Wolf Trap Welcomes a New Class of Teaching Artists
Feb 20, 2025
New Cohort Features Artists with Backgrounds in Adaptive and Cultural Dance, Bilingual Education, and Accessible Learning
This year’s class of new teaching artists for Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts proves that artists can find inspiration in the most interesting places. From a former scientist at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to a STEM educator at Olympic National Park to an oral historian, the ten new Wolf Trap Teaching Artists, who also have decades of experience in the performing arts and training at some of the country’s leading cultural institutions and universities, represent a diverse array of arts disciplines, backgrounds, and experiences. What unites them is their belief in the power of the arts to enhance learning and its ability to lay the groundwork for positive outcomes for educators, children, and families.
Learn more about the new Wolf Trap Teaching Artists serving the Wash., DC metro area:
Ana Cortes is a dancer who has trained in classical ballet, jazz, and modern and contemporary techniques. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience in the United States and Latin America. Cortes was awarded a Fulbright grant and earned an MFA from the University of Iowa. She is a certified Alexander Technique teacher and has studied Bartenieff Fundamentals. Cortes is excited to create and share choreography that reflects her Colombian heritage, which is foundational to her art form. Ana is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Corina Iona Dalzell is an Appalachian choreographer and performer based in Wash., DC. Dalzell has created inclusive dance programming serving individuals with disabilities in Washington state, launched an adaptive dance program at Anne Green Gilbert’s Creative Dance Center in Seattle, and facilitated collaborative choreography sessions for all abilities at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Open Circle Open Doors festivals. Dalzell is a graduate of Bennington College and has training in Curriculum in Motion through Jacob’s Pillow, a performing arts theatre in Becket, MA.
Mary Fields strives to bring high-quality arts-integrated education access to all students, despite race or socioeconomic background. Based in Wash., DC, Fields is a music teaching artist with Maryland Wolf Trap and its sponsoring organization, Arts for Learning Maryland and is the creator of Write Now Music and Movement, a program that gives students opportunities to enhance literacy skills through music and songwriting. Field currently serves as mentor/performer with the Baltimore-based The Urban Choral Arts Society and performs as a part of The Carter Legacy Singers.
Scean Flowers is a passionate teaching artist who loves to dive into acting and musical theater with students. Originally from Middletown, PA, he’s a versatile performer across the Wash., DC region, with credits at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, Synetic Theater, Olney Theatre Center, and Signature Theatre. Flowers brings a lively, dedicated approach to teaching, inspiring students to find their confidence and love for the arts.
Fred Katz is a drummer, singer, recording engineer, and music educator. Katz studied jazz drumming and audio engineering at the Berklee College of Music. He holds Master’s degrees in mathematics, history of science and technology, and library science. Katz has worked at NPR and NOAA, and has taught at the University of Maryland, American University, and Omega Recording Studios. Katz’s approach to teaching is centered on creating a fun and nurturing environment that supports students in finding the joy in making music. He is especially passionate about using mindfulness to enhance listening skills, foster creativity, and build confidence as a performer.
Eric Keller is a music educator, guitarist, songwriter, and recording artist based in northern Virginia. He has been the music teacher at Sleepy Hollow Cooperative Preschool for 10 years and has more than 20 years of experience teaching private music lessons in the Wash., DC metro area. Keller has also worked as a STEM educator in an experiential learning environment at Olympic National Park in Washington state. Keller is passionate about inspiring his students to develop a deep and lifelong connection to music and enjoys performing and recording original compositions.
Ermyn King is an arts educator and teaching artist specializing in drama, puppetry, and storytelling. She completed an MA in speech and dramatic arts, graduate certificate coursework in special education, and holds a BS degree in kindergarten and elementary education. She is an arts-in-health practitioner and administrator, registered drama therapist, audio describer, and arts/cultural access consultant, and certified grades Nursery, Kindergarten, Grades 1-6 teacher with expertise in creating accessible learning environments. She also serves as a specialty teacher at Chautauqua Children’s School in Chataqua, NY. King has designed accessible arts programming for children and youth with varied disabilities and/or complex medical conditions at National Children’s Hospital, The HSC Pediatric Center, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Penn State University, and ArtStream. King has been designated as a distinguished fellow and consultant of the Global Alliance for Arts & Health.
Bintou Kouyate is a dance artist, instructor, educator, and choreographer who is committed to the transmission of history and culture through artistry. She has performed and taught throughout the United States, Colombia, Guinea, Senegal, and Cote d’Ivoire. She has performed with Farafina Kan, Memory of African Culture Inc., as a solo artist, and as a guest artist with Urban Foli, DishiBem Traditional Contemporary Dance Group, Urban Afrikan, Nai Zou & Co., NSAA Dance and Drum Ensemble. Kouyate has created traditional and contemporary ensemble and solo choreography for the AnkaDje AnkaBe World Culture Festival, Farafina Kan Next Generation, and Coppin State University Dance Program. Kouyate is of the 150th generation of Kouyate and is a Diali (oral historian) of the Manding tradition. She dedicates her mission to the retention of her people’s culture from its heartland and throughout the Diaspora. She teaches traditional dances of West Africa representing cultures and peoples of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, and Cote d’Ivoire. Bintou holds a B.A. in Business Management degree from the University of the District of Columbia and a B.S. in Dance degree from Coppin State University.
Edelmira “Mimi” Kitchen is a teaching artist and facilitator of the Theatrical Journey Project at CentroNía, for which she introduces and guides early learners to science through music, arts, drama, and movement. Throughout her career, she has been driven by a passion for community services and the arts, holding various roles such as Guitar Instructor for the DCYOP, teaching Spanish and English at Columbia Heights Education Campus to middle and high schoolers, working as a caseworker at the Department of Housing in Montgomery County, MD, and serving as an assistant director and gymnastics instructor at the YMCA Arlington Woodmont Gymnastics Center. Mimi is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Reginald “Reggie” Love is a multi-instrumentalist with a background in both teaching and performing. Having previously trained with Wolf Trap’s affiliate in southern Nevada, Love looks forward to continuing his Wolf Trap work in the Wash., DC metropolitan area and Baltimore, where he currently resides. Reggie has experience with children throughout the developmental continuum and has recently completed supplementary training focusing on work with infants and very young children. He is also a composer and recording artist who finds great joy in all aspects of his musical career.
Each new Wolf Trap Teaching Artist will work with early childhood educators in the greater Washington, DC region and nationally, both in classrooms and virtually. Through the work of Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts and its affiliates, these new teaching artists add to a roster of 329, whose work as part of Wolf Trap Education supports more than 100,000 educators, children, and families each year. Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts is a program of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.
Learn more about the work of Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts.
