Introductory Dance Intensive

Christine Juarez
Faculty and Summer Dance Coordinator

Christine is currently the Coordinator of Summer Dance for Cornish College of the Arts where she has taught ballet, pointe, creative movement and pre-ballet for the past 18 years. She also choreographs for Cornish’s pre-college apprentice company and is a fixture in children’s choreography and opera in the Seattle area. She is Director of Dance for Vashon Allied Arts and has been the Artistic Director of Blue Heron Dance Company, which she founded, for the past 13 years.

Christine splits her time running dance programming between Vashon Island and Capitol Hill. She has been teaching for over 30 years. She studied ballet with John White, Margarita De Saa in Philadelphia and Jean Pierre Bonnefoux and Jacques Cesbron at Indiana University where she earned a B.S. in Ballet and Music and a M.S in Modern Dance and Physical Sciences under the direction of Bill Evans. Christine is a master artist in residence for the state of Washington and works collaboratively with classroom teachers bringing movement to the academic curriculum. She performed extensively throughout the Midwest and East Coast and is one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier children’s choreographers.

Elia Mrak
Instructor

Elia Mrak is a professional dancer, educator, and choreographer who has used his passion for dance to travel and teach. He graduated from Pomona College with a BA in Mathematical Economics and a minor in Dance.

Elia has been invited as an international artist to collaborate with groups such as the NOMAD Dance Academy, and was awarded the Watson Foundation Fellowship in 2007 to research and travel abroad. Elia participated in festivals and seminars, such as Impusltanz Festival in Vienna, Austria and 50 Days Costa Rica in San Jose to assist with workshops and aid in the development of dance pedagogical techniques. Elia has appeared as a choreographer in David Zambrano’s SHOCK and Valeriana Pencheva’s Glass of Love, as well as his own work, Lord, Don’t Let The Devil Steal The Beat! [2009] and Wring Me Out [2008]. Elia is returning to Cornish’s summer faculty after 3 seasons of introducing improvisation to our pre-college population.

Vanesa Wylie
Instructor

Vanesa Wylie graduated from Cornish College of The Arts in 1994 with a BFA in Dance. Upon graduating she worked and performed with many local choreographers including Kristina Dillard, Pat Graney, Michelle Miller, Jessica Jobaris, Lynn Simonson and the Big Red Dance Company. In 1998, Vanesa and her husband formed The Bleeding Hearts Theatrical Dance Ensemble where they directed, choreographed and self produced their own shows.

Vanesa’s choreography has also been seen at Bumbershoot, The Fringe Festival, The Moore and 12 Minutes Max. In 2000, she began teaching and fell in love with it. She joined the Preparatory Dance faculty teaching Creative Movement, Pre-Primary and Modern. Vanessa has taught dance at The Dance School, Studio One, Immaculate Conception, The Country Day School and in the Snohomish School District. She recently joined the dance faculty of Vashon Allied Arts where she is teaching modern and ballet. Vanesa is passionate about sharing the experience of dance.