Amir began organizing exhibitions as the gallery curator at Bronx River Art Center and Gallery in 1989, where he served in that capacity for ten years. In addition, Mr. Bey has been the curator at other venues in the New York City area, including the Bronx Museum, The Brecht Forum, and The Emerging Collector. Mr. Bey is a working visual artist, with solo exhibitions at Gallery Saoh and Gallery Aquaqua in Tokyo Japan, as well as many venues across New York City. Mr. Bey has been working with Young Audiences New York for over ten years. Close

Alda is the Artistic Director and co-founder of “Mexico beyond Mariachi” and co-founder of “Rhythm of the Arts.” The company performs Arts in Education Residencies, Lecture demonstrations as well as full-scale productions bringing an appreciation of folklore, culture, and traditions of the world to thousands of young students and audiences of all ages.While my artistic background is rooted in traditional music and dance forms, I believe that as an artist it behooves me to understand past traditions, but not treat them as though they are an unmovable museum piece. It is important for me to stay present and available to new ideas and new ways of seeing and experiencing artistic expression. I embrace the fact that cultures are in a constant state and I am excited at the prospect of new ideas mixing with the old.My work is well known among prominent Arts-in-Education Organizations. As a dance educator and performer, I am currently part of the roster of Arts Connection, Ballet Hispanico, Midori & Friends, Young Audiences New Jersey, Young Audiences New York, Global Arts, Community Works, and many others. Close

Anne--a member of the Actors Studio, trained at London Academy of the Dramatic Arts and New York University--is an actress and playwright committed to performing, creating, and discovering theatrical works of universal merit for students ages K-12 across the curriculum. Inspired by the greatest of storytellers from Shakespeare to her grandmother, Ms. Pasquale has a passion for a well-told tale. She has been a proud member of the Young Audiences New York roster for 10 years. Close

A Mexican-American award-winning composer, producer, violinist, and pianist, Carlo began his music studies at age nine, and at fourteen earned a scholarship to study at the National Conservatory in Tours, France. With his music production company, he has won the following composition awards: TELLY (2017), CLIO, NY FILM FESTIVAL and AURORA WORLD GOLD MEDAL. As a film composer, Nicolau scored a SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL feature film winner. He has also received grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and Meet the Composer for his work composing for modern dance. Close

Chris has enjoyed teaching Creative Movement for children through YANY for over 30 years. An eclectic artist, he has worked as a dancer and designer with Maureen Fleming Company from 1993 to the present. His performances and designs include: Fall for Dance Festival at City Center, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and international festivals in Italy, France, Germany, Russia, Korea, Japan, Brazil among others. A National Endowment for the Humanities Scholar and a recipient of a Fulbright Commission, his extensive performance credits include the Tony Award winning Broadway production of M. Butterfly. His creative movement classes for children, initially created by Maureen Fleming, nurtures students through fun, active movement exploration that builds focus and concentration and develops skills to be present in movement—physically, mentally, and emotionally—in relation to music and images from nature. He continues to be inspired by the joy children express in their experience of movement. Close

Donna Maria  has worked city-wide as a Young Audiences Teaching Artist in a variety of media since 1998.  She finds teaching and making art equally joyful and life-affirming. She loves to read and make funky, hand-crafted books.  Her mixed-media works have been exhibited at multiple venues including Central Booking, The Center for Book Arts, and Proteus Gowanus in NYC, Jersey City University, Fairleigh Dickenson University, PS 1 Museum, The Barcelona Book Fair and Minnesota Center for Book Arts.  Ms. De Creeft’s works are in the permanent collections of the University of Southern Maine, Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital, The Center for Book Arts, and the library collections of the Brooklyn Museum, Bryn Mawr College and Rutgers University.  As a teaching artist who has been with Young Audiences New York for 20 years, I value my students' creativity and artistic process, and try to let them know that they are engaged in deep work even when it seems like play. I want them to experience art making as an intrinsic part of their being that they can call on throughout their lives. Close

Fatima is an experienced and versatile dance and cultural artist. She studied at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA) where she graduated Summa Cume Laude with a BFA in Dance and Choreography. She danced professionally with the African-American Dance Ensemble directed by Dr. Chuck Davis, Forces of Nature Dance Theater directed by Abdel Salaam, and the Seewe Dance Company directed by Mouminatou Camara. She has extensive teaching experience as artist in residence at Hunter College, Long Island University Post, Bronx Children’s Museum, Master Class I teacher at the Steffi Nossen School of Dance, and with Young Audiences New York for 8 years. She has performed with Bobby Sanabria, Paul Winters, Ntozake Shange, and has received written recognition for her commitment to dance education from Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor. She is also the Artistic Director of VashtiDance Theater now in its 5th New York Season. Fatima's approach is centered on cultural learning influencing exceptional artistic aesthetic and is inspired by the rich beauty of cultural, contemporary dance, and the progress and enjoyment of her students and fellow artists. Close

Irene is the founder and the Artistic Director of Feraba-African Rhythm Tap Company, an award-winning Brooklyn based touring company fusing Tap dance with West African music and dance. Ms. Koloseus and Feraba are the recipients of numerous awards including the Ethnic Dance Award by Giant Steps funded by the New York State Council on the Arts and the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, The Sunshine Award, acknowledging excellence in the Performing Arts of the various Caribbean Countries, South Africa, Central America and Africa, and has been recognized by the Brooklyn Borough president, Marty Markowitz, for her outstanding work. Feraba received numerous grants including Meet the Composer Grant (AMC), MCAF (LMCC), Arts International, Artist Fellowship (in music composition-NYFA), Performing Arts Recovery Initiative Grant (funded by the Open Society Foundation) and Asset for Artist (matching grant partnering with NYFA, LMCC and Midas). As a teaching artist, she has designed curricular-based movement and music residencies for students of all ages and abilities, and has conducted staff development programs for educators. In 2012 she was awarded Best Teaching Artist of the year by Young Audiences NY. She was the artistic director of Feraba –ART  summer camps in 2011 and 2012. Close

Kari excitedly enters her second year with Young Audiences, teaching in the disciplines of both puppetry and theater. Kari brings with her a spirit of warmth, safety, and organized silliness that invites and ignites students' focus, creativity, and teamwork. Beyond immersing students in an art form, Kari strives to empower students with the bigger truth: they are an artist with a vital point of view. When not having a ball teaching, Kari is a professional writer, actor, and filmmaker. Close

I teach a variety of subjects: Photography, Videography, StopMotion/Animation, Photo-based Visual Arts, Visual Literacy and have taught all grade levels. I’m starting my 4th year with YANY. I believe that times we live in now require us all to see each student as a whole person with his/her own uniqueness. Focusing on Emotional Intelligence and Creative Expression should be the most important element of our teachings. I am always inspired by other artists and their creativity regardless of the field they work in. Close

Mel is a NYC-based actress, activist, filmmaker and comic, with a Master's Degree in Applied Drama from the University of Exeter, UK. For nearly two decades, Mel has been sharing her passion for storytelling and nurturing young artists, while working on projects in the UK, Bali, South Africa, Beijing and throughout the U.S. She joined YANY's team four years ago, as a member of the national Literature to Life Program, and has since been leading theatre-arts residencies in her Bronx neighborhood. She is a member of the Actors Center Company, where she continues to be inspired by and grow her craft with Master teachers and leading professionals. Close

Navida is an award-winning storyteller, actress, musician, writer and teaching artist. She’s worked Off-Broadway & regionally doing new plays, musicals & Shakespeare. Her one woman show URBAN ZEN won a 2012 United Solo Festival award. Navida tells stories from around the world in many places including NY Public Libraries, Hans Christian Anderson statue in Central Park & many schools. She’s narrated Peter and the Wolf and Carnival of the Animals with several NYC orchestras including The Chelsea Symphony. Navida’s a recipient of a 2014 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council grant and been a teaching artist for Young Audiences New York since 1986. Whether working with young people or professionally, Navida's motto is CONNECT and CREATE. She believes in the power of the arts to educate, inspire and heal. Close

Pat’s Foot & Fiddle Dance Company celebrates and shares the friendship, joy and community building of traditional American dance and music with folks of all ages. From a family square dance, to in-school dance workshops and residencies, to an assembly performance of “American Footsteps”, Foot & Fiddle demonstrates why Square Dancing has been popular since Colonial times….because it is FUN! Square Dancing is America’s National Folk Dance! Traditional American fiddle music can inspire anyone to kick up their heels and have fun through the simple joy of holding hands and dancing together. Square Dancing helps builds the school community and can help to prevent bullying. Foot & Fiddle has been spreading the joy of traditional dance in the school in the tri-state area for the past 31 years with 29 of those years having been at YANY. Close

Ricky, at age seven, a native of the Bronx, began his dance training as a scholarship student at Ballet Hispanico of New York. Later, as an undergraduate at SUNY Purchase, he received dance scholarships with The Alvin Ailey School, and Dance Theater Of Harlem. Ricky has had a very diverse performance career, performing locally, nationally and internationally with many dance companies and productions such as Franco Zeffirelli's productions of Carmen and La Traviata at The Metropolitan Opera and Don Giovanni at Washington Opera, as well as with Ballet Hispanico of New York, Nicholas Rodriguez & Dance Compass, New York Ballroom Company, Bailes Ferrer, Sol y Sombra, Randy James Dance Works, Flamenco Vivo, Edwin Aparicio's Selected Works, and most recently in Omayra Amaya's repertory performance group and Andanza Flamenco. He’s been a dance educator for 25 years and is currently working with Children's Arts & Science Workshops, Lotus Music & Dance, American Academy of Ballet and Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. This is his Eighth year with Young Audiences New York. During the process of learning a dance style, Mr. Santiago incorporates students’ own creations. This instills a sense of ownership and pride in their work. To Ricky Seeing children work intensely to hone their craft and exploring a new way to express themselves is incredibly inspiring. Close

Valentina, in English, Spanish and French, speaks the ancient Aztec wisdom as well as the modern stories of Mexico. She has been on stage since she was 6 years old, as an actress, as a musician and as a storyteller for the past 20 years. She is well known for her special way of combining music and words. She has shows for children and for adults on different subjects. She loves bright colors, beautiful songs and deep prehispanic sounds. As a storyteller and a musician she has traveled the world; has published 4 books and produced 4 records with her original stories and music. Close

It is important for me to be able to share my culture and dance with as many children as possible in a nurturing atmosphere. I am excited to expose children to dance and set up the concept of life-long learning and risk-taking. Close