THE NEW YORK CHOREOGRAPHY PROJECT APRIL 2018
DATES
LOCATION
Salvatore Capezio Theatre at Peridance
126 E. 13th Street
New York, New York 10003
www.peridance.com

Tickets Available Now
Early Bird Price through April 1st: $20
Online Sales: $25 General; $20 children and students with valid high school or college ID’s
At the Door: $30 General; $25 children and students with valid high school or college ID’s
Groups of 10 or more, paid in advance: $20.
For group sales: info@jazzchoreography.com; https://nyjazzproject.bpt.me; 1-800-838-3006
Useful Information
Please present your credit card or a printout of your receipt (and valid ID for students) at the box office to claim your tickets. Online sales will close three hours before each performance (or sooner if the performance sells out). Thereafter, tickets will be available only at the door. The Box Office will open one hour prior to each performance. Doors will open one half hour before show time. Seats are not assigned, so it’s best to arrive early. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of management. The performance will be approximately one hour and 10 minutes long, no intermission.
No refunds or exchanges.
For questions, please contact:
212-369-9036 or info@jazzchoreography.com.
Artistic Directors
Marian Hyun
Marian Hyun has studied jazz and ballet in New York with Luigi, Bob Audy, Ed Kresley, Shirley Bassat, Julia Dubno, and wonderful teachers in Paris, France, Susan Sparks and Frédéric Lazzarelli. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, she was a freelance writer and a writing instructor at the New School before enrolling in the Dance Education Lab (DEL) at 92nd Street Y. Since then she has taught dance to people of all ages, from two-year-old pre-ballerinas to senior citizen jazz buffs in various New York studios and community centers. She has choreographed for the New York Jazz Choreography Project, Choreographer’s Canvas, the Fridays at Noon Marathon at 92nd Street Y, and the Comedy in Dance Festival at Triskelion Arts. In May 2007 at New Dance Group, Marian produced the first performance of the New York Jazz Choreography Project, a showcase devoted to jazz dance. It sold out. Subsequent performances of the Jazz Project have been produced semiannually by Jazz Choreography Enterprises, Inc., a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization established in 2007 to promote the creation of original jazz choreography. Marian is the president and co-artistic director of Jazz Choreography Enterprises.
Merete Muenter
Merete Muenter is a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of Jazz Choreography Enterprises. Choreography: Off-Broadway – Fiddler on the Roof - In Yiddish (Assistant Choreographer – Director, Joel Grey), Amerike – The Golden Land (The National Yiddish Theater - Folksbiene), The Golden Bride (Chita Rivera Award Nomination / The National Yiddish Theater - Folksbiene), Eddie and the Palaceades (Midtown International Theatre Festival “MITF”), The King of Second Avenue (New Repertory Theatre). Director/choreographer:Fiddler on the Roof - In Yiddish (Assistant Director, Australian Company, Director, Joel Grey), The Bridges of Madison County, (American Theater Group), Chicago, The Who’s Tommy, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Woodstock Playhouse), They Walk Among Us (MITF / Award - Best Choreography), Roar of the Greasepaint (Lancaster Opera House).
Featured Choreographers

Talissa Bavaresco

Al Blackstone
Al Blackstone is a New York City based director, choreographer, and educator and the recipient of the 2011 Capezio A.C.E. Award for Choreographic Excellence. Most recent projects include Newsies at the Maltz Jupiter Theater (Carbonel Nomination), American Dance Spectacular! (Northeast Tour) and the world premiere Off-Broadway musical The View Upstairs. Other credits include: So You Think You Can Dance, Freddie Falls In Love, Happy We’ll Be, and Born to Dance (Princess Cruise Line). Al is a proud faculty member at STEPS on Broadway and likes coffee, disco, and dance parties. Endless thanks to his parents Richard and Denise for teaching him how to dance and live life with enthusiasm.

Tiffanie Carson
Tiffanie Carson (she/her) is an educator, mentor and performance artist. She earned her MFA in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and BFA in Dance Performance at Chapman University. She is currently an Auxiliary Adjunct Assistant Professor and has been teaching at the Conservatory at Shenandoah University (SU) for the past ten years offering technique classes focusing on contemporary within commercial styles as well as commercial industry styles classes to both dance and musical theater majors. Tiffanie is also part of the adjunct faculty at Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University teaching contemporary within commercial styles. In addition to her work in academia Tiffanie is in her 12th season as company dancer and Assistant Director for Christopher K. Morgan & Artists (CKM&A) directed by Christopher K. Morgan, and is a longtime company member of 16 years for BARE Dance Company directed by Mike Esperanza in New York City. Tiffanie is honored to be presenting her 4th work at the 2024 April JCE Jazz Dance Project performance. “Say My Name” was originally commissioned by Shenandoah University in 2023, and features members of the Shenandoah Conservatory Dance Ensemble.

Ashley Carter
Ashley Carter is passionate about her work as a dancer, teacher and choreographer; and as co-director of NYC-based company DoubleTake Dance www.DoubleTakeDanceCo.com. She has had the opportunity to perform and/or choreograph at venues such as Jacob’s Pillow, SummerStage, Battery Dance Festival, Webster Hall, the New York Jazz Choreography Project and Carnival Choreographer’s Ball. Ashley is on faculty at Ballet Academy East and Joffrey in New York. She can be seen working alongside artists such as Ricky Martin, NeYo, Lady Sovereign, Nicki Minaj and Mila Kunis, for companies like Pilobolus, Balasole, Derek Mitchell, Germaul Barnes/Viewsic Expressions, Ruddur Dance, HannaQ Dance Co, the Little Opera Theatre of NY and Balasole, and for brands such as Nike, Athleta, Nokia, Microsoft, Heineken, Yahoo, Ameriprise, the Rachel Ray Show and Lush Cosmetics. She has been seen off-Broadway in “West Side Story”; performed in a music video for Sia, a Boost Mobile commercial, a feature film with Justin Timberlake, and is credited with choreographing independent feature film “The Ride of Tom and Valkyrie” and the musical “Dragula.” Recently, Ashley was featured in the original dance film “Here We Go Again” (dir. Nathan Cohen), performed as Fritz/Rat King/Russia in “DIY Nutcracker,” danced in “Barber of Seville” with the Amore Opera, and worked on “Peter Pan” for Broadway Asia.

Daniel Gold
Daniel Gold is a NYC based choreographer, dancer, and teaching artist. He has performed regionally at numerous houses like the North Shore Music Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Tuacahn Center of the Arts; Disney’s Beauty and the Beast National Tour; he was a guest performer at the Institute of Contemporary Art with Karole Armitage’s company Armitage Gone! Dance. On film, Daniel has been involved in a handful of music videos for artists on the rise, most recently, Fredrik Eklund’s music for “It Gets Better”. Daniel’s choreography has been featured on stage at Theatre By The Sea and Little Theatre on the Square. He also has choreographed orchestral concerts and galas along the east coast. Daniel teaches all around the country and can periodically be found teaching at Broadway Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center, and Brickhouse NYC. He has been an adjudicator and traveling faculty member of Dancers Inc, Turn It Up Dance Challenge, and Broadway Connection. Daniel is also the founder and director of an artistic initiative, Leg Up On Life, which bring artists together to collaborate while raising money for organizations that give directly back to our communities.

Kavin T. Grant
Kavin T. Grant (1981-2019), a native of Jacksonville, Florida, was an Associate Professor of Dance at Alabama State University. He received his MFA in Dance with a concentration in Choreography and Performance from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Mr. Grant trained with Kariamu and Company: Traditions, and was a member for three years; Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Florida Community College at Jacksonville; and Jacksonville University, where he earned a BFA in Dance with departmental honors and a minor in Sociology. He was a guest instructor at Tri-Cities High School, Booker T. Washington Magnet High School, Temple University, Penn State University, The University of the Arts, The University of Akron, Rowan University, Muhlenberg College, Tallahassee Community College and Jacksonville University. He was also the founder/CEO of Kavin Grant Productions and Entertainment, LLC. Three of his choreographic works were adjudicated and selected for the Gala program at various Regions of the American College Dance Festival, and one chosen for the National American College Dance Festival. He specialized in classical ballet (Vaganova), contemporary ballet, contemporary modern, hip-hop, jazz, African (Umfundalai), musical theater and step dance. On March 31, 2019, Kavin T. Grant died in a car accident. JCE is presenting his work for the fifth time since 2015 and is dedicating these performances to him. A talented choreographer and much loved teacher, he is greatly missed by the dance community.

Daniel Gwirtzman
Daniel Gwirtzman — producer, educator, filmmaker and performer — celebrates twenty-two years as a New York choreographer and company director. His diverse repertory for the nonprofit Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, and other concert and commercial projects, has earned praise for its humor, stylistic diversity, musicality, charisma and accessibility. “Mr. Gwirtzman does know that in dance less can be more. And that’s a good thing for any choreographer to know” writes The New York Times. The New Yorker describes him as a choreographer of “high spirits and skill.” His choreography has been performed at venues throughout the country and abroad and he has been awarded commissions, residencies and fellowships from institutions around the world. Daniel produces dance films which have enjoyed screenings at venues nationally and internationally including the American Dance Festival’s International Screendance Festival. Daniel has been on faculty, a visiting professor, and a guest choreographer at various institutions. He danced with Garth Fagan Dance and the Mark Morris Dance Group among other companies. In 2014, Daniel celebrated DGDC’s fifteenth anniversary with the evening-length premiere of The Oracle at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Throughout 2018/2019 the Company celebrates its 20th Anniversary season with a range of exciting shows and events.

Michelle Isaac
Michelle Isaac was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She began dancing at the age of 4 in church, and started formal training in high school at Dr. Susan S McKinney Secondary School of the Arts, under the direction of Zakiya Harris. Michelle received her BFA in Dance from LIU Post with Honors Recognition in 2015. Shortly after graduation, she performed in Tamara LaDonna’s Moving Spirits Inc. as a company dancer, and completed a choreography residency with a contemporary ballet company in Brooklyn, NY. In 2019, Michelle completed her graduate studies through the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at Hunter College, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with her MA in Dance Education and K-12 NY State Professional Certification. She was the first dance educator ever to deliver the student commencement address for the Hunter College School of Education commencement ceremony. Michelle is a Co-Founder of Eden Arts Inc, formerly known as Ntrinsik Movement, and functions as the Artistic Director of Eden Brooklyn Dance Theater. With the company, she has choreographed several works, produced concerts, hosted community and school workshops through their residency program, and has performed in various NYC theaters, as well as theaters outside of NYC. Aside from performing and choreographing, Michelle is a full-time dance educator at her alma mater, Susan S. Mckinney, and she recently entered her 9th year in education. She continues to provide dance workshops and classes for children and adults in various churches and dance schools throughout her community. She is also a junior board member for Jazz Choreography Enterprises and a member of the National Dance Education Organization. In the fall of 2022, Michelle was named the NDEO Dance Educator (Emerging) Award recipient in a private sector, for the work that she continues to do through her organization’s dance school, Eden Center for the Performing Arts. She is currently a student and candidate in the Institute for Dunham Technique Certification, and is continuing her education in the field, by studying the dance technique and philosophies of Ms. Dunham.

Eveline Kleinjans
Eveline Kleinjans is a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher from the Netherlands. At young age she started her dance training in jazz technique, and later on she expanded her training with ballet and modern dance. After high school she was accepted by ArtEZ School of Dance in Arnhem, the Netherlands, and graduated in 2012 with a BA in Dance Education. While studying she taught jazz dance, ballet and modern classes to all different age groups. Upon graduation she received a scholarship to study Simonson technique in NYC. She started as an International Student at Dance New Amsterdam and after its closing in October 2013, she resumed her study at Steps on Broadway. In 2016 she assisted master teacher Lynn Simonson during the Simonson teacher training courses in Paris and Barcelona. Intrigued by this technique she is motivated to pass the technique on to the next generation of dancers. Since moving to NYC she has performed in works by Diane McCarthy, Laurie DeVito, Katiti King, Jana Hicks, Marijke Eliasberg, Julia Ehrstrand, Mei Yamanaka, Akiko Tomikawa, Andrew Jannetti and Jess Lewis.

Linda Kuo
Linda Kuo is the director and choreographer of her dance company, Dancers Unlimited, a bi-city company based in Honolulu and NYC. The company is performing its 8th season this winter in NYC and currently has an artist residency at Mark Morris Dance Center. As a choreographer, Linda’s work has been presented on stages in NYC,Hawaii, Shanghai and Beijing. Notable venues where Linda has presented her work include: Shanghai World Expo 2010, Bboy In Shanghai World Final / US Embassy in Shanghai, The Contemporary Museum of Honolulu, Honolulu Academy of Art, Ailey Citigroup Theatre, New York City Center Studios, Mark Morris Dance Center, Brooklyn Music School, and Triskelion Arts Center. In addition to choreographing, Linda has also taught workshops in various cities and abroad. Most recently, she was the featured Contemporary dance teacher for NYC Dance Week. She is currently a guest teacher at Mark Morris Dance Center.

Vanessa Martínez de Baños
Vanessa Martínez de Baños is a recognized dancer, teacher and choreographer, and co-director of DoubleTakeDanceCo.com (NY SummerStage, Battery, Carnival, Jazz Choreography Project, etc). Featured twice in Dance Informa Magazine, DoubleTake Dance (DTD) has recently received several commissions: Rock that Rolls choreographic commission for Dancing Wheels in Cleveland, OH; HT Chen New Steps residency NYC; Next Step commission and performance for JPAC NYC. Currently she dances and choreographs for DTD, Daniel Gwirtzman and American Tap Dance Foundation. Other companies/choreographers include DIY Nutcracker, BalaSole, Noir Tribe Media, RSW & associates, ABT, Little Opera Theater, Ikada, Ryan Beck, Derek Mitchell, Guillém Alonso, Lynn Schwab and Tony Waag, L’OREAL, Heineken, Ameriprise, Yahoo, Ursus Vodka, KDDance, Tag Heuer, Lush Cosmetics/Gorilla Perfumes, Fuse TV, X- Box/Kinect (Times Square with NeYo and Lady Sovereign), Rachel Ray Show etc. Film credits include “Friends With Benefits” with Justin Timberlake (IMDB 2011). Vanessa is passionate about her teaching career. On faculty at Steps, Joffrey, BAE and a Tap City Leader, she’s been featured on CNN, NBC and TV Globo in Brazil.

Mallory Pettee
An Ohio native, Mallory Pettee, is a NYC based performer. She received her B.F.A in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College where she graduated cum laude. Since graduation, she has worked as a freelance dancer striving to be the most versatile performer she can be. Recent credits include the Broadway Christmas Wonderland Tour, Fire Island Dance Festival, and an industrial at Radio City Music Hall. She also teaches and choreographs for dance studios across the nation, pursues photography (@maljpetphoto), and is a volunteer for the Hudson Guild Foundation. She is represented by LDC Artist Representation. Mallory is very grateful to Jazz Choreography Enterprises for the opportunity to present her work here in NYC!

Spencer Pond

Joey Rosario
Joey Rosario is excited to return to JCE! Coming from a musical theater background, Joey has had the opportunity to perform nationally and internationally with the tour of A Chorus Line and regionally in shows like Beauty and The Beast, Guys and Dolls, and West Side Story. He debuted his first professional piece through the JCE Jazz Dance Project two years ago. Since then, he’s been pursuing more choreographic opportunities, releasing a short dance film last year, And Just Like That, as well as Bad Idea, and most recently serving as Associate Choreographer for In the Heights at Park Playhouse. His style is a fusion of classic musical theater jazz, jazz funk, and Latin dance. He is a proud Montclair State University alum. Joey would like to thank Erin Pride for her constant encouragement and nurturing his choreographic voice, George Dearani for his theatrical inspiration and tutelage, his friends and family for their constant love and support; and Marian and Merete for the opportunity to be a part of the JCE Jazz Dance Project!
What Inspires Our Choreographers?
We thought you might enjoy finding out who or what inspired some of our choreographers in this production of the New York Jazz Choreography Project.
Mallory Pettee
“Rush Hour Rendezvous” is a musical theater dance piece inspired by the musings of New Yorkers and the daily subway commute. Never the same, sometimes playful, often offensive, and always interesting: I hope to poke fun at the mundane, and the terrible service of the MTA. It’s a make-believe world where rush hour is an enjoyable ride and a celebration of the experiences one can only find in NYC!

Dancer: Cindy Reid
Photo: maljpetphoto, photography by Mallory Pettee
Spencer Pond
I did a lot of research on the state of Jazz dancing before the 1940’s, on Vaudeville acts, and early movie musicals in order to create Bud and Blossom, our dancing duo. I saw a video of Eddie Cantor doing some stand up and singing some of his famous tunes and instantly knew that Bud had to have a lot of his qualities. He had such an interesting way of showing physical comedy, which gave me a good foundation to create my own gags. Bud’s character is also reminiscent of comedians of the time such as Charlie Chaplin, The Three Stooges, and Shaw & Lee.
Daniel Gwirtzman
The inspiration for creating “Well, Git It!”? The Nicolas Brothers in general, and this classic choreography from the film “Down Argentine Way” from 1940 specifically. The Nicolas Brothers are of course brilliant technicians and performers. It’s not just their astounding virtuosity that excites, but the exuberance of their expression. With “Well, Git It!” I wanted to play with this over-the-top one upmanship, where anything one can do the other can definitely do the same, if not better. There is a relentless pacing which I also kept, which fuels the experience for the viewer along with the dancers. Watching The Nicolas Brothers we are swept up in the current of movement, accelerating toward a crescendoing finish. With “Well, Git It!” I followed a similar strategy where the audience doesn’t have time to be taken out of the choreography, and enjoys the satisfaction of the release along with the dancers. This is go-for-broke dance and the Brothers are among the best!
Linda Kuo
The idea of exploring connections between street dances of NYC and Swing/Lindy Hop/Jazz and even Latin dances came from conversations with street dance pioneers Marjory Smarth, Sekou Heru and Willie Estrada. They all studied the shared lineage of these dances, as well as the social and political environments that created them. Soon after the initial discussion, I unexpectedly took a Jazz class from Moncell Durden, an assistant dance professor at University of Southern California, at Advanced Street Style Lab. The similarity between Jazz steps and Hip Hop/House dances, as broken down by Moncell, motivated me to continue the exploration of the NYC dance lineage rooted in the African Diaspora experience. The inspiration for “reasonsLegacy” is NYC, the dancers and movers who overcome oppression with creativity, the club and street dance culture, and the dance pioneers who tirelessly teach and share the culture with us.
Al Blackstone
“This Way” was inspired by the idea of three young woman having a first experience. It is the celebration of the beginning of a new chapter, and in many ways it is also a memory piece. I was inspired by the Steps Conservatory Program students who are dancing it, by their journey of coming to New York (from California, from France, and from Italy), and falling in love with not only the city itself, but the wealth of possibility that lay before them. We were inspired by the way it felt when they first got here, and we infused the choreography with their personal individual memories and experiences. Now, three years later it is time to say good-bye to the program that brought them here and embark on a new adventure as changed young ladies.
Having three women always makes me think of the Supremes, and inevitably I was inspired by the youthful, playful nature of the girls themselves. Moments of the piece feel very personal and others, quite presentational, as if they bounce between the performance and their own memories. I also found myself inspired by one of my greatest teachers, the late Doug Caldwell who was a pioneer of lyrical jazz. I hope that the emotion and joy of the piece, as well as its roots in a classic lyrical jazz vernacular, would make him proud. Lastly, this is a piece rooted in the romanticism and ever changing allure of our great city, New York.

The April 2018 New York Jazz Choreography Project is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. LMCC.net
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council empowers artists by providing them with networks, resources, and support, to create vibrant, sustainable communities in Lower Manhattan and beyond.
All of JCE’s programs are made possible in part by support from our sponsor, Salon Ishi.


