Arts & Movement Staff

For contact information, see your School Directory or our Contact Us page.

MUSIC AND ART

Liz Melvin, Music Teacher

Name a music venue in the triangle area and Liz Melvin has probably played double bass in it, whether it is with a bluegrass, old-time, rock 'n' roll, or folk band. Ironically, Liz started off her musical career on a high note with the flute, which was initially taught to her in a classical context. As her interest was waning, her teacher thought to explore with her the folk songs she so loved and grew up on. It worked and, Liz says, "I'll never forget my first note of Pete Seeger's 'Where have all the Flowers Gone?' " It set the foundation for her love of music. She wants to set this foundation for her students at CPSC and hopes they embrace the instruments they learn in her class, whether it be the recorder or ukulele. "I want them to know that music can be a great way to bring a community of people together. Come to a one of our Friday afternoon meetings and you will see one of the classes welcoming our entire school community with a piece of music they are learning in music class." Please take a moment to check out CPSC's musical adventures.

Lucia Marcus, Art Teacher*

Lucia graduated from the North Carolina School of Arts in Winston-Salem and has a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. In 1997, Lucia received a graduate degree in Supervision and Administration from Bank Street College of Education and Parsons School of Design. She has been an art teacher for grades K-8 in the Sampson County Schools, in elementary schools in Washington, D.C., and at the Smithsonian Institute. Lucia directed the Opequan Day Care Center in Winchester, Virginia, and most recently taught art at the Duke School. Lucia also has a studio in Durham where she creates and shows her own art.
*Lucia is also on our administrative team as CPSC's Professional Development Director.

MOVEMENT

Bryan Carey, Yoga Instructor

Bryan has been studying and practicing yoga for more than 25 years. First introduced to yoga by psychologist John Thomas Payne, his seven-year apprenticeship involved a balance of Payne’s “Transaction Systems Analysis,” the classical yoga sutras of Patanjali and Selvarajan Yesudian’s hatha yoga, and the Shaw Finger-Painting Method. For the past five years, Bryan has been sharing yoga and meditation with children, including individual and group classes at Central Park School for Children, summer camps with the Durham Arts Council and Durham Parks and Recreation, and most recently with the Early Explorers Day School and Patricia Taborn’s Fashion Design and Modeling Agency. He also facilitates meditation at the Duke University Medical Center. Bryan is the founder and director of Patanjali’s Place - A Community Yoga Space.

Christine Fantini, Yoga Instructor

Before becoming a yoga instructor, Christine was a classroom teacher. Her teaching experience includes kindergarten, first grade, ESL, special needs, and literacy specialist. She taught in Durham Public Schools for 14 years at Club Boulevard Humanities Magnet School. She is creative, motivated, organized and energetic. Christine became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2002. In 2005, she received an award from the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health for teaching yoga to a diverse population. Christine started yoga in the Extended Day program at Club Boulevard School in 2002 for grades K-5. In the past, she has taught classes in the local community at Wellness Partners in the Arts, Durham Academy, and Duke Faculty Club, youth groups, summer camps, support groups and church groups. Christine combines her natural gift of teaching, knowledge of varied curriculum, and her love for yoga to create a program that is fun, educational, active, and relaxing.

Gaspard Louis, Dance Instructor

Gaspard was a member of Pilobolus Dance Theater. He has performed worldwide and has collaborated on the choreography for nine major dance works with the company. He continues to engage in special projects with Pilobolus, the most recent being a commercial for Hyundai. He has also danced for Shirley Mordine and Company in Chicago and AllNations Dance Company in New York. Gaspard has choreographed for the Kentucky University Dance Ensemble and collaborated on four works for Freespace Dance Company in New Jersey. He has been a guest artist for the New York Renaissance Dance Festival and has choreographed for and performed in a Caribbean music video. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Montclair State University and continued his studies on scholarship with Gus Giordano in Chicago and Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab in New York. Gaspard is currently directing the American Dance Festival’s creative movement outreach program. He founded his own dance company, Gaspard & Dancers, in 2009.

Jason Widener, Aikido Instructor and Cooperative Physical Education Games Instructor

Jason is a part-time faculty member in the Department of Health and Applied Human Sciences at UNC-Wilmington, where he teaches Health and Wellness through the arts of Aikido and Tai Chi. Jason also teaches Aikido and Tai Chi for Open Sky Aikido School of Martial Arts in Hillsborough, at the Triangle Youth Ballet in Chapel Hill, and at the Dance Cooperative in Wilmington. He has also taught at Duke University and Glenwood Elementary School in Chapel Hill. Jason has a B.A. from Duke and is a former collegiate All-American, professional golfer and college coach. Jason and wife Hannah are proud parents of two girls.

Steve Kaufmann, Aikido Instructor

Steve, a 6th degree black belt, is the chief instructor at Open Sky Aikido School of Martial Arts in Hillsborough. Additionally, Steve teaches Tai Chi and Aikido at Duke University in the Physical Education department. He is a certified public school teacher and taught grades K-8 in Oakland, CA, and in Chatham and Orange Counties, NC. He also has certification in learning disability instruction from UNC-Chapel Hill. Steve presented many workshops in violence prevention for 6th grade teachers and their students in Durham Public Schools through a research program co-sponsored by the CDC and Duke University. Steve’s years of public school teaching and a lifetime of intensive martial arts training combine to give him insight into how to effectively conduct a positive learning environment, so students can grasp how to peacefully handle aggression.