PERIDANCE FACULTY
Current
Leann Gioia
Simonson Technique
BIOGRAPHY
Leann Gioia received her BFA in Dance from the University of Iowa in 2014 and started her professional dance career in New York City. Currently, she dances for Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company and is a founding member of Variety Pack Collective. She discovered her passion for the Simonson technique in 2018 after taking class with Teresa (Te) Perez Ceccon and was immediately drawn to the way the technique works with each individual body. She went on to complete the beginner level Simonson Teacher Training course in NYC in the summer of 2021, and the next year, the Step Up training where she received her certificate in teaching the higher levels of Simonson Technique, both under the direction of Te Perez Ceccon. In addition, she had the opportunity to learn from Lynn Simonson herself in Rockport, MA. Leann also performed in Te’s dance piece Jealous Desert at Gibney 280 in the spring of 2019. Leann currently teaches the Simonson technique to the members of Variety Pack Collective, sharing this inclusive, strengthening, healing technique with others.
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Leann will guide you through a somatically aware approach to Modern Jazz technique focusing on alignment and leading to a greater awareness of the body’s possibilities within its own unique form. Her class begins with the Simonson 10-minute warm-up designed to prepare the body for dance. The foundations of Simonson technique are utilized throughout the class exercises and combinations. Dancers of all styles will be able to learn how to work within their own range of motion, reducing predisposition to injury, and increasing strength, stability, and flexibility.