Maria Junco is head of the Dance Program at Cal Poly and Assistant Director of the Orchesis Dance Company. She received a B.A. in Dance from UCLA in 1985 and an M.A. in Choreography and Performance from UCLA in 1988. She was certified as a CMA (Laban Certified Movement Analyst) in 1990. Prior to starting her position at Cal Poly, she taught dance at UCLA, Scripps College of the Claremont Colleges, Western Washington University, and the Bellingham Academe of the Performing Arts. Maria has choreographed and performed in New York, Florida, Japan and Mexico, and on the west coast of the United States in Seattle, Bellingham, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles. Her performances include: the Momie Michiko Modern Ballet Company in Sendai, Japan; the Bridge Dance Company in Mexico City; the San Francisco Lyrical Opera; Mary Kay Bisignano-Vadino and Co. in Seattle; and the Sarah Pearson Dance Company in New York City, where she also studied under scholarship at the Nikolais/Louis studio. In Los Angeles, she performed for the Marion Scott Dance Company, Margalit Oved Marshall and Company, the Moving Arts Dance Company and numerous independent choreographers.
Dr. Moon Ja Minn Suhr (Professor Emeritus in Dance) Born in China, raised in Japan and educated in Korea, Moon Ja began her dance lessons at age six. She aspired to be a professor at age 11. She received a B.S. degree in Dance from Ewha Women's University, Seoul, Korea; an M.A. degree in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado; and a Ph. D. in Dance and Related Arts from Texas Woman's University. She holds certifications in Community College Teaching, Labanotion, and Pilates Physicalmind Conditioning Method. At Cal Poly, Dr. Suhr established the Dance and Dance Minor programs, and founded the Orchesis Dance Company in 1969, which she directed and advised until 2000. This is her 36th year of teaching at Cal Poly. She treasures being a wife, a mother of two adult children and a proud grandmother of two adorable little ones.
Diana Stanton is an Assistant Professor at Cal Poly and Director of the Orchesis Dance Company. She is also the Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Variable Velocity Performance Group in San Luis Obispo, CA. She received an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a B.A. in Dance from the University of California, Irvine. Her choreography has been presented professionally in many venues including: UC Irvine; CU Boulder Boulder; Jazz Dance Workshop; Dancers for Life, a benefit for ;AIDS at Riverside Community College; Cal Poly; Allan Hancock College; the L.A. Open Festival; and several American College Dance Festivals throughout the U.S. Currently Diana teaches at Cal Poly and the World Rhythm and Motion Dance Studio. She has also taught at Allan Hancock College, PCPA, Cuesta College, CU Boulder and the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop. Diana focuses on released athleticism and inverted
techniques in her teaching, and highlights psychological and social issues in her choreography.
Anne & Norm Tiber have actively participated in, researched and taught International Folk Dance since the early 1970s. They have taught at a variety of community and university settings involving children, adults and seniors. Their approach emphasizes both the social aspects of folk dancing and more didactic material regarding the cultural contexts of the hundreds of dances in their repertoire. They joined the Theater and Dance Department as voluntary faculty in 2004.
Susan Detweiler grew up in San Diego and began dancing at age eight. She completed liberal arts classes at San Diego State University in addition to working there for 19 years. She ended her career as the Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs and followed her husband to Cal State Dominguez Hills, where he was president. She became active with the Dance Department on campus and taught jazz and tap dance part-time. She has performed in a variety of venues and competitions throughout her life. Since moving to the central coast in 1998, she has taken dance classes and taught children, teens, adults and seniors. In 2002, she joined the Cambria Rhythm Tappers under the direction of Ms. Lynn Hodgkinson. With this group, she has been a substitute teacher and coach, as well as performed at a variety of fundraising events throughout San Luis Obispo County. She has been teaching tap dance at Cal Poly since 2005.
Michelle Walter is a Cal Poly graduate and Orchesis alumna who teaches in the Dance program. She received an M.A. in Dance Education from Stanford University. Michelle is the Founder of the Cuesta College Dance Company, Entourage. She has been the Director of that company for the past 11 years and an instructor of dance at Cuesta for 20 years. Michelle has taught and performed with the Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo and Gilbert Reed Ballet. While on sabbatical in England, she studied in London and Cambridge and performed at the Cambridge Arts Theatre.
Howard Gee (Technical Director) has been on staff as the Theatre and Dance Department’s Technical Director for more than 25 years. With an M.F.A. in Design and Theatre Technology from the University of Utah, he taught at Moorhead State University before coming to Cal Poly. Howard has been a designer of lighting, scenery, costumes, props, special effects and sound on some 300 productions from opera to dance and pageants, as well as serving as stage manager, technical director and production manager. Howard is active with the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology.
Rachel Messner (Administrative Support Coordinator) has been with the department since July 2007. She received a B.S. in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Before coming to Cal Poly, Rachel worked in human resources in Pennsylvania and in the chancellor's communications office at UCLA. She is responsible for budgetary, curriculum and academic issues effecting the department and its students.
