The Arizona Dance Coalition Board of Directors
ADC Board of Directors page – password protected.
| Executive Committee |
Board Members |
Lisa R Chow
Lisa R. Chow, President
Co-founder of the Arizona Dance Coalition | Vice President April 2006, President March 2007
Artistic Director of Desert Dance Theatre (Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe)
Lisa is Desert Dance Theatre’s (DDT) artistic director, company manager, choreographer, performer and educator. DDT has been on the roster of the Arizona Commission on the Arts since 1981 and has toured throughout Arizona, Mexico, California, Nevada, Texas, New York and the northwestern states. She has choreographed children’s programs in collaboration with String Sounds (String Quartet) for almost 15 years. Chow is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Crossroads Performance Group along with Step Raptis, performing interdisciplinary music and dance projects since 1989. She is also the managing director and performer with Step’s Junk Funk, interdisciplinary percussion and movement group that utilizes everyday objects as instruments. She was 1st Vice President of the Arizona Dance Arts Alliance (2002-05), coordinated and produced the AZ Contemporary Dance Festival and Arizona Dance Festivals for many years, and was a major force in the formation of the Arizona Dance Coalition.
Mary Heller
Mary Heller, Director (Prescott) | Director June 2017
Mary is a veteran Dance educator and scholar who has taught in conversatories, studios, schools and Higher Ed for more than 39 years making up all of her livelihood/full-time work. Mary is the founder, director, dancer and group choreographer of her own pick-up dance company, SatchDance – One People which has morphed into Sharing Ground International. She was full-time lecturer in Dance at the University of Idaho from 2006-2011. Since 2018 she has been an adjunct Professor of Dance at Yavapai College, AZ. Recently, Mary was invited as a half-time Lecturer at the University of Iowa, Fall – Spring 2025-2026, by the Kinesiology Dept. Dance Minor because of her S.S.S.A. Method. She flew back and forth teaching in-person and virtually between Yavapai College in Prescott as an adjunct, at a studio and teaching a BeMoved® class in her own business Mary Heller Dance Arts, AZ and ISU. Mary is currently back full-time working in the Prescott area. Mary has choreographed over 280 level 7-Elite/USA team, U.S.A.G. competitive girl gymnastic floor routines nationally for 37 years. Most all of these routines have placed first at State, Regional, National, and International competitions. They have traveled the U.S. with one routine touring South America, (Lindsey Borkan), and Kristopher Zimmerman, David Sender and Beth Kleinman being Junior Olympians. 2024 US Olympian Men’s Gymnastic Team’s Paul Ruda, Bronze Winner with U.S.A. Men’s Team, trained in Mary’s S.S.S.A. Method© at BGDGC in IL, before going to Michigan State University. From choreographing many of these routines in Region 5 at Buffalo Grove Dance & Gymnastics Center in Chicagoland each August for over 26 years, to being flown in to choreograph competition Dance routines in 10 dance forms, she is always excited for the next national Art she will be invited to create.
Originally from Chicago, Mary earned an M.F.A. in Dance Technology (Sharing Ground International), Pedagogy, Performance and Choreography from Florida State University. She teaches level I – professional level Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Tap, Improvisation, Contact Improvisation, Fundamentals of Partnering, Break/House/Juke/Pop n’ Lock, Choreography, Dance Theory, Dance History, Dance Pedagogy, Dance Production, and Creative Movement Methodology, including training veteran k-12 Teachers, and Physical Education, Early Childhood Education, and Dance Education Pre-Service Teachers in this methodology. In somatics her specialty is her own S.S.S.A. Method® developed over decades nationally – Strengthening Isometrically the 4 core muscle groups in coordination, Static Stretching, Somatic Releasing all in correct Alignment for fastest, safest habits in Dance training to prevent injuries, ensure a long professional career and allow people to be their own best teachers and doctors of their own bodies, including in functional movement, till they croak.
Mary has created over a dozen original dance works performed nationally, and has restaged and been rehearsal director of many works by Sherry Zunker to Balanchine. As a Wellness Advisor for 33 years she meets one-on-one as well as offering a retreat, GetInToGetOut.com. She was a principle dancer in four Chicago companies, and selected by audition to perform in works by Jawole Willow Jo Zollar, Randy Duncan, Sherry Zunker, Jim Clouser, Bill T. Jones, and others. See her C.V. at Mary Heller Dance Arts HERE.
Michael Tarver
Michael Tarver, Vice President (Tempe) | Director April 2026, Vice President July 2026
Michael is a community-centered leader, movement educator, and strategic thinker dedicated to advancing the arts, education, and community engagement throughout Arizona. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology & Society and a Master of Science in Futures & Design from Arizona State University, where his work focused on inclusive leadership, systems thinking, and creating equitable, future-ready communities. His professional experience spans the nonprofit, corporate, wellness, and arts sectors, with leadership roles in operations, community engagement, strategic planning, and organizational development. Michael is passionate about connecting people, organizations, and ideas to create meaningful impact and sustainable growth.
As a certified yoga instructor, dance educator, and performing artist, Michael believes in the transformative power of movement and creative expression to foster connection, well-being, and community. He has performed with organizations, including Desert Dance Theatre and Gravity Jazz Dance Theatre, and remains a strong advocate for expanding access to arts education, cultural programming, and opportunities for artists across Arizona. As a member of the Arizona Dance Coalition Board of Directors, he is committed to strengthening Arizona’s dance ecosystem through collaboration, accessibility, education, and initiatives that support artists, organizations, and communities statewide.
