ALAN OBUZOR - FOUNDER - ARTISTIC DIRECTOR - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - RESIDENT CHOREOGRAPHER - DANCER
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Alan Obuzor was honored in 2013 by Dance Magazine by being named one of the "Top 25 to Watch". In 2023-2024 he was selected as a School of American Ballet (SAB) National Visiting Fellow. Originally from Pittsburgh, Alan began dancing at the age of nine. Two years later he attended Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School(PBTS), where in 1998 he was a recipient of the prestigious Princess Grace Foundation Dance Honorarium. Alan received a contract to join Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's(PBT's)professional company at the age of 17. During his seven years in PBT's Company, he danced a wide array of ballets ranging from classical to neoclassical to contemporary, which included principal and soloist roles in ballets such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Symphony in C, Carmina Burana and Divertimento 15. In that time he also worked with many world renowned figures in dance, and was selected to originate soloist roles in new works by choreographers Dwight Rhoden, Derek Dean, Matjash Mrozewski and Jiabin Pan.
Alan began teaching in 2002; from 2007-2012 Alan was on the faculty of PBTS as one of the primary Pre-Professional Division teachers and choreographers. In the fall of 2012, Alan joined the teaching faculty of Pittsburgh Youth Ballet. Alan choreographed his first work in 2002 on himself and a fellow dancer. Since that time he has choreographed over 135 new works for Texture Contemporary Ballet, Texture Ballet School, PBT, PBTS, Pittsburgh Youth Ballet Company, New Ballet Ensemble, Harvard Ballet Company, Point Park University, Dancers' Trust, Canton Ballet, Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and various independent projects. In 2011, Alan won first place in the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters Dance/Choreography competition. During 2014 Alan was awarded a BRAZZY Award – “Outstanding Male Dancer in Pittsburgh 2014”. In 2017 Mr. Obuzor received an “Outstanding Teacher Award” by Youth America Grand Prix. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Texture Contemporary Ballet 2011, and Texture Ballet School 2019. |
MADELINE KENDALL SCHREIBER - RESIDENT CHOREOGRAPHER - DANCER
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Madeline Kendall Schreiber was trained in classical ballet under the direction of Stuart Carroll and Sharron Newton of Capitol Ballet Company in Sacramento California. In 2014, Madeline moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to dance with Ballet West as a part of their trainee program, where she performed in a number of productions, including Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s Symphony in C, and John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet. While working with Ballet West she was a part of the statewide educational outreach program, Ballet West for Children and participated in a Cultural Dance Exchange Program with the Staatliche Ballettschule Berlin. Madeline has performed as a guest artist in productions of The Nutcracker in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Giselle with the Sacramento Ballet, and she has performed at the DUMBO dance festival in Brooklyn, New York.
Madeline relocated to Pittsburgh, joining Texture Contemporary Ballet as a Resident Artist in 2016. Since joining Texture, she has broadened her range as a classically trained dancer with the diverse repertoire and creative process of the company. She has also been able to explore her voice as a choreographer, being given the opportunity to create a variety of new works for main stage performances and more. Madeline was honored to accept the additional role of Resident Choreographer at the beginning of Texture’s 15th season. |
Katie Miller - COMPANY & SCHOOL MANAGER - DANCER
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Katie Miller is originally from Michigan and began taking dance classes at the age of three. She studied for many years at the Paavola School of Dance, spending summers at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School’s (PBTS’s) Intensive Summer Programs. She continued her studies at PBTS’s Graduate Program for two years where she had the opportunity to perform with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, attended Complexions Contemporary Ballet Summer Intensive, and also received private instruction from Giuseppe Canale of Northeast Academy of Dance.
She has performed with Texture Contemporary Ballet since 2012, danced with the Sacramento Ballet for six years, and had the opportunity to perform in The Suzanne Farrell Ballet Forever Balanchine: Farewell Performances at The Kennedy Center. The performances have ranged from classical, to contemporary, to tap, to neoclassical ballets exemplified by George Balanchine: Serenade, Chaconne, Concerto Barocco, The Four Temperaments, Who Cares?, Stars and Stripes, Western Symphony, and Rubies. Katie has taught at Paavola School of Dance, The School of the Sacramento Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School in their Pre-Professional Division, Summer Intensive, and Community Division. She has choreographed for Texture Contemporary Ballet’s WIP Choreography Project, and is currently teaching at Texture Ballet School. For several years, Katie has been doing wide ranging administrative tasks for Texture as the Company & School Manager. In 2024, she graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California with a B.A. in Performing Arts.. |
MARJORIE LIESE - FINANCE MANAGER
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Marjorie Liese is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She managed Carnegie Mellon University's Federal Credit Union for six years, then worked as an independent consultant auditing and managing credit unions for another seven years. Marjorie has been an active volunteer in the community for over 25 years for a variety of organizations, from co-ops to arts organizations, from parent groups to homeschooling groups, always serving as a treasurer. She successfully single parented and home educated four of the best children, her greatest accomplishment in life.
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BOB STEINECK - LIGHTING DESIGNER - STAGE MANAGER - PRODUCTION MANAGER
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Bob Steineck is currently resident lighting designer for Texture Contemporary Ballet, Mercyhurst Univ. Dance Dept., Rennie Harris PureMovement, Morgantown Dance Studio, and New Horizon Theatre. Mr. Steineck has toured throughout the US and abroad with such Companies as Rennie Harris PureMovement and RHAW, Reed Dance, Squonk Opera, Maria Del Rey, the Lyon Opera Ballet, Sankai Juku, Phoenix Dance Company, Maureen Fleming, Bill Shannon, Kirov Ballet Academy and the "America Tour" for Stars on Ice. Television/Video/DVD credits include the DIZZY GILLESPIE Allstar Big Band for A/E Cable, the SPYRO GYRA concert for PBS, Lindy and Loon for Maria Del Rey, JOHNNY A TRIO by Warner Bros. Publications, and A Gathering of Sons for Pgh. Festival Opera. He has designed several corporate events including Mon Valley Sizzles and Beginning With Books. Recent lighting designs include Nuttin’ But A Word at the New Victory Theatre on 42nd St., NYC, a US premiere of Miss Julie for Pittsburgh International Classical Theatre, and Sistas for New Horizon Theater. Dance and theatre audiences have seen his lighting designs throughout the US, Mexico, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Scotland, and Iceland. Bob continues touring Rennie Harris Funkedified and Nuttin’ But A Word. He has spent the past 2 years mentoring young lighting designers and helping them develop their skills on various design projects.
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RACHEL NICOLE HARMAN - PHOTOGRAPHER
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Rachel Harman, originally from Leesburg, Virginia, graduated from Point Park University in 2017 with a B.A. in Dance. She joined Texture Contemporary Ballet as a resident dancer in June of 2017 and performed with the company for the next six years, before recently retiring in July of 2023. Rachel currently works full-time as an HR Specialist for a company based in VA however, she has always had a passion for photography. She has photographed weddings, engagements, family portraits, food, and most recently, dance photography. Although Rachel is no longer dancing with Texture Contemporary Ballet, she has since then began her role as Texture’s photographer and is so grateful to stay connected to the company and fulfill another passion of hers. Feel free to check out her photography page via Instagram at @rachelnicoleephoto.
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MARK SIMPSON - PHOTOGRAPHER
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Mark Simpson studied photography at Pittsburgh Filmmakers after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in History. Mark works as a full-time professional photographer specializing in commercial, event, and performance photography. He has photographed performances for several local universities and theaters including Duquesne University and the Kelly- Strayhorn Theater. Mark’s work has been featured in local and national publication including Pittsburgh Magazine and Natural History Magazine. He is a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) by the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and is a board member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP). Mark currently resides in Mt. Lebanon with his wife and two daughters.
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