Oliver Steele

Contemporary

Biography:

Oliver Steele is Romanian by birth and a citizen of Germany. In 1991, Mr. Steele began his dance education at the Iwanson Dance Center (Munich/Germany) under the direction of Jessica Iwanson. He moved to New York in 1992 to continue his training where he studied with and performed the works of Kevin Wynn, Milton Myers, Andrew Asnes, Richard Pierlon, John Evans, Val Suarez, Ray Tadio, David Storey, Scott Rink, Michael Foley, Charles Wright, Daniel Tinazzi and Fabrice Herault.

With his company STEELEDANCE Mr. Steele's choreography has been performed at, commissioned and presented by Theater Studio H at Gibney Dance and DNA, the KnJ Theater at Peridance, the Ailey Citi Group Theater, the Agnes Varis Theater at North Carolina School of the Arts, Joyce Soho presents, the Patricia Nanon Theatre at The Yard, St. Marks Church with Dancers Responding to Aids, the French Institute with In the Company of Men, the Tappan Zee Dance Group, DTW's Bessie Schonberg Theater, the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, the Battery Dance Company in their Downtown Dance Festival, the Cunningham Studio, the Evolving Arts Theater at Dance Space and Steps' Faculty Showcase.

Mr. Steele has taught workshops, master classes and lecture demonstrations at The Juilliard School, Rutgers University, Hunter College, The University of Utah at Salt Lake City, The University of California at Santa Barbara and North Carolina School of the Arts. Internationally his teachings include the Iwanson Dance Center (Germany), Matsuyama University (Japan), Dance Camp Companie Champagne (Italy) and Ketsevhagoof Studio (Israel).

Mr. Steele is currently on faculty at Gibney Dance and he is holding a position as adjunct instructor at NYU Tisch.

Class Description:

The stretch and strength sequence promotes and preserves the dancers health in that the exercises actively oppose the overuse of certain muscle groups, its main focus being core strength. Consequently this develops, restores and maintains correct skeletal alignment and an evenly integrated muscular system - ultimately granting a longer career.

Now feeling present, open and strong the following movement exercises firstly advocate ones center and secondly they cultivate the proper use of gravity, initially while in center and later while off center. Their designs are strongly supported with Modern and Classical Technique and they offer opportunities to research various possibilities within a Bilateral, Circular and Multi-Dimensional Off-Center, as well as reinforce a sense of a proper Moving-Through-Center, to actualize clear, dynamic and efficient transitions, all the while focusing on the specificity of how the weight actually shifts.

Mr. Steele's choreographic phrases range from expressive and intense to athletic or fluid and musical while their composition will always surprise in every aspect imaginable.

The final goal is to achieve and then maintain the highest quality possible within each and every moment/movement, crisp and visible technique, along with a clear mind, which invites the confidence of self implementing one's ability, knowledge and creativity into the choreography - "Self-Teaching". "When studying with me always remember that there are two teachers in the room. I am teacher number two ... "