ABOUT
History
Peter Stathas fell forward into the choreographic process early and naively in his dance career. As a young dancer, Peter found himself not connecting with much of the work that was being produced. This led him to start creating his own work even though he didn’t know much about being a choreographer. Peter started out working with slim budgets, peers that were willing to take a chance and limited opportunities. Many workshops and showcases later, he began to gain some support for his work. A few commissions led to further confidence, less fear and more belief. But it wasn’t to be. New responsibilities happened in his life, derailing his artistic aspirations.
In 2016, at the age of 60, Peter found himself with a yearning to re-event the dance career he left behind. After conversations with trusted colleagues, Peter had the idea to form Peter Stathas Dance (PSD). The decision to form the company solidified when he was accepted into Doug Varone’s Devices choreography intensive in 2018. PSD experienced early success, being selected in 2019 by Danspace Community ACCESS to perform their curated program, “Leaving and Coming Back,” premiering new work, “In The Garden” through the Gibney POP Series in 2020 and premiering an original 7-part dance film in 2021 titled, “What We Have To Give.” Following this momentum in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic, Peter founded “The Barn Project” residency in Elkhorn, Wisconsin in 2021 as a way to safely return to dance making with the company for the first time since 2020. The Barn Project has since transformed into a dance incubator for artists across the midwest region and beyond to present work and make professional connections from different communities. From 2021 to present, The Barn Project has featured artists and companies including but not limited to Dawn Springer, David Parker, Sara Hook, Jeff Kazin, Danceworks Milwaukee, Concert Dance Company Chicago.
Congruently, PSD tours have circulated nationally, with residencies, performances and intensives in Austin, Texas, New York City, Milwaukee and Illinois. PSD kicked off 2024 by presenting in the APAP showcase at City Center NYC, followed by the American Dance Guild Performance Festival at Citigroup Theatre Alvin Ailey Center NYC. The company will continue their tour in Connecticut, southeastern Wisconsin, Eastern Illinois and New York.
Peter’s choreographic inspiration comes from many places. He is an incredibly observant person and chooses to live life in the moment. His observation of life lies in the nuances of the background instead of what is obviously right there in front of him. His view of the world comes to him from all of his senses which keeps him grounded in the present. These are the traits that drive Peter’s creative process.
Mission
The mission of Peter Stathas Dance is to provide a forum for dance artists to harness creative artistic expression through performance, collaboration and education. Peter’s vision is to create dance that reflects the human experience and engages with diverse communities.Through developing his work, Peter values the whole artist, connecting with their history and creating dances that reflect both himself and his collaborators.
Peter Stathas Dance advocates for dance as a fundamental medium for community building, collaboration and individual wellbeing. PSD is committed to ensuring the sustainability and equity of dance as a professional career for performing artists and collaborators.
Core Values
Leadership
Inspire and empower dancers to reach their full potential
Mentorship
Share the experience, knowledge, and diversity gained in a career spanning over 35 years
Equity
Ensure that all artists get equal opportunities and earn a living wage
Human Connection
Engage with art and communities through our common humanity
Peter Stathas
Peter Stathas began his dance career at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and transferred to SUNY Purchase to finish his dance training. He moved to New York City to study with such dance luminaries as Gerri Houlihan, Lar Lubovitch, Mel Wong, Mark Morris and his mentor Maggie Black. He performed with the Jose Limon Dance Company and worked extensively with Bessie winning choreographer and filmmaker Marta Renzi.
For the past 30 years, Peter has worked as a Physical Therapist forming his own successful private practice, Freedom Physical Therapy Services, which has four locations in the greater Milwaukee area.
After a long hiatus, his love for dance inspired his decision to return to choreography. Peter returned to the stage in 2016 presenting his first work in over 30 years.
The Company
Mariah Gravelin (she/her) | Dancer
Mariah grew up and began her dance training in Southeastern Connecticut under the direction of Gloria Govrin, where she began her Limón training with Libby Nye at the age of 11. She continued her classical training and received her BFA from the Ailey/Fordham Program, where she performed works by Alvin Ailey, José Limón, Paul Taylor, and others. Mariah has been a dancer with the Limón Dance Company since January 2019 and joined Peter Stathas Dance in the summer of 2021. During her time in the Limón Company, she has performed both classical and contemporary works around the world. In addition to her performing career, Mariah also serves on the teaching faculty of the Limón Institute, is the Social Media Associate for the José Limón Dance Foundation, and is a freelance photographer @mariahgravelinphoto.
Ty Graynor (he/him) | Dancer
Ty, from Huntington, NY, received his BFA in Dance from The Hartt School of the University of Hartford. Throughout his training he has performed works by Martha Graham, José Limón, Doris Humphrey, Doug Varone, Bryan Arias, Adam Barruch, and Manuel Vignoulle. In 2018, he trained at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance as a Company Dancer with Graham 2. In 2019 he joined the Limón Dance Company as a performing and teaching artist. In 2022, he relocated to Austin, Texas and is focused on creating opportunities for the local community to use movement as a tool for expansion and expression.
Selina Shida Hack (she/her) | Dancer
Selina Shida Hack (Queens, New York) is a dance artist and choreographer based in New York, USA, and Berlin, Germany. Selina hopes to create works that connect authentic movement with other mediums to develop intricate & honest visuals. She has roots in Guyana and Japan: a wide-angle view of the world that fuels her joy for constantly exploring new visual techniques inspired by different cultures.
She has trained at The Alvin Ailey School, SUNY Purchase College, and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Selina has had the privilege to perform works by Hivewild, Keigwin + Co., Peter Stathas Dance, Martha Graham, Sidra Bell, Kimberly Bartosik, Danae Dimitriadi & Dionysios Alamanos, Celia Rowlson-Hall, Nicole von Arx, and Megan Lawson.
As a choreographer, Selina has presented her work at La Spezia Festival (Italy), Kaatsbaan Summer Dance Festival, and The Historic Green-Wood Cemetery. Selina has starred in films, F L U X (2021), Shelter Island (2021), and Wait A Minute (2021). Through her commercial work, Selina has worked for musical artists, such as Madonna, Black Violin, Jukebox the Ghost, and Halestorm. To further spread her love for movement, Selina has taught at Tanzfabrik Berlin, Dance Theater of Harlem, and Dance Cork Firkin Crane.
Paulina Meneses (she/they) | Dancer
Paulina Meneses is a Filipino-American dancer hailing from Las Vegas, NV, and a graduate of SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance and minor in Arts Management. During her time in college, she performed works by Shannon Gillen, Kimberly Bartosik, Xan Burley, Sue Bernhard, Alexandra Beller, and Trisha Brown. Now based in New York City, they have worked with esteemed artists including Doug Varone and Dancers, Dylan Crossman, Hannah Garner’s 2nd Best Dance Company, Johnnie Cruise Mercer, and Kyle Abraham on his New York City Ballet premiere, “The Runaway.” In addition to Peter Stathas Dance, Paulina currently collaborates and dances for Julia Antinozzi, Marie Paspe, and MeenMoves.
Lauren Twomley (she/her) | Dancer, Rehearsal Coordinator, Social Media Manager
Lauren Twomley, born in Brooklyn, New York, graduated from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Arts Management. She has worked with renowned choreographers: Doug Varone, Sidra Bell, Dylan Crossman, Kevin Wynn, Ana Maria Lucaciu, Chafin Seymour, Francesca Harper, Jiri Kylian, Joost Vrouenraets, Kate Weare, Raul Tamez, Olivier Tarpoga, Azure Barton and Kayla Farrish, and has performed masterworks by Martha Graham, José Limón and Merce Cunningham. Lauren currently is a dancer, rehearsal coordinator and social media manager for Peter Stathas Dance, as well as a performing and teaching artist for the José Limón Dance Foundation. She has her own teaching practice that explores the deconstruction of Limón Movement Principles with the goal of making the technique accessible and approachable to all mover and values connection, diversity, and play in her artistic endeavors.
Collaborators
Debrasha Greye (she/her) | Operations Manager
Artist and Arts Administrator, Debrasha Greye has been nurtured through her involvement in various Milwaukee area dance and theatre arts programs including Art In Motion, City Ballet Theatre, Modjeska Youth Theatre, Lincoln Center of the Arts and Milwaukee Highschool of the Arts. In her early 20s, Greye was presented with teaching and performance experiences with Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap, the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), public and private school residencies, and various local and national performance venues. Dedicated to expanding her artistic repertoire, Greye has studied dance in studios from Latin America to Germany. Her myriad of dance experiences and commitment to the arts led her to further express her creative tenacity through administrative support to arts organizations, nonprofits, and creative entrepreneurs through business administration under Debrasha Greye, LLC. She remains connected to her artistic roots through teaching dance and collaborating with community-based organizations. Greye has worked with Peter Stathas Dance since December 2022 and is honored to be apart of the companies growth and success!
Sean Kafer (he/him) | Bullhorn Films
Sean Kafer is the Director of doc|UWM, a filmmaker, and teaching faculty at UW-Milwaukee in the Department of Film, Video, Animation, and New Genres. Primarily he works in documentary film but has also created experimental narrative work, video installation, and photography. Sean is finishing a documentary about the Brady Street neighborhood and its history with doc|UWM and UW students. He just began production on an experimental documentary about the prehistoric lake sturgeon and its connection with people. He has a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts and a Master’s in Film from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.