Jody C DeLoria

STUDIO OWNER

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Jody C. (Houk) DeLoria began her early training at Dance Dimensions, under the direction of Susan Beckman and Chris Kastner.  After high-school, she spent one year at SUNY Geneseo where she studied with Jonette Lancos and Jacqueline McCausland.   Upon transferring to SUNY Brockport, she studied under José Limón Company members James Payton and Susannah Newman, received the Rose L. Strasser and Departmental Scholar Awards and went on to graduate magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance and psychology.

Prior to opening Jody B’s Studio of Dance in 2003, Jody gained teaching experience at Dance Dimensions, Hochstein School of Music & Dance and the dancentré.  Over the years she has continued her dance education, attending workshops sponsored by Broadway Dance Center, Dance Masters of America Teacher Training School, The Limón Institute, and the Bill Evans Teacher Institute, to name some.  Through these opportunities she has had the privilege of studying: jazz with Tom Ralabate, Sheila Barker, Joe Tremaine, and Debra Knapp, ballet with Kitty Daniels, Elizabeth Wadell and Kerry Ring, Tap with Barb Denny, Michelle Dorrance, Germaine Salsberg, and Toni Noblett, and modern with Bill Evans, Alan Danielson, Jonette Lancos and Melanie Aceto.

Jody has extensive experience teaching ballet, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical and acrobatics. Her students and choreography have received special recognition at many regional competitions.  This season, she was voted “Teacher of the Year” by her colleagues at The Invitational Talent competition. Jody appreciates the qualities that each dance form brings to create a well-rounded dancer. However, she is first to admit her partiality to both, tap and modern dance.  Many of Jody’s students have gone on to continue their dance training in college dance programs and have become wonderful instructors and choreographers.  Others have reveled in the rare opportunity to work for and perform in Disney World, major touring musicals, and dance companies.

In 2012, Jody joined the faculty at SUNY Geneseo where she remains an adjunct in both the Theatre and Dance, and Music departments.  In 2013, she returned to study dance formally as an M.F.A. candidate.  Graduate school uncovered her aptitude for combining structure with creativity.  Her thesis project, a collaboration with composer Paul DeLoria, culminated in the performance of two unique works both of which were based on the same permutational structure.  The contemporary work, Who am I?, and the tap work, R1E2V3O4L4V3E2S1,  were choreographed on students and performed in the spring semester Geneseo Dance Ensemble concert.  Jody earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in performing arts: dance from The Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.