Long-lived professional dancers turned educators Sean Greene and Liz Maxwell discuss their personal lives, careers, and transitions. Join a real-time conversation about contemporary dance and the state of the movement arts from insiders informed by their extensive performance careers and creative pursuits.

In 1966, at the age of 19, Sean Greene took his first dance class at Pierce Junior College in the San Fernando Valley. From 1968 until April 1987 he danced with the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company, touring, performing, and teaching all over the world. In 1987 Sean became the Artistic Director of Transitions Dance Company out of the Laban Centre in London. He toured internationally with this company until 1993. Before returning to the U.S., Sean spent nine months as Rehearsal Director for the Phoenix Dance Company in Leeds, England.

Since his return, he has taught at UC Irvine, Idyllwild Arts Academy, and Chapman University. Sean has been Artist-in-Residence for C.A.P.H.E.R.D. and Cal State University Summer Arts at Fresno State University and Guest Artist for C.S.S.S.A. He is currently teaching at the California Conservatory of the Arts in San Juan Capistrano and Cal State University Long Beach and his company Gallimaufry & Greene, produced evening-long works.

Liz Maxwell, MFA, CLMA, RSME is Associate Professor of Dance at Chapman University specializing in teaching somatic disciplines, modern dance techniques, dance history, and choreography. She received her BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School. There, she worked with such leading figures as Hanya Holm, Paul Taylor, Daniel Lewis, Kazuko Hirabayashi, Alfredo Corvino, Anna Sokolow, and Martha Hill. Upon graduation she continued her performance studies in New York with Dan Wagoner, Jocelyn Lorenz, Alfredo Corvino, Irene Hultman, Vicky Shick, Merce Cunningham, Mel Wong, and Maggie Black. As a performer, Liz focused on concert dance in New York and performed and toured in the companies of Laura Dean, Lucinda Childs, Donald Byrd, Ton Simons, and Kenneth Rinker, traveling throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. While in New York she also performed with Neil Greenberg, Elisa Monte, Bill Young, and in Trisha Brown’s first apprentice group.

Liz went on to earn her MFA in Dance at the University of Washington’s unique “returning professional” program where she honed an interest in dance aesthetics. Liz has taught throughout Southern California at CalArts, Loyola Marymount University, CalPoly-Pomona, Rio Hondo College, UC-Riverside, California State University-Long Beach, Scripps College, and Pomona College. In addition, she is a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst, through Integrated Movement Studies, and a Registered Somatic Movement Educator through the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association.