Tina Mullone
Tina N. Mullone (TX/LA) began her training in classical ballet technique under the late Fernando Schaffenburg. She continued to study character, jazz and modern dance at Texas Christian University’s Summer Workshops. Before attending the University of Oklahoma, she continued her modern dance studies at the Dallas Black Dance Academy under the direction of Darryl Sneed. There, she furthered her training in Lester Horton, Martha Graham and Katherine Dunham techniques. At the University of Oklahoma, Miss Mullone continued her ballet training, the Graham technique and was introduced to the techniques of Jose Limon, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman as well as jazz. Along with her dance studies, she pursued her love for visual art. Mullone graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of Oklahoma.
After graduation, Mullone joined the JAADE Dance Theatre under Jubilee Theatre. She not only performed for the company, but taught dance classes for the studio and their numerous outreach programs. She then became Assistant Artistic Director and choreographed for the dance company and the junior dance company, Focus. She also taught dance and art for the Fort Worth ISD’s Fine Arts Program. In 1998, she became a member of Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth and a teacher for the company as well. The following year, she joined the Nova Dancing Company, now renamed Beckles Dancing Company (Dallas), under the direction of Loris Anthony Beckles. She also taught dance classes for the Texas Ballet Theater School as well as their outreach program in Fort Worth ISD. In 2001-2002, she joined two companies in Philadelphia: Bianca G. Harris and Friends, and Kariamu & Company: Traditions. While in Philadelphia, Mullone taught for Freedom Theater, Max Myers Recreation Center and several classes at Temple University as a graduate assistant. During her professional career, Mullone has attended the summer workshops at Dallas Black Dance Academy, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth, Texas Women’s University with Bebe Miller, Philadanco Dance School, International Association of Blacks in Dance, and Urban Bush Women (Brooklyn, NY). Additionally, she has performed in Texas, Louisiana, New York City, Philadelphia, Mexico and Germany.
Adding on to her experiences, Mullone has studied under numerous dance choreographers/educators and completed her Masters of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Texas Christian University. After graduation, she taught at several community colleges in the Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton area; public schools and private studios. She also taught ballroom dancing, in the Dallas/Fort Worth schools, utilizing the Pierre Dulaine method which was documented in the popular movie, Mad Hot Ballroom.
Today, she is Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Not only does she choreograph on the resident dance company, ULM Dance Repertory Ensemble, but also the spring University musical theatre productions. Mullone continues to work with Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth as Associate Artistic Director, and with Beckles Dancing Company. Recently, she and musician, Mel Mobley established M2 (m squared), a performance art collective. They have premiered their work at the Modern Dance Festival at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Houston Fringe Festival.
Besides maintaining her academic and performance careers, Mullone is in her second consecutive term as South Regional Board of the American College Dance Association. She is a certified Pilates mat instructor under Balanced Body University. She is an apprentice-in-training to be a part of the Louisiana+ Fellows program. The organization nurtures creativity through arts integration for grades Pre-K to 12 in the state of Louisiana. As of January 2017, Ms. Mullone is certified at the M’Singha Wuti level for the Umfundalai African Dance technique. She strives to keep the arts alive through collaborations, performing, choreographing and teaching.