Production &
Choreography
Production:
Choreography:
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Choreographer Jazz
Coming soon...
Choreographer
Coming soon...
