FEATURED ARTISTS

NOVEMBER 9 &10 . 2007 @ 8PM
|FEATURED ARTISTS|

This showcase represents the heart of the dance scene and contemporary culture in NYC, with exuberant eclecticism. Choreographers and performers alike bring passion, verve and sensuality to the forefront in their works, which reveal the vulnerable underbelly of the physical and the psychological parts of being.

æmp:dance, Bridge for Dance Company.in.Residence

Amiti Perry, |Artistic Director/choreographer| a native Texan received her BA in Dance from the University of North Texas. She has produced, choreographed and performed original works consistently over the years as well as co-founded DIP|dance company with collaborator Coco Loupe with which she has presented and performed works in New York, Texas, Louisiana and Ohio. Professionally, she has performed as a guest artist with Rachel Lampert and Dancers (Ithaca, NY) and for four years she performed, taught, assisted and designed nationally and internationally with Skip Costa/CORE movement Project-NYC. Amiti recently returned to NYC after a three-year hiatus during which she received her MFA in Choreography from the Department of Dance at The Ohio State University. At OSU she studied under and was mentored by Bebe Miller and Dave Covey as well as Karen Eliot, Susan Hadley, and Melanie Bales. In addition she performed works by Miller and worked extensively with Michael Estanich, Blake Beckham and Esther Palmer.

carol knopf/poemdance co.
Carol Knopf began composing dances as a child and then embarked upon professional dance training, starting at American Ballet Theatre, in order to better convey her dances. Her first publicly produced dance was shown at The Festival D'Avignon in France and she has continued to perform her work internationally ever since. This year she graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with her Master of Fine Arts in Dance and Choreography. Carol always combines various dance forms and is now engaged in aerial arts, 'I love everything that ascends: leaping, rising onto pointe and aerial suspension."

clarity in motion
Dina Castelluccio has been living in New York City as a professional dancer/choreographer for the past four years. She is currently on staff at Steps on Broadway, Assistant teacher for Sheila Barker at the Broadway Dance Center, Assistant Teacher for Dance Educators of America, Assistant Teacher at the Alvin Ailey Dance Camp, as well as teaching across the tri state area. Her performance credits include NYC Meets AMS with Jana Hicks, Millennium Dance Company with Devin Pullins, BDC Showcase with Chris Hale and Tracie Stanfield, featured dancer for Hilary Duff and Nelly Furtado on the “View” and featured dancer for FeFe Dobson's music video "Boyfriend". Dina has also co directed/choreographed “Falling Awake”, and is currently creating choreography for her new company Clarity in Motion.

Karen Nerkowski began her training in Stratford, Connecticut and earned a degree in Dance Performance/Elementary Education at Roger Williams University. She has been teaching dance/choreographing in the Tri-state area for 8 years and taught first grade for four years in Westport, Connecticut. Karen has recently moved to New York to pursue her passion for choreography. This summer she co directed/choreographed "Falling Awake", and is currently creating choreography for her new company Clarity in Motion.

esther palmer

Esther m Palmer currently works as a freelance lighting technician in New York, where her love of everything backstage joins her fascination with performance and the very act of watching. Both of these tendencies were shaped and encouraged through internships at Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, where she was introduced to many different artists and a fuller understanding of dance production. Esther received her MFA in Dance and Technology from The Ohio State University where she continued to practice these interests in collaborations with artists such as Michael Estanich, Shana Burns, David Morneau, and Amiti Perry. Out of such influences she developed an approach to creating performance that foregrounds production design and borrowing methodologies from disciplines outside dance. Esther began her disciplinary collaborations in Chicago, where she studied cinema, photography, and dance before working in video as Collaborating Artist with Mad Shak Dance Company. Since landing in New York, Esther has continued to perform solo work and light things. You can find out more about her work and upcoming performances at esthermpalmer.com.

the elliott dance company
Kim Elliott a New York native started dancing hip hop at the tender age of five. She started her technical training at age 15 in Modern and Jazz at Jacqueline K. Onassis High School in Manhattan, where she started her path to choreography. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Communications from The Fashion Institute of Technology, Kim went on to developing a small dance company, The Elliott Dance Company. In 2002 she choreographed, produced and directed her first production in New York City and has been creating ever since. Currently, Kim is attending New York University, Steinhardt School of Education to obtain her Master's Degree in Dance Education. For the past 12 years Kim has been a guest teaching artist at Jacqueline K. Onassis High School. She is also a Hip Hop Teaching Artist for Perry Studios youth program in Harlem. Kim's main goal in life is to develop The Elliott Dance Company, educate children and give back to her community. Over the next year Kim will be working on developing a junior dance company for teenagers, a hip hop dance education program for teenagers and a new production for the 2007-2008 seasons. With nine dance productions under her belt, a passion for educating and diversity of creative insights, Kim will be able to achieve all goals and aspirations.