Artistic Staff


Marie Chong, Artistic Director,

performed professionally with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Spectrum Dance Theater, Atlanta Ballet II and Eugene Ballet. She toured much of the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands and Germany, performing works by George Balanchine, Lynn Taylor Corbett, Frank Chaves, Toni Pimble, Kent Stowell, Christopher d'Amboise, Ann Reinking, Margo Sappington, Lar Lubovitch and many others. As a choreographer, Ms. Chong has created more than 15 original works for ARC Dance. She has also been commissioned to create choreography for companies in the Northwest and worked with the Seattle Symphony on various projects such as Discover Music! Two pieces in particular-her version of Swan Lake (2005), with lowflying trapeze (aerial dance), and The Rainbow Goblins (2004), which included multimedia and an original music composition-typify her innovative approach to artistic collaborations. Ms. Chong is certified in GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® physical conditioning.

Ms. Chong is a member of Dance/USA and National Dance Education Organization where she is a strong advocate for sharing the art form with others.

Elizabeth Cooper, Resident Choreographer,

became Director of the University of Washington Dance Program in 2001. She previously taught at the University of Texas at Austin, George Mason University and the University of Waterloo. Ms. Cooper also guest teaches at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, ARC School of Ballet, Dance Fremont and Cornish College of the Arts. As a dancer, she performed in the New York City Ballet's Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky Festivals, and has danced with a number of classical and contemporary companies, including Makarova and Company, Matthew Nash Music & Dance, San Francisco Opera Ballet, and National Theater Mannheim. Ms. Cooper has published articles on dance and politics in Theatre Research International, Dance Research Journal and The International Dictionary of Modern Dance. She received her MFA in dance from the University of Washington and a BA in archaeological studies from Yale University. Ms. Cooper is a recipient of a 2004 Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of Washington.

Choreographers

  • Alice Bergeson
  • Catherine Cabeen
  • Rhonda Cinotto
  • Marie Chong
  • Jan Collum
  • Elizabeth (Betsy) Cooper
  • Kirsten Cooper
  • Sonia Dawkins
  • Anton Dolin
  • Megan Fehr
  • Kiyon Gaines
  • Mark Haines
  • Meghan Harkey
  • Brady Hartley
  • Shannon Hobbs
  • Pat Hon
  • Penny Hutchinson
  • Rachel James
  • Mark J. Kane
  • Melissa Kerber
  • Alex Ketley
  • Vivian Little
  • Wade Madsen
  • Christy McNeil
  • Anna Mansbridge
  • Veronica Mendonca
  • Kirk Midtskog
  • Kabby Mitchell III
  • Ivan Novikoff
  • Jason Ohlberg
  • David Ollington
  • Leslie Jane Pessemier
  • Carl Ratcliff
  • Mary Reardon
  • Dean Speer
  • Manard Stewart
  • Eva Stone
  • Gérard Théorét
  • Julie Tobiason
  • Erricka Turner
  • Sharon Tyers
  • Ross Yearsley