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Analía Alegre-Femenías is a dancer, choreographer and improvisational artist whose work explores the human condition and relationships to the self and others. She obtained her BFA with High Honors from New World School of the Arts and was awarded the Dean’s Fellowship for her MFA in choreography from the University of Iowa. Ms. Alegre-Femenías has performed works by Robert Battle, Bill Young, David Dorfman, Donald McKayle, Charlotte Adams, José Limón and Jennifer Kayle. Her work has been presented at Joyce Soho, Judson Church and 100 Grand in New York City as well as in Iowa, Chicago, New Hampshire, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Puerto Rico. In 2013 she created New Territory Dance Company as an extension ofDance Knots Project, a program that connects and brings artists from the United States to the Caribbean. Currently she is dancing with Impact Dance Company of Fort Collins, Colorado and has embarked on a new endeavor as a Life Coach teaching non-movers how to navigate life creatively with joy and authenticity.
Analía Alegre-Femenías Weber
Kaitlyn Gilliland began her dance training at the Minnesota Dance Theatre and continued her studies at the School of American Ballet, where she received the Mae L. Wien Award for outstanding promise in 2004. From 2006 to 2011, Ms. Gilliland danced with the New York City Ballet, performing corps, soloist, and principal roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Eliot Feld, Douglas Lee, Peter Martins, Angelin Preljocaj, Alexei Ratmansky, and Christopher Wheeldon. She was the New York City Ballet’s Janice Levin Dancer Honoree in 2010.
Since leaving the New York City Ballet, Ms. Gilliland has appeared on stage and on film with BalletNext, BalletCollective, Ballet Tech, Emery LeCrone Dance, Intermezzo Dance Company, Minnesota Dance Theatre, New Chamber Ballet, Pontus Lidberg Dance, Trainor Dance, and Twyla Tharp Dance, performing repertory by Charles Askegard, Constantine Baecher, Mauro Bigonzetti, Gemma Bond, Eliot Feld, Marcelo Gomes, Adam Hendrickson, Gabrielle Lamb, Pontus Lidberg, Brian Reeder, Jillian Pena, Troy Schumacher, Claudia Schreier, Michele Wiles, and Twyla Tharp, among others. She originated the role of “Clara” in A Nutcracker: Part 1 (The Workshop) produced in collaboration with Designated Movement and JV Squad. In February, she presented #loveyoumeanit, an original work created in conversation with Will Rawls for Danspace’s 2015 Platform Series “Dancers, Buildings, and People in the Streets.”
Ms. Gilliland served on the faculty of the School of American Ballet from 2012 to 2015 and as an instructor for The New York City Public School for Dance (The Ballet Tech School) for one year. In May of 2015, she graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University with a degree in Psychology.
Kaitlyn Gilliland
Michel Kouakou is a choreographer and dancer originally from the Ivory Coast. He is the founder and director of Daara Dance. Michel received his MFA in Dance from Hollins University. He is the recipient of the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance (2012), a Jerome Foundation Fellowship for research in dance (2012), winner of a New York Foundation for the Arts Artist Fellowship (2008), and winner of the U.S. Japan Fellowship (2008) to conduct six months of research in Tokyo and Kyoto. In 2008 he was nominated for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative and in 2010 and was a finalist in The A.W.A.R.D. Show in New York City and Los Angeles. Mr. Kouakou moved to New York in 2004 and subsequently to Los Angeles, where he was a lecturer at UCLA from 2009-2016. Michel is now an Assistant professor at the University of Minnesota The Twins City. He maintains an active touring and teaching schedule across the globe and continues to pursue his long-term goal of building an “artistic bridge” between his origins in the Ivory Coast and the US.
Michel Kouakou
Oscar Ramos comes from Cidra, Puerto Rico where he began his training at the conservatory of Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, later beginning his professional career with the company in 2000. In 2002 Ramos was awarded Ballet Dancer of the Year for his work with the company. In 2003, Ramos moved to New York City to train at the Ailey School Fellowship under Denise Jefferson and Francisco Martinez. From 2004 to 2006, Ramos danced for Hubbard Street 2 under the direction of Julie Nakagawa dancing works by Robert Battle, Edwaard Liang, Christian Spuck, and Alex Ketley. In 2007, Ramos joined Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in New York City creating original works with internationally acclaimed choreographers such as Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Crystal Pite, Hofesh Schecter, Jacopo Godani, Alexander Ekman, and Stijn Celis. He also appeared with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in the 2011 Hollywood Motion Picture The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. In 2012, Ramos joined the world renowned Batsheva Dance Company under the direction of Ohad Naharin. Throughout his time with Batsheva, Ramos participated in Naharin's latest original creations The Hole and Last Work. Teaching and choreographing internationally, Ramos pulls from his diverse experiences; culminating in a fusion of styles from ballet and jazz, to gaga, Ohad Naharin's original movement language. Ramos continues to share his movement experiences creating works for schools and companies world wide.
Darwin Black of Newark, New Jersey, started his dancing at the age of 16. He graduated from Newark Arts High School under the direction of Ronnie D. Carney and Kim Richardson. Mr. Black furthered his training under Nancy Turano with the New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble. After a year of training at Alvin Ailey American Dance as a Fellowship Student under the Oprah Winfrey Scholarship, he began his professional career with the Miami Contemporary Dance Company, performing repertory by Ray Sullivan. Darwin later joined The Sacramento Ballet, performing ballets by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Trey McIntyre and Matthew Neenan, to name a few. After three years with The Sacramento Ballet, he joined Pascal Rioult Dance Theater, dancing and touring throughout the United States. Mr. Black danced as a freelance artist for Alaska Dance Theatre, Lustig Dance Theatre, Montgomery Ballet and Nimbus Dance Works, and he toured throughout Europe with Momix.
darwinblack.weebly.com
Darwin Black
Lloyd Knight was born in England and reared in Miami. He has a BFA from the New World School of the Arts under Artistic Director Daniel Lewis.
Lloyd joined the Martha Graham Company in 2005, was promoted to soloist in 2009, and promoted to Principal in 2014. He has had ballets choreographed on him by Nacho Duato twice, Andonis Foniadakis, Larry Keigwin, Doug Varone, Lar Lubovitch, Klye Abraham, Liz Gerring, Michelle Dorrance, Anne Bogart, Pontus Linberg and Mats Ek.
Dance Magazine named Lloyd as one of the Top 25 Dancers to Watch in 2010. He partnered with New York City Ballet Principal Wendy Whelan in Ms. Graham's Moon Duet, and also is partnering American Ballet Theatre's Misty Copeland in a Graham duet from Letter to the World. Most recently he was selected as Best Performer of 2015 by Dance Magazine.
Lloyd Knight
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Joseph Kudra began his training at the age of nine at the American Dance Center under the direction of Jack and Kathleen Villari. He has worked with River North Chicago Dance Company, DanceWorks Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, and most recently Cedar LakeContemporary Ballet. Kudra has performed works by choreographers such as Robert Battle, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Alexander Ekman, Andonis Foniadakias, Emanuel Gat, Johan Inger, Alex Ketley, Jiri Kylian, Crystal Pite, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Hofesh Shechter, Jo Stromgren, Christian Spuck, and Edgar Zendejas. Joseph joined BODYTRAFFIC in 2015.
Joseph Kudra
Jenna Riegel, a native of Fairfield, Iowa, has been a New York-based dancer, performer and teacher since 2007. Currently a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Jenna has also had the honor of performing with Daara Dance (choreographer Michel Kouakou), Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company, Tania Isaac Dance, and Bill Young/Colleen Thomas & Company. Jenna currently tours nationally and internationally as a company member of David Dorfman Dance, Alexandra/Beller Dances and johannes weiland. She has performed in New York City venues such as Danspace at St. Marks Church, Dance Theater Workshop, Aaron Davis Hall, Joyce SoHo, Dance New Amsterdam, Movement Research, Henry Street Settlement/Abrons Arts Center, John Ryan Theater, Symphony Space and The Duo Theater. Jenna has taught Master Classes in Modern Technique in New York at Dance New Amsterdam, The Joffrey Ballet School and 100 Grand Dance. In addition, she has taught classes at Connecticut College, University of Maryland and the University of Iowa and at festivals around the world such as the New York University’s Tisch Summer Dance Festival, the Open Look Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Annual Dance Conference and Performance Festival in Bytom, Poland and the Dance Isadora Festival in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. Jenna is also a certified Stott Pilates instructor and has been teaching Pilates for more than seven years. Jenna holds an M.F.A. in Dance Performance from the University of Iowa and a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Maharishi University of Management
Brandon Cournay is originally from Walled Lake, MI and received his BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School. As a freelance artist, Brandon has performed with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Mark Morris Dance Group, The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, The Chase Brock Experience, Schoen Movement Company and Morphoses. TV/Film/industrial credits include: PBS’ Great Performances, Musical Chairs (HBO), Puma, Sesame Street, and Target. He has been the Associate Choreographer/Movement Director for I Am Anne Hutchinson/I Am Harvey Milk, starring Kristin Chenoweth, My Fair Lady (Bay Street Theatre), The Wildness (Off-Broadway), Coriolanus (Off-Broadway). In addition, Brandon is a proud member of the Joyce Theatre’s Young Leaders Circle and is the Executive Artistic Director of Dance Device Lab.
Brandon Cournay
Joanna Kotze received the 2013 New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award for Outstanding Emerging Choreographer. Her choreography has been presented at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Baryshnikov Arts Center, American Dance Institute (ADI), Danspace Project, Bard College’s Fisher Center, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, New York Live Arts Studio Series, Dance New Amsterdam, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Roulette, Dixon Place, 92nd Street Y, WAXworks, Lu Magnus gallery, Soho20 gallery, Show Room Gowanus gallery, Industry City and the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts (WI). Joanna recently created new works on Toronto Dance Theatre, Zenon Dance, Ririe-Woodbury and James Sewell Ballet as well as on students at Eugene Lang College (The New School), Barnard, Purchase College, Southern Utah University and Miami University (OH).
Joanna has received support from the Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Jerome Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) BUILD, Brooklyn Arts Council, Yellowhouse, and two Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants. She was a 2013-2015 Movement Research Artist-in-Residence and a recipient of a 2014 Process Space residency through Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). She has had residencies at The Camargo Foundation, Jacob’s Pillow, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Djerassi and the Bogliasco Foundation. Joanna was a 2011-2012 Fellow for Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab, a 2011 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space resident and has worked in residence at Mount Tremper Arts. She was the Fall 2012 boo-koo space grant recipient at Gibney Dance Center and has participated in Sarah Maxfield’s One-Shot, a web-based solo performance relay.
She danced with Wally Cardona from 2000-2010, performing throughout NYC (including twice at BAM's Next Wave Festival) the United States, Canada, Europe and Mexico. She has also worked extensively for Kimberly Bartosik/daela and Netta Yerushalmy Sam Kim. Since moving to New York, she has also danced for Sam Kim, Sarah Skaggs, Christopher Williams, the Metropolitan Opera ballet, Daniel Charon, Nina Winthrop (including a solo role in an opera performed at the National Theater in Belgrade and at BAM's Next Wave Festival), Mimi Garrard Dance Theater, and Company Appels.
Joanna is on faculty at Movement Research and Gibney Dance in New York City. She has taught at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Eugene Lang College - The New School for Liberal Arts, Long Island University and the American Dance Festival. She has studied Klein technique with Barbara Mahler since 2003, is originally from South Africa and has a BA in Architecture from Miami University (’98).
Joanna Kotze
Louie Marin began his training at Independence High School in San Jose, CA; where he trained with Gary Masters and performed with the Jose Limon Dance Company. He then moved to Miami, FL where he attended the University of Florida New World School of the Arts, under the direction of Daniel Lewis, on full scholarship. He received his B.F.A. with High Honors in 2005. Mr. Marin was a scholarship student of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance and Jennifer Muller/The Works School. He has performed with Dance Now! Miami, Freddik Bratcher and Co., Sasha Soreff Dance Theater, Amanda Selwyn Dance Theater, Paskal Rekoert/Flexicurve, and Graham II. Louie has taught regionally and nationally and is known for classes that explore the power, breath and speed of Dorfman technique and the demands of her repertory.
Louis is also a certified Pilates Mat and Apparatus Instructor. He received his certification from The Lab in Brooklyn, NY, under the direction of Master teacher Lawson Harris. He loves sharing his passion for Pilates; especially with other dancers. He is the resident Pilates Instructor for NJ SummerDance at Kean University in Union, NJ, and has taught Pilates at the Brandeis Institute of Music and Arts (BIMA) in Waltham, MA. Louis believes that Pilates is the Technique to the Technique; there must be a balance of strength and flexibility in order to achieve maximum stability and grace.
Louie Marin
Omar Roman De Jesus (Bayamón, PR) began his formal training at the Julian E. Blanco School in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Mr. Roman was a member of Balleteatro Nacional de Puerto Rico from 2006-2011. During this period, he won the Championship Cup and Gold Medal at the National Dance Competition in Puerto Rico. He received scholarship to the Ailey School in 2011 and currently, he is in his third season with Parsons Dance. Mr. Roman has presented his choreography at Peridance Capezio Center, Joe's Pub, Ailey Citigroup Theater, Baruch Performing Arts Center and the 14 Street Y. In 2013, Mr. Roman's piece "(Des)pair" received the audience award at the Dance Gallery Festival. Following this, the piece was commissioned by "Instituto de Cultura de Puerto Rico.” Mr. Roman’s work has been produced by Roschman Dance, Harlem Arts Festival and recently won acommission for the Steps Repertory Ensemble as part of Reverb Dance Festival.
Oscar Ramos
Jenna Riegel
Omar Roman De Jesus
Emily Schoen is a Wisconsin-born, New York City-based dancer and choreographer. As a choreographer, she has received the Gibney Dance boo-koo grant for emerging artist in NYC, an emerging artist residency from the Catskill Mountain Foundation, and was recently nominated for a Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship by METdance in Houston. She has choreographed for Santa Barbara Dance Theater, Long Island Dance Projects, Mid-Pacific Institute in Hawaii, Skidmore University, the Hartt School in Connecticut, and Marymount Manhattan through (M)mix. Her company, Schoen Movement Company, is a three-time invitee to Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Festival. Emily conceived and created Schoen Movement Company’s dance film series: Ten Tiny Dances, viewable online. As a dancer, Emily has worked with Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion, the Metropolitan Opera in works by Doug Varone and Mark Morris, performed in the Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour, and is a current member of Keigwin + Company. Dance Magazine chose Emily as one of their “Top 25 to Watch” in 2011.
Emily Schoen
Grace Snider began her ballet training at age six at the School of Colorado Ballet in Denver. She continued her training at the American Ballet School in San Diego before being accepted in Houston Ballet Academy on full scholarship in 1990. After two years of training in the academy, Grace was invited to join Houston Ballet by Ben Stevenson at age 16; making her the youngest company dancer in Houston Ballet's 50-year history. In 1997, Grace joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, where she danced for two seasons before retiring from her performing career in 1999. Grace began teaching ballet at Pittsburgh Youth Ballet under the direction of Jean Gedeon. She then moved to Iowa and accepted a teaching position with the University of Iowa Dance Forum in 2001. Grace was promoted to lead instructor for advanced levels in 2002, and then to Director of UI Youth Ballet program in 2003. She joined the Nolte Academy of Dance in 2007, bringing her impeccable training and proven ability to bring ballet students along to the highest classical standards. In addition to her position on the Nolte faculty, Grace has worked as a rehearsal assistant with the Balanchine Trust, and Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and enjoys guest teaching engagements with the Houston Ballet.
Grace Snider
Born and raised in Shanghai, China, Yin Yue trained rigorously in technically demanding and highly structured Chinese folk dance and classical ballet technique at the Shanghai Dance School. She earned her undergraduate degree at Shanghai Normal University, equipping her with performance credits that spanned festivals and showcases throughout China. After graduating with an MFA in dance from NYU's Tisch School of The Arts, Yin quickly gained recognition as an unique and exceptional talent among her peers. Yin created an innovative contemporary dance technique FoCo (Folk-Contemporary) Technique that soon caught the attention of the dance world. Yin Yue is currently a 2016 Artist In Residence at 92Y Dance Center, providing her and her company a rehearsal platform for creating new thought-provoking choreographic works.
Yin Yue has created work on companies like Hubbard Street 2, Ballet X, Northwest Dance Project, New Dialect, and most recently, Italy-based company Balletto Teatro di Torino. She was recipient of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 2015 International Commissioning Project, BalletX 2015 Choreographic Fellowship, and Northwest Dance Project’s 5th Annual Pretty Creatives International Choreographic Competition in 2013. She was also selected as Emerging Choreographer of 2015 Springboard Danse Montreal, as well as finalist at The A.W.A.R.D Show 2010! presented by New York Joyce Theater Foundation. Her work has been recognized and presented by organizations and festivals such as Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Schrittmach 2016 Festival in Aachen, Germany, New York International Fringe Festival, DanceNOW[NYC] at Joe's Pub, Peridance Capezio Theater, New York Live Arts, Dixon Place, La MaMa Moves International Festival and many more.
Yin Yue also currently holds the position of Artistic Director and residency choreographer at Jiangxi Zhongshan Dance School. Founded in 1996 and located in Nanchang in Jiangxi province in China, the school is the only private-run educational organization ranked among top Chinese professional dance schools. Its curriculum includes a 6-year Chinese dance and ballet program.
Yin Yue