Flora Leptak-Moreau

Flora Leptak-Moreau, the artistic director of Kai Kweol Caribbean Music and dance and Studio owner of Ballet Caraïbes, is a graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, Jamaica and SUNY- Brockport. In her native Dominica, she was a principal dancer with Waitukubili, the National Dance Theatre of Dominica with which she toured the Caribbean region and Venezuela and performed in the company’s annual season of dance.

 

She was also the founder and director of the Children’s School of Dance in Dominica, an island-nation of 70,000 persons located between the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Dominicans speak English and a French-based Creole or patois, and both languages are heard in the lyrics of Kai Kweol’s songs.

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She has a BA in Dance, a Diploma in Dance in Education, dual Masters of Education Degrees in Elementary Education and Educational Technology. She has being involved in dance and theater since high school where she organized a dance group which participated in creative dance competition for 3 consecutive years emerging first place on two occasions and 2nd place the final year. Upon graduating from high school she established the Dominica Children's School of Dance, which trained children from 3 - 19.

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Her theatre experiences included performing with the People’s Action Theatre of Dominica and choreographing musicals.

 

Five years after producing and directing annual concerts, she received an OAS scholarship to study dance at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Jamaica. Her major was Teacher Education and Dance in Education. Prior to that she received two summer scholarships from UNESCO and OAS.

 

Upon completion of her diploma in Teaching/Dance in Education she received another scholarship as an exchange student to attend the State University of New York at Brockport.

 

She now resides in Cincinnati where she established Kai Kweol Caribbean Music and Dance.

 

Artistic Activities since Arrival in Cincinnati:

Since arriving in Cincinnati, Leptak-Moreau has taught and presented classes, workshops, performances and did residencies at Contemporary Dance Theatre, the Arts Consortium, the University of Cincinnati-Communiversity, Antioch University, the International Thespian Festival, OhioDance Conference, Brunswick School District,  Arts and Humanities Resource Center for Seniors, Heinold Foreign Language Academy, Clifton Recreation Center and many other schools.

 

In 1996, she performed at the Cultural Olympics in Atlanta with South Africa’s Soweto Street Beat and in 1997, at the National Folk Festival in Dayton, OH. She has also choreographed the Caribbean musical "Once on This Island" for Xavier University, LaSalle High School, and the School for Creative and Performing Arts.

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Performance included Choreographers without Company in "Pushing Limits" choreographed by Ashley Eiseman and presented by Contemporary Dance Theatre, Performance at the grand opening of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Culture Fest at National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. She also performed in  "The Conductors" presented by Ballet Tech Ohio September of 2004 at the Aronoff Center, Jarson-Kaplan Theatre, which was also a part of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Celebration.

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She choreographed and performed in a duet  titled "Better Late than Ever" at Performance and Time Art Series (2005),   Performed in Fanchon Shur's choreography, "Vibrant Souls" (2005)  and "All That Breaths" (2006) at the Aronoff Center for the Arts as part of Choreographers without Company, Choreographed  Caribbean Blend for Xavier University (Oct. 2006) and Performed at Fringe Festival (June 2006) with the Living Breathe (Rebecca Parker and Holly Price) at Arnoff Center for the Arts.

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She was a workshop presenter at OhioDance Festival (May, 2006).

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Arts Integration:

Mrs. Leptak-Moreau has made an important contribution to the implementation of Arts integration in her classroom as a 4th and 5th grade teacher at The School for the Creative and Performing Arts in 
Cincinnati.

 

Presently, she teaches at Chase Elementary school where she continues to bring culture and dance to students in her classroom to expose them to different cultures, build relationships, discover their talents and passion, gain interest in various elements of staging a show, gain self-confidence and become motivated and inspired which has a positive impact on putting more effort in getting their academic work done.

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Other:

She is a freelance Computer instructor, Workshop presenter, choreographer and performing artist as well as the artistic director of Kai Kweol Caribbean Music and Dance, while working as a full time educator throughout the school year, presently at Chase Elementary.

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