coordinated after-school programming and community service
opportunities, and assisted with restoration of the on-site outdoor classrooms. Carissa has also served as an education intern at the
Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, and a field instructor at a residential environmental education school.
She holds a M.S. in Environmental Policy from Bard College. When not at work, Carissa can be found tending a plot with her husband at
a local community garden.
Jan Oberkramer
Jan Oberkramer joined The Green Center staff in February 2006. As Education Manager, she is responsible for coordinating
and developing The Green Center's youth educational programming, including student art displays and performances. In addition, she recruits
and manages our contract and volunteer instructors.
By applying a best practices approach, Jan is expanding our volunteer instructor program by attracting and retaining skilled individuals
from the greater St. Louis region. Jan says, "I thoroughly enjoy working and interacting with volunteers!"
Most recently, Jan was a program coordinator at the Missouri Botanical Garden's Shaw Nature Reserve. She also has been involved with Girl
Scouts, Stream Team, Project Wet, and Project Learning Tree.
Kimberly Anderson
Kimberly Anderson was introduced to dance in East St. Louis at the Dunham school with her mother at the age of 6. While
attending the University of California at Berkeley she studied Modern and Jazz dance with Sue Li Jue and performed and choreographed for
the campus dance company, Dansworx.
The training she received while living in the San Francisco Bay Area enabled her to perform locally with Nuba Dance Theatre, Group Petit
La Croix, and Jose Barroso and Obakoso; as well as nationally and internationally with Mingus Among Us (L.A.), Ase Dance Theatre (N.Y.),
Reconnect and Chouconne (Europe), and Dansa Voluminosa (Cuba). After organizing cultural exchange tours to Haiti and Cuba with Reconnect
Dance Ensemble, of which Ms. Anderson was a founding member and coordinator, she returned to Cuba to study Cuban Modern and Folklore for
7 months with Dansa Contemporanea de Cuba and Raises Profundus.
Now residing in St. Louis, Ms. Anderson continues to share her love of dance by teaching in area schools and studios and performing with
Afriky Lolo.
Diadie Bathily
Diadie Bathily grew up in Ivory Coast, West Africa in Abidjan and in Bouake, Ivory Coast. Diadie has performed at
the United Nations, with Village Arts and Humanities in Philadelphia, at S.I.U.-Carbondale and in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He has taught master classes at Temple University and at the Katherine Dunham School, and he performed at Miss Dunham's 90th birthday
celebration. Diadie also teaches at Webster University.
Dr. Belisle-Iffrig
Dr. Belisle-Iffrig is an independent Curriculum Development Specialist. Her first experience with curriculum development
came as an outdoor instructor at Touch of Nature Environmental Center in Carbondale, Illinois. It was there that her love affair with
the natural world began.
Katie received her Ph.D. in Outdoor Recreation from Indiana University, where she had the great, good fortune of being assigned as the
graduate assistant for the Hilltop Youth Gardening Program. Bitten by the gardening bug, Katie went to work at Missouri Botanical Garden
as the Horticultural Coordinator for the Kemper Center for Home Gardening. A dream job, Katie was able to pursue her interests in writing,
gardening, garden design and horticulture therapy and still collect a paycheck.
Katie retired after nine years at the Garden to care for her young daughter, Emma. She and husband Greg recently expanded their family with
the addition of daughter Sophie adopted from China. Delighted to be a family of four, the Iffrigs live and play in St. Louis Hills.
Alicia Boelhauf
Alicia Boelhauf has helped supervise and develop programming for children for the Urban Populations Outreach Project, the
Great Rivers Greenway field trips, the Arts and Nature summer camp, and the Dr. Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots summer camp at the Green
Center for the past four summers.
After graduating with honors from Washington University with a degree in Anthropology, Alicia served a term with AmeriCorps, working with
elementary students in the St. Louis Public Schools. Recognized with a Community Pillar Award, Alicia taught communication arts and
organized a student-run newspaper to promote literacy.
She has designed and taught after-school and summer programs that blend visual and performing arts with cultural and environmental
exploration.
Dr. Janet Brown
Dr. Janet Brown holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Speech and Dramatic Arts from
University of Missouri-Columbia. She has taught all ages from pre-school to adults. She recently completed training at the Kennedy Center
Partners in Education program in Washington D.C., a program in professional development in the arts for classroom teachers.
She was founding director of the Greater Hartford Academy of Arts, a magnet high school program, and served as Education Director at COCA
for five years.
Tara Brown
Tara Brown began her work at the Green Center as a volunteer with children at the Arts and Nature summer camp in 2004. She
quickly became a valued field instructor and was hired to work with children in the 2004 Urban Populations Outreach Project (UPOP).
Tara has continued as a field instructor in 2005 for the Great Rivers Greenway field trips, Arts and Nature summer camp, Dr. Jane Goodall
Roots & Shoots summer camp, and UPOP. Ms. Brown is a successful part-time college student, majoring in surgical technology.
Her background and experiences contribute to her special sensitivity toward the needs of underserved urban African-American children.
Penney Bush-Boyce
Penney has been working and volunteering at the Green Center for 2 years in the areas of childhood and adult environmental
education, plant propagation, and restoration of our different habitats. Prior to coming to the Green Center, she was with the Missouri
Botanical Gardens for 3 years.
Horiculture is her second career. She was a physical therapist for 30 years and also has a Masters of Pastoral Studies. As an adjunct activity,
Penney has worked with the homeless, serving the poor in St. Louis and volunteering with her family in Haiti.
Craig Eppes
Craig Eppes both teaches children in a variety of art activities and exhibits his "Natural Topographical Art" at the Green
Center. He successfully blends his architect profession and his life-long interest in natural environments, urban design, and the arts.
Mr. Eppes newest art endeavor uses U.S. Geological Survey topographical maps not only for his own art drawings, but also for children's coloring
books and jigsaw puzzles. By coloring topographical contour gradations, children instantly can read the ridges, hilltops, valleys, streams, and
flood plains that are present in their own urban neighborhoods.
Displays of Craig's "Natural Art" colored topo map drawings were exhibited at Downtown Now and at Langton Associates. Mr. Eppes earned both a
Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.
JoAnne Leach
JoAnne Leach has been teaching for 35 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Washington University and
an M.Ed. from a joint Maryville/Washington University program. Ms. Leach has taught ages 5 to adult English, Reading Enrichment, English as a
Second Language and Special Needs Foster Parenting.
She has served for the past 11 years as a Reading Specialist in the St. Louis Public Schools, taking on special jobs such as creating and
producing student plays and multi-cultural experiences, judging the science fair and coordinating speech and writing contests.
Ms. Leach has sung for 10 years and toured in Europe with the St. Louis Women's Chorale under Scott Schoonover. An avocational naturalist, she
enjoys wildflower walks.
Adam Long
Adam Long both teaches children in a variety of art activities and exhibits "Natural Sculpture" at the Green Center. He is
a sculptor whose work seeks to connect people to the natural world around them.
Adam earned a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture form Fontbonne University in 2004 and a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from Maryville
University in 1993. He taught middle school art for 9 years. Currently, Mr. Long is an Adjunct Professor at Maryville Unviersity and has a
studio in the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, MO.
For over 10 years, Adam Long has excelled in creating human figure "Natural Sculptures" from bark, oak branches, and fungus. The clay that
is used to model the forms is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper. The core idea throughout his works is the idea of symbiosis. They
are about us and our environment.
Is'Mima Nebt'kata
Is'Mima Nebt'kata is a native born St. Louisan, recently returned after living over 20 years in Northern California. She
is a low-relief sculpture artist, a decorative artist and a poetess. She incorporates textiles from Africa, found objects, beads, shells,
recycled materials and paint into 2-D and 3-D works.
In 2001, she received a Certificate of Achievement for participation in the Art of the Eye Exhibit at the Sheldon Galleries through a class
at The Portfolio Gallery Educational Center. She has presented Artist-In-Residency programs for the St. Louis Public Community Educational
Schools, COCA, The Vaughn Cultural Center-Urban League, Art St. Louis, Portfolio Gallery, The Learning Tree Intergenerational Center, Forsyth
School, and St. Joseph's Institute for the Deaf.
Michael Nelson
Michael Nelson is an environmental consultant with 15 years experience as an environmental chemist, project manager, and
program developer. In 1994, he received his first in a series of grants from EPA Region 7 and has represented EPA community based projects
and environmental justice across the country.
Mr. Nelson is also an accomplished musician and arts educator. He has performed with St. Louis Symphony, China National Orchestra and Aska
Kaneko as well as a list of well-known recording artists. Mr. Nelson is also on faculty at COCA and at the Better Family Life's Urban Rhythms
program.
In May 2006, he was chosen the U.S. EPA Region 7's "Educators Environmental Excellence Award" winner from Missouri.
Weedie Braimah
Weedie Braimah (West Afrikan Percussion) is the Musical Director of St. Louis' Afriky Lolo Dance Company, Rhythms in Anoa
Dance Theatre, and lead percussionist for the St. Louis African Chorus.
Weedie has studied and performed with some of the top percussionists in both West Afrika and the U.S. Drumming since the age of two, he now
performs and conducts workshops throughout the United States and Canada.
Fatima Adegboye
Fatima Adegboye (Culinary Arts/Foodways) is the proprietor and owner of Fatima's Restaurant & Catering - St. Louis,
Missouri. Her specialty is the traditional foods of Nigeria. Fatima continues to lecture and conduct food presentations on traditional
Nigerian cooking at conferences, workshops and festivals.
She has over 20 years of managerial experience in teaching marketing, selling and human resources and public speaking.
