PULSE!
Co-produced by Naia Neal and Emelyn Urdahl, PULSE! is an artist-led community-centered dance production that cultivates meaningful opportunities for emerging choreographers and dancers to create, collaborate, and share original work in a professional performance setting. The inspiration behind this production was a desire to provide emerging professional artists with a space to create, collaborate, and share work in a professional and supportive environment. Through an open submission process, the production will feature works by artists from the NYC dance community and aims to cultivate connection, artistic exchange, and greater access to contemporary dance.
Saturday September 19 at 7:30PM
Gibney Studio Theater H - 280 Broadway, 53A Chambers St, New York, NY
FEATURED CHOREOGRAPHERS
ANNA STRIBRNY (she/her) is originally from West Chester, PA and grew up training at The Rock School West. She graduated from Skidmore College in 2024 with a BS in Dance and a double major in Art History. Anna has trained in a multitude of styles including, contemporary, modern, ballet, partnering, jazz, and hip-hop. As a performer, she loves the exhilaration of performing live and embodying a character. She is currently a company member of Zehnder Dance and former member of Tabula Rasa Dance Theater. Anna has also performed works by Miguel Miranda, Thea Bautista, Madison Hicks, Matthew Neenan, Monica Bill Barnes, and Larry Keigwin.
She is currently based in Brooklyn and in her own work aims to share stories through dance. She often finds herself blurring the lines between commercial and concert dance, creating movement that feels undefined. Anna strives to challenge her physical limits and uncover the beauty in the ugly.
Follow her @astrib.dance
Anna Stribrny
Choreographer
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BRIDGET RYAN is the artistic director and founder of Bridget Ryan Dance Company. She is a New Jersey/ New York based choreographer, dancer and teacher. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, Magna Cum Laude with minors in Dance and Applied Performance from Drew University. Bridget’s choreography has been shown throughout NJ/NY/PA. Such venues include The Martha Graham Studio Theatre, Ailey Citigroup Theatre, Dixon Place, Arts on Site, TADA! Theatre, The Chain Theatre, The Mill Ballet School alongside New York University, Montclair State University, Stockton University, Hunter College, Saint Elizabeth University and Drew University. Bridget has presented work as a guest choreographer for companies; Dance New Jersey, Jazz Choreography Enterprises, Koresh Dance Company, Emerging Artist Theatre, Roxey Ballet, White Wave Dance, iKada Contemporary Dance Company, American Liberty Ballet, Creative Performances, New York State Dance Education Association, DanceAction, Chutzpah Dance, Allegory Dance Theatre, Infinite Motion, Hoboken Dance and Extensions Dance Project. Her choreography has been featured for non profit organizations such as The Support Network of Madison, Vision and Pathways and Morris County Survivors Speak. She has been an adjudicator with the National Dance Education Organization. Bridget has taught classes, workshops and intensives at dance studios across New Jersey.
Follow her @bridgetryandancecompany, @_bridgetryan_, and
Bridget Ryan
Choreographer
JASMINE SAFADI (she/they) is a Viennese and Syrian choreographer and creative.
From developing her artistry independently, she has gone to study, develop and share her creative practice in Johannesburg, Zimbabwe and Gadigal Land known as Sydney. Her visions, tools and interests span interdisciplinary across art forms from movement, choreography, direction, media, to art.
With her work, Jasmin Safadi wishes to create timeless, emotional impact and worlds to immerse oneself in by touching on artistic, spiritual, philosophical and sociopolitical topics, inspired by elements of dreams, presence, struggle, heritage, vulnerability, and hope. A distinctive nuance is the deeply stylized movement and her perspective on life within a black and white setting, inviting audiences into other realms.
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As a growing artist, she hopes to meet and collaborate with artists and communities that also fight for collective liberation and beyond, while carving forever lasting paths of art, connection, inspiration and change.
Follow them at: @jasminsafadi
Keep up with them at: jasminsafadi.com
Jasmin Safadi
Choreographer
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AVERY RENEE is a multidisciplinary artist working across performance and visual media. Based in New York City, she specializes in professional dance, choreography, modeling, acting, poetry, and visual art. Avery graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance from The Ailey School/Fordham University, and a minor in Visual Arts — focus in photography. Avery furthered her training via summer intensives with Complexion’s Contemporary Ballet, Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence Dance, and Sidra Bell’s Summer Module. Having danced and choreographed for Pangea Dance Collective for almost three years now, she’s also had the privilege of working with contemporary choreographers, such as Nicole von Arx, Clifford Williams, Kate Skarpetowska, Brice Mousset, and Adam Barruch; additionally performing in Alvin Ailey’s Memoria at New York City Center. Avery continues to further her experiences in the world of performance and commissioned work, alongside her work in immersive performance, events, and music videos and for up-and-coming artists.
Avery Renee
Choreographer
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ELISE BARNES is a multidisciplinary choreographer and performance artist from New Orleans, Louisiana. She began her formal dance training at The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), where she was awarded her Certificate of Artistry in Dance. Currently attending SUNY Purchase College, she is pursuing her BFA in Dance and BA in Arts Management. Elise has worked with and performed repertoire from Bill T. Jones, EVIDENCE/Ronald K. Brown, COMPLEXIONS, Symari Sarai, and Linda Celeste Sims, among many more.
Along with performing, Elise is interested in creating movement that reflects the complexity of the human experience. Her choreographic practice is a journey of question and revelation, exploring uncomfortable spaces to challenge the audience and herself.
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Follow her: eelise.gabrielle
Elise Barnes
Choreographer
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KAT GREEN is a dance artist, choreographer, and educator based in New York City. She graduated summa cum laude from Florida State University with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Psychology. Kat trained under renowned artists and educators including Suzanne Farrell, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Donna Uchizono, Ilana Goldman, and Gwen Welliver, and performed works by Tim Glenn, Kara Wilkes, Caleb Mitchell, and George Balanchine.
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Kat’s choreography explores the complexities of vulnerability and communication through movement. Her work is shaped by intricate musicality, layered physicality, and a sensitivity to emotional nuance and subtle tensions. Her choreographic and performance work has been presented at the Center for Performance Research, Arts on Site, the KnJ Theater, and the Ailey Citigroup Theater.
Kat Green
Choreographer
MARGARETTE BERNAL, from British Columbia, Canada is a Certificate graduate from the Ailey School. She received her early training from Defy Gravity Dance company in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada where she completed her Advanced Cecchetti ballet exams as well as trained in styles such as Jazz, Contemporary, Tap, and Breakdance. The Ailey school has allowed her to perform works by Alvin Ailey, Ronald K. Brown, Darrell Moultrie, Maleek Washington, and Ray Mercer. Margarette is also now entering her second year under Parsons Dance as an apprentice, further developing her professional voice in the New York dance scene. In addition to her professional dance training, Margarette obtains choreographic experience working with studios within Canada’s competition dance industry. Her goal as an emerging choreographer is to bring her voice to concert stages and showcase how her movement creation incites new perspectives for the lives of audience members beyond their seats in the theater.
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Follow her: @marbrnl
Margarette Bernal
Choreographer
TAEGAN SMITH (she/they) is a Freelance Dancer/Choreographer, Pilates Instructor, Dog Lover, and graduate of The Ailey School/Fordham University (BFA/Dance and BA/History), where she performed in works by Annie Rigney, Kate Skarpetowska, and Matthew Rushing. Recent training/performing credits include Buglisi Dance Theatre, Doug Varone and Dancers, Sidra Bell Dance NY, and Salvatore LaRussa Dance Theatre. Taegan seeks to use what Dance has given her to expand world access to, and appreciation of, the Arts and its undying impact.
Taegan Smith
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MIA SHERROD is a freelance dancer, teacher, and choreographer from Atlanta, GA. She began her journey in dance at the British Academy of Performing Arts and later trained with the Cobb County Center of Excellence in Performing Arts at Pebblebrook High School. She graduated in May 2025 from Southern Methodist University with a B.F.A in Dance and a B.B.A in Marketing. Her performance experience includes works from celebrated choreographers George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, Robert Battle, Jennifer Archibald, Silas Farley, Joy Bollinger, Mike Esperanza, Cameron McKinney, and more. She also has had the opportunity to further her artistic voice through summer programs such as Jacob’s Pillow, LINES Ballet, Orsalina28, Georgia’s Governor’s Honors Program, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, and Dance Canvas. She has an upcoming project with the Lindsay Hanson Collective and is continuing to choreograph works influenced by her daily life and past experience within dance.
Follow her: @miasherrod
Mia Sherrod
Choreographer
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YAZMINE AKAMINE (she/they) is a Venezuelan/Japanese-American movement artist from northern Kentucky. Most recently a dancer for Azara Ballet, a contemporary ballet company, based in Sarasota, Florida. She completed Judith Sánchez Ruiz’s Professional Contemporary Dance Certification Program in Berlin, Germany Fall 2025. After receiving a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee in May 2025. Most notably performed works by Jennifer Archibald, Norbert De La Cruz, and Andrea Miller. Additional professional experience includes performing at the Cincinnati Museum of Art, Hot Dance Festival at Dixon Place, Choreography Project Providence, and Newport Contemporary Dance Festival. Additionally, she is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher who brings a somatic approach to dance and performance. Passionate about sharing the joy of movement and expression through teaching and choreography, using improvisation, as a method to innovate authentic and powerful work. She is currently experimenting with multidisciplinary mediums of expression, fashion, literature, film, and visual art to create multi-dimensional experiences and collaboration in her creative process.
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Follow her @yazmineakamine
Keep up with her at https://yakamine.wixsite.com/yazmineakamine
Yazmine Akamine
Choreographer
