Rachel Abrahams is from Oyster Bay, New York. She attended the Long Island High School for the Arts and graduated in 2009 with a BFA in Performance and Choreography from the California Institute of the Arts. Rachel has performed with Shen Wei Dance Arts in two world premiere site-specific pieces at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Park Avenue Armory. Rachel is a founding member of Bryn Cohn
+ Artists and has also collaborated with BODYART Dance on many shows and teaching tours. Rachel recently became 500 Hour Certified in yoga and teaches regularly in New York City. Emily Diers is a native to the Chicagoland area, where she began her dance training at Denise Sabala Dance Studio and Giordano Dance Center. After a semester abroad at Studio Harmonique in Paris, Emily graduated summa cm laude from Point Park University with a B.A. She started her dance career in Chicago with NoMi LaMad Dance, Inc. and has since danced with VONUSSAR Danceworks, Falcon Dance, and Valerie Green/Dance Entropy in New York City. Emily is thrilled to be a part of Jessica Gaynor Dance for a second year. When she's not dancing, Emily enjoys running, baking, and being outside. Kyle Gerry studied dance at Columbia University, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Political Science and Economics. He studied on scholarship at the Cunningham studio, and performed as a guest with the Cunningham Repertory Understudy Group. He has danced with Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theater and Rosario/Adriane Lee, and performed works by Christiana Axelsen, Laura Peterson, and Colleen Thomas. He also played the character of Mr. Ramsay in Stephanie Lane's "Lighthouse Triptych." He is currently working on a new dramatic work with composer Drake Andersen. He is thrilled to be in his second season with Jessica Gaynor Dance. Jordan Risdon was born in Toronto, Canada and graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Dance. In 2008 she moved to NYC and has had the pleasure of working with Steeledance, Donnell Oakley, alex|xan: the Median Movement, Laura Peterson Choreography, Cori Marquis and The Nines, among others. Jordan joined Jessica Gaynor Dance in 2009 and is thrilled to perform Intimate Gestures alongside these inspiring movers. Julia Sabangan was born and raised in New York City. She has studied at the Harkness Dance Center at the 92nd Street Y, the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Merce Cunningham Dance Studio, and Vassar College, where she earned her BA in Classics. Julia has worked most recently with Tina Croll & Company, Valerie Green/Dance Entropy, GREYZONE, Beth Soll, Vencl Dance Group, Jeanette Stoner, MELD Danceworks, Kimberly Portis, Brittany Antle, Katherine Howard, June Finch, Janis Brenner, and Susan Hefner. Julia co-founded VaBang! Dance Company in 2007, a bi-coastal modern dance company born out of New York and San Francisco with her longtime friend Jessie Feller. When Julia is not dancing she enjoys teaching pilates throughout New York City. This is her fourth season with Jessica Gaynor Dance. Kristi Tornga grew up in Traverse City, Michigan. She received her early training at the Interlochen Arts Academy before earning her B.F.A. in dance and choreography at the California Institute of the Arts. Since moving to New York in 2010 she has performed for Jessica Gaynor Dance, Mazzini Dance Collective and TAKE Dance Company. Kristi is a member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Matthew Westerby is originally from the UK, and trained at Laban, London. He has worked with Nai-Ni Chen, Risa Jaroslow, Dusan Tynek, Bronwen MacArthur, Peter Kyle, Marla Hirokawa and Sue Hogan, as well as for companies in the UK. He formed Matthew Westerby Company in 2009 and has since been presented by many venues around the tri-state area, and is the resident dance company for Project Poetry Live!, a major arts-in-education initiative in western Connecticut. He is currently choreographer-in-residence for the Hudson Guild Theatre Company and works as a teaching artist in public schools, dance training institutions and community settings within the greater New York area. Andrew Dickerson (Lighting Designer) is the Resident Lighting Designer and Technical Director of Triskelion Arts, and is honored to have the opportunity to light Jessica Gaynor Dance for a 4th year. In addition to Triskelion Arts, he has worked at Joyce Soho, Center for Performance Research, The Milagro Theater, Thalia, and others, and has worked with such companies as Abby Bender Schmantze Theatre, Peter Kyle Dance, Launch/Movement Experiment, The Roxanne Lola Movement Machine, Company SoGoNo, White Road Dance Media, Leanne Schmidt and Co., NuDance Theater, Fools on Fire, and many more. Renee Kurz (Costume Designer), originally from Northwest Arkansas, holds a BFA in Dance from Missouri State University, where she also studied fashion design. Since moving to New York City in 2005, her passion to seek and create beauty has kept her busy dancing, designing, and teaching. After serving the poor in India for 18 months, Renee is very happy to be back creating the costumes for Jessica Gaynor Dance! Her designs have also been seen on Pam Tanowitz Dance, Cornfield Dance, and VIA Dance Collaborative. She also works as a freelance fashion designer and dancer. www.reneekurz.com
Devin Maxwell (Composer) holds a BMA in percussion performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and an MFA as a Performer/Compser from California Institute for the Arts. His chamber music has been featured at Columbia University, the University of Utah, at Dartmouth University, Kenyon College, The Brooklyn Lyceum, Monkeytown, the Ontological-Hysteric Theater, the Stone, and the Wulf and he has collaborated with choreographer Jessica Gaynor, filmmaker Rollin Hunt, and graphic designer Philip Neimeyer. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music Composition from the University of Utah. Quentin Tolimieri (Composer) is a composer, pianist and improvisor. His work has been presented throughout Europe and North America at a variety of venues, including, most recently, Roulette, Issue Project Room and The Stone (NYC), Instants Chavires and La Chapelle (France) and The SPOR Festival for New Music and Sound Art (Denmark). His piece Trio was included on the 2014 album West Coast Soundings released by Wandelweiser Records. A chapter of eldritch Priest's Boring Formless Nonsense, Experimental Music and the Aesthetics of Failure (Bloomsbury Academic) is devoted to a lengthy discussion of his work Josef, Lieber Josef Mein. He holds an MA in composition from The University of Southampton (UK) and a BFA in composition and piano from California Institute of the Arts. His primary teachers include Michael Finnissy, Michael Pisaro, and Joe Maneri. He lives in New York City, and works as a freelance pianist.
