Paul Taylor Dance Co and Taylor 2 Welcome New Dancers

At auditions attended by more than 350 women held on May 17 and 20, Maria Ambrose, Lisa Borres and Jada Pearman were selected by Artistic Director Michael Novak to join the world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company. Jessica Ferretti was chosen to join the acclaimed Taylor 2.

Maria Ambrose grew up in Meredith, New Hampshire and began her dance training at age four under the direction of Sally Downs. She furthered her training with Edra Toth and performed with the Boston Dance Company. She attended George Mason University where she was awarded the Harriet Mattusch Special Recognition in Dance, and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BFA in Dance Performance in 2011. She has performed with Elisa Monte Dance, The Classical Theatre of Harlem, LEVYdance, AThomasProject, and Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance. In 2018, she traveled to China as an ambassador for Parsons Dance to teach dance to young musicians, and then to Japan as part of the Dance International Program. She began studying at The Taylor School in 2012, and joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Spring 2019.

Lisa Borres, a native of Staten Island, New York, is a graduate of LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts. At the Hartt School of the University of Hartford, from which she graduated in 2011, she studied with Stephen Pick and Katie Stevenson-Nollet and danced in works by Martha Graham and Pascal Rioult. She participated in Summer Intensives at the Joffrey Ballet School, Martha Graham Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Parsons Dance, and has taught dance at The Hartt School. Since 2012, she has been part of the selection process for Ballet Tech. She has performed with Amy Marshall Dance Company, Elisa Monte Dance, DAMAGEdance, Lydia Johnson Dance and LEVYdance. She joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Spring 2019.

Jada Pearman began dancing at the In Motion School of Dance in Hamilton, Bermuda, where she trained extensively in all styles of dance. In 2013, she attended The Grier School in Pennsylvania as a pre-professional dancer under the direction of Jocelyn Hrzic. While there she worked with choreographers Jon Lehrer, Melissa Rector, Kiki Lucas, Phil Orsano and others. With Grier Dance she performed at Palm Springs Choreography Festival, Steps on Broadway Choreography Festival, and Koresh Artists Showcase. She has attended summer intensives at Alvin Ailey, Point Park, University of North Carolina School of Arts, River North and Hubbard Street. She earned her BFA this year from the University of Arizona where she performed works by Martha Graham, Larry Keigwin, and Autumn Eckman She will join the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Summer 2019.

Jessica Ferretti, originally from Port Chester, New York, started her dance training at Westchester Dance Academy. She graduated cum laude in 2019 from Marymount Manhattan College, where she performed works by Larry Keigwin, Jessica Lang, Michael Thomas, Loni Landon, Nancy Lushington, Pedro Ruiz, Chase Brock and Tito Del Saz. She attended the Paul Taylor Summer Intensives in 2016 and 2018 and the Martha Graham Intensive in 2017. She will join Taylor 2 in Fall 2019.

Ms. Ambrose made her debut performance at Orchestra of St. Luke's Bach Festival at the Manhattan School of Music on June 7. Ms. Borres will make her debut performance at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Massachusetts in July 2019. Ms. Pearman and Ms. Ferretti will make their debuts at upcoming performances.

Leadership funding provided by The SHS Foundation. Major support provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation and Shubert Foundation. Additional major funding provided by S&P Global, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, and American Express Foundation. Public support provided 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 M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. National Touring is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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