ROCK HILL, SC, September 16, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Sandra Neels, Associate Professor of Dance at Winthrop University, Choreographer & Instructor for The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts, and Reconstructionist for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company & Studio, has been recognized by Cambridge Who's Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership and excellence in dance.

With 50 years of experience in performing, teaching, and choreographing, Ms. Neels continues to enjoy a lively career in dance. As an educator, she teaches a full course load of technique and theory at Winthrop University; choreographs and teaches contemporary dance at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts; and Cunningham dance technique when she is in New York at the Cunningham Studio. A firm believer that the contributions of great artists should be preserved for the enrichment of future generations, she also lends her talents to the MCDC, where she reconstructs and stages the works of the late Merce Cunningham, recognized as the most innovative choreographer of his generation. Her interviews with Eva Evdokimova, Robert Barnett, and Stanislav Issaev were recently published in Dance Magazine. Ms. Neels attributes the success she has found in multiple aspects of her field to her passion for the arts in general and the fact that she was born knowing that she wanted to dance.

Ms. Neels completed her training in theatre arts at Portland State University, and her training in dance in New York at the Joffrey Ballet, New Dance Group Studio, and the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio. Her professional affiliations include the South Carolina Dance Association, the South Carolina Arts Alliance, the National Dance Association, and the International Council on Dance. In her spare time, she volunteers for various fundraisers organized by the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts. She also gives generously to The Humane Society of the United States, March of Dimes, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Ms. Neels hopes to keep Merce Cunningham's legacy alive by teaching, writing articles, and contributing her reconstructions to the Cunningham Trust's digital dance capsule of his work.

For more information about Merce Cunningham Dance Company & Studio, visit http://www.merce.org.

About Cambridge Who's Who
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