On Tuesday, April 17, the Dance/NYC Junior Committee will host “Labor of Love?: A Long Table,” a discussion around labor, artistic love, and monetary and social value in the dance field. We have invited four core participants to share their thoughts and experiences, alongside our attendees. Read about our core participants below, then come join them in conversation on Tuesday. Register (for free) here!

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Alexandria “Brinae Ali” Bradley, born in raised in Flint, Michigan is a interdisciplinary artist who believes in using the arts to transform the human spirit. Bradley is the assistant artistic director of Tapology, Inc. a youth outreach program in Flint that believes in preserving tap and jazz culture through education and performance. As a educator she has collaborated with East Park Revitalization Alliance, Philadelphia Clef Club of Performing Arts, Raise It Up! Youth Arts and Awareness, Flint Youth Theatre, Mural Arts of Philadelphia, Young Audiences of New Jersey, Queens College, Long Island University, Ping Chong and Company, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Carol Morgan School in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and more. Ali has performed in countries such as France, Germany, China and Brazil, and travelled to Russia for a tour in 5 cities for a cultural exchange program celebrating National Tap Dance Day.  Her Broadway and off-Broadway experience includes Shuffle Along, STOMP, After Midnight, and a tour in Italy celebrating Ella Fitzgerald's centennial. She has also created award winning music and theater pieces such as Best Short Play at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival for her one woman show “Steps” and the Vox Populi Independence Music Award for “Destination Forever: Vol.1 EP.”

 

Caroline Fermin is a graduate of the Juilliard School and has performed for a variety of ballet and modern companies including James Sewell Ballet, Chamber Dance Project, Sidra Bell, and Jeanette Stoner. She is a founding member of Gallim Dance where she was a company member for six years and served as Rehearsal Director and Education Chair. Caroline is primarily a collaborative artist, having choreographed with clowns, actors, sculptors, and directors of fashion houses. Most recently she created work for actors at NYU Tisch. She works extensively with community engagement programs to bring her expertise in dance education and youth leadership to organizations such as New York City Center, Dancewave, and Artists Striving to End Poverty, This year will see Caroline teaching at Barnard College and choreographing for Stockton University’s dance program.

 

Hadar Ahuvia is a performer, choreographer and educator. Her work has been presented by NYLA, Dixon Place, Roulette, BkSD, and the 14th St. Y  She has worked with Sara Rudner, Jill Sigman, Donna Uchizono, Molly Poerstel, Anna Sperber, Tatyana Tenenbaum, Kathy Westwater and performs with Reggie Wilson/ Fist and Heel Performance Group. Ahuvia received BA from Sarah Lawrence College. She was a 2012  DTW/NYLA Fresh Tracks Artists, a 2015 Movement Research Artists in Residence, a 2016 LABA Fellow at the 14th Street Y, and is the recipient of a 2017 CUNY Dance Initiative residency, and ETM Residency with composer Avi Amon. HadarAhuvia.com

 

Alexander Leslie Thompson is and a dancer and Program Manager for The Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Originally from Kansas City and trained as a musician, he has spent many years living a double life as a dancer and nonprofit cultural worker advocating for artists within institutions.

He spent nearly three years running the artist services program at New York Live Arts, where he also served as the Interim Director of Education and Engagement. He has been a guest lecturer at the Juilliard School, the New School, and Bard College, and has taught a semester-long professional practice seminar to dance students at NYU Tisch for the past three years. He was an Associate Producer for ArKtype, and worked in various capacities for numerous artists including Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion, Michelle Boulé, BOOMERANG, Mare Nostrum Elements, among others. His commitment to the arts extends into the volunteer realm, where he spent four years on the Dance/NYC Junior Committee, serving two years as the Vice-Chair and Chair, respectively, and four years on Doug Varone and Dancers’ Junior Board.

He received his B.A. in Music Composition and Dance from Bard College.