The Academy of Kim Robards Dance
Faculty
Kim Robards
Artistic Director/CEO Kim Robards Dance
(Modern, Pilates Reformer, Repertory, Composition)
Kim is respected as a teacher of her own technique which provides a solid technical base for dancers. As a leader in dance education, she founded The Academy of Kim Robards Dance in 1990. She has previously served as a guest faculty at Denver Ballet Theatre, taught on the faculty of The Academy of Colorado Ballet for 15 years and formerly taught at Colorado College in Colorado Springs for five years. She has been a leading Dance Teaching Artist for the Aesthetic Education Institute of Colorado, and has presented hundreds of residencies throughout every corner of Colorado through her own company’s educational programming, as well as through various artist-in-residence programs including those sponsored by Young Audiences, ArtReach, and Denver Ballet Guild.
For her full biography, please see The Artistic Director page
LaRana Skalicky (Associate Executive Director) (Modern, Creative Movement, Boys' Class, Ballet, Jazz, Tap) has been a Company Member since 1988 and a Teacher at The Academy of KRD since it was founded in 1990. She teaches all levels of modern dance as well as tap and modern repertory. In addition to her work as a teacher, LaRana also serves KRD as a dancer and administrator. She was selected for an Associateship with the Rocky Mountain Women's Institute, has been a Dance Teaching Artist for the Aesthetic Education Institute of Colorado, serves on The Scen3 Denver SCFD Tier III marketing committee, the CAST3 Leadership Team, and the Board of Directors for The Aurora Cultural Arts District. LaRana teaches at The KRD School, in KRD's educational outreach programs, and at the Denver Ballet Theatre. She graduated cum laude with honors as one of four $20,000 Four Years Honor Scholars from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Philosophy. LaRana is originally from Salina, KS. She plays the cello and has a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do. LaRana wishes to thank her mentor Kim Robards.
Gretchen Hughes (Ballet, Pre-Ballet) is in her first season with KRD. She is from Atlanta, Georgia and has been dancing since the age of 3. She received the majority of her classical training through high school from The Northeast Atlanta Ballet in Lilburn, Georgia. With the Northeast Atlanta Ballet, Gretchen performed several premier roles. Gretchen supplemented much of her dance training by attending rigorous summer intensives with the Joffrey Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, and the Atlanta Ballet. Additionally, Gretchen earned her bachelor’s of the arts degree in dance with a concentration in ballet from Kennesaw State University. She danced with Ballethnic Dance Company in Atlanta, Georgia for three seasons. She could not be more excited to be dancing in Kim Robards Dance.
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Scott Roush (Accompanist) is an active multi-instrumentalist, composer, music educator and the accompanist for Kim Robards Dance. Scott grew up in Milwaukee, WI and after receiving a BFA in Percussion Performance from UW-Milwaukee in 2008, he relocated to Denver. Scott got his start accompanying modern dance at UW-Milwaukee and since has accompanied for Paul Taylor Dance Company, Milwaukee Ballet, Danceworks, & Hannah Kahn. Scott is also active in several bands, including King Cardinals, Rossonian, Robby Peoples & the Bankwalkers, and his solo drumming act, Crazy Gorilla Drummer.