Phil Wackerfuss
Phil grew up in Palatine, IL where he studied Jazz, Tap, and Ballroom at Dorene’s DancExpress. He received his BA in Theatre arts from Illinois Wesleyan University; studying ballet, modern and theatrical movement under Jean Kerr. While there, he also enjoyed working with guest artists Otis Cook of Pilobolous and Li Chiao-Ping of the University of Madison, WI. Professionally, his work began in the mountains of North Carolina at The Cherokee Historical Association’s “Unto These Hills”. He has performed in Chicago with the Valerie Alpert Dance Company (VADCO) and Inaside Chicago Jazz, and acted with First Folio Shakespeare Festival. Phil now lives, teaches, and pursues all performance styles in Buffalo, NY where he was a company member of LehrerDance and currently performs fire dance with Pyromancy. Through LehrerDance, he travelled to Germany and Vladivostok, Russia to spread good will through cultural exchange, and continues to be interested in the idea of dance as healing. He has also been a licensed massage therapist for 8 years.