Since its founding in 1992 Anna Myer and Dancers has performed Anna Myer’s innovative choreography to a steadily growing audience throughout the Northeast, most notably in Boston and New York City, and to the acclaim of some of the country’s most prominent dance critics. Myer’s unique language of movement is a fusion of her classical, modern, and postmodern background. Her dances are emotionally charged and infused with a keen formal intelligence. The Company has been presented by Dance Umbrella’s Boston Moves (1999), the Fleet Bank Celebrity Series (2003), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (2002 and 2003), Summer Stages Dance (2006), and Crash Arts at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston (2007).

Myer has a long history of artistic collaboration, using live music and original scores, as well as incorporating young people in her work. Penumbra (2007), was a collaborative effort between choreographer Myer and neon sculptors Alejandro and Moira Sina. Ten children from the community had the opportunity to rehearse regularly with the company and appeared in the premiere performances. Prior to this, Myer commissioned three original works performed live with her dancers, most notably 2004’s All At Once, to a new composition by Jakov Jakoulov.

"Myer’s choreographic voice is quietly bizarre, but it is all her own. Ms. Myer, based in Boston, seems to look at dance—and life—from a slightly wry but affectionate distance. And what she sees becomes transformed into odd yet affecting imagery…"
– Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times

"In an evening rich in imagination and musicality, Myer proved she is a creative force to be reckoned with."
-Terry Byrne, The Boston Globe

"Anna Myer has proven herself to be a master choreographer who is always full of surprises and new ideas… …Anna Myer has gained a reputation as a post modernist. But that label used to require the rejection of both virtuosity and expressiveness, elements at the very foundation Myer’s riveting choreography."
– Theodore Bale, Bay Windows

"Myer has devised a striking, slightly mysterious vocabulary for the upper torso; the wide ranging gestural palette for the arms and hands impart color and dimension."
- Karen Campbell, The Boston Herald

"Behind Anna Myer’s musical dances lies a formalist’s brain and an iconoclasts heart. To transmit her themes - which in this concert included the history of Italy as presented in the country’s art, musings on domestic life, and the variability of space and time - she employs a vocabulary of movement that’s at once eccentric and … accessible … Her style represents a kind of classicism gone awry: one that concentrates on geometry and tempos and purity of line but is lit by a fierce energy and startling accents."
– Thea Singer, The Boston Globe

"Choreographer Anna Myer explores heaven on earth. Originality punctuates Myer’s music-filled dance."
– Debra Cash, The Boston Globe 

Voted one of the "Ten Best Dance Events of 2001" by The Boston Globe.
– Christine Temin, The Boston Globe

ARTISTS

Anna Myer
Anna Myer began her dance training in 1962 with Esther Brooks, at the Cambridge School of Ballet, on a Ford Foundation Scholarship. Later Myer was awarded scholarships at the Joffrey Ballet, The School of American Ballet, and American Ballet Theater. Myer then joined the Boston Ballet, and subsequently performed and studied with Ana Roje in Boston and Yugoslavia. Additional credits include performances in works by contemporary choreographers such as Zeve Cohen, Caitlin Corbett, Marguerite Mathews, and Pauline Koner. In 1992, Myer founded Anna Myer and Dancers in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Since its inception the company has performed the innovative choreography of Anna Myer to a steadily growing audience throughout the northeast, most notably in Boston and New York City. Her work has caught the attention and respect of some of the country’s most prominent dance critics, including Jennifer Dunning and Jack Anderson of The New York Times, and Christine Temin of The Boston Globe. In 1999 a feature article in the Sunday New York Times Arts and Leisure section, by Kevin Giordano, "Thinking Post Modern but Talking Michelangelo." Christine Temin of The Boston Globe named the company one of the "Ten Best Dance Events of 2001" and the Boston Phoenix listed the company’s 2003 season in its "Best of Arts and Dance 2003" roundup.

Myer’s work has been funded numerous times by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Cambridge Arts Council and the Turner Family Foundation. She has been presented by Dance Umbrella 1999 Boston Moves, Fleet Bank Celebrity Series 2003, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2002 and 2003, and World Music/CrashArts 2007.

Karina Davis
Inspired by Gregory Hines in Tap, Karina started hoofing at Ruth Williams Dance Studio in Harlem, New York. From there she went on to train in the Alvin Ailey School’s Junior Division where she studied various forms of dance, ranging from West African to classical ballet. While attending Williams College, she solidified a love affair with hip-hop by joining the resident dance troupe, Nothin’ But Cuties, and was elected president for the 2004-2005 season.  In addition to performing student choreography, she maintained her connections to the dance world by studying forms of modern technique under the tutelage of Sandra Burton and Holly Silva and participating in workshops led by performers such as Ron K. Brown, Philadanco, HT Chen & Dancers, and Delfos Danza Contemporanea.

Jeremy-Ruth Revilock-Frost
Jeremy-Ruth is a graduate of the University of Hartford’s Hartt School with a BFA in Dance Performance. While at Hartt she performed soloist roles in La Bayadere, Guernsey Fields, and Martha Graham’s Steps in the Street. She began her dance training in Atlanta, Georgia and then furthered her studies in Portsmouth, New Hampshire under the direction of Mihailo Djuric and Susan Duffy. She danced with Ballet New England and Ballet Theatre Workshop performing principal roles in both classical ballets and Djuric’s contemporary pieces. Jeremy-Ruth also trained at the Boston Ballet School and studied at the Martha Graham School in NYC on scholarship. She has danced professionally with Northern Ballet Theatre and Virginia Ballet Theatre. She is on faculty at the Northeast School of Ballet and Walker’s Dance.

Joe Gonzalez
Joe Gonzalez was born and raised in Boston Massachusetts August 25, 1988. Joe Gonzalez is a dance major at the Boston Arts Academy, honorable academics student, for four years. Since the Boston Arts Academy has welcomed him to their intensive training, Joe has grown not only as a performer but as a thinker through the arts and academics. Aside from the dance curriculum at the Boston Arts Academy, Joe joined many summer programs and master classes, Programs such as Boston Conservatory and American Dance Festival on scholarships. Master classes by Alvin Ailey American dance Theatre, Ronald K. Brown, Paul Taylor dance Company, Sean Curran, Nathan Trice, Pedro Ruiz, Jr., and Jose Limon Dance Company. Attending the national and regional high school dance festival has open up Joe’s eyes to musical theatre, connect improve, and other types of styles. He also dances hip hop, tap, and jazz outside of school. After becoming a professional dancer Joe would one day like to own schools of performing arts world wide. Creating companies with performances of diverse pieces inspired by spring fest at the Boston Arts Academy. He is presently a sophomore at the Boston Conservatory.

Ellie Kusner
Ellie Kusner received her ballet training from Boston Ballet. She danced with the company in numerous productions, performing roles from partyboy in illfitting wig to seventh swan from the left! She went on to study modern dance at Barnard College, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2003. Ellie lives in NYC, dances with Cornfield Dance and Buglisi Dance Theatre, and teaches pilates at several locations including ABT. She has also danced for Stephen Pier and Nilas Martins, and was in the original cast of Anna Myer's "All at Once." Ellie is thrilled to be working with Anna again after 3 years away and is honored to share the stage with such a talented cast of performers!

Carol Somers (Dancer)
Carol Somers has danced for many ballet and modern companies and choreographers, most notably for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Edward Villella, Ohad Naharin and Ballet Manhattan. For her own work she has been produced by Dance Umbrella, CRASHarts, Movement Research at the Judson Church in NYC, received a Best of Boston from the Boston Globe and has been presented in NYC at the Cunningham Studios and St. Marks Church. She has also choreographed several pieces for the Island Moving Company in Newport, RI, one of which, Consent to Gravity, co-choreographed with Daniel McCusker was presented at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. She started dancing for Anna in 1997.

Jakov Jakoulov, Composer
Jakov is the author of three ballets, five concertos, five string quartets, scores for over 20 theatrical, TV and cinema productions as well as numerous symphonic, chamber and choral works. In recent years the London’s New European Strings Orchestra, Boston Symphony Tanglewood Contemporary Music Festival, “Future Classics” Series with Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Chamber Concerts, Armenian National Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, New England String Ensemble, among others presented his work. Recipient of six Annual Awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; Doctor of Musical Arts from Boston University; Member of the National Honor Music Society. Has gained renowned international reputation with commissions and performances of his works in Germany, Sweden, Scotland, Finland, Italy, Mexico, Armenia, Russia, Israel as well as the United States. Recent CD recording, "Black Snow," was chosen as one of the "Top Five Classical Recordings List" of '99 by "Fanfare" magazine.

Mark Berger, Violinist
Mark Berger, violinist and violist, has performed with many of the elite ensembles of the Boston area, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Boston, Emmanuel Music, Boston Musica Viva and ALEA III Contemporary Music Ensemble. An avid chamber musician, he is a founding member of the Worcester Chamber Music Society and Music at Eden’s Edge and has performed as a guest artist with QX and the Lydian String Quartets. Mr. Berger has participated in major summer music festivals including the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival and the Tanglewood Music Center, where he was in residence for two summers as a member of the New Fromm Players, a chamber ensemble dedicated to the performance of new music. In addition to his work as a performer, Mr. Berger is also a composer, and his works have been commissioned and performed by many leading contemporary music ensembles. Mr. Berger has received degrees from Boston University, and is currently a PhD candidate at Brandeis University.

Spoken word Artist/rappers/poets

TiElla Grimes, Rapper
TiElla Grimes is a recent graduate of Newbury College, where she obtained her Bachelors in Communication. She is a member of the Women of Color Roundtable in Roxbury where she looks at ways to reduce HIV/AIDS in women of African descent. TiElla was on the Advisory Board for the Girls Grant-making Gathering, which is apart of the Women’s Funding Network annual conference. TiElla was also on the committee for Raising Women’s Voices a national conference that addresses issues and disparities around women and healthcare. TiElla is a graduate of the YWCA Boston’s Youth Voice Collaborative. Currently she works full time at the YWCA Boston and part time at the Boston Womens Fund as a Young Sister for Justice in Philanthropy. She has volunteered her time to numerous community events performing spoken word.

Joseph Banh
07/19/1987 senior in college at Umass Lowell majoring in Management and minoring in English. Been writing for almost 3 years. a musician, percussions and guitar. part of the poetry trio L.I.F.E. since 6/22/07

Anthony Febo | Masada Jones
L.I.F.E. which stands for Lyricists In Full Emancipation is a socially conscience spoken word trio consisting of Febo, Masada Jones, and Joey B. They draw their inspiration from everyday situations, family, and life itself. Having all grown up in Lowell Ma, they share similarities but it is their individual stories that they bring in each poem that makes them sound so distinct.

L.I.F.E. has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with some of Boston’s finest. This year alone, the group has been blessed with many features all through out Boston and Lowell, as well as having numerous slots in shows in various colleges. In January, they went back to Lowell High to promote and then coach Poetry Out Loud, a nation wide poetry reciting competition. In one day they reached approx. 720 kids. In upcoming months the group has shows booked outside of their state and even into 09, making 08 nothing short than a blessed year.

Tu Phan
Inspired by hip hop, spoken word, and literature, Tu has been writing poetry for about 3 years now. He loves listening to people speak, reading satirical, history, and spiritual literature, and writing poems, stories, and speeches. His writing consist of socio-economical, environmental, political, and spiritual concepts. His main goal for doing spoken word poetry is to reach out to people in changing their habits. He lives in Dorchester, MA and will be attending Northeastern University in the fall of 2008 as a freshmen.

DeAnna Pellecchia
DeAnna Pellecchia is a dancer, athlete, aerialist, actress, and choreographer committed to collaboratively creating multi-disciplinary works of live art. The Boston Herald describes her as "stunning...one of the area’s finest artists." The Boston Globe calls her “compelling…a committed and daring performer." DeAnna has danced with horses, in trees, on stilts, under water and through air; has been featured in rodeos, operas, plays, fashion shows, magazines, movies and music videos; and has performed in countless unconventional landscapes as well as theaters of all shapes and sizes across the U.S. She has made performance pieces with composer Johnny Reinhard, Grammy-nominated musicians Dave Eggar and Joshua Pierce, and choreographers Elaine Summers and Ann Carlson. DeAnna is co-choreographer of Kairos Dance Theater with Ingrid Schatz. She is a principal dancer with both internationally acclaimed Paula Josa-Jones/Performance Works and Kinodance Company (named one of Dance Magazine’s "Top 25 to Watch"). Ms. Pellecchia received a BA in Dance/Performance from Roger Williams University. She is on the dance faculty at Boston University and The Urbano Project. She is thrilled to be dancing her first season with AMAD. For details see www.deannapellecchia.com.

Hieu Nguyen
Hieu Nguyen graduated from Boston University, where he was a member of the Dance Theatre Group for two years. After college, Hieu attended the New England School of Law while continuing his dance training, primarily with Anna Myer. Hieu currently works as an attorney specializing in family law and domestic violence prevention. When he is not in the office, Hieu choreographs and consults for several award-winning programs such as the University of Delaware and Shenendehowa High School from Clifton Park, New York. Hieu also adjudicates movement all over the country to help students and programs reach higher standards of excellence.

Hieu has been dancing with Anna Myer for two years and is thrilled to be a part of such an amazing project!