About Luna Dance Institute

Luna Dance Institute, established in 1992, aims to bring creativity, equity and community to every child’s life through the art of dance. Luna uses active inquiry to deepen the learning experience of children and adults, improve teaching practice and build high quality arts programs. As we bring all children to dance, we develop future leaders, choreographers and visionaries.

Each year, Luna brings dance to approximately 20,000 children and 300 or more artists, teachers, and social service providers.  In 20 years we have grown from a local children’s dance program to a nationally recognized dance education organization, providing services to children and the adults who impact their lives – parents, teachers, social service providers, dancers, and artists. Dance educators from across the country and abroad have attended our professional development workshops. Teachers have witnessed the power of dance to heal individuals, families, and communities. Those that know how children can be transformed through dance have come to us seeking support as they develop their dance education programs.

Luna’s Professional Learning Department and Model Programs work in tandem, placing theory and practice in an infinite loop of possibility for bringing all children to dance.

Values

At Luna we value the endless possibilities revealed when CREATING through dance. Dance requires us to be present and open in the moment, accessing freedom in new and unpredictable ways. Dance is embodied knowledge made visible, aesthetically crafted to communicate through movement. At Luna we value children for who they are today and for their potential to CHANGE and shape our world. We strive for integrity as we serve our COMMUNITY by increasing access to dance for all children and providing support and solidarity to those who teach them.

Staff

We believe that there is greater power in a group of people dedicated to a vision so we hire teachers who have a passion for creativity and wish to do service through the art of dance.

The staff at Luna Dance Institute is committed to the values of the organization in their entirety and seeks to create a team dedicated to critical thinking. Each holds kinesthetic and cognitive intelligence about dance, about people and about the choreographic process. They are committed to the idea of dancer as leader with something important to say with and through their art form.

Luna Dance Institute hires dance teaching artists as full-time, salaried employees with benefits. This represents one of our core objectives: shifting the perception of dance education and professionalizing the field. From time-to-time, we hire guest faculty for their expertise in a particular area.

Patricia Reedy
Director of Teaching & Learning
510.883.1118
preedy@lunadanceinstitute.org
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Nancy Ng
Director of Community Engagement
510.883.1118
nng@lunadanceinstitute.org
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Alisa Rasera
Professional Learning Manager
510.883.1118
arasera@lunadanceinstitute.org
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Jochelle Perena
Teaching Artist, Studio Manager
510.883.1118
jperena@lunadanceinstitute.org
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Erin Lally
Family Services Manager
510.883.1118
elally@lunadanceinstitute.org
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Ashlie Kirby
Teaching Artist, Program Assistant
510.883.1118
akirby@lunadanceinstitute.org
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Leila Anglin
Executive Assistant
510.883.1118
langlin@lunadanceinstitute.org
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Cherie Hill
Teaching Artist, Program Assistant
510.883.1118
chill@lunadanceinstitute.org
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Affiliations

Luna Dance Institute maintains active affiliations with the following community-based, leadership organizations:

Groups and Steering Committees
Alameda County Office of Education Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership (founding member)
Berkeley Cultural Trust
Berkeley Arts Education Steering Committee
California Dance Education Association (board members)
Dance and the Child International (daCi)
Dancers’ Group, San Francisco
National Dance Education Organization (NDEO)
National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts
Teaching Artists Support Collaborative

Program Partners (click here for funding partners)
Asian Women’s Shelter (AWS)
Cesar Chavez Library (Oakland)
DeColores Child Development Center (Oakland)
Eastmont Library (Oakland)
Grass Valley Elementary (OUSD K-5)
Marin City-Sausalito Parent Center
New Highland Academy (OUSD K-5)
Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)
Oakland Early Headstart
Project Pride (Oakland)
Solid Foundation (Oakland)
Westlake Middle School (OUSD)
West Oakland Public Library

Board Officers

Janice Weingrod
President, Business Owner
Berkeley, CA
Chantal Sampogna
Secretary, Administrative Law Judge
Oakland, CA
Nancy Geimer
Treasurer, Vice-President, Wells Fargo Bank
Oakland, CA
Board Members

Mimi Wolff
MSW Research Analyst and Consultant
Richmond, CA
Patricia Reedy
Co-director, Luna Dance Institute
Berkeley, CA
Lauren Forbus
(Youth Seat) Outreach Worker, Larkin Street Youth Center
San Francisco, CA
Gail Wallace
Attorney and Teacher
Oakland, CA
Nancy Ng
Co-director, Luna Dance Institute
San Anselmo, CA
Dr. Gail Ward
(retired) Director UC Berkeley Child Development
Hayward, CA
Advisory Board

Lyda Beardsley
ECE Specialist
San Rafael, CA
Elena Ronquillo
Arts Education Consultant & Realtor
Oakland, CA
Loren Bucek
Dance Educator
Columbus, OH
Dr. Albirda Rose
Dept. Chair San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA
Dr. Mary-Claire Heffron
Infant Mental Health Specialist
Berkeley, CA
Dr. Edward Warburton
Dance Educator & Dept. Chair UC Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
Therese Watkins McMillan
Director, US Dept of Transportation
Washington, DC
June Watanabe
Choreographer
San Rafael, CA
Julie Regalado
Arts Education Specialist
Sydney, Australia
Beckie Masaki
Associate Director API Institute on Domestic Violence
San Francisco, CA
Wayne Hazzard
Executive Director, Dancers’ Group
San Francisco, CA
Tom DeCaigney
Arts Education Consult & Advocate
San Francisco, CA
Susan McGreevy-Nichols
Executive Director
National Dance Education Organization
Washington DC
Thao Pham
Vice President Community, Clif Bar Family Foundation
Emeryville, CA
Jane Bowyer
Professor Emeritus, Mills College Education Dept.
Oakland, CA

FUNDERS
(for a current, comprehensive list of 2012-13 individual and foundation funders, see funders page)


 

Luna Dance Institute is located in Berkeley, California.  For transportation information click here.