About Us...
DragonFly Dance Experiment is a dance company that seeks to combine modern dance, aerial dance and multimedia. Striving to merge these three art forms seamlessly, co-artistic directors Megan Morse Jans and Danica Kalemdaroglu work tirelessly to push the limits of conventional choreography. Very theatrical and visual in their approach, Kalemdaroglu and Jans bring a sense of excitement and power to their choreography.
Website photos are copyrighted to Andrea E. Janda, Enoch Chan and John Radway and cannot be used without the express permission of DragonFly Dance Experiment.
The Creative Team
Megan Morse Jans, co-artistic director.
Megan Morse Jans graduated in 2002 from Kent State University with her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography, under the expert tutelage of Andrea Shearer, Kimberly Karpanty, Tommy Parlon, and Dr. Darwin Prioleau. During her stay at Kent, she was fortunate to be able to participate in guest artist residencies by Karen Love, Chung-Fu Chang, Peter Kyle, the Dance Alloy of Pittsburgh, and Bridgman/Packar. Since graduation, Megan has been seen with Ground Zero Dance Company from Richmond, Va., Tommy Parlon Dance Projects, Air Dance Bernasconi, and spent three seasons with award winning BosmaDance. Her own choreography has been seen at the Jack Guidone Theater in Washington DC as well as Triskelion Arts in New York City. Currently on Faculty at Anne Arundel Community College, she teaches Introduction to Dance; a class that combines dance history with movement. Megan is also proud to have served as a dance expert on the Maryland State Arts Council Grant Panel for 2006 and 2007 and would like to thank her amazing family and friends for their support, enthusiasm and overall wonderfulness.
Danica Kalemdaroglu, co-artistic director.
Danica Kalemdaroglu is a born mover originally from Norfolk, Virginia. Dance has taken her to Maryland to complete a BA in Performance and Choreography from Goucher College and an MFA in Performance and Choreography from the University of Colorado at Boulder. While in Colorado, Danica completed the teacher-training program at the Pilates Center, Boulder to become a fully certified Pilates instructor. Danica has worked with numerous esteemed choreographers such as Kevin Wynn, Bebe Miller, Gabe Mason, Kathleen Hermsdorf and Tere O’Conor. Danica has performed locally with Bosma Dance and is co-founder of Collective Dance NY. Currently, Danica is living, performing and teaching Pilates in Richmond, Va.
Jessica Burgess, artistic associate.
Jessica Burgess, a James Madison University graduate, is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher living in Richmond, VA. Burgess began her dance career at a very young age under the instruction of Meredith Bravely with the Meredith Gravely School of Dance in Danville,VA. She graduated Cum Laude from James Madison University in May of 2007 with two Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Dance and English. While at JMU, Burgess was a member of the Virginia Repertory Dance Company and the Contemporary Dance Ensemble. Burgess enjoyed the responsibilities of being President of Dance/Theater during the 2005-2006 school year, and in her fifth year at JMU she was co-director of the Associate Dance Ensemble - JMU's freshman performing company. She was also an instructor at Dance & Company in downtown Harrisonburg. Burgess has trained extensively with numerous professionals in the dance community, including a summer abroad at the JMU London Contemporary Theater and Dance Intensive during the summer of 2006 and the White Mountain Summer Dance Festival in the summer of 2005. After graduation, Burgess moved to Richmond VA and is excited to be beginning her third season with Z Mullins Dance Company as well as working as the Marketing and PR Assistant with Richmond Ballet. She Recently joined Rapture Dance Experience under Artistic Direction of Willie Hinton, formerly of the Philadelphia based contemporary company, Philadanco. Burgess enjoyed teaching for the Little People's Creative Workshop during the 2007-2008 year, a non-profit dedicated to children education through dance and art. She recently launched her own solo project, jessburgessdance, and is touring in NYC, Washington DC and Virginia during the 2008-2009 season. She continues to grow and evolve as a dancer, choreographer and person and is thrilled about the journey ahead.
www.jessburgessdance.com