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APPEX
Fellows from the
United States of America
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Susan
Bauer
Currently an M.F.A. candidate in the Department of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA with a
particular interest in ethnology and anthropology, Susan Bauer also holds a master’s
degree in dance and movement from Wesleyan University. A choreographer and dance educator
who has taught at the secondary and college levels for the last twelve years, her
choreographic works include collaborations with artists from America, Japan, India, and
Indonesia. Most recently, she has studied classical dance and mask-making in Bali. There
she collaborated with Asian and American artists on experimental contemporary topeng
(masked) performance. In 1997, at UCLA, she studied with Victoria Marks and with Sardono
Kusumo, visiting artist from Java.
Eve Beglarian
(APPEX I) A composer, performer, and audio producer whose work has been performed in the
United States, Europe, Mexico, South America, Asia and the Baltic States, Ms. Beglarian
has worked extensively with dancers, from ballet to post-modern movement art. Her chamber
music has been commissioned and performed by the California EAR Unit, Relâche, and the
Paul Dresher Ensemble, among others. And her experience in music theater includes
collaborations with Shi-Zheng Chen (with the China National Beijing Opera Theater) and
Terry O'Reilly (with Mabou Mines). Twisted Tutu, her performing duo with keyboard player
Kathleen Supové, blends high technology with theater. In addition to her composing and
performing work, she directs and produces audiobooks of authors including Stephen King and
Anne Rice for Random House and Viking Penguin.
Anthony Brown
A seminal figure in the development of Asian American jazz, Anthony Brown is a
percussionist, composer, and ethnomusicologist. He has received numerous commissions and
his work has been featured in films, dance pieces, and theatrical works. Dr. Brown has
performed, recorded, and published extensively. He served as curator of American musical
culture and director of the Jazz Oral History Program at the Smithsonian Institution from
1992 to1996. Dr. Brown holds a master of music degree in jazz performance as well as an
M.A. and a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from UC Berkeley. His other research interests include
the classical and folk music of Japan, India, and Indonesia, and the interculturation of
African and Native American music. Dr. Brown has been the recipient of grants and awards
from the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Lila Wallace—Reader’s
Digest Fund, Meet the Composer, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Asian Heritage
Council, and the MacDowell Colony, among others. Among the artists with whom he has
collaborated are Max Roach, Cecil Taylor, Zakir Hussain, Anthony Davis, and the San
Francisco Symphony.
Shi-Zheng Chen
(APPEX I) Born in Hunan, Mr. Chen is a singer, actor, choreographer and director, who
worked as a leading traditional opera actor performing throughout China. Since moving to
the United States in 1987, he has appeared as a principal in Meredith Monk’s
‘Atlas’ and ‘American Archaeology--Roosevelt Island’. A featured
vocalist of the Tan Dun ritual opera ‘Nine Songs,’ he recently performed for the
Munich Opera’s world premiere of ‘Marco Polo’ and has been a featured solo
vocalist at Lincoln Center and major festivals throughout the world. As a choreographer,
Mr Chen worked with the New York City Opera’s ‘Turandot’ (1991-96) and Ping
Chong’s ‘Chinoiserie’ for BAM. And his directing credits include: A
‘Small Delegation’ for the China Youth Art Theater, ‘Kindness’ at the
Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, and the ‘Bacchae’ with the China
National Beijing Opera Company. Mr. Chen is currently teaching performance acting at New
York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Maria Cheng
A choreographer, dancer, playwright, actress, and master teacher, Maria Cheng, was born in
China. Ms. Cheng is director of dance at the University of Minnesota. She has been awarded
four National Endowment for the Arts choreographer's fellowships, as well as grants from
the Rockefeller, Jerome, Harkness, and McKnight foundations. Ms. Cheng was featured in
Robert Wilson’s The Knee Plays, and has toured internationally with her
critically acclaimed solo concerts, Antecedents and Awsommn! She has
received dance commissions from Dance Theater Workshop, Jacob’s Pillow, and the
Walker Arts Center and has had original plays commissioned by Red Eye, Mixed Blood, and
Theatre Mu. At the Guthrie Theater, she has choreographed theatrical productions directed
by Liviu Ciulei, Michael Kahn, and Stan Wodjewoski. Ms. Cheng also serves on several
panels and participates in numerous festivals, including Jacob's Pillow, the Indonesian
Dance Festival, and the Internationales Tanzfestival Nordrhein-Westfalen.
Paul Dresher
(APPEX I) A composer and musician who is noted for his ability to integrate diverse
musical influences into his own personal style, Mr. Dresher works on many forms of musical
expressions including opera, musical theater, chamber and orchestral formats. He is highly
regarded for his live instrumental and electro-acoustic chamber music performances,
touring both nationally and internationally. Writing scores for theater, dance and film
and a frequent collaborator with modern dancers, performance and visual artists such as
Margaret Jenkins and Rinde Eckert, he has also pursued his lifelong interest in the music
of many cultures which has led to the study of Hindustani music with Nikhil Banerjee and
Ghanaian drumming with C.K. and Kobla Ladzekpo amongst others. nterculturation of African
and Native American music.
Kenny Endo
A composer, taiko performing artist, percussionist, and the artistic director of the
Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble, Mr. Endo hails from Los Angeles. He has numerous recordings and
film/television appearance to his credit. Although his early training was in western drums
and percussion for performance with jazz, fusion, and classical musicians, Mr. Endo later
discovered his roots through the Japanese taiko, and has studied and performed extensively
in Japan with several taiko masters in various styles of drumming. He is the first person
not a citizen of Japan to have to been given the honor of a receiving a stage name in
Hogaku Hayashi (Japanese classical drumming). Mr. Endo has toured extensively throughout
the U.S., Europe, and Asia, Africa, and Australia and has undertaken collaborations with a
broad range of artists, including actors, dancers, and video artists, and several
collaborations with performance flower arrangers.
Angelia Leung
A choreographer and dancer who is a founding member of Chopsticks &
Sneakers, a collective of Asian and Asian American choreographers, Angelia
Leung has also earned a B.A. in psychology, a B.S. in education, and an
M.A. in dance. She is currently an associate professor in the Department
of World Arts and Cultures, for which, beginning in the fall of 1997,
she will serve as vice chair. Born in China, Ms. Leung has taught internationally
and has presented her works throughout the United States and in Canada,
Mexico, Taiwan, Scotland, and Finland. Her particular fields of interest
include improvisation, choreography, movement analysis, fundamentals and
technique, dance education, and production management.
Liu Qi-Chao
Trained in both traditional Chinese and Western music at the Shanghai Conservatory, Liu
Qi-Chao is a composer, performer, scholar, teacher, and a founding member of the Pacific
Zheng Ensemble and of Chi Music. Mr. Liu has served as resident composer for the renowned
Beijing Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble, and is best known for his composition of the
score for the theatrical adaptation of The Woman Warrior. He is currently working
on a collaborative piece for a production titled Traditions in Transformation,
commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation. A virtuoso performer, he has performed with
the Kronos Quartet, Jon Jang, and Anthony Brown, at venues including the Scotland Early
Music Festival, the Royal Albert Hall, and at the Chicago Jazz Festival. In addition, Mr.
Liu has authored several books on Chinese music and lectured extensively throughout the
U.S.
Victoria Marks
(APPEX I) A choreographer and educator, whose works have been performed throughout the
USA and Europe, she is currently Assistant Professor of Choreography in the UCLA World
Arts and Cultures Department. Prior to Los Angeles, she lived in the U.K., where for over
three years she worked as an independent choreographer and as director for the
choreography program at the London Contemporary Dance School. Whether creating dance for
the stage or for film, in community settings or for professionals, Ms. Marks is a
"portrait artist" who develops the unique character of the individuals or groups
she works. A recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and other state
and private foundations, she received a Fulbright Fellowship in choreography, and numerous
awards for her dance films, which have aired on the BBC in the U.K. and throughout Europe.
Treva Offutt
(APPEX I) Originally from Cleveland, Ms. Offutt
is a dancer, singer, actress and visual artist who for the past five years
has been a member of Urban Bush Women touring extensively internationally.
She has a B.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design in illustration and
animation, and has taught mask-making, mural and performance workshops
around the country. Community arts interaction has led her to begin developing
a workshop based on visual, vocal and movement techniques. Currently she
performs and does vocal arranging for the group Ancient Vibrations, which
brings together musicians, singers and dancers who perform sacred and
traditional songs from Jamaica. Her travels have allowed her to study
vocal, theater and dance techniques with professionals from many cultures.
Snezana Petrovic
Prior to emigrating from Yugoslavia, Snezana Petrovic worked for over fifteen years as
a highly acclaimed set and costume designer in theater, film and video. Today, she is a
video artist and designer, performance artist, costume and set designer, and scenographer.
Several of her video art works have been exhibited and she also pursues her interests and
skills in making props and puppets, painting, and video production and editing. Having
received a B.A. from the Academy of Fine Arts from Belgrade University, and an M.F.A. from
UC Irvine, Ms. Petrovic has taught costume and set design at California State University,
Los Angeles.
Paulina Sahagún Macias
A theater artist, director, dancer and educator who has performed on both sides of the
Mexico/U.S. border, Ms. Sahagún received a B.A. in the Department of World Arts and
Cultures. She has developed educational programs for at-risk youth at the Mark Taper Forum
and the Los Angeles Theater Center. Ms. Sahagún’s theatrical career encompasses the
independent Mexican and Chicano Theater movements, including working and performing with
Luis Valdez and El Teatro Campesino, and at the Guadeloupe Cultural Arts Center in San
Antonio, Texas. She is a graduate of the Dell’Arte School of Physical Theater and has
studied with the Commedia Dell’Arte master Carlo Mazzone Clemente. Ms.
Sahagún’s has toured nationally with Nahuatl - Now What?, a "high-tech
Aztec self-help extravaganza solo performance piece."
Minh Tran
A native of Vietnam, Minh Tran is now a Seattle-based dancer and choreographer. Having
been trained in Vietnam at the prestigious School of Performing Arts in Ho Chi Minh City,
Mr. Tran achieved prominence in Oregon’s contemporary dance community as a member of
The Company We Keep, a professional dance company in residence at Portland State
University. He holds a B.S. in business administration, and is currently an M.F.A.
candidate in dance at the University of Washington, where he is also a member of the
Chamber Dance Company. Mr. Tran has extensive dance and choreographic credits, and was the
recipient of Regional Arts & Culture Council grants in 1990, 199, and 1995, and of the
1993 Individual Artists fellowship Award from the Oregon Arts Commission.
Amy Trompetter
(APPEX I) As a director and scenographer, Ms. Trompetter specializes in visual theater
for outdoor festivals, orchestras, and puppet operas. Thus, her eighteen years as
performer, designer and director for the renowned Bread and Puppet Theater. A visual
creator, she has been described as ‘a director who constructs actors and designs
stage visions’. Having conducted workshops in Italy, France, Nicaragua, Mexico, Japan
and Botswana, she brings her experience to the World Theater Program at Barnard College as
a faculty member. Past academic positions include Associate Professor of Theater Design at
Bates College and director of the Antioch College Theater. A world theater program which
she instituted included Asian theater residencies and she also tours her works
internationally. Most recently, she designed and directed a giant puppet opera for the
Orchestra of St. Luke’s Children’s Free Opera and Dance Series as well as having
designed costumes and sets for the 1996 Edinburgh Festival.
Valeria Vasilevski
A New York-based writer and director of performance works that combine visual,
textual, and musical elements, Valeria Vasilevski has studied folk performances at village
festivals in Japan, and has undertaken extensive research on performance in Asia and
Africa. Ms. Vasilevski has received numerous awards in recognition of her work, including
a Fulbright to study with Grotowski in Poland. Her piece on intercultural explorations, Song
of Lawino, was an Ugandan epic adapted as an all-women musical theater piece, and Fire
Works featured a classical Chinese music ensemble playing American country music. Ms.
Vasilsevski directed The Watchtower at Dance Theater Workshop, Insekta with
Diamanda Galas at Lincoln Center, and The True Last Words of Dutch Schultz, which
will premiere in the Netherlands this fall.
Nami Yamamoto
A dancer and choreographer based in New York,
Nami Yamamoto has had her work presented at The Kitchen, St. Mark's Church,
and the Merce Cunningham Studio. Born in Japan, Ms. Yamamoto received
a B.A. in physical education from Ehime University, and an M.A. in dance
and dance education from New York University. She has performed with various
choreographers such as David Dorfman, Sara Pearson & Patrick Widrig,
and Victoria Marks.
