The School at Jacob's Pillow
2024 Artist Faculty
Get connected to a revered roster of artists who serve as your faculty. They are as acclaimed for their work in the field as they are for their teaching and mentoring.
Continue scrolling to read more about the Artist Faculty for the 2024 Contemporary Ballet, Contemporary, ChoreoTech Lab, Musical Theatre, and Choreography Fellowship programs.
Contemporary Ballet Faculty
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Program Director
Contemporary Ballet
The Colombian-Belgian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa completed her dance education at the Royal Ballet School of Flanders in Belgium. She started choreographing at the early age of 11, and decided in 2003 to end her dance career to focus her energies solely on choreography.
Silas Farley
Guest Choreographer
Contemporary Ballet
Silas Farley, an accomplished ballet teacher and choreographer, has held prominent roles in prestigious institutions, including his current role as the Armstrong Artist in Residence at Southern Methodist University and a Principal Guest Teacher at the School of American Ballet. His rich career encompassed teaching and choreographing for a wide range of renowned organizations, such as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noah Gelber
Artist Faculty
Contemporary Ballet
Noah Gelber, born in New York City, embarked on a remarkable journey from his early training in singing and dance, which led to a successful career as a Principal Guest-Artist with the American Ballet Company, followed by acclaimed performances in Europe, and extensive contributions to William Forsythe's choreography, all while establishing himself as a prolific choreographer and an influential teacher in the world of dance.
Anitra Keegan
Artist Faculty
Contemporary Ballet
Anitra Keegan has a diverse and accomplished dance background spanning prestigious institutions and professional companies. She has forged a successful career not only as a versatile dancer in classical and contemporary works but also as a dedicated educator and leader in the world of dance, culminating in her role as Ballet Mistress at Ballet Hispanico.
Contemporary Faculty
Milton Myers
Program Director
Contemporary
Milton Myers is resident choreographer and instructor for PHILADANCO! and on the faculties of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Program, Peridance, STEPS on Broadway, and The Juilliard School, where he is the first Horton instructor.
Francisco Martinez
Associate Program Director
Contemporary
Francisco Martinez has been a dancer with Compania Nacional de Danza (Spain), and Ballet Royal de Wallonie (Belgium). His performance experience is diverse, including works of Petipa, Balanchine, Jiri Kylian, Hans Van Manen, Nacho Duato, Vicente Nebrada, Alberto Alonso and Ana Sokolow, among others.
John Levis
Music Director
Contemporary
John Levis is a composer, pianist, and synthesist who has been involved with the Philadelphia dance community since 1971. A graduate of the University of the Arts, he has worked with Philadelphia schools and companies including Gwendolyn Bye Dance Center, PHILADANCO!, Temple University, The Rock School of Dance Education, and The University of the Arts, where he is Accompanist Coordinator for the School of Dance.
Charles Scheland
Assistant/Demonstrator to Mr. Myers
Contemporary
Charles Scheland (he/him) is a New York City-based dance artist and teacher. Charles grew up in Germany, Austria, and the Washington D.C. area, and graduated summa cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program. He is also a 2017 alumnus of the Contemporary Program at The School at Jacob's Pillow.
Jessica Wright
Artist Faculty for Studio Wayne McGregor
Contemporary
Jessica Wright trained at Central School of Ballet before joining D.A.N.C.E. directed by Wayne McGregor, William Forsythe, Frederic Flamand, and Angelin Preljocaj. Following her time with D.A.N.C.E, Wright went on to dance with Company Wayne McGregor for 11 years, creating roles and touring internationally.
Cindy Salgado
Artist Faculty
Contemporary
Cindy Salgado (she/her) has been a proud member of Crystal Pite's Kidd Pivot since 2009, transitioning from the role of Performer to Pepetiteur in 2020, staging works on Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Antwerp, NDT2 in The Hague, STRUT in Perth, and Les Ballets Jazz De Montreal.
Jennifer Archibald
Guest Choreographer
Contemporary
Jennifer Archibald is the founder and Artistic Director of the Arch Dance Company and Program Director of ArchCore40 Dance Intensives. Archibald has choreographed for the Ailey II, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet West, Grand Rapids Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, and worked commercially for NIKE, MAC Cosmetics, and Tommy Hilfiger, as well as chart-listed artists.
ChoreoTech Lab Faculty
Brian Brooks
Program Director
ChoreoTech Lab
Brian Brooks (he/him), a Guggenheim Fellow in Choreography, recently completed a Mellon Foundation Creative Artist Fellowship at the University of Washington, and three years as the first-ever Choreographer in Residence at Chicago’s Harris Theater for Music and Dance, creating dances for Hubbard Street Dance, Miami City Ballet, and others.
Heidi Boisvert
Program Director
ChoreoTech Lab
Heidi Boisvert (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist, experience designer, creative technologist, and academic researcher who interrogates the neurobiological and socio-cultural effects of media and technology. Simply put, she studies the role of the body, the senses, and emotion in human perception and social change.
Qudus Onikeku
Program Director
ChoreoTech Lab
Qudus Onikeku (he/him) is a renowned artist, researcher, innovator, social impact engineer, and the founder and Artistic Director of the QDance Center, who subliminally uses art for non-art outcomes. Over the last decade, Onikeku has established himself as a major international artist, working with different media including performance, installation, curating, and community organizing.
Musical Theatre Faculty
Sekou McMiller
Choreographer
Musical Theatre
Sekou McMiller is a visionary dance artist who blends diverse styles with explosive energy. He has garnered worldwide recognition for his performances and choreography with top Latin artists and prestigious institutions, making his mark in the dance world, while also contributing as a faculty member at several esteemed dance schools. His work has been showcased in numerous international venues, displaying his remarkable talents on a global scale.
Luis Salgado
Choreographer
Musical Theatre
Luis Salgado, an award-winning international director and choreographer, has left an indelible mark in the world of theater, with notable productions like ON YOUR FEET! La historia de Emilio y Gloria Estefan ¡EN ESPAÑOL! and In the Heights, earning him numerous accolades and recognition both on and off Broadway. He also founded R.Evolución Latina, an organization dedicated to empowering communities through the arts, showcasing his commitment to making a positive impact.
Karla Puno Garcia
Choreographer
Musical Theatre
Karla Puno Garcia (she/her) is a proud Filipina-American artist based in NYC, who graduated with a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Journalism from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Most recently, Karla was the first Filipina and first woman of color to choreograph for the Tony Awards.
Sebastian Natal
Music Director
Musical Theatre
Sebastian Natal is an Uruguayan multifaceted artist who excels as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and audiovisual director. From an early age, he received formal training in classical piano and pursued skills in various instruments such as bass, percussion, trumpet, trombone, and vocals.
Choreography Fellowship Faculty
Dianne McIntyre
Program Director
Choreography Fellowship
Dianne McIntyre is a dancer, choreographer, curator, cultural investigator who creates work in dance, theatre, film, and opera. Known for collaborations with live music, she founded and directed Sounds in Motion Company and School in Harlem for many years.
Risa Steinberg
Program Director
Choreography Fellowship
Risa Steinberg is an active member of the dance community as a performer, teacher, re-constructor of the works of José Limón, and mentor to young, emerging, and established choreographers.