Performer Biographies

Company Member Biographies

	Katie Rutterer, Artistic Director Katie graduated from Washington University with a BA in dance and with an MFA in dance from the U of A. She studied with the Taylor 2 Company and at the American Dance Festival. She danced with the Mid America Dance Company, the Midwest's largest and oldest repertory dance company. In addition to directing, choreographing and performing for NEW ARTiculations, she can be seen dancing with Thom Lewis Dance.
	Renee Blakeley, Education/Outreach Director Renee received her BFA in Dance with an endorsement in Dance Education from the University of Arizona. She is in her fifth year teaching dance at Pistor Middle School where she directs the Pistor Dance Ensemble. Renee also teaches for The DanceLoft and has taught dance in the Netherlands and traveled with the UA Dance Ensemble to perform in Rome, Italy. This is Renee’s third season performing and choreographing with NEW ARTiculations. She is currently working toward a master's in dance education during the summers.
	Kimi Eisele, Special Projects Director Kimi has performed with NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre, the Dambe Project, O-T-O Aerial/Modern Dance Company, and has studied and performed with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and Urban Bush Women. She conducts school and community residencies in creative writing and movement and is a roster artist with the Arizona Commission on the Arts. She is the Special Projects Director for NEW ARTiculations and is currently directing “Invisible City."
	Erika F
	Corinne Hobson
	Sukie Keita
	Lisa-Marie McFarlane

	LeighAnn Rangel Sotomayor LeighAnn is the former Artistic Director, as well as a co-founder, choreographer, performer and instructor for NEW ARTiculations. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Dance Education from the University of Georgia and her MFA in Theater Arts/Dance from the University of Arizona. Since moving to Tucson in 1996, she has been an active Dance Specialist in the Tucson Community. She is the Program Director for Pima Community College's CENTER FOR THE ARTS.
Photo by Ed Flores	Tammy Rosen Tammy is a former director and co-founder of NEW ART for which she choreographs, dances and teaches. She is also the founder and director of NEW ART's home studio, The DanceLoft. In addition to her performances with NEW ART, she has performed with FUNHOUSE movement theater, Tenth Street Danceworks and O-T-O Dance (all in Tucson). She will complete her studies to be a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner in May. She was a 2002 finalist for the Buffalo Exchange Arts Award for emerging artists and is a a certified Fieldwork facilitator, a method which offers choreographers the opportunity to develop their craft within a community of peers.
	Megan Shafer