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Arts Fifth Avenue Artists and Affiliates

		Gracey Tune, Founder and Artistic Director of Arts Fifth Avenue. Gracey Tune is one of only a handful of internationally recognized women exhibiting extraordinary talent in the field of tap dancing. A recipient of the Outstanding Woman in the Arts Award from the city of Fort Worth, Gracey was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame by Gov. Ann Richards in 1983. Recently, the Dance Council Inc. of North Texas honored her with the inaugural Texas Tap Legends Award in 2005. She is a frequent guest artist at major events in the world of tap. She provided choreography for the productions of “Steppin’ Out” and “My One and Only” on Broadway; performed with and produced shows for tap legends Cholly Atkins, Savion Glover, Sarah Petronio, Ron Young and her internationally recognized brother, Tommy Tune; and continues to teach and perform at Arts Fifth Avenue.
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		Peggy Bott Kirby - Vocal Chorus & Musical Theatre Peggy is a vocal chorus specialist listed on the Texas Commission of the Arts/Arts In Education Artist Roster. A dynamic singer, actress and musical director, Peggy has her BFA in Music from the University of Tulsa. She is a founding member/performer of Hip Pocket Theatre. She is recognized locally doe conducting workshops for Imagination Celebration, the Fort Worth Independent School District and the "I Have A Dream" Foundation. Peggy has been activein the Hip Pocket Theatre's outreach programs at Cook Children's and John Peter Smith Hospital and is currently working to establish and implement AFA's outreach program in assisted living and senior facilities in our neighborhood.
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		Deborah Golden - Ballet & Modern Deborah's mission is to enhance the lives of others both individually and collectively through the art of dance. The study of how the body works and how to manipulate organic movement into an intricate form of storytelling drives her. A former member of the New Jersey Ballet, since her journey to Texas, Deborah has danced with TCCNW Dance Company, Mosaic Dance Project, and Muscle Memory Dance Theatre.  In addition to many other concerts, Deborah performed at American College Dance Festival, Dance for the Planet, attended master classes at L.A. Dance Force convention, and premiered her own works of choreography at the Scott Theater in Fort Worth. She is currently attending UTA majoring in kinesiology, with the intent to establish her careeras a Dance Therapist.
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		Amrita Schlacter - Multicultural Storytelling. Amrita Schlachter created STORIES &MORE in 1994 in an effort to share the richness of distant Asian cultures with American children. The stories are mainly of Indian origin, where Amrita is from, but occasionally they include folktales from other Asian cultures, including Sri Lanka and Tibet. Prior to her work with STORIES &MORE, Amrita was a freelance writer reporting on family and children's issues for the For Worth Star Telegram and other publications. She has written a book for UNICEF, India: The Forgotten Children and in 1998, she was filmed by a Discovery Channel crew for a documentary on India's spiritual wealth.
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		April Gaines- Tap A consumate tap artist, April holds a BS in Eucation from the University of Texas. She worked in the public and private school system for many years. April has taght Tap at Arts Fifth Avenue for four years and is a member of the Legacy Tap Project and LaFeet Tap Ensemble. She continues her tap education with master classes sponsored by Legacy Tap Project, the Rythym Junkies, and the Tapestry Dance Company.
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		Glenna Janda - Art & Sculpture Bilingual artist Glenna Janda received her B.A. from TCU and continued her studies at the University of the Americas, the Instituto Allende, and the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes while living in Mexico. In addition to her work in sculpture, painting and ceramics, Glenna has a history with dance that often influences her visual arts.
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		Harris Kirby - Mandolin & Ukulele As a wee lad, Harris listened to his older brother’s band rehearse. He learned to play mandolin and guitar in his teens and began accompanying fiddle players in south Texas. Harris has played in country bands and garage bands and enjoys many types of music from folk to classical.
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		Dale Luna - TAP Dale's background is primarily in ballet and he has over fifteen years of study and performance experience with Margo Dean and is a lifetime member of Ballet Concerto. TAP came into Dale's life by accident. While taking class from Gracey, she needed to take a leave of absence and she asked Dale to teach her classes...the rest is history. Dale has studied with Tex Clyde, Gracey Tune and French Tap Master, Sarah Petronio. Dale enjoys all styles of Music and believes "Dance Keeps You Young."
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		Cessilye Smith - Hip-Hop, Creative Movement, Intro to Dance, Director of Outreach. Cessilye has devoted her life to teaching children the fantastic art of dance and what dance can truly do to those who desperately need an outlet.  She studied dance for two years at the University of North Texas under the instruction of Dr. James Clouser and Arliene Sugano, and has taught at various studios in the DFW area. She is currently studying Sociology with a minor in Non-Profit Mgmt.  She has been a guest artist in the world of Hip Hop for artist such as The Crossmovement, Tedashii and Gospel Skate Night hosted by G-Man with K104. Cessilye is  founder of The M.I.C.A.H. Project and a member of a dance crew called FANATIC.
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		Shelley Hallum - Yoga Shelley began practicing Hatha Yoga in 2001 at the Body, Mind, Spirit Center in Fort Worth. In 2003, Shelley was introduced to Anusara yoga and has been following that path ever since. Anusara Yoga, developed in 1997 by John Friend, means “flowing with Grace,” or “following your heart.” Through this “celebration of the heart, Anusara yoga helps to unveil the innate goodness, worthiness, and supreme nature of each student and every being. All levels of abilities and experience are honored for their unique differences, limitation and talents. Along with her experience in Anusara, Shelley is a licensed massage therapist and incorporates therapeutic insight in the asana practice. For more information on Anusara, visit www.anusara.com
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		Dena Brinkley Phillips - Zumba Dena has been involved with fitness for more than 25 years. In fact, she taught the first low-impact aerobics classes in Fort Worth at Westside Workout, where she taught for 15 years. She is a certified Zumba instructor. But what is Zumba? Zumba utilizes the principles of fitness and interval training to maximize caloric output, fat-burning, and body toning. But, what makes Zumba unique is that it is fun! You don’t have to know how to dance to do Zumba. It creates a party-like atmosphere with a fusion of Latin and international music dance themes, creating a dynamic, exciting, effective system of fitness.
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		Chris White - Upright Bass, Flute, Trumpet Chris started playing trumpet in Park Forest Illinois School System in 1966. Holds a degree in Music Education from Drury College , Springfield Missouri. Toured playing French Horn, Flute & Bass. He teaches Middle School Orchestra for FWISD. He performs locally with with Johnny Case and has played at Jubilee Theatre, and area Jazz clubs. Chris enjoys long walks
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		Pat Trimble - Guitar & Piano Info coming.
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		Rachel Shirk - Voice An emerging artist with interests in singing and interdisciplinary performance, Rachel Shirk is completely happy to be teaching at Arts Fifth Avenue as a vocal instructor. A graduate of Bennington College with a degree in vocal performance, Rachel has studied and performed with internationally known artists Meredith Monk and Ricky Ian Gordon and the east-coast based singer/performers Tom Bogdan and Kitty Brazelton. This spring, Rachel made her debut singing with the Fort Worth Opera Company in their production of Carmen. She has also sung locally with the Regal Opera Company. Rachel is the creator of “Find Me Here” and “Pocket Lyric,” two multi-disciplinary theater works blending classical singing with modern movement and text. With a small home studio and experience teaching voice at a local high school, Rachel enjoys working with beginning singers of all ages and interests, and invites you to give singing at Arts Fifth Avenue a try!
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Affiliates

THE ARTS FIFTH AVENUE JAZZ COLLECTIVE is made up of seven Fort Worth native jazz artists who premiere original jazz compositions.

The concept of the 5th Avenue Jazz Collective is twofold. First, to provide an ongoing collection of musicians dedicated to developing and exploring jazz and providing an outlet for their original compositions. Second, to further Arts Fifth Avenue's 6-year history of presenting jazz in an intimate family-friendly venue. The Collective is made up of Dave Williams, Joey Carter, Pat Brown, Leonard Belota, Kyp Green, Eddie Dunlap, and Daymond Callahan. With joint experience of over 125 years, these jazzmen are dedicated to their art, and constantly work to keep things new and fresh.

Leonard Belota, Trumpet
A native of Fort Worth, Leonard toured the States with Monopoly LTD, a show band associated with Stax Records. He lived to New York City where he immersed himself in the jazz culture, being fortunate to play with many of his jazz heroes. Once more returning to Fort Worth, he formed the Lelota Be-Bop Quintet, and played with Pete Peterson and with the Winston Barney Orchestra. He is the founding force behind the 5th Avenue Jazz Collective.

Eddie Dunlap, Percussion
A native of Fort Worth, Eddie began playing drums professionally at age of 10. He's performed with Stevie Ray Vaughn, Mose Alison, Master Cylinder, French tap dancer, Sarah Petronio, & West African dancer, Titus Fotso, and has hosted workshops through the Van Cliburn Foundation with the Brazilian percussion group, Uakti, & internationally renowned percussionist, Evelyn Glennie. He has worked with local theaters such as Jubilee Theater, Circle Theater & Hip Pocket Theatre. Eddie is also the founder and artistic director of Mondo Drummers.

Joey Carter - Piano, Vibes & Percussion A native of Fort Worth, Joey has performed with many area jazz groups: Johnny Reno, Brad Thompson and his Undulating Band, the Fort Worth Symphony Big Band, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Texas Wind Symphony. Joey is a member of and composer for the original jazz group Bertha Coolidge whose debut release Live at the Caravan of Dreams 030201 won the Album of the Year in the 2002 Fort Worth Weekly music awards. He is currently teaching percussion at Texas Christian University.

Dave Williams - Saxophone & Composer
A native of Fort Worth, Dave grew up in a family of musicians and performed in woodwind quartets, jazz big bands, rock bands, and C&W groups. For the past 20 years he has performed professionally in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and toured the United States with jazz artists such as Louie Bellson, Mel Torme, Clark Terry and the Glenn Miller orchestra among others. He has backed pop artist such as The Temptations, Frankie Valli, and The Supremes as well as playing festivals and concert halls.

Pat Brown - Trombonist & Composer
A native of Fort Worth, Pat began playing trombone at age 12. He has performed and recorded with numerous Latino organizations in the Metroplex including Latin Express, C.R. and Special Guest, Joe Lerma, and Lisa Ramirez. He has performed and recorded with such diverse groups as Razzmajazz Dixieland Band, and Tao, an electric fusion venture, which he co-founded with Fort Worth guitarist Keith Wingate. He currently is playing, arranging, and composing for a variety of musical organizations.

Kyp Green - Bass
A native of Fort Worth, Kyp is active as both a classical and jazz bassist. He is a member of the Dallas Wind Symphony, East Texas Symphony, Waco Symphony and the Dallas Jazz Orchestra. He has backed artists as diverse as Itzak Perlman, Pincas Zuckerman in the classical world to popular acts such as Yanni, the Moody Blues, Larry Gatlin, Steve Allen and Phyllis Diller. Over the years he has also been privileged to accompany many jazz greats such as Clark Terry, Doc Severenson, Eddie Daniels, Al Grey, Red Holloway, Carl Fontana, the Four Freshmen, Bobby Shew, Shelly Berg, Don Menza, Mary Stam, James clay and Lou Marini among many others.

A last-minute addition to the group is Damon Callahan on piano.

The 5th Avenue Jazz Collective was conceived by Leonard Belota, Eddie Dunlap, and Gracey Tune. The funding for the Collective was made possible by an anonymous jazz supporter.

For upcoming Jazz Collective events, click here.

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