Sarah Donohue
Sarah Donohue is Associate Chair and Associate Professor of Dance at Utah Valley University and is on faculty with Integrated Movement Studies. Sarah holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Utah and is a Certified Laban Movement Analyst. Sarah danced professionally with Repertory Dance Theatre and has taught and choreographed nationally and internationally, including South Korea, Bella Vita Arts Workshop in Italy, Montana Dance Arts, De Sales University, Rutgers University, The University of Utah, and The University of Oregon. She is the recipient of the 2019 UVU Presidential Fellowship, Grants for Engaged Learning, the UVU Faculty Excellence Award, and High Impact Practices grants. Sarah’s research explores play and the physicality humor through a Laban/Bartenieff lens. Sarah has presented at the International Society for Humor Studies conference in Ireland, the National Dance Education Organization’s Annual conference, and the Bill Evans Somatic Dance Workshop. Sarah’s choreography was selected and performed at the American College Dance Association’s National Festival at the Kennedy Center.
Alberto del Saz
Alberto del Saz is the Artistic Director of the Nikolais/Louis foundation for Dance. Mr. del Saz is a vital and important link in keeping the Nikolais/Louis repertory active and alive.
Mr. del Saz was born in Bilbao, Spain. At an early age he studied ice-skating, which later lead to his performing career. In 1980 Mr. del Saz became the Spanish National Champion in figure skating and soon made his debut with Holiday on Ice International. His early dance training was received at the Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab from the great teachers of the technique: Hanya Holm, Alwin Nikolais, Murray Louis, Claudia Gitelman, Tandy Beal, Beverly Blossom and others.
In 1985 Mr. del Saz made his debut as a lead soloist with the Nikolais Dance Theater, later renamed the Murray Louis and Nikolais dance Company. As a member of this internationally acclaimed company he has toured to virtually every continent of the globe.
Mr. del Saz has appeared for President Reagan at the Kennedy Center Honors in a CBS telecast featuring the Nikolais Dance Theatre as well as on a PBS American Masters series in “Nik and Murray”, an award winning documentary film by Christian Blackwood. He has also represented the United States State Department on a tour of India, appeared at the Paris Opera Garnier in a Homage to Alwin Nikolais and at he Next Wave Festival with Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane Dance Company.
In 1990 he went to Japan where he appeared as a guest artist in “V”, a project by Mr. Ushio Amagatsu, artistic director of Sankai Juku. He has also performed at “Men Brazil”. Mr. del Saz has appeared as a solo artist in works by Hanya Holm, Maureen Fleming, Sara Pearson, Cleo Parker Robinson and others.
Mr. del Saz is the reconstruction director of the Nikolais/Louis repertory and has staged the repertory on university and professional dance companies around the world.
In 1997 he danced the role Rudolph Nureyev’s role in “Moments” a work created by Mr. Louis.
Mr. del Saz work has been funded by NYSCA in collaboration with Ice Theater of New York. His skating work has appeared on Ice-Wars, Grand Slam and the Professional World Championships televised on CBS, FOX and ABC networks as well as the official openings of Rockefeller and Bryant Park.
Mr. del Saz has been with the Nikolais/Louis Foundation for 37 years, at the moment his focus is in preserving the Nikolais/Louis technique, repertory and legacy through his teaching and directing.
Adenna Lago
Dance Pedagogy
Adeena Lago has dedicated her life to teaching dance both in HS and at the University level. The majority of her career was spent at Granger High School where she taught for 30 years, directing both the Dance Company and the Drill Team. While at GHS she was instrumental in creating The Granite District Dance Concert, The Granite District Choreography Festival, The High School Dance Festival, and countless benefit concerts. Adeena received her B.S. in Dance from Brigham Young University and M.F.A from the University of Utah. She was awarded 1997 UAPHERD Outstanding Dance Educator, UHSAA Drill Team Coach of the Year three times, Granite District Excel Outstanding Educator in 2005, and the 2018 Sorensen Legacy Award for Excellence as the Outstanding Dance Educator for the State of Utah. This past year she has loved teaching dance in Park City Elementary schools on a few occasions with Ririe Woodbury! She is most proud of her 3 amazing children and her 2 grandchildren.
Ai Fujii Nelson
Education Director
Contemporary Technique, Teacher Workshop Facilitator
Ai Fujii Nelson began dancing at the age of four in Tokyo, Japan, where she received several national dance awards. After coming to the U.S., she earned a BFA in Modern Dance at the University of Utah. Following graduation, Ai apprenticed for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in New York City, and danced professionally with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company for eight seasons in Salt Lake City between 2000 and 2008. In 2009 she danced her way to New Zealand, where she acquired a Master of Creative and Performing Arts degree. Throughout her career, Ai has enjoyed teaching students of all ages and abilities, both nationally and internationally. In the state of Utah, she has served as Adjunct Faculty at Utah Valley University, taught creative dance for the University of Utah’s Tanner Dance, as well as modern dance technique for the Ballet West Academy. She is thrilled to have returned to Ririe-Woodbury in 2014 as Education Director, and looks forward to an adventurous future with the company.
Natalie Desch
Natalie Desch, a BFA graduate of the Juilliard School and an MFA graduate of the University of Washington, performed for five seasons with the Limón Dance Company and eleven seasons with Doug Varone and Dancers in NYC. She additionally danced in various productions at the Metropolitan Opera and other regional opera companies (Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Palm Beach Opera, Longleaf Opera (NC), Lincoln Center Institute (NYC). From 2005-2012 she taught at Hunter College (City University of New York) and has also been a visiting faculty member at Weber State University (UT), University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Beijing Dance Academy. Additionally she has taught for the following summer festivals: Doug Varone and Dancers, the Limón Dance Company, UNCSA, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, the Bates Dance Festival, Ririe-Woodbury, and the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theater, among others. Natalie has restaged the works of José Limón, Doug Varone, Jirí Kylián, and Daniel Charon on performing groups around the world, and her choreography has been presented at venues throughout the US. In 2014 Natalie relocated to Salt Lake City, UT, and began teaching at Ballet West Academy, Westminster College, Utah Valley University, and Salt Lake Community College. Natalie joined the University of Utah’s School of Dance as an Assistant Professor in the fall of 2019.
Erick Fungo
My name is Erick Fungo, a teaching and performing artist from Tanzania East Africa. My experience in performing arts began when I was six 6 years old when I was introduced to African acrobatics. By the age of 9 I was a prodigy in the craft and was recruited to join the local performing arts company in Iringa region.