Adele Myers & Dancers: Miami DanceMakers 2022

Stephanie Franco // Live Arts Miami

Stephanie Franco is a Miami based choreographer, educator, and movement artist. She trained with Michelle Kickasola, John Culberston, Cookie Ramos, Michelle-Grant Murray, Erica Sobol, Tilman O’Donnell, and  Medhi Walerski. From 2017-2020, Stephanie lived in Los Angeles, deepening her craft through Erica Sobol’s “Lobos Art Collective”(The Gypsy Project LA), and worked with and assisted world-renowned choreographer, Mia Michaels. Since returning to Miami in 2021, Stephanie has been fortunate to be part of the Miami Movement Collective, Dale Andre’s 2022 National Water Dance Project, Pioneer Winter’s 2022 Grass Stains initiative, while also furthering her research with mentor Michelle-Grant Murray. She is currently a Contemporary Dance Technique Instructor at Dance Attack.  As a movement artist, Stephanie is deeply rooted in cultural recognition through her artistry which is influenced by her Cuban heritage. As a creator and educator, she is a compassionate catalyst for diving into spiritual connections through raw embodiment.

Arielle Francois // YoungArts

Arielle Francois is a choreographer, dancer, and model with a wide and varied background in film and performance. Some of her favorite collaborations include: Carlotta Guerreo X Desiguals Love Different and award winning film Every Step is a Prayer by Miccosukee Tribe and NOWNESS. As a first-generation Haitian and Florida native, Arielle’s mission as an artist is to cultivate a culture that reinforces black bodies in art. Arielle has her BFA in Dance Performance from the New World School of the Arts and is a proud member of the 2022 Miami DanceMakers cohort.

Jenni Ima // Armour Dance Theater

Jenni Ima is a first generation Cuban-American artist currently residing in Miami, FL. She is a dancer, choreographer, and a filmmaker. Jenni earned a BFA in Dance from New World School of the Arts/UF where she performed new works by Darshan Singh Bhuller and a Bollywood dance by Geeta Dias. She has performed works showcased at the Pérez Art Museum including Luina by Enrique Villacreses and as part of the 2021 Miami DanceMakers in Natalia Marie Rocamonde work Kaleidoscopic Reverie. Ima’s commercial experience includes live performances on Latin award shows and television with  J.Balvin, Leslie Grace, and Olga Tañon under the direction of Susie Garcia. Jenni also creates dance films including La Balsa and You Can’t Force the Art out of an Artist in collaboration with Ariel Silva.

Chachi Perez // Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts

Rooted in Miami, FL, Chachi Perez is a queer Cuban American artist who was born into a family where dancing in kitchens became a nightly after dinner event. Chachi attended Miami Dade College under the direction of Michelle Grant Murray. They then moved to Philadelphia, PA and attended The University of The Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield where she received her B.F.A in Dance. She has had the opportunity to perform and collaborate in works by Bobbi Jean Smith, Marguerite Hemmings, Katie Swords-Thurman, Curt Haworth, and Emily Wexler along with artist such as Valeria Gonzalez of VALLETO,  Pioneer Winter Collective for Miami Art Week and the South Florida Jazz Festival, and most recently Humble Materials for the production of MEDEA.

Jennifer Rivera // South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center

Born and raised in the vivacious city of Miami, FL, Jennifer Rivera is a movement artist who explores and honors her identity as a Cuban-American woman through her choreographic process and performance. Jennifer studied dance at Miami Dade College Kendall Campus under the direction of Michelle Grant-Murray and received an Associate in Arts degree in Dance (2019). She continued her studies in Philadelphia, PA, at University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance (2021). Jennifer will be partnered with South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center for her choreographic process as a Miami DanceMaker 2022 cohort.