The JCE JAZZ DANCE PROJECT
APRIL 2019
DATES
Saturday, April 27, 8:00
Sunday, April 28, 4:00 – a talkback with the choreographers follows the performance
LOCATION
Salvatore Capezio Theatre at Peridance
126 E. 13th Street
New York, New York 10003
www.peridance.com
“Doin’ My Jazz” choreographed by Barbara Angeline. Photo: Jan La Salle
PHOTO GALLERY
Everything Scatter
Choreography: Fréyani Patrice | Photo: Jan La Salle
Night of the Dancing Flame
Choreography: Josh Assor | Photo: Jan La Salle
Soledad
Choreography: Cristal Del Mar López | Photo: Jan La Salle
Eleanor
Choreography: Merete Muenter | Photo: Jan La Salle
Pearls
Choreography: Fatima Logan-Alston | Photo: Jan La Salle
Safety Dance
Choreography: Skye Mattox | Photo: Jan La Salle
Passage and Perception (Excerpt)
Choreography: Ashley Carter and Vanessa Martínez de Baños | Photo: Jan La Salle
R(h)ush
Choreography: Talissa Bavaresco | Photo: Jan La Salle
FRENCH TRiO
Choreography: Jeff Davis | Photo: Jan La Salle
100 Years
Choreography: Julia Kane | Photo: Jan La Salle
Reclaiming My Time
Choreography: Paul A. Brown | Photo: Jan La Salle
Trust in You
Choreography: Kavin T. Grant | Photo: Jan La Salle
Player Piano
Choreography: Jenn Rose | Photo: Jan La Salle
Six Gals, for Themselves
Choreography: Danielle Diniz | Photo: Jan La Salle
Small Talk
Choreography: Tony Fraser and Jaime Shannon | Photo: Jan La Salle
Artistic Directors
Merete Muenter
Merete Muenter is a choreographer and director, as well as the Co-Founder 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), SOUTH PACIFIC and MAN OF LA MANCHA (Plaza Theatricals), THE KING OF SECOND AVENUE (New Repertory Theater). Director / Choreographer: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF – IN YIDDISH – (Associate Director, Off-Broadway / New World Stages – Director, Joel Grey), THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, (American Theater Group), CHICAGO, TOMMY, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG,
(Woodstock Playhouse), THEY WALK AMONG US (MITF / Award - Best Choreography), WINESDAY – (Associate Director / Movement Coordinator – Off-Broadway). Short Film: THROUGH THE AGES (Director / Choreographer / Producer) Multiple Film Festival Awards. Originally from Buffalo, New York. SUNY Geneseo Graduate.
Danielle Diniz
Danielle is the Co Artistic Director of Jazz Choreography Enterprises and has choreographed for the Ailey BFA program, Jacob's Pillow, New York Dance Project, Ballet Hartford, Central Utah Ballet, Stars of American Ballet, Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance, St. Paul's ballet program, Columbia Ballet Collaborative and the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, among others. She was also honored to be Artist in Residence at Tribeca BMCC via CUNY Dance Initiative last year. She choreographed the musicals ‘My Way’ and ‘On the Air’, made her Off-Broadway choreographic debut at the AMT Theatre with 'An Unbalanced Mind,' presented work at the McCallum Theatre/Palm Desert Choreography Festival and the New York Theatre Barn Choreography Lab at BAC and was awarded a grant from NYFA. She choreographs musicals for AMDA and has served as Associate Choreographer for Lorin Latarro. She enjoys teaching at Steps on Broadway, Peridance, Mark Morris and Manhattan Youth Ballet and has a B.A. from Cornell University.
Featured Choreographers
Josh Assor
Josh Assor, a New York based award winning choreographer and performer, has worked with some of the most respected jobs including Broadway, National Tours, National Commercials, Film and Television, and has performed in major venues across the world including United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Some of Josh’s recent work includes “Mary Poppins” at the Arrow Rock Lyceum, New York Fashion Week, Audi Ottawa, Modos Furniture commercial, associate choreographer of the “Saturday Night Fever” National Tour and choreographed the Off-Broadway show, “Medicine the Musical.” As a performer, some of Josh’s favorite credits include Disney’s first National Tour of “Newsies,” Neleus in “Mary Poppins” on Broadway and first National Tour, Baby John in “West Side Story,” “Wizard of Oz” National Tour and dancing on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” with Jimmy Fallon. He has been featured in Dance Canada Quarterly, Industry Dance Magazine and Dance Plug Los Angeles. He has taught at Edge Performing Arts Center and is currently on faculty at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City, where he has been a guest choreographer for many of their events. Josh’s strong dedication to his craft and passion for creativity fuses the natural ability to connect with fellow artists to continue to shape his career.
Talissa Bavaresco
Paul A. Brown
Paul A. Brown is Internationally known as a Master Jazz Teacher, having taught master classes and workshops while touring with Gus Giordano’s Jazz Dance Chicago as Assistant Associate Director and Principal Dancer, as well as with International/National tours of the Broadway shows CATS and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. He has also performed with such acclaimed regional dance companies as Chicago Dance Medium, Dancewerks, AntiGravity and many others. In 2004 his own company, Moonlight Gypsy Productions, LLC, premiered his original ballet, La Sparizione (The Vanishing) – A Gothic Rock Experience, at the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles to rave reviews. He has choreographed and taught for various companies and studios throughout the Chicago, LA and New York regions, as well as abroad in Austria, Brazil, Germany, Japan and Switzerland. Paul’s mentors are the various choreographers he’s had the privilege of working with as either Assistant Choreographer or Dance Captain, including such greats as Gus Giordano, Matt Mattox, Luigi, Frank Hatchet, Tony Stevens, Barry McNabb and Liza Gennaro, just to name a few.
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.
Jeff Davis
Jeff Davis is a NYC based Dancer, Choreographer and Visual Artist. He is the Founder and Director of Jeff Davis Dance, fusing art, musical theater, contemporary and jazz dance to tell unique stories. His background in dance, theater, opera and puppetry have led to multifaceted, thought provoking and highly entertaining performance pieces. He recently choreographed Caravantasy for the Spring JCE Jazz Dance Project. His work French Trio premiered at the 2019 Fresh Fruit Festival, winning outstanding dance. His collaborations with Glitter Kitty Theater include Director and Choreographer of the Gunfighter Meets his Match for the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) and One for the Ages! at Theater for the New City. He is a former Co-Artistic Director of the Hudson Vagabond Puppets, touring and staging large scale puppetry. He is also co-creator of The Dick & Anita Holiday Hour! and The Lovely WILDS with composer Elliot Roth. As a performer, he has been featured with Labyrinth Dance Theater, NYC Children’s Theater, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, Josh Prince’s Broadway Dance Lab, PCLO and Pittsburgh Opera; international tours with Attack Theatre and Zullo/Raw Movement; national tour of the hit musical FOSSE.
Danielle Diniz
Danielle is the Co Artistic Director of Jazz Choreography Enterprises and has choreographed for the Ailey BFA program, Jacob’s Pillow, New York Dance Project, Ballet Hartford, Central Utah Ballet, Stars of American Ballet, Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, St. Paul’s ballet program, Columbia Ballet Collaborative and the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, among others. She was also honored to be Artist in Residence at Tribeca BMCC via CUNY Dance Initiative last year. She choreographed the musicals ‘My Way’ and ‘On the Air’, made her Off-Broadway choreographic debut at the AMT Theatre with ‘An Unbalanced Mind,’ presented work at the McCallum Theatre/Palm Desert Choreography Festival and the New York Theatre Barn Choreography Lab at BAC and was awarded a grant from NYFA. She choreographs musicals for AMDA and has served as Associate Choreographer for Lorin Latarro. She enjoys teaching at Steps on Broadway, Peridance, Mark Morris and Manhattan Youth Ballet and has a B.A. from Cornell University.
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.
Julia Kane
Julia Kane holds a BFA degree in Dance, and is a graduate of the Broadway Dance Center Professional Semester and of Long Island High School for the Arts (under direction of Janice Aguilera and Shirlene Blake). She trains consistently with Michelle Barber, Ginger Cox, Jamie Salmon, and Diane Laurenson, and has had the privilege of assisting Michelle at Broadway Dance Center’s Dance Educator Development, as well as in private master classes. In 2018, while undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Julia channeled her creative energy towards choreographing and creating dance. With that, The Julia Kane Dance Collective premiered onstage at Jazz at Lincoln Center as a part of APAP’s Booking Dance Festival. Her work has since been seen at Dixon Place, Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, KLICK’T’s iDance4aCure benefit, and at the NYC Choreographer’s Forum, among others. Julia is on Jazz Faculty at PMT Dance Studio where she teaches weekly adult classes. She assists and subs for Broadway Dance Center Children and Teens Program, and often guest teaches for conventions and master classes at local studios. She is thrilled to have her work be a part of the JCE Jazz Dance Project!
Fatima Logan-Alston
Fatima Logan-Alston, a native of Durham, North Carolina, is founder and Artistic Director of VashtiDance Theater and an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist. Fatima received her BFA in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA), a Teaching Artist Certification from the Teacher’s College at Columbia University, and a Master’s in Liberal Arts from SUNY Old Westbury. Fatima has toured internationally with Forces of Nature Dance Theater, the African-American Dance Ensemble, and VashtiDance Theater. She has performed with Ntozake Shange, Bobby Sanabria, Paul Winters, and at Lincoln Center Outdoors. Fatima has been in residence at Long Island University Post, Gibney Dance, and Hostos Community College through the CUNY Dance Initiative. She has been a Guest Teacher and presented at Hunter College, Queens College, Barnard College, and has received recognition for her commitment to dance education from Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor. Fatima is currently a teaching artist with Alvin Ailey Arts in Education, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and is celebrating more than a decade as Artistic Director of VashtiDance Theater.
Cristal Del Mar López
Cristal Del Mar López is a Dancer, Choreographer, and Teacher based in New York City and Puerto Rico. After graduating from the specialized school Ballet Julian E. Blanco in Puerto Rico, she went on to train in the School of the Performing Arts, Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, Broadway Dance Center, and Steps on Broadway. She has participated in numerous productions in Puerto Rico, including El Quixote de la Locura, Regata 2000, Peces al Ataque, Las Zarzuelas (Las Bodas de Luis Alonso y El Barberillo de Lavapie), El Cascanueces, and Las Plaza Dancers, among others. In NYC, she is currently a member of Ashle Dawson’s company, Latin Fusion Dance Project, and has recently performed in works by Michelle Barber (Symphony Space), Ashle Dawson (Symphony Space, Global Citizen), and Julia Kane (Booking Dance Festival/Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dixon Place). She also took part in the Luis Salgado show, “Bountiful,” where she performed in works by Gabriela Garcia, Luis Salgado, Rickey Tripp, as well as assisting Amanda Turner. As a teacher, Cristal has taught classes around Puerto Rico at Ballet Julian E. Blanco, Escuela Bellas Artes de Carolina, Ballet Concierto, and at Dance Studio of Park Slope.
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.
Skye Mattox
Skye Mattox began her career when she moved to New York City at age 17. She has been seen on Broadway in the recent, Tony nominated revival of Carousel, West Side Story, and On the Town, where she understudied the lead role of Ivy Smith. Other NYC credits include American Dance Machine and numerous shows for New York City Center’s Encores!series, such as Little Me and Call Me Madam. She can also be seen as a dancer throughout the second season of NBC’s hit TV series SMASH. In addition to performing, Skye has always been passionate about choreography and teaching dance. She has taught for many studios across the country, as well as two of NYC’s top dance studios, Steps On Broadway and Broadway Dance Center. Most recently, her choreography can be seen in the short film, The Denodnaba Prologue.
Merete Muenter
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), SOUTH PACIFIC and MAN OF LA MANCHA (Plaza
Theatricals), THE KING OF SECOND AVENUE (New Repertory Theater). Director / Choreographer: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF – IN YIDDISH – (Associate Director,
Off-Broadway / New World Stages – Director, Joel Grey), THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, (American Theater Group), CHICAGO, TOMMY, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG,
(Woodstock Playhouse), THEY WALK AMONG US (MITF / Award – Best Choreography), WINESDAY – (Associate Director / Movement Coordinator – Off-Broadway).
Short Film: THROUGH THE AGES (Director / Choreographer / Producer) Multiple Film Festival Awards. Originally from Buffalo, New York. SUNY Geneseo Graduate.
Fréyani Patrice
Fréyani Patrice is the Artistic Director of Ntrinsik Movement and its junior company, “IFE The Movement.” She was born in Queens and raised in Brooklyn, where she started her formal training at Restoration Youth Arts Academy. She continued her training at LIU Post where she received her BFA in Dance Studies. Over the years she was given the opportunity to work with well-established performers/choreographers such as Michael Leon Thomas, Akira Armstrong and Ronald K Brown. Ntrinsik has performed in various theaters in the Tri-state area. She was able to judge the “Step It Up Dance/Step Competition,” which was held at the Apollo Theater, and choreographed the opening number for the competition. Fréyani was featured in the New York “Times” for her performance in Saya Woolfalk’s “ChimaTEK” and Spike Lee’s campaign with Cadillac. She is thankful to God, and for her family and close friends for their constant support and love.
Jenn Rose
Jenn Rose is a NYC based choreographer working in theater, concert dance, and film. Current projects include You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Untitled Project # 213 (Edinburgh Fringe 2019). Regional choreography includes Cabaret (Arden Theatre Co), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre), Avenue X (11th Hour Theatre Co), Herringbone (Flashpoint Theatre Co), The Black Nativity (Theatre Horizon), and Honk! (Two River Theatre). Film choreography includes Feature: Christmas Dreams; Short: Not Immune (Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival Selection); In or Out, unPresidented (Loose Screws Productions). Commissioned choreography includes Player Piano (The Steps Conservatory Program), That’s What It’s All About (Dancebreak 2018), The Missing Piece (Ballet Fleming), Three and a Break (Ursinus College), Benzo (Drexel University). She is the recipient of the 2016 Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Choreography and has been honored with five additional nominations.
What Inspired Our Choreographers?
Jeff Davis
I originally created this piece with a Fosse-style esthetic in mind. It was for a show I wrote about a group of French tourists who while renting an upstairs apartment decide to crash the family Christmas party. When I think about influence, though, I am reminded of one of my favorite numbers, Why Am I So Gone About That Gal?, the magic jazz dance created by Gene Kelly, performed by Kelly himself and Mitzi Gaynor in “Les Girls” (MGM,1957). Music by Cole Porter.
Danielle Diniz
Jazz will always have my heart, but I do have to say, by attending the ballet more, it’s widened the vocabulary I use. In every movement and passage I still try to infuse with style and a Gene Kelly-like flow, but many of the shapes of the jumps and turns I’ve started to incorporate have roots in pieces done by friends I enjoy watching with a ballet base. Michael Kidd, in his casting of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” even used New York City Ballet principal dancers. I’m inspired by the old school athleticism and classic flair the Golden Age musicals specialized in, but want to introduce forms seen outside of the pure jazz genre when conceiving something new. I like to conjure my pieces and flesh out my ideas by myself to ensure that it is primarily my own vision and neither a copy nor emulation of previous work. Undoubtedly however, the choreographers I admire most, Jerome Robbins and Gene Kelly, make their presence known in my final product. Yes, they are two of the most popular names in dance history, but that’s for a reason; it would be a shame and disservice not to draw from their brilliance.
Danielle is using music from the Barn Dance in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” for her piece, “Six Gals, for Themselves.”
Merete Muenter
“I have always been intrigued by the lyrics to the Beatles song, Eleanor Rigby. Eleanor is such a curious figure. The music has such a rhythm to it, like a heartbeat, or a ticking clock indicating the time passing by in her life. I’ve been wanting to do something to this music for quite some time because it has such a strong storyline behind it. In my dance, I want to explore what happened to Eleanor to cause her loneliness, who tried to help her, and then indicate when and how she finally finds her peace.”
Paul A. Brown
I’m paying tribute to all the fantastic women who’ve been my main dance teachers throughout my career: Anna Czajun, Pattie Obey, Nan Giordano, and my first teacher during college at WKU, Beverly Veenker, just to name a few. A special nod also goes to Sherry Zunker, who used this music as a girl’s scholarship piece back at Gus Giordano’s Dance School… and where the idea came (back) from when I started getting only women responding to my dancer search. The title itself is a direct nod to US Representative Maxine Waters, taken from her now famous response, “Reclaiming My Time,” during a House hearing when the respondent was dawdling and wasting her allotted time. I also am using this piece to show my support for women everywhere as they march and fight for their own rights! I believe with today’s political climate, this is the least I could do!
All of JCE’s programs are made possible in part by support from our sponsor, Salon Ishi.
