Jennifer Meller
Artistic Director 
Carlos Venturo
Co-Artistic Director 
Linda Schanfein
Executive Director 
Joseph Copley
President |
Founded in 1980s San Francisco by dance historian Carol Tetén, Dance Through Time is an historical dance company committed to the research, preservation, reconstruction, and performance of historical social and theatrical dances of the past 600 years.
Dance Through Time has toured extensively across the United States entertaining, as well as educating audiences in the history of social dance. The company has partnered with the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco LGBT Center, the City of Paso Robles, the Napa Valley Opera House, ODC, De Rompe y Raja Cultural Association, Young Audiences of Northern California, the Center for Contemporary Opera, and others to create historically informed performances to the delight of thousands of audience members of all ages. Dance Through Time is committed to embodying the past in order to understand and celebrate the present. Dance Through Time has received international recognition for its loving attention to authenticity, stringent artistic standards, and critically-acclaimed performances. Arts in Education programs, video archives and modern notations preserve the Company's work for future generations. Dance Through Time's recent milestones include its 12th national tour and a recent performance in San Francisco's Gay Pride Parade. |
Jennifer Meller is a musician and dancer, and enjoys exploring connections between the two disciplines. She founded the San Francisco Renaissance Dancers in 2012 and became co-artistic Director of Dance Through Time in 2019. She is also teaches classes in Baroque and Renaissance dance online, at ODC Dance and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Jennifer works with early music ensembles in the Bay Area to create performances, reconstruct ancient operas, teach classes and organize workshops and events centered around early dance and music. She has taught master classes at UC Davis, UC Berkeley, St. Mary’s College, Dominican University, and College of the Pacific and works regularly in collaboration with the Educational Department of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale, and with the San Francisco Early Music Society.
Carlos Venturo is an advocate for dance education, a versatile performer of different dance styles, and an arts administrator serving as Youth and Teen Program Manager of ODC School in San Francisco, California. Originally from Peru, Carlos trained and danced with the Ballet Municipal de Lima. Companies he has worked with include Oakland Ballet, San Francisco Opera Ballet, Amy Seiwert's Imagery, Mark Foehringer Dance Project/SF, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, David Taylor Dance Theater, Inland Pacific Ballet, Petaluma City Ballet, Peninsula Youth Ballet, De Rempe y Raja Cultural Association, and The Academy of Danse Libre. Carlos is Co-Artistic Director of Dance Through Time, where he promotes and performs historical and current social dances. The San Francisco Symphony has presented his choreography to great acclaim. Carlos was honored to become King of Carnaval San Francisco in 2016.
The Founder
Read about Carol Teten here
Carlos Venturo is an advocate for dance education, a versatile performer of different dance styles, and an arts administrator serving as Youth and Teen Program Manager of ODC School in San Francisco, California. Originally from Peru, Carlos trained and danced with the Ballet Municipal de Lima. Companies he has worked with include Oakland Ballet, San Francisco Opera Ballet, Amy Seiwert's Imagery, Mark Foehringer Dance Project/SF, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, David Taylor Dance Theater, Inland Pacific Ballet, Petaluma City Ballet, Peninsula Youth Ballet, De Rempe y Raja Cultural Association, and The Academy of Danse Libre. Carlos is Co-Artistic Director of Dance Through Time, where he promotes and performs historical and current social dances. The San Francisco Symphony has presented his choreography to great acclaim. Carlos was honored to become King of Carnaval San Francisco in 2016.
The Founder
Read about Carol Teten here
