Karen Zissoff received her degree in dance from York U. in Toronto, Canada; she has her Teaching Certificate, Teaching Diploma & Life Membership with the international Royal Academy of Dance. Her training has been with several prominent teachers from Canada, Europe and the US. Ms. Zissoff has received several scholarships, such as a Banff School of Fine Arts, Canada Council Grant, Tenn. Arts Commission Dance Award and in 2009 the Judith Woodruff Professional Development Award. She has danced and set choreographic works with Memphis Classical Ballet, Tennessee Ballet, Project: Motion, and mounted a dance production for nine musicians and dancers in Memphis through the Tennessee Arts Commission Grant. Her choreography won in the ballet division from the Tenn. Assoc. of Dance 1997 Choreographic Award. Since 1991 Ms. Zissoff has be an annual guest teacher at the Ottawa Dance Centre-Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her teachings have been with Arts Memphis (formerly Greater Memphis Arts Council’s) Center for Arts In Education and the Memphis City Schools in all levels of elementary to high school dance programs, and the Governor’s School for the Arts. Her residencies involve collaborations in ballet, contemporary, and creative. Former students won scholarships at a state dance conference in 1999, Interlochen Arts Academy, Juilliard School of Arts/New York in 2002, Virginia Commonwealth University/Richmond in 2005, and Alvin Ailey School/New York in 2008 and 2011. Karen J. Zissoff was the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Dance Works from 1987-2011. In 2011 became CEO/Director of Dance Scholars, Inc. and Director of Dancers, Inc. Dance Scholars, Inc., and has received Tennessee Arts Commission grants for guest artists to do residencies at Dance Scholars, Inc. for classes/rehearsal/ choreography for pieces in performances. Through Dancers, Inc. students as well are examined internationally through the (RAD)Royal Academy of Dance examinations yearly with international examiners. In March 2016 Ms. Zissoff was written up in the Women of Distinction Magazine and all students passed their RAD examinations and were featured on Ch 24 TV news, where Ms. Zissoff was interview about their RAD results. Ms. Zissoff has been teaching for over 40 years of directing performances, choreographing and teaching.
Wayne M. Smith, a native of Memphis, TN and is a professor of dance plus choreographer and performer in dance and theatre arts. Smith has earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Dance (1995) from The Ohio State University Columbus, OH and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) in Theatre with Dance concentration [minor Mathematics](1991) from The University of Memphis. Mr. Smith produces workindependently under the auspices of his company SmithWorks. He also works with professional contemporary modern dance collective Project:Motion based in Memphis, TN. Smith has taught extensively at a number of reputable higher education institutions such as University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Oxford, MS, Emory University and Spelman College Atlanta, GA, Kent State Kent, OH, and Slippery Rock UniversitySlippery Rock, PA, and currently teaches adjunct at the University of Memphis. Wayne Smith's areas of expertise are in teaching contemporary dance techniques, jazz dance, and ballet basics, as well as dance improvisation. Wayne also teaches dance composition, theatre movement, dance history, dance education, and interdisciplinary studies in dance. Smith also regularly performs with Playback Memphis, an improvisational theatre company, as well as teaches and choreographs with Memphis’ Company d, a youth development organization for dancers with intellectual disabilities.
Sondra
Brooks Whitfield operated as an assistant teacher for seven years
under the direction of Karen Zissoff at Dance Works, Inc. Ms.
Brooks-Whitfield studied and performed with: Director/Karen Zissoff,
other guest artists and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Syllabus for
six years. She went through her RAD ballet examinations up to the Gr. 6
level. She holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Tennessee
State University and a M.Ed. from Cumberland University. She spent the
summers of 2003-2006 working at STAX Music Academy's SNAP Summer Camp as
their dance instructor. She is also the choreographer for the praise
dancers at Monumental Baptist Church, and over the dance ministry at
Abundant Faith World Ministries Christian Center. Ms. Brooks-Whitfield
has been a teacher in the Memphis City Schools for over 12 years, and is
currently a first grade teacher.
Takeisha
Washington has been under the Direction of Karen Zissoff/dancer
teacher since she was 9 yrs old, 8yrs. She has done her Grades in the
Royal Academy of Dance Examinations Children's Syllabus : Grade
3,4,5,6,7,8 then some levels done back to back with the pre-professional
exams: Intermediate Intermediate, Advanced Foundation, Advanced One Her
marks have been above average. Since her inception to dance with Ms.
Zissoff she has had scholarship assistance.
She auditioned for Alvin Ailey summer program in Phillipsburg, Florida
for the summer program in N.Y. in 2008 and made it, over 100 students
auditioned.
She had attended Ridgeway H.S. and the dance program at MTSU, Murfreesboro, TN. She has been on
scholarship to attend Ottawa Dance Centre Schools, a Canadian Dance
Program in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 2005 for a two week intensive
dance program. She was also nominated for a scholarship at the
Tennesseen Association of Dance in Knoxville, TN in the fall of 2008, a
state wide organization that does a conferences yearly. Takeisha
reauditioned for Alvin Ailey in the fall of 2011 and was accepted into
the Janurary 2012 program. She transferred her grades from MTSU to Fordum U. in NY and joined the Alvin Ailey program for two years.
Danielle
Currica
"As
long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to dance. At fifteen, Karen Zissoff
granted me that wish. Taking me as her student with no dance training,
she saw my potential, and crafted me into an intelligent dancer, aware
of my body, its mechanics, and a dance vocabulary rich in technique and
musicality through my training in the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus.
With only four years as Mrs. Zissoff’s student, I was awarded a
graduating scholarship into Virginia Commonwealth University’s dance
department. I am proud to say I graduated cum laude with a BFA in Dance
and Choreography in May of 2009.
Through my time at VCU, my appreciation of dance, the classroom, respect
for my teachers, the musicians, and art of dance itself where all honed
in my education with Mrs. Zissoff. Models of guest artists, the
rehearsal process, and teacher education, gave me an incredible start to
dance as a practitioner, teacher, or simply observer. I now live in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a professional free lance dancer, dancing
with Dance Theatrex, idiosyncrazy productions, The Peek A Boo Revue, and
FlyGround Dance Projects. I also work in an art advocacy and service
organization, Dance/USA Philadelphia as a program associate."
Danielle Currica
Daniel
Diller started
with Mrs. Zissoff during the summer intensive of 2010. During that
time he was introduced to modern classes as well as the RAD inter
foundation course syllabus. He continued training with Mrs. Zissoff
in the fall and developed both his modern and ballet skills under
her instruction. In early spring he auditioned for the Ohio State
University's undergraduate dance program and was quickly accepted.
He is now a freshman dance major at the Ohio State University
something he feels he owes to the training he received from Mrs. Z
especially in modern dance which is what the curriculum at OSU
focuses on. He plans to focus on performance and production at
school and upon graduating enter the dance world as a performer.
Julia
Gephart I am a Freshman at
Millikin University in Illinois studying music education. I studied
ballet for 9 years under Ms. Zissoff. who always provided a strict,
learning environment. Any student who continued under Ms. Zissoff
became devoted to the art of dance whether ballet, modern or jazz.
There was always variety and a chance to try new things. "If I
have made an appointment with you, I owe you punctuality, I would no
more throw your time away than my own." This virtue
was true in Ms. Zissoff's dance studio and has continued
to serve me well.
SHELLEY
RICHARDSON, College Professor, Author/Publisher, AMI Ed, studied with Karen Zissoff for 5 years
before entering Canada’s National Ballet School as a full time,
professional student on scholarship in 1975. Shelley credits her
early years of ballet instruction with Miss Zissoff/ Ms. Ziss, for
instilling an essential foundation of confidence, self discipline,
perseverance and arts appreciation which continues to inspire her
teaching practice today and fuel her success as a professional
writer. Shelley Richardson is the author of SOPHIE & The Magic of Dance, Nominee for the
Canadian Library Association’s Children’s Book of the Year.
As a tribute to Karen Zissoff’s positive influence in her life,
Shelley affectionately
named the character in the novel of the young
Sophie’s ballet teacher “Madame Ziss”. Shelley Richardson is also
the author of RIVER: WE ARE EVER THE
MASTERPIECE and KEEPERS & SEEKERS: The New Paradigm in Education. Through her publishing company EDDY PRESS, she
also writes “The
Eddy” - monthly
inspirational e-letters to a growing global audience of children,
parents and educators. Shelley recently had the honor of designing
the philosophy and curricula for the
