REVERBdance Festival to Run 11/6-8

REVERBdance Festival celebrates its 10th year of presenting a stimulating variety of works by both seasoned and emerging contemporary dance artists, including dance theater choreography, solo performers, and dance companies. The dancers and choreographers hail from around the U.S., South Africa, London, and Japan. Four performances, November 6-8 at Baruch P.A. Center.

A special added feature of the Festival is the presentation of three awards by REVERBdance, in partnership with Steps Beyond Foundation:

* the $1000 REVERB Award for Best Choreographic work (based on Audience Vote);

* a commission by Steps Beyond Foundation for the Steps Repertory Ensemble;

* the Steps on Broadway Dancer Award, which is one month of free dance classes at Steps on Broadway to a dancer who displays exceptional artistic merit.

PROGRAM A: November 6 at 8 PM and November 8 at 3 PM

Jake Casey

-esque dance collective

Jeffrey Docimo of Isodoc Dance Group

Reka Echerer of ReCo Dance

Kate Griffler of 121 Dance Project

Mary Grace McNally

Tiffany Rea-Fisher of Elisa Monte Dance

Bradley Shelver of The Steps Repertory Ensemble

Joseph Toonga & Dickson Mbi of Just Us Dance Theatre

Vanessa Van Wormer Dance

Tomoyo Yamada of Escape Artists MWU Dance Collective

PROGRAM B: November 7 at 8 PM and November 8 at 7 PM

Jee Eun/Ahn of Jee Ahn and Dancers

Braeden Barnes of Faubourg Theatre

Brynt Beitman

Michael J. Cerwinski of Michael James New York

Wendell Gray

MJ (Melissa Jackson)

Joe Monteleone & Shelley White/Monteleone Dance Collective

Angela Dice Nguyen of The MoveMessenger(s)

Omar Roman De Jesus

Teddy Tedholm

MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Jake Casey is currently a member of the Cincinnati Ballet, where he was also commissioned to choreograph for the Cincinnati Ballet's Second Company. He received the Best New Work Award at the Chautauqua Festival, and had his choreography featured at the Rock School's 50th Anniversary Gala, where he is also on the permanent guest faculty.

-esque dance collective is a new ensemble with headquarters in both Philadelphia and New York. The directors come from different dance backgrounds, and each contributes a unique quality and vision to the varied repertory.

Jeffrey Docimo of Isodoc Dance Group studied at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, graduating with a BFA in dance. The Connecticut native is currently a member of Brian Arias & Company and the company "Sleep No More."

Reka Echerer began her training at the Vienna State Opera Ballet School in her native Austria and continued at Purchase College, Virginia School of the Arts, and the Taipei National University. She currently performs with Kizuna Dance and directs ReCo Dance.

Mary Grace McNally's works have been performed in the U.S., France, Luxembourg and Belgium. The recent graduate of the Unviersity of the Arts in Philadelphia, Mary Grace has performed works by Doug Varone, Sidra Bell, Netta Yerushalmy, and more.

Tiffany Rae-Fisher is in her 11th year with Elisa Monte Dance, where in 2016 she will assume the position of artistic director of the company. She has created works for that company as well as for film, fashion and the music industry. As a teacher she is currently on the faculty at the Joffrey School of Ballet and a substitute teacher at Steps on Broadway.

Joseph Toonga and Dickson Mbi of Just Us Dance Theatre, headquartered in East London. Toonga, originally from Cameroon and Dickson Mbi will present the company's explosive brand of dance, which combines contemporary choreography with Hip-Hop.

Vanessa Van Wormer danced with Bill Evans Dance Company and Ballet Spokane in her native Washington. Presently Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at SUNY, Vanessa directs her own Vanessa Van Wormer Dance.

Tomoyo Yamada is a member of Escape Artists MWU dance collective in her native Japan, where she attends Mukogawa Women's University. Tomoyo was recently an exchange student at Eastern Washington University in Spokane.

Jee Eun Ahn is a Texas-based choreographer, performer and dance education from Seoul, Korea. She directed the Ainos Dance Co.in Korea, performing at prestigious festivals at home and abroad. She currently teaches at Texas A&M International University and directs Jee Ahn and Dancers.

Braeden Barnes has appeared with the Faubourg Ballet of Chicago and has danced leading roles with the Nevada Ballet Theatre. In Las Vegas he was also selected to choreograph for the collaborations with NBT and Cirque Du Soleil.

Brynt Beitman is a Presidential Scholar in the Arts and a graduate of The Juilliard School. He created work under the mentorship of Margie Gillis at Springboard Danse Montreal, and at home in NY he performs with the companies of Heidi Latsky, Lydia Johnson, and TAKE.

Michael J. Cerwinski is a 2012 graduate of SUNY/Purchase and, upon graduation, founded his own company, Michael James New York. His work has since been presented in NYC, Boston, Chautauqua, Mexico and China.

Wendell Gray is a native of Atlanta, Ga., where he studied vocal music, drama, media, and music production, in addition to training in ballet, jazz and contemporary dance. He was awarded the Pennsylvania Ballet Choreography Award and will be creating a new work for the second company for their 2015-16 season.

MJ (Melissa Jackson) of Hollywood, Ca, is a graduate of the U. of North Carolina with a BFA in dance. Melissa's work was recently seen at the Joyce Theater, presented by NYCDA and performed by the Arizona's Plumb P.A. Center. She has frequently assisted Peter Chu, a member of the Chystal Pite company.

Joe Monteleone and Shelley White of the Monteleone Dance Collective. Founder Monteleone received his BFA in Dance at Mason Gross School at Rutgers and has danced with Randy James' 10 Hairy Legs, and Sidra Bell, among others. The versatile Monteleone is also a visual artist, a dancer/choreographer, and a disc jockey.

Angela Dice Nguyen, a resident of San Francisco, spent three years dancing with DanceWorks Chicago and choreographed for numerous projects while in the Windy City. In the Bay area she is active with the San Francisco Opera, Robert Moses' KIN Dance Co., and other groups.

Omar Roman De Jesus, currently a dancer with Parsons Dance, began his dance training in his native Puerto Rico, where he also won first prize at the National Dance Competition. His choreography has been seen in Puerto Rico and New York, most recently at the Harlem Arts Festival 2015.

Teddy Tedholm is well known for his frequent appearances on So You Think You Can Dance, where Mary Murphy called him "crazy brilliant," and Mia Michaels declared him "a genius." A much sought-after choreographer and teacher, Teddy is currently on faculty at major schools in NYC, Phila., and L.A., and dances with Erica Sobol's collidEdance.

Kate Griffler, artistic director of REVERBdance and choreographer of 121 Dance Project, is a NYC based choreographer, producer, dancer and teacher. Recipient of scholarships and award from the American Dance Festival and the Cunningham Dance Center, Kate's performing career has taken her to Japan, Mexico, Spain, Canada, and across the U.S. Her choreography has been presented at many NYC concert venues and fashion shows. Kate choreographed and produced the musical, "The Awakening of Angel DeLuna," which was part of the New York Musical Theater Festival and received five awards of excellence. She also continues to teach yoga at PURE Yoga and New York Yoga.

Bradley Shelver holds advanced diplomas in tap, jazz and ballet through the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in London. The South African native came to NY on full fellowship to The Ailey School, and went on to dance as soloist with Alvin Ailey Repertory Company, Elisa Monte Dance, Complexions, Ballet Hispanico, the Limon Dance Co., Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and Phoenix Dance Theatre in the UK. He has choreographed for companies in the U.S., Sweden, Denmark, and Brazil, to name a few. Bradley is co-founder and artistic director of Bradley Shelver Contemporary Dance Theater, founded in 2003, and in 2013 also became artistic director of Steps Repertory Ensemble. His book, Performance through the Dance Technique of Lester Horton, was published in 2013.

The mission of REVERBdance is to provide domestic and international contemporary dance artists an array of performance opportunities, from the dance festival to in-studio performance showcases. To foster new choreographic voices, REVERBdance promotes artistic professional development through funded commissions, teaching opportunities, and community outreach programs. REVERBdance has been a launching pad for the careers of many esteemed artists, including Kyle Abraham, Austin McCormick, Andrea Miller, Nelly Van Bommel, Mike Esperanza, and more.

The Steps Beyond Foundation is dedicated to developing and sustaining dance artists and to the cultivation of the dance community. Specifically, the Foundation is committed to supporting excellence in the field by providing collaborative opportunities among emerging and established artists throughcommunity engagement, dance scholarships, the Steps Repertory Ensemble, and presenting performances and special events.

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