Tori Unterberger - Modern dance director

I dance because whenever I stop, I do not feel like I am being completely me. The idea of continuous creation and exploration through movement, and how limitless that can be, continues to drive me, both as an artist and a teacher. I have known I wanted to dance for the rest of my life since right after a really bad burn out in my early teens. I was just getting back into dancing and saw how happy the older girls were even though they were so challenged. That combination of happiness and challenge has always had a great appeal to me. I discovered my real love for choreography in college, and since, I have found I gain the same level of satisfaction from moving bodies around and exploring my students abilities with them. I love that there is always something you haven’t done before, always a new way to combine old moves, and always a way to make something more challenging, or sometimes (even better) more peaceful and easy to just enjoy the feeling of movement; what our bodies are made to do. 

I teach at Ordway for so many reasons. I started with Sara when we were still in church basements doing our best, and since we have grown so much in many ways. I have so many students that I have watched grow from barely walking to now prepping for their first set of pointe shoes. I greatly enjoy having the level of continuity in my students and families. The other main reason I teach for Ordway, is it is the first dance environment where I know the director and all teachers are there for promoting body positivity and strength in the dancers rather than basing roles and placement off of body type. Growing up, I was shamed for having broad shoulders, a wide rib cage and hips, even though my body was built for muscle. I love that I can encourage my students to be strong and not just skinny, to embrace their body types and understand how they can be the strongest version of themselves. Many of my classes, allow the students to explore new sides of their movement abilities, and in that new muscles and strengths within themselves they did not know they had. I love that it is my job to provide our dancers with diversity in movement, exploration, and self love for how they look and feel. 

What does she teach?

Ms Tori teaches Elementary 1 and 3 Ballet, Intermediate 3 Ballet, Modern 1-3 and PBT 1-3

Training

  • 25 years of dance experience

  • Dance Etc. School of the Arts

  • Radford University (BFA Dance performance with minors in Theater and Business Administration)

  • STEPS on Broadway summer study 2017

  • George Mason University (Masters of the Arts in Arts Management)

Has worked with

  • Bonny Story, Mandy Moore, Chris Judd

  • Dana Bella, Amy VanKirk, Inessa and Aleksey Plekhanova, Wesley Young, Jieun Lee

  • Christopher K. Morgan, Mindy Jackson

has been featured in

  • Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Russel Athletic Bowl

professional career

  • Next Reflex Dance Collective (2019-present)

  • Cappy Dancer, Kennedy Center

  • Footloose (Cowgirl), Hatfields & McCoys (Nancy McCoy), Oklahoma! (Ado Annie Carnes), Anything Goes (Angel), Cat in The Hat (Mom), Keep This For Me (ensemble)

  • Claytor Company (2023-present)

  • ICONS in Washington DC (2019)