Company Bios


DAVID DORFMAN (Artistic Director), a native Chicagoan, is the recipient of a 2005 Guggenheim Foundation fellowship. He has also been honored with four fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, three New York Foundation for the Arts fellowships, an American Choreographer's Award, the first Paul Taylor Fellowship from The Yard, and a New York Dance & Performance Award ("Bessie") for David Dorfman Dance's community-based project Familiar Movements (The Family Project). Dorfman's choreography has been produced in New York City at venues ranging from the BAM Next Wave Festival to The Joyce Theater, The Kitchen, Dance Theater Workshop, The Duke on 42nd Street, Danspace Project/St. Mark's Church, P.S. 122, and Dancing in the Streets. His work has been commissioned widely in the U.S. and in Europe, most recently by AXIS Dance (Oakland, CA), Bedlam Dance Company (London), d9 Dance Collective (Seattle), Eisenhower Dance Theatre (Detroit), and the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia for the musical Green Violin, for which he won a 2003 Barrymore Award for best choreography. An avid fan of collaboration and collective processes, Dorfman is pleased to tour an evening of solos and duets Live Sax Acts with dear friend and collaborator Dan Froot (UCLA faculty), most recently in New York City and at the Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe. Dorfman has been a guest artist at numerous institutions across the country and abroad, most recently at University or Nebraska – Lincoln, Smith College, and the University of Iowa. As a performer, he toured internationally with Kei Takei's Moving Earth and Susan Marshall & Co. Dorfman holds a BS in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA in Dance from Connecticut College, where he joined the faculty in 2004 and is currently Professor of Dance and Department Chair. Dorfman would like to thank long-time mentors Martha Myers and Daniel Nagrin for taking a chance and rescuing him from counting leisure suits in St. Louis, his mom Jeanette for inspiring him to dance to heal, his dad Oscar for teaching him the magic of a good joke, and Lisa Race and Samson Race Dorfman for collaborating with him on a very wonderful version of The Family Project.

PERFORMERS

KYLE ABRAHAM (performer), professional dancer and choreographer, began his training in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He continued his dance studies in New York, receiving a BFA from SUNY Purchase and an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He is the recipient of several choreographic awards including a Pennsylvania Council for the Arts Fellowship, Thayer Fellowship, The HARLEM STAGE/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. Fund for New Work Award and listed as one of Dance Magazine's 25 To Watch in 2009. Abraham’s choreography has been presented throughout the United States and abroad. As a performer, Abraham has worked with Nathan Trice/Rituals, Mimi Garrard Dance Theater, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Dance Alloy, and The Kevin Wynn Collection. He happily joined David Dorfman Dance in 2007.

PATRICK FERRERI (performer) is a dancer, teacher, and explorer who is happy to have recently landed on the west coast, San Francisco to be specific. In addition to supporting the arts across the country with David Dorfman Dance, he has recently been found dancing with Clare Byrne in Burlington, VT, Jane Weiner’s Hope Stone Dance in Houston, TX and is currently rehearsing and performing with Kunst-Stoff Arts, LaAlternativa, and Sara Shelton Mann in the city by the bay. He also teaches yoga and movement as called to in said city and beyond, chants at the Laughing Lotus, and enriches young minds at the LINES Ballet BFA program as well as with the Bates Dance Festival’s Youth Arts Program where he spends his summers teaching area youth the joy and empowerment of moving. Patrick wishes to send his love and gratitude long distance to his aunt and grandmother, as well as a shorter distance to his mother whose strength and courage paved the path for him to be the man that he is today.

LUKE GUTGSELL (performer) was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky where he began his early movement training in gymnastics. In 2004, he graduated from The Ohio State University with a BFA in Dance Performance. Luke also attended the Naropa Institute. Upon his arrival in New York City in 2004, he trained on scholarship at the Merce Cunningham studio and apprenticed and performed with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Shen Wei Dance Arts. Since then he has had the great fortune to perform in the companies of Chris Elam, Risa Jaroslow, JoAnna Mendl Shaw, Tiffany Mills, Jody Oberfelder, Laura Peterson, Christopher Williams and Michou Zsabo. Through his work with these companies, he has had the unique pleasure of teaching and dancing along side various populations. His own work has been produced by Danspace Project, LaMamma Theater and West End Theater. Luke is thrilled to be dancing in his first season with David Dorfman Dance.

RENUKA HINES (performer) hails from Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from Columbia University in 2008 where she had the opportunity to perform in the works of Colleen Thomas, Donna Uchizono, Sean Curran, Twyla Tharp, and Bill T. Jones. Upon graduation Renuka received the Louis Sudler Prize for the Arts and was also nominated for the ACDFA/Dance Magazine award for Best Student Performer. Thrilled to join David Dorfman Dance in 2008, Renuka also continues to work with artists including Colleen Thomas and Tze Chun and will join a project with Nicholas Leichter this summer. In addition to dancing and performing, Renuka is happy to be teaching young dance students at schools and studios around NYC. Renuka would like to thank her family and friends for their incredible love and support.

TANIA ISAAC (performer), a self-described kinesiophile and lover of information, both physical and verbal, was born in Castries, St. Lucia. She has taught, lectured and performed throughout St. Lucia, the USA, and internationally as the founder/choreographer/artistic director of Philadelphia based TaniaIsaacDance. She is a graduate with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received her MFA from Temple University.  A former member of Rennie Harris Puremovement, Urban Bush Women, and Li Chiao-Ping Dance, Tania was one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" in 2006.  She recently made her debut with David Dorfman Dance during September’s engagement at The Dance Center of Columbia College.

HEATHER McARDLE (performer/costume designer) ) is a native Californian who began her movement career with gymnastics. She graduated from Cal State University at Long Beach with a BFA in dance. Her most influential mentors include Keith Johnson, Jacques Heim and, most notably, Bella Lewitzky. Heather joined the professional world of dance with LA based hyper physical dance troupe, Diavolo Dance Theater, and spent 9 years traveling around the world with Bill Young, Colleen Thomas and David Dorfman. Heather has enjoyed teaching just about everywhere and has been an artist in residence at multiple colleges around the country. She has received grants through the Sugar Salon and Dance New Amsterdam to make what she calls "Performance Collages" a combo of dance, film, still image and music. Heather is currently designing jewelry. Upon her return to Brooklyn she will be tending to her new hive of honeybee's, canning fresh fruits, and planning a store opening!

MOLLY POERSTEL (performer) is a downtown dance artist who has been active in the New York City dance community for the past ten years. She graduated from Virginia Commenwealth University on a Dean of the Arts Scholarship in 2000 and since then, has worked with many artists as a physical and theatrical collaborator. Such artists include: David Grenke, Mark Jarecke, Jeanine Durning, David Dorfman Dance Company ('05-2010), Susan Rethorst, Alex Escalante, Hilary Clark, and Larissa Valez. Additional collaborations include working as a moving model for visual artist Terry Rosenberg, where she has participated in the creation of three works. Currently, Ms. Poerstel is the 2009-2010, 2010-2011 guest artist in the Dance Department at the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center at Rutgers University where she teaches advanced technique and improvisation. She has taught at Dance New Amsterdam, 100 Grand, The Open Look Dance Festival in St. Petersburg Russia, and currently teaches for CLASSCLASSCLASS in New York City and The Dalton School.

JOSEPH POULSON (performer) is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa and relocated to New York City in 1999. He is currently working and performing with Susan Marshall Company, Creach/Co., Bill Young and Dancers, Jeanine Durning and, since 2001, with David Dorfman Dance. He has also worked with many other choreographers in NYC including Alexandra Beller, Gerald Casel, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Morris, Melinda Ring and Peter Schmitz, to all of whom he is very thankful.

JENNA RIEGEL (performer), a native of Fairfield, Iowa, has been a New York-based dancer, performer and teacher since 2007. Jenna holds an M.F.A. in Dance Performance from the University of Iowa and a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Maharishi University of Management. Since moving to New York City, Jenna has had the honor of performing with Daara Dance (choreographer Michel Kouakou), Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company, Tania Isaac Dance, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Bill Young/Colleen Thomas & Company. Jenna currently tours nationally and internationally as a company member of David Dorfman Dance, Alexandra/Beller Dances and johannes weiland. Jenna would like to thank her family and friends for their love, laughter and never-ending support and encouragement.

KARL ROGERS (performer), Karl Rogers, originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been a member of David Dorfman Dance for 5 years. He has also danced in projects for Jennifer Nugent + Paul Matteson, Colleen Thomas, Terry Creach, Melinda Ring, Tami Stronach. Hoi Polloi, and many others. Karl is currently a PhD candidate and completed an MFA in Choreography (2003) at The Ohio State University. He has been a guest teacher at colleges, universities and festivals around the world. Recently, he was Visiting Assistant Professor at Kenyon College and the Postgraduate Fellow in Dance at Dickinson College. Karl also co-directs the Young Dancers Workshop at the Bates Dance Festival. His own work has been shown in NYC, Columbus, OH, Chicago and North Carolina. This fall, he will premiere an evening of duets (by Lisa Race, Bebe Miller, and himself) with Meghan Durham-Wall.

FRANCIS A. STANSKY (performer), originally from Worcester MA, is a graduate of Connecticut College, currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. Since moving to NY in 2003 he has been fortunate to work with many great artists and study under the direction of Barbara Mahler.  He continues to work with Jeremy Nelson, Luis Lara Malvacias, Wally Cardona, and  David Dorfman Dance. He has performed with David Dorfman Dance since 2005 in LightBulb Theory, Older Testaments and Underground.

WHITNEY LYNN TUCKER (performer), from the hills of southern Illinois, moved to New York to pursue a career in modern dance. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University with a BFA in Dance Education. Her interests over time have led her to study Capoeira, Contact Improvisation, various lineages of yoga, boxing, and social dance. She draws from experiences as a public school teacher (Vancouver, WA) and from those as the creator/facilitator of a movement-program for women who were recovering from prostitution (Phoenix, AZ). She is a member of David Dorfman Dance and Tiffany Mills Company, is a teacher-trainer at the Kane School of Core Integration, and is completing certification as a Birth Doula. Most-recently, she is co-founder of Studio 26, a wellness-center located in Manhattan.

RAJA KELLY (performer) is a recent Honors graduate from Connecticut College. Having received his BA in Dance and English, Raja is sparkling and glee-ridden to start is professional dance career with DDD. Raja is also a company member of RaceDance with Lisa Race, Kyle Abraham's Abraham.in.Motion in NYC, Zoe Scofield|Juniper Shuey in Seattle, WA and will perform with Christopher Williams 2010-2011. Raja is also very excited to have been selected as a DanceWEB scholarship recipient for the 2009 Impulstanz Dance Festival in Vienna, Austria. Raja would like to send a HUGE hug to his family; a WARM EMBRACE to the DDD team and 4 HIGH FIVES to Vincent Borelli, Megan Loguidice-Ruland, Sophie Baskins, and to Laura Snow and the big bad world.
Prophets of Funk in Nashville
Join us at Vanderbilt University to see the first public performance of Prophets of Funk - Dance to the Music.

Click here for details