Evolve Dance, Inc. is a nonprofit professional dance company with associated children, teen, and adult apprentice ensembles. With two Artistic Directors, one Executive Director, one Outreach Director and a large network of professional dancers and teaching artists, Evolve Dance, Inc. strives to contribute to the dance field and create an environment that is inclusive and diverse.
Evolve Dance Inc. is in-residence at the Y Dance Program at the Family YMCA in Tarrytown. The Y Dance Program, a strong recreational program coupled with and based on a professional training program, is designed to develop artistry, focus and skill. The perfect home for Evolve Dance’s creative and administrative activities, the Y Dance program provides a nurturing environment complete with high-quality faculty and newly renovated facilities.
Our Mission
Evolve Dance was founded in 2006 with the mission of contributing to the art form of dance as a medium for creative growth and exchange.
Our activities fall into three areas:
- Professional Development - we provide professionals with opportunities to explore the art form; we train professional dancers; and we strive to support a cohesive dance community by providing opportunities for creative interaction among artists.
- Creative Outreach - through concert performances and open house presentations, we strive to introduce dance to the community as a vital art form that promotes the expression of stories, images and ideas which affirm personal identities and cultural herages.
- Community Arts - working in collaboration with communities, schools and organizations, we craft arts residencies, classes, workshops and after-school programs for all ages and levels of ability, each individually designed for its specific setting. We generate an environment of collective creativity in which each participant can explore all the possibilities dance offers,his/her own artistic voice and connections with others.
For more information about our professional development programs, visit the company & ensembles section of this website. For more information about creative outreach, see the outreach section.
The Founders
Jane Alexandre, Co-Artistic Director
Jane Alexandre has been working in the New York dance world for more than 20 years as a performer, teacher, director, administrator and writer. After training in the U.S. and Canada, she began her performing career in ballet, and was dancing with Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Workshop when she left to become director and soloist with a fusion company — the Humphrey Dance Ensemble. In 1987 she founded the Tappan Zee Dance Group, which she directed until 2006. She was a visiting artist for the Westchester Arts Council for many years, and also the director of a special dance project at the New York School for the Deaf. She is a certified teacher of Pilates exercise, holds a BSc from Queen’s University (Canada), an MA from Antioch University, an MS from Pace University, and is a PhD student at Antioch University. She was the General Manager of The Equus Projects/Dancing With Horses in NYC, and is the Co-Director of the Y Dance Program in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Julie Johnson, Co-Artistic Director
Julie Johnson is a teaching artist, choreographer and performer. Ms. Johnson has had extensive training in ballet/pointe, modern, and jazz from such renowned institutions as the Baltimore School for the Arts, The Ailey School and the SUNY Purchase Dance Conservatory. As a performer, Julie has worked with a number of choreographers and modern dance companies including Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, T.Lang ~a dance company, and danscores by Ofelia Loret de Mola. As a teaching artist and choreographer, she has worked throughtout Westchester County and New York City teaching ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, creative movement, and hip hop as well as conducting art residencies and other creative programs with various public schools and community organizations. She recently taught modern dance as a Guest Artist at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. Ms Johnson was awarded a scholarship to attend the 2008 Choreographer’s Lab at Jacob’s Pillow. Ms Johnson is an Arts Westchester (formerly Westchester Arts Council) teaching artist; she holds a B.A. in Dance and Pedagogy from Marymount Manhattan College and an M.S. in Non-Profit Management from Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy. Ms. Johnson is also a Co-Director of the Y Dance Program at the Family YMCA at Tarrytown, N.Y.
Karenne Koo, Executive Director
Karenne Koo is the Owner of Dotcom Office Management, an office management/bookkeeping consulting business with clients in Westchester and New York City. She has also worked as the Company Manager of a mid-sized not-for-profit dance studio. Prior to these positions, she was the Assistant Manager of Santa Fe Trading Company, a Southwestern gift boutique located on Main Street in Tarrytown, NY, a travel consultant with Gelco Travel Services and Thomas Cook Travel in New York and an Assistant Buyer with Filene’s in Boston, MA. From 1994 through 2002, Karenne served as the Assistant Principal, Principal, Director and Chairperson of the Board of the Chinese Language School of Fairfield County (”CLS”) in Stamford, CT. In addition, Karenne also served as a Director on the Board of Directors of the Organization of Chinese Americans, Fairfield County Chapter, the not-for-profit organization that operates CLS.
Annie Tucker, Director of Outreach & Artistic Development
Annie Tucker is an artist, scholar, and behavior therapist based in Los Angeles. She received her M.A from UCLA’s World Arts and Cultures Department, where she is currently pursuing her doctorate. Annie has experience as a dance choreographer, educator, researcher, and grant-writer. She is dedicated to community arts practices, and has worked with diverse groups of movement artists from at-risk youth in Albuquerque to family troupes in Bali. For the past four years she has performed with Sri Dance Company, an Indonesian/fusion ensemble, and was nominated for a Lester Horton Award in the “Best Female Performance” category in 2007. Annie is also a therapist for mixed-ability and autism-spectrum children, using movement and art therapy techniques as an integral part of their behavioral treatment.