Mark Jarecke
Choreographer Mark Jarecke grew up in rural Nebraska, on the outskirts of Omaha. In 1992, he received his BFA from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where he studied philosophy and dance. That summer Jarecke moved to New York City and studied on scholarship at the Merce Cunningham Studio and at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies. During his first years in New York, Jarecke performed with choreographers Linda Nutter, Amy Sue Rosen & Derek Bernstein and Lynn Shapiro. In 1998, Jarecke received his first choreographic commission in New York from Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church. Since then, he has received seven more commissions including Variable Cities (2003) a site-specific performance with J. Mandle Performance, Endo (2003) at the Duke Theater on 42nd Street; Faraway Nearsighted (2001) at the American Dance Festival’s Emerging Generation concert; and Auto. Publik (2001), an installation/ performance piece in-the-round at Danspace Project. Internationally renown, his choreography has been seen throughout Denmark, Thailand, and Japan.
Jarecke has been recognized with commissions from the Jerome Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation through Danspace Project’s Commissioning Initiative, the American Dance Festival with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Harkness Dance Project, and the Doris Duke Awards for New Work. In 2001 he received the Scripps/ADF Humphrey-Weidman-Limón Fellowship in Choreography from ADF.
Andrea Nicole Johnston
Andrea Nicole Johnston originally from Toronto, Canada is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She was the recipient of a 2002-2003 Unesco-Aschberg Fellowship allowing her to teach dance and perform in Thailand. Johnston has also taught in Hong Kong, Japan, and Canada. She is currently studying occupational therapy at New York University. This is her fifth season with the Mark Jarecke Project.
Molly Kathleen Poerstel
Molly Kathleen Poerstel graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University on a Dean of the Arts Scholarship for Dance and Choreography. In New York, she has performed in dance and experimental theatre projects with Jeanine During, David Grenke’s Thingsazicee’m Dance and Theatre Company, and J. Mandle Performance. She has taught dance and performed in Russia, Canada and England.
Netta Carnit Yerushalmy
Netta Carnit Yerushalmy is originally from Israel. She has danced with Nancy Bannon, Doug Varone and Dancers, the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Zoltan Nagy, Karinne Keithley, Margi Young Performance Group and numerous others. Her choreographic creations have been presented by many venues around NYC and throughout Israel.
Jonathan James Moniaci
Jonathan James Moniaci received his BFA in Music Technology from the University of Michigan in 2003, and now lives in Brooklyn. Interested in laptop performance and improvisation, he has worked with Chris Peck, Chase Granoff, Jeremy Wade and Dave Luther.
Maria Cornejo
Maria Cornejo was born in Chile and moved to England with her family when she was a child. After a varied career in London, Paris, Milan and Tokyo she now lives with her husband, the photographer Mark Borthwick and their two children in Brooklyn, New York. In 1997, Maria opened her studio and store in Manhattan’s Nolita where her uncompromising and very personal approach to fashion has gained her a loyal following and high praise from clients and industry watchers. New York Times’ Cathy Horyn said of her work - “In Maria Cornejo’s hands, minimalism is not a bland word. Her clothes have a sleek sophistication and always a sense of surprise.” Maria presents her collections at bi-annual presentations during New York Fashion Week and in Paris and her line is sold in leading stores around the world such as Barneys New York, Barneys Japan, Liberty London, Ikram Chicago, Mameg LA and Weathervane Santa Monica CA.
Matthew Scott Gagnon
Designer Matthew Scott Gagnon focuses on surface, spatial and object design. From furniture and lighting, to architectural design and theatre sets, his work emphasizes movement, adaptability and material exploration. Matt graduated from the architecture school at Cornell University and has since worked with companies such as Frank Gehry and Gaetano Pesce. While at Cornell he also studied dance with Byron Suber and Jumay Chu. In 2002 he opened his own office in Brooklyn, New York.
