Barry Blumenfeld is on the faculty of Friends Seminary, New York University, and the Dance Education Lab of the 92Y, for which he co-created the DanceMaker app. He has served as president of the New York State Dance Education Association (NYSDEA) and was a recipient of the Outstanding PreK-12 Dance Educator Award from NYSDEA in 2017. Blumenfeld received the Outstanding Leadership Award from the National Dance Education Organization and for eight years he wrote a monthly “Ask the Experts” column for Dance Teacher Magazine. He founded the tap and modern dance company, TAPFUSION, and has choreographed numerous works that have been presented in New York, Florida, Maryland, and Washington, DC. Blumenfeld holds a degree in dance from American University; is a certified level 1 teacher of Language of Dance®; a certified yoga instructor; and a registered dance educator.
Olivia Aston Bosworth is an artist, educator, and producer who deeply believes in the power of theatre for young audiences. She is the head of youth and family programs at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia and works with educational programming for children from birth through fifth grade. She oversees the Alliance Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young program, early learner and elementary classes and camps, caregiver initiatives, and family programming. As a Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts Teaching Artist, Bosworth has taught arts integrated lessons in early childhood and elementary school classrooms around Atlanta and has also presented at several professional development conferences on immersive storytelling through the curriculum. Additionally, she is a proud board member of Theatre for Young Audiences in the United States. Bosworth holds degrees from Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University.
Lynn Hoare is a facilitator, educator, and director working in the field of applied theatre and arts education with regional, national, and international partners. She was the senior director of school-based programs at Creative Action, the largest arts and education nonprofit in central Texas. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin, a co-founder of the Center for Imagining and Performing Justice, and the co-director of the Performing Justice Project which devises original theatre with young people about gender and racial justice. Her co-authored book, Devising Critically Engaged Theatre with Youth: The Performing Justice Project, won the distinguished book award from the American Alliance of Theatre and Education in 2021. Hoare collaborates with others to use theatre as a tool for imagining justice, building connection and community, and fostering critical dialogue.
Jonathan Bernstein’s plays and musicals have been produced all over the country. Under the auspices of the Jerome Robbins Foundation, he is currently developing a new project with actress and choreographer Susan Misner entitled Here in the Bright Colorado Sun. His directing credits include work at the Atlantic Theater Company, Signature Theater, the Kennedy Center, Ensemble Studio Theater, and many others. He has worked at New York’s City Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage Theater, Roundabout Theatre, and the 52nd Street Project. Supervising director credits include the still-running revival of Chicago, overseeing both the Broadway production and the many national and international productions it has spawned. He is a professor of playwriting and script analysis at New York University and he serves as the artistic director of the Performing Arts Project, an international arts training non-profit organization designed to serve people from ages fifteen to twenty-five.
Tia James is an actor, director, teacher, and vocal coach. She is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and teaches voice and acting to the graduate students in the professional actor training program. She also serves as a company member, resident director, and vocal coach for PlayMakers Repertory Company. James’s acting credits include Hamlet in Hamlet, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Clyde in Clyde's, Angel in Blues for an Alabama Sky, and Mark Antony in Julius Caesar. James has directed numerous plays, including By The Way, Meet Vera Stark; Constellations; Grand Concourse; and A Bright New Boise. She has served as vocal coach for more than a dozen plays. James earned degrees at Virginia Commonwealth University, the New York University graduate acting program, and the Miller Voice Method Teacher Certification program. She has won numerous awards and scholarships including the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Irene Ryan Award.
Ryan Kasprzak is the co-head of acting for musical theatre at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and an adjunct faculty member at Montclair State University. He recently served as dance supervisor for Hamilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with Lin-Manuel Miranda in the title role. Kasprzak received a Chita Rivera Award nomination for his Broadway debut in Bandstand under the direction of Tony Award-winner Andy Blankenbuehler. His Broadway national tours include: Billy Elliot (associate resident choreographer/dance captain) and Fosse (dance captain). His television work can be seen on NBC’s Smash and Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. His choreography has been featured in numerous regional productions and in New York Musical Festivals’ award-winning shows. Kasprzak continues creating new work with Parallel Exit: Physical Comedy Theater. He received his degree in acting from Marymount Manhattan College and a degree in choreography from Wilson College.
