PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR CHOREOGRAPHERS TO PRESENT THEIR WORK ON THE DIXON PLACE STAGE, DCF-NEW YORK’S CHOREOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING TOGETHER ARTISTS AND DANCERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO SHARE THEIR CURRENT PROJECTS WITH EACH OTHER, AND WITH DCFNY AUDIENCES ALIKE. FROM AMONG THE DIVERSE BODY OF WORKS SUBMITTED BY OUR APPLICANTS, PIECES HAVE BEEN THOUGHTFULLY SELECTED TO SHOWCASE AN INCLUSIVE REPRESENTATION OF NEW YORK LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL TALENT.
READ ABOUT OUR 2025 ARTISTS
Alexis Bomer is a dancer, choreographer, and instructor from Pittsburgh PA, where she has intensely trained in several styles that all influence her choreography style today. Alexis grew up in the competition circuit and started working professionally at 15 as an apprentice for Mid-Atlantic Contemporary Ballet Company, under the direction of Gerard Holt, where she later became a company member and choreographer performing all around Pittsburgh including Hienz Field and The Andy Warhol Museum. She was also a part of Millennium Dance Complex Pittsburgh’s first company program where she received private training from highly qualified and in demand instructors and choreographers from all over the United States. With Millennium Alexis performed works by “ON the DL,” Eddie Moody, Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, and Jessie Lee Santos in Pittsburgh as well as Los Angeles, and World of Dance Chicago. Since 2016 Alexis also taught drop-in and enrollment classes for Millennium Pittsburgh in several styles, ages, and levels, as well as choreographing for their annual showcase “Ascendance” and their student showcases. Also, in 2016 Alexis became a company member for Firewall Dance Theatre based out of Carnegie PA under Elisa-Marie Alaio, where she has performed in four full length dance productions in their resident theatre as well as in New York, guest pieces in local showcases, and a music video for artist Mason Ashley. In addition to working for companies Alexis is also a freelance choreographer who has been a part of Texture Contemporary Ballet’s “WIP” showcase, the Harlem Globtrotters’ halftime show, won Intrigue Dance Intensive’s young choreographers’ competition, and is sought out by dance studios for performance pieces. Most recently, Alexis’s work was a part of “CDCFest” 2021-2024 in Orlando Florida produced by McClaine Timmerman, Richmond Dance festival 2022, and competition stages on her students from Evolution Dance Complex. Alexis continues to train and evolve as an artist and hopes to continue to showcase her work on all types of stages, and one day start her own contemporary dance company.
Andi is a Chilean Choreographer, Dance Educator, Performer, and Sociologist. She got her BA degree in Sociology at UC of Chile, the same place where she founded Kazé Dance, a Contemporary dance company where she was the Artistic Director and Choreographer for eight years. In 2017, Andi relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and obtained her MFA in Dance and Choreography from Mills College. There, she also had the opportunity to perform for choreographers such as Joe Landini and Molissa Fenley and showed her work with her Dance Company “A Pulso Dance Project" at many festivals around the State. During her years in the Bay, Andi also worked as a faculty member at the Bay Area Ballet Conservatory, Shawl Anderson Dance Center, and as a Teaching Artist at Alonzo King Lines Ballet Dance Center. In 2023, she relocated to New York to keep her studies and joined the Master’s degree “Teaching Dance in the Profession: ABT Ballet Pedagogy” at New York University while working as a Teaching Artist for ABT and as an assistant at the ABT JKO School. During her time in NYC, she also did an internship at Peridance Contemporary Dance Company with Igal Perry as an administrative assistant and worked as a Contemporary faculty member for Maria Kowroski’s New Jersey Ballet Summer Intensive. In 2024, she moved to Michigan where she has taught at UofM Dance Department, Western Michigan University, Alma College, and Grand Rapids Ballet, as well as choreographed for Eastern Michigan University and Grand Valley State University.
authentic: Grooves is a performance-based company with the mission of eliminating preconceived notions inherent in dance and enriching untraditional spaces and communities with dance. Rooted in collaboration, we use uninhibited physicality to explore the complexities of human emotions. Authentic: Grooves merges a holistic approach to movement and celebration of the individual artistic voice of each Company Member, which drives the company to make dance accessible to all and reach audiences in unexpected ways. This is an integral part of translating, individual and collective, work from studio to stage.
Chris Johnson, makes work that speaks to the human condition, drawing attention to matters of social justice. Critics have lauded her work as "stirring," "mesmerizing" and "ingeniously shifty." Johnson was awarded the inaugural commission of the Side Street Studio Arts Going Dutch Festival and earned First Place for Choreography at the New Prague Dance Festival in Prague, CZ. She has been selected to present work nationally and internationally for DUMBO Dance Festival, Dance St. Louis-Spring 2 Dance, Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival, Detroit Dance City Festival, Going Dutch Festival, Women in Dance Leadership Conference, and World Dance Alliance. Her work won the Laureate and Grand Prix at the Seventh International Competition: Festival of Choreographic Collectives in Moscow. Her dance "Wreath of Memories" was performed by special invitation at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. She has also presented her work in Tanzania, France, Germany, Newfoundland, Belgium and throughout the United States at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, Links Hall, The Union Theater in Madison, Wisc., in St. Louis, Kansas City and Sacramento. Her work has been regularly selected for the gala concerts at the American College Dance Association regional festivals. She performed and choreographed professionally with Dale Scholl's Dance/Art in Sacramento and taught for the Sacramento Ballet.
Company Bio:
In 2006, colleagues Stacie M. Flood-Popp and Erin Law established Found Movement Group under the umbrella of The Village Cultural Arts Center. Passionate about bringing something different to the Nashville dance community, Stacie and Erin, along with diverse individuals from their circle of friends, made up the ensemble. The first three years, the co-directors worked together to develop the company's mission, to provide quality movement education and to bring choreographic artistry to their Nashville home.
In 2010, Stacie continued on with the Found's mission of seeking out new talent and creating thought provoking innovative work. As a result, the company has grown from its humble beginnings to include dancers from outside the Nashville community.
In 2016, Flood-Popp joined forces with long time student, company member and colleague Travis Cooper to create a youth division; Found Youth.
In 2017, Cailin Manning joined the company. One year later and eager to learn from Stacie, Cailin inquired about furthering her role in the company. Inspired by her passion, motivation and talent, Stacie hired Cailin as the associate director of Found Movement Group.
In the past years, Stacie and her team have started to move forward. They established "The FOUNDation: An Artistic Realm, LLC" and started the process for Found Youth to become an independent 501c3 organization.
Choreographer Bio:
For 19 years, Stacie taught at Nashville School of the Arts (NSA). At NSA, she trained dancers who performed with The Louisville Ballet, Pilobolus, Celine Dion, Donna Summer, DCDC and various other professionals in the concert and commercial dance community. She has served as dance faculty at Vanderbilt University Dance Program and was chosen to be a visiting artist at American College Dance Festival, RADfest, and Big River Dance Festival.
In 2016, Stacie earned her certification in Laban Movement Analysis through the Integrated Movement Studies Program at the University of Utah. After her certification, Stacie has studied with Deborah Hay, Christopher Roman, KJ Holmes, and other great dance makers of the current times.
In 2019 Stacie left teaching to give back to her community by developing safe and supporting environments for Nashville artists.
Micah Shapiro is a dancer, choreographer and dramaturg originally from Seattle, Washington. Training in contemporary modern, contact improvisation and release techniques, he quickly developed a love for creation as well as dance performance. Micah continued developing these interests at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University (where he will graduate with a BFA in Dance in May 2025), studying dance techniques including Countertechnique, Horton, West African, and butoh. He has had the opportunity to perform diverse works by danah bella, Dolly Sfeir, Azumi Oe and Kelly Hirina among others. While at Peabody Micah also premiered seven new dance works, exploring postmodern and contemporary dance aesthetics focused on movement research and abstract expression. Favoring inspirations from fine art, Micah has developed a unique contemporary aesthetic highlighting the internal anatomy and impulses of the body. He deepened this language as an ImPulsTanz ATLAS artist in 2022 where he was mentored by Marco Berrettini. Micah’s organic movement language supports abstract work that is still in touch with the pedestrian, connecting to the viewer’s physical memory to draw them into new poetic spaces.
Carolyn Pampalone Rabbers is the Executive Artistic Director and founder of CPR Dance: Inhale Movement. She received her MFA at the University of the Arts and graduated as the Presidential Scholar with a BFA from Western Michigan University. Carolyn has danced in NYC, Miami, LA and Michigan dancing and acting both on stage and on camera. Her dance-based works have been featured nationally and internationally, have been a finalist for Michigan’s Maggie Allessee’s Choreography Competition, and has been awarded support in a KADI grant of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo. She can be seen as ‘Abby’ in Moondance (2020) and has performed for Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers, Coldplay, Omi, Starbucks, Jockey Bra, Kaplan University, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Diavolo EdCo, Mariana Olivera, Clairobscur, LACDC, Nickerson-Rossi Dance, and Vox Lumiere. She has performed in works choreographed by Cori Terry, Erik Hawkins, Yvonne Rainer, Loïe Fuller, Gerald Arpino, Randy Duncan, and John Leher.
Carolyn is an Instructional Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University, on faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and has taught at Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University. She also judges for CRU National Dance Competition, has taught for The Gabriella Foundation in Los Angeles, honored by Michelle Obama in 2015. She is certified as an ABT Affiliate Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level VII & Partnering. She also holds certifications in PBT, PCT, ISTD Contemporary, Reiki and Yoga.
Company Bio:
CPR Dance: Inhale Movement is the premiere professional contemporary dance company of Southwest Michigan founded in 2022. We value bringing community access to professional dance, while sharing collaborative and engaging opportunities to connect, view, and participate in movement. We propose movement as fundamental to existence as breath. Breathing life, moving life, with attendance towards one another. Through realizing interests in collaborative care, we believe it is possible to permeate into performance, choreographic, and teaching artistries. A way to further succinctly identify and communicate the values of wandering through intangible movement, lost and found, with well-being and care as a fulcrum that doesn’t shy away from but presses into reflective evaluative works.
Jennifer Meckley (She/They) is a queer artist who obtained a B.A. in Dance from Slippery Rock University and a M.F.A in Dance from The Ohio State University. They are an Assistant Professor of Dance at Ball State University and recipient of the 2024 College of Fine Arts Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion award. She served as faculty member at West Chester University, Northampton Community College, and the University of Dayton. Their choreography was presented at RADfest, Cleveland Dance Fest, and Detroit City Dance Festival. Jennifer is a founding performer for the internationally recognized company, Abby Z and the New Utility.
Susan Koper cultivates her craft and artistry through her work in many different areas of dance. She started the dance ensemble sk|dancers in 2012 as a means to share her unique and personal choreography with others. The company has performed in regional, national, and international festivals including Italy, Mexico, Ireland, New York, Chicago, Michigan, and Indiana. Susan received her MFA in Dance from Hollins University/ADF and currently mentors and guides young artists as an Associate Professor of Dance at Ball State University in Muncie, IN.
Eric Mullis is a dance artist and scholar whose work centers on the possibilities of interdisciplinary performance. His choreography has been featured in the North Carolina Dance Festival, The Fact/SF Summer Dance Festival, Breaking Ground Festival, UrBANGUILD Kyoto, and at Performance Philosophy, Amsterdam. He is a Fulbright Scholar who, in 2021, conducted research on dance and the philosophy of technology at Taipei National University of the Arts in Taipei, Taiwan. Eric has authored of two books, "Pragmatist Philosophy and Dance: Interdisciplinary Research in the American South" (Palgrave MacMillan: 2019) and "Instruments of Embodiment: Costuming in Contemporary Dance" (Routledge: 2022). He is the Director of Goodyear Arts (an artist-run gallery and performance space in Charlotte, North Carolina) and is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Queens University of Charlotte.
Kilowatt Dance Theater is a jazz dance company based in New York City. Since its inception in 2014, they have created works that specialize in the early roots of jazz dance such as swing, lindy hop, shag, charleston, and blues. These early styles of jazz are uniquely woven in with more contemporary dance techniques of today. The blend of movement along with the powerfully expressive themes they generate, creates a truly original experience for the audience. The electric energy and intensity of the dancers has been described in Broadway World as "masterful partnering with 'aw shucks' ease". Over the past few years, Kilowatt Dance Theater has performed for such notable programs as Jacob's Pillow's Inside Out Series, Battery Dance Festival, Lincoln Center's Summer For the City, and The Amelia Island Dance Festival
Artistic director, Jaime Shannon, began her dance training at the age of four in Milford, CT. In 2006 she received her BA in dance from Hofstra University where she studied with Lance Westergard, Stormy Brandenberger, Robin Becker, Carla Wolfangle, Rachel List, and Amy Marshall. Since then, Jaime has performed professionally with Azul Dance Theatre, Dance Cat-Alyst, Soluq Dance Theater, Lauren Hale Dance, and Kelley Donovan and Dancers. In 2010 Jaime met Tony Fraser and together, they quickly became a dynamic partnership in the swing dance community. Together they have performed and taught various styles of early jazz dance throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia.
Souls of India is a Boston based Indian Creative Arts Collaboration company co-founded by Meghma Banerjee and Samadrita Bhattacharyya. Our main goal is to serve the community through unique and creative dance pieces telling legendary stories of rich Indian mythology, novels of Indian poets and playwrights through musicals/dance dramas, and recreating iconic stories using Indian classical dance forms namely Kathak and Bharatanatyam, Rabindranritya, and Bengali contemporary dance forms with interesting background score and footwork. As Souls of India, Samadrita and Meghma have been performing since 2021 as invited artists in different in different organizations like Indian association of Greater Boston, CRY for America, Prabasi of New England, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and also as selected artists at dance festivals like Dance for World Community Festival 2024, Nachmo Boston chapter 2025, MOD Arts Collective at NYC 2025, Intergrant Dance festival at NYC, Yuva Festival 2025 at Houston, We have hosted and performed at our independent sold-out ticketed concert Aikya-The Union in 2024 with live musicians from across the nation and directing and producing our fundraiser event "Sayyam- Journey of the seekers" in Cary Hall, Lexington, MA on Aug 10, 2025.
Samadrita Bhattacharyya is trained by Shri Tushar Kanti Dey in Kolkata, India in Bharatanatyam, Rabindranritya, and Creative dance forms and received a Visharad in Bharatanatyam from Pracheen Kala Kendra and a diploma in Rabindranritya. Out of many noteworthy performances and competitions, she has received National awards in Rabindranritya and Bharatanatyam from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. After moving to the USA, she performed in Texas as a solo artist for 6 years. Upon moving to Boston, Samadrita co-founded Naibedya neoclassical dance troupe and performed as principal artist for 2 years and was invited to perform at Rasa Festival in 2022. Currently, she is the co-founder and creative director of Souls of India.
Meghma Banerjee began her dance journey in Kolkata under Srimati Sumitra Mitra at the age of 5. Next, she started learning from Late Pt. Chitresh Das in Kolkata, India. When she moved to the US, she continued the Das lineage in Boston since 2014. In 2016 she performed at the opening ceremony for Learn Quest Music Conference. She also trained from Late Pt. Bachanlal Mishra and Pt. Satya Narayan Charka and the late Pt. Birju Maharaj. In 2017 she co-founded Indian Classical Arts Society (ICAS) at UMASS Amherst. She runs her own Kathak School in Canton, MA. She teaches at the Center School of Dance at Amherst, MA and also at the Windsor School. She performed as guest artist at different Indian concerts in USA and India and was invited as a guest lecturer to Northeastern University, MA to present her research work on "Math in Motion". Currently, she is also the co-founder and creative director of Souls of India.
Valkyrie Yao (b. 2000, Qinghai, CHN) is a multidisciplinary artist and choreographer based in both China and the USA. Their works aim to harmonize traditional Eastern philosophies with contemporary Western methodologies, offering a commentary on the complexities of modern life. Their research explores the intersections of culture, identity, and societal complexities.
In 2023, Yao’s short film What’s Left won the Best Short Film Award at SWIFF 2023, showcasing their ability to merge cinematic storytelling with conceptual depth. Their visual art and performance works have gained significant recognition, including Influx: The Bipolar at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and My Name Is… at the Phoenix Art Museum, both lauded for their innovative approach to blending performance and installation art.
Yao’s choreographic portfolio spans both national and international stages, with pieces such as I SEE at National Sawdust, New York City (2024). Since 2015, their works have been performed across numerous venues globally, reflecting a commitment to artistic collaboration and cultural exchange.
In 2024, Yao was honored with an invitation to exhibit at the Florence Biennale XV, a prestigious international platform celebrating contemporary art and design. This recognition underscores their growing impact on the global art scene, where they continue to push boundaries and redefine the role of art in society.
Venetia Stifler & Concert Dance Inc. was founded by Award winning choreographer Venetia Stifler in 1981. The Emmy Nominated choreographer's work has been presented in Nanjing, China( Nanjing University) The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Chicago Orchestra Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, The Ruth Page Center , Northeastern Il. U., The Illinois Institute of Technology including other location around the country. Stifler's work was commissioned by the Ravinia International Music Festival for seventeen often in collaboration with Ravinia Festival musicians.
Stifler was awarded the Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement for "The Chicago Project" An evening length work exploring Chicago Architecture. The piece was presented as part of the Chicago Architectural Biennial.
Versaille Jones (they/them) is a dancer and choreographer who grew up training in Georgia In 2023 Versaille graduated from The University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. Versaille has performed under choreographers such as Sidra Bell, Dennis Geter, Joanna Kotze, Fana Fraser, Kathyrn Vickers, Albert Quesada, and Meaghan Novoa. They have also done professional work for The Fidget Space (Philadelphia, PA) under Megan Bridge, Judson Church’s Movement Research (NY), and Bautanzt Here under Nadya Zeitlin . Versaille has presented work for Oregon Fringe, Spoke the Hub New York, Dance Canvas Summer Residency, and Dance Canvas CCDI.