Join Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and Miami DanceMakers for a day of dance and performance! Inspired by the art in the museum, six artists will perform new dance works live throughout different gallery spaces.
Miami DanceMakers is an annual six-month project that supports local dance artists in the early stages of their careers by providing them with personal access to Miami’s dynamic professional performing arts network. Each year, PAMM collaborates on this initiative to illustrate the intersection of dance and visual arts while spotlighting Miami’s emerging dance leaders.
About Miami DanceMakers
Miami DanceMakers (MDM) is an annual six-month project that supports local dance artists in the early stages of their careers by providing them with personal access to Miami’s dynamic professional performing arts network. During the creative process, MDM Artists are paired with Creative Development Partners, which are local performing arts organizations that provide in-kind rehearsal space. In exchange, MDM Artists offer their time and talent to support their Creative Development Partners behind the scenes.
Arielle Francois | Paired with YoungArts
Arielle Francois is a choreographer, dancer, and model with a wide and varied background in film and performance. Some of her favorite collaborations include Carlotta Guerreo X Desiguals Love Different and the award-winning film Every Step is a Prayer by Miccosukee Tribe and NOWNESS. As a first-generation Haitian and Florida native, Francois’ mission as an artist is to cultivate a culture that reinforces Black bodies in art. Francois has her BFA in dance performance from the New World School of the Arts and is a proud member of the 2022 Miami DanceMakers cohort.
Chachi Perez // Paired with Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
Rooted in Miami, FL, Chachi Perez is a queer Cuban American artist who was born into a family where dancing in kitchens became a nightly after dinner event. Chachi attended Miami Dade College under the direction of Michelle Grant Murray. They then moved to Philadelphia, PA and attended The University of The Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield where she received her B.F.A in Dance. She has had the opportunity to perform and collaborate in works by Bobbi Jean Smith, Marguerite Hemmings, Katie Swords-Thurman, Curt Haworth, and Emily Wexler along with artist such as Valeria Gonzalez of VALLETO, Pioneer Winter Collective for Miami Art Week and the South Florida Jazz Festival, and most recently Humble Materials for the production of MEDEA.
Destiny Diaz // Paired with Miami Light Project
Destiny Diaz is a Dominican-American Dance Artist originally from the Bronx, New York. She relocated to South Florida at the age of 12 where she discovered Hip Hop, Belly Dance, and eventually attended the Academy of Arts & Minds in Miami to further her dance training. In 2022, Destiny graduated with a BFA in Dance from New World School of the Arts College where she performed works by Robert Battle, Ohad Naharrin, and Mark Morris. Diaz was a Rehearsal Assistant for professional choreographers including Adele Myers and Sandra Portal and has performed with Herman Payne, Jennifer Archibald, and Peter London. She is currently a freelance Dance Artist in Miami and a member of the Gloria Eve Dance Company in New York City.
Jennifer Rivera // Paired with The Moss Center
Born and raised in the vivacious city of Miami, FL, Jennifer Rivera is a movement artist who explores and honors her identity as a Cuban-American woman through her choreographic process and performance. Jennifer studied dance at Miami Dade College Kendall Campus under the direction of Michelle Grant-Murray and received an Associate in Arts degree in Dance (2019). She continued her studies in Philadelphia, PA, at University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance (2021). Jennifer will be partnered with the Moss Center (formerly South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center) for her choreographic process as a Miami DanceMaker 2022 cohort.
Stephanie Franco // Paired with Live Arts Miami
Stephanie Franco is a Miami based choreographer, educator, and movement artist. She trained with Michelle Kickasola, John Culberston, Cookie Ramos, Michelle-Grant Murray, Erica Sobol, Tilman O’Donnell, and Medhi Walerski. From 2017-2020, Stephanie lived in Los Angeles, deepening her craft through Erica Sobol’s “Lobos Art Collective”(The Gypsy Project LA), and worked with and assisted world-renowned choreographer, Mia Michaels. Since returning to Miami in 2021, Stephanie has been fortunate to be part of the Miami Movement Collective, Dale Andre’s 2022 National Water Dance Project, Pioneer Winter’s 2022 Grass Stains initiative, while also furthering her research with mentor Michelle-Grant Murray. She is currently a Contemporary Dance Technique Instructor at Dance Attack. As a movement artist, Stephanie is deeply rooted in cultural recognition through her artistry which is influenced by her Cuban heritage. As a creator and educator, she is a compassionate catalyst for diving into spiritual connections through raw embodiment.
Jenni Ima // Paired with Armour Dance Theater
Jenni Ima is a first generation Cuban-American artist currently residing in Miami, FL. She is a dancer, choreographer, and a filmmaker. Jenni earned a BFA in Dance from New World School of the Arts/UF where she performed new works by Darshan Singh Bhuller and a Bollywood dance by Geeta Dias. She has performed works showcased at the Pérez Art Museum including Luina by Enrique Villacreses and as part of the 2021 Miami DanceMakers in Natalia Marie Rocamonde work Kaleidoscopic Reverie. Ima’s commercial experience includes live performances on Latin award shows and television with J.Balvin, Leslie Grace, and Olga Tañon under the direction of Susie Garcia. Jenni also creates dance films including La Balsa and You Can’t Force the Art out of an Artist in collaboration with Ariel Silva.
