Stephanie is a contemporary and musical theatre director/choreographer and performing artist based in NYC. She received her Bachelors of Arts from Emerson College in Boston, MA and her Masters of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography at Smith College in Northampton, MA where she was also a teaching fellow at the college and guest artist at Mount Holyoke College. An RYT-200 Hour Certified Yoga Instructor, Stephanie also holds an MA in the Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Spirituality, Mind, Body and a focus in Organizational Change from Columbia University, Teachers College. Her research focuses on fear and stress management, leadership and group development, and creativity/innovation.
Previously, Stephanie lived in Los Angeles where she was a member of two modern dance companies, Intersection Dance Project and Louise Reichlin & Dancers, and toured throughout southern California. In addition, Stephanie performed with a variety of theatres working with Broadway veterans, Jon Engstrom on a re-staging of 42nd Street and Mark Knowles on several projects.
Stephanie was a scholarship student at Jacob’s Pillow’s Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance program directed by Chet Walker, co-creator of Fosse and choreographer of the Pippin revival. In addition, she has had the privilege of working with some great choreographers such as Brad Musgrove, Patricia Wilcox, Bill Hastings, Angie Hauser, Sonia Plum, BillBob Brown, Crystal Nilsson, and Katie Martin.
As a director/choreographer, Stephanie's work has been presented domestically and internationally. She received an NAACP Award for Best Choreography for Ragtime: The Musical, was nominated for an NAACP Award for Best Choreography for Dreams in Variation, an original musical, which premiered in Los Angeles, and a Broadwayworld.com nomination for Best Choreography for her work on Kiss Me, Kate.
Stephanie has been on faculty at Central CT State University, Elms College, and The Hartt School. She is currently building the dance program at Riverdale Country School in NYC and is a co-founder/artistic director of Reject Dance Theatre, a contemporary dance company based in NYC and Boston. In addition, she is the Dance and Mental Training Coach for My College Audition and an Executive Coach, where she uses her background in dance, yoga/mindfulness, and sport psychology to guide individuals to push beyond their fears and obstacles by connecting the mind and body in order to find their greatest potential. Stephanie presents, leads workshops, and consults for businesses nationwide, including National Dance Education Organization, New England Inn & Resorts Association, National At-Risk Education Network, South Windsor Public Schools, National Council of Teachers of English, The Lovett Learning Institute, and several wellness retreats.
***Full CV and credits available upon request.