EDUCATION & OUTREACH FOR YOUTH
INSTRUCTORS
KASANDRA GRUENER, MA
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & OUTREACH
Specialty - Creative Movement; Modern Dance; Challenged Children; Teacher Training; Contemplative Education
Oregon native Kasandra Gruener has a BA in Dance from Mills College and an MA in Contemplative Education from Naropa University. She was a member of San Francisco based Margaret Jenkins Dance Co., and founded her own company, Henry Harris Green. In her 35+ years as a teaching artist, she has conducted master classes, workshops, and daily technique classes in dance studios, NEA-funded Artist-in-Schools programs in the Midwest, private and public K-12 schools, colleges, community centers, hospitals, group homes, and child care centers. A specialist in teaching at-risk youth, Kasandra earned the 2007 and 2009 Young Audiences' Sunburst Award for commitment to arts education. In 2009, Kasandra was a guest professor at Portland State University in the theatre department's dance minor program. She presently serves on the Community Arts Team, a committee of arts and education leaders working to assist Portland’s Regional Arts and Culture Council (a 2010 Kennedy Center Partner in Education) in its efforts to expand arts education and professional development in our schools.
HANNAH DOWNS
Ballet; Creative Movement; Early Childhood Education
Hannah began her formal dance training at
Colorado West Ballet in Grand Junction, CO and
continued her training at Ballet West Conservatory in
Salt Lake City, UT. She obtained her B.A. in dance
from the University of Oregon and has performed
professionally with Ballet West, Aspen Ballet Company,
Dance Theatre of Oregon, and Traduza Dance
Company. Hannah began teaching dance in 2000, and has
worked extensively with children 3 through teen in
private studios, community centers, child development
centers, pre-schools, and public schools. She joined OBT as an Outreach Teacher in 2006.
ROBIN ULIBARRI
Teaching Artist
ZAHRA BANZI-HORN
Teaching Artist
BROOK MANNING
Teaching Artist
KATARINA SVETLOVA
Teaching Artist
ROBERT TYREE
Trainee
