Dance has been a part of Marissa Finklestein’s life for almost as long as she can remember. After receiving a BA in Dance and Business from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she worked as a choreographer, educator, and performer in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. She held various positions with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Jacob’s Pillow in the Berkshires, and with New York City’s GlobalArts to Go as a teaching artist for schools and community-based organizations. 

And then she decided to jump back into school for a graduate degree in dance: 

 “I love the environment of studying dance movement and being in a place to do research and dance education. UNCG was not on my radar at all, but when I started checking out schools online, I realized that, compared to other MFA programs, this School of Dance offered so much in terms of curriculum and the diversity of the faculty movement styles.”  (more…)

Jamarius Wall decided he wanted to pursue a life in theatre when he was in elementary school in Burlington, North Carolina. His favorite teacher told him she would be directing a musical called Clowns and that he might like to be involved in it:  

“I did that show when I was in second grade and was hooked. When it came time to go to college, I started out at Catawba College then transferred to UNCG. When I visited UNCG, I saw the show Heathers. I knew from that moment that I wanted to perform on the Taylor Theatre stage. The UNCG School of Theatre stood out to me as something special, and I wanted to be a part of it.”  

Wall says he’s glad he made the transfer to being a Spartan:  

“UNCG has been such a great fit for me. I really feel like the School of Theatre has fully welcomed and has integrated me into the program as an actor. And there are so many things I love about the University as a whole, including the incredible diversity of the student body.”   (more…)

Beth Campbell says if there was just one subject she could study for the rest of her life, it would be Art History. She found a way to do that at UNC Greensboro’s School of Art: 

“I’m from New Jersey—came to North Carolina about ten years ago. I have worked most of my life in healthcare, most recently at Duke Medical Center in an administrative medical assistant position. COVID made me rethink what I really wanted to do. I always regretted not having a college degree, so I found UNCG’s Bachelor of Liberal Studies program.” 

Campbell began the BLS online and realized she could add a minor in Art History. Professor of Art History Heather Holian encouraged her to pursue her interest in art and become a double major: 

 “Art History is really my love. I love it because it encompasses all the humanities. There’s history, there are the biographies of the artists, the background of their lives, and the geography of where they lived. There’s so much more to it than just the art itself.”  (more…)

David “Tug” Watson is a musical theatre artist from New York who most recently performed as a cast member in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Watson joined the Broadway company of The Phantom of the Opera in 2018 after receiving his MFA. He also played the role of Munkustrap in the Worldwide production of Cats before becoming a swing and performing the role of Gus in the 2016 Broadway revival. He has also toured extensively with Chicago, Evita, Young Frankenstein, and Annie. Other favorite roles played are Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Homer in Floyd Collins, Jerry in The Full Monty, and Whizzer in Falsettos.  

Watson has held faculty positions at Marymount Manhattan College and Nazareth University. He has also been a soloist with the San Diego Symphony where he served as the movement coordinator and associate director of its Broadway Summer Series. At the Royal Danish Ballet Summer School, he taught musical theatre dance repertoire as a member of the faculty.  (more…)

Clarinetist, composer, and educator Dr. Luke Ellard strives for art that continually reaches out, engages thoughtfully with communities, and values authenticity unapologetically. 

With a passion for finding intersections between the past and future, Ellard has drawn from their experience as a contemporary and interdisciplinary collaborator with groups such as Bang on a Can All Stars and Eighth Blackbird, their research as a historical performance specialist, and their experience as a chamber and orchestral musician with such regional ensembles as Mallarmé Music and the Winston-Salem Symphony. Their music has been internationally performed by ensembles such as HOCKET, the Lawrence Conservatory Wind Ensemble, the New Trombone Collective, the North Texas Wind Symphony, and the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra, and consortiums like the New Works Project. Current projects include their book NEXTended Studies, solo electronic band LE, and commissioning projects as a performer and composer.  (more…)