Julia K. Gleich (MFA, MA) divides her artistic energies between London and New York. She is Co-Founder of Norte Maar for Collaborative Projects in the Arts based in Bushwick Brooklyn, NY and produces CounterPointe both in NYC and London. She is Head of Choreography at London Studio Centre, on the technique faculty of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (Ballet and Limón), and Artistic Director/Choreographer of Gleich Dances. Her original research on movement theories using Vectors was published in the Dynamic Body in Space. She was External Examiner for Hong Kong APA and was awarded the Distinguished Alumna medal for 2014 by the Ballet Department at the University of Utah. Recent works include the evening-length The Brodmann Areas, In the Use of Others for the Change, both at CPR in Brooklyn and Amber But not Yellow in a Haze with no Smoke at The Brooklyn Museum, in NM's "Brooklyn Performance Combine". Her dance films have been screened in galleries in New York City and Singapore.
Lynn Parkerson, founding Artistic Director, began her career as a choreographer while living in Germany. German critic Joachim Ernst-Berendt wrote of Ms. Parkerson, "She makes music with her body like a musician on his instrument, and when she moves we feel it, that's the way free music should be danced." Jack Anderson of The New York Times wrote, "Ms. Parkerson successfully made her dancers seem witness to a miracle…one knew she was talking to God and the world." Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times has called her solo dance, "an innately spiritual embodiment of grace." In recognition of her exceptional leadership contributions to Brooklyn's cultural community, Ms. Parkerson received the Betty Smith Arts Award as part of the Women's "Herstory" Induction Ceremony and Reception on March 22, 2007. Each year, the awards, named after some of the most outstanding women in Brooklyn "herstory," are given to six outstanding Brooklyn women. In November '06 she received the Paul Robeson Award for Artistic Excellence and Community Service. Lynn Parkerson's choreography has been presented at many prominent international events and venues, including the Munich Theater Festival, Frankfurt's Theatre am Turm, the Florence International Festival of Dance, Moers New Jazz Festival, Jazz Festival Baden-Baden and An Appalachian Summer Arts Festival in Boone, NC, among others. In New York City, she presented annual dance programs—notably the popular ballet series To the Pointe—as Director of Dance at Holy Trinity from 1991-2001. Her work has been supported by grants from the Harkness Foundation for Dance, Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation and Con Edison. She also served as the Assistant Director of the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center from 1996-1999. Ms. Parkerson has taught dance to children and adults in New York and abroad.
Sheena Annalise, Founder of Arch Contemporary Ballet, has been praised nationally for her compelling artistic process and choreography with "partnering strength… that is not often seen with women in pointe shoes. (Dancepanorama.com). At age 14 she was selected to work with Wayne McGregor | Random Dance in their Equator Project, nurturing her choreographic talent. She then went on to choreograph ballet works for various student companies which performed alongside the Lines Ballet Training Program in Dance Repertory's Vision Series, Luis Valdez Theatre, Cowell Theatre, and San Jose State University's Dance Theatre. Annalise spent 2012 mentoring with Mark Morris Dance Group, when she then founded Arch Cotemporary Ballet the following year. Since, ACB has been seen on the forefront of contemporary ballet throughout the country. Annalise has gained residencies and space grants from several NYC establishments, most recently was awarded a space grant to create her new work "Boundless" at the H.T. Chen Dance Center. She has been invited to teach repertoire workshops at Emerson College in Boston, MA, Rhode Island Community College, The Carr Center in Detroit, MI, Seton Hill University, and more.
Mishi Castroverde began choreographing at Columbia University for Orchesis Dance Group and Columbia Musical Theatre Society. In 2010, Mishi founded her company mishiDance to engage and inspire audiences by bringing music to life through intricate, dynamic movement. Since founding mishiDance, Mishi has created new works for choreography showcases throughout New York City, presenting at venues such as The Secret Theatre, Green Space, Brooklyn Music School, The Ailey Citigroup Theater, and Symphony Space. Mishi has been recognized for her choreography by The Young Choreographer's Festival, Che Dance Center's newsteps Residency Program, dancemedia.com, and Pointe Magazine. Most recently, Mishi's work was presented in the final round of the Palm Desert International Choreography Competition in California.
Kristin Draucker trained at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under Marcia Dale Weary and was a Fellowship student at The Ailey School. She has danced for Michael Mao Dance, Karole Armitage, Tino Sehgal and was on the 50th Anniversary International Tour of West Side Story. Kristin has presented work in NYC and Spoleto, Italy and is a founding member of the dance collective Chimera Project.
Kayla Harley, dancer, choreographer, writer began her training at Suitland High School for the Visual/Performing Arts. It was later that she received advanced training at the Kirov Academy of Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Dance Theatre of Harlem Kennedy Center Residency. After graduating from Dominican University of California Alonzo King's LINES Ballet with a BFA in Dance, Kayla relocated to Chicago as a 2013 Season Apprentice for River North Dance Chicago Company. She later took on the role of Tantomile in the Tony Award Winning Broadway Show, CATS with Paramount Theatre of Aurora. She has worked with such choreographers as Sidra Bell, Francesca Harper, Maurya Kerr Gregory Dawson, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Kevin Thomas and more. Kayla's highest hope is to remain transparent, giving, and honest as an artist, to share the light that lives within and to make her family proud.
Jen McGinn received her B.A. and M.F.A in Dance from Hollins University in partnership with the ADF. She currently teaches at the University of the Arts and co-directs their Summer Institute in Dance; is a Dance Specialist for "Life Lines" Community Arts Project; and is the Studio Manager at the Center for Performance Research. Her teaching practices have been shaped through residencies at Dickinson College, Hollins University, Booker High School Visual and Performing Arts Center, the American Dance Festival, West Coast Civic Ballet, and the University of Maryland, among others. She is currently making work as a 2014-2016 Artist in Residence through Movement Research. Her work has been presented throughout the East Coast and abroad at various spaces including Brooklyn Arts Exchange (2013 Space Grantee); Dance Theater Workshop (Fresh Tracks); nEW Festival (2009 AIR); Movement Research at the Judson Church ('09-'15); Danspace Project (DraftWork and Academy Dances); Philadelphia Live Arts Festival (The A.W.A.R.D Show); Franklin Street Works (Showing the Work); Dixon Place (BRINK); Performance Mix Festival ('08, '11, '14); CPR (New Voices in Live Performance and Performance Studio Open House); AUNTS; Community Education Center (New Edge Mix); and the National Theater of Luxembourg (Bruler Pour Briller). Her interests include Cecchetti ballet, magical thinking, and logic problems.
Katie Rose McLaughlin grew up in Minneapolis, MN and studied ballet under the direction of Bonnie Mathis. She then attended the Joffrey/New School BFA program on full scholarship before falling in love with post-modern dance and theater. Her choreography has been presented by the Chocolate Factory, Catch, the Invisible Dog, Dixon Place, Little Theater, AUNTS, Movement Research at Judson Church, Center for Performance Research, Dance New Amsterdam, Triskelion, 9×22 DanceLab, Links Hall, Red Eye Theater, newMoves Contemporary Dance Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the International Festival of Art & Ideas. She was a 2013 artist-in-residence through Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's SPARC program and is an artistic associate of JV Squad the artistic director of Designated Movement Company.
Melissa received her early dance training at the Dancer's Studio in Warwick, NY under the direction of Lucinda Henry. Melissa has been performing both in NYC and around the country with Forces of Nature Dance Theatre since 2005 and Darrah Carr Dance since 2006. In 2008 Melissa co-founded Isis Movement Company and has since presented work at various venues including Dixon Place, CPR,Triskelion Arts, Built on Stilts Festival in Martha's Vineyard and 60×60 Dance at the Winter Garden Theater. Melissa holds a BFA with honors from the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College (SUNY) and an MSc in Dance Science from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. Her research from Laban was presented at the IADMS conference in Seattle Washington, in October 2013 and published in the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science.
Eryn Renee Young is co-founder and resident choreographer of XAOC Contemporary Ballet, a New York City-based neoclassical ballet company founded in 2010. Her choreographic work has been showcased at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, the Young Choreographer's Festival at Symphony Space, Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, the Dumbo Dance Festival, the Counter/Pointe Series with Norte Maar and the Brooklyn Ballet, the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition, the Brooklyn Dance Festival, Dance New Amsterdam, Triskelion Arts Center, the Boston Conservatory, and New York University, among others. Her awards include the a 2015 Manhattan Community Arts Fund Grant, the 2014 Eryc Taylor Dance New Choreography Grant, selection the 2013 Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training, and the 2013 Women in Dance Series. She acts as Production Coordinator for Buglisi Dance Theatre's Table of Silence Project 9/11 and Lincoln Center, and coordinates Peridance Capezio Center's Summer Intensive. Ms. Young holds a degree in Contemporary Ballet Choreography and Fine Art from New York University. She began choreographing in 2007 and draws inspiration from Balanchine-Stravinsky works, classical sculpture, Greek myth, Christopher Wheeldon, and William Forsythe.