Dance Faculty

Melinda Blomquist
Lecturer
Phone: 381-2317   blomquist@utpa.edu

Melinda Blomquist received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance from Brigham Young University; a Master of Arts in Dance from Brigham Young University and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Dance at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Since the Fall of 2000 Melinda has worked with the UTPA Dance Ensemble as a director and choreographer for the company.  Her work was performed for adjudication at the South Central American College Dance Festival in 2003.  Her work has also been selected for performance in the Southern District AAHPERD conferences in 2003 and 2005.  She was a soloist with the Kenai Peninsula Dancers for two years, 1994 through 1996, and has performed in her own work and in works by choreographers Chris Morin, Tamara Schrieber, Daniel Gwirtzman, Wally Cardona, and Barbra Grubel.  Melinda was invited to perform at the SDAAHPERD Concert in 2005, where she performed in multiple works.  Melinda has also worked with the Theatre and Music departments as a choreographer for Musical Theatre productions including Fiddler on the Roof and Good News.  Melinda served as the Dance Performance – Chair for SDAAHPERD in 2005-2006 and is a member of the Texas State Board for Educator Certification in Dance.  Melinda is involved in community outreach, focusing on promoting the importance of dance as art form in public education.  She has provided workshops and master classes throughout the Rio Grande Valley to students at the Elementary, Middle and High School levels.  Melinda was the area director for a regional Youth Jubilee that involved youth from Austin to the Valley.  The Youth Jubilee was performed at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio in May of 2005.  Prior to coming to UTPA Melinda taught dance in the public schools and was a dancer and choreographer for local and regional companies in Alaska and Arizona. Melinda is co-director of the UTPA Dance Ensemble.

Fred Darsow holds a BALA in Choreography and Literature from SUNY Purchase and an MFA in Dance from Arizona State University. Mr. Darsow's works have been presented by Dance Theatre Workshops, Danspace Project at St. Mark's, The Kitchen, Jacob's Pillow, American Dance Festival, Expo'98/Lisboa, Nuyorican Poets' Cafe, Lincoln Center Institute, Central Park Summerstage, DIA Art Foundation, Dixon Place, Movement Research, The Flea, among other venues in and around New York. His company has toured The US and Portugal. Darsow has performed and/or choreographed with many other dance artists among them Wendy Perron, Tour de Fuerza, Carlota Santana, Spanish Arts, Los Canasteros, La Meira, Patricia Hoffbauer, Doug Elkins, Susan Rethorst, Stephanie Skura, Ann Ludwig, Lola Montes. Polygram Videos, and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. He has been the artist in residence at Denison University, Wesleyan University, And Stephens College. He has also taught workshops/master classes at the Trisha Brown Studios, the New York Dance Intensive, and at Fazil's Dance Studio in NYC as well as NYU, ASU, OSU, Trinity College, Bucknell University and other universities throughout the country. In the summer of 2000, Fred taught at several studios in and around Mumbai, India. He assisted Trisha Brown in the reconstruction of "Luci, mie traditrici" for the Opera de Rouen in France. Recently, Darsow has shown work and taught in Colombia S.A. and performed in the Edinburg Fringe Festival in Scotland. Fred Darsow and his company have been awarded many fellowships and grants. Mr. Darsow is the director of the UTPA Cuadro Flamenco Ensemble.

Francisco Munoz III
Lecturer
Phone: 381-2314     fmunozz@utpa.edu

Francisco Munoz III holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; a Master of Science degree in Health and Physical Education; and a Master of Education degree in Educational Supervision from Pan American University. In 1989 he attended Texas Woman’s University (TWU) and completed course work in Dance and Related Arts. During his residency at TWU, Munoz received a Special Achievement Award from the Department of Performing Arts Program in appreciation for expanding the view of artistry in dance. In addition, Munoz has received diplomas from the Escuela de Artes Plasticas, Universidad de Guadalajara; Escuela de Danza Folklórico, Autlan, Jalisco; and Estudio de Artes en Bailes Espanoles, Manolo Vargas. Munoz has studied with renowned artists, professional dancers and choreographers such as:  Maria Benitez, Tizoc Fuentes, Cristina Aguirre, Oscar Tarriba, Jose Luis Escamilla, Jose Luis Quebrado, Jesus Paris, Enrique Iglesias, Gerardo Negrete, Rey Duran, Jose Greco II, Gisela Noriega, Mario Guerrero, and Jesus Bracho. Nationally, Francisco was commissioned to choreograph a dance suit for KOMENKA, a professional dance company from New Orleans, Louisiana. At the state level, he was commissioned to choreograph dance suites for the Dallas and Houston Art Magnet High Schools.  Munoz has also served as chair of the dance division at the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (TAHPERD) and has performed for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, and Dance (AAHPERD) in Seattle, Washington. His choreographies have been showcased at state and national dance conferences such as the Asociación Nacional de Grupos Folklóricos, the American College Dance Festival, and the North Texas Folkloric Dance Festival in Dallas, Texas. At the local level, Munoz has choreographed numerous dance suites in collaboration with organizations such as the Rio Grande Valley Symphony and the UTPA Theatre and Music Departments.  He has served as a dance consultant/facilitator for the development of new dance programs in local ISD performing arts programs and dance workshops throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Munoz has also served as a dance adjudicator for various school district competitions. Mr. Munoz serves as the Ballet Folklórico's Artistic Director. In 2007, Mr. Munoz's choreography "Calabaceados" was presented for adjudication and received "Top Ten Best Choreography" honors at the 2007 American College Dance Festival in Fort Worth. In addition, this year the Ballet Folklórico was chosen for inclusion on the Texas Touring Program Roster by the Texas Commission for the Arts.