The Company

Jonathan 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. He quickly moved to New York City in pursuit of dance, and continued his training at the Limón Institute in the Professional Studies Program. Jonathan is currently a member of Jessica Gaynor Dance, white road Dance Media and Abby Bender Schmantze Theatre. He has performed for From the desk of Sarah Seely, Elojes Dance Theatre, and Catlin Cobb, among others. He has collaborated with theatre 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 at several festivals throughout the city, and as a reoccurring guest artist at his high school.

Katie Diamond is from the SF Bay Area and began her professional performance career in the world of tutus. Upon further consideration (and a near four-year hiatus from dance training), she enrolled at CalArts where she met and danced for Jessica Gaynor, earned a BFA, and studied abroad at London Contemporary Dance School. Katie has performed the works of José Limón, Doris Humphrey, Anna Sokolow, Lar Lubovitch, and Ji?í Kylián as a member the Limón Dance Company since 2005. She has been a guest performer with the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Metropolitan Opera, and has worked with choreographers Pam Tanowitz, Ellen Cornfield, Daniel Charon, Jonathan Fredrickson, and others. Katie is on faculty at the Limón Institute and has taught workshops and performed solo concerts nationally and abroad. She is honored to dance with the brilliant Jessica Gaynor again and to share the stage with her seriously awesome dancers. Katie enjoys hard cider and doughnuts and lives in Greenpoint.

Ashlie Kittleson is originally from Davis, California, where she studied ballet from a young age under the instruction of Hanneke Lohse. Ashlie holds a BFA in Dance from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is currently pursuing her Masters in Dance Education from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She has a Pilates certification from the Kane School and currently teaches dance at The Brearley School. Ashlie was awarded a 2010 New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) for her performance with Pam Tanowitz. She had the good fortune to be introduced to Jessica Gaynor in 2005 and has been dancing for her ever since!

Jake Laub has danced with Ballet Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theater and various New York-based choreographers such as Wallie Wolfgruber, Julia Gleich and Yung-li Chen, among others. He received a degree in journalism from Northwestern University and leads a secret double life as a business strategist. This is his first season with Jessica Gaynor Dance.

Jordan Risdon, born in Toronto, Canada received her early training at the National Ballet School of Canada, the Quinte Ballet School and the Virginia School of the Arts. She received a BFA in Dance from the University of Michigan and in 2008 moved to NYC. Jordan has had the pleasure of performing with alexanDance Performance, Laura Peterson Choreography, Dance Elixir and Sarah Konner/Austin Selden Dance Collaboration, among others. Jordan joined Jessica Gaynor Dance in 2009.

Julia Sabangan was born and raised in New York City. She has studied at the Harkness Dance Center at the 92nd Street Y, the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Merce Cunningham Dance Studio, and Vassar College, where she earned her BA in Classics. Julia has worked most recently with Valerie Green/Dance Entropy, Lindy Schmedt, Beth Soll, Vencl Dance Group, Jeanette Stoner, MELD Danceworks, Kimberly Portis, June Finch, Janis Brenner and Dancers, Susan Hefner, and Coastline Dance Company. Julia has performed in works by such choreographers as Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Randy James, Sean Curran, Maia Claire-Garrison, Joanna Mendl-Shaw, Elio Pomare, Steve Rooks, Kathy Wildberger, Jill Echo, and Paul Mosley. Julia co-founded VaBang! Dance Company in 2007, a bi-coastal modern dance company born out of New York and San Francisco with her longtime friend Jessie Feller. This is Julia's third season with Jessica Gaynor Dance.

Blythe Suarez has been a member of Jessica Gaynor Dance since 2005 with the exception of the leave of absence she took to give birth to her daughter.  She received most of her training beginning at a young age at the Washington School of Ballet under a full merit scholarship.  Blythe studied abroad at the London Contemporary Dance School as an exchange student and graduated CalArts in 2004 with her BFA. Mrs. Suarez is certified in Pilates instruction and is excited to have just received her Yoga certification over this summer with fellow dancer Jordan.  

Past Company Members
Wan-Chen Chang
Matt Adams
Sundara Duncan
Lisa Elliott
Charis Haines
Haley Hauglum
Renee Kurz
Nancy Rimmer
Jin Ju Song
Yoko Sugimoto
Angel Vasquez