Visiting Artists & Faculty
Suzanne Costello
Suzanne Costello is an award-winning director, choreographer, performer, educator, and arts and health practitioner based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more than 40 years, she has created and toured original dance/theater works throughout the United States and internationally, blending movement, storytelling, and interdisciplinary collaboration. A leader in the arts and health field since founding the nationally recognized Caring for the Caregiver® program in 1991, Costello has developed innovative, community-inclusive projects with healthcare professionals, caregivers, military veterans, people impacted by cancer, and incarcerated populations. She has taught at colleges, universities, and conferences worldwide, mentoring students in performance, creative process, and socially engaged arts practice. Her work has been supported by numerous grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Ohio Arts Council, and other national and regional organizations. She holds a B.A. in Dance from Washington University in St. Louis.
Sue Lauther
Sue Lauther (MFA U of Illinois) has served as a teacher, performer, and choreographer for projects around the world: Argentina, Taiwan, New Zealand, Ecuador, Mexico, Australia, Jordan, Costa Rica, and all over the US. She believes that technique is being able to demonstrate physical intention clearly, so she approaches teaching as a vehicle to help her students explore, expand, and clarify their options. She encourages her dancers to be part of the artistic process. Sue's choreography encompasses a broad range of styles and perspectives-from playful to pensive, zany to formal. Currently teaching Contact Improvisation and The Body in Motion at Colorado College, she finds her joy in the metaphors, accuracy, and sensation of riding that dance form.
Rianto
Rianto, Master of Dance, trained in classical Javanese dance from a young age, specializing in the cross-gender form of Lengger Banyumas, Central Java. A graduate of the Indonesia Art Institute, he has been based in Tokyo since 2003 and has worked with international choreographers, performance-makers, and companies while remaining dedicated to his own voice for contemporary Javanese performing arts. His work has been presented internationally, including at deSingel, Arts House Melbourne, Esplanade Singapore, REDCAT, Fusebox Festival, and Carriageworks. In 2018, renowned Indonesian filmmaker Garin Nugroho created Memories of My Body, inspired by Rianto’s life. Rianto is also the founder of Rianto Dance Studio and Rumah Lengger, a foundation in Banyumas, Indonesia, dedicated to promoting and preserving Lengger for new generations.