Valerie Branch is the founder and artistic director of VB Dance Ensemble, a professional, contemporary dance company focused on bringing cultural awareness and social change into schools around the nation. Her mission is to use the power of dance as a catalyst to empower children to find value in the impact that their voice can have on their life and the lives of others. Branch graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland, College Park with a degree in dance. She has experience touring as a performing artist and dance educator both nationally and internationally and has brought dance into schools throughout the United States, South Africa, India, Singapore, and Grenada. Branch is a Master Teaching Artist with the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts and holds a National Teaching Artist Credential with Young Audiences Arts for Learning. She advocates for teaching artist representation while creating and promoting innovative strategies that will increase the visibility of teaching artists around the nation.
Educators will be equipped with strategies to integrate dance elements—body, energy, space, and time—into their teaching practices. Through guided movement experiences and collaborative discussions, participants will explore how movement enhances student self-expression, social-emotional skills, and classroom engagement. Educators will leave with practical, ready-to-use activities that foster a dynamic, inclusive learning environment. No dance experience is expected or needed.
Raymond McAnally, a native of Franklin, Tennessee, is an award-winning actor, producer writer, and lecturer. Some of his television credits include Black Mirror: San Junipero, which won an Emmy in 2017. He has had guest starring roles on Better Call Saul, Modern Family, Chicago Fire, and 30 Rock, and his feature film credits include Paradise Highway, The Revival, and Compliance. Theatre credits of note include God's Ear; Casa Valentina; One Man, Two Guvnors; Mrs. Mannerly, and The Foreigner, among many others. McAnally’s solo show, Size Matters, received its world premiere at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, was filmed before a live audience at the Franklin Theatre, and now streams on Amazon Prime. His full-length play, The Cruelty of Children, was a semi-finalist at the O’Neill Center in 2019. McAnally has been a lecturer for Rutgers Arts Online since 2013 and guest lectured at colleges and conservatories since 2009. He holds a degree in acting from Mason Gross School of the Arts and a degree from Sewanee.
Through exercises and instruction, the instructor will definethe "sense of play" that is foundational to building characters,whether for in-class work or part of a production. The participants will learnto help students creatively explore different physicality and vocal variationto make strong character choices. Participants will learn what it feels like tohave their physical and vocal choices solidify into a character so that theycan guide students to the same outcomes.
Adam Yankowy is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and is currently an assistant professor of musical theatre at Michigan State University. He holds degrees in musical theatre and music education and has taught in theatre departments at several universities. Selected performance credits include Babes in Toyland (Lincoln Center), The Pirates of Penzance (New York City Center), Swingin’ Christmas (Carnegie Hall), and Broadway’s Rising Stars (Town Hall). He has earned numerous regional theatre awards for both directing and music direction. Yankowy is the current artistic program director for the New Musical Laboratory at Michigan State University, a program that helps shape and support new musicals in their development process. He also is the host of a musical theatre radio program in East Lansing, Michigan. His research centers on the creation of new musicals and the revision of older musicals as new ones. He continues to work as a director, music director, and performer.
Through creative projects and interactive group activities, the class will dive into the world of public domain musicals and plays, uncovering fresh ways to bring these classic works to life for modern audiences. With arts budgets shrinking, rediscovering these timeless stories offers a goldmine of material with zero licensing costs. Participants will gain the tools to unearth hidden theatrical treasures, explore relevant themes, and transform older material to resonate for today’s audiences. From scene rewrites to re-imagined lyrics, class members will collaborate with each other to put their own spin on these classics.
