MEDIA
GALLERY
MEDIA
GALLERY
MEDIA
GALLERY
ABOUT
RYDERDANCE
Founded in 2018 by Artistic Director Jordan Ryder, RyderDance is a contemporary dance collective that blends storytelling with movement to elevate traditional performance into a multi-dimensional experience. The company’s work encompasses every aspect of a narrative—from dialogue and setting to subtext—using movement that ebbs and flows between structure and fantasy, literal and figurative, text and context. This dynamic physicality guides the audience’s eye into a dance of its own, sparking the senses and leaving room for personal interpretation. For RyderDance, dance is expansive, exhilarating, and deeply personal—an experience to be shared and celebrated.
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The collective is committed to expanding the reach and accessibility of contemporary dance by exploring new audiences and mediums. RyderDance is actively experimenting with merging commercial and concert dance—two worlds that Ryder believes can enrich each other. By combining the literal with the abstract and the enticing with the elusive, the company aims to cultivate a more inclusive and diverse dance community. This relentless evolution drives the collective to continually innovate, adapt, and grow.
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RyderDance’s work has been presented at venues across the tri-state area, including Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Dixon Place, Loew's Jersey Theatre, Mark Morris Dance Center, and Martha Graham Studio Theater. Most recently, the company’s original production HOMECOMING had a sold-out run at The Tank Theater in Manhattan.
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The choreography of RyderDance explores the intersection of human emotion and the body’s physical capabilities. By contrasting raw movement with deep emotion, intellect with instinct, the company pushes the limits of both. In this collision of forces, RyderDance finds its core inspiration—driven by the desire to move, create, and evolve both as artists and as individuals.
THE ARTISTS
Emily Cattan was born and raised in Mexico City. After graduating high school, she moved to Israel for a year and was part of the International Dance Journey with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. In 2020, Emily moved to NYC and joined the Certificate Program at Peridance Center and graduated in 2022. She currently works as an apprentice with Peridance Contemporary Dance Company under the direction of Igal Perry, and freelances with companies such as Beth Graczyk Productions and RyderDance.
Chelen Middlebrook is a NYC based movement artist and choreographer from Northern Virginia. She relocated to NYC in 2017 and graduated from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance in 2022. They have performed works by Stanton Welch, Trisha Brown, Crystal Pite, George Balanchine, and Ohad Naharin among many others. They have recently worked with Kayla Farrish's Decent Structures Arts and Shamel Pitts' TRIBE under the direction of Marcella Lewis.
Miriam Rose (she/her) graduated with a BFA in dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2018 under the direction of Sean Curran. While at NYU she had the opportunity to perform works by Madboots, Pamala Pietro and Jeremy Nelson as well as study abroad in Berlin. Miriam has performed in NYC in projects with Bitedown Collective, Carly Lepore (Tinted Windows), and Polly Jacobs and has been a member of RyderDance since 2020!
Philip Strom (he/him) received his BFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he danced in work by Crystal Pite, Sonya Tayeh, Ronald K. Brown, and Paul Taylor. Since graduating he has performed with Andrea Ward, Bennyroyce Dance, Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company, Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance, Gabrielle Johnson + Artists, inDance (Hari Krishnan), & RyderDance. He danced in Spingboard Danse Montreal’s 2018 project, performing in works by Maxine Doyle of Punchdrunk, and Emese Nagy of MA•ZE.
Devon Travis is a native of Dallas, TX, where she graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. Devon moved to NYC in 2015 and graduated Summa Cum Laude from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She has performed works by Crystal Pite, Sidra Bell, Sonya Tayeh, MADBOOTS Dance among others and has worked in Italy under Giada Ferrone’s WADE Dance. Devon has collaborated with other companies in NYC such as VALLETO, BiteDown Collective, and Javier Padilla, and has been a member of RyderDance since 2018.
ADDITIONAL PAST AND PRESENT DANCERS/COLLABORATORS
AYALA ABRAMS
RICARDO G. BARRETT
EMILY CATTAN
ZURI NOELLE FORD
JULIA GOLD
SPENCER GROSSMAN
ISRAEL HARRIS
MEGUMI IWAMA
GABE KATZ
STONE MATHERS
LAURA MENDES
CHELEN MIDDLEBROOK
ALYSSA MYERS
ROB NEUBAUER
DANTE NORRIS
EMMA MASSARELLI
JERARD PALAZO
OSCAR ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ
MIRIAM ROSE
PHILIP STROM
ALEX TENREIRO THEIS
DEVON TRAVIS
MIRANDA VIARS
ALEX WARE
LAWRENCE I WILDE
ELIZA WOITINNEK
LIANA ZHEN-AI
