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Bubba Gong:
With the vision of stretching the bounds of the classroom experience and expanding the performing opportunities for dancers of all ages, backgrounds, technique levels, and body shapes and sizes, Foothill College Dance Instructor Bubba Gong founded what is now the award-winning Foothill College Repertory Dance Company.
Under his guidance, the company has captured four consecutive college-division, first-place awards in the region's Olympiad of the Arts. The company's conservatory training approach includes bringing professional guest artists for master classes, lectures and demonstrations to the Foothill dance studio. These guest performers have included Pilobilus, Les Williams, Momix, Alonzo King's Lines Ballet, San Jose Cleveland Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Gregory Hines and Steps Ahead, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre.
A native of Mississippi, Gong was discovered by Walt Disney Productions and became one of Disney&rtquo;s Kids of the Kingdom during the nation's bicentennial celebration. He has enjoyed a prolific career on stage, television and commercials. He starred with Pat Suzuki in the revival of Flower Drum Song; appeared on television's Trapper John, M.D., and General Hospital; and in national commercials.
In addition to teaching and performing, Gong is an active community leader, and has served on a number of community organizations, including the California Talent Competition, Association of Asian Pacific American Artists and Peninsula Community Foundation. He has been honored by the Chinese Historical Society of America and included in historian Connie Young Yu's Profiles in Excellence: Chinese Americans. The Bay Area Critics Association and Dean Goodman Awards have recognized his choreography. Gong holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University.
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Barbara Shewfelt:
Barbara Shewfelt teaches in both the Biology Department and the Dance Department at Foothill College. As an undergraduate, she earned a bachelor&rtquo;s degree from UC Santa Barbara as a double major in both disciplines, and went on to complete a master&rtquo;s degree in dance from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and a master's degree in biology from Stanford University with a research specialization in neuroscience. She also spent five years as a competitive ballroom dancer. She has taught at Foothill for 15 years, offering popular classes in biology, ballet, stretching and social dance.
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