our staff
Adriana J. Ray is a dynamic arts administrator and fundraising strategist whose work centers equity and sustainability in dance. Prior to joining Dorrance Dance, Ray served as Development Director at The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), where she played a pivotal role in expanding the organization’s programmatic capacity and reach. As part of the senior leadership team, she supported coalition-building initiatives including The Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet, and the Comprehensive Organization Health Initiative: Managing Organizational Vitality and Endurance, a national regranting program for Black dance companies funded by the Mellon Foundation and designed to support capacity building through general operating support, peer learning clinics, customized consulting, and more. Ray has also held positions with Dance/USA and Dance Institute of Washington.
Adriana brings artistic insight to her work in nonprofit leadership. She danced with Tapestry Dance Company under the direction of Acia Gray, performing both locally and internationally, and has taught at festivals including the True Sound Rhythm Festival, The Beat Dance Convention, Tap Love Tour, Beantown Tap Festival, and in dance schools around the country. Adriana holds a Masters in Arts Administration from Boston University and a Bachelors in African and African Diaspora Studies from The University of Texas at Austin.
adriana ray
Executive Director
adriana@dorrancedance.com
hillary kooistra
General Manager
hillary@dorrancedance.com
Hillary Kooistra (she/her) is an NYC-based arts administrator with a decade of experience in nonprofit management for 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 participated in the 2019-20 EmcArts Arts Leaders as Cultural Innovators program. She 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.
brooklyn toli
Administrative Associate
brooklyn@dorrancedance.com
Brooklyn Toli (she/her) is a Boston-based arts administrator and educator. She currently serves as a faculty member at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee teaching jazz and tap dance. In 2020, Brooklyn started “Sisters Support Success,” an organization that works to support arts accessibility, and awards an annual $1,000 scholarship to a high school senior committed to volunteerism. Brooklyn holds an M.F.A in Performing Arts Management from Brooklyn College and a B.A. in Dance Performance and Musical Theater from Rhode Island College.
production team & auxiliary staff
kathy kaufmann
Lighting Designer
devin koenig
Lighting Supervisor
sally race
Company Manager
amy page
Wardrobe Supervisor
Arts fms
Andrea Nellis & Clarissa Soto Josephs
Financial Services
outer/most
Barbara Frum
Artist Representative
donorly
Allison Gutstein, Sofia Del Valle, & Carrie O’Dell
Development Consultants
board of directors
Henri Benaim, Chair
Marc Steglitz, Treasurer
Deb Klowden Mann, Secretary
Courtney Blackwell Burton
M’Liss Dorrance
Michelle Dorrance
Michael Feller
Joseph Gallo
Hilary Srere