Internal Resource Council 

The Internal Resource Council (IRC) is a group of stakeholders who reside in the Department of Dance at FSU.  The IRC is a diverse group representative of the many faculty members who teach in the studio and classroom, and who have first hand experience as choreographers, dancers, artistic directors, educators and scholars. 

The IRC provides support to MANCC activities in a variety of ways including serving as a think tank for program, policy and procedural development, assisting with the communication of MANCC activities to staff, faculty and students, and in certain situations acting as an advisory group for artist selection.

Jennifer Atkins (bio)
Doug Corbin (bio)
Lynda Davis (bio)
Gerri Houlihan (bio)
Patty Phillips (bio)
Russell Sandifer (bio)
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (bio)

 

Jennifer Atkins earned her M.A. in American Dance Studies from FSU in 2003 and also completed a Ph.D. in History, with an emphasis on how dance intersects with American women’s history. Jennifer's dissertation, "Setting the Stage: Dance and Gender in Old-Line New Orleans Carnival Balls, 1870-1920," addresses the relationship between American gender ideals of the late nineteenth century and the distinct culture of New Orleans' elite Mardi Gras rituals. This interaction of tradition and courtship is revealed through a study of the dancing, socially choreographed body. Jennifer teaches courses in dance history, research, theory, and tap technique. Her work has been presented at CORD and Popular Culture/American Culture Association conferences and, in addition to her interest in New Orleans dance, Jennifer also researches Progressive Era dance halls and hippies.

Douglas holds BA and MA degrees from Hunter College, City University of New York. Working for many years in New York City, Douglas won acclaim for his work with a wide variety of teachers, companies and choreographers. His dozen of recordings for ballet class are in use around the world.

Lynda Davis is the Artistic Director of FSU’s Dance Repertory Theatre.  She is a former member of the Gloria Newman Dance Theatre and a featured dancer with the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company. She has served as Artistic Director and Dean of the Dance School at the California Institute of the Arts. She has served as Artistic Director and principal choreogapher for the Centre Dance Ensemble, and Transitions Dance Company sponsored by the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London and has conducted choreographic and teaching residencies throughout the United States and Europe, as well as parts of South Africa, Mozambique, China, India, Korea and Russia. From 1988 - 1995, Ms.Davis , along with Martha Meyers directed the American Dance Festival Professional Artist / Educator Update program.
 

Geri Houlihan (Contemporary Dance) Geri Houlihan began her professional career at the Juilliard School, where she studied with  Antony Tudor and members of the Martha Graham and José Limón dance companies. She has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company and Paul Sanasardo Dance Company and spent five years as a soloist with Lars Lubovitch Dance Company. From 1991 to 1999 she directed her own company.

Patty Phillips is Associate Professor and Associate Chairperson of the Department of Dance. Patricia has served as Senior Lecturer at the Laban Center for Movement and Dance in London, on the faculty of the Royal Academy of Dancing, also in London, as Dance Coordinator at Sam Houston State University in Texas, as Artist in residence at Duke University, as Guest Lecturer at the University of South Australia in Adelaide, and at the Conservatory of Music, University of Missouri/Kansas City. Patty has served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Dance Association (FDA) as Secretary and as Coordinator of the First Regional High School Festival sponsored by FDA, and on the Board of Directors of the American College Dance Festival Association.

Russell Sandifer is Co-Chairperson for the Department of Dance with Patty Phillips.  Russell primarily oversees production, accounting, scheduling and personnel issues.  In addition, he designs lighting for most of our productions and teaches our visual design and production classes.  Outside of the Department, Russell continues to design lighting for Seaside Music Theater (since 1984), Suzanne Farrell Ballet (since 2001), and on occasion for Urban Bush Women (since 1998).   In all, Russell has designed well over 1,200 dance works, 85 musicals, 8 operas, and a few of straight plays in his professional career.  Russell is a member of United Scenic Artists and enjoys serving on the board for American College Dance Festival.


Jawole Willa Jo Zollar founded Urban Bush Women in 1984. Zollar and UBW received a 1992 New York Dance and Performance Award (BESSIE). In 1994, UBW became the first dance company to receive the Capezio Award for outstanding achievement in dance. In 1998, UBW was one of the first recipients of a Doris Duke Award for New Work, administered by the American Dance Festival for the commissioning of Hands Singing Song.  Jawole Zollar has been commissioned to create works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Arizona, Philadanco and others.  She has served as a panelist for many leading funding agencies including The Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bush Foundation and Arts International.

Local Resource Council

Carmen Braswell Butler  (bio)
Dr. Sharon Maxwell Ferguson  (bio)
Kathy Fulsom 
Ann Phipps
James Sauls
Dr. Gaynell Sherrod  (bio)


Carmen Braswell Butler, Regional Marketing Manager, Sprint
As a Regional Market Manager for Sprint, Carmen is responsible for business marketing activities in North Florida. Prior to this she served as Public Affairs Manager for Sprint in Tallahassee, Florida, where she was responsible for public affairs activities, community and customer relations, employee volunteer activities and board participation. Before joining Sprint, Carmen was Associate Director of Community Relations for Florida State University. She currently serves on several area boards including the Executive Committee of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of the Big Bend, Leon County Schools Foundation and the Tallahassee/Leon County Economic Development Council. She is a member of Leadership Florida Class XXIV and is a 1999 graduate of Leadership Tallahassee.

Dr. Sharon Maxwell Ferguson, Professor, F.S.U. School of Social Work
Sharon Maxwell Ferguson is a retired Professor, MSW, Ph.D. at Florida State University. At FSU she taught courses in social welfare policy, community organization, social justice, women's issues, and domestic violence. Sharon has served as the director of the Institute for Family Violence Studies. This clearinghouse provides technical and legal assistance to Florida¹s supervised visitation programs and serves as a nationwide resource for courts, legislatures, and social services agencies on supervised visitation issues. As director of Florida State University¹s Institute for Family Violence Studies, Sharon was the 1996 recipient of Florida¹s Governor¹s Peace at Home award.

Dr. Gaynell Sherrod, Dance Director, FAMU
Dr. Elgie Gaynell Sherrod, is a native of Buffalo, and began her dance training with Kariamu Asante and (the late) Pearl Reynolds. After earning a BA in Psychology from University of Wisconsin-Madison, she briefly taught atthe Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts. Subsequently, she relocated and joined the Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco), where shestudied with Joan Meyers Brown and other acclaimed teachers and choreographers. After 15 years of performing with such companies as Philadanco and Urban Bush Women, she earned a M.Ed. and Ed.D. in dance education from Temple University in Philadelphia. Her expertise is in cultural traditions of the African Diaspora. A Fulbright-Hayes scholar, Dr. Sherrod taught at Florida A&M University, New Jersey City University and New York University. She is the former Director of Dance Pedagogy for New York City Department of Education, and former Executive Director of Touring for the Philadelphia Dance Company.

 






National Resource Council