An inspiring mentorship program created and directed by Mary Anne Fernandez Herding connects young artists with working dance professionals. guiDANCE offers a unique opportunity for dance students (high school-age juniors and seniors or college students) that are considering a career in dance to connect with a dance mentor. Students can ask questions one–on-one with a professional dancer, experience a master class with the mentor, attend a performance when available and build a relationship in the dance community.

If you are a student interested in applying for the guiDANCE mentorship program, please fill out the application by clicking the link below, or download here and submit, along with a recommendation letter from your dance teacher.

guiDANCE Mentorship Application

Name

First Name

Last Name

Phone Number

Email Address

School

Year in School and Age

Why are you interested in the guiDANCE program and how do you think you would benefit from this experience?

How long have you been dancing? What styles do you enjoy? (describe training, what dance means to you in your life)

Are you interested in dance as a college major or minor?

Do you see yourself possibly pursuing dance as a career?

Please list three example questions you would like to ask the dance artist that will be your mentor:

Which mentorship opportunity are you most interested in?

Okareka Dance Company

Malpaso Dance Company

Both/Either One

Teacher Recommendation

Name

First Name

Last Name

Phone Number

Email Address

School

Name of Student

Please describe how your student would be a good fit for the guiDANCE mentorship program. (Their future dance goals, work ethic, maturity, creativity)

Students from our guiDANCE program performed at the Movement Source show, "Alone, Together" April 2018

Meet our Mentors

Jordan Kriston

Jordan Kriston danced with the Pilobolus Dance Theater as a full-time member from 2010-2016. She is now an independent teaching and performing artist in constant pursuit of growth and creativity.

Ana Marie Alvarez

Ana Marie Alvarez is the director/founder of Los-Angeles based urban latin dance theater, Contra-Tiempo.

Chad Michael Hall

Chad Michael Hall is the Founder, Artistic Director, and Choreographer of L.A.-based dance company, MULTIPLEX DANCE.

Kyle Abraham (2017)

Kyle Abraham is the founder and artistic director of NY-based dance company Abraham.In.Motion.

Fernando Sáez (2017)

Fernando Sáez is co-founder and executive director of the Malpaso Dance Company, a Cuban contemporary dance company in Havana, Cuba.

Kathryn ALter

Kathryn Alter danced with the Limón dance company for 15 years. She is now an independent teaching artist and director of Kathryn Alter and Dancers in NYC.

DANCE THEATER OF HARLEM (2018)

The 16-member, multi-ethnic company performs a forward-thinking repertoire that includes treasured classics as well as innovative contemporary works that use the language of ballet to celebrate African American culture.

Ronald K. Brown/Evidence

Founded by Ronald K. Brown in 1985 and based in Brooklyn, New York, Evidence, A Dance Company focuses on the seamless integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word.

Tamara Williams

Tamara Williams currently is an assistant professor of dance at UNC Charlotte and director of Tamara LaDonna Moving Spirits, Inc., a contemporary arts organization dedicated to performing, researching, documenting, cultivating, and producing arts of the African Diaspora.

Jessica Starr

Jessica Starr of Los Angeles, CA is the founder and director of MusEffect, a non-profit organization committed to fostering a constructive dialogue on social issues through performance art, while enriching and empowering audiences of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

Rulan Tangen

Rulan Tangen is the Artistic Founding Director of Dancing Earth. Dancing Earth Indigenous Contemporary Dance Creations dynamically supports Indigenous dance and related arts, to encourage and revitalize awareness of bio-cultural diversity through artistic expression, for the education and wellness of all peoples.

contra-tiempo

Contra-Tiempo is a bold, multilingual Los Angeles-based dance company creating physically intense and politically astute performance work that collages Salsa, Afro-Cuban, hip-hop, and contemporary dance with theater, compelling text, and original music.

BIll T. Jones Arnie/Zane Dance Company

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company was born in 1982 out of an 11-year collaboration between Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane (1948–1988). During this time, they redefined the duet form and foreshadowed issues of identity, form and social commentary that would change the face of American dance. The Company is recognized as one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the dance-theater world.

dance theater of harlem (2022)

The 16-member, multi-ethnic company performs a forward-thinking repertoire that includes treasured classics as well as innovative contemporary works that use the language of ballet to celebrate African American culture.

Victor Quijada

Victor Quijada is the Artistic Director and Choreographer for RUBBERBANDance. Armed with a technique he conceived for dancers, the RUBBERBAND Method – an electrifying vocabulary combining the energy of Hip Hop, the refinement of classical ballet, and the angular quality of contemporary dance – and some 40 creations and collaborations in Canada and abroad behind him, Victor Quijada has always continued to evolve and innovate throughout his prolific career.

Kyle Abraham (2023)

Dancer Jae Neal has danced with A.I.M (Abraham in Motion) since 2011. A.I.M by Kyle Abraham is a NY-based contemporary dance company that creates dance-based work that is galvanized by Black culture and history.

Fernando Sáez (2024)

Fernando Sáez is co-founder and executive director of the Malpaso Dance Company, a Cuban contemporary dance company in Havana, Cuba.

guiDANCE is a program through Movement Source Dance Company, a 501c3 arts organization, directed by MaryAnne Herding and in collaboration with the ASU Gammage Beyond program