The JCE JAZZ DANCE PROJECT
APRIL 2024
The JCE Jazz Dance Project is a celebration of jazz dance featuring original works by emerging and established choreographers. Audiences of all ages will be treated to dances in a variety of jazz styles—from swing to contemporary—and the chance to see the richness of this great American art form.
Featured choreographers include:
Gregory Bantugan
Tiffanie Carson
Megan Carter
Kenya Joy Gibson, TORCH Dance Theatre
Mariah Gomez
Taylor Gordon
Michelle Isaac, Eden Brooklyn Dance Theater
Derick McKoy, McKoy Dance Project
Chris Jarosz, _teps Conservatory
Pat Taylor, JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble
Priscilla Tom
Cory “Nova” Villegas, Soul Dance Co.: The Soul Experience
Katie Walker
Betty Weinberger
Merete Muenter and Danielle Diniz, Artistic Directors
“Affirmation” by Robert Redick. Photo: Jan La Salle
DATES
Saturday, April 27th, 2024 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 28th, 2024 at 4 p.m. –
(a talkback follows Sunday’s performance)
LOCATION
KnJ Theater at Peridance
126 E. 13th Street
New York, NY 10003
www.peridance.com
Tickets Available Now
Early Bird price through March 31st: $25
General admission: $35
$25 children and students with valid high school or college ID (Promo Code Student)
If you can’t attend the performances, we hope you’ll consider donating to JCE.
Buy Tickets
For Student discount after October 8th, enter Promo Code Student, then click Apply.
Online ticket sales will close one hour before the performance time; thereafter tickets will be available only at the door.
Useful Information
Covid Policy:
Masks are strongly suggested, but not required.
Refund Policy:
Refunds decided on a case-by-case basis. Eventbrite’s fee is nonrefundable.
Door Policy:
Please present a printout of your receipt (and valid high school or college ID for students) at the ticket desk to claim your tickets. Doors will open one half hour before show time. Ticket sales will close 10 minutes after the show begins. Latecomers who purchased tickets in advance will be seated at the discretion of management.
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
Gregory Bantugan
Gregory Bantugan (He/Him) originally from Denver, Colorado, now lives in New York obtaining his BFA in Dance at Marymount Manhattan College (Spring 2024) with a concentration in Ballet. He started his training at the nationally recognized dance studio Sweatshop Dance where he was a part of their company for 10 years. Simultaneously, studying dance at Denver School of the Arts from grades 6-12. With 13+ years of dance training, he is well-versed in many styles and techniques of dance. He’s performed works by Gallim, Pedro Ruiz, Jenn Freeman, Rodney Hamilton, Tito Del Saz, Chanel DeSilva, Sidra Bell, and Cleo Parker Robinson. He’s excited to be making his professional choreographic debut at JCE with his piece “Just…DANCE!”, creating an atmospheric and lively jazz ballet, that encapsulates commercial, theatrical, and classical forms of Jazz and social dance. All set to Italian Jazz music composed in the 1960s.
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.
Megan Carter
Megan Carter is originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia and is a 2024 graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and Digital Technology and Emerging Media. She trained primarily at Dance Arts Collaborative under the direction of Reina Faith and at Ballet Arts of Bucks County under the direction of Kathleen Dwyer and continued her training in the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program. Megan has had the privilege to perform works by Rebecca Margolick, Hollie Wright, Maleek Washington, Adrienne Hurd, Roderick George, Rena Butler, and Earl Mosley. Megan enhanced her dance studies while in the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program at intensives with Parsons Dance, SynthesisDANCE, Koresh Dance Company, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. As a performer and choreographer, Megan is passionate about not only executing elongated and powerful technique through movement but also creating an everlasting connection with the audience through genuine emotion.
Kenya Joy Gibson
A native of Brooklyn, NY, Kenya Joy Gibson is the Founder and Artistic Director of TORCH Dance Theatre. A former student of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and one of the last to experience the tutelage of the late Arthur Mitchell, Gibson graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master’s in Dance Education from the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at Hunter College in May 2020. She has performed in two Bessie Award-winning performances for DanceAfrica 2017 and 2020. She was featured in the New York Times for Spike Lee’s Cadillac Campaign. Gibson is committed to cultivating new methods of reclaiming and retaining the legacy of the African Diaspora. In August 2020, she established her artistic voice with the production of “Honor” in memoriam to the ancestors who journeyed through the Middle Passage. She has taught as a Guest Artist for the Hunter College, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Teens@Graham. Gibson was selected to present her choreography at the 2022 Women in Dance Leadership Conference at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Gibson is a full-time dance educator with the NYC Department of Education, and is an active member of both the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD).
Mariah Gomez
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Mariah Gomez has been dancing since the age of three. She was a member of Mossa Dance Academy for eight years, where she trained and competed in ballet, modern, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and contemporary. Mariah is 18 years old, and a Senior at The Beacon School. Mariah is also currently one of the Senior Directors and Choreographers for the Beacon Dance Company but was the first Junior Director in the history of the program. She is mentored under the direction of Artistic Director Cory “Nova” Villegas and enjoys teaching others and passing on her knowledge of dance. She has also had the opportunity to dance with Chloe Arnold, The Syncopated Ladies, MOVE |NYC|, IFE Youth Dance Theater and Jazz Choreography Enterprises in their October 2023 Jazz Dance Project.
Taylor Gordon
Taylor Gordon is an international dancer, creator, and educator based in NYC for over 18 years. She is currently Show Supervisor for Step One Dance Company/RWS Global and Resident Director for Dublin Worldwide Productions, as well as on Musical Theater faculty at New York Film Academy. Taylor performed at Lincoln Center with The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, 4 seasons of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Off-Broadway and national tour of Angelina Ballerina The Musical, at The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Jacob’s Pillow, TUI Cruises, internationally as dance captain with Spirit Productions, and with many ballet & contemporary companies in NYC like Exit12 Dance Company. She has danced across 50 countries and her choreography has been presented at JCE, STEPS Beyond Foundation, and Uptown Rising.
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.
Chris Jarosz
Chris Jarosz. TV/FILM: Marry Me, Marvelous Mrs Maisel, SNL, In The Heights, La La Land, Glee, SYTYCD. Has danced for artists such as Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez and Halsey. Wicked National Tour, Metropolitan Opera, Radio City’s New York Spectacular, Cirque Du Soleil, The Devil Wears Prada. Chris is currently apart of the Broadway company of Wicked and you can find his classes at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center.
Derick McKoy, Jr.
Derick McKoy, Jr. (Miami, Florida) is a graduate Glorya Kaufman scholar of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance. He received his Masters of Performing Arts Administration at NYU Steinhardt. Currently, a dancer with Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Derick has performed with Nimbus Dance, Jeremy McQueen’s Emmy-award-winning The Black Iris Project, and on the hit tv show POSE on FX. Derick started his official training under Luctricia Welters and after a year, joined her dance company, Jubilee Dance Theater. He furthered his training under scholarships at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Arts Umbrella, BalletX, Ballet Hispanico, Springboard Danse Montreal. His works have been presented around the country. Derick founded McKoy Dance Project || MDP to use his voice and leadership to consistently invest into dance art and uplift his community. Now in its fifth season, MDP is continuously expanding and heavily focused on increasing its visibility and the scope of its mission.
Pat Taylor
Pat Taylor is artistic director of Los Angeles-based JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble — committed to a rooted exploration of jazz language through movement. She is the recipient of a Brody Arts Fund Choreography Fellowship, and JazzAntiqua project grant awards from the NEA, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Black Art Futures Fund, California Humanities, and Center for Cultural Innovation. Her work has been presented at Jacob’s Pillow, the Hollywood Bowl (Playboy Jazz Festivals) and CIAEI Theater (Brazil), among other distinguished venues. A frequent artist in residence, Pat has created work for University of Alabama, Peabody Conservatory/Johns Hopkins University, Loyola Marymount University, Southern Methodist University, Sacramento State University, Salve Regina University, and University of Idaho. She holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts, is a lecturer in jazz dance at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, and a chapter author for Rooted Jazz Dance: Africanist Aesthetics and Equity in the Twenty-First Century (2022).
Priscilla Tom
Priscilla is currently 20 years old attending NYU Tisch as a Dance Major with a minor in Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology. She has experience performing live at events such as the New York Fashion Week, Live Justice Awards, Universal Studios CityWalk, and more. Priscilla was featured on NBC’s World of Dance and has danced in Corazón Frio by Nezza. A significant influence in her choreography is improvisational scores, along with building her own sound and music landscapes, to motivate movement pathways. Her goal is to continue encapsulating the work of intertwining spiritual elation with intense technical demand through movement narratives. She’s interested in the dancer’s role as the physical historian and the power of endowment to convey the emotional spectrum of human life.
Cory “Nova” Villegas
Cory “Nova” Villegas, a native of the Hunts Point area in the Bronx, embarked on her dance journey at the tender age of five, immersing herself in Salsa On 2 at Starlite Dance Studio under the guidance of David Melendez. Continuing her passion at Dancers DreamZzz School of Dance under Debbie Melendez and the mentorship of Kimberly Rivera, known as “The Lady of Soul,” Cory honed her skills. Her dedication led her to Lehman High School, where she trained under Penelope Kalloo, a former member of the Forces of Nature Company, exploring ballet, Afro-Caribbean, Bollywood, Contemporary, and various Modern dance styles as a member of the Lehman High School Dance Company. It was during this time that Cory created her inaugural Salsa piece, “Acuyuye.” Post-graduation, Cory transitioned into teaching at Dancers DreamZzz and Lehman High School while furthering her studies at Lehman College under Michael Manswell, specializing in Dunham Technique. Eager to delve deeper into Dance Education, she pursued her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at Hunter College’s Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program, mentored by renowned choreographers Pedro Ruiz Jr. and Maura Donohue. Cory’s choreographic prowess flourished with works like “Creciente” (2017), “La Liberacion” (2018), and “Calle Soul” (2018), showcased at prestigious events including the Bronx Borough Arts Dance Festival, Ailey CitiGroup Theater, and the EstroGenius Festival. She also graced stages with her performances for artists like Don Omar and collaborated with Forza Malizia Dance Co.
Beyond dance, Cory found a passion for lighting design, illuminating venues such as Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse and the Jamaica Center Performing Arts Center. In 2019, she co-founded Soul Dance Co.: The Soul Experience, serving as Artistic Director alongside Kevin Williams. Cory’s dedication extends to her role as Beacon Dance Program Director and Artistic Director of the Beacon Dance Company at Beacon High School. Currently pursuing an MFA at Hunter College, Cory is slated to graduate in May 2024. Her journey is marked by gratitude for her gift of dance and the love she’s received in showcasing her work, a testament to her enduring passion and commitment to the art form.
Katie Walker
Katie attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts from 8th grade through high school graduation with a major in Ballet. Upon graduation, Katie joined Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in NYC. In 2008, Katie became a Radio City Rockette and in her 15 years as a Rockette, she held the roles of assistant dance captain, swing, dance captain and assistant choreographer. In 2015 and 2016, Katie helped create and stage the NY Spring Spectacular and the NY Spectacular alongside Warren Carlyle and Mia Michaels. As assistant choreographer, Katie helped direct and choreograph for the The Tony Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, USO Partnership Performances, America’s Got Talent, The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Special and Hallmark Channel Movie “A Holiday Spectacular”. Katie is the founder of Elevate Ballet, a company that focuses on ballet training for aspiring Rockettes, jazz, broadway and musical theater dancers as well as the co-founder of The Precision Dance Collective.
Betty Weinberger
Betty is a New York City Based dancer, choreographer, educator, and artist. Originally from Phoenix, Betty graduated from Oklahoma City University with a degrees in dance and entertainment business. Her performance career spans tv/film (Law and Order, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), theatre (Freddie Falls in Love at the Joyce), and a number of industry readings and workshops. As a creative, professional credits include working alongside notable choreographers Al Blackstone, Andy Blankenbeuhler, Billy Griffin, and more. She currently serves as an Associate Choreographer SiX: The Musical, and regularly dances at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, Peridance, and Gibney. She is insatiably passionate about movement and its ability to tell stories, and daydreams daily about all of the stories she wants to tell.