Dancin' Downtown at the JOYCE 2012

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Deadline for DVD Submission: February 10, 2012
Finale Performance: April 2, 2012 • 7 pm
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, New York City

is the only competition providing dance students the opportunity to be seen by a diverse and distinguished group of dance luminaries on one of the most prestigious dance stages in New York City, The Joyce Theater. Returning for its third year, the competition has an impressive list of acclaimed judges and more awards for talent, including a performance opportunity at “City Parks Foundation SummerStage” in New York.

A Performance and Choreography Competition produced by and benefiting

PRIZES

• The 2012 Joyce Theater Choreography Award
• The 2012 Joyce Theater Performance Award
• Performance opportunity - City Parks Foundation SummerStage
• Scholarships to dance conventions, intensives and more

SPONSORS

ENTER TODAY
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The 2010 Joyce Theater Choreography Award
Andrea Miller, NJDTE “Snow”

The 2010 Joyce Theater Performance Award
Innersoul Dance Project “Awkward Silence”

Pam Chancey’s dance and teaching credits include ESPN’s ProDance, ABC’s Good Morning America, Coca Cola, Mercedes Benz, NFL/NBA Teams and she was the choreographer for the Neil Young concert at Radio City Music Hall as well as the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 US Open. Her book, The Right Moves, was published by McGraw-Hill. Pam has been on faculty at the prestigious Broadway Dance Center and has served as the studio’s public relations and marketing director, vastly increasing both educational outreach and outside events for the famed center. She is currently the executive director of The PULSE on Tour, BDC’s blockbuster touring convention, which features many of the most celebrated choreographers of our day.

Deborah Damast is the Artistic Advisor of the Dance Education Program at NYU Steinhardt and Master Teacher of technique, pedagogy, and choreography and she directs an annual study abroad program to Uganda. Deborah's choreography has been shown in numerous venues in NYC, and internationally in Italy, Japan, Korea, and Uganda.

Michael Leon Thomas (performer, director, choreographer) made his professional debut with renowned dancer and artistic director Judith Jamison. Michael continued his career with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, featured in Ulysses Dove’s Urban Folk Dance, Donald McKayle’s Rainbow Round My Shoulder, and the beginning of an over decade long choreographic relationship with Dwight Rhoden in his ballet, Beyond a Cliff. In 1991, Mr. Thomas resumed his work with Ms. Jamison, joining the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Michael teaches both nationally and internationally, most recently as a guest adjunct professor at Long Island University and as the principal teacher for the Lubovitch Company’s outreach program, Dance Your Dreams.

Katie Langan is the chair of Dance at Marymount Manhattan College, teaches advanced levels of ballet and pointe, is a frequent choreographer for the College’s dance company and is the artistic director of the Dance Department’s semi-annual performance series. In addition to her work at Marymount, Katie taught company class for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for over three years and continues to teach advanced levels for the Ailey School summer program when invited. She received her dance training at the North Carolina School of the Arts, American Ballet Theatre and the School of American Ballet. Katie performed with numerous companies including the Boston Repertory Company, New York City Opera, William Carter Dance Ensemble, the Zurich Ballet, Chamber Ballet USA, New Jersey Ballet and Twyla Tharp. With over 20 ballets created, her 1995 ballet, Akhmatova, was asked to be a part of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts video archive.

Since 1996, Martin Wechsler has been the Director of Programming for The Joyce Theater, a 472-seat theater for dance in New York City. In this capacity, he selects more than 30 dance companies to perform each season, balancing a diverse range of dance genres, styles and countries of origin. He also oversees The Joyce’s commissioning program, which provides dance companies with financial support to create new work, and he curates Evening Stars, an annual free outdoor dance festival.

Megan Williams hails from Los Angeles and is a graduate of The Juilliard School. From 1984-1988 she performed in the companies of Laura Glenn, Ohad Naharin and Mark Haim. In 1988, she became a member of the Mark Morris Dance Group with whom she performed and taught worldwide until 1997, and appears in the dance films Dido and Aeneas, Falling Down Stairs (with Yo Yo Ma) and The Hard Nut (for PBS’ Dance in America). She has staged Mark Morris’ work on the Boston Ballet, Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre, George Mason University, The Juilliard School and the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College where she has been on the modern faculty since 1999. At the request of Paul Simon in April 2008, Megan directed the concert version of his 1996 musical, The Capeman, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, having worked as assistant director on the original Broadway production. Her own choreography as a solo artist has been produced by DancenowNYC at Joe’s Pub and Dance Theatre Workshop in New York.

PAM CHANCEY
Executive Director
The PULSE on Tour

DEBORAH DAMAST
Master Teacher
NYU Steinhardt,
Program ing Dance Education

MICHAEL LEON THOMAS
Director of
Summer/Winter Intensive
Complexions Contemporary Ballet

KATIE LANGAN
Chair of Dance
Marymount Manhattan College

MARTIN WECHSLER
Director of Programming
The Joyce Theater

MEGAN WILLIAMS
Associate Professor
Purchase College
Conservatory of Dance

Joe Lanteri successfully juggles the roles of choreographer, director, producer, teacher and entrepreneur. As the executive director and choreographer for NYC Theatrical Events, Joe has produced, directed and choreographed countless live industrial shows and special events. His choreography has been featured everywhere from soap operas to MTV, Off-Broadway to stages around the world. He also continues to teach in NYC at Steps On Broadway and has served on the prestigious faculty of The Juilliard School since 1992.

Melanie Person was born in Greenville, North Carolina. She began her early dance training in Jackson,Mississippi at age 6. Upon moving to Columbia, South Carolina a few years later, she continued her dance training at the Calvert‐Brodie School of Dance while performing with the Columbia City Ballet. In the winter of 1976, by recommendation of her teacher Ann Brodie, Ms. Person auditioned for the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) Summer Intensive and was offered a full scholarship. Upon completion of that summer program, she became an apprentice to the professional company and, in 1979, became a full member after graduating from Professional Children's School. For 12 years, Ms. Person performed with DTH, traveling around the world performing a diverse repertoire. She later went on to earn her B.A. from SUNY Empire State College. In 1999, Denise Jefferson invited her to join the PPAS ballet faculty at The Ailey School and in 2000 Ms. Jefferson appointed her as the Co‐Director of the Junior Division alongside Tracy Inman. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Person was made Chair of the ballet department and President of the Emergency Fund for Student Dancers. Person has served as a judge for Seoul International Dance competition and Japan’s Grand Prix. In 2009, she was named Associate Director of The Ailey School and most recently Co‐Director with Tracy Inman after Ms. Jefferson’s passing.

Nicholas Villeneuve, a native of Canada was raised in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1997, he relocated from the islands to New York City on scholarship to study at the Alvin Ailey School under the late Denise Jefferson and the tutelage of Benjamin Harkarvy at The Juilliard School. In 2001 he received the title of Dance Captain for Disney's The Lion King and later joined Ballet Hispanico in 2005. After seven amazing seasons with Ballet Hispanico he has chosen to retire and further pursue his love of education, directing and teaching. Nicholas has choreographed works for The Company Dance Theatre in Kingston, Jamaica, The Juilliard School, New York, Cawthra Park Ensemble in Toronto, Canada and for Perry-Mansfield performing Arts School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where in 2010 he was commissioned an entire evening of his work for the New Works Festival. His collaboration with Ballet Hispanico and the Orchestra of St. Luke's in the Spring of 2011 marked his 16th work of choreography. He has also worked outside of traditional dance companies, choreographing and teaching for theatre and musical theatre, as well as for numerous HIV/AIDS fundraisers in Canada. Nicholas's choreographic style ranges from the humorous through morbid to whimsically romantic drawing continuously on great athleticism and linear design. His extensive teaching background has taken him across the country and internationally giving master classes in Modern Technique and Contemporary Partnering. He has been on faculty for the last seven years at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School as assistant to the director as well as guest faculty at The Juilliard School. Nicholas is currently the Rehearsal Director for BH2, the second company of Ballet Hispanico. It provides educational and professional opportunities/training for pre-professional dancers ages 18-22 and bridges the gap between the many facets of the institution from school to the professional company.

Joe Tremaine is a living legend in the dance business: producer, director, choreographer, teacher, business owner. He has worked with such luminaries as Cameron Diaz, Paula Abdul, Christina Applegate, Goldie Hawn, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Carol Burnett, Helen Hunt, Diana Ross and Fayard Nicholas of the Nicholas Brothers. Protégés include Barry Lather (director/choreographer to Usher, Janet Jackson, Rhianna), Jamie King (Madonna), Ivan Dudynsky (MTV, director George Lopez Show), Robin Antin (Pussy Cat Dolls founder) and scores of others. He has the honor of Joe Tremaine Day in the state of Louisiana as well as the key to several cities. Joe is currently writing his first book.

Bonnie Erickson, born in England and raised in northern California, is an artistic and intellectual omnivore. Bonnie graduated from Columbia University with emphases in writing and dance, and continues to embrace both disciplines with unbridled fervor. As a dancer, she has trained and performed extensively on both coasts in ballet, jazz, theater, tap, modern,and hip-hop. As an emcee, she hosted the blockbuster dance convention The PULSE on Tour for three years, working closely with many of the industry's most sought-after choreographers on international stages before teeming throngs of thousands. She currently serves as the director of educational programming at the world-renowned Broadway Dance Center, where she also functions as resident emcee at the studio's numerous shows and writes the bulk of the business' web and print prose. She has traveled prodigiously representing the studio, including a recent appearance on So You Think You Can Dance Poland.

Diane Grumet is the co-artistic/managing director of Steps on Broadway. She performed with the Cincinnati Ballet, New York City Opera Ballet, Bat-Dor Dance Company and was a founding member of the Joyce Trisler Danscompany. She was a guest artist with the Jose Limon and Ailey companies. A graduate of the Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, Diane sits on Dance Magazine’s Advisory Board and Buglisi Dance Theater’s Board of Directors.

JOE LANTERI
Executive Director
New York City Dance Alliance

MELANIE PERSON
C0-Director
Ailey/Fordham BFA Provgram

NICHOLAS VILLENEUVE
Rehearsal Director
Ballet Hispanico

JOE TREMAINE
Executive Director
Tremaine Dance Conventions

BONNIE ERICKSON
Director of Ed. Programming
Broadway Dance Center

DIANE GRUMET
Co-Artistic/Managing Director
STEPS on Broadway

Danielle’s multi-faceted career has taken her from the stage to behind the scenes and back again. She began her professional dance career with the Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco) before heading to New York City to join the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she enjoyed six seasons as a principal dancer. Danielle rediscovered her childhood passion for singing and songwriting and has since gone on to form her own New York-based rock band, Suga Bush, and she also provides backing vocals for artists such as Gloria Gaynor and Cher. However it was her dance background that led her to be offered the position of Dance Curator for City Parks Foundation which presents free concert events on its main stage, Central Park SummerStage, as well as stages throughout New York's five boroughs.

DANIELLE GEE
Dance Curator
City Parks Foundation SummerStage

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