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Dance Faculty & Staff

Department Chair

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  • Jennifer Pontius
  • Department Chair, Associate Professor
  • dnc_jkp@shsu.edu
  Learn More about Jennifer Pontius 

  Jennifer Pontius

  M.F.A., Florida State University
  M.A., California State University, Dominguez Hills
  B.A., University of Alabama at Birmingham

  Jennifer Pontius trained in classical ballet and was a member of The Birmingham Ballet, performing also with The Sarasota Ballet, The Cobb - Marietta Ballet, and The South Bay Ballet. She later performed with several modern dance companies in the Los Angeles area, including Donna Sternberg and Dancers, Pacific Dance Ensemble, and Charles Edmonson. Ms. Pontius has a BA in English with a minor in Dance from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and a MA in English from California State University. After earning her MFA in dance at Florida State University, she taught at Birmingham - Southern College, The University of Alabama, and is now Associate Professor and Chair of the Dance Department at Sam Houston State University. She has staged classical repertory, including Pas de Quatre, excerpts from Giselle, Don Quixote, and Les Sylphides, and has created original works in both ballet and modern genres.

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Dance Faculty

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  • Andy Noble
  • Full Professor
    Associate Chair
  • amn008@shsu.edu
  Learn more about Andy Noble 

  Andy Noble

  M.F.A., Dance, with emphasis in Dance Technology, Florida State University
  B.A., Modern Dance, University of South Florida

  Andy is an Associate Chair/Professor at Sam Houston State University and Executive/Co-Artistic Director of NobleMotion Dance. He also serves as the Associate Artistic Director of the Dance Gallery Festival, an international festival that occurs every year in New York City and Texas. During the summer, Andy is a faculty member at Dance Italia in Lucca, Italy. Houston Press recognized Andy as one of Houston’s 100 Creatives.

  Andy’s body of work includes 23 evening-length productions and over 150 dances. His focus on innovation and interdisciplinary work has led to collaborations with neuroscientists, A.I. designers, industrial designer, light artists, composers, poets, musicians, and photographers. Most notably, he worked with Academy Award winner John Ridley to create original choreography featured on the Emmy Award Winning and Golden Globe Nominated ABC TV show American Crime. Andy is part of an art science collaborative team that is examining the neuroscience of dance. In November of 2023, he presented a TEDx Talk titled “Science Worth Dancing About,” that discusses the impacts of dancing on brain development and health. This research has been invited to be performed at the United Nations in Geneva, May of 2024.

  Andy’s choreography has been set on Repertory Dance Theatre, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Bruce Wood Dance, Malashock Dance Company, Moving Current Dance Collective, and Urbanity Dance. Additionally, his choreography has been selected three times for the National Dance Festival at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and performed at Wolf Trap for the Performing Arts as part of the 2022 International Workshop on the Neural and Social Bases of Creative Movement. Andy’s creative endeavors have been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, National Science Foundation, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Texas Commission for the Arts, and Houston Arts Alliance. He has also received over 40 positive reviews by press including Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, Arts+Culture Texas, and the Utah Review and his work has been presented at venues such as The Lincoln Center, The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and The Ailey Citigroup Theatre. Andy’s work directing NobleMotion Dance has led to the organization being awarded Houston’s Best Dance Company 3 times by the Houston Press and a listing in Dance Magazine as one of Houston’s “A-list” dance companies.

  Andy’s performing career includes six years with Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT), where he performed in over forty choreographic works by such noted masters as Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham and Jose Limon. He also had the honor of working first-hand with many cutting edge contemporary and international artists such as Gideon Obarzanek (Chunky Move), Jø Strømgren and Zvi Gotheiner. Andy holds a BA in Modern Dance from the University of South Florida and a MFA with an emphasis in Dance Technology from Florida State University.

  noblemotiondance.com

  TEDX@SHSU: Science Worth Dancing About by Andy Noble

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  • 
  • Dionne Sparkman Noble
  • Professor of Dance
    Graduate Program Coordinator
  • dln008@shsu.edu
Learn more about Dionne Noble 

Dionne Sparkman Noble

M.F.A., Dance with emphasis in Dance Technology, University of Utah
B.A., Ballet and Modern Dance, University of South Florida

Dionne Sparkman Noble a Professor of Dance at Sam Houston State University where she directs the graduate program, handles marketing for the Department of Dance, and teaches modern technique, choreography, dance and technology, research methods, pedagogy, as well as other graduate level courses. Dionne is co-artistic director of NobleMotion Dance, a Houston-based non-profit dance company that has been named Houston’s Best Dance Company multiple times. Dionne received a BA in dance from the University of South Florida and an MFA in modern dance with an emphasis in dance and technology from the University of Utah. Dionne has served as faculty at Florida State University, University of South Florida, and Western Washington University.

Dionne presented work along with a collaborative team at the 2022 International Workshop on the Neural and Social Bases of Creative Movement, a conference of leading scientists and artists examining innovative research directions and creative approaches to science and art research. In 2023, Dionne was a contributing author to a TEDx Talk delivered by Andy Noble, Science Worth Dancing About. Additionally in 2023, Dionne worked as part of an arts/science team that created Meeting of Minds, a 35-minute duet where both dancers wear brain caps and explore neural synchrony. This work was presented at the United Nations “AI for Good Global Summit” in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2024. This research was also presented at The Music & Brain Health Summit hosted by the AARP’s Brain Health Action Collaborative and the Music & Dementia Research Network in Washington, DC; As part of The Hobby Center’s ExxonMobile Discovery Series; and at The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico.

Her choreographic work has also been featured on ABC’s television series “American Crime” and performed in venues such as The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, The Ailey Theater in NYC, and Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. Dionne was named one of Houston’s 100 Creatives of 2013 by the Houston Press.

Dionne’s dance technological credits include being a contributing writer and consultant for ChoreoVideo.com, a web-based media resource designed in 2007 to promote innovative instruction in the area of dance technology. In 2020, she received funding from SHSU’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to collaborate with AI architect Jeremy Stewart, choreographer Andy Noble, lighting designer David J Deveau, composer Alex Davis, and dancers Colette Kerwick and Evelyn Toh, on the creation of an AI generated dance film, My Flesh, My Fog. Another film, Pit Stop (2020) is the winner of two awards and has been screened at over eight film festivals including Dance Films Association #MyDanceFilm 2022 (Lincoln Center), Inspired Dance Film Festival 2022 (Australia - winner of Best Mobile Device Dance Film), International ScreenDance Festival 2022 (IA), enCore: Dance on Film 2022 (GA), Austin Dance Festival’s Dance on Film 2022 (TX), Boston Contemporary Dance Festival’s On Film Showcase (MA), and ADF’s Movies By Movers (NC). Dionne’s newest film (director/cinematographer/editor), Couplet, was supported by a Houston Arts Alliance Let Creativity Happen grant. Couplet features choreography by Andy Noble, cinematography by David J Deveau, and original music by Travis Lake. Couplet was selected by FilmFest by Rogue Dancer, Inspired Dance Film Festival, and ADFs Movies by Movers for screening in 2024.  

noblemotiondance.com

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• 
• Adele Nickel
• Assistant Professor
• axn051@shsu.edu

Learn More about Adele Nickel  

Adele Nickel

M.F.A., Dance, University of Washington

Adele trained with Oregon Ballet Theater and The San Francisco Ballet before moving to New York City to pursue a career in modern dance. There she worked with Patrick Corbin, Sarah Michelson, Karole Armitage and Annie-B Parson, among others, and as a member of the Liz Gerring Dance Company (2007 – 2015) was featured in several evening-length works, including the 2013 Bessie-nominated Glacier. From 2015-2017 she performed as a backup dancer with Grammy Award-winning musician St. Vincent.

While in NYC, Adele also trained as an AmSAT-certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and studied extensively anatomy/kinesiology and developmental movement with Amy Matthews. She received her 1600-hour Alexander Technique teacher training at Riverside Initiative for the Alexander Technique (RIAT), and subsequently served at RIAT as associate assistant director, faculty member and anatomy teacher. She also taught group classes in the Alexander Technique on faculty at Movement Research and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Adele holds a B.A. in writing from the New School University and has written about dance for The Village Voice. In 2019, she received her MFA in dance from University of Washington, and she continues to work with the Chamber Dance Company in Seattle. Adele is now a visiting assistant professor of dance at Sam Houston State University. Learn more about Adele's work at https://www.adelenickel.com.

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  • Rasika Borse
  • Lecturer
  • rnb020@shsu.edu
  Learn More about Rasika Borse 

  Rasika Borse

  MFA, Dance, Sam Houston State University
  B.A., Dance, University of Calgary

  Rasika Borse —born in Mumbai, India—started her dance training in Bharatanatyam at a very young age in Doha, Qatar. After moving to Montreal, Canada she found a new found love for Ballet and dedicated the next few years to train under companies such as Quinte Ballet School and The School of Alberta Ballet. She has also passed all her Cecchetti Ballet exams with honors.  

  During her time in Calgary, she joined the Young Canadian School of Performing Arts where she had the privilege to learn under the direction of Bryan Foley and Angela Benson. During her time here she performed at the Grandstand Show in front of an audience of 20,000 every night during the 10-day Calgary Stampede, also known as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. She also got her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from the University of Calgary and continued her Jazz training in a pre-professional program at Decidedly Jazz Dancerworks. She later had the honour of joining the DJD dance company and toured around Alberta with their show The Great Jazz History Mystery. Borse also joined Soul Feet Dance Productions, Calgary’s leading Bollywood dance company where she not only shared her passion for dance, but also had a chance to explore and embrace her Indian roots.  

  After gaining teaching and performing experience around Calgary, Borse decided to make the move to Huntsville, TX to pursue her higher education. Borse has now graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Sam Houston State University. Her thesis explored ideas of human connections and how meaning is rooted in past experiences, backgrounds, and cultures. Borse hopes to continue exploring these ideas in the future and is excited to learn and grow as a choreographer, performer, and educator.

   

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  • 
  • Tyler Orcutt
  • Lecturer
  • tbo006@shsu.edu
• Learn More about Tyler Orcutt 

  Tyler Orcutt

  MFA, Dance, Sam Houston State University
  BFA, Dance, University of South Florida

  Tyler Orcutt, a Lecturer of Dance at SHSU, has formerly served as adjunct faculty at the University of Houston, and faculty at studios in Texas, Utah, and Florida. His education includes an MFA in Dance from SHSU and a BFA in Dance from the University of South Florida. Prior to his move to Texas, Tyler spent eight seasons with Repertory Dance Theatre (2012-2020). His RDT career included performing lead roles in historical works by Ted Shawn, Michio Itō, Doris Humphrey, José Limón, Donald McKayle, and Merce Cunningham, as well as contemporary works by Bebe Miller, Lar Lubovitch, Danielle Agami, Bill Evans, Noa Zuk & Ohad Fishof, and Zvi Gotheiner, among many others.

  Currently, Tyler Orcutt is a Houston-based dance artist currently in his fourth season with NobleMotion Dance, where he has performed nationally and internationally. Tyler was recently a featured performer in Andy Noble’s Science Worth Dancing About, a 2023 TEDx Talk. His choreography has been presented at Dance Italia, Barnstorm Dance Festival, American College Dance Association, RDT’s Emerge, SHSU, and Scottsdale Community College; his most recent commission will be performed by Movement Source Dance Company in 2024.

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  • 
  • Travis Lake
  • Lecturer
  • tlake@shsu.edu
• Learn More about Travis Lake 

  Travis Lake

  MFA, Dance, Sam Houston State University
  B.F.A., Dance, University of Utah

  Travis Lake is an interdisciplinary artist focusing on choreography, music composition, and digital production. He holds a BFA from the University of Utah (American Dance Movement National Scholarship) and an MFA from Sam Houston State University (Jonathan Charles Endowed Scholarship). Based in Texas, he serves on faculty in the Department of Dance at Sam Houston State University where he currently researches the relationship between conflict and connection in narrative-based artwork. In addition to the Department, he works closely with the 11X national champion Orange Pride Dance Team at Sam Houston.

  Travis Lake’s dynamic style and enthusiasm have made him one of the most sought-after dance team choreographers and teachers in the United States. In the last 10 years, his innovative choreography has won 15 state championships, 5 national championships, and 3 consecutive USASF world championships. He has choreographed over 50 works for organizations, including NobleMotion Dance, University of Minnesota, Brigham Young University, University of South Carolina, Sam Houston State University, and West Virginia University, among others. His work has been presented in venues such as: Capitol Theatre (UT), Disneyland (CA), ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex (FL), Marriott Center for Dance (UT), Hard Rock Resort (FL), The Ocean Center (FL), Daytona Beach Bandshell (FL), James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center (TX), and the Rose Wagner Blackbox Theatre (UT). 

  As a composer, Travis’ original music compositions have been commissioned and presented by notable organizations, including NobleMotion Dance, the Guggenheim, Ballet BC, Ballet West, Nederlands Dans Theater II, Arts Umbrella, Juliano Nunes, Ethan Colangelo, Flockworks, and Emma Portner.

  View more about Travis or download music from his website: www.travis-lake.com

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  • 
  • Lauren Serrano
  • Lecturer
  • lrs054@shsu.edu
• Learn More about Lauren Serrano 

  Lauren Serrano

  MFA, Dance, Sam Houston State University
  M.A. in Dance Education, Hunter College
  BFA in Dance, University of California Santa Barbara 

  Lauren Serrano is originally from Orange County where she trained at many local studios and attended Orange County High School for the Performing Arts for classical and commercial dance. She graduated from University of California Santa Barbara with a B.F.A. in dance, and in addition to her Masters in Dance Education from the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at Hunter College in 2015. In New York City Lauren had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Jennifer Muller, Young Soon Kim, Toni Renee Johnson, Pedro Ruiz, and Mike Esperanza. Lauren moved back to Santa Barbara to teach and direct the youth competitive teams at Santa Barbara Dance Arts while dancing with Santa Barbara Dance Theater and as a soloist for Nebula Dance Lab. While dancing with SBDT she performed works by Andrea Schermolly, Yusha Sorzano, Christopher Pilafian, Jennifer Muller, Stephanie Miracle, Brandon Whited, and Edgar Zendejas. She is currently based in Houston, Texas and dances with NobleMotion Dance directed by Andy and Dionne Noble. With NobleMotion Dance she co-directs NobleMotion Dance 2 and is the managing and marketing director. Lauren recently graduated from Sam Houston State University with her M.F.A. and is joining the faculty as a lecturer teaching Modern Dance, Pedagogy, Pilates and Dance and Popular Culture.

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  • 
  • Jacob Regan
  • Lecturer
  • jacobdregan@gmail.com
  • Learn More about Jacob Regan 

    Jacob Regan

    MFA in Dance, Sam Houston State University
    BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from East Carolina University

    Jacob Regan is an improviser, performance artist, movement researcher, choreographer, and contemporary dancer. Jacob grew up in North Carolina where he began his movement studies with capoeira, accumulating skills in breaking and contemporary dance during his high school years at Northwest School of the Arts. After receiving his B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography with a Philosophy minor from East Carolina University, he lived in the Boston area creating, teaching, and performing with Urbanity Dance, Prometheus Dance, Lorraine Chapman the Company, and as a freelance artist. In 2023, he graduated with his MFA in Dance from Sam Houston State University. Currently he is company member with NobleMotion Dance. His ongoing research seeks to examine the practical utility and aesthetic value of movement improvisation in the field of contemporary dance. Regan views dance as a synthesis between artistry and athleticism, and believes in facilitating creative environments conducive to fostering autonomous artists.

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Emeritus Faculty

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  • Dana E. Nicolay
  • Emeritus Professor
  • dnc_dxn@shsu.edu
  Learn More about Dana Nicolay 

  Dana E. Nicolay

  M.F.A., Dance, Texas Christian University

  Dana E. Nicolay is a Professor of Dance at Sam Houston State University (SHSU). As a member of professional companies such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Houston Ballet, Contemporary Dancers Canada and Space/Dance/Theater he toured throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East. With these companies he performed the works of many noted choreographers including George Balanchine, Sir Frederic Ashton, Eugene Loring, August Bournonville, John Cranko, and John Neumier. He has worked professionally with Agnes De Mille, Rudy Van Dantzig, Hans Van Manen, Bill T. Jones, Dan Wagoner, Bill Evans, James Clouser, and Nita Little among many others.

  During his graduate study at Texas Christian University Dana was privileged to work with Dr. Dan Southard in the areas of Biomechanics and Motor Control and with Dr. Ken Lawrence in the study of Religious Art throughout the ages and across many cultures. His certification program in Laban Movement Analysis with Peggy Hackney, Janice Meaden and Ed Groff at Integrated Movement Studies was a profound and rewarding experience.

  The American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA), the Mid-America Dance Network (MADN), and Regional Dance America (RDA) have recognized Dana's choreography for excellence. His work Sabachthani, was selected for the National College Dance Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. He has also served as South - Central Regional Representative for ACDFA.

  As an administrator Mr. Nicolay was SHSU Dance Program Coordinator from 1991 - 2002. Under his leadership, the program achieved 14 selections for ACDFA regional festival gala concerts, which ultimately lead to 5 consecutive bi-annual selections for the National College Dance Festival.

  Dana served as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for 7 years where he chaired the design and programming committee for the $38.5 million James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center. Following this he served briefly as Interim Dean of the newly formed College of Arts & Media.

  nicolaydanceworks.com

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