Lisa Bates

Lisa M. Bates was born and raised in New Hampshire. She began dancing at the age of three. Early on she found a love for many genres of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, and modern. After graduating high school in 2003, she attended Keene State College where she received her B.A. in Theater and Dance with a minor in Management. Throughout her four years at KSC, her passion for modern dance grew, as that became her focus. In 2005, she had the incredible opportunity to perform in a piece choreographed by New York City's, Robert Battle, of Battleworks. She also performed at basketball games and community events with the school's hip-hop based dance team all four years. She was named captain for both her junior and senior years. In 2007, she participated in a camera obscura project performance at UMass Amherst, choreographed and produced by Stephen Koplowicz. In November of 2007, she packed up her belongings, grabbed a close friend, and drove across the country to begin a new adventure on the west coast. A short couple of years later, she found herself graduating from the University of California, Irvine with her M.F.A. in Dance. While at UCI, she focused her thesis research on dance photography and presenting choreographed works through still images. Over the years she has had the pleasure of studying under the guidance of dance greats including Donald McKayle, Loretta Livingston, William Seigh, and Marcia Murdock. She currently teaches and choreographs for Fullerton College, MiraCosta College, Elite Dance Academy, Guardettes of Orange County, and ProDance Center in the styles of contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop. She continues to photograph for dance concerts in southern California. In December 2010, had a photograph published for an article in, Dance Magazine and more recently in the Fullerton Hornet.