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dancEnlight's mission is dedicated to fostering the arts through excellence in dance, education and artistic collaboration in a tapestry of Eastern and Western culture & ideas.
dancEnlight strives to enrich the community, enlighten audiences of all ages, and inspire cultural development, locally and globally. Founded by Lorelei Chang in 2008, currently in residence at Connecticut Concert Ballet, and Trinity College, dancEnlight is a professional modern dance company that performs in the US & Japan under the direction of Lorelei Chang (US) and Mai Nakanishi (Japan). Ms Chang & Nakanishi draw their inspiration from their Asian background and creates cross-cultural works with inventive ideas. Their idea of combining dance and the ancient art form of Chinese calligraphy have uniquely set the company a part from others. Through artistic collaboration, dancEnlight attempts to work with local and global artists together, to create lasting, high quality works of art that can be embraced by a wide range of audiences.
To Ms. Chang dancing is beyond physical and mental challenges and enjoyment; it's enlightenment. It is with this spiritual inspiration that the company was formed. dancEnlight performers come together and share not only stage, passion and skills but most importantly they share their lives together and support one another.
Since founded in 2008, dancEnlight has performed at many venues locally and globally such as Trinity College, Charter Oak Cultural Center, Heights Of Wellness, Wadsworth Anthenuem, NBC Wellness Festival, International Festival of Arts and Ideas, 5x5 Dance Festival, The Book Festival, first ever in CT; The Hartt School, Marlborough Arts Center, South Windsor Senior Center, Greater Hartford Academy, Rebound Dance Festival, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, The HOT school, Playhouse on Park, International Calligraphy Conference in Boston, and may venues in Japan including Yokohama Museum of Art in Tokyo.
dancEnlight provides education programs for all ages, and is committed to serve the community best by performances, outreach organizations and events. The company was selected to be included into the Hartford Performs data base. Ms. Chang and the company are excited to share the "Dance & Calligraphy" residency program and "Ink Passion" performance with many more schools in this area.
The company was granted a 501(c) 3 not for profit organization status in March, 2011. dancEnlight now has a wonderful board under the leadership of president, Dr. Schutzer. In May, 2011, dancEnlight was awarded a non-matching grant from the Artist Fellowship Grant Program, this grant supported the company's world premiere, "The Way" In March 2012. dancEnlight successfully accomplished their fourth year of production at the Charter Oak Cultural Center with a full evening length of work inspired by the Chinese Tea Ceremony. With all the overwhelming feedback, dancEnlight is humbled and profoundly blessed with all the support from the board, family, friends and fans.
The company offers their fourth annual Summer Intensive from 6/25-7/7 for pre and professional dancers, and second Summer Intensive For Youth for ages 6-8 and 9-12 from 7/9-7/13. For more information, please check Summer Intensive page.
Photo by Ron Compton
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Lorelei Chang--Artistic Director |  | |
Lorelei Chang began dancing at the age of three and trained in Beijing, China under full scholarship. She was chosen among thousands of dancers to be a leading dancer and choreographer for the Guang Dong Modern Dance Company, the first modern dance company ever in China, established in 1986 under the direction of Yang Meiqi with funding and support from ADF (American Dance Festival)Chair Charles Reinhart, and ACC (Asian Cultural Council) under the direction of Ralph Samuelson. Lorelei further studied under the tutelages of Sarah Stackhouse, Willy Cao, Lucas Hoving, Ruby Shang, Douglas Neilson, and many other renowned international artists. Besides her rigorous dance training at an early age, she also studied Chinese calligraphy beginning at age five. Her talents in both dance and the Chinese calligraphy led to many awards.
Lorelei performed and taught extensively in China and continued her career as a performer, teacher, and choreographer after moving to the United States in 1993. She has danced with Arlington Center For Dance in Virginia, DTSB & Co. (previously known as Moving Forward Asian-American Modern Dance Company), Joy of Motion in Washington DC, and Center Dance Ensemble in Arizona. Her choreography was presented at the Beijing International Dance Festival in China (1990), American Dance Festival (1991), International Dance Festival in Hong Kong, and Dance Festival in India (1992), International Arts & Ideas in New Haven, CT, 5x5 Dance Festival in Hartford, CT, Rebound Dance Festival in New Haven, and many other venues including Tokyo, Japan. She was honored to be invited to perform with her twin sister, Mai Nakanishi for the Grand Imperial Charity Banquet hosted by the former Indonesia’s president’s wife in Tokyo on Oct 1st, 2011.
Lorelei Chang is the Artistic Director of dancEnlight, a professional modern dance company based in Hartford, CT, that performs in the US and Japan. Lorelei's passion for dance and teaching have inspired her students from age three to eighty-three. She is currently a faculty member of Theater and Dance at Trinity College, Connecticut Concert Ballet. She also teaches yoga and pilates at South Windsor Senior Center, as well as dancEnlight company classes. She was guest choreographer and teacher for Trinity College, Full Force Dance Theater, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, Rebound Dance Festival, 5x5 Dance Festival in 2009,2010 and 2011, Miss Porter's School, and many others institutions and schools throughout CT. She was a member of Full Force Dance Theatre from 2003-2008 and taught company intensive programs from 2007-2009. Furthermore, she was a dance faculty of University of Hartford from 2006-2010 as well as pilates instructor at Manchester Community College from 2003-2009.
Along with all of her endless dance-related work, she also has a true passion for IChing and her Chinese calligraphy teaching. She is a member of Connecticut Valley Calligraphers under the direction of Debby Reelitz.
Photo by Zoe Macerollo
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Co-Artistic Director, Guest Choreographer & Performer |  | |
Mai is Lorelei's twin sister, who is co-directing dancEnlight in Tokyo, Japan. She is a performer, a choreographer, a ballroom dance instructor, and Chinese calligrapher. A Beijing native, Mai Nakanishi is an internationally recognized calligraphy artist and highly skilled professional dancer. She began her calligraphy at the age of five. As an award-winning calligraphy artist, honoraries include being the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Tokyo Museum International Chinese Calligraphy Award. Aside from Calligraphy, Mai Nakanishi is a trained professional dancer and instructor. She began her dance training in classical ballet, and Chinese folk dance at age three. As a young adult, she was selected among thousands of dancers in Beijing, China to receive full scholarship, intensive dance training, at China's top dance institutions, working with and studying directly under world-class instructors and choreographers. Mai received numerous Certificates of Excellence at many dance competitions. She moved to Tokyo, Japan in 1993 and continued her profession as dancer and instructor. After graduating from the prestige Guang Dong Dance University, she became a founding member of Guang Dong Dance Company, China's first modern dance company.
Company members
Kiara Brereton is a junior at Trinity College with a major in Economics and minor in Chinese. Born and raised in Staten Island, New York, Kiara has been dancing since age 6. She attended Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts from grades 9 to 12 and continued to focus on dance throughout her high school career. She joined her school's modern dance company along with two student run dance groups that focused on jazz and hip-hop. At Andover, Kiara had the pleasure of working with members of the Limon Dance Company as well as Mark Morris as they set choreography on the Andover Dance Company to perform for the rest of the student body. In college, Kiara has still found time to balance her academics and dance by taking technique classes, joining the Trinity College Dance Company and working with Lorelei off campus by joining dancEnlight.
Stephanie Hewett was born and raised in New York City and comes from a diverse Jamaican and Dominican background. She was convinced early on by her mother to begin dancing. She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS for Music & Art and the Performing Arts, where she fell in love with the Graham technique and ballet. She continues to dance here at Trinity and hopes to attend graduate school for Dance Therapy in which she plans to help children with depression, autism, and other mental illnesses to find comfort and happiness through movement.
Katie Lakotko Katie began dancing at the age of three with the Northern Connecticut Ballet performing in many Nutcrakers under the direction of Helen Stevenson and has also performed in the Hartford Conservatory's Jazz Nutcracker. She was also a member of the Soma Dance Company for two years under the direction of Darcie Froman. She has also danced with DFX entertainment under the direction of Nicole Cassarino-Conlon at Mohegan
Sun. She is currently enrolled in the engineering program at the University of Connecticut where she is also a member of the UConn Dance Company and the Kickline Team. Katie is excited to be dancing with Lorelei and all the members of dancEnlight!
Meghan McDermott's dance roots started in Sodus, NY where she grew up. She then moved to Hartford, CT in 2004 to attend the Hartford Conservatory. While at school Meghan had the honor to work with Jacques D'Amboise for her internship with the National Dance Institute. She graduated in 2006 with a double major in Dance Pedagogy and Dance Performance. After graduating Meghan started her professional dance career as a founding member with SOMA Dance Company in Hartford CT & Salida CO, under the direction of Darcie Froman-Shultz from 2006-2012. She also dances with DFX Entertainment at Mohegan Sun under the direction of Nicole Cassarino-Conlon. Meghan is currently a member and dances with dancEnlight under the direction of Lorelei Chang. As well as Sonia Plumb Dance company. She recently had the pleasure of choreographing the production of "Faust" for the Connecticut Concert Opera; as well as the community production of "Home for the Holidays" for the Ivoryton Playhouse. She currently lives in West Hartford with her husband Michael and dog Olivia.
Levi Perry--has been dancing intensively since he was six years old. He was on a full time trainee and apprentice at the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC, attended Princeton Repertory Ballet summer
intensive as well as a full time student at Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts in Torrington. In his time as a dancer he has been able to perform many famous roles including Pas D'Esclave from Le Corsaire, Pas de Deux from La Fille Mal Gardee, Male Variation from the Fairy Doll and the Spanish Dance from Swan Lake. He has trained under the supervision of famous dancer Alexei Tchernichov. He has worked as a guest artist for Woodbury Ballet, Eastern Connecticut Ballet and Saving Grace Dance Ensemble. He received his certificate for Computer Network Management at Branford Career Institute in Southington, CT and is currently working on his Associates Degree in Engineering Technology for Computer Aided Drafting and Design. He is happy to be returning for a third season with dancEnlight.
Christine Perry-- Christine Perry graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford with a BFA in Dance Performance in the Spring of 2009. At her time at Hartt she was able to perform a variety of works including Martha Graham's Panorama, Les Sylphides, Katie Stevenson-Nollet's Edge of Reason and Lorelei Chang's work Ink Passion. During this time she also had the privilege to train at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance on scholarship. She worked with Graham legends such as Denise Vale, Donlin Forman, Steve Rook and Peggy Lyman Hayes and performed such famous repertory including Diversion of Angels and Night Journey. Along with the Graham school she has done a variety of training at the Alvin Ailey School in NYC, with Robert Battle and with David Dorfman. She trained at Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater and Eastern Connecticut Ballet as well having been a faculty member at Eastern Connecticut Ballet. Christine Perry was invited this past fall as a guest instructor at Yale University, providing college students an opportunity to embrace different forms of modern dance. Along with dance she is a professional stage and production manager and has done extensive technical theater work in locations including the Baryshinikov Arts Center in New York City, St. Joseph College, the Garde Arts Center, Charter Oak Cultural Center, Foxwoods and the Wadsworth Atheneum. Christine Perry is beginning her third season for dancEnlight and is also a continuing guest artist for Saving Grace Ensemble, Amherst, NH. She has had the wonderful opportunity to perform venues in New York City, Stonehill College, Boston, The Wadsworth Atheneum, Charter Oak
Cultural Center and many others. She is also currently a faculty member at Premier Dance Theatre and parks and recreation instructor for the Town of Chester as well as a swimming instructor for Haddam Killingworth Recreation and will be a future teacher at Limelite Dance Center in Wethersfield,CT.
Bryan Smith--Originally from Longview, Texas, Bryan Smith began his dance education at Longview High School as a member of the Viewettes dance/drill team. He then attended the Hartford Conservatory in Hartford, Connecticut, where he gained valuable performance, choreography, and teaching opportunities. He graduated from the Conservatory in 2007 with a Diploma in both Dance Pedagogy and Dance Performance. While in Connecticut, Bryan was a founding member of SOMA, a Hartford-based modern dance company, and performed with them from 2007 through 2010. He has also danced as a guest artist in The Hartford Conservatory's "Jazz Nutcracker" and Woodbury Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker". Recently, he attended Miami Dade College in Miami, FL as a Dance Major and continued his dance studies at the Ballet Academy of Miami. Bryan returned to Connecticut in 2009 and currently works with HTE Dance, a Texas-based dance camp company, as a dance instructor and choreographer. He is on faculty at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and Evjen Academy of Performing Arts, choreographs and teaches privately, and performs as a guest artist in TX and CT. |
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