Staff |

Geni Morrow, Director of the EDGE

Geni has a 28 year teaching/dancing background which is as varied as it is extensive.

As a teacher she has coached gymnastics throughout Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii, as well as at the prestigious National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics. She decided to combine her dance and gymnastics experience and founded The EDGE in 1992.

As a performer she has danced with Lifters, Inc., the 5 by 2 Dance Co., University of Alaska, the Jones-Ludin Dance Company, the Eugene Jazz Company, Oregon Coast Ballet Company, San Nicholas and Company, and Mary Seereiter. She was Associate Director for the Newport Performing Arts production of “DANCEFORUM.” She is the producer of “Dance for a Reason”, an annual benefit for local charitable organizations.

Amalia Coxe-Trieger

Amalia fell in love with dance when she first found The EDGE. Later joined the EDGE Performance performance Group in 2000 where she experienced the LCC and Hult Center stage through Dance for a Reason. She continues to dance locally; exploring choreography, modern and jazz.

Having competed for several years as a gymnast, Amalia has a strong background in tumbling and is currently an instructor at Bounce Gymnastics. When she isn’t teaching, Amalia takes circus arts classes (climbing the aerial silks is her favorite) bakes up a storm and plays Super Heroes with her twin boys, Ari & Leo, now four. This is her fourth year on staff, and second year as the Pre EDGE Director.

Lindsey Shields

Born and raised in Southern Maine, Lindsey started her dance education and training at the age of two in her mother’s dance studio, The Turning Point Dance Center. Growing up only an hour from Boston, Lindsey’s training was not limited to her mother’s studio; she has trained all over the world (in cities as far as Tokyo, Japan) with masters including Jeannette Neill, Tamsin Kemos, Al Gilbert, Mia Michael, Suzi Taylor, Wendy Gibson, Gil Stroming, Tom Logan, and Joe Lanteri.

Lindsey’s background includes a strong knowledge of technique in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, musical theatre, creative movement, lyrical, contemporary, and acrobatics. With over 15-years of teaching experience, she has taught students as young as two and as old as 80. Lindsey has strong performance knowledge on both competitive and recreational levels and has received many national awards for her choreography and talents (including top scores for choreography at regional NYCDA, ADA, and Dancers Inc. competitions). She was first runner-up at the IMTA convention as entertainer-of-the-year in New York City for dance, modeling, and on-screen acting. She has been involved with the training of professional models, performance classes, stage makeup for both dancers and models, on-screen acting, and training young dancers to make the most of their talents.

Lindsey moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2007 hoping to share her knowledge and East Coast style with the many studios in the Eugene area. Since she has been here she has performed and provided choreography for both Dance North West and Kings Krew, taken over the Body and Soul School of Dance when their current owner passed away in a car accident, and has taught for many dance studios in the area including Musical Feet, The EDGE, Eugene Ballet Academy, Body and Soul, and the Amazon Community Center.

She is very excited for the 2009 season, because it includes the launching of her dance company, Flex Studios! She is truly passionate about her job and will always provide her students with a loving environment, honesty and a continued and updated education in the arts field.

Nicole Curry graduated with a degree in dance from Minnesota State University in 2008. Since then she has worked with a number of different companies and choreographers and even worked as a back up dancer for†a recording artist. She is now happy to be living in Eugene as she continues to pursue her career in dance.

Librado Biasca’s hip-hop roots go back to his childhood learning b-boying from his cousin “Mooncricket” of Mooncricket Films. Growing up in Texas, Librado trained in a variety of dance styles including swing, Latin, Popping, and hip-hop choreography. He began teaching and performing in nightclubs as young as 17 years old. Among the clients he has worked for are Pepsi, Chi, and Wal-Mart. Librado Performed throughout Dallas, TX with the crew Brown Bag Special and as a recording artist with D.J. Love. Now based out of Eugene, Oregon, Librado operates a music/dance/nightlife entertainment company, Librado Entertainment out of The Reach Center.

Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner received her BFA in dance at the University of Minnesota and her MFA from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Her work, which focuses research on contemporary modern dance and American concert jazz dance, has been produced in Minneapolis, MN, Phoenix, AZ, New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. She is a four- time winner of the Arizona Choreography Competition’s Professional Division. She is currently on faculty at University of Oregon, Lane Community College and Western Oregon University.

Michaela Gilmer was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon. She began dancing and tumbling at the EDGE and with Geni when she was four years old. She started dancing with the EDGE performance group when she was 8 and performing at Dance for a Reason. She has also danced with Kings Krew Dance. She has worked with a variety of styles including hip-hop, contemporary, and lyrical. Michaela is very excited to be teaching at the EDGE this year!

Laura Katzman received her M.F.A. in dance from the University of Oregon in 2011 where she served as a Dance Graduate Teaching Fellow. She received her B.F.A. in dance with an additional major in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2008. She has a background in competitive gymnastics and contemporary modern dance. She has danced for many choreographers and received various academic awards and scholarships, which allowed her to attend many dance festivals around the country and to show her work in Wisconsin, Oregon, and New York. She is excited to be teaching at the EDGE and continuing to be an active part of the Eugene dance community.