Biographies

Amanda Abrams is a modern dancer based in Washington, DC. Originally from North Carolina, she has danced with several DC-based groups and her choreography has been shown at Dance Place and Joy of Motion. Amanda is an avid improviser, helps facilitate a weekly contact improvisation jam, and is the former organizer of the DC Improvisation Festival. When not dancing, she's feverishly at work trying to succeed as a freelance writer.

Alexander Short has been dancing in the Washington area for a long time. He has worked with many local choreographers including Paul Emerson, Tyrone Murray, Tara Tai Pierson, Michelle Ava, Lou Antonini, Nancy Newell, Miya Hisaka, Karen Studd, Kitty Clark, Barbara Belzer, Jane Franklin and, most recently, Malcolm Shute.  He has studied modern, tap and ballroom dancing.  He received his certificate in Laban Movement Analysis from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in 2000.

Malcolm (Mac) Shute directs Human Landscape Dance, a contemporary dance company in Washington DC. As a choreographer, he charts human relationships through touch: a hand closing a pair of eyes, feet rising over a shoulder, a figure standing upon another's back. His work has been seen in Philadelphia, Nova Scotia, and London. Shute holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance with a concentration in choreography from the University of Maryland. He is a Certified Movement Analyst through the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies. Shute teaches choreography and writing at the Towson University BFA Dance Program. 

Mary Szegda, a native of Connectut, is a Board Certified Dance Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor and Massage Therapist at The Spa Room. She has been dancing in Washington DC since 1999. She studied with teachers Mim Rosen, Ed Tyler and Lou Antonini. She has presented work at the Jack Guidone Theatre and The Dinner Party. Mary is excited to be working with Human Landscape Dance.