DANCE ARTISTS

Avery-Jai Andrews

grew up in Dallas, Texas, where she graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she performed works by Allyson Green, Kendra Portier, Renee Redding-Jones, and Nathan Trice. In 2014 she graduated from Tisch with a BFA in dance. She enriched her dance training with international instruction in Austria at Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance and in Israel at Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s international Dance Journey program. She is a certified mat Pilates instructor as well as an adjunct choreographer and teacher at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center, Plano, Texas. Most recently she performed in Crystal Pite’s Sadler’s Wells’ commissioned project Polaris at New York City Center and Mary Kay’s annual international convention in Dallas, Texas. Avery-Jai is based out of New York City.

Sayer Mansfield

grew up north of Boston, Massachusetts and received her classical training with the Royal Academy of Dance, Boston Ballet and Joffrey Ballet Schools. Sayer began her modern dance training in high school at Phillips Academy Andover, working and performing with the Mark Morris Dance Group and the José Limón Dance Company. After graduating High school, she moved to the UK to study at the Laban Conservatoire for Dance in London. Returning to the states in 2011, Sayer continued her studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She also studied abroad in Austria at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance. Sayer graduated from Tisch with a BFA in dance in May of 2014. She joined Pilobolus Dance Theater shortly after graduation and now lives and dances in the woods of Connecticut with the company. Sayer began working with Indah Walsh in 2012 and is a founding member of Indah Walsh Dance Company.

Erica Saucedo

Erica is a Mexican-American dance artist born and raised in Austin, Texas. She graduated summa cum laude in 2014 with a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Texas at Austin. While at university, Erica had the pleasure of performing works by David Justin, Charles O. Anderson, Merce Cunningham, Ohad Naharin, Mark Morris, Paul Taylor, and many talented peers. In search of dance rooted in her past, dance that is necessary to the present, and dance that will forever influence her future, she feels truly humbled to work in New York City alongside so many passionate freelance artists. Currently, Erica is humbled and inspired to work under the direction of visionaries, Paloma McGregor, Johnnie Cruise Mercer, and Indah Walsh.

Lauren Kravitz

Lauren Kravitz is a freelance dance artist living in Brooklyn, NY with her cat, Phoebe. She received her early training from Booker T Washington HSPVA and graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in dance. Lauren has performed throughout the country with companies including Take Dance and UNA Projects. She is the co-creator, alongside Shantel Prado, of the performance duo, bait, and recently joined the Seán Curran Company. Lauren has been performing with Indah Walsh Dance Company since May 2015.

Jessica Mantell

is a life-long Jersey gal and dance artist. She graduated from The Academy for Visual & Performing Arts in Denville, NJ where she studied dance, theater, and the fundamentals of dance film. While there, Jessica had the pleasure of performing works by Randy James, Lynne Grossman, and Ruth Clark, as well as taking on two internships with dance companies Freespace Dance and project:Smith. She recieved her BFA degree in Dance at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2014. While at Tisch, she performed works by Charlotte Boye-Christensen, Allyson Green, Pamela Pietro, Crystal Pite, Renee Redding-Jones, Nicole Smith, Indah Walsh, and many of her gifted peers, and she also had the opportunity to travel to and study at The Academy for Performing Arts in Prague. Additionally, Jessica has performed with Freespace Dance 2, project:Smith, and Beyond Lines Contemporary Dance. Jessica was a Tisch Dance and New Media Fellow with Dance Films Association, has worked at Healing Arts Initiative in Long Island City, and is currently on staff at Peridance Capezio Center.

Shantel Prado

a California native, began her dance training at the age of nine at The Wooden Floor in Santa Ana. She went on to attend the Orange County High School of the Arts where she concentrated in Classical and Contemporary Dance studying under Steven Hyde and Julie Shulman. Throughout her high school career she was able to work and perform for Steven Hyde, Julie Shulman, Thang Dao, Jessica Lang, Jayne Persch, Lawrence Pech, Brian Reeder, and Alicia Young, among others. Shantel graduated with a BFA in dance from NYU Tisch in 2014 having had the opportunity to perform for Pamela Pietro, Deborah Jowitt, Kendra Portier and was fortunate enough to study at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance. She currently lives and dances in New York.

Ho-Ju Wu

Originally from Taipei, Taiwan. She received a B.F.A. in dance from National Taiwan University of the Arts and an M.F.A. in dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has performed works by Deborah Jowitt, Kendra Portier, Allyson Green, Wu-Kang Chen. She has also danced for Century Contemporary Dance Company, Kaohsiung City Ballet and 31 Opera Company. Ho-Ju participated in the opening ceremony of the 21st summer Deaflympics as an assistant choreographer in 2009. She then performed as a dancer for Taipei City Government Image Commercial and worked with the Ju Percussion Group in Taiwan in 2012. As a choreographer, Ho-Ju has choreographed "Too loud a Solitude", "Pyjamaz" in 2008 and 2009, "Trio" in 2013.