Future Dance Festival 2025 Application – Live Performance:

Danni Gee

Director of Programming, The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc.

Danni Gee has close to 40 years of experience in the Arts and Entertainment industry. She has performed as a principal dancer with both her hometown troupe, PHILADANCO! The Philadelphia Dance Company, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she performed memorable leading roles including the iconic solo, CRY. As a vocalist, she has appeared with renowned music artists such as Kathy Sledge, of Sister Sledge, Gloria Gaynor, and CHER, as well with her own NYC-based indie rock band, Suga Bush. While continuing to perform on the music circuit, Danni returned to concert dance in 2006 when she accepted the position of Dance Curator for City Parks Foundation / SummerStage, one of New York City’s largest, free outdoor festivals where she engaged such established companies as Parsons Dance, Dance Brazil, Kibbutz Contemporary Company, Ballet Hispanico, Martha Graham Dance Company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Alvin Ailey. Along with providing performance and commissioning opportunities for many emerging and established choreographers and companies over the years, she also successfully presented several special theatrical evenings including Notes of a Native Song featuring indie-rockers Stew and the Negro Problem; a 10th anniversary concert version of Fela! The Musical; the 20th anniversary of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam; and the 40th anniversary celebration of the hit Broadway show, The Wiz, with direction by Tony Award-winning choreographer, George Faison, and featuring appearances by original cast members including Phylicia Rashad, Andre De Shields, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Danni is also the creator of the online series, dannIGeeLive, which she started in April 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in an effort to support her artistic community. The series, live streamed via Instagram from her living room, features conversations with artists and educators across disciplines and genres. Archived episodes of dannIGeeLive are available on demand at www.dannigeetv.com.

In September of 2022, Danni embarked on a new adventure as Director of Programming at The Joyce Theater in New York. Under the leadership of Executive Director, Linda Shelton, Danni currently oversees 45-plus weeks of programming at the heralded venue and will strive to continue and uphold its mission to serve and support artists and the art of dance and choreography, and to promote the richness and variety of the art form in its fullest expression.

Michael Novak

Artistic Director, Paul Taylor Dance Company

Michael Novak, Artistic Director of Paul Taylor Dance Company, is carving a profound mark in the dance industry with an unwavering commitment to usher in a new era of expansion for the Taylor organization, driven by his passion for artistic innovation, inclusion, and education. Before assuming his role as Artistic Director, Novak built an impressive career as a critically acclaimed Taylor dancer, hailed by The New York Times as “a marvel of plasticity and penetrating imagination.” In 2018, after eight years performing with the Company, Paul Taylor appointed him as his successor, entrusting him with the responsibility of preserving and evolving the Company. That same year, Novak officially became Director after Paul Taylor’s death, and retired from performing shortly thereafter. Under Novak’s direction, Taylor continues to be one of the world’s leading dance companies, with robust domestic and international touring; an annual season at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; an ever-expanding repertory that includes both Paul Taylor’s groundbreaking work alongside new choreographic voices to reflect contemporary themes and diverse perspectives; several educational programs to inspire the next generation of dancers and dance advocates; and a recent expansion to large new headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, offering greater resource to the creative community in New York City, the heart of the dance universe. Born with a passion for movement and expression, Novak’s formal dance education began at a young age, with foundational training in his hometown of Rolling Meadows, Illinois. He studied at the University of the Arts, The Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Springboard Danse Montréal, Barnard College, and The Taylor School, and is an alumnus of Columbia University’s School of General Studies, where he received his BA in Dance magna cum laude, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and currently serves as a member of their Board of Visitors.

Dante Puleio

Artistic Director, Limón Dance Company

A widely respected former member of the Limón Dance Company for more than a decade, Puleio is the sixth Artistic Director in the Company’s 75-year history, a position that originated with Doris Humphrey. After a diverse performing career with the Limón Dance Company, touring national and international musical theatre productions, television and film, he received his MFA from University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on contextualizing mid 20th century dance for the contemporary artist and audience. He is committed to implementing that research by celebrating José Limón’s historical legacy and reimagining his intention and vision to reflect the rapidly shifting 21st century landscape.

Chelsea Ainsworth

Executive Director, Arts on Site, and Co-Artistic Director, Dual Rivet

Chelsea Ainsworth is a graduate of the Dance Department of The Juilliard School. After graduating she worked with Johannes Wieland/StaatstheaterKassel in Germany, Flexicure, Amber Sloan, Bryn Cohn + Artists and was on the modern/ballet dance faculty at Cap21 musical theater school and Chen DanceCenter. Currently she is dancing with The Bang Group, as well as ZviDance. She’s also the co-founder and Executive Director of Arts On Site, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting artists of all disciplines by offering affordable studio space and performances of all disciplines. She also built and curates residencies at a retreat and residency center in the Shawangunk mountains in upstate New York. In 2020 she joined the Dance Advisory Board of Marymount Manhattan College as well as faculty at Saint Anns School, Gibney, Juilliard, Marymount and Purchase College. She co-founded and co-directs a highly physical contemporary dance company, Dual Rivet, alongside Jessica Smith.

Dr. Sean Vitale

Jazz Dancer, Physical Therapist

Sean is a dynamic dancer with a love for jazz music and movement. Sean has been lindy hopping since 2018 and is a prominent member of several NYC based dance troupes including Frankie Manning’s legacy troupe, The Big Apple Lindy Hoppers. Sean is grateful to be a part of the 2024 cast of the renowned stage show, Sw!ng Out. As a partnered dance specialist, Sean excels at improvisation and has won many partnered improvisation competitions throughout the U.S. and Europe. Sean has witnessed the power of dance to both grow community and heal hearts and minds and he wishes to spread that joy for as long as he is able. Beyond his work as a dancer and educator, Sean is a Doctor of Physical Therapy rehabilitating dancers, athletes, and those affected by neurologic conditions such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease.

Elizabeth Yilmaz

Co-founder and Producer, Art Bath NYC

Elizabeth Yilmaz is the Co-Founder/Producer of Art Bath NYC, a live performance series presenting over two-hundred artists in the past three years. Elizabeth is a former company member with Ballet Hispanico and is currently in her 13th season dancing at The Metropolitan Opera. Ms. Yilmaz is on faculty teaching advanced ballet for the Trainee Program at Joffrey Ballet and The 92NY in New York City. She is also on the Dance Advisory Board for Marymount Manhattan and is currently a student in the “Crossover to Business” Program for professional athletes at Harvard Business School.