Igal Perry - Artistic Director

Born in Israel, Igal Perry began his dancing career with Karmon, a folk dance company, and later joined the Bat-Dor Dance Company where he worked with leading teachers and choreographers including Inesse Alexandrov, Benjamin Harkarvy, John Butler, Rudi Van Dantzig, Alvin Ailey, Paul Sanasardo, and Lar Lubovitch. Upon arriving in the United States, Mr. Perry joined Dennis Wayne's Dancers as a ballet master and choreographer. During that period, he staged John Butler's work for the New York City Opera, the Opera of Munich, Caracas Ballet, and Teatro Alla Scala in Milan, where he also directed the world premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki's opera Paradise Lost.

Mr. Perry's first full evening of ballets, Chromatic Motions, was presented in 1979, in collaboration with the Manhattan School of Music, presenting works to original music by Rand Steiger, Randy Packer, Edward Billous, and more. In 1981 and 1982, he headed the ballet department at Jacob's Pillow, and went on to co-direct the Clive Thompson Dance Company. In 1983, Mr. Perry celebrated the opening of his dance school Peridance Center, now Peridance Center, which has since been providing a nurturing and professional environment for all dancers. A year after the opening of his school, he founded his dance company the Peridance Ensemble, now Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, for which he has choreographed over 50 works. Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), The Joyce Theater, and City Center are amongst the many theaters in which the Company has performed through the years. Mr. Perry has collaborated with numerous composers including John Mackey, Quentine Chappetta, Phillip Hamilton, and Avner Dorman, with whom he has created the full length workDreams and Demons (2003).

Mr. Perry's international engagements as a teacher and choreographer include The Scapino Ballet and Het National Ballet (Holland), Laterna Magica and the National Ballet (Prague), Architanz (Tokyo), The Royal Ballet of Sweden, The National Ballet of China, and the Kwang-Ju City Ballet Company (Korea), where he also serves as Artistic Director for the Kwang- Ju International Ballet Competition. Mr. Perry's works are in the repertories of companies throughout the world, including the Batsheva and Bat-Dor Dance Companies (Israel), Companhia de Danca de Lisboa(Portugal), the Alberta Ballet (Canada), Complexions (USA) and Alvin Ailey II (USA). Since 1995, Mr. Perry has been serving as guest master teacher at Juilliard, where he also staged his Intimate Voices, and premiered Mourning Song, created for the Juilliard Dance Ensemble. Mr. Perry's work has been repeatedly presented at the prestigious Florence Dance Festival (Italy) by his Company as well as by Florence Dance Company. In May 2007, Mr. Perry was inducted into the Dance Library of Israel Hall of Fame.

Kelly Voelpel - School at Peridance Director

Kelly Voelpel began her early dance training at the School of Performing Arts/Fineline Theatre Arts in New Milford, CT under the direction of Elizabeth Parkinson and Scott Wise. Following a year studying ballet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, she attended the LINES Ballet Training Program and later joined The Ballet Theatre of Maryland. Since 2014 Kelly has been teaching ballet in the tri-state area and regularly performs with Mooney Cooley Dance.

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Company Directors

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Diego Funes - Youth Ensemble Director, Jazz, Theater

Diego Funes has choreographed all over the world, including London, Italy, Spain, France, Sweden, Norway, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala and throughout the United States, including New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, St. Louis, Kansas City, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. His credits as a dancer and choreographer include major works in dance theatre, musical theatre, film and television.

Over 15 years, he has created a style influenced by his ballet, gymnastics and worldwide dancing career, creating kinetic, exciting and unconventional solo and group pieces that challenge and inspire his dancers.

His company, De Funes Dance, explores the intersection of dialogue and movement in contemporary dance. Funes' choreography is a rich tapestry of nuance and expansivity and always communicates its conceptual framework. Whether sourced from literary texts, conversations with his artists, or musical scores, language forms the foundation of his choreography.

His company has performed throughout New York City, including Battery Dance Festival, DUMBO Dance Festival, Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center, Symphony Space, Judson Memorial Church, Sans Limites, Dixon Place, Joyce Soho, Salvatore Capezio Theatre and Galapagos Arts Center, among others.

In 2018, his full-length evening, Interior Dialogues, including two world premiere pieces, Fragments and V., played a sold-out engagement at the Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center in Brooklyn. His acclaimed work, Crisalida, set to music by Astor Piazzolla, has also been staged throughout the world.

His debut short film, Rendez-vous, which he choreographed and directed on location in Paris, has been featured in over 30 international film festivals, and has won awards in Spain, India and Brazil. His follow-up short film ABSENCE has been seen in 12 international film festivals and has won three awards. Un-fazed, a solo work in progress, was commissioned by the Sanskar Virtual Dance Festival in Goa, India, where it was critically acclaimed. It is now being developed into an expanded work for six dancers. He co-created and directed a dance theatre work for online platforms, First in Half, then in Quarters, that was presented by Mixily Presents: Beyond the Frame - New Plays for Zoom and ArtSpa.

In 2007, he choreographed the major motion picture, P.S. I Love You, directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Gerard Butler and Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank.

He trained in gymnastics from the age of four. As a teenager, he studied at the prestigious School of American Ballet, prior to dancing with Cincinnati Ballet, The New York City Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and Baletto del Sud. He went on tour throughout Europe, later returning to the United States to break into musical theatre. His musical credits as a dancer include Cats, Hello, Dolly!, Riverdance, Anything Goes, A Chorus Line and The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. He also danced in numerous videos for MTV and with headlining music artists such as Liza Minnelli, Whitney Houston and Will Smith.

He most recently provided movement staging for actor and musician Hershey Felder's US tour of A Paris Love Story. He has choreographed acclaimed productions of Beauty and the Beast, Hello, Dolly!, And the World Goes Round, Zorba!, Leader of the Pack, the first New York revival of Subways Are for Sleeping, and shows for Tokyo Disney.

Diego lives in New York City, where he is the founder and artistic director of de funes dance, and the Youth Ensemble Director at Peridance Center.

 

Karin Rendelman - SynKopate Director, Tap

Karin, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., is a working choreographer and teacher residing in New York City. Graduating Cum Laud from Florida International University, Miami Florida, she earned a BA in Dance. Her infectious energy and her passion for dance were seasoned while she mentored under Broadway tap dancer, Jimmy Tate. Karin has been teaching for over 24 years and during this time, was honored to become the Director of the Dance Department at the nationally renowned Weiss School. She has also directed a youth tap company in South Florida where her students performed locally for community events/fundraisers and her choreography was recognized with numerous awards at a variety of competitions on both regional and national levels. Currently, Karin continues to teach master classes and create choreography for students all over the country and abroad as well as teaching on the convention/intensive circuit and is ecstatic to be beginning her 13th year on faculty at Peridance Capezio Center (NYC) where she is the Director of SynKopate – AN NYC Tap Project & SynKopate II - the first Peridance youth Tap companies. Karin's passion for her art and the technique that supports it, for rhythm and energy and the combination of it all, can be seen in each and every class she teaches as well as in her ambitious and expressive choreography!

 

Cebo Carr - iReP Director, Hip Hop

Terry B.J. Carr, professionally known as Cebo has been a distinguished fixture in the street and club culture for more than 30 years. Cebo is president of New York's first street club dance companies, Next Generation NYC, LLC (NXGN) / Next Generation New York Studios. From event management to curriculum development, NXGN does it all when it comes to street and club culture. Cebo is also the movement specialist for GoNoodle's Blazer Fresh, a director of the MopTop Universal Program at Peridance Center and a member of the world-famous house dance originators Dance Fusion Crew NYC. His love for street club culture and all the things it continues to do for the world continues to drive him to find ways in which he can help enrich the community through music, feeling, and dance!

 

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Staff

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Emily Hooper - School at Peridance Coordinator

Emily Hooper is a graduate of Wayne State University, graduating with a BFA in Dance as well as a BA in Psychology in 2022. Before college, she trained at Spotlight Dance Works in Chesterfield, MI under the direction of Liz Schmidt. Emily has trained at intensives such as Complexions Contemporary Ballet in Detroit, Dance Italia in Lucca, Italy, Mark Morris Dance Winter Intensive in New York, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance Summer Intensive, and more. During her pre-professional training, Emily had the honor of performing works by Sonya Tayeh, Lauren Adams, Andrew Winghart, Jenn Freeman, Adam McGaw, Brooke Pierotti, Chris Jacobson, Caroline Lewis-Jones, and more.

At Wayne State, she was able to study under Meg Paul, Bryan and Shaina BAIRA, Dr. Biba Bell, Jessica Raijko, Hannah Andersen, and Dr. Ras Michael Courtney and was given the opportunity to perform works by choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Meg Paul, Bryan and Shaina BAIRA, Shawn T. Bible, Stephanie Troyak, and more. Her choreographic works have been presented at Detroit Noel Night, Detroit Dance Race, and Wayne State University's Main Stage December Dance Concert.

As an educator, she has worked at Allegro Dance in Bloomfield Hills, MI, where she taught dance classes in various styles and at Dancers Only Studio in Macomb, MI, where she taught technique and choreography classes. Currently she teaches youth dance classes at LifeTime Fitness in Dumbo Brooklyn. Professionally, she has worked as an apprentice with Contexture Dance Detroit, an intern with Eisenhower Dance Detroit, a performer with the USPBL Dance Crew, and a resident advisor/chaperone with the Complexions Summer intensive. Currently she works at Peridance Center as the School Coordinator for the School

Jesse Arnst - School at Peridance Assistant

Bio coming soon!

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Faculty

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Annastasia Mercedes - Ballet

A New York native, Annastasia Mercedes, graduated with a B.F.A. in Ballet and Dance Pedagogy from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, under the direction of Stephen Pier. She has performed in both classical and contemporary works to include choreography by Pascal Rioult, Charlotte Griffin, Martin Losfnes, Stephen Pier, Gregory Dolbashian, Jose Limon, Martha Graham, George Balanchine, Anthony Tudor, and August Bournonville. In addition to her experiences in concert dance, Annastasia has performed in a number of regional theatre productions including appearances at Hartford Stage under the direction of Darko Tresnjak and has been featured as "Eliza" in The King and I at the Monomoy Theatre. At the White Plains Performing Arts Center, Annastasia has been featured as "Ballet Winnie" in Tuck Everlasting and "The Ghost of Christmas Future" in A Christmas Carol. When not performing, Annastasia can be found teaching across NYC! Previously, she has taught for Molloy University/Cap 21, Ballet Academy East, and Rioult Dance New York's DanceREACH programs. Aside from teaching the wonderful students here at The School at Peridance, she is currently on faculty at the Joffrey Ballet School. Additionally, Annastasia works with NYC Public School students as a teaching artist with New York City Ballet, Ballet Tech, and American Ballet Theatre!

 

Carissa Fodera - Contemporary, Creative Movement, Jazz

Carissa Fodera, a native New Yorker, has attained a Master's Degree in Dance Education from the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program, graduating Cum Laude, a Bachelor's Degree in Dance from Hunter College, and an Associate's Degree in Dance from Nassau Community College. She is certified to teach Dance to grades K-12 in New York State.

As a dance teacher, she has taught at schools such as Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, P.S. 79, Queens School of Inquiry, P.S. 198's Dance Fest, P.S. 209, M.S. 216, American Dance and Drama, CK Kids, and currently, the School at Peridance.

As an Arts Administrator she has worked with companies such as Dance/NYC, Stephen Petronio Company, and INSTITU Dance Festival. Currently she works at Peridance Center as the Program Administrator, where she coordinates the renowned Open Class Program with over 200 weekly dance classes.

carissafodera.com

 

Carrie Demos - Ballet, Creative Movement

Bio coming soon!

 

Caterina Rago - Modern

Artistic Director, Choreographer and Founder of CRDANCE Company and its educational program, Tecniche Di Danza Moderna, CRDANCE Company founded in 2007. Rago, a native of Italy, joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2009 after completing its Professional Training Program, and has received commissions from Steffi Nossen Dance Foundation, Accademia Nazionale di Danza, Alvin Ailey/Fordham and Peridance Capezio Dance Center where she is currently on the faculty. Rago also teaches at the Joffrey Ballet School and the Martha Graham School and was named Emerging Choreographer for MET Dance Company (Houston). Rago restaged Martha Graham's 1935 work, Panorama for Accademia Nazionale Di Danza at Rome's Soirees Dans and Karole Armitage's American Dream for the Ravello Festival. In addition to her role as Founder of CRDANCE Company and TDM, Rago is also the company's Principal Dancer. Rago's contribution to the field of modern dance and its history has a global reach that is diverse and ambitious in its goal to use dance as a language to make us see.

Website: caterinaragodancecompany.com
Instagram: caterina_rago_crdance

 

Chris Ralph - Contemporary

Christopher Ralph was born and raised in Long Island, N.Y. He began his dance training at Holy Trinity High School, were he was accepted into the theater/ dance program. While training at school, he simultaneously attended classes at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway with teachers such as Peter Schabel, Dorit Koppel, Frank Hatchett and Chio Yamada. In 2005 Christopher attended SUNY Purchase to complete his B.F.A in dance. Christopher Ralph has performed works by Aszure Barton, Lauri Stallings, Gregory Dolbashian, Loni Landon, Doug Varone, Rebecca Lazier, Patrick Corbin and Janis Brenner. Known for his fast paced clear movement quality, Christopher has been commissioned as an emerging choreographer by Dance Iquail and recently by Dixon Place. He has performed and toured in many countries throughout his career including, Greece, Indonesia, London, Spain, Japan and China.

 

Colin Heininger - Modern

Colin Heininger is a choreographer, dancer, and teacher based in New York City. He is currently a Dancer, the Company Coordinator, and Rehearsal Director for Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. Originally from Hollidaysburg, PA, Colin graduated as an Honors Scholar with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Musical Theater from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he was named the Valedictorian of the School of Dance and received a full tuition scholarship. In the past couple of years, Colin has set work on Peridance Contemporary Dance Company and the Youth Ensemble at Peridance, was commissioned to create a new work in New Hampshire for the Lila Dance Festival, curated a free performance featuring himself and three other choreographers, and is recently premiered a new work at the Brick Theater in August 2023. As a dancer they have performed works by Sharon Eyal, Ohad Naharin, johannes wieland, Robert Battle, Netta Yerushalmy, Andrea Miller, Helen Simoneau, Beth Gill, Sidra Bell, Norbert de la Cruz III, Adam Barruch, Yue Yin, Yoshito Sakuraba, Alice Klock, Jae Man Joo, Tommie Waheed-Evans, and Igal Perry. In addition, Colin attended the Jacob's Pillow Contemporary program and Springboard Danse Montreal. Outside of the company, Colin performs freelance, teaches on faculty at the School of Peridance, and is also a professional math tutor.

 

Elisabetta Minutoli - Ballet, Contemporary

Bio coming soon!

 

Greg Zane - Ballet

Greg Zane has had a career in the performing arts as a dancer, actor, director, choreographer, and teacher His directorial and choreographic credits include productions at regional theaters and international theatre companies. In 2014, Greg started a relationship with Lincoln Center Theater's Broadway revival of The King & I as Associate Choreographer to Tony Award winning choreographer Christopher Gattelli and director Bartlett Sher. He continues to have a presence in various incarnations of the production: the US National Tours, London Palladium production, Tokyo Theatre Orb production, UK Tour and the current International Tour as the Associate Choreographer.

Other direction/ choreography credits include: A Chorus Line, Carousel, Peter Pan, Seussical, The Sound of Music, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Flower Drum Song, Singin' In The Rain, The Life & Times of Junie B. Jones and Elf: The Musical. Film and TV staging credits: The King & I: Live from the London Palladium, BBC One Show, 2019 Olivier Awards (King & I), 2015 Tony Awards (King & I). He has also danced professionally with the Alberta Ballet, Los Angeles Chamber Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Hawaii Ballet Theatre as a principal dancer. As a concert dancer, his repertoire ranged from the 19th Century classical roles to contemporary pieces.

He has also danced on Broadway in the 1996 revival of The King & I as well as The Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Spectacular.

While guest teaching at various dance academies across the US, Greg has taught ballet at Broadway Dance Center (NYC), Peridance (NYC), Queen Emma Ballet (HI), Diamond Head Theatre. He has also taught open classes at American Ballet Theatre and the company ballet class for the Paul Taylor Dance Company. He has also worked with renowned teachers: Diana Cartier (ABT), David Howard, Peter Schabel, Diana Cartier, Tom Pazik (Atlanta School of Ballet), Danilo Radojevic, Laurence Blake, Victoria Koening, Yasuki Sasa.

Greg's approach to teaching has been informed by their teaching methods to stress body alignment, kinetic movement, musicality, and placement in order to develop artistry. His students have included pre-professionals as well as professional dancers from companies such as ABT, Boston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Royal Swedish Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Complexions,Dance Theatre of Harlem, Paul Taylor Dance Company and Broadway professionals.

 

Jonathan Mendez - Ballet

Jonathan began dancing at the age of nine in Cali, Colombia at the Colombian Institute for Classical Ballet (Incolballet). Upon graduation, he joined Incolballet, Colombia's premier dance company. Jonathan received a full scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. He performed with Dances Patrelle in their 2010 Spring Season. In May 2010, Jonathan performed with Avi Scher and Dancer at the Kennedy Center. In December 2010 Jonathan was a Guest Artist with Alberta Ballet in Canada. Jonathan joined Les Ballets Eloelle-Grandiva in July 2010 with which he performed in many tours all around Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, South Africa, Malaysia and Mexico. Jonathan was promoted to Principal Dancer of Ballet Eloelle-Grandiva in 2015 and was given the title of Prima Ballerina Assoluta-Supernova. Currently, Jonathan is the only Colombian dancer who is part of an all-male comedy ballet company in the world. Jonathan received the Fini Dance Extraordinary Dancer Award 2023 from the Italian International Dance Award and he is also featured in the American dance documentary, "First position" Jonathan is a certified teacher of the American Ballet Theatre.

 

Jonathan Peña - Hip Hop

Jonathan Manuel Peña who is popularly known as Shwing; is a dancer who started his performance career in the rough and competitive yards of Greek life. He has won numerous step and stroll competitions and later on continued his passion for performing arts by pursuing dance. He has been dancing professionally as a commercial Hip Hop and Reggaeton dancer for 5 years and has toured with choreographer J Romeo 2 times in both Miami and the Area. "Shwing" has opened up for Urban Latin sensation Nicky Jam and has performed for El Duo Perfecto, Koryn Hawthorne, Elle Winter, Jingle Ball 2019 and more. "Shwing" has performed on major televised programming like Telemundo and several music videos and is currently choreographing within the Urban Latin Reggaeton industry and teaching in the tristate area.

 

Jordan Ryder - Contemporary

Jordan Ryder (she/her) is a choreographer, movement director and dancer. She is a graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts where she holds a BFA in Dance and a double minor in Sociology and Entertainment Business. Jordan is the Artistic Director of @RyderDance, a contemporary dance company, where her work has been presented at notable venues across the tri-state area, Atlanta, and Chicago, and has reached a global audience virtually. Most recently, Jordan choreographed and directed her first sold-out RyderDance season and is the choreographer for Off-Broadway productions "Singfeld! A Musical About Nothing!" and "White Rose, The Musical". Choreographic commissions include Eryc Taylor Dance Company, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Rogue Wave Dance | Fall for Fall Dance Festival, Bromance Web Series, Melange Dance Company, and One Day Dance, among others. @ryderdance | ryderdance.com

 

Lauren Jaeger - Ballet

Lauren Marie Jaeger is a magna cum laude graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Dance Performance. As a member of MOMIX, Buglisi Dance Theatre, Michael Mao Dance, Suzzanne Ponomarenko Dance, and Catapult, she has toured extensively both nationally and internationally. Lauren is a Rehearsal Director for Buglisi's Table of Silence Project, which is performed each year on September 11th at Lincoln Center. She has also performed with Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, Ballet Ambassadors, Alma Dance, was a founding member of Alison Cook Beatty Dance, and a guest artist with Eva Dean Dance. In addition to her performance work, Lauren is an adjunct ballet professor at Marymount Manhattan College, and a faculty member for The Joffrey Ballet School. She has been a guest artist and master teacher for Buglisi Dance Theatre, MOMIX, the Festival Della Danza, Citta` Di Adelfia, and the Fini Dance Festival in Southern Italy. As a member of Suzzanne Ponomarenko Dance, she taught and performed as a volunteer at a women's and children's shelter in Xela, Guatemala. In 2020, Lauren created a series of virtual classes designed to make the psychological and physical benefits of dancing accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. Lauren is also a certified YogarinaFlow instructor and teaches customized private lessons in a variety of genres. Her ballet, pointe, modern, yoga, and creative movement classes are taught with a nurturing positive energy. Emphasis is always placed on healthy, and mindful use of technique in conjunction with creative aesthetic to allow each individual dancer to achieve their own personal goals. Lauren has been a faculty member of Peridance since 2009.

 

Maggie Joy - Contemporary Floorwork

Maggie Joy is a freelance dancer living in New York. A Dallas TX native, Maggie is an honors graduate of Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance from NYU Tisch, and also studied internationally at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance. Maggie is currently performing with Dual Rivet and cullen+them. Other recent credits include Kayla Farrish Decent Structures Arts showing at Triskelion Arts, Helen Simoneau Danse’s The Delicate Power Project Research Lab, participation as a dancer in Jacob’s Pillow, Ann and Weston Hicks Choreography Fellow Program, and selection as an inaugural participant in the GLUE x TRISK program. Film credits include Little Boxes feature film premiering Fall 2023. Maggie has presented work at both Arts on Site, in a produced and self-curated performance, and at the DiMenna Center. Maggie is currently on faculty as an adjunct at Adelphi University and at the School at Peridance, in addition to guest teaching at various universities and programs including the Juilliard Summer Dance Intensive, Dancewave, and Gibney Dance Center.

 

Malak Lunsford - Hip Hop

Bio coming soon!

 

Niki Kapanka - Ballet, Creative Movement

Niki Kapanka began her early dance training at Siouxland Movement Arts in Sioux City, Iowa under the direction of Shirley and Terry Dill. She continued her training at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City under the direction of Dorrell Martin. She is a Teaching Artist for American Ballet Theatre, bringing dance to NYC Public Schools. Niki is an ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT National Training Curriculum.

 

Rachel Hettinger - Contemporary

Originally from Pennsylvania, Rachel moved to NYC to train at Broadway Dance Center as an intern in their Scholarship Program, and then continued her training with the Pushing Progress Contemporary Training Program focusing on contemporary movement and anatomy.

During this time Rachel enjoyed numerous performance opportunities with an incredible variety of Choreographer's and artists, some of which include Brice Mousset, Calen J. Kurka, Sidra Bell, Jim Cooney -for the Office Max Elf Yourself Ad Campaign and Glamour Magazine, Cara Goodwin - honoring the Wounded Warrior Project at Symphony Space, Emily Greenwell- at the Paul Taylor Theater, Rhapsody James' Sirens After Dark, and the Capezio Ace Awards, Shelly Hutchinson- for the Young Choreographer's Festival, Derek Mitchell- in the Capezio Ace Awards, Carnival The Choreographer's Ball (L.A), Pushing Progress Showcase Series, and a TV promo for Wendy Williams.

Rachel teaches open contemporary classes at Peridance Center, and as guest faculty at Broadway Dance Center, as well as several studios in and around the tri-state area, and The School at Peridance children's classes.

Rachel has presented work at Peridance, Galapagos ArtSpace, and at San Jose State in San Jose, CA at the sjDANCEcoChoreo Project, where she was awarded with the Audience Choice recognition for choreography. As well as the Pushing Progress Showcase Series, the Young Choreographer's Festival, In- sight Dance Company's Annual Suite Summer Festival at Socrates Sculpture Park, the Annual DUMBO Dance Festival, the Annual Amalgamate Artists Series, and The Annual Giving Tree benefit concert. Rachel has also presented work at J CHEN PROJECT's 2015 TRANSLATE (The Voices of Dance) at Dixon Place, MOUTHFULL. Presented by OF BONES//HOLLYE BYNUM at CPR, at the USDAN Center for Performing Arts, the Periapsis Open Series at Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center, and alongside singer/songwriter Jenna Nicholls as part of GIG, a live musical and dance performance collaboration at University Settlement. In 2016, Rachel co-produced her first evening work at the West End Theater. Rachel was one of three choreographers' chosen for the 2017 Eryc Taylor New Choreographer Grant, where she was awarded a grant to produce 30 minutes of new work presented at New York Live Arts. Rachel has also produced work for The Thing, a benefit for TedTed Performance Group (Teddy Tedholm), SOME.BODY: A Call To Action benefitting Planned Parenthood and the Yellow Hammer Fund.

 

Sarah Iguchi - Ballet, Pointe

Bio coming soon!

 

Uko Snowbunny - Hip Hop

YUKO TANAKA Aka Uko Snowbunny was born in Japan, moved to New York to search for the roots of Hip Hop culture. She is trained by the legendary Hip Hop dancer/choreographer/instructor Buddha Stretch of Elite Force Crew. Since her performance debut in 2008, she has been raising the bar in her work as a choreographer, performer,& teacher, with the goal of becoming a well-rounded street dancer. Uko is a principal dancer of MopTop Music & Movement Company and has toured around the country in Buddha Stretch's "Hip Hop/Be-Bop" show, a mesh of Hiphop, & Jazz culture collaboration. This work was featured at the San Francisco Hip-Hop Dance Festival, the Denver Dance Festival, and the Choreographers Ball Carnival N.Y.C. Additional performing credits, "the Rock/Lock" (Locking) at NYC Summer Stage, "Chocolatino (House/Salsa)," and in "EFC with Friends" with the legendary Elite Force Crew at the Moptop 21st Anniversary at the Alvin Ailey City Theater, and the 4th annual L.A. J.U.I.C.E. festival at the Ford Atmosphere Theater featured on KCET-TV.

Uko has performed in "Rhythmdome," a collaboration of Tap & Hip-Hop at the Fall For Dance Festival at N.Y. City Center,with choreography by the Tony Award-Winning Choreographer Jason Samuels Smith and Buddha Stretch. Uko was one of the leading performers for Dancing In The Streets presents "Centrifugal Force" at Lincoln Center, the star of "F.E.L.A." on Broadway Adesola Osakalumi, and Gus Solomons Jr, and "Hip Hop/Kung Fu" at the Asia Society. Uko's dance crew called Soulsations!, with whom she choreographed, and performed at the Apollo theater, Danceathon with Nick Cannon on N.B.C, South Bronx Culture Trail at Casita Maria Arts and Education Center, and Ladies of Hip Hop Festival. Uko is currently a part of the faculty at Peridance Center, she also serves as an assistant of Buddha Stretch, teaching worldwide. Uko was a primary dancer in Rennie Harris Puremovement Company, toured for two years. Uko's goal is to be, the best performer, choreographer, & dance teacher possible, who can teach not only movement but also the moves, & motive behind the movement.