our staff
Andrea has over 30 years of service in the arts and runs a consulting firm, Arts FMS. Prior to becoming a consultant, Andrea has held leadership positions within several major cultural institutions. Most recently, she was the Managing Director of New York City Opera. Prior to NYC Opera, she was the General Manager and Chief Financial Officer of the Public Theater, managing day-to-day operations of a seven-performance space organization. Andrea holds an MFA in Theater Management from the Yale School of Drama and a BFA in Stage Management from Boston University.
andrea scala nellis
Arts FMS
Executive Director
andrea@dorrancedance.com
hillary kooistra
General Manager
hillary@dorrancedance.com
Hillary Kooistra (she/her) is an NYC-based arts manager specializing in project, tour, and Board management for nonprofit dance companies and organizations. She has worked as a freelance administrator with Cora Dance, Dance/USA, Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group, and Nicole von Arx & Guests; and served as the Company then General Manager for A.I.M by Kyle Abraham for seven years. Hillary is a 2019 Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training Mentee and a 2019-20 EmcArts Arts Leaders as Cultural Innovators Fellow; and serves on the Board of Trustees for We Are Queens, a Gen-Z-led empowerment organization for young dancers.
Christopher Marc
Production Manager / Sound Designer
christopher@dorrancedance.com
Christopher is a NYC-based Sound Designer & Production Manager from Minneapolis, MN. He has designed and engineered sound for Michelle Dorrance, Music From the Sole, Variety Life Productions, Lincoln Center Restart Stages, Luke Hickey, and Michael Jellick, as well as regional and off-broadway productions with the Kennedy Center, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, IJB Productions, Aquila Theatre, and Mills Entertainment. Christopher also designs/builds custom floors for percussive dance and is owner/operator of @CMarcAudio.
gabby benavides
Associate Producer
gabby@dorrancedance.com
Gabby Benavides (she/her) is a New York City based arts administrator. She previously worked for the School of American Ballet, TADA! Youth Theater, Gibney Dance, and Ballet Academy East. Additionally, Gabby has taught for various dance and theater organizations across Dallas Fort-Worth and New York City. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Women and Gender Studies from Arizona State University.
Amanda is an experienced fundraising professional who has worked as the Director of Individual Giving at Martha Graham Dance Company and as a consultant for Gallim Dance, Project Art, and various individual artists. She is also a choreographer and runs an interdisciplinary production company, Amanda + James. Amanda grew up as a member of the Tap City Youth Ensemble taking lessons from Michelle, and has been a fan of Dorrance Dance since its inception.
amanda hameline
Development Manager
development@dorrancedance.com
taylor craft
Company Manager
admin@dorrancedance.com
Taylor Craft (she/her) is a New York City based dancer, choreographer, photographer, and arts administrator. Originally from Waterford, Michigan, Craft received her BFA in Dance from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. She has photographed for Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Wayne State, and Madonna University and has published work in Dance Magazine and the New York Times. In 2022, Craft independently produced and premiered her first dance theatre work ‘the semi truck that blocks my view is still beautiful.’ She has previously worked for Complexions Contemporary Ballet as the Associate Company Manager and Creative Coordinator and is now working with Dorrance Dance as Company Manager.
production team & auxiliary staff
kathy kaufmann
Lighting Designer
olivia brown
Stage Manager
evan aanerud
Arts FMS
Financial Administrator
barbara frum
outer/most
Artist Representative
board of directors
Joe Gallo, Chair
Marc Steglitz, Treasurer
Deb Klowden Mann, Secretary
Henri Benaim
Courtney Blackwell Burton
M’Liss Dorrance
Michelle Dorrance
Michael Feller
Hilary Srere