The founding artistic directors of City in Motion were Randy Barron, Kathleen Kingsley, Arielle Thomas Newman, Rick Hillis, and Jean Dickinson. These five choreographers dreamed of bringing together modern dancers from all over Kansas City, to provide a laboratory for professional modern dance in the Midwest region. The company’s first public performance was May 17, 1985, at Arts Fest ’85 in Crown Center Square, before an audience of over 400 enthusiastic dance fans.
Former artistic directors have included Harlan Brownlee, who was instrumental in bringing contact improvisation to Kansas City, and Ann-Marie Draeger, who taught Limon technique. Harlan Brownlee has made significant contributions in the area of arts education and currently works at Young Audiences of Kansas City. Both artists taught at the City in Motion school of dance and choreographed many new works for the company.
The City in Motion Dance Company currently comprises eight professional dancers, who demonstrate remarkable chemistry on stage. Under the artistic co-direction of Andrea Skowronek, Dale Fellin, and Stephanie Whittler, an environment is created that supports the evolution of original and unique dance pieces that appeal to an expanding audience base.
Artistic Co-Director/Dancer
Dale Fellin began his career in movement at the age of 14 while enrolled in gymnastics and trampoline classes. By the age of 19, he was coaching a womens competitive gymnastics team as well as judging gymnastics competitions. From the world of gymnastics, Dale ventured into dance and in 1991 he received his B.F.A. in Dance from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. While in college, he also studied with The Springfield Ballet as well as Springfield Little Theater, and performed in productions of The Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf, 42nd Street and A Chorus Line. After graduating, he moved to Chicago Illinois and studied briefly with Lou Contes Hubbard Street Dance Company, the Joel Hall Dancers and the Chi-Town Jazz Dancers. After leaving Chicago, Dale worked briefly as a dancer for The Jimmy Rogers Theater in Branson, Missouri in 1992 before moving to the well-known Shoji Tabuchi Theater where he spent the next seven years as Dance Director. In 2000, Dale moved to Nebraska and performed with Central Dance Theater of Omaha. In late 2003, he settled in Kansas City and in January of the following year joined City in Motion Dance Theater. He is currently one of CIMs artistic directors and has created several original pieces for the company including Wraith Race, Illuminata and Codex Gigas .
Andrea Skowronek received her B.F.A. in Dance from Stephens College, in Columbia, Missouri. A native of Seattle, Washington, she received her early dance training from the Cornish Institute. Andrea performed in Paris, France with Free Dance Song (Katherine Dunham technique) under the direction of Christine de Rougemont. She apprenticed with the Susan Warden Dancers in Kansas City, Kansas and has danced with City in Motion Dance Theater, in Kansas City, Missouri since it was founded in 1985. Andrea became an Artistic Co-Director of City in Motion in 1995 and has since choreographed over 20 new works for the company.
Andrea is currently on the faculty of the City in Motion School of Dance and St. Teresas Academy. She has been an adjunct faculty member at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance and St. Mary College in Leavenworth, Kansas.
In 2009, Andrea was an artist-in-residence at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. She has performed with the Susan Warden Dancers, aha ! dance theatre, Missouri Repertory Theatre, Missouri Chamber Orchestra, and the Soni Ventorium Wind Quintet. Andrea is also the Director of the City in Motion Childrens Dance Theater.
Andrea
Skowronek
Stephanie Whittler began dancing at the age of three in St. Louis, Missouri. Some of her dance education includes training through the Royal Academy of Dance, American Academy of Ballet, the Cecchetti Council of America, various master classes, and summers at Kansas City Ballet and Stephens College. In 1999, Stephanie moved to Kansas City when she received a scholarship to attend the Conservatory of Music and Dance at UMKC, earning a BFA with an emphasis in dance performance. She has performed with the Gateway Ballet of St. Louis, Kansas City Ballet, Minnesota Ballet, Lake Area Performing Arts Guild, Body Cartography Kansas City, Starlight Theater, Reach…A Movement Collective, and independent choreographer Tiffany Sisemore, to name a few. Stephanie is honored to have worked with so many wonderful choreographers and to have shared the stage with such amazing talents. Stephanie is an Artistic Co-Director of City in Motion Dance Theater and has been a company dancer for eight seasons. She is the ballet and modern dance instructor at Penn Valley Community College, Secretary on the City in Motion Board of Directors, teaches at the City in Motion School of Dance, and has been an organizer and instructor of the City in Motion Summer Dance Intensive for the past two years.
Stephanie
Whittler
Dancer
Katie Brennan, a native of Independence, began dancing at the age of 8 at Ballet Conservatory, and continued her studies at Kansas City Ballet. She was later introduced to modern dance by teachers Susan Rieger and David Ollington. While attending William Jewell College, Katie trained with Kim Shope and Tuesday Faust, and apprenticed with aha! Dance Theatre. After earning her Master of Social Work from Baylor University, Katie danced with 940 Dance Company in Lawrence, Kansas for three seasons. She currently works part-time as a therapist for older adults when not dancing. She has performed with several independent dance projects including Clairvoydanse, Group de Quatre, Trapdoor Slippers, and Angels and Demons at Play. Katie has also studied dance in Quito, Ecuador and performed at an international dance festival in Mexico. She is excited to be dancing with City in Motion!
Katie Brennan
Tuesday Faust is delighted to be a returning dancer with City in Motion Dance Theater. She has been a dancer and choreographer with several local companies including 940 Dance Co., Kacico, Quixotic, aha! Dance Theater, choreographer Jane Gotch as well as co-director of Trapdoor Slippers with Penelope Hearne. While in New York she performed with Tze Chun Dance Co. and Stone Dance Depot. In Amsterdam, NL she studied at SNDO and the Park Studio. She performed many works including Performance Hotel and Cobra. She received her degree in modern dance from T.C.U.
Amanda January received a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has danced with The 940 Dance Company in Lawrence, Kansas and Trapdoor Slippers and Warehouse Dance in Kansas City. She has been to summer intensive programs at the Alvin Ailey School and with Mark Morris. She trained at American Dance Center and Leigh's School of Dance in Kansas. Recently, Amanda choreographed "Meet Me in St. Louis" for Grandview High School. Amanda is also a dance instructor at Academy Dance in Grandview, MO as well as City in Motion. This is Amanda's second season with City in Motion Dance Theater. She would like to thank City in Motion, her family and friends for their continued support and a very special thank you to Michael!
Amanda January
Stephen began his dance training at the Heart of America Dance Center where he performed with the Heart of America Youth Ballet dance company. He has performed and guest starred in a wide variety of ballets including Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Coppellia. Stephen went on to study at the Culture House and was a full time apprentice with the Storling Dance theatre. As a co-founding member and Assistant Director for Kansas City Movement Dance company, Stephen had the opportunity to dance in New York, Sydney, and Hong Kong. He attended the 2010 Paul Taylor Summer Intensive in New York City learning and performing many of Paul Taylor's modern dance masterpieces. Most recently, Stephen performed in the Kansas City Lyric Opera's production of Carmen. Stephen is honored to be working and growing with City in Motion.
Ann Shaughnessy, a Kansas City native, began dancing at age 14, taking classes from Donna Des Marteau, Becky Lucas, Liz Dimmel, and Tobin James. She started teaching at 19 and continued her dance training at UMKC where she received a BFA in Dance with honors in 2002. Ann has performed and taught in and around the Kansas City area for about 12 years: She has performed with Dramatic Truth Dance Theater, a-ha! Dance Theater, Reach...A Movement Collective, and more recently for independent choreographers such as Tiffany Sisemore, Tuesday Faust, and Jane Gotch. She has taught at many local schools and studios including Community School for the Arts, Kansas City Ballet, Penn Valley, UMKC, Carnegie Arts Center in Leavenworth, Dancerz Unlimited, and currently at Tiffany Performing Arts Center. Ann has taught at City in Motion since 2005 when she also first joined the City In Motion Dance Theater, and has choreographed for both the company and the Children's Dance Theater. Ann is proud to celebrate her 5th year teaching at the school and thrilled to be back with the company for her 3rd season!
Ann Shaughnessy
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