Pervasively formal and strikingly human, the repertory of skybetter and associates is rich and kinesthetically powerful. Movement originating from the emotional experiences of the company is rigorously explored to create choreography that encompasses multiple fields of meaning. Embodying the artistic drive for clear self-expression and the contradictory impulse for abstraction, Skybetter’s work combines emotional subtext with movement, providing a way for audiences to contemplate their own ghosts.

Associates

Kristen Arnold, a native of New Jersey, received her early training at the School of American Ballet.  She graduated from Princeton University with a BA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.  While at Princeton, she danced in works by Ze'eva Cohen, Rebecca Lazier, and Jessica Lang.  In May 2008, Ms. Arnold received her MFA in Dance from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, performing in works by Mark Morris, Christopher Williams, and Deborah Jowitt.  She has previously danced with the American Repertory Ballet and Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theater, and she currently performs with TAKE Dance Company and Reidel Dance Theater.

Bryan Campbell is a Brooklyn-based dancer and choreographer. He received his BFA in dance at the the Tisch School of the Arts, and has studied at Connecticut College and the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance. In addition to his work with skybetter and associates, Bryan also performs work by Christopher Williams, David Parker, Dorian Nuskind-Oder, Cadence Dubus, and Karl Cronin. His own work has been presented in New York City at Dance Theater Workshop, Chen Dance Center, Lumenhouse, The Tank, and Bowery Poetry Club, and at various national and international festivals.

Sydney Skybetter is a choreographer, curator, and consultant for performing arts organizations. After studying at Interlochen, Columbia, and New York University, Sydney performed with Christopher Williams and the Anna Sokolow Foundation. His choreography has been presented in New York at the Dance Theater Workshop, La MaMa, and the Danspace Project, among many others. Sydney has consulted for the National Ballet of Canada, David Dorfman Dance, and the Jerome Robbins Foundation, and is a Partner with Design Brooklyn, which provides web and online infrastructure solutions for the arts. He is a Producer with the Dance[NOW] NYC Festival, a teacher at NYU Tisch Dance, a Dance History lecturer for St. Mary’s College / LEAP, and serves on the Board of the Gotham Arts Exchange / Zia Artists, the New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) Awards Committee, and is a Trustee of Dance/USA. He received his Masters in Dance Performance and Choreography from NYU.

Bergen Wheeler is an MFA recipient from the Dance Department of Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She has had the privilege of working with many choreographers, including Hope Boykin, Jamie Bishton, Gus Solomons jr, Mark Dendy, Christopher House, and Peggy Baker. As a demonstrator for Milton Myers, Bergen traveled and taught at Juilliard, the Ailey/Fordham Program, LaGuardia Performing Arts High School, Philadanco, Steps on Broadway, and Jacob's Pillow, as well as abroad in Canada, Norway, Paris and Greece. Prior to returning to NYC, Bergen was on the dance faculty at Elon and Duke Universities.

Guest Artists

Kate Ashton (Resident Lighting Designer and Production Manager): Recent design for dance includes skybetter and associates, Syren Modern Dance, James Sutton and Anthony Ferro, Jim Martin Music/Dance, Emily Harper’s Natural Dissection, Raw Delivery, Imago Dance Theatre, Ellen Stokes Shadle, and Makram Hamdan. At New York University’s graduate Department of Design for Stage and Film: resident lighting designer for Second Avenue Dance Company. Theatre design includes DR.C, Death of a Salesman and The Apostle Project (Theater Mitu, Resident Artist), Rods and Cables at 3LD, Summer and Smoke (Theatre Row), Bristol Riverside Theatre’s Summer Musicale Series, The Winter’s Tale (Columbia University), Blind Mouth Singing (NAATCO), The Danish Meditations, and Girl Talk. NYU: The Plough and the Stars, Moonchild. MFA, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. www.kateashtonlighting.com

Jennifer Jones (Guest Artist) was raised in Lakeland, Florida. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in Ballet Performance from the University of South Florida in 2006, before moving to New York to attend Tisch School of the Arts/NYU where she received her Masters of Fine Arts in 2008. Her choreography has been selected as a representative of USF at the American College Dance Festival for the Southeastern Division, as well as chosen to be performed in the Celebrazione Festival in Milan, Italy. She has danced in works by Mark Morris, Jose Limon, Jessica Lang, Ronald K. Brown, Chris Yon, Deborah Jowitt, and Jim Martin, among others.

Candida K. Nichols (Resident Costume Designer):  Credits include including Blind Mouth Singing and Outcry (with NAATCO), Raven Odyssey (with the Perseverance Theatre, Alaska), The Apostle Project, Death of a Salesman, and the upcoming DR.C (or How I Learned to Act in Eight Steps) at 3LD in June (with Theater Mitu). Other NY credits include: Available Space (danscores) and Scenes of Gypsy Life (Gotham Chamber Opera). Associate Costume Designer over International Costumes for Light of the World, a cultural event for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. Candida is a recipient of the ‘Roy Crane Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in the Performing Arts,’ and is a resident artist with Theater Mitu. You can find her on-line at www.candidaknichols.com