Artistic Staff

Joan Meggitt (Artistic/Executive Director) launched Antaeus Dance in 2001 with an ambitious tour of Estonia and immediately followed it with a world-premiere evening-length performance in Cleveland. Meggitt is a Cleveland-based choreographer, educator, and performer. Her impressive repertoire includes over 45 evocative danceworks that combine physical stamina and self-discipline with a deep awareness of personal vulnerability. Her choreography has been performed by Allegheny Repertory Dance, Kent State Dance Ensemble, Mather Dance Ensemble, Verb Ballets, and various other dance artists and ensembles both nationally and abroad.

Meggitt is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Dance Division of Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance. In addition, she directs the annual Allegheny Summer Dance Intensive. Active in the field of dance education, Meggitt has been a guest artist and lecturer in modern dance at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in Europe.

Meggitt began studying dance at Allegheny College with Jan Hyatt and James Reedy. She earned her M.F.A. in Dance from Case Western Reserve University, under the instruction of Kathryn Karipides and Kelly Holt. Her training has been devoted to the modern dance technique of Erick Hawkins, which she has studied under numerous company members, most notably Kelly Holt, James Reedy, Cynthia Reynolds, and Gloria McLean.

Amy Compton (Dancer) is a dancer/educator/choreographer living in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a B.F.A. with double majors in Dance Performance and Modern Foreign Languages and a M.Ed. in Education, specifically Adult Learning and Development. Currently Compton performs as a freelance performance artist and as a dancer with Antaeus Dance, the Cleveland State University Dance Company, and The Dance/Theatre Collective. She has also had the pleasure of working with various choreographers including David Dorfman, Jennifer Keller, Lisa Race, Mark Taylor, Susan Van Pelt, and LaMariquilla of Granada Spain. In addition to performing and creating dance works, Compton enjoys teaching many different dance techniques including Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballet, and Flamenco as dance faculty at CSU, Lake Erie College, and Lakeland Community College. She also enjoys dancing with young people while teaching CSU’s Saturday in the Studio and as part of Cleveland Young Audiences Program. As an artist Compton’s goal has been to bring movement to people and communities which normally would not be exposed to dance.

Marissa Glorioso (Dancer) is an independent contemporary choreographer and dancer based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her choreography has been performed in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Hawaii. In addition to her work with Antaeus Dance, Glorioso performs with the Cleveland State University Modern Dance Company and trideaDANCE, the resident dance company of the Ritz Theatre in Tiffin, Ohio. Glorioso holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Dance from CSU.

Heather Koniz (Dancer) holds a Master of Fine Arts from Case Western Reserve University and Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College (Clinton, NY). Koniz has performed works by Holly Labbe Cole, Richard Dickinson, Maurice Fraga, Gary Galbraith, Martha Graham, James Hansen, Elaine Heekin, Linda Kahn, Joan Meggitt, Nina Nelson, Leslie Norton, May O’Donnell, Tresa Randall, Pascal Rioult, Barbara Allegra Verlezza, Sabatino Verlezza and Bruce Walczyk. She has attended various workshops with the Limon Dance Company, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre, Ellis Wood Dance and Dance Theatre X. Her choreography has been performed at the Glue Performance Series in Philadelphia, PA, adjudicated at the American College Dance Festival, and performed at the Northeast Ohio Dance Festival. In addition, Koniz is a seasoned teacher and has taught throughout Pennsylvania, central New York, and Ohio. She is currently the Dance Department Coordinator at Solon Center for the Arts.

Sherri Mills (Dancer) received her M.A. in Dance from Case Western Reserve University and B.A. from Cleveland State University with an emphasis in Performance and Choreography. She was also a member of the CSU Dance Company. Mills now teaches master classes with Antaeus Dance in the annual Allegheny Summer Dance Intensive at Allegheny College and other venues. She has performed in the works of Martha Graham, Kathleen Kohatsu, Joan Meggitt, Romy Noltimier, Beth Salemi Szpak and Susan Van Pelt. Mills has also had the honor of dancing with Anna Halprin in the remake of Blank Placard Happening and Planetary Dance. Currently, Mills teaches at Cleveland Yoga and Lakeland Community College. She is also a licensed massage therapist specializing in Myofascial Release and energy healing.

Brad Petot (Lighting Designer) has been designing lighting at Case Western Reserve University’s Mather Dance Center since 1984. He has worked with and designed for many local and notable artists, including Kathryn Karipides, Kelly Holt, Karen Potter, Gary Galbraith, Melanee Darby, David Shimotakahara, Gina Gibney and Joan Meggitt. In his spare time, Petot is a Senior Staff Engineer for Philips Medical Systems, where he designs MRI machines.

CURRENT GUEST ARTISTS: Prospect & Refuge Project

Sarah Carey, Dancer
Desmond Davis, Dancer
Doug Lodge, Collaborator & Performance Artist
Cynthia Penter, Film Artist
Bill Sallak, Composer

Photographs on this page, from top to bottom, are © Chris Zielski, Simone Jowell, Sherri Mills, Sherri Mills, and Simone Jowell