Jeannie Hill

INSTRUCTOR

Jeannie Hill joined the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point faculty in 2004 and teaches Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre Dance, Beginning Ballet and Composition.

She is also an associate artistic director and principal performer with the Chicago-based company Jump Rhythm Jazz Project (Billy Siegenfeld, artistic director). (www.jrjp.org) Since the company’s founding in 1990, she has toured nationally and internationally with Siegenfeld, performing the duo’s chamber jazz musical Romance in Swingtime as well as other company repertory. Celebrating JRJP’s unique "rhythm-first" approach to movement learning, Jeannie continues to perform with, teach and choreograph for the company both in Chicago and on the road. Jump Rhythm Jazz Project: Getting There, a one-hour TV special documenting the work of JRJP was produced by HMS Media and held its premiere on Chicago's WTTW in May of 2007. Along with the rest of the company members Jeannie received an Emmy Award (Outstanding Achievement for Individual Excellence on Camera: Performer) for her performance in the documentary.

As a tap soloist Jeannie has danced with Brenda Bufalino, Jeni LeGon and the late greats Jimmy Slyde and James Buster Brown as part of the Hoofer’s Weekend in New Orleans. She has had incredible opportunities to perform with numerous great tap colleagues and jazz musicians at festivals and venues like the Discover Jazz Festival, Sculler's Jazz Club, Zinno’s, New York’s Tap City at the Joyce Theatre and the Duke Theatre, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, St. Louis Tap Festival, Southern California Tap Festival and The Saco River Grange Hall. For seven years she worked with Manhattan Tap (Heather Cornell, artistic director) and was introduced to the ever-expanding international community of rhythm tap dancers.

Her varied performance career has included international touring as a Noh dancer with Robert Wilson and David Byrne’s the Knee Plays (Suzushi Hanyagi,choreographer); originating the role of Clara in the world premiere of Drika Overton’s jazz-tap Nutcracker Clara's Dream; touring with Mike Gordon (Phish) as a tap dancing rock jam-band member; a featured dancer and singer in a five month run of A 40s’ Review with the Tony Corbiscello Big Band at The Supper Club in New York, and performing with her comic country band The Chalks (including an appearance on Comedy Central's Premium Blend, release of a cd of original music and co-authorship of a sit-com pilot script for Big Ticket Television).

In addition to the yearly UWSP faculty concert Danstage, she has choreographed Hair, Urinetown, Fiddler on the Roof, Crazy For You, and Pirates of Penzance. Jeannie has been commissioned to create dances for Decidedly Jazz Danceworks (Calgary), Point Park University, The Legacy Dancers, Step Aside, Tappers With Attitude, Manhattan Tap, Northwestern University's Danceworks and Jump Rhythm Jazz Project.

While living in NYC Jeannie taught Jump Rhythm Jazz and tap at Steps on Broadway and Manhattanville College. Jeannie holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Vermont and will receive her MFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Peck School of the Arts.