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Maura Owens Townsend, M.F.A.Artistic Director of Maura Townsend Dance Project, (formally Project21Dance) studied dance at Inner City Cultural Center in Los Angeles. She received her BFA in Dance from United States International University in San Diego, and her MFA in Dance from the University of California Irvine under the mentorship of Donald McKayle. Maura's choreography is an eclectic blend of Horton influenced and contemporary Modern, Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz and West African dance.

 

She is an alumnus of Lula Washington Dance Theater and has performed with such dance companies as Jazzantiqua Dance and Music Ensemble, Karen McDonald's New Age Dance Workshop, Winifred R. Harris' Between Lines and has performed with such productions as the Norwegian Caribbean Cruise Lines.

 

Project21Dance has performed and featured at such performance spaces as "Highways Performance Space" in Santa Monica, CA, The 17th Annual Dancing Poetry Festival in San Francisco, CA, and was the guest artist for the National Ballet du Rwandan at the California Theatre in San Bernardino. Maura and the company was selected for the "Black Choreographers Showcase" at the Los Angeles Theater Center, as well as the Dance Kaleidoscope.

 

Other credits include the San Francisco Arts Festival, Laguna Beach Dance Festival, WCBPA Convention in Las Vegas, and Maura was also a guest soloist for the Los Angeles Women's Theater Festival. In addition, Project21Dance was the featured dance company in the "Conversation on Diversity Series, Culture and Gender through Dance," at California State University San Bernardino. Her work has been commissioned by Santa Monica College and the Claremont Colleges.

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Her teaching background includes Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, University of California, Irvine, California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino Valley College, the CAHPERD Convention, Crenshaw Yoga and Dance Studio in Los Angeles, Backstreet Dance Studio in Riverside, Dance Arts Academy in Los Angeles, the Webb School of California in Claremont, and Los Angeles Unified School District Conservatory of Fine Arts at Cal State L.A.

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Maura has produced several dance concerts, festivals and she was also invited to teach a dance workshop in Nevis, West Indies by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. She founded and produced the Inland Empire Dance Concert Series at Cal State San Bernardino and she also served on the San Bernardino Fine Arts Commission.

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Maura has received her certification in pilates through BASI certification program.