the work
skybetter and associates was formed in 2008 to perform the work of choreographer Sydney Skybetter. Skybetter draws from literary, musical, mathematical, and personal texts to explore his contradictory impulses for clear self- expression and the creation of abstract, narrative-free dance. skybetter and associates performs its rigorously formal repertory to enliven an architecture of feeling that can only be articulated by arresting bodies in motion. The company has set its repertory on New York University Tisch School for the Arts, SUNY Purchase, Skidmore College, the Zenon Dance Company, Muhlenberg College, and DeSales University and has performed at Inside/Out at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, The Joyce Theater, The Dance Theater Workshop / New York Live Arts, the Danspace Project, The 92nd Street Y and The Joyce SoHo, among many other venues.
associates
Kristen Arnold
Kristen Arnold (Rehearsal Director) a native of New Jersey, received her early training at the School of American Ballet and later at Princeton University, while earning her BA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Kristen holds an MFA in Dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has worked with American Repertory Ballet, Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theater, and Riedel Dance Theater, and she currently performs with TAKE Dance and skybetter and associates, where she is the Rehearsal Director. Kristen has taught at various dance schools throughout the tri-state area in addition to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Skidmore, and DeSales University.
Gary Schaufeld
Gary Schaufeld is a 22-year-old New York native who began his physical education training while romping around his bedroom to the tunes of Long Island's #1 POP Music radio station. In high school, Gary's realized passion for tap dance brought him to San Francisco, where he performed as a soloist in the west coast street tap revue, 'Beat it Down!' Senior year, he was invited to Beijing, China to represent the United States at the Beijing International Dance Festival, held at the Olympic National Stadium. Upon graduating Gary attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned his BFA in Dance. While a student he performed original works by Ronald K. Brown, Renee Redding Jones, Brook Notary, John-Mark Owens, Laura Peterson and Gus Solomons Jr. among others. Gary has apprenticed with Gina Gibney and ZviDance, and he has performed with the companies of James Martin, Patricia Noworol, Sean Curran, and Johannes Wieland. He is now currently performing with Larry Keigwin/Keigwin + Company, as well as with Sydney Skybetter/Skybetter and Associates.
Sydney Skybetter
Sydney Skybetter a choreographer, curator, and consultant for performing arts organizations. After studying at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Columbia, and New York University, Skybetter performed with Christopher Williams and the Anna Sokolow Foundation. Skybetter is a founding partner at Edwards & Skybetter | Change Agency, which provides product development, brand management and technology consulting for such international organizations as the Mark Morris Dance Group and The Fresh Arts Coalition, and has written about performance history and technology for the Ballet Review and The Huffington Post. He is a Producer with the Dance [NOW] NYC Festival, a teacher for the NYU Tisch Dance Department, and a lecturer on Dance History for the LEAP Program at St. Mary’s College. Skybetter serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Gotham Arts Exchange / Zia Artists, and as the Founding Chairman of the Technology Committee for the Board of Trustees of Dance/USA. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from New York University.
Jennifer Jones
Jennifer Jones is a Brooklyn-based dancer and choreographer. She received her Master of Fine Arts from New York University in 2008 and her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in Ballet Performance from the University of South Florida in 2006. 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 Jose Limon, Jessica Lang, Ronald K. Brown, Chris Yon, Deborah Jowitt, and Jim Martin, among others. She was a member of the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company for three seasons, is a founding member of skybetter and associates, and is in productions with Mark Morris, including Hard/Nut and the Metropolitan Opera's Orfeo Ed Euridice.
Jordan Isadore
Jordan Isadore was born and raised in Grass Valley California, and started dancing as a young child. He continued his studies at California State University Long Beach, where in 2009 he received his B.F.A. in Dance. During his studies he had the privilege to perform works by Twyla Tharp, Marie De La Palme, Jodie Gates, Keith Johnson as well as many others. After graduation Jordan became a member of the Los Angeles company Bodytraffic. While working with the company he performed pieces by Barak Marshall, Alex Ketley, as well as Club Guy and Roni. Recently relocating to New York, in addition to working with skybetter and associates he is currently working with Andrea Miller of Gallim, and choreographer Christopher Williams. This is his first season with skybetter and associates.
Kile Hotchkiss
Kile Hotchkiss was born in Half Moon Bay, California and trained with Bruce Alan Ewing as a member of Repertory Dance Theater in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He studied at the Joffrey Ballet School on scholarship, at The Ailey School in the Fellowship Program and at LINES Ballet School under the direction of Alonzo King. Kile graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in 2010. He has performed works by Alvin Ailey, Nacho Duato, Paul Taylor, Lar Lubovitch, Bill T. Jones, Nicolo Fonte, and Larry Keigwin among others. Kile currently dances with TAKE Dance, where he is a contributing choreographer, as well as with Keigwin + Company. He is excited to be a part of skybetter and associates.
collaborators
Kate Ashton
