Damon Georgelas
Damon Georgelas
Mr. Georgelas received his Juris Doctorate from Vermont Law School and LL.M in Securities and Financial Regulation from Georgetown University Law Center. He has spent the past 15 years successfully counseling a wide range of businesses through a myriad of issues ranging from international and domestic regulatory compliance, to securities law, corporate governance, government contracting, all manner of contract negotiation and enforcement. Mr. Georgelas is a former board member for Mountain Town Stages in Park City and long-time supporter of the arts in Salt Lake City. As Chief Counsel, Mr. Georgelas represented the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency through the development of the new Eccles Theater on Main Street in Salt Lake City. Upon learning of the incredible therapeutic benefits that the Minding Motion program offers, Mr. Georgelas enthusiastically agreed to bring his significant business counseling and legal experience to join Juan Carlos Claudio in the founding of Minding Motion for Graceful Aging. Mr. Georgelas’ experience and creative problem solving will allow the Minding Motion program to be adjusted to the business operational realities for each institution and/or location that it will be implemented.
Juan Carlos Claudio
Juan Carlos Claudio
Mr. Claudio is the Co-founder and COO of Minding Motion for Graceful Aging and the founder and co-director of GREY MATTERS: Dance for Parkinson’s- Utah, the first program of its kind. He has been teaching dance and creative movement to all ages for over twenty years. Juan Carlos obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Utah, Department of Modern Dance where he also later held the position of Assistant Professor from 2009-2016.
He holds a Creative Arts and Aging Teaching Artist Certification from the National Center for Creative Aging, First Aid/CPR/AED Certification from the American Red Cross and The Basics from the Alzheimer’s Association which include: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, Effective Communication Strategies and Understanding and Responding to Dementia Related Behavior. He is completing his Dance for PD® certification from the Mark Morris Dance Group in New York and the AFAA Golden Hearts®: Senior Fitness Certification.
Some of his teaching accolades are the Generous Heart Award from DanceStudioLife Magazine (Rhee Gold Company), the Innovation in General Education Award from the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the Excellence in Global Education Award from the Office of Global Engagement and the Dee Winterton Award for excellence in teaching and mentoring at the University of Utah. He has also received several University grants through the Professor Off Campus Initiative from the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center, and the Public Service Professorship from the Tanner Center for Humanities to work on issues of empowerment and cultural diversity through dance at public school in the Salt Lake District. Juan Carlos worked with Utah Art Access in The Dreamer’s Project working with immigrants of color and the Iraqi Leadership Exchange Program (YLEP) from the Utah Department of State. His community engaged practices have been featured in Dance Magazine, DanceSTUDIOLife magazine, STUDIO magazine, Ballet magazine, Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune and local TV stations on subjects of community service, social justice, and volunteerism through dance.
From 1996-2006, Juan Carlos danced as a full time company member for the highly renowned Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Salt Lake City. During his 10 years with the company he traveled the world performing original works of major national and international choreographers as well as conducting teaching residencies with diverse populations. Inscribed by his mentors, Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe, he is also a firm believer that “Dance is for Everybody” and he believes that it is essential to the development of the individual as a whole.
John Allen
John Allen
OUR TEAM
We hold our Teaching Artists to the highest standards of teaching and expertise by keeping them informed of the latest research and how to incorporate such research into our movement program to help foster a graceful aging process.
All Teaching Artists are fully engaged in our dynamic modes of physicality and have been fully trained in our concepts for graceful aging.
In partnership with
