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| The Dancers | |
| Mary Verdi-Fletcher | Photo Credit: Shaffer Design Works & Nannette Bedway |
| President - Professional Flair , Founding Artistic Director, Dancer |
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| Mary Verdi-Fletcher, a native of Cleveland, is President of Professional Flair, Founding Artistic Director and principal dancer of Dancing Wheels. Born with spina bifida, Mary founded Dancing Wheels in 1980 as a means for people with disabilities to explore the world of dance. Over the past 25 years Mary has had the distinct honor to work with numerous choreographers in many roles including Grandma in Dennis Nahat's Nutcracker. Among these notable choreographers, Mary has performed in works by Daniel Job, Norman Walker, Sabatino Verlezza, Hernando Cortez, Mark Tomasic, Michael Medcalf, Tom Evert, Keith Young, David Rousseve and Rosalind Newman. | |
Prior to her dance career, Mary was the first Attendant Care Coordinator for the Independent Living Center for the State of Ohio. During her tenure at Services for Independent Living, Mary organized a statewide advocacy organization that led hundreds of advocates with disabilities through a tremendous effort to insure equal access in public transportation and statewide personal assistance care. In 1986, in her role as Director of Development, Mary developed a fundraising and special events division for the Independent Living Center and successfully created a citywide fundraising/awareness program for the organization. In college, Mary majored in Business and Public Relations. Overall, Mary has nearly 20 years of experience in the realm of not-for-profit fundraising and development. Today Mary is not only Founding Director for Dancing Wheels, but is also President of Professional Flair, a not-for-profit arts/disability organization that she and a Board of Directors established in 1989.She serves on numerous boards throughout Ohio including: Ohio Dance, ex-officio of Very Special Arts Ohio, and Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. Mary was crowned the 1982 Miss Wheelchair Ohio and she was runner-up in the 1982 Miss Wheelchair National Competition. Mary is the 1990 winner of the “Outstanding Young Clevelanders Award,” the 1991 recipient of the “ORACLE Merit Award” for outstanding Educational and Outreach Programming, the 1992 Lakeland Community College “Woman of Achievement Award,” the 1994 “Invacare Artistic Achievement Award,” and the 1996 Ohio Theatre Alliance “Encore” Award. In September 1997, Mary and Cleveland Ballet Dancing Wheels were honored with the “1997 National Rehabilitation Awareness Award” along with Christopher Reeve and three other individuals in recognition of their work for and with persons with disabilities. Mary, Professional Flair and Dancing Wheels were also the recipients of the 1998 Cuyahoga Special Education Service Center Award for Outstanding Community Services, “1998 Governor’s Award” for Outreach and in March 1998, Mary and Dancing Wheels were featured performers on the ABC television special, Christopher Reeve: A Celebration of Hope. In 1999, Mary received the “YWCA Greater Cleveland Women of Achievement Award” and was a “Northern Ohio Live Arts Award” |
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| Dang Ngoc Hoang (Mac) - Dancer | |
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Dang Ngoc Hoang (Mac) grew up in Hanoi, Viet Nam. Hoang attended the Viet Nam Dance Academy and became a scholarship student for seven years. In 1990 he toured Australia on scholarship with Victoria College of Art in Melbourne Australia. After graduation in 1992, Hoang continued his education on scholarship in Hong Kong, graduating with his professional certificate in 1994. While in Hong Kong, Hoang made guest appearances with Hong Kong Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and numerous tours throughout China And Canada. Hoang came to the United States in 1994 with Cleveland San Jose Ballet as an apprentice with roles in The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake, Eclipses, House of Tears and Blue Suede Shoes. He has performed around the world including Melbourne, Australia, Beijing and Guang Chow, China, and Victoria, British Columbia. Additionally, Mac has guest starred and taught ballet with The Repertory Project; with the North Coast Ballet (PA) appearing as ‘The Nutcracker’ in their production of The Nutcracker and as ‘Peter’in Peter and the Wolf; and with Tom and Susana Evert Dance Theatre performing in Alma de la Tierra. Hoang has also worked with choreographers such as Doug Verone, Jose Bustamanter and Susan VanPelt. In 1996, Hoang began training with Dancing Wheels with principal roles in The Sorcerer’s Apprentices, main stage performances and The Snowman. |
| Charlotte Heppner - Dancer |  |
| Charlotte Heppner premiered with Dancing Wheels in 1992 for a “one time performance” and hasn’t stopped dancing since. She has been very involved in sports activities since becoming a wheelchair user 21 years ago. She is an active member of Youth Challenge, a program for children with disabilities, helping them participate in sports in different ways depending on each child’s situation. Charlotte will be featured in a book coming out this fall for persons with new spinal cord injuries, highlighting ideas on how she and others in the book cope with everyday life. | |
| Jenita McGowan - Dancer | |
| Jenita McGowan is enjoying her second season with Dancing Wheels. She is also a company member of Antaeus Dance under the artistic direction of Joan Meggit. She was a company member of the Cleveland Repertory Project for two years as a performer and educator under the artistic direction of Susan Miller, and then Hernando Cortez. Jenita has a BFA in dance and a BS in journalism from Kent State University. She teaches ballet and modern technique at Lakeland Community College and has taught company classes for Antaeus Dance and the Repertory Project. She has performed choreography by Jose Louis Bustamante, Chung-Fu Chang, Hernando Cortez, Terry Creach, Matthew Janzcewski, Jim Lepore, Doug Lodge, Joan Meggit, Mark Taylor and Sabatino Verlezza. |
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Mark Tomasic - Dancer |
| Mark Tomasic has worked with a variety of internationally renowned dance companies and choreographers throughout his career, including Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Cleveland San Jose Ballet, Ballet Contemporaneo de Buenos Aires. He has performed principal roles in works by Martha Graham, David Parsons, May O’Donnell, Dennis Nahat, Norman Walker, Mauricio Wainrot, Nils Christe, Mark Godden, Sabatino Verlezza, Tom Evert, Karen Gabay and Hernando Cortez (theatrical credits include work with the Cleveland Opera and Great Lakes Theater Festival). On national television, Mark has been seen as “Big Boss Man” in Blue Suede Shoes (PBS), danced on TheDrew Carey Show (ABC) and as a featured performer on Christopher Reeve: A Celebration of Hope (ABC). Mark has worked with Dancing Wheels as a dancer, tour manager and rehearsal director and is currently a principal dancer with VERB Ballets under the direction of Hernando Cortez. | |
| G.G. Greg Agency©2006 | |