Biographies

Administration & Boards

MURRAY SPALDING
Murray Spalding and her company, originally based in Washington DC, performed regularly at home and toured 26 states and Mexico. Among the presenting venues were the University of Colorado, Boulder; Teatro Ballet Folkloric in Mexico City; and, in New York City, Dance Theater Workshop, Cunningham Studio, and Limon Dance Theater. She created environmental works for both the Grand Salon of the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution and The Corcoran Gallery of Art. In 1988, she served as artistic director for City Dance '88 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

With the encouragement of her longtime mentor and Sarah Lawrence advisor, dance pioneer Bessie Schönberg, Ms. Spalding moved to New York City in 1989. She then created Dancycle Project, which encompassed Dancycle Choreography Workshops, annual Dancycle Concerts at Dia Center for the Arts (now Joyce Soho), and The Salon, which showcased such artists as Doug Elkins, Doug Varone and Sally Hess.

In 1994, she created Blue Ring with video artist Andrea Hull and sound artists Johan Goedhart and Paul Pahnuysen. It premiered in the New Orleans Technological Conference and traveled to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC and to the Tucson Museum of Art in New Mexico.

Since 1997, Murray Spalding has concentrated her energies on creating Mandalas.

Ms. Spalding holds a B.A and M.A. from Sarah Lawrence College. She has received numerous grants from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, D.C. Commission for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Harkness Space Grant Program, the Andy Warhol Foundation, and the 3M Corporation. In 2002, she was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts Artist’s Fellowship.

Evren Celimli (Resident Composer) has a Master's degree from the University of Sussex, England, and a Bachelor's degree from Brandeis University. His music has been performed in the Music Breaks Free Festival in England and at festivals in Miami and Buffalo. He has worked with choreographers Tanya Kane-Parry, Allen Tibbetts, Jeanette Stoner, Ben Munisteri, Doug Elkins, and Sean Curran for Heidi Latsky. Check out Evren's Web site at http://www.evrencelimli.com.

Leslie Roybal (Director), a native of New Mexico, began her dance career at age 5. She earned a BFA in theater from Stephens College, and continued her education at the University of New Mexico. Proficient in both the contemporary dance and Flamenco idioms, she performs in many of the New York tablaos, mixes it up with M’oro Flamenco and dances with the Metropolitan Opera in Carmen and La Traviata.

Amy Filbin (Contributing Director) graduated from Dickinson College where she toured nationally teaching the Physics of Dance with Kenneth Laws. Since moving to New York, she has worked with Joanna Mendl Shaw, Mary Seidman, Mark Dendy, Darrah Carr Dance, Capoiera Brazil, and Torque Dance. She is currently studying flamenco with Dionisia Garcia, studying to get her MBA, and working at Microsoft. She is proud to be a member of MSMA since 1999.

Shinyun Chou (Dancer) is originally from Taiwan, received her BFA degree in dance from New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL. She has been a scholarship recipient at the Limon Summer Workshop, the Florida Dance Festival, and has performed with the Limon Dance Company, Houlihan and Dancers, and HT Chen and Dancers. Shinyun began dancing with Murray Spalding Mandalas since 2007.

Lauren Engleman (Dancer) grew up in Canton, Ohio where she trained with the Canton Ballet. She graduated with a BFA in Dance magna cum laude from Ohio State University and subsequently studied on scholarship with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and Jennifer Muller/TheWorks. Since moving to New York, Lauren has worked with several contemporary dance companies, including Christopher Caines Dance Company, Philippa Kaye Company, Pat Catterson, and Miral Kotb and Dancers. In 2006, Lauren made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in The First Emperor. She has since danced with the Washington National Opera and the Baltimore Opera Company in productions of Aida, The Pearl Fishers and Turandot. Lauren earned her Pilates certification under Linda Farrell at LindaFit Pilates, her reformer certification with Lisa Yourke at One on One Pliates and has taught at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. Lauren has intsructed at Physique 57™ nearly 3 years and is currently an ambassacor for Lululemon at Lincoln Center. She is honored to have been a part of Murray Spalding/Mandalas since 2006.

Tatiana Virzi-Roy (Dancer) born in Argentina, Buenos Aires is a graduate of New World School of the Arts high school and college program. She has earned her Bachelor in Dance from NWSA and the University of Florida, along with her Associates in Liberal Arts. Besides having trained in ballet and modern; Horton, Graham, and Limon she has been dancing hip-hop, jazz and tap. Tatiana has been part of many works created by companies such as Battleworks, Company B, Martha Graham, Garth Fagan, etc as she continues to pursue her dancing career. This is her first year with "Murray Spalding Mandalas".

Carmela Torchia (Dancer) began dancing in Italy at The National Academy Of Dance, where she performed and graduated. By nineteen years of age she arrived at the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance with full scolarship, the year later joining the Martha Graham Dance Ensemble touring nationally and internationally, performing soloist roles. While graduating she performed with The Martha Graham Dance Company in and out of NYC. She represented Elisa Monte Dance Company in Furth, Germany. While performing as a modern dancer she danced for renowned Hip Hop and Underground Dance Productions (Full Circle Soul Production and House of Ninja) appearing on the TV show “ Showtime at the Apollo”. Currently a member of NY2 ( Nejla Yatkin artistic director). She is also training under the tutelage of “Lil Shake/Shaik” renowned music video tour choreographer , plus collaborating on various Dance Production and partnering with him as one of the dancers for Freestyle Recording artist Cyre’ ; also serving as stretching instructors for his worldwide workshops.

Amia Zoecklein (Dancer) grew up in Fayston, Vermont. After seven years of gymnastics training, she began to study dance at age twelve. She first attended Bach Triata a dance and theater intensive under the direction of Tara Dawn Bach. She then studied at Contemporary Dance and Fitness under the direction of Lorraine Neal. Through audition she became a member of Teen Jazz the studio’s touring company. Later she moved to New York and in 2009 earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance at Long Island University/Brooklyn Campus.

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