Home | Company | Biographies | Performances | Repertoire | Classes | Links | Contact
Biographies
HNM Dance Company, founded in 1995, is a contemporary/modern dance company based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. With over fifty original dances and hundreds of performances under its wings, HNM is recognized for its sensual musicality, starkly dramatic, and wildly humorous repertoire. The company values collaborations with artists and organizations in all disciplines, and is committed to making dance accessible and enriching for everyone through public performances, workshops and classes. HNM has a dance series called, “Avant”; these dances are especially suited for orchestra concerts. One of the larger dances in this series is called, “Nutcracker X”, commissioned by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra. After its winning premiere in 2001 the company was deemed "Exceptional Creative Group" by the City of Windsor. "BEAUTIFUL" -Windsor Star; "MESMERIZING" -Room Magazine. HNM Dance Company is a recipient of the Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.
A r t i s t i c D i r e c t o r
Anh Nguyen is a music and dance artist from Canada. Presently he is principal choreographer and composer of HNM Dance Company and collaborating with innovative artists and organizations on multi-disciplinary projects for the 07/08 arts season. Nguyen makes regular guest appearances with progressive dance companies, symphony orchestras, art galleries, festivals and universities; including Dancetheatre David Earle, Danny Grossman Dance Company, 509 Dance Collective, Dance Teq, CADA British Columbia, American Ballet Theatre, Dance Nonce, Detroit Dance Collective, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and Michigan Opera Theatre. He serves as advisor for Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council, and was given the Mayor's Award of Excellence for Outstanding Artist. He has received a desirable amount of commissions and his works have been presented internationally by various dance and music ensembles. The Globe and Mail writes, “Nguyen's complex, energetic crisscross diagonals and clean, economical, athletic movements are as elegant as they are refreshing… brilliant stage pictures that perfectly mirrored the counterpoint and fugue of Bach's music… the ability to build very interesting dances on a clear, single focus.” The Courier-Journal describes Nguyen's choreography as, “PURE PLEASURE".
A r t i s t i c A s s o c i a t e
Katie Mecher-Williams is a native of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She is currently the artistic associate and dancer for HNM Dance Company. Katie is a graduate of Ryerson University in Toronto, majoring in Theatre Dance (1989). She has trained at the Minsk Choreographic School in Russia, with Toronto Dance Theatre, and with Ottawa's Le Groupe de la Place Royale. Katie has worked extensively with Windsor's Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises, both touring nationally and participating in educational programming. She has also performed with Dance Nonce, and has made several appearances with the Dance Collective as a guest artist. Katie has choreographed works for the Windsor Light Opera Company, for a number of independent dance shows, and for HNM Dance Company.
D a n c e r
Sigrid Chistiansen is still feeling the excitement and wonder of having returned to the dance stage after a twenty-year hiatus. With a B.A. in Drama from Franklin and Marshall College and training in modern dance and ballet, Sigrid danced with Chrysalis Dance Company in Providence, Rhode Island from 1977 to 1980. From 1980 to 1982 she danced as a free-lance dancer in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York until retiring to teach and pursue other interests. Returning to Detroit, she taught and choreographed throughout the city until a knee injury sidelined her dancing completely. In the interim, she married, worked in a family company, raised her children, and pursued her many other interests. She is a singer, a guitarist, and sings first soprano in Cantata Academy Choral. Knee surgery in 2001 has brought her back to dancing. From 2002-2003 she stepped in to run the Cranbrook/Kingswood dance department when Jessica Sinclair suddenly retired. Since 2003 Sigrid has performed as a guest dancer with Detroit Dance Collective. This year she is happy to join the HNM Dance Company. She extends heartfelt thanks to all who have encouraged, supported and facilitated her return to professional dancing.
D a n c e r
Leslie McCurdy, recipient of the 2000 Mayor's Award for "Outstanding Performing Artist" of Windsor, Ont., has been performing for many years in Southwestern Ontario and the Mid-Western United States as an Actor, Dancer/Choreographer, and Singer. Also a teacher, with an honours B.F.A. in dance from the University of Michigan, her many theatre credits include; "Billie Holiday" in "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill"; "Risa" in "Two Trains Running"; "Nurse Ratchet" in "One Flew Over the Cockoo's Nest"; "Bobbie-Michelle" in "Last of the Red Hot Lovers"; "Dorothy" in "The Wiz"; "Laura McClellan-Williams" in "Checkmates"; "The Acid Queen" in "Tommy"; "Fraulein Kost" in "Cabaret"; and "The Coochie Snoocher" in "The Vagina Monologues". Leslie has written two one-woman plays which she performs touring Canada and parts of the United States seven months of the year. "The Spirit of Harriet Tubman" was a finalist for a Canadian Chalmers Award for Best New Play for Young Audiences in 1999 and her second play "Things My Fore-Sisters Saw" will be featured on the Bravo Network in Canada with a premiere in February 2006 and several more broadcasts over the next four years. Recently she returned to her dance roots and performs with HNM Dance Company every chance she gets. Leslie wishes love to all and gives thanks for her many blessings.
D a n c e r
Jasmin McGraw was introduced to dance at the age of five in her home town of Windsor, Ontario. She began her training at the Dance Studio of Academie Ste. Cecile, Windsor City Ballet and HNM Dance Company. In 2002 she moved to Toronto to study at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre (STDT). While at STDT she performed works by Peggy Baker, Marc Boivin, Peter Chin, Christopher House, Sasha Ivanochko, and Michael Trent. McGraw spent the past year training at Codarts' Rotterdam Dance Academy in the Netherlands, where she collaborated with choreographer Aida Reza, visual artist Frans Huisman and performed works by Jerome Meyer. She is thrilled to be back with HNM Dance Company; she had missed the laughter.
D a n c e r
Louise Paquette, a Windsor native, graduated from York University in 1995 with her BFA as a dance major. Paquette returned to Windsor and in 1997 began dancing with two local professional dance companies, HNM Dance Company and Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises. In 1998 and 1999 Louise also worked with Dance Nonce. Louise has instructed dance at the Academie St. Cecile since 1996, for the Greater Essex County District School Board's learning through the arts program at local grade schools since 1999 and at the University of Windsor as a sessional instructor, 1999-2005. Ms. Paquette continues to share her love of dance with others both as a performer and an instructor.
D a n c e r
Michele Reis began dancing with HNM Dance Company in November of 2001. Since then she has performed "Bolero", "Living Sculptures" and "Entity". She also performed "Gloria" in the 2003 HNM Spring Concert, and "GreyDream" and "Oh, Yeah!" at fFIDA International Dance Festival in Toronto (August '03). Since November of 1999 she has been a principal dancer of a Michigan based company, Dance Nonce, under the artistic direction of Denise Szykula. Reis attended Central Michigan University where she studied modern, jazz and ballet with Orchesis Dance Theatre.
D a n c e r
Charlene Wong has a strong background in dance with over 18 years of dancing experience. In the past 5 years she has been dancing professionally around the world on various cruise ships as well as performed in a Las Vegas' magic production. She has recently performed at the Showtime Lounge at Casino Windsor. Charlene has had the privilege to work with world renowned choreographers and trained at top dance studios including the Edge in Los Angeles and MBS Performing Arts Studio in Toronto. In the past Charlene has competed across Canada and the United States with the Windsor Competitive Dance Company and has won numerous awards and has received many dance scholarships. She is now currently teaching dance and training a competitive dance team and is extremely happy to instruct, hoping to inspire young dancers and to teach them to follow their dreams. Charlene is delighted to be back home with her family and friends this year and is thrilled to be a part of HNM Dance Company.
more biographies to be posted