Summer Dance Institute

Nutrition for Dancers

Lyndsay Barto is a Registered Dietitian and the owner of LB Wellbeing and has over twelve years of experience in the health and wellness industry helping individuals who strive to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives. Lyndsay has a Master’s degree in Health Promotion & Education from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from the University of Kentucky. She has a partnership with St. Elizabeth Sports Medicine where she has worked with individual athletes and teams to assist them in optimizing sports performance and overall health through nutrition.

Choreography

Kiersten Edwards is a Louisville, Ky. native who began dancing at the age of 13. While growing up in Louisville, her main focus was ballet and modern training at the University of Louisville Dance Academy, Louisville Ballet, and the Youth Performing Arts School. Kiersten is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University with a bachelor's degree in Chemistry and a minor in Dance. While at NKU, she performed in Dance Troupe, dance concerts, and at the American College Dance Association (ACDA). Kiersten has danced professionally with De La Dance Company, Tulsa Modern Movement, Big River Dance Festival, and is currently with Mutual Dance Theatre.

Ballet

Jacqui Haas recently retired as Performing Arts Medicine program manager for Mercy Health at Cincinnati Ballet. She is a former professional ballet dancer, having danced with Cincinnati Ballet, New Orleans City Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, Southern Ballet Theatre and was an apprentice with Boston Ballet. Jacqui has a BA in Dance from the University of South Florida, her Athletic Training certificate through the University of Cincinnati and is currently working on her Masters degree here at NKU. Ms. Haas has certifications in Pilates instruction from St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco and Pilates for Rehabilitation from Polestar Education in Miami. Jacqui is proud to be the author of two editions of “Dance Anatomy”, Human Kinetics publications. She is a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, the National Athletic Trainers Association and the National Dance Educators Organization.

Hip Hop

Anaya Ni’kole McNair is a born and raised Cincinnatian and a recent graduate of Northern Kentucky University School of the Arts. Also, dancing with her own dance crew (CA)^2 dance crew at Elementz. Anaya is trained in hip hop, jazz, modern, contemporary. Anaya has also competed around the country at Hip Hop International, World of dance and won first place at Monsters of Hip Hop. She also dances around the tri-state area with her dance crew. Anaya plans on influencing the next generation and creating active achievers.

Jazz and Music Theatre

Cincinnati based artist Shane Ohmer is presently an Adjunct Professor of Dance at the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music. Mr. Ohmer was the Associate Dance Captain for the Broadway Tour of The Phantom of the Opera where he initiated the development of the "how-to" manual for teaching the production. Mr. Ohmer has appeared in Susan Stroman’s "The Merry Widow" at The Metropolitan Opera, the world touring hit dance show "Rock the Ballet", Flashdance - the Musical 1st National Broadway Tour, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Whim W'him, River North Chicago Dance Company and as a Principal guest artist for various companies around the world. Shane trained in Dance/Musical Theater at Cincinnati's School For Creative and Performing Arts and Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle.

Commercial work includes appearances on Law and Order SVU, David Letterman, Dos Equis Adverts, Warby Parker , GQ magazine, and runway shows for Commonwealth Utilities and Armani Exchange. Shane has created choreography for New York Fashion Week designers The Blonds, L’Officiel Hommes Video, numerous competitive dance pieces, stage plays, and musical reviews.

Shane's mission is to expand his performing career, educate emerging artists, produce creative choreography, and direct movement that pushes boundaries for Dance and Musical Theater in live and digital spaces.

African Dance

A native of Cincinnati, Jeaunita Ìfẹ́wándé Château Weathersby Olówè has been a dancer and an athlete since age 5 and a professional dancer, choreographer, teaching artist and athlete for the past 30 years in African, Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Ballroom, Latin dances and Zumba®. She's performed, taught and toured throughout the US, Canada, Africa, Asia since 1994 and performed for the US/NATO military in Europe and Mediterranean. Jeaunita was one of the 7 talented artists that traveled to perform in Europe during 2003- 2005 visiting Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and England for the United States and United Nations Armed Forces military families. She is a certified Zumba® fitness instructor in B1, B2, Core, Glutes and Toning and AFAA Group Fitness instructor.

Modern

Rowan Salem is a choreographer, performer, and teacher originally from Massachusetts, currently based in Ohio. As an artist, her interests lie in compositional improvisation and philosophy’s links to movement. Her teaching is influenced by Humphrey/Limón technique, contact improvisation, and contemporary forms. Rowan earned a Master of Fine Arts in Choreography and Performance as a Teaching Fellow/Gretchen Moran Scholar at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Recent teaching affiliations include Amherst College (MA), Smith College (MA), the University of Massachusetts (MA), Metropolitan State University of Denver (CO), Colorado Ballet Academy (CO), Mutual Dance Theater and Arts Center (OH), Cincinnati Ballet Academy (OH), and Northern Kentucky University (KY). She has recently collaborated on and performed in the work of Chris Aiken, Angie Hauser, Kate Speer, and Tara Rynders. Rowan’s work has been presented at Redline Contemporary Arts Center, Counterpath Exhibition Space, Green Street Studios, and Art Gym, Denver, and Mutual Dance Theater in Cincinnati.

Costume Appreciation, Yoga

Cat Schmeal-Swope is the Costume Shop Manager for the Theatre & Dance Program. Before joining NKU she was the Costume Shop Supervisor and a staff Costume Designer at Minnesota State University, Mankato from 2011 to 2016. At MNSU, she costume designed over twenty-five dance pieces for the department and had the opportunity to present at ACDA’s North-Central Regional Conference on costume designing for dance productions. Cat received her MFA from The Ohio State University. While at OSU, Cat had the opportunity to complete her thesis project, Costume Designer for Othello (2011), with director Allison Bomber from Royal Shakespeare Company. She also received a USITT Ezekiel Award for her puppet design/construction for The Long Christmas Ride Home (2010). She has worked for various companies including The Opera Theatre of St. Louis (Buyer, 2008), The Ohio State University School of Music (Costume Designer, 2011), The Actors Theatre of Columbus (Costume Designer, 2011), MNSU Highland Summer Theatre (Costume Designer, 2012-16), The Ohio State University Department of Theatre (Costume Designer, 2016), Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (Overhire Draper & Stitcher, 2016) and CATCO (Costume Designer, 2018).