About JDC
Founded in 2016 by Artistic Director Whitney Jacobs, Jacobs Dance Collective creates vibrant contemporary dance in New York City. Her recipe for choreography is built in a collaborative approach with the performers, artists, and designers intrinsic to each project. The collective group engages in rich dialogue, and seeks to devlop work both inviting and inclusive to diverse audiences.
Jacobs’ aesthetic core is a signature brand of playful and theatrical sensibilities encompassing vigorous movements, fierce gestural sequences, and raw physicality. Her style of humor, wit, strength and athleticism reveals emotional complexities and multi-layered narratives. She builds and deconstructs pattern, form, and spatial arrangements in order to illuminate evolving relationships and shifting circumstances on stage. Her choreography unites contrasting elements that interweave and collide to tell stories both light-hearted and deeply felt.
Whitney Jacobs - Artistic Director
Whitney Jacobs is a choreographer, performer, and teacher based in New York City. She received her B.F.A. in dance from Ohio University, 2005. She is a company member of Azaguno, a West African dance and drum ensemble, for fifteen years, During her tenure she toured both nationally and internationally throughout South Korea, Taiwan, Italy, Ghana, Canada, and the U.S. She has worked at Contemporary Dance Theater of Cincinnati, Ohio, performed with Forces of Nature Dance Theater, and various other NYC independent choreographers.
Jacobs began her own choreographic ventures in 2007, and since her work has been presented at numerous venues including 14th Street Y Theater, Joyce Soho, The Living Theater, Center Stage NY, Triskelion Arts, The Tank, Aaron Davis Hall, Bronx Academy of Art and Dance, Good Shepherd - Faith Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn Ballet, Chen Dance Center, Harlem Dance Theater, Brooklyn Lyceum, The Spoon Theater, Brecht Forum, Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken, NJ, and the Aronoff Center for the Arts in Cincinnati, OH. She was a co-recipient of the New York Foundation of the Arts BUILD Stability grant, and the Field Work award.
In 2013, Jacobs obtained her M.F.A in performing arts from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. Jacobs has taught dance, physical education, and coached soccer for the past ten years. Currently, she is full time faculty at The Brearley School, NYC, and teaches dance and physical education to students’ grades K-12.
Adrienne Misko - Dancer - Outreach & Administrative Support
Adrienne Misko graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Ohio University. She began her training in competitive gymnastics plus years of studying Cecchetti ballet, and consequently accepted a scholarship offer at Ohio University. While at school, she studied anatomy/kinesiology, choreography, performance, creative movement, and also taught non-major dance courses.
Upon graduation, Adrienne joined Modern American Dance Company and then spent five years performing with Dance Alloy Theater. Throughout her years with Dance Alloy she has performed work by Jose Limon, Nora Chipaumire, Robert Battle, Per Jonasson among others. In addition to performing, Adrienne taught and designed curriculum for the Dance Alloy School and Pittsburgh Public School outreach programs. Adrienne also teaches Pilates at Bluming Studio in Williamsburg.
Erika Marte - Dancer - Social Media Coordinator
Erika Marte has been living and dancing in New York City for 8 years. She began her training in Tampa, Fl where she was given the opportunity to work with many talented mentors and choreographers. Frank Rey, Richard Radar, Christina Acosta, Erin Cardinal-Wright, Susan Olson, Marilyn Banks, Michael Foley and Laurie-Ann Stuaderman.
Currently Erika is the creative director of one of NYC's Children's Arts and Science Workshop program. She recently joined the cast of the Latin Cabaret show Que Sera Sera. Written and choreographed by Shirlene Quigley. She started her dance journey with choreographer and founder Whitney Jacobs in 2011. Erika is honored and proud to be a part of the Jacobs Dance Collective company. "Do what you love, and the rest will follow."
Lauren Slivosky - Dancer
While in New York Lauren has performed work for Shandoah Goldman, Karesia Batan, Julie Bordonaro, Heather Bryce and Katja Loher. She graduated magna cum laude from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance and Choreography in 2014, while there she performed in numerous faculty and student works as well as the work of Stefanie Batten Bland, Gladys Bailin, Sean Curran, Alex Springer and Xan Burley of The Median Movement and Christine Cali. She also had the opportunity to present work at Ohio University, The American College Dance Festival, The Inaside Chicago Dance Choreographic Sponsorship Event, and most recently at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn. This is Lauren’s first time working with Jacobs Dance Collective and she is thrilled to be performing with such talents artists. Currently residing in Brooklyn, she teaches contemporary dance and shares the yoga practice at studios and gyms throughout the borough.
Cindy Chung Camins - Dancer
Cindy Chung Camins is thrilled to be dancing with the Jacobs Dance Collective for the first time. She graduated from UCLA with degrees in International Development Studies and World Arts and Cultures with a concentration in Dance. Upon graduation, Cindy became an original member of Parijat Desai Dance Company, touring the US and abroad, including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, and Chennai, India.
In New York, she has worked with many independent choreographers including Sasha Welsh, Milka Djordjevich, Jenni Hong, Mariangela Lopez, Nina Winthrop and Tom Price, among others. Most recently, Cindy worked with Doug Elkins in the Bessie Award winning Fräulein Maria, performing at Jacob’s Pillow, American Dance Festival, Lincoln Center, Dance Theater Workshop and Joe’s Pub.
Cindy is the founder of Roots ‘n Wings Kids Yoga, but she teaches yoga (and Pilates) to grown-ups, too. She is also a Creative Movement Teaching Artist at Amazing Magic Beans Academy in Queens.
Lauren Serrano - Dancer
Lauren graduated from University of California Santa Barbara with a B.F.A. in dance. She is originally from Orange County where she trained at many local studios including Jimmy Defores, and Edge Performing Arts Studio in Los Angeles. She went to Orange County High School for the Performing Arts for classical and commercial dance. She has won various scholarships including a 3-month training scholarship at Edge Performing Arts studio, Miss Drill Team USA and received the departmental achievement award from UCSB in 2011. Lauren moved to New York City in 2012 for a work-study scholarship with Jennifer Muller and the Works. She has had the opportunity to dance with singing artist such as Mayer Hawthorne, and performed choreography in New York for choreographers Young Soon Kim, Toni Renee Johnson, Jennifer Muller and Mike Esperanza. Lauren recently graduated with her masters in dance education from the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at Hunter College.
Ionel Petroi - Composer
Ionel Petroi is a prolific composer who comfortably moves between the classical and the film music worlds. He has written more then 70 orchestral, chamber music, ballet music, opera and instrumental ensemble works (also with data-processing devices) and 17 film scores. Most of his works were performed by major orchestras around the world and many of the films with his scored music, were shown at major film festivals, such as the Cannes, Venice, Chicago, London, Kiev, Toronto and Stuttgart.
A winner of the 1983 “Stevan Hristic” Prize in Composition at the Belgrade Conservatory, he moved to Paris to study at the Conservatoire National Superiur de Musique in Paris. He was the recepient of the Premier Prix in composition. His main teachers there were: Marius Constant and Claude Ballif and was under the tutorship of Messiaen, Xenakis, Boulez and Ligeti. Many of his works were broadcast for radio and television in France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Luxembourg Spain, Yugoslavia, Romania, Russia and the USA. Universal Music Publishing MGB France-Durand, Ricordi, Salabert and IBOX publish his music. iTunes, distributes his music worldwide.