Artist Teachers

Camille Olivier-Salmon, Artistic Director founded Brisbane Dance Workshop 25 years ago and continues to be its Artistic Director. Camille received her BA in Choreographic Design. As a young performer, Camille was awarded scholarships to study and perform at the American Dance Festival, a long-standing and honored institution. She trained in NYC with Martha Graham, Jose Limon, and Rudy Perez. She performed professionally with the Rudy Perez Dance Ensemble in New York and with Kadeka Dance for Kids and Shelia Xergoes in San Francisco. As a choreographer, Camille's work has been shown at ADF, and in Louisiana, NYC and S.F. Camille, is program director for the SF Arts Education Project, a SF not for profit organization that places artist in resident in public school, she is also a choreographer and associate director for the EVENT Players, a pre-professional children's musical theater company. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Brisbane School District for twelve years and is co-chair of SF Arts Providers Alliance. email Camille.

Bruce Biada, Tap feels strongly that the clear, well-rounded strength of a sturdy tap foundation, for beginners of any age, is a gift for the future. With a strong foundation comes the courage, confidence, and comfort needed to take in, work with, and execute a variety of tap styles in the intermediate and advanced levels, with a more satisfying ease. He believes that this approach to teaching, and learning, is true for most forms of dance...and life. Once the foundation is set, Bruce enjoys imparting many styles, ranging from the classic to the current, with innovative whimsy and humor scattered throughout...and, at times tapping outside of the box! Bruce encourages the students in his classes to "work hard and play hard"...in other words, to have fun while getting things done!

Kelly Bowker, Modern received her BFA in dance from the University of Michigan. She has danced with Clancyworks Dance Company, Catscratch Theater and has completed an apprenticeship with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange on the east coast. Since arriving in the Bay Area she has performed with Her-Pic Productions and presented her own choreography at ODC and Dance Mission Theater. She has over six years of dance and gymnastics teaching experience in three different states and is also a certified Pilates instructor. Kelly teaches the Wednesday Modern classes.

Marisa Castillo, Ballet has been involved in the Bay Area dance community for the past 10 years. She has studied the Vaganova Russian syllabus with Karen Morell. She is a dedicated student of Augusta Moore and knows the benefits of Feldenkrais and Augusta’s unique approach to ballet. She has danced with Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Santa Clara Ballet, North Coast Dance, and Columbia City Ballet, to name a few. She also furthered her studies in the Certificate Program at The Ailey School in New York. Marissa teaches the Tuesday Ballet classes.

Barbara Ebel, Costume Design. This is Barbara’s first year with BDW, but she has been working in costuming since 1990. She graduated from SFSU with honors from the technical theater program. She has worked with San Francisco Opera, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, as principal pattern maker for Asana yoga wear, and has worked on Bikram’s yoga line. She has made award-winning costumes for the Great Dickens Fair and Burning Man. She currently resides in Brisbane, California and works as a freelance costumer and artist. Her work is showcased at www.CoutureCostume.com. She is also trying to perfect a completely sustainable lifestyle.

Matthew Engel, Drama Teacher, is delighted to return to BDW for his 3rd year. Having spent 10 years working as a counselor with children and families, Matthew has been acting since the age of 13. Although his first love is theatre, he has also appeared in several Bay Area independent and student film projects. Matthew has a Master of Social Work from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, from SUNY Oswego. Matthew’s actor training comes from SUNY Oswego, Dream Drama Company in Massachusetts, and Studio ACT. He has taught and directed children’s acting classes and performances at Spindrift School of Performing Arts in Pacifica, Russell Bede School in San Mateo, and The Fiddlehead Theatre Company in Greater Boston. Matthew believes in establishing a safe and supportive environment for kids to explore their creative expression and deepen their understanding of themselves and the world around them through in depth character and script study, encouraging students to expand their limitations, while also emphasizing the responsibility and hard work involved in creating a high quality show. When he isn’t working on theatrical projects, most of Matthew’s professional time is devoted to his Holistic Counseling Practice in San Francisco.

Bernadette Flynn, Irish Dance. Bernadette is a graduate of San Francisco State and holds a B.A. in Dance and a B.A. in Liberal Arts and was a member of the University Student Dance Theatre. She has been step dancing for 19 years. She began her studies with the Murphy School of Irish Dance based in San Francisco at the age of 4, and competed in local, state and national competitions until the age of 16. Bernadette has taught Irish Dance for SSF, San Bruno and Millbrae Park and Rec and currently teaches classes at St. Veronica Elementary School and has her own Irish dance company based in SSF. Bernadette teaches the Friday IRISH dance classes.

Nicole Helfer, Tap began her artistry in dance at the age of 5, studying hip-hop, jazz and tap dance. She has devoted the last 12 years of her life to cultivating her passion for teaching dance to youth in the Bay Area. She currently teaches classes for Dance Mission Theatre, Kid Stock, Inc., Steppin' Out Studios and Spindrift School of Performing Arts. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a degree in Performing Arts and Non-profit Administration. Her training includes various dance techniques such as Modern, Ballet, Dunham Technique, Tap, and Hip Hop. Her study of theatre includes the Meisner technique, LeCoq physical theatre and puppetry. She is also an accomplished classical soprano and has performed with the Berkeley Opera, Velocity Circus, and is the co-founder and choreographer of the Miscreants Cabaret. Nicole is known as a multi-faceted artist who combines voice, movement and theatre into her choreography, performances and teaching.

Douglas Johnson, Hip Hop received an Associate of Arts in Dance from Grossmont Community College in El Cajon, Ca. and has danced and taught with EVEOKE Dance Theater in San Diego, Ca. While in the San Diego Area, Dough taught in-school and after-school hip-hop, modern, and creative dance programs at all levels, from pre-school and through college, as well as teacher training workshops with Young Audiences of America. Besides majoring in Environmental Sciences at San Francisco State University, Doug teaches Teen Dance for ODC and for the SF Artsed Project as an artist in the schools. Doug teaches the Friday Hip-Hop classes.

Laura Marsh, Creative Movement is originally from Memphis, Tennessee. She has a BFA in Theatre and Dance from University of Memphis. In Memphis, Laura served as co-artistic director of Project:Motion, and was a member of Professor Chameleon's Eccentric Medicine Show, a children's theatre company. Locally, she has performed with Megan Nicely, Right Brain Performance Lab, Automatic Art, Nina Galin Music and Dance, and Flesh and Blood Mystery Theatre. Her own choreography has been shown at ODC, Studio Valencia, and Dance Mission. Laura teaches throughout the Bay Area as well as for the SF ArtsEd Project as an artist in the schools. Laura teaches the Monday Creative Dance classes.

Sam Ellis Moreau, Musical Theater began her musical training in piano and voice at age five and began performing when she was six. She studied musical theater and performed in theatre productions at Western Michigan University and the New Vic Theatre in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After college Sam began her professional career performing in Chicago, New York City and San Francisco as a vocal soloist accompanying herself on piano and guitar. Sam is an accomplished composer and arranger and can currently be seen performing with the Luna Tunes.

Keta Bill Selvin, Voice has been performing great dance music in the bay area since 1977.
Zasu Pitts memorial Orchestra, Big Bang Beat! and her own Keta Bill soul show.
She graduated from Western Illinois University in 1977 with a B.A. in Theatre and Music.
She has sung on many commercials and movies and artist cds, and has her own children's cd, keta's toddler tunes!
This is Keta's 7th year with Brisbane Dance Workshop.

Where are they now?