Susan Collard
DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER, ASHEVILLE CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATRE
Susan has been dancing all her life. She grew up studying Classical Ballet and was introduced to Modern Dance at the age of 20 through a graduate student at Temple University in Philadelphia. She transitioned into Modern Dance after many seasons of study at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC and The Colorado Dance Festival in Boulder, CO.
She’s traveled extensively, deriving her choreographic inspiration from diverse cultural experiences. And has toured with her company Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre to Cuba, France, Mexico, Canada and Colombia — creating international exchanges, with dance artists from these countries, along the way.
Recognized for her choreography inspired by female artists and international collaborations, Susan has also choreographed for film and theatre. She is currently working with international artists on a new collaborative venture White Dog Dance Project International.
Susan is the Founder and Director of the New Studio of Dance, and the creator of the Asheville Fringe Festival and 48 Hours Dance Project, as well as Asheville’s first black box theatre The BeBe.
Giles Collard
CO-DIRECTOR, ASHEVILLE CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATRE
Giles is the Co-Director of Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre. He’s lived abroad in France and Israel, and has performed internationally. Giles currently teaches Modern and Boy’s Dance at The New Studio of Dance in Asheville. In addition to dance, Giles is a fencer and instructs students in Foil and Saber Technique. He has performed with ACDT since 1986 and most recently premiered his work at the Asheville Fringe Festival and Men Dancing IV.
Dancers
Addie Cleveland
Addie grew up in Yellowstone National Park and has been dancing for most of her life. She studied and performed with members of the Yellowstone Ballet Company until the age of twelve, when her family moved east to Vermont. She attended Middlebury College in Vermont and graduated in 2014 with a Bachelors Degree, majoring in dance. During her time at Middlebury, she studied with Andrea Olsen, Penny Campbell, Tiffany Rhynard, Catherine Cabeen, and Christal Brown. Addie dove into Performance Improvisation at Middlebury and has continued to explore improvisational techniques ever since. She attended the Seattle Festival of Improvisational Dance in 2014 and the Movement Intensive in Compositional Improvisation in 2017. In 2018, she started taking classes at ACDT and facilitating improvisation workshops. She is thrilled and honored to dive back into contemporary dance with ACDT this year.
Sharon Cooper
Sharon Cooper began dancing at the age of five at Art-Is-House in Winston-Salem, NC. She later trained at UNC School of the Arts, starting in the afterschool program and then the Modern Dance high school program. In 2000, she graduated with honors from UNC-Charlotte with a BA in Dance and Communication Studies. Sharon has danced and choreographed with ACDT from 2000-2005 and again in 2010-present, performing in the US, Mexico and Cuba. She is also a co-founder and member of Accidentals Asheville, an improvisation based movement company. Sharon is excited for future work with ACDT.
Sara Derting
Sara Derting grew up in Alaska dancing with Alaska Dance Theatre. When Sara was in high school, she performed and traveled with the company. After high school Sara went on to graduate from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a BFA in Contemporary Dance. In 2011 Sara danced in Charlotte, NC with Kinetic Works. In the summer of 2012 Sara joined Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre where she has been performing, choreographing and instructing. In 2015 Sara became a co-founder and member of the Accidentals, an improvisational dance company in Asheville. Sara is looking forward to what ACDT will be doing next.
Melissa Wilhoit
Melissa Wilhoit began her dance training at Arlington Center for Dance at the age of five and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from George Mason University. Melissa studied Teaching Methodology under Risa Steinberg in New York City, and completed the Professional Studies Program with the José Limón Dance Company additionally interning with the company and performing Limón, Sokolow, and Weidman repertory. Highlights of Melissa’s career include dancing with Crossroads Dance Project in Washington, D.C. as well as for Diane Yates Biggs and Deborah Jinza Thayer and with and Buglisi Dance Theatre for the ‘Table of Silence’ project in NYC. Melissa’s choreography has been performed by Crossroads Dance Project, Horizons Dance Company, Breath of Heaven Gospel Theatre, and Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre, and has been presented in NYC at Soundance, the International Young Choreographer’s Showcase, the Puffin Room, the José Limón Institute, the Whitney Altria, Chelsea Piers, the Time Life Hispanic Heritage Celebration, Arts in Bushwick, Secret Project Robot, Chez Bushwick, and Grace Exhibition Space and in Asheville on the Hendersonville Ballet and at the BeBe Theatre.