She is currently building the dance program at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx and is a co-founder/artistic director of Reject Dance Theatre ( ), a contemporary dance company based in NYC and Boston. Stephanie has been on faculty at Central CT State University, Elms College, and The Hartt School. In addition, she has had the privilege of working with some great choreographers such as Brad Musgrove, Patricia Wilcox, Bill Hastings, Angie Hauser, Sonia Plum, BillBob Brown, Crystal Nilsson, and Katie Martin.
Stephanie was a scholarship student at Jacob’s Pillow’s Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance program directed by Chet Walker, co-creator of Fosse and choreographer of the Pippin revival. As a choreographer, she received an NAACP Award for Best Choreography for “Ragtime: The Musical” and was nominated for an NAACP Award for Best Choreography for her work on “Dreams in Variation,” a new, original musical, which premiered in Los Angeles. In addition, Stephanie performed with a variety of theatres working with Broadway veterans, Jon Engstrom on a re-staging of “42nd Street” and Mark Knowles on several projects. Previously, Stephanie lived in Los Angeles where she was a member of two modern dance companies, Intersection Dance Project and Louise Reichlin & Dancer, and toured throughout southern California. She received her Bachelors of Arts from Emerson College in Boston, MA and her Masters of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography at Smith College in Northampton, MA where she was also a teaching fellow at the college and guest artist at Mount Holyoke College. Stephanie Simpson is a contemporary and musical theatre choreographer and performing artist based in NYC. I am grateful for my decade in SAF for instilling within me the drive to achieve my dreams and the joy we all find in doing something that we love. I learned discipline and dedication are essential to succeeding in this business. Being immersed in a community of people my age who all had an incredible passion for theatre and were devoted to creating a show that was nothing short of excellent was truly invigorating and inspiring. SAF helped me develop a strong work ethic from a young age. He would like to thank Sara and Kate for the opportunity to return to SAF once again! Joseph has been a visiting artist with SAF in the past for productions of Beauty and the Beast and Pippin. Joseph has also performed throughout Connecticut in Chasing Rainbows at Goodspeed Opera House as well as Chicago and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at Playhouse On Park. Favorite regional credits as a performer include Jerome Robbins Broadway at Theatre Under The Stars in Houston and The Little Mermaid at the acclaimed St Louis MUNY. Joseph recently appeared in A Chorus Line at New York City Center. Joseph received a BFA in musical theatre from Syracuse University, and has since traveled the country and world performing in national and international tours, as well as at various regional theaters. During his time at Hall High School, he was a member of the Jazz Dancers and Choraliers and performed in several productions of Pops n Jazz. Joseph Fierberg is a proud West Hartford native and appeared in 10 SAF productions.
#Juilliard school notable alumni how to
“ Homework introduces a major rhythm voice on the rise” says Downbeat magazine, and The Guardian (UK) praises “the arrival of a major innovator who also knows how to have fun.”
Now based in New York City, Richie began playing Jazz and Afro-Caribbean music during his youth and has expanded his focus to Indian rhythmic concepts and tabla, inspiring his 2007 recording debut Homework on Ayva Records. State Department in Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe. Since 2004, he has led outreach projects as an American Musical Envoy with the U.S. On tour and recordings his diverse résumé includes Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Esperanza Spalding, The Klezmatics, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, Lee Konitz, Natalie Merchant, David Krakauer, Fred Wesley, Claudia Acuña, Bobby McFerrin and Pete Seeger among others. Percussionist Richie Barshay, noted for his work with the Herbie Hancock Quartet, has established himself as a prominent musical voice of his generation and is regarded as "a player to watch" by JazzTimes magazine.