mission Stefanie Nelson Dance Group was established to foster and promote an appreciation of the study of the art of movement and dance; to integrate the artistic, cultural, and educational aspects of movement and dance through performances, classes and workshops; and to promote interdisciplinary artistic collaboration among artists in all artistic disciplines.

biography Stefanie Nelson is the artistic director of Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup, a contemporary dance company based in New York City. Since it’s inception in 2000, SNDg has been presented internationally in Toronto (Canada), Merida (Mexico) and throughout Italy. In Florence, the company performed to sold-out audiences at the renowned Fabbrica Europa Festival in 2004 and 2005, the Corpo al Corpo Series at the Florence Dance Center, and the Florence Winter Dance Festival at the historic Teatro Goldoni; in Genoa the company performed at the Corpi Urbani Festival and Teatro G. Modena in collaboration with Italian company Lische; in Lucca at Sala del Teatro and Teatro del Giglio; and in Prato at the festival OnStage at Cantiere Culturali - Ex-Macelli. Nationally, the company has been presented in New York at the 92nd St. Y, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Boston CYBER-ARTS festival, Bowery Ballroom (with off-broadway’s smash success BETTY RULES!), Dance Theater Workshop, Fieldston Ethical Culture School, Gowanus Arts Exchange, Hostos Cultural Center, Joe’s Pub, Jose Limon Institute, LaMama Moves, Lincoln Center's Out of Doors festival, Mamapalooza, which featured a live broadcast of Stefanie Nelson and dancer Jennifer Sydor on ABC-TV’s morning show, New York University, Pier 63, Rockland Community College, Solar One Festival, Stella Adler Conservatory, Steven's Institute, University Settlement, Washington Square United Methodist Church, Williamsburg Arts Nexus-WAX; in Massachusetts at The Yard (Martha’s Vineyard) and Green Street Studios (Cambridge); and in Nashua, NH at the Academy of Movement.

Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup has been in residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, the Bessie Shoenberg Choreographer’s Residency at The Yard, and Dance New Amsterdam; space grants awarded to the company include Bridge for Dance (NYC), Florence Dance Center (Florence, ITALY), the Harkness Dance Program at the 92nd Street Y (NYC), and the Scuola Fuoricentro (Lucca, ITALY).   Recent company performances include the Downtown Dance Festival (NYC), DanceNow @ DTW and Joe's Pub, Schegge di Danza: Miniature Pucciniane (Lucca, Italy).

Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup has received financial support from The Massachusetts Cultural Council, The Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust Live Music for Dance Program, American Express Co., J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation, The Duke Energy Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, The New York Times, Safe Horizon Inc., Sony Music, World of the Walking Stick; and in-kind donations from David Leach Photography, Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon, Etoile Toy Visual Arts, Florence Dance Center, the 92nd Street Y, Jarvis Recording Studios, Movado Watch Company, 17 Corporation, and Sony Recording Studios.

Independent choreographic projects include a featured tango scene in Plan-B, a feature film starring Diane Keaton, and The FIRES, a rock musical presented at the Hostos Center in the Bronx. Ms. Nelson’s, Cocoon won a first place award at northeast choreography competition, DTI, and she was the subject of an in-depth, live radio interview (www.ciut.fm at the University of Toronto). Ms. Nelson’s essay about her solo EMERGE was published in ‘Resti di Scena’ by Paolo Ruffini. The company has received numerous awards and distinctions and has taught workshops in New York, New Hampshire and Lucca, Italy.

Ms. Nelson’s choreography has been set on students at The Fieldston Ethical Culture School, (New York, NY), Fuoricentro, (Lucca, ITALY), Coupe’ and TranscenDance, (Rockland, NY). Stefanie has taught Contemporary Dance at The Fieldston Ethical Culture School, Fuoricentro, The University of Korea (as assistant to Lorry May-Artistic Director of Anna Sokolow’s Players’ Project), and The Academy of Movement in Nashua, NH. She taught Creative Movement at The Columbia Grammar School where she was on faculty from 1994-2002, and for outreach program, Education in Dance from 1994-1997. She currently teaches Creative Movement classes to toddlers in Harlem, adult movement workshops, and she’s a guest teaching artist at Dance New Amsterdam.

collaborators
Dancers
Malinda Crump is a Missouri native and a graduate of Webster University, where she received her BFA in Dance and a BA in Psychology. While living in the Kansas City area, Malinda danced with several companies in addition to producing her own work. Since recently moving to New York, she has continued her training and dances with the Treehouse Shakers and choreographers Eleanor Goudie-Averill, Maria Sessa and Emily Faulkner.

Katie Federowicz (dancer) grew up on Martha’s Vineyard, MA.  She graduated from Connecticut College, Mountain State school of Massage, and the IM school of Healing Arts.  She danced with Deborah Riley Dance Projects, Elise Knudson, Varoom Group, Abby Bender’s Schmantze Theater, Kristi Mueller, and Jonathan Cicarelli.  She is thrilled to be working with Stefanie and these beautiful movers. 

The Killers may ask, “Are we human, or are we dancer?” but Jeff Kent Jacobs is decidedly human.  He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in modern dance from the University of Utah, and a degree in business management from Brigham Young University.  In his native Utah, Jeff performed with the dance improvisation company Movement Forum and for choreographer Brent Schneider.  Since moving to New York in autumn of 2007 he has performed with Brian Brooks Moving Company, Bridge & Tunnel Movement Collective, Coriolis/Elizabeth Dishman, dancTactics/Keith Thompson, Palissimo/Pavel Zustiak, Pilobolus (PCS), and Stefanie Nelson Dance Group.

McKay Montz started dancing intensely in the four year high school program at the North Carolina School of the Arts on scholarship and graduated with honors in 2005. Then he continued his education to SUNY Purchase College on the Jerome Robbins Dance Foundation Scholarship and graduated in 2009 with the President’s Award for Achievement in the Conservatory of Dance. He has worked with many choreographers including Lauri Stallings, Lucca Veggitti, Alex Ketley, Sidra Bell, Kevin Wynn, Gregory Dolbashian, Mario Zambrano, Jeff Hill, Kate Hutter, and many others. He has studied aboard at the Rotterdam Dance Academy in Holland, toured with Kevin Wynn in China, been accepted to many programs such as Northwest Dance Project and Springboard Danse Montreal, and his own choreography has premiered at Spring Concert 2009 at SUNY Purchase College Performing Arts Center.   

Matthew ‘Matty’ Oaks received his MFA in dance from NYU Tisch in 2007 after attending Dickinson College, where he completed his BS in Biology & Psychology.  He currently has the honor of working as Assistant to the Artistic Director of Trisha Brown Dance Company.  Matt has been performing with Stefanie Nelson Dance Group since 2008.     

Originally from the suburbs of New York City, Ali Schechter has danced with Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup since July 2009.  She holds a BA in Dance and English from Columbia University, where she studied with Colleen Thomas and David Parker.  From 2006-2008 she worked in performing arts publicity for Ellen Jacobs Associates, and in 2008 as the Assistant Publicist for the American Dance Festival's 75th Anniversary season.  In the Fall of 2008 she studied with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.  She has performed in works by RoseAnne Spradlin, Heather McArdle, David Dorfman, Stephanie Liapis, Scott Lyons, Ilana Webber, Tze Chun, and Ben Rasmussen.  Ali is also a certified yoga instructor, and currently teaches at Om Yoga Center, Equinox Fitness, New York Health & Racquet Club, and the Sukha Yoga Collective.

Ariana Siegel attended New York University as a Tisch scholarship recipient, graduating with degrees in Dance and Psychology. Inspired by choreographers William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Trisha Brown, Pina Bausch, Gus Solomons Jr., and Gerald Casel, Ariana has performed at traditional venues like Dance Theatre Workshop, The Joyce Soho, La Mama Experimental Theatre, and Madison Square Garden, as well as in more unconventional spaces like the rotunda of the Guggenheim Museum. She has recently collaborated with Meredith Monk, Noemie Lafrance, colectivodozeta, and Stefanie Nelson. Ariana also enjoys dance-making and teaching ballet.  Future plans include a continuation of learning and exploring, having Sunday morning brunches, and finding the sweet spots, wherever they may be.

Yin Yue studied chinese classical dance at Shanghai Dance School and received B.A in Dance from Shanghai Normal University. She came to New York City in 2006 and graduated with M.F.A in Dance from Tisch School of The Arts, NYU in 2008. She performed for Doug Elkins & Friends in Fraulein Maria, White Wave Young Soon Kim Dance Company, Urban Dance Collective, Ivy Baldwin Dance , many individual artists and as well as her own Yin Yue Dance Company. Her works have been presented in Lincoln Center Rose Hall, Dancenow[NYC] Festival at DTW, Food For Thought at Danspace, International Dance Festival at La MaMa, DUMBO DANCE Festival and Cool New York Festival at John Ryan Theatre.