Faculty

The Academy for International Movement Studies hires educators from a wide variety of backgrounds. During the non-school year our educators hold various occupations, such as college professors and students, schoolteachers, and professional performers/dancers. Their occupations range from careers in the Arts, law, dentistry, business, computer programming, medicine, education, engineering, and accounting.

Wess Staats, Founder and Director
Wess Staats' work is quite unique for American modern dance, in part because her background, influences, and interests are international in nature. She received her MFA at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Staats has been teaching creative movement, movement intentionality for the stage and intensive movement for actors, contact improvisation and Modern Dance for over 15 years.  Additionally, she has  Masters level credits in Spanish and has knowledge in anatomy and kinesiology, basic biomechanics and neurophysiology.

Wess is a recipient of numerous grants and Fellowships in the United States. Her work has been presented at Jacob's Pillow International Improvisations Workshop, The White Mountain Summer Dance Festival, Bennington Choreography Project, ACDF, Sound Dance, Stonybrook College and through The Field at PS 122, among others.

She was a member of The Carina Piaggio Dance/Theatre Company, the Phhhft Dance Company and Improvisational Theatre Troupe of New York City. Her multi-media solo concert, "Falling Awake,” premiered in the summer of 2008 at the Fringe Festival in Boulder Colorado.

Her most recent activities include performances in Paris, France and Athens, Greece at the 21st World Conference for Dance Research. As a result of her performance in Athens, she was asked to return and teach a Master Workshop for the Kapodistra University in Athens, Greece in October 2007.  In November of 2008, Wess performed and taught a week workshop in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

"She has been recognized by choreographers, dance teachers, dancers, audiences, and the press as a remarkable choreographer of contemporary dance."
 - Susana B. Williams, Danceforms Productions

Laura Vinci began her dance training in her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts at the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio and The Boston Conservatory, while attending The Boston Arts Academy High School for Performing Arts.  She continued her dance studies at The Ohio State University and graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in dance in 2006.

While studying at Ohio State, Laura had the great privilege of performing works by Mark Morris, Doug Varone, Zvi Gottheiner, and Vaslav Nijinsky.  Post-graduation, Laura traveled to Guatemala to study Spanish, and worked as a mountain guide with an adventure company while studying salsa dance.  There, she began exploring life as a freelance choreographer and has presented work in Guatemala City and Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  Laura has a deep love for Latin culture and dance and continues to travel to teach dance in Guatemala City, while residing in Chicago, IL.

Lynda White is co-artistic director of Elgy Productions; a multi-media music and dance performing company.  She has performed nationally and internationally with USU Danceworks, kim olson/sweet edge, Evolving Doors Dance Project, Interweave Dance Theatre, 3rd Law Dance/Theater and Helander Dance Theater. She most recently joined Frequent Flyers Productions: Aerial Dance Theatre.  Lynda is also a teaching assistant for the Frequent Flyers low-flying trapeze and aerial dance classes. Lynda has traveled as a teacher and performer to Costa Rica through their Performing Artists of the 21st Century program as well as Ireland, England and Scotland.  In 2004 she performed with Michelle Ellsworth and Michael Theodore as a part of their Daisy Project at Julliard and The New School in New York City.  Artists she has worked with include; Kim Olson, Nancy Smith, Gabe Masson, David Capps, Katie Elliot, Onye Ozuzu, Bebe Miller, Toby Hankin, Taryn Packheiser, Angie Simmons, Danelle Helander, Wade Madsen, and Michelle Ellsworth. 

Lynda is currently an adjunct professor at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado, teaching intermediate modern dance and advanced choreography.  She has also taught modern dance at the University of Colorado and Metro State University.  She is a teaching assistant at the Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado and owner of Body Elevated Massage Therapy in Denver, Colorado.  Her alter ego Peggy Tulane, performs for a variety of vaudeville shows in the Denver/Boulder area as a Burlesque dancer, comedian and performance poet.  Lynda received her MFA in Performance/Choreography/Teaching from the University of Colorado in 2003.  She is a choreographer, sculptor, videographer, and clothing designer.

Georginia Hernandez Escobar Georgina was born in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua; Mexico. She was raised in various places including Zacatecas, Mexico; Chihuahua City and El Paso, Texas. She moved to New York City to attend the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting and after that decided to pursue her degree in the arts. Georgina finished with a B.M.S in
Theatre Production, Writing and Humanities degree from the University of Texas at El Paso. She has her own Independent Entertainment Consulting Agency, Fourth Wall Productions and has consulted for major companies in the Performing Arts industry. Georgina is currently pursuing her Masters in Fine
Arts from the University of New Mexico.

Our faculty are exceptional people who have the knowledge, abilities, personalities and leadership skills required for our unique and positive educational model.