Ph. D. student at Notre Dame of Maryland University

M. F. A. University of Utah

B. S. Utah State University 

Dance Educator and Artist

Community Dance Practitioner 

Specialist in Creative Aging

Dance for Parkinson's 

Basics of Alzheimer's and Dementia

Progressing Ballet Technique

 

Juan Carlos Claudio is the Co-founder and former COO of Minding Motion for Graceful Aging™, Founder and Co-director of GREY MATTERS: Dance for Parkinson's- Utah the first program of its kind in Utah, Outreach and Booking Director for the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and Fitness Instructor at Huntsman Cancer Institute Wellness and Rehabilitation Center. Currently he serves as an adjunct faculty at Weber State University in Ogden Utah. He has been educating audiences on the importance of healthy bodies and creative minds to all ages for over twenty years. Juan Carlos obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Utah, Department of Modern Dance where he held the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Modern Dance and the Office of Undergraduate Studies from 2009-2016.

 

He holds a Creative Arts and Aging Teaching Artist Certification from the National Center for Creative Aging, First Aid/CPR/AED Certification from the American Red Cross, The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, Effective Communication Strategies and Understanding and Relating to Dementia Related Behavior online course certificates from the Alzheimer’s Association. He is completing his Dance for PD® certification from the Mark Morris Dance Group in New York and the AFAA Golden Hearts: Senior Fitness Certification and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Practitioner from UDEMY.

 

Some of his teaching accolades are the Generous Heart Award from DanceStudioLife Magazine (Rhee Gold Company), the Innovation in General Education Award from the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the Excellence in Global Education Award from the Office of Global Engagement and the Dee Winterton Award for excellence in teaching and mentoring at the University of Utah. Also, he received several University grants through the Professor Off Campus Initiative from the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center, and the Public Service Professorship from the Tanner Center for Humanities to work on issues of empowerment and cultural diversity through dance at public school in the Salt Lake District. Juan Carlos worked with Utah Art Access in The Dreamer’s Project working with immigrants of color and the Iraqi Leadership Exchange Program (YLEP) from the Utah Department of State.

 

From 1996-2006, Juan Carlos danced as a full-time company member for the highly renowned Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Salt Lake City. During his 10 years with the company, he traveled the world performing original works of major national and international choreographers.

 

Juan Carlos' community-engaged practices have been featured in Dance Magazine, DanceSTUDIOLife magazine, STUDIO magazine, Ballet magazine, Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune and local TV stations on subjects of community service, social justice, and volunteerism through dance. 

 

Inscribed by his mentors Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe, he is a firm believer in "Dance is for Everybody" and it is essential to the development of “All Humanity”.