About the Company
DUAL RIVET is a women-led dance company focused on creating and sharing highly physical contemporary dance to a wide audience. Based in NYC, Dual Rivet creates work for stage and film that exchanges a cinematic and visceral language to influence both platforms. Directors Jessica Smith and Chelsea Ainsworth have been making and presenting work since 2017. They have performed and set work at Festival PRISMA (Panama), b12 (Berlin), Centro Cultural Los Talleres (Mexico), Barnard College/Columbia University, Sam Houston State University, Oklahoma International Dance Festival, Austin Dance Festival, Joe’s Pub, West End Theatre, Kittery Maine, Musikfest Pennsylvania, Gibney Dance, Peridance Capezio Center, CreateArt, Arts On Site and many more. The company teaches a myriad of classes, throughout the United States and internationally, with an emphasis on contemporary partnering and floorwork. Dual Rivet is currently on faculty at The Juilliard School, Gibney, Peridance, SUNY Purchase, Marymount Manhattan College, and Adelphi University. The company hosts an annual choreography festival, MADE BY WOMEN, highlighting women choreographers and filmmakers from around the globe. For more info: www.dualrivetdance.com @dualrivet
About the Directors
JESSICA SMITH (Co-choreographer / Performer) is a New York City based dancer from New Orleans, Louisiana. She studied at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, London Contemporary Dance School, and received her BFA in dance from the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College. She has performed with companies such as Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More NYC, Vim Vigor Dance Company, ZviDance and Kizuna Dance. She continues to teach and set work at schools, festivals, and training programs throughout the U.S. and internationally. Jessica was one of eight choreographers chosen for The Jacob’s Pillow Ann and Weston Hicks Choreographic Fellowship in 2022. She was the Associate Director of Arts On Site NYC, a non-profit arts organization, for 4 years. Jessica is the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Dual Rivet, a highly physical contemporary dance company based in NYC. Jessica is currently on Faculty at The Juilliard School, Purchase College, Gibney and Marymount Manhattan College.
CHELSEA AINSWORTH (Co-choreographer / Performer) is a graduate of the Dance Department of The Juilliard School. After graduating she worked with Johannes Wieland/StaatstheaterKassel in Germany, Lorena Egan, 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 hosting monthly events to encourage community collaboration. 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.
About the Collaborators
QUABA VENZA ERNEST (Performer) is a St. Lucian-American dancer, choreographer, and multimedia artist born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. An alumnus of Dance Theatre of Harlem, Fiorello H. LaGuardia Arts High School, and SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, he was awarded the Adopt-A-Dancer Scholarship and The Thayer Fellowship in the Arts for Choreography/Dance. Quaba began his professional career in 2019 with Ballet BC, followed by work with Doug Varone and Dancers, Dual Rivet, the Metropolitan Opera, and currently performs with Sleep No More NYC.
Over the course of his career, Quaba has danced in works by a wide range of choreographers, including Kimberly Bartosik, Ronald K. Brown, Sidra Bell, Maxine Doyle, Johan Inger, Sharon Eyal, Kayla Farrish, Ana Maria Lucaciu, Ted Shawn, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jerome Robbins, Marjani Forté Saunders and Ohad Naharin, among others.
JERIMY RIVERA (Performer), a native of New York City, practiced gymnastics from an early age, but following several professional opportunities with New York City Ballet, decided to dedicate himself exclusively to dance. After training at schools such as School of American Ballet, Stepsj on Broadway, JKO School at American Ballet Theatre, and Alvin Ailey, Jerimy broadened his stylistic reach to modern , hip hop, jazz, and musical theatre. In 2012, Jerimy toured with West Side Story The Musical, introducing him to theater. In 2013, he moved to Montreal to dance with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens for four years. He’s worked with choreographers such as Mats Ek, Jiri Killian, Ohad Naharin, Stinjin Cellis and Stephan Thosse inspiring him to explore. He joined RUBBERBAND in 2017 and toured with them through 2022. He currently dances at The Metropolitan Opera performing in the newest rival of El Niño. He also choreographs, performs and teaches alongside Taylor Graham in NYC, LA, and Miami.
BEAU BANKS (Lighting designer) - Choreographer, Dancer and Production Technician born and raised in Belize, Central America; Beaudau is black, queer, gender non-conforming immigrant artist and Theatre Technician based in New York City.
MARC CARDARELLI (sound designer) was born in Toronto and is now based in New York City. While maintaining a career as a performer, Marc is also a sound designer for dance. He curated and created original music for Cinereal Productions and they’re works The Unbrunch and The Acey Deucey Club. He scored the Under Review film series directed by Kelly Todd. Marc collaborated with The Dragon Sisters for their film Quick Flight. He created music for and starred in Elephant in the Room, created by Emmy-award winner Al Blackstone. He has collaborated with Welcome to Campfire on their immersive works The Pigeon & The Mouse and Subject. Marc also DJs and curates music for the dance experiences Momen and Kiss My Face. You can also find Marc’s original material on Spotify.
Learn more about the additional collaborators