Michael Estanich

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Michael Estanich teaches contemporary modern dance technique, composition, dance teaching theories, repertory, dance history and movement analysis. He earned his MFA from The Ohio State University in 2006 and his BFA from Denison University in 1995. His creative research currently examines ideas of space, architecture, landscape, and habitation, often resulting in collaborative experiences between dance and sculpture. Before coming to UWSP, Michael danced in Chicago, IL for six years with Mad Shak Dance Company under the artistic direction of Molly Shanahan, Cerulean Dance Theatre, and independent artists Rebecca Rosen, Scott Putnam, Julia Rhodes, and Martha Mulligan. He has performed throughout the Midwest, Texas, and at Dance Theatre Workshop in NYC. His own choreography has been presented at Links Hall, a Chicago mainstay dance space, and a variety of performance venues, art galleries, and dance festivals throughout Chicago and Ohio. He has been a guest artist at several colleges and universities, most recently invited back to OSU to create new work for Karen Eliot, professor of dance (2006), and PhD student Ashley Thorndike (2008). He has taught for several years at the American Colleges Dance Festival and performed in the Gala Concert in 2005. While at OSU, he has performed in works by Melanie Bales, Blake Beckham, and New York artists Bebe Miller and Larry Keigwan. He was also part of the Valarie Mockabee’s Labanotation reconstruction of Mark Morris’ acclaimed All Fours.