Thayer Jonutz

Associate Professor of Dance
Technique, Choreography, Theory
Oakland University Repertory Dance Company

Contact:  [email protected]
(248) 370-2804

Thayer Jonutz performed as a full-time company member with Repertory Dance Theatre before moving to Michigan, immersing himself in both historical and contemporary works. Some of the choreographers that he worked with were Douglass Dunn, Zvi Gotheiner, Daniel Nagrin, Bill Evans, Scott Rink, and Susan Hadley. He has his MFA dance degree from the University of Michigan where he furthered his professional career performing with the Peter Sparling Dance Company. Jonutz is a professor of dance at Oakland University and has taught Modern dance technique, improvisation, composition, dance pedagogy, partnering and is the director of the student Repertory Dance Company.

Thayer has guest performed and collaborated with a lot of companies during his time in Michigan. These include Patterson Rhythm Pace Dance Company, Rustic Groove, Agua Dulce Dance Theater, Eisenhower Dance Detroit and Rebudal Dance. Thayer has also co-founded three performing companies which have served as building blocks to his current ventures. Mise en Place Dance, soduo, and Take Root enjoyed much success pushing the boundaries of technology and dance and performing in festivals in New York, unconventional spaces in Detroit, and a handful of international opportunities.

As an educator and artist Thayer has been and still believes strongly in a variety of influences. Always open to new collaborative relationships, Thayer strives to continually stretch as well as challenge his comfort zone. His current multiyear creative process on the solo concert Hammer and Nail has pushed Thayer outside the typical modern dance aesthetic and has merged acting, vocalization, sound engineering and integrative props to tell his Pandemic survival narrative.