WHO'S WHO IN THE COMPANY?
DOUG VARONE (Artistic Director), an Award-winning choreographer and director, works in dance, theater, opera, film, and fashion. His New York City-based Doug Varone and Dancers has been commissioned and presented to critical acclaim by leading international venues for over three decades. In the concert dance world, Varone has created a body of works globally. Commissions include Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance Company, The Limón Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Rambert Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Batsheva Dance Company, Bern Ballet, among others. In addition, his dances have been staged on more than 100 college and university programs around the country. In opera, Doug Varone is in demand as both a director and choreographer. Among his productions at The Metropolitan Opera are Richard Strauss’ Salome, the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy, Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, designed by David Hockney, and Hector Berloiz’s Les Troyens. He has staged multiple premieres and new productions for Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Washington Opera, New York City Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera, among others. His numerous theater credits include choreography for Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theaters across the country. Recent projects include directing and choreographing MasterVoices production of Dido and Aeneas at NY’s City Center, starring Tony Award winners Kelli O’Hara and Victoria Clark, staging Julia Wolfe’s Pulitzer Prize winning oratorio, Anthracite Fields for the Westminster Choir and the Bang on a Can All-Stars and choreographing the MasterVoices revival of Kurt Weill’s musical Lady in the Dark at City Center. Varone received his BFA from Purchase College where he was awarded the President’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Numerous honors and awards include a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, two individual Bessie Awards, an Obie Award, a Doris Duke Artist Award, the Jerome Robbins Fellowship at the Bogliasco Institute in Italy, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Dance Guild.
COURTNEY BARTH (Company Dancer) (she/they) is a New York–based dancer originally from Las Vegas, NV. She trained at the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts before graduating from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance, where she also studied abroad at the London Contemporary Dance School. Courtney is a company member with 2nd Best Dance Company and Doug Varone and Dancers, where she also serves as Costume Manager and Workshop Coordinator. Additional performance credits include works by Crystal Pite, Shannon Gillen, Kensaku Shinohara, and Loni Landon. Courtney is currently training to be a teacher in the Alexander Technique at the Balance Arts Center.
JONIECE “JOJO” BOYKINS (Company Dancer) is an African American native of Inglewood, California. She graduated with honors, Cum Laude, receiving her BFA in Dance from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College. During her time at Purchase, she performed the works of Doug Varone, Peter Chu, Kevin Wynn, Jonathan Reidel, Alexandra Beller, and Nejla Yatkin. Alongside her studies, she has attended professional programs such as Springboard Danse Montreal, Hubbard Street, Alvin Ailey, and Ron K. Brown/ Evidence’s summer workshop. In her professional career she has performed work by Sidra Bell, Brian Brooks, Donald McKayle, Itzik Galili, Rennie Harris, Christopher Huggins, Tommie Waheed, Lula Washington, and Tamica Washington-Miller. She has been a company member of Doug Varone and Dancers since 2021 and is also the founder of the choreographic festival, Upsurge Dance Festival. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut this winter in the production of Porgy and Bess
DAREON BLOWE (Company Dancer) is a native of Hampton Roads, VA. He is a dancer, creator, and educator. He obtained his BFA from The George Mason School of Dance on a full scholarship under the leadership of Susan Shields & Karen Reedy. Additionally, he is an alum of The School at Jacob’s Pillow, SpringBoard Danse Montreal, and in 2021 he Joined MOTUS the company led by Diana Matos. Post grad, Dareon relocated to Montréal to join RUBBERBAND, where he worked from 2023 to 2025. Most recently, he moved to NYC where he has worked with NVA & Guests, Kayla Farrish, and Tethered Residents. He began working with Doug Varone and Dancers in 2026.
JULIA BURRER (Guest Alumni Artist) (she/her) performed with Doug Varone and Dancers from 2007-2014. During that time, she also performed with Steeledance, Colleen Thomas and Bill Young, and Gwen Welliver. She has been on faculty at Marymount Manhattan College, Barnard College, The College at Brockport (SUNY), and Montclair State University. She received her BFA from Purchase College (SUNY) and her MFA from University of Washington. She now runs a gardening business with her husband. They live just outside New York City with their three sons, three dogs, multiple fish, and lots of chickens.
DANIEL CHARON (Guest Alumni Artist) is a choreographer, educator, arts administrator, and performer with more than 30 years of experience. He served as Artistic Director of RirieWoodbury Dance Company from 2013 to 2025. Based in New York City for much of his performing career, he was a longtime member of Doug Varone and Dancers (1999–2010) and previously performed with the Limón Dance Company. His additional credits span dance, theater, and opera. Charon holds a BFA from the North Carolina School of the Arts and an MFA in Choreography and Integrated Media from the California Institute of the Arts. As a choreographer, he has created numerous original works for professional companies and universities, presented on stage, in galleries, and in digital contexts. He has also choreographed multiple productions for Utah Opera. He has taught extensively at institutions and festivals across the country and continues to work as a freelance choreographer, educator, and performer.
RYAN CORRISTON (Guest Alumni Artist) started dancing at age eight in Seattle under the direction of Anne Gilbert in Kaleidoscope Dance Company. Thirteen years after graduating from the University of Washington with a major in Dance, where he was the recipient of the Evelyn H. Green Endowed Scholarship, he returned and received his MFA in Dance from his alma mater. In New York, Corriston danced in productions of Salome, The Magic Flute, and Les Sacre du Printemps at the Metropolitan Opera and worked with Nancy Bannon, Andrew Robinson, Tiffany Mills, Martha Clarke, and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. He was a member of Doug Varone and Dancers from 2005-2011 and was artistic director of Harkness Repertory Ensemble at the 92nd Street Y from 2009-2011. He joined the dance faculty at James Madison University in 2013 and makes his home in Harrisonburg, VA. with his wife and kids.
NATALIE DESCH (Guest Alumni Artist) is an artist and educator hailing from New Castle, Pennsylvania. A BFA graduate of the Juilliard School and an MFA graduate of the University of Washington, she performed for five seasons with the Limón Dance Company and eleven seasons with Doug Varone and Dancers in NYC. From 2005-2012, she taught at Hunter College and has also been a visiting faculty member at the Beijing Dance Academy, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and Weber State University. Natalie has restaged the works of José Limón, Doug Varone, Jirí Kylián, and Daniel Charon on performing groups around the world, and her choreography has been presented at venues throughout the US. In 2014, Natalie relocated to Salt Lake City, and began teaching at Ballet West Academy, Westminster College, and Utah Valley University. She became an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah’s School of Dance in 2019.
MADISON ELLIOTT (Company Dancer) (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer and Countertechnique Teacher based in NYC. She attended high school at the UNCSA and received her BFA in Dance at SUNY Purchase College. Madison has worked with companies such as ZviDance, MJ Willis Project, DanceLabNYC, TU Dance and more. She has taught at Gibney Dance, Taylor Dance West, Peridance, Steps on Broadway, SUNY Purchase College, and is an Adjunct Professor at Adelphi University. In 2020, Madison founded and is now the Director of Headlights Theater, an immersive performing arts organization, in her home town of Sioux Falls, SD. Madison joined Doug Varone and Dancers in 2024.
ADRIANE FANG (Guest Alumni Artist) (she/her) is a dancer, teacher and choreographer with a keen interest in multidisciplinary collaboration. She was a member of Doug Varone and Dancers from 1996 to 2006 and has worked with several other choreographers including Colleen Thomas, Wally Cardona, and Bebe Miller. She is a co-creator of DANCExDANCE, an interactive
performance that explores the intersection of dance, robotics and audience engagement and is embarking on a new collaborative project involving Quantum Cryptography and Dance. Adriane is the recipient of a 2007 New York Dance and Performance Award (“Bessie”) for her performance with Doug Varone and has been on faculty at the University of Maryland since 2010.
STEPHANIE LIAPIS (Guest Alumni Artist) is an artist based in Southern California. She spent much of her career in New York City performing with Doug Varone, Nancy Bannon, Nicholas Leichter Dance, Susan Marshall & Company, Netta Yerushalmy among others. From 2002–2007, she was a member of Doug Varone and Dancers and continues to restage his work, sharing it with new generations of dancers. She holds a BFA from NYU and an MFA from the University of Washington, where she focused on embodied dance writing. Her creative work explores visibility and interaction through quiet contemplative dance and video works. Stephanie is a faculty member at Chapman University and will teach at the American Dance Festival summer 2026. Stephanie is thrilled to return to the company as a performer, reconnecting with this work and sharing the stage with friends. She thanks Martin, and Pearl, for the sweet life they’ve created together.
WILL NOLING (Company Dancer) (they/them) is a performer and educator born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. They graduated Summa Cum Laude from SUNY Purchase, having spent a term on exchange at London Contemporary Dance School. In addition to performing with Doug Varone and Dancers since 2024, they are a founding collaborator with Hannah Garner’s 2nd Best Dance Company. Will is also a collaborator with Megan Williams Dance Projects, and previously served as Artistic Associate with Gibney Dance Company. Additional performance credits include works by Raja Feather Kelly, Chuck Wilt, and Crystal Pite.
NICHOLAS RUSCICA (Company Dancer) is a New York based dance artist originally from Toronto, Canada. He is a President’s Merit Scholar (CalArts, BFA) as well as a trained unarmed actor combatant. After graduation, Nicholas joined the Limón Dance Company, where he performed as a soloist from 2020 to 2024. His artistic collaborations include work with Aszure Barton, VIM VIGOR, Kayla Farrish, and Raúl Taméz. In addition to his performance career, Nicholas is dedicated to teaching and sharing dance practice. He has led workshops and assisted in lecture demonstrations at institutions including Princeton University, the University of Minnesota, the Limón Institute, the National Ballet School of Canada, and Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre. Nicholas is currently on faculty at Ballet Hispánico and the Limón Institute. He began working with Doug Varone and Dancers in 2025.
ALEX SPRINGER (Guest Alumni Artist) is a choreographer, performer, video artist, educator, and Assistant Professor of Contemporary Dance at the University of Florida. He was a member of DOVA from 2008–2017, where he also served as rehearsal director and company manager, and continues to contribute as a video editor, archivist, and répétiteur. His collaborative choreographic research with Xan Burley has been presented nationally and internationally, spanning stage, screen, site-responsive, and interdisciplinary contexts. Recent projects include a residency at AIR Taipei, leading to two return engagements in Taiwan to create newly commissioned works, and a featured article in the Journal of Dance Education that bridges industrial engineering and choreographic practice. They are also key personnel on a National Science Foundation–funded project exploring intersections between choreography and battery science. He is forever grateful to Xan for her unwavering partnership in all things and for their two joyful children, Jasper and Ronan. www.xanandalex.com
KANON SUGINO (Company Dancer) (she/her) is a Japanese American dance artist born and raised in New York. After graduating from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Purchase College, SUNY. She has performed in works choreographed by Bill T. Jones, Norbert De La Cruz lll, Peter Chu, Darrell Grand Moultrie, MICHIYAYA, Jie-Hung Connie Shiau, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and more. Soon after graduating, she joined Nimbus Dance as a company dancer, and is now working with MICHIYAYA Dance and
Doug Varone and Dancers. In recent years, Kanon was named the Jadin Wong Fellow with Asian American Arts Alliance as well as an honored artist with the Clive Barnes Foundation. Kanon began working with Doug Varone and Dancers in 2024.
EDDIE TAKETA (Guest Alumni Artist), along with his wife, Stephanie King, and their daughters, Miya and Renee, moved to Columbus, Ohio, in 2015, where he has had the pleasure and privilege of serving on the faculty of The Ohio State University Department of Dance. Renee recently completed her 200-hour yoga certification and has begun teaching at Radiant Yoga & Wellness. Miya is finishing her second year at OSU in Air Transportation, and Stephanie has returned to arts administration at Columbus Museum of Art. All of our lives have been blessed and shaped by dance. I am elated to be here celebrating those gifts and saying thank you to Doug, to everyone who has been a part of Doug Varone and Dancers (company member 1994-2014), and to you, the DOVA family.
RYAN YAMAUCHI (Company Dancer) was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and began his dance training at the Mid-Pacific Institute School of the Arts. He later moved to New York and received his BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase. Ryan has had the pleasure of dancing with 2nd Best Dance Company, Keerati Jinakunwiphat, NVA & Guests, Loni Landon Dance Projects, and Sidra Bell Dance New York (Apprentice). He has also performed as a guest dancer with Gibney Dance Company, Santa Fe Opera, and Santa Barbara Dance Theater. As a choreographer, Ryan has been commissioned to create work for students at The Juilliard School, SUNY Purchase, and San Jose State University. Ryan began working with Doug Varone and Dancers in 2015.
JANE COX (Lighting Designer) is a theater maker, an educator, and a lighting designer working in theater, opera, dance, and music. Jane has been nominated for four Tony Awards, winning in 2024 for her lighting of Appropriate, and was awarded Bessies for work with Doug Varone and Monica Bill Barnes. Her creative career has been built on relationships; other extraordinary artists who have shaped her creative life are Ruben Santiago-Hudson, John Doyle, Elise Thoron, Caitríona MacLaughlin, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, and Sam Gold. She has been a member of the Monica Bill Barnes dance company for twenty-five years, and is a Professor of the Practice and Director of the Program in Theater and Music Theater at Princeton University.
JOSEPH FUTRAL (Production Manager) has worked in the arts for over 30 years primarily as a production manager and a lighting designer. Production management credits include Doug Varone, Jody Sperling’s Time Lapse Dance, First Stage, Chautauqua Institution, Reg Lenna Theater, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Kinetic Light Dance, Vail Dance Festival, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, American Dance Festival, Pilobolus, Charleston Ballet, Ohio Ballet, and Portland Ballet. Lighting credits include design for Ballet Idaho, Alliance Theater, Terminus Contemporary Ballet Company, Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theater, Moving in the Spirit, Full Radius Dance, Saiah International, Horizon Theatre, Blake Beckham and Lucky Penny, among others.
LIZ PRINCE (Costume Designer) designs costumes for dance, theater, and film and has had the great pleasure of designing costumes for Doug Varone since 1997. Her work has been exhibited at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 2011 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Space and Design, Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Rockland Center for the Arts and Snug Harbor Cultural Center. She received a 1990 New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) for costume design and a 2008 Charles Flint Kellogg Award from Bard College for achievement in her field.
BEN STANTON (Lighting Designer) is a five-time Tony Award nominee as well as an Obie, Lortel, Hewes, and Ovation Award winner. His work can currently be seen on Broadway in Maybe Happy Ending at the Belasco Theater; off-Broadway in the immersive production Masquerade; & across the US in the first national tour of The Notebook. Recent Broadway credits include Marjorie Prime; The Notebook; Mary Jane; Days of Wine and Roses; Goodnight, Oscar; The Collaboration; A Christmas Carol; The Rose Tattoo; Derren Brown: Secret; Regina Spektor: Live
On Broadway; JUNK; Six Degrees of Separation; Deaf West Theater’s Spring Awakening; Fully Committed; and Fun Home (Broadway, Off-Broadway, 1st National Tour, London). Ben has designed concerts and tours for recording artists including Beirut, Ben Platt, Iron and Wine, The National, Regina Spektor, Sufjan Stevens, and St. Vincent, and has collaborated on several large-scale concert/theater hybrid performances at venues including BAM (Harvey & Opera House), David Geffen Hall, Disney Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, & The Barbican Centre, London. This is Ben's third collaboration with Doug Varone and Dancers. Ben serves as an Assistant Professor at Brooklyn College where he teaches lighting design and programming. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, the projection designer Lucy Mackinnon, and their two children.
CAITLIN TAYLOR (Costume Designer) is a freelance dancer and costume designer based in New York City. She has designed costumes for Sidra Bell Dance New York, UNA Projects, Cirio Collective, HIVEWILD, The Dash Ensemble, Loni Landon Dance Projects, Kayla Farrish, Brandon Coleman, The Limón Dance Company, New York City Ballet, and NVA & Guests. Caitlin has done costume reconstruction for Alexander Whitley Dance Company, the touring production of RENT, and Doug Varone and Dancers. Assisting designer Mark Eric, she has worked on commissions for Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and Ballet X, among others.
PATTY BRYAN (General Manager) has been involved with dance companies and dance organizations throughout her professional career. She has held senior administrative positions with Rena Shagan Associates, Armitage Gone! Dance, DanceBrazil, Gina Gibney Dance, Shen Wei Dance Arts and the New York State Dance Force. She has served as Board Chair of Pentacle Dance/Works, President of the Nancy Meehan Dance Company Board, President of the Laban/Bartinieff Institute for Movement Studies Board and was co-founder and Board President of Dance Umbrella in Austin, TX. She also performed with the Nancy Meehan Dance Company. She has been with DOVA since 2019.