(Director, Choreographer) Originally from south Mississippi, Marisa was raised in Charleston SC and graduated in 2003 from the University of Southern Mississippi with her BFA in Dance and BA in English. She has been fortunate enough to have her work with wrDM presented by WAX, 92 St Y, Mulberry Street Theatre, and the Joyce SoHo and produced by DNA and Triskelion Arts. Marisa is a former member of hoi polloi under the direction of Sara Sweet Rabidoux and has performed in NYC for Abby Bender, Steven Koplowitz, and Cirque This. She divides her time between Brooklyn and Austin TX, teaching yoga and dance in both cities. Her current crush is puppet theatre.

Megan grew up in the sweet sunshine of Florida. She began dancing at Pofahl Studio and apprenticed with the resident ballet company, Dance Alive National Ballet, during high school. Megan graduated with honors from the University of South Florida with a BA in Dance Studies focusing on dance injury and prevention. During her time in Tampa she performed with Moving Current Dance Collective. Upon moving to New York, Megan began dancing with white road Dance Media/Marisa Gruneberg, with whom she is a founding member. She is certified by the Kane School of Core Integration as a Pilates instructor and when she’s not teaching Pilates to grown-ups she can be found teaching dance to kiddies of all ages and exploring her own creative endeavors.

Julie has been dancing with wrDM since its inception in 2003. She has also danced with projectLimb, Notes in Motion, Heidi Latsky, Amii Legendre, Full Force Dance Theater and currently with Tara Lee Burns. Julie is lucky enough to spend her days teaching creative movement, yoga and modern dance to students at Brooklyn Heights Montessori School. She is a certified kids yoga teacher through Karma Kids and for adults with Vajra Yoga. She is stoked to be performing again with wrDM!

Jonathan M. Ciccarelli hails from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he began dancing and acting in high school. He received his B.A. in Dance from Bard College in 2005 and was the recipient of the Don Parker Prize in Dance Performance. Shortly after graduating, he moved to New York City to continue his dance training in the Professional Studies Program at the Limon Institute. Jonathan is currently a member of Abby Bender’s Schmantze Theatre, From the desk of Sarah Seely, and Jessica Gaynor Dance, and has performed for Elojes Dance Theatre and Catlin Cobb. He has collaborated with theater director, Roger Benington, as the choreographer for productions at Bard College and the University of Rochester. Jonathan has also shown his own modern dance work as a participating choreographer in the DUMBO Dance Festival, WPA’s Free Fest, and Cool New York. This is his second season with wrDM, and is looking forward to future endeavors with the company!

Jessica Finn was born 1984 in San Francisco, California. Jessica has attended the California State Summer School for the Arts and Boulder CO jazz dance workshops. She majored in Dance with an emphasis on Choreography at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington and graduated in 2008 with a BFA. This is her second season with wrDM!

Hanna is a native of Finland. She holds a dance teacher's degree which was completed in Finland and Iceland. While in Finland she taught Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz and creative movement. Hanna has been working with a variety of independent choreographers as well as pursuing her own work in Europe. Over the past year and a half she has been training at Dance New Amsterdam. Besides white road Dance Media she is a dancer with Ko-Ryo Dance Theater. Hanna also has a certificate in Thai massage and does assistant work at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.

Miranda Lyon grew up in Erie, PA, as the product of musical parents. She attended SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance and received her BFA in 2004. Here in New York, she has danced with NOA Dance/Nelly van Bommel, Jessica Morgan, Sidra Bell Dance NY, Charlotte Gibbons, Keila Cordova, and others. She is happy to be dancing down the white road again!

Emily Maurer received her B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2004. Currently she is making new dance works with Julie Turner for their collaborative project Make/Pause. She is very happy to be dancing with wrDM again this season. Much love and thanks to Mom and Dad for all of their support.

(Sound Designer) Patrik Phalen is two-time college drop out who has dreams of one day finding a big bag of money. When he's not working behind the NYC modern dance scenes sequencing music for companies like wrDM or DJing for The Fall for Dance Festival, he performs as one half of the NYC-based band, Hosey. Patrik was born in Hattiesburg, MS in 1981. In 2004 he took a train to NYC and embarked on a life as a professional music sommelier. Hear it at HoseyNYC.com.

Julie graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in May 2004. She moved to NYC in August of the same year and has been dancing with white road Dance Media since then. Julie also performs with Experience Vocal Dance, from the desk of Sarah Seely, and Michael Alan. The living installation. During her spare time, Julie teaches Pilates at Erika Bloom Pilates and Dance New Amsterdam. She also teaches social dance with Start Dancing NYC. Currently she is making new dance works with Emily Maurer for their collaborative project Make/Pause. Julie is thrilled to be in her sixth year of living in NYC and dancing for Marisa.

I Want My 90s!!!
March 19-22 - Triskelion Arts, Brooklyn NY

Anna
March 28-30 - Triskelion Arts, Brooklyn NY

Anna (excerpt)
June - BOS Festival, Martha's Vineyard, MA

Anna (excerpt)
August - WPA Free Fest, Brooklyn NY

You're Coming With Me Young Lady
February 7-9 - Joyce SoHo, NYC

Late May Be Dark
June - BOS Festival, Martha's Vineyard, MA

Anna (excerpt)
August - WPA Free Fest, Brooklyn NY

Character Assassination
March 30, 31 - Apr 1 - Triskelion Arts, Brooklyn NY

High Tide
June - DNA, RAW Material, NYC

High Tide (excerpt)
August - WPA Free Fest, Brooklyn NY

Exile from the Party
February - Mulberry St Theatre, NYC

Peach Dream
May - Hoi Polloi Studios, Boston MA

You'll Need Arms For That
June - BOS Festival, Martha's VY MA

White Room
February - WAX, WAXworks, Brooklyn NY

We'll Wear White After Tonight
September - WAX, Brooklyn NY

Students will learn fresh new approaches in an encouraging environment on how to create movement for and structure a solo work. Conceptually driven and musical methods will be explored in detail as students work to express themselves within new ideas.

Utilizing wrDM phrasework and movement vocabulary, students will be led through an energetic, musical and dynamic modern technique class. A thorough yoga based warm-up will be followed by basic weight shifting, upside-down work, and easy across the floor partnering before culminating in a large repertory-based movement phrase.

Traditional ballet for the modern dancer.

Gone are the days of just boys lifting girls, and this class will help students shed those traditional views. Using repertory duet material, students will work in pairs exploring the super exciting world of sharing weight, making time and generally dancing with another. Emphasis will be placed on keeping your partner safe and learning when and how to take risks. Class will culminate in a mini-performance of the material.

Traditional African movement communicated in an easygoing, rhythmic environment. (If available, wrDM requests a drummer from the community).

Modern jazz for the modern dancer.

New York-style pilates from certified instructors.

Vinyasa flow style yoga from a certified instructor. Emphasis placed on healthy alignment, breathwork, and listening to the body.

Basics of the ballroom dance big six: waltz, tango, foxtrot, chacha, rhumba, swing. Taught by a certified instructor, come with or without a partner.

Geared for college students who want to dance professionally in NYC. Topics like auditions, living in Brooklyn, where to take class, obtaining certifications, and survival will be covered with time for Q&A.