Arts Directory

About

Artist Bio

Angela M Gallo is Dean of the McCall School of Visual and Performing Arts and Professor of Dance at Coker University. She is also the Artistic Director of Sapphire Moon Dance Company. Angela, with her company, has performed at White Wave Dance Festival, the Dancenow Downtown Festival, Dance Theatre Workshop, Williamsburg Arts Nexus (WAX), Atrium Theatre and others in NYC, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and in Canada at the Fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists (fFIDA) and in Southeast at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Alabama Dance Festival, Charlotte Dance Festival, Dimensions Dance Festival, Sumter Opera House, and CMFA Artspace. She has performed in the works of Jose Limon, Doug Varone, Dan Wagoner and Christian Von Howard. She has danced with AmDAT: Dance Art Technology (NY), Eisenhower Dance Ensemble (MI), the Power Company (SC) and worked on smaller projects with Ballet Preljocaj (France) and Anou Skan (France). She has also been a guest choreographer for Dance Now! Miami, Columbia City Ballet, Columbia Repertory Dance Company, Columbia Classical Ballet, Vibrations Dance Company, the Power Company, Converse College and others.

Angela is often a sought-after guest artist in both the k-12 schools and higher education. She is an instructor in the Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive in Miami, and has taught at Peridance Center, New York Dance Center, the Hartford Ballet School, Greater Hartford Academy for the Arts, the University of Michigan and Southeastern School of Ballet.

Angela’s dance for film work has been shown in the Optica Film Festival (Bolivia, Spain and France), Braga International Film Festival (Portugal) and IMARP- Mostra Internacional de Danca- Imagens em Movimento-Video Danca, Brazil.

Angela has been awarded the South Carolina Dance Association’s Advocacy Award and Honor Award. She has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, South Carolina Arts Commission, Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties, South Arts, the Kyle Foundation and Black Creek Arts Council.

Angela received an MFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Michigan and a BFA in Theatre and Dance from Central Connecticut State University. Angela is also a Pilates instructor certified through the Pilates Method Alliance; trained at the Kane School of Core Integration in NYC and the Core Grace Studios in Ann Arbor, MI.

Artist Statement

I dance to feel my body pushed to physical limits, to sweat, to feel the adrenaline in performance, to feel the air moving around my body; to feel alive.

I want to understand the depths of being human, the impact of various events over peoples’ emotions, the nature of human mind. Dance exposes the personal, in both its sensuality and its triviality. Dance is about human movement. I want to see the emotion in the dance.

My choreography focuses on human relationships — on successes, failures, and strength – on falling, getting up, and persistence. Everyone gets beaten down at some point. How do you pick your self back up? How do you find the courage and the strength to go on?

I believe it is to this depth that artists and art must go to. We need to explore deep into ourselves to examine what lies abandoned in the darkness.

The choreography is about the relationships- the relationship between dancers, the relationship between the movements, the relationship between the audience and the dancers, the dancer and the space, the dancer and gravity.

I am influenced by the classical modern dance of Humphrey and Limon, also by release technique and the dynamic, grounded athleticism that takes place in different planes of balance. There are moments of strong powerful jumps and complicated lifts, juxtaposed with a graceful, eloquent turn. The choreography combines movement with other arts by merging text, music, props, video and other media or installations in to the dance. A sculpture or a painting can be the influence for a work. A gesture can be abstracted and then expanded upon. Historical events and the stories of the people that they impacted can be the impetus for a character in a piece.

Art is always about more than the artist is or can speak of.

Teaching Artistry Details

Teaching Artist Statement

As an educator, I strive to share my passion for dance with others.

My teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that dance is a powerful tool for personal growth, self-expression, and understanding. I aim to create a supportive and inspiring learning environment where students can explore their own artistic potential.

Dance training specifically, is a wonderful resource for developing discipline and independent thinking. The focus and discipline that is required in technique class is very valuable for this generation that is used to changing their focus whenever it suits them. As a professor and a mentor, we should be providing training that comes from a sound anatomical background; incorporating principles from such modalities as Pilates, Yoga, Bartenieff Fundamentals, etc.

Dance choreography/improvisation are excellent foundations for creative problem solving. Dance encourages collaborative efforts and interpersonal skills. It teaches students to see beyond their physical differences and to appreciate the diversity of culture or ethnic background, body type, movement style and life style. Composition class should provide the student with the traditional elements of choreography by challenging their movement invention, promoting interesting use of time and space. Beyond this, it should most importantly, encourage the student to move past the structure to find what best expresses their individual choreographic voice.

Dance history, theory and criticism are all concepts that should be discussed across the dance curriculum. The culture and socio-political climate in which a dance was created is reflected in the movement of that time. Students need to understand the culture, politics, and ideologies of a given place and time period in order to embody the qualities of its movement, to more deeply understand its value and aesthetic importance.

Success in a residency can and should be measured in more than one way. Using rubrics and the VPA standards are a very concrete way to gauge the student improvement over the course of the residency. Anecdotal experiences from the students, the instructors and any other stakeholders are also a valuable resource in determining what the most impactful portions of the residency are. It is also important for the student learners to reflect on their journey through the residency- are they even considering what aspects of the work has resonated with them? They need to document it, even if its only for themselves so that they recognize the change power that exists in the arts.

Description of Offerings

Angela Gallo is available to teach workshops, masterclasses in residencies in various dance techniques including (Jose Limon based) Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, etc. She can also lead master classes and workshops in choreography and/or improvisation to help students develop their own creative voice and work. Additionally, as a Certified Pilates Instructor, she can offer Pilates/Yoga based strength training for dancers. Angela is also available to create new works or re-stage works on students for performance.

Experienced with the following age groups

• 3rd-5th Grade
• 6th-8th Grade
• 9th-12th Grade
• Higher Education
• Adults
• Creative Aging (Adults 60+)

Materials Provided to Schools or Organizations by Teaching Artist

• Copies of notes if there is a historical nature to the workshop can be provided to instructors upon request. These can also be provided pre-visit if needed.
• Copies of lesson plans can also be provided upon request.

Physical and Technical Requirements of a School or Organization

• Sound system with adapter for iPhone or iPad.
• Video projection ability is helpful but not required.
• Dance floor that is safe- not concrete.