Our choreographers
Themed Image2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

                    Production &
                              Choreography

 

Production:

Choreography:


 

Suzy Zucker

Artistic Director

 

Suzy’s amazing talent and creative energy has provided many opportunities throughout her career. She was hired by Hasbro, Inc. to develop Twister Moves, a remake of the original game Twister and to choreograph star -studded special events around the nation. Featured artists for these events included Nick and Aaron Carter, Jesse McCartney, and Nick Cannon. Her patriotic work with AKA Productions led her to create USO style performances for troops in Bosnia and Kosovo. For the past three years, she has choreographed the Boscov’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia and was the choreographer for the Toys R Us Holiday Parade in New York City.

 

 Eight years ago, Suzy founded the Garden State Dance Festival, an annual event that gives emerging choreographers and dancers an opportunity to showcase their artistic talents. As artistic director, Suzy has enhanced the artistic appreciation of dance by presenting a variety of artists and art forms. Her eclectic approach provides a unique style that has made the Garden State Dance Festival a prestigious event in New Jersey and Philadelphia. Recently, the Rutgers Center for Performing Arts partnered with this event and has become the official residence for the festival.

 

Locally, Suzy is known for her exceptional work in directing, producing and choreographing special events for Dance Fusion, a national entertainment dance company that she led for over 10 years. Her most notable dance company performances included the Sunoco Welcome America Celebration in Philadelphia, the NCAA Final Four Basketball Tournament-Hoop City tour held in multiple cities around the nation, and the National Hockey League All Star Game held in Toronto, Canada and Tampa, Florida. For over eight years, she overwhelmed audiences with her theatrical choreography with Triple Threat Productions, Inc. Her students enjoyed the creative energy she brought to local musicals such as Annie, Cabaret, and Gypsies, a musical vignette for children. Currently, she is the theatrical choreographer at the University of Pennsylvania for the Mask and Wig Club, an all-male Ivy League theater troupe.

 

Sharing her talents as a mentor and instructor is what Suzy enjoys most. Many of her students have gone on to become huge successes on Broadway and television. Her fulfillment lies in guiding students onto a path that will advance their artistic visions. She provides top-notch opportunities that often propel students into a professional and rewarding dance career.

 

Back to Top

Diana Alfieri

Production Assistant

 

Diana is a 2005 graduate of Montclair State University with a BFA in Dance. Diana was most recently seen at The Carousel Theatre in Akron, OH, playing Fransisca in West Side Story. Favorite credits include dancing back up to pop singer Jesse McCartney and R&B artist Nick Cannon, along with dancing the summer stages at Hershey Park multiple times! Diana has served as assistant choreographer for the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders and the Mask and Wig Club at the University of Pennsylvania. Diana is currently on staff as a dance educator and choreographer at several studios in the Philadelphia area, and is thrilled to be working as Production Assistant for the Garden State Dance Festival.   

 

Back to Top

 

Crystal Frazier

Choreographer Hip Hop

 

A native of New Jersey, Crystal began training in dance and gymnastics at the age of six. She attended University of the Arts, where she earned an Associates Degree in Dance, and is currently on staff teaching Styles of Jazz

 

Crystal began her training in hip hop and became principal dancer with "Rennie Harris Puremovement". She made appearances in Repertoire, Rome and Jules, Illadelph Legends, Dance Magazine, and many more. Her choreography has been featured in the Philadelphia 76ers Dance Team, Fringe Festival, Drexel University, University of the Arts, Encore Danses en Tournee in Canada, Hip Hop Extravaganza Bermuda, Taipei University of the Arts in Taiwan, Cruzan Dance in St. Croix, and Dance Ability Canada. She has performed in the movie Beloved, VH1 Fashion Awards with Macy Gray, BET Comicview, BET Awards "Opening Act", MTV Lip Service, and Global Groove. Crystal has also appeared in the television show Monk on USA, a video with Mike Philips, hip hop company Groovaloos in LA, and NYC/LA Carnival. She has been on tour with Kath Sledge in Italy, and was a featured dancer/choreographer for Jill Scott’s “Big Beautiful Tour”. Crystal is also a judicator for local preliminaries for the Miss America Organization, Dancers Inc. Competition, and Convention and Dance Quest in Canada. Crystal teaches Hip Hop, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical and Afro-Funk from children to adults throughout the world. Crystal is the Co-Founder of Montazh Performing Arts Company, an all female dance company based in Philadelphia.

 

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."

Back to Top

 

Rochelle Haynes

Choreographer Tap

 

Rochelle is a native of Dallas, Texas, where she began her dance training at the age of three. She attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She continued her dance training in Philadelphia while attending college at the University of the Arts, where she received her BFA in modern dance. While in college, she trained under Pat Thomas, Milton Meyers, Ruthie Andrien and Andrew Pap, just to name a few. Rochelle also studied at The Dance Theater of Harlem and Dallas Black Dance Theater.

 

Miss Haynes performed at the Merriam Theater and The University of the Arts Dance Theater during her years of college. She also performed with Freedom Theater on many occasions. Such performances included, Black Nativity, Alkynza Dance, and The Barrymore Awards at the Annenburg Theater.

 

Rochelle joined Tap Team Two and Company as a principal dancer in 1997 where she traveled throughout the United States teaching the history of tap and promoting tap dance as an American art form. She also has been teaching tap throughout the Philadelphia and New Jersey area for the past 10 years. She is currently in her second year as the Guest Artist in Residence at Moravian College. Miss Haynes’ greatest teaching accomplishment is being one of the tap instructors at the University of the Arts. She has also taught the tap classes at their Summer World of Dance for the past two years. Rochelle is also happy to be in her third year as choreographer for the Garden State Dance Festival.

 

Miss Haynes has taken classes from the Masters of tap for over six years. Her studies have taken her within the United States, Brazil and Prague, Czech Republic. Rochelle has taken the stage with tap greats Van Porter, Nicole Hockenberry, and Germaine Ingram just to name a few. She has performed in “Danceboom 2005”, Philadelphia Folklore Project’s “Dance Happens Here” 2006 and the “Tap Extravaganza” in New York City, which was a special tribute performance to LaVaughn Robinson. The most recent performance was “Prague-DC-Philly” in Prague, Czech Republic.

Back to Top

 

Andrea Mychaels

Choreographer Jazz

 

Andrea Mychaels began dancing at age 2, and found her passion. She began performing at age 10. Andrea has been teaching and choreographing for the past 20 years. She has performed both as a dancer and as a vocalist in Las Vegas and Branson, MO.   She has worked with Kathy Sledge, Taylor Dayne, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and The Trammps. Andrea has choreographed for the New Jersey Nets Dance Team, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, “Dance is Life”, The Garden State Dance Festival and has won choreography awards for several theatrical productions.

 

Andrea is also a dance educator at several area studios and enjoys cultivating future dancers.  Andrea encompasses all ranges of Modern, Jazz, funk and hip hop and turns it in to an aggressive style that is an energetic ride.

 

Back to Top

 

Meredith Rainey

Choreographer Contemporary Ballet

 

Meredith Rainey, former soloist with Pennsylvania Ballet, began dancing at 15 in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale.  In 1985 he joined the Milwaukee Ballet.  In 1987, he was asked to join the newly formed Pennsylvania-Milwaukee Ballet, remaining with the Pennsylvania Ballet when the collaboration ended.  He was also a demi-soloist with the Dance Theatre of Harlem for a short time in 1997. Meredith has performed throughout Europe and the United States, as well as in South America. His repertoire includes many principal and soloist roles in the works of George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey, Mary Anthony, Paul Taylor, Lar Lubovitch, Jose Limon, John Butler, John Cranko, and William Forsythe.  He has premiered original works by Kevin O’Day, Christopher D’Amboise, David Parsons, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Robert Weiss, Richard Tanner, Jean Grand-Maitre, Dwight Rhoden, Jorma Elo, Ib Anderson, Matthew Neenan, and Christine Cox. Awards include the 1995 & 2002 PA Council on the Arts Fellowship Grant for Choreography, the 2001 Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Artist as Catalyst Grant, the 2002 Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts, winner of the Hubbard Street 2 Choreographic Competition and a 2003 Pew Fellowship in the Arts Finalist.  Meredith has been commissioned to create work for Pennsylvania Ballet, Incolballet, Delaware Ballet, Hubbard Street 2, Phrenic New Ballet, Ballet X, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Wills Eye Hospital, and Philadanco for their 25th Anniversary celebration. Meredith has had his work performed at many festivals throughout North and South America including Jacob’s Pillow, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Miami International Ballet Festival, the Garden State Dance Festival, the International Ballet Festival of Ecuador, the First International Ballet Festival of Calí, and toured throughout Spain by Incolballet. In 2002 Meredith collaborated with acclaimed new music group Relâché Ensemble and Composer Guy Klucevsek to create the first full evening of his work entitled Mixed Company. In addition to choreographing for dance companies, Meredith has been commissioned to create works for Bryn Mawr College, University of the Arts, Temple University and was awarded a residency at Swarthmore College in the summer of 2006. He has also taught numerous master classes for these institutions. Meredith is a founding choreographer and yearly contributor to Shut Up & Dance, an event that was created by the dancers of the Pennsylvania Ballet to benefit MANNA a non-profit organization that feeds and cares for home-bound HIV and AIDS patients.

 

Back to Top

 


 

Jose Rodriguez

Choreographer Jazz

Coming soon...

 

Back to Top

 

Tommy Evans

Choreographer

Coming soon...

 

Back to Top