Maria Caruso

Maria Caruso (Born October 12, 1980) is a Pittsburgh native dancer and choreographer, best known as the founder and artistic director of Bodiography Contemporary Ballet. Caruso is currently the chair of the Performing Arts department and director of the Dance department at La Roche College.

Personal Life

Caruso is married to Dr. Alan Russell. Dr. Russell is a Highmark Distinguished Career Professor and the Director of the Disruptive Health Technology Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Russell is also the Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Vice President for the Allegheny Health Network.

Early Training

Maria Caruso grew up in Rural Valley, PA, outside of Pittsburgh. Caruso’s mother and father split when she was young, and dance soon became a therapeutic outlet for her. Luba Takamoto was Maria’s first influential teacher. Working with Takamoto instilled the academic value of dance in Caruso. Maria then studied at Sue Hewett Dance Studio in Indiana, PA, and Hewett became another of Maria’s early mentors. Caruso graduated high school early, at age 16, and continued her education as a BFA student in Florida State University’s dance program. While studying at Florida State, Maria began to mature and no longer fit the traditional ballet body stereotypes. Anjali Austin, one of Maria’s professors, became her mentor at FSU and helped her through this period. This inspired Caruso to later open a school that would serve the needs of dancers with non-stereotypical ballet bodies. After graduation from FSU and returning to Pittsburgh, Caruso earned a Masters degree in professional leadership from Carlow College.

Performance career

Caruso’s performance career includes work with artists such as Anjali Austin, Ilana Suprun Clyde, Ze’eva Cohen, Lynne Taylor Corbett, Johan Renvall, and James Martin.

Bodiography

Caruso founded Bodiography in NYC in 2000. The company was relocated to the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Squirrel Hill at the historic site of Gene Kelly’s dance studio in 2001 and is home to a professional contemporary ballet company, fitness and wellness program, and a dance conservatory. Bodiography Contemporary Ballet presents a multi-genre movement vocabulary including modern, jazz, and pedestrian movement solidly supported by the classical ballet technique. Caruso’s creation of the Bodiography® Fitness and Strength Training System is based on a system of compounding exercises with the utilization of multiple props in a mat based class. The program has found great success particularly on the east coast of the United States. With over 50 trained instructors in a variety of fitness and dance environments, the fitness system assists in spreading the company’s over arching message of dance being an inclusive art form. Beyond the national reach of the program, the Bodiography® Fitness and Strength Training System classes can be found in many places in the Pittsburgh area. Since 2002, and a long-standing collaboration with Club One Fitness, Caruso and her artists continue to offer an array of fitness classes at both Bodiography and Club One locations.

Kelly Basil – Assistant director of Bodiography Center for Movement
Two student companies under the direction of Kirstie Corso and Amanda Fisher
College preparatory program in connection with La Roche College

Choreography by Caruso

80 Total Works to Date
23 Total Full-length Ballets
4 Full-length Ballets with Original Scores
2 Full-length Theater Installations with Original Scores
17 Full-length Ballets without Original Scores
22 Concert Works
2 Concert Work with Original Score
10 Solo Works
14 Commissions
9 Collegiate Works

Meditation of Killer Heels (2016)
Change (2016)
The Lending Heart (2016)
Uncharted Grace (2016)
Parabola (2016)
Jointly Driven (2015)
My Journey (2015)
Light of Love (2015)
Messiah (2015)
Charlotte Dance Festival - Within the Confines (2015)
Curious Spirals (2015)
I Will Be Earth (2015)
Snowflakes in the Cemetery (2015)
Light of Love (2015)
Life Tides (2015)
Laudate (2015)
Follow the Light (2015)
Fauré Requiem (2014)
Ave Maria (2014)
Left Leg, Right Brain (The Frank Ferraro Story) (2014)
Lux Aeterna (2013)
Bonsoir (2013)
Led by Light (2013)
Whispers of Light (2013)
Day Awakening (2013)
From Above (2013)
Parlour (2012)
Hallelujah (2012)
Our Notebook (2012)
5 Hebrew Love Songs (2012)
Pieces of My Puzzle (2012)
From Me To You (2012)
Carmina Burana (2012)
Untitled (2012)
Fractured and Rebuilt (2012)
Somebody (2012)
Eyes Off You (2012)
Eyes Wide Open (2012)
Sectional Sentiments (2011)
Wet (2011)
108 Minutes (2011)
Bodi (2011)
Heart (Function vs. Emotion) (2010)
Pas de Deux (2010)
No More Bad Hair Days (2009)
Intimate Liaisons (2009)
The String (2009)
Something About Nothing (2009)
Ognissanti Madonna (2008)
At My Cliff (2008)
Journey (2008)
Bound (2008)
Solace (2008 Restaged – Original 2005)
Mentality Toiled Empathy (2007)
Kaleidoscope (2007)
Timeless (2006)
The Recital (2006)
Reflections (2006)
Love Lines (2005)
80’s Rock (2004)
Tied and Bound (2004)
Living Successions (2003)
Millennium Confusion (2002)
Given (2002)
Smoke (2002)
18 Months (2002)
Envisage (2002)
Ascension (2001)
Relativity (2001)
Transit Euphony (2000)

Presentations

Tedx Talk (2016)

Writing

Bodiography Dance Movement Therapy System: The Healing Power of Dance and Movement for EveryBODY (2013) The profound results of Caruso’s research, supported by Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield in 2014, catapulted the success of the Dance Movement Therapy program and provided a platform for training more dance movement therapy facilitators in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.

Recognition

Young Pittsburgher to Watch (2009)
“America Inspired” Contest - Top 25 finalist (2011)
Real Wedding: Maria Caruso + Alan Russell - Whirl Magazine (2015)
2016 Fast Tracker - Pittsburgh Business Times (2016)
Genius of Choreography - The Future Health Technology Summit (2016)

References

External links

http://company.bodiography.com//index.cfm?aid=3&artist=maria_caruso&CFID=25380445&CFTOKEN=480b3b8b418024b0-D67C8BF6-5056-8708-7564B42CECF18831