The Dancers of ODT
Rachel Batiancila, originally from New Haven, CT, graduated with honors from Boston University in 2006 with a degree in Economics. She currently works as a Program Manager in the Technology Industry Advisory Consulting group at Forrester Research, a technology research company in Cambridge, MA. Rachel has been dancing for about 23 years and has studied modern dance, lyrical, ballet, and jazz. She met Gabrielle in 2002 during their freshman year of college where they took the same modern dance class and lived on the same dormitory floor. They've been working together ever since! Rachel is thrilled to be a continual part of Gabrielle's ensemble and is thankful for the numerous unique dance opportunities. Rachel would also like to thank her parents, Thelma and the late Vicente Batiancila, for being so supportive of her dancing for the past 23 years.
Lauren Batiancila has danced with Gabrielle Orcha since 2002 where they met during dance class at Boston University. Since then, she has performed at the Huntington Theater, the Wimberly Theater, and at the American College Dance Festival, among many other venues. She graduated from BU in 2006 and is currently pursuing a second degree in nursing from Simmons College. Lauren feels blessed to have spent the past six months with such wonderful, committed dancers and to be a part of Orcha Dance Theatre.
Kara Johnson began her training at Dance Arts in Westfield, MA under the direction of Lisa Baldyga Harty, and at the Massachusetts Academy of Ballet in Holyoke, MA with Artistic Directors Rose and Charles Flachs. She continued with summer study at The Walnut Hill School, The Boston Conservatory, The Boston Ballet, Jacob's Pillow, and the Paul Taylor Dance Company. She then graduated summa cum laude, receiving her B.A. in English Literature and Dance, at Mount Holyoke College. Performance credits while at MHC include repertory by George Balanchine, José Limón, Twyla Tharp, and Paul Taylor. Kara is also a dancer with Prometheus Dance Company in Cambridge, an art model for Boston-area art schools, an instructor at the Boston Ballet School, and an aspiring writer. She is thrilled to be a part of Orcha Dance Theater.
Maya Medalla began her dance training at age 6 in the Philippines, under Emilie Rigonan, former principal ballet dancer of Ballet Philippines. She had been dancing ever since, training with Manila's premier dance schools and companies: Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) School of Dance, Ballet Manila School and Powerdance modern and jazz dance company. During her college education at the University of the Philippines (UP), she joined professional dance groups UP Dansa and Danscap Manila, lead by former UP Filipiniana principal dancers, Ronaldo Labian and Jordan Punsalang. After college, she went on to study at the Alvin Ailey School of Dance in New York. A year after, she began graduate studies at Boston University, where she had met and collaborated with Gabrielle Orcha on numerous projects. After a two-year hiatus from dance to concentrate on finishing her PhD, Maya is happy to be back working with Gabrielle, and “Dancing Through the Torah” with her long-time friends and dance collaborators.
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Rachel Batiancila, originally from New Haven, CT, graduated with honors from Boston University in 2006 with a degree in Economics. She currently works as a Program Manager in the Technology Industry Advisory Consulting group at Forrester Research, a technology research company in Cambridge, MA. Rachel has been dancing for about 23 years and has studied modern dance, lyrical, ballet, and jazz. She met Gabrielle in 2002 during their freshman year of college where they took the same modern dance class and lived on the same dormitory floor. They've been working together ever since! Rachel is thrilled to be a continual part of Gabrielle's ensemble and is thankful for the numerous unique dance opportunities. Rachel would also like to thank her parents, Thelma and the late Vicente Batiancila, for being so supportive of her dancing for the past 23 years.
Lauren Batiancila has danced with Gabrielle Orcha since 2002 where they met during dance class at Boston University. Since then, she has performed at the Huntington Theater, the Wimberly Theater, and at the American College Dance Festival, among many other venues. She graduated from BU in 2006 and is currently pursuing a second degree in nursing from Simmons College. Lauren feels blessed to have spent the past six months with such wonderful, committed dancers and to be a part of Orcha Dance Theatre.
Kara Johnson began her training at Dance Arts in Westfield, MA under the direction of Lisa Baldyga Harty, and at the Massachusetts Academy of Ballet in Holyoke, MA with Artistic Directors Rose and Charles Flachs. She continued with summer study at The Walnut Hill School, The Boston Conservatory, The Boston Ballet, Jacob's Pillow, and the Paul Taylor Dance Company. She then graduated summa cum laude, receiving her B.A. in English Literature and Dance, at Mount Holyoke College. Performance credits while at MHC include repertory by George Balanchine, José Limón, Twyla Tharp, and Paul Taylor. Kara is also a dancer with Prometheus Dance Company in Cambridge, an art model for Boston-area art schools, an instructor at the Boston Ballet School, and an aspiring writer. She is thrilled to be a part of Orcha Dance Theater.
Maya Medalla began her dance training at age 6 in the Philippines, under Emilie Rigonan, former principal ballet dancer of Ballet Philippines. She had been dancing ever since, training with Manila's premier dance schools and companies: Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) School of Dance, Ballet Manila School and Powerdance modern and jazz dance company. During her college education at the University of the Philippines (UP), she joined professional dance groups UP Dansa and Danscap Manila, lead by former UP Filipiniana principal dancers, Ronaldo Labian and Jordan Punsalang. After college, she went on to study at the Alvin Ailey School of Dance in New York. A year after, she began graduate studies at Boston University, where she had met and collaborated with Gabrielle Orcha on numerous projects. After a two-year hiatus from dance to concentrate on finishing her PhD, Maya is happy to be back working with Gabrielle, and “Dancing Through the Torah” with her long-time friends and dance collaborators.
Hooray!
ReplyDeleteYou really are superwoman...
ReplyDeleteFor Part II, I will choreograph a solo for you, and the solo will consist of you doing that jump 111 times. Please remember to bring the sunset to rehearsal.