Illinois Ballet Artistic Staff

*The Artistic Staff*
*Meet the Dancers*

	*Mary Price Boday,* *Illinois Ballet Artistic Director* *and* *Founder* . Mary Price Boday is taking a one year sabbactical, and Monnette Bariel is the Acting Artistic Director for the 2005-2006 Season. Mary danced professionally both with the Zurich Ballet and the St. Gallen Stadt Theatre Ballet of Switzerland. In New York City, she danced professionally with the Leonard Fowler Ballet
Company, and in the modern companies Pearl Lang Dance Company, Mary Anthony Dance Theatre, Larry Richardson Dance Company, and the Gaku Dance Company (Richard Gain, Richard Kuch and Sophie Maslow). Mary, an Oklahoma native and part Cherokee Indian, holds two BFA's and a MFA in Dance from the University of Oklahoma, graduating on the Dean's List. Mary's extensive teaching and choreography experience over the last 30 years includes teaching and choreographing at Harkness Ballet and the Mary Anthony Dance School, both of New York City, the Zurich Ballet, the University of Illinois, Cornish College of Seattle, Jefferson High School of the Performing Arts in Portland, Oregon, the National Academy of the Arts in Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, and many David Howard Summer Intensives. She was the Dance Director of the Dance Department of Mercyhurst College, and ballet mistress for the St. Gallen Stadt Theatre Ballet Company of Switzerland. Mary is also Director of the Central Illinois Dance School. Back to top.
	*Richard Weil, Technical Director and Production Manager* Richard is a Washington State native. He was Stage Manager and Technical Director of the First Chamber Dance Company of New York City for seven years. He has worked in various technical and design capacities for the Julliard School of Music at Lincoln Center, a Contemporary Theatre of Seattle, Trails West in
Walla Walla, Washington, and Tulsa Ballet Theater. Richard has been stagecraft instructor at Bellevue Community College. Directly before coming to Peoria, he was resident Lighting Designer and Technical Director at Mercyhurst College and Lake Erie Ballet. Mr. Weil has been Lighting and Technical Director for many other productions with Mary Price Boday and dance companies; Mary and Friends, Dance Works Dance Concerts, Morca/DeLuis Spanish Dance Company, Fiddle Tunes and Festival of American Jazz, Floating Theater Company, Seahurst Ballet, Northwest Ballet Theatre, the Seattle Auto Show Main Display, and the Peoria Ballet. Currently he is also Technical Director for Opera Illinois. Back to top.
	*David Howard, Artistic Advisor* */ Pedagogical Advisor* David Howard is the acclaimed teacher of the “stars”. Indeed, he is famous for coaching such luminaries as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gelsey Kirkland, Cynthia Harvey, Rudolph Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, Patrick Swayze, and Mary Tyler Moore. David’s wizardry in the classroom is founded on a scientific approach to movement involving kinetics and anatomical principles. His teaching techniques
are as revealing and applicable to the teaching of emerging young dancers and adult beginners as to established professionals. David Howard approaches the acquisition o f ballet technique through dynamics of movement, musicality, and energy patterns. His kinesthetic approach eliminates much of the tension, and resulting injury, associated with technique as it is traditionally taught. In May, 1998, Oklahoma City University awarded David Howard with an honorary Doctorate Degree in Dance in honor of his continual work using these kinesthetic approaches to all forms of dance. For ten plus years, David Howard has been teaching teacher workshops all over the world-Erie, PA, Tulsa, OK, Seattle, WA, NYC, Jackson, MS for the International Ballet Competition, Western Michigan University, Switzerland, Denmark, Japan, Venezuela and the list goes on. 1966 David Howard was invited to New York, from England, by the Rebekah Harkness Foundation to teach, then direct the Harkness School. He was trained at the Cone Ripman (now, Arts Educational) School and the Royal Academy of Dancing, winning the prestigious Adeline Genee Award at age 16 he performed at the London Palladium. He was honored by appearing in a Royal Command Performance before Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Mr. Howard was a soloist with the Royal Ballet for seven years before joining the National Ballet of Canada. Mr. Howard was President of the National Association for Regional Ballet from 1976-1979. He has coached the world’s foremost dancers including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gelsey Kirkland, Cynthia Harvey, Rudolph Nureyev, and Natalia Makarova to mention a few, and has been guest teacher for the Royal Ballet, ABT, Joffrey Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and National Ballet of Canada. Mr. Howard is well-known for his work with International Ballet Competitions, adjudicating the 1979 Jackson competition, and coaching Gold Medal winners Katherine Healy (Varna 1983) and Jennifer Gelfand (Jackson 1986). The David Howard Dance Center was opened in New York City in 1986. Committed to teacher education, Mr. Howard has created several instructional recordings and videos. He has hosted teacher training programs in New York, Florida, Texas, Stuggart Germany, and Zurich Switzerland. David also teaches and coaches dance companies here and abroad. Back to top.
Meet the Dancers of the Illinois Ballet