BIOS

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NATHANIEL LANASA Musical Director

Pianist Nathaniel LaNasa discovers fresh possibilities of sonority, gesture, and storytelling in music — especially in music being written NOW. In early 2022, Nate played sixty performances of Ricky Ian Gordon’s new opera for two pianos, Intimate Apparel, at Lincoln Center Theater; the opera was subsequently broadcast on PBS Great Performances.  He returned for LCT’s 2025-26 Amahl and the Night Visitors with Joyce Didonato. An enthusiastic advocate for new opera, Nate has workshopped new material by Huang Ruo, Herschel Garfein, Mark Adamo, and Missy Mazzoli at Chautauqua Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. He prepared the premiere of Gabriel Jenks’s Desire at Columbia’s Miller Theatre, and William Antoniou’s Anathema at National Sawdust. Nate has also premiered works for quarter-tone pianos by Dimitri Tymoczko at Princeton, made first recordings of chamber works by Tobias Picker for Tzadik, and appeared in a new off-Broadway play about music students. 

A consummate collaborator, he has been praised for his “stormy lyricism” (The New York Times), his “dark, liquid piano tone” (Classical Music Daily), and his “poise and elegance” (Feast of Music). As winners of the 2019 Joy In Singing International Art Song Competition, Nate and partner baritone Gregory Feldmann made their sold-out Carnegie Hall debut in February 2020. Nate also frequently partners with vocalist Lucy Dhegrae; they have performed together in the candlelit crypt of the Church of the Intercession, as part of the Resonant Bodies Festival, and at the American Music Festival (Albany Symphony). He’s also appeared in song partnerships at the Musée d’Orsay, Royaumont Abbey, Brooklyn Art Song Society, and New York Festival of Song. In 2022, Nate took charge of New York Festival of Song’s new music series, NYFOS Next, presenting recitals of songs by living composers at the Rubin Museum; for which he has received critical acclaim for his “artfully constructed” programs and his “exquisite” playing. 

Nate has appeared with diverse artists including Leona Mitchell, Will Liverman, Amy Owens, Kearstin Piper Brown, Sharon Harms, Robin Steitz, and Blythe Gaissert. Works written for him include Tyler Harrison’s piano concerto; songs by Shawn Jaeger, Molly Joyce, and Iván Rodriguez; and solo pieces by Matthew Ricketts, Nate Wooley, and Timothy Maksimuk. Further premieres include works by Timo Andres, Jack Perla, Iain Bell, and Christopher Trapani. 

His solo projects include “Memory Prosthetic,” a recital/exhibition which explores the mechanics and aesthetics of music notation by re-notating Bach’s Goldberg Variations as a series of graphic scores, which are projected during live performance. His concerto appearances include Berg’s Kammerkonzert with TACTUS, John Cage’s Piano Concerto with New Juilliard Ensemble, Rachmaninoff’s second concerto with Bravura Philharmonic, and concerti by Mendelssohn, Bach, Mozart, Lyapunov, and Beethoven with New York ensembles. 

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Nathaniel began collaborating with dance in 2018 through his work with Francesca Todesco. Since then, he has performed with a few dance companies, cultivating a deep appreciation for the dialogue between music and movement. He continues his longstanding collaboration with Dances We Dance as Musical Director, bringing his artistry to rehearsals and performances, where his live music has become an integral part of the company's creative voice.

Nate’s NYC credits include Alice Tully Hall, MoMA, the Morgan Library, and (le) Poisson Rouge. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, and was a 2018 fellow at Tanglewood. Nate maintains a small teaching studio of professional and semiprofessional pianists in New York City.

Nathaniel-LaNasa.com

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ISADORA DUNCAN (1877-1927), born in San Francisco, revolutionized dance with her groundbreaking approach to movement and expression. Rejecting the rigid structure of classical ballet, she shed traditional costumes like ballet slippers and corsets, opting instead for simplicity and natural movement that echoed the rhythms of nature. Duncan sought to develop a dance vocabulary that would illuminate the human spirit and its connection to the world around us. She was among the first choreographers to create dances set to music that wasn’t composed specifically for dance, drawing from composers like Chopin, Brahms, Schubert, and Scriabin. Her bold, unrestrained style shocked American audiences, who found her bare limbs and unconventional approach daring. Unfazed by controversy, Duncan set off for Europe, and later Russia, where her boundless spirit inspired visual artists, poets, and choreographers.

CLAUDIA GITELMAN (1936–2012), dancer/choreographer/teacher/writer, was part of an early generation of dancers who worked with pioneering choreographer Alwin Nikolais at the Henry Street Playhouse in the early 1950s. Given the moniker “Golden Claudia” by Murray Louis, she later danced in the Murray Louis Company and taught at the Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab. She also appeared in the original production of Camelot on Broadway, performed internationally on the concert stage, and choreographed for her own group from 1973 to 1990.

A graduate of University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1958, Gitelman first attended Hanya Holm’s summer intensive in Colorado Springs 1959. She later performed as a soloist in Holm’s work and continued to be associated with Holm until her death in 1992. Gitelman taught modern dance and dance history at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts from 1985 to 1997, continuing to serve as Professor Emerita until her death. She has also taught at Adelphi, Sarah Lawrence College, and Columbia University Teachers’ College, where she earned her MA.

Gitelman was the author and/or editor of the books Dancing With Principle: Hanya Holm in Colorado , 1941–1983 (University Press of Colorado), Liebe Hanya: Mary Wigman’s Letters to Hanya Holm (University of Wisconsin Press), On Stage Alone: Soloists and the Modern Dance Canon (University Press of Florida), and The Returns of Alwin Nikolais: Bodies, Boundaries and the Dance Canon (University Press of New England), as well as author of many articles for Ballet Review, Dance Chronicle, and other publications. Gitelman was active in the Society of Dance History Scholars. She often reminded colleagues that modern dance is not solely an American creation, but was also pioneered in Germany by Mary Wigman and her disciple, Hanya Holm.

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PAMELA LEVY is a dance educator with over two decades of experience teaching, directing, and creating choreography for dancers in all phases of their development. She received her early dance training in Princeton, NJ, and then received her BFA in Dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts, studying with Claudia Gitelman, Don Redlich, Paulette Sears, Laura Glenn, and Pat Mayer. She holds a Master’s Degree in ABT Ballet Pedagogy from American Ballet Theatre/New York University, and is currently the Director of that program. At ABT she has been a faculty member of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School Children’s Division, ABT’s Summer Intensives, and ABT’s Outreach Programs. Pamela has also previously served as the Director of the Princeton Ballet School, Director of the ABT Certified School at Mason Gross Extension Division, Director of the Mark Morris Student Company II, and Washington Rock Youth Ballet. Her university teaching includes Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, Marymount Manhattan College, Princeton University, Rider University, and Teacher’s College at Columbia University. Pamela danced professionally with Murray Louis & Nikolais Dance Company, Claudia Gitelman Dance Theatre, Don Redlich Dance Company, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.

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DANCES WE DANCE/PERFORMING ENSEMBLE (DWD) was formed in 2020 under the artistic direction of Francesca Todesco, carrying forward a rich legacy originally established by legendary dancers, teachers, and choreographers Betty Jones and Fritz Ludin in New York in 1970. Betty and Fritz’s mission of nurturing new generations of dancers led to over 50 years of dedicated teaching and choreographing around the world. Upon their retirement in 2019, they entrusted Francesca with the leadership of the organization, ensuring the continuation of their vision and artistic values.

Guided by this heritage, Dances We Dance trains dancers in classic and contemporary works, commissions new choreography, and offers educational programs that connect historical and modern perspectives. Since its New York debut in 2022, the company has commissioned new works by Catherine Gallant, Rae Ballard, Mark Bankin, Annmaria Mazzini, Hannah Howell, Francesca Todesco and Rosy Gentle; re-staged repertory works by Isadora Duncan, Doris Humphrey, Ted Shawn and Anna Sokolow. The company has performed in New York, Paris, and Athens, and appeared at the 2023 Battery Dance Festival in NYC. Now entering its fourth New York season, DWD continues to honor the roots of modern dance while fostering creativity and collaboration among artists from around the world. In 2025 alone, DWD has hosted workshops in Paris, Athens, Rome, and New York, coordinated the annual Isadora Duncan Birthday Celebration in Central Park, and led a spring workshop culminating in two beautiful evenings of dance at the Center at Park West on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.  www.danceswedance.org

FRANCESCA TODESCO (Artistic Director, DWD) is a New York–based dancer and educator with extensive training in the Sokolow, Humphrey-Limón, and Duncan techniques. She credits her artistic formation to esteemed teachers including Jim May (recipient of the Martha Hill Award for Lifetime Achievement), Catherine Gallant, Loretta Thomas, Betty Jones, Fritz Ludin, Gail Corbin, and Deborah Carr. Since joining Catherine Gallant/DANCE & Dances by Isadora in 2000, Francesca has performed and taught Isadora Duncan’s works internationally. She has also collaborated with numerous choreographers and companies in New York City, among them Deborah Carr Theatre Dance Ensemble and Rae Ballard’s Thoughts in Motion. A founding member of the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble, she danced with the company for over sixteen years and continues to contribute to the preservation and reconstruction of Anna Sokolow’s repertory and archives. Under the leadership of Jim May and alongside her accomplished colleagues, she discovered the profound emotional truths at the heart of performance.

Dedicated to passing on the legacy of historical modern dance, Francesca has organized workshops featuring master teachers, and for more than a decade directed her children’s program, Every Little Movement, in Hoboken. A dedicated advocate for modern dance preservation, she is a member of the American Dance Guild, serves on the Isadora Duncan Archive Committee, and is part of the Planning Committee of the Duncan Legacy Project, which is organizing the 2027 Isadora Duncan International Symposium in Paris. An internationally sought-after teacher and coach, she has recently worked with groups in London, Paris, and Athens. In 2020 she founded her own company, Dances We Dance, as a platform for both preservation and innovation—launching a new generation of Duncan dancers while continuing to create and perform new works. Alongside directing DWD, Francesca teaches Isadora Duncan exploration classes for adults in Manhattan and regularly leads workshops in Paris and Athens.

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GUEST ARTISTS

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RAE BALLARD In addition to performing and choreographing works for her Thoughts in Motion dance company, Rae Ballard has danced with Anna Sokolow’s Players’ Project and also performed pieces created by Isadora Duncan, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman and Jose Limon. Ms. Ballard’s choreography has been described by Jennifer Dunning in The New York Times as having “the quality of a short story," and this choreography and related scripts written by Ms. Ballard for dance/theater works have provided the artistic direction for Thoughts in Motion, a non-profit company that was founded in the 1980s. The company has performed at venues throughout New York City and Westchester County, and Ms. Ballard's choreography has also been performed in Finland, Brazil and Italy. Ms. Ballard teaches dance and movement to a variety of age groups and was selected by Arts Westchester for its Artist Roster for over 10 years.

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CLARENCE BROOKS has performed most recently as a freelance artist with danceTactics performance group, David Parker & The Bang Group, Pioneer Winter Collective, Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble, Megan Williams Dance Projects, Dance Exchange, Dancing Earth, and Monica Bill Barnes & Company. In the previous century, they danced with Nikolais/Murray Louis Dance, Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians, Ohio Ballet, Marcus Schulkind, Anna Sokolow’s Players Project, Robin Becker Dance, Minnesota Dance Theatre, and Ballet Oklahoma to name just a few of the 100+ esteemed companies. A retired professor of dance, they are the recipient of several fellowships, awards, and honors; are in the documentary The World of Alwin Nikolais; are published in Exposure Doesn't Pay the Bills: An Artist Guide to Building a Legacy in the 21st Century and One Teacher in 10: LGBT Educators Share Their Stories; was a featured model in Olto’s Infinity Bike and Allen Edmonds centennial celebration catalog; and their performance of Talley Beatty's "Mourner's Bench" is archived in the Library of Congress. They sit on the boards of danceTactics performance group, Doris Humphrey Foundation for Dance, Florida Dance Education Organization, Miami Dance Futures, Natural Movers Foundation, Inc, and Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble. They are honored to participate with Dances We Dance. Instagram: @clbdreadeddancer. 

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DANCES WE DANCE/PERFORMING ENSEMBLE

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KATHLEEN CARAGINE is a New York City based modern/contemporary dancer who began her dance training at the age of three in Danbury, Connecticut. Her training continued at Hofstra University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a minor in Exercise Science. Currently, she is teaching dance and Pilates in Connecticut and NYC/Brooklyn. Kathleen has had the pleasure to perform works throughout NYC and abroad by Isadora Duncan, Doris Humphrey, Ted Shawn, Catherine Gallant, Rae Ballard, Annmaria Mazzini and Francesca Todesco. She is a founding member of Dances We Dance under the direction of Artistic Director Francesca Todesco.

COLLEEN EDWARDS (she/her) is a dancer and teaching artist based in Brooklyn, NY.  She graduated from Hofstra University where she studied Dance and English Literature and has since had the opportunity to perform across NYC, internationally, and on live national television. As a founding member Dances We Dance, she has had the pleasure of performing works by Isadora Duncan, Ted Shawn, Doris Humphrey, Francesca Todesco, Catherine Gallant, Rae Ballard, and Annmaria Mazzini, while learning and exploring the techniques and works of early American modern dance pioneers under the artistic direction of Francesca Todesco. Colleen also performs with Mark Bankin Dance Theatre and The NeoPolitical Cowgirls, and studies Argentine Tango. As a teaching artist, Colleen shares her love of movement with the students at WR Arts and the School at Peridance. 

ROSY GENTLE Originally from Spokane Washington, Rosy began studying dance at the age of three and received a BA in dance and environmental studies from the University of Washington. She has studied ballet, modern dance and most recently Argentine tango. Since moving to New York, she has danced with Moving Visions Dance, Dances by Isadora, Rae Ballard, Douglas Dunn and Dancers, Heidi Latsky Dance, Cross Move Lab, Studio Apartment, SMUSH gallery, and Mark Bankin. She has also performed internationally in Athens, Paris, and Berlin. As a founding member of Dances We Dance Rosy has studied the movement of Isadora Duncan and had the opportunity to assist in teaching Duncan technique and repertoire in Athens and Paris. She is excited to present her work as a choreographer for Dances we Dance. 

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BETHANY CHANG (she/her) is a freelance dance artist based in New York City. She received a B.A. in Dance from Hofstra University and is a graduate of the USF Dance in Paris program, with additional training through Trisha Brown Dance Company, Hofesh Shechter Company, Doug Varone and Dancers, and The Cambrians, among others. She has performed at venues and festivals including the Battery Dance Festival, LongHouse Reserve, Symphony Space, APAP, and Judson Memorial Church. Bethany is currently a collaborator with Joan Bradford, The Neo-Political Cowgirls and Dances We Dance, and is a former company member of The Moving Architects and Dance Theatre Mark Bankin. In addition to her performance work, she is a certified Pilates instructor and independent studio operations consultant.
 

SOKOLOW THEATRE/DANCE ENSEMBLE

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SOKOLOW THEATRE/DANCE ENSEMBLE is the living legacy company dedicated to presenting Anna Sokolow’s vast body of emotionally riveting work. Over a 70 year career, Ms. Sokolow continuously broke the boundaries of modern dance, focusing on the human experience and drawing upon whatever genre best served her artistic purpose. Her masterpieces remain relevant to our times and touch the hearts of all people as we struggle with the universal issues of living, regardless of differences in place and culture. The company’s projects include reconstruction, reimagination, deconstruction, historical performance, teaching, lectures, archiving, and partnering with contemporary choreographers—all modes through which we step inside Sokolow’s masterworks and draw from this perspective to better frame our future. ST/DE was founded by Sokolow protege Jim May and is currently under the artistic direction of Samantha Géracht.

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MARGARET MIGHTY OAK BRACKEY is an NYC-based dancer/choreographer/artist. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, she grew up studying Graham Technique, Ballet, and Dance Composition at Kanopy Dance Company. In 2022, Margaret graduated with a BFA in Dance from Adelphi University. Her Honors Thesis, “Birds Into Bodies: Synthesizing Research and Dance”, which mitigated bird/window collisions on campus, was awarded the Levermore Prize for Best Senior Thesis. A collaborative choreographer, Margaret has shown works around NYC and Wisconsin, and holds open monthly Playdays to generate new ideas. Besides dancing, Margaret is the Sokolow T/DE Media Manager. She was introduced to the work of Anna Sokolow in 2017 by Jim May and Samantha Géracht and joined Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble in 2022.

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ILANA RUTH COHEN is from Portland, Oregon, where she grew up dancing in the rain. She graduated from Pomona College with a BA in Modern Dance and Chemistry and is currently a PhD student at the City University of New York where she investigates how aquatic plants and microbes can help to clean our water resources. Ilana’s dance training included study at the Limón Institute and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. Ilana has performed in works by Anna Sokolow, Doris Humphrey, Jose Limón, Isadora Duncan, Matthew Nelson and John Pennington. Additionally, she has performed with New York Baroque Dance Co. and with Shadow Box Theater. In 2021, Ilana assisted in setting Anna Sokolow’s Rooms, working both virtually and in person, and has taught modern dance to children at Bay Ridge Ballet and through the Limon4Kids program. Ilana has been a member of the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble since 2018.

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SAMUEL HUMPHREYS received his initial training from Brynar Mehl, and then from Larry Ensign, Lori Belilove, the Gelsey Kirkland Ballet conservatory, and the Martha Graham School. He has performed in New York City with the Isadora Duncan Dance Company, Anabella Lenzu, Ballet for Young Audiences, and Shadow Box Theatre. He currently also dances with Dance Visions/NY. A long time student of Jim May, Sam performed with the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble in 2007 and 2008 and rejoined the company in 2019.

KRISTA JANSEN is a dancer and choreographer born, raised, and based in New York City. She is one half of the duet company Jansen & Holm, where she performs and choreographs alongside CJ Holm. Her own choreography has been performed at Dixon Place, Triskelion Arts, the Flea, STUFFED! at Movement Research, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the 92nd street Y, and for an award-winning film with director Bat-Sheva Guez. She was an original cast member and Assistant Rehearsal director for the critically acclaimed “Doug Elkins & Friends’ Fraulein Maria”, and for seven years performed and toured with that production around the United States and Canada. Krista is also a teaching assistant with Ellen Robbins, and choreographs for the Theater program at Beacon high school. Krista joined Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble in 2022.

MARGHERITA TISATO began studying dance in Italy at the age of eight. Her background is rooted in the Humphrey–Limón, contemporary, and dance therapy traditions. Her practice encompasses a wide range of movement forms, including Butoh, somatic movement, yoga, and, more recently, the exploration of body suspension. Margherita moved to New York City in 2006 and has since worked with several dance groups. She was a founding member of Dances We Dance under the artistic direction of Francesca Todesco and remains a favorite guest artist with the ensemble. From 2008 to 2017, she was a principal dancer with the Vangeline Theater and has presented her own work both in New York and internationally.

A teacher for the New York Butoh Institute, Margherita also leads Butoh workshops around the world. She lives in Brooklyn, where she teaches yoga and mindful movement in studios, jails, and substance abuse recovery facilities, and coaches individuals in embodiment and PTSD recovery. Margherita has been dancing with the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble since 2008.

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