Michelle Ramos is a dancer and choreographer born in Chicago and raised in Mexico City. She studied ballet under the tutelage of Lourdes Trevino and soon after entered the National School of Classical and Contemporary Dance in Mexico City where she trained in classical ballet for seven years. Miss Ramos had an active performance life at venues such as the National Palace of Fine Arts, the Raul Flores Canelo Theatre and in television. She returned to the U.S, received a BFA in Contemporary Dance from the Boston Conservatory on a merit scholarship and an MFA in Performance and Choreography sponsored by NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has danced for Lucinda Childs, Lucie Holankova, Giada Ferrone, and Gemma Morado. Additional studies include: Mousonturm (Frankfurt, Germany); Dancing the Virtual (Independent studies with theorist Erin Manning from philosophical perspectives – Philadelphia); and The Lubovitch Company. Michelle has choreographed for film in locations throughout Prague and has been a visiting artist with the National Conservatory of Prague as well as the National Theatre Ballet (Czech Republic), with the CND Madrid under the direction of Nacho Duato and Gyor National Ballet of Hungary.

As a choreographer, Michelle has collaborated with filmmakers, designers, photographers, music composers, architects and engineers. Her work involves curious research and an overdose of imagination. She has been on faculty with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and a guest performer, educator and choreographer at various institutions/universities. She is also a certified yoga teacher through the Perri Institute for Mind and Body in New York City and a Dance for Parkinson’s teacher through the Mark Morris Dance Group. Her current research embodies sensation from philosophical, sociological, physical, and scientific/health-oriented perspectives.

Wednesday (March 16, 23): This contemporary class explores the use of the dance body as an instrument of movement, sensation, and repetition. It focuses on musicality, potential exploration, and structure with an imaginative approach. The movement is contemporary with classical elements and encourages alignment as well as awareness of breath use. Elements of diverse styles and traditions of classical, modern, and contemporary dance and inform in my classes. It is a natural combination of experience and studies coupled with constant research and intellectual inquiry.

All classes from 10-1130am at Live Oak Dance (8204 Oak St) in Riverbend. Michelle Ramos’s class is courtesy of Live Oak Dance and the drop-in rate at Live Oak is $10.