DANCER-ENTREPRENEUR
TOWN HALL

Community at Chelsea Factory

Dancer-Entrepreneur Town Hall

Thursday, June 9, 2022 from 6:30PM-8:30PM

Light refreshments will be served

FREE

How does a pathway through dance help develop skills and mindsets that enable successful entrepreneurship?

How can we best support aspiring and practicing dancer-entrepreneurs, including founders of businesses both within and outside the arts?

Adventures in Syncopation and iHeartDance NYC invite you to explore these important questions in a conversation with members of the dance and entrepreneurial communities, including:

Antuan Byers
Dancer, Creative Entrepreneur, Arts Activist
Founder / CEO, Black Dance Change Makers

Denise Roberts Hurlin
Founding Director, Dancers Responding to AIDS
a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

Lauren Lovette
Resident Choreographer, Paul Taylor Dance
Founding Director, Lauren Lovette Studio
Former Principal Dancer, New York City Ballet

Jenelle Manzi
Founder & CEO, Get Golden
New York City Ballet Dancer

Eleena Melamed
Managing Director & Head of Strategic Operations, The Carlyle Group
Former American Ballet Theatre Dancer

Sahasra (Sahi) Sambamoorthi
CEO, Navatman

Moderated by: 
Andrew Byrnes
Founder & Lead Adventurer, Adventures in Syncopation

Melissa Gerstein
Co-Founder, iHeartDance NYC

About Adventures in Syncopation:
Adventures in Syncopation is a community exploring how experience in the performing arts supercharges successful entrepreneurship in any industry, raising the visibility of performer-entrepreneurs through the Perfect Pitch blog profile series, social media and in-person convenings, and partnering through investment with performer-founders who have built innovative companies. Learn more at AdventuresInSyncopation.com.

About iHeartDance NYC:
iHeartDance NYC is a new dance initiative and company founded by dance activists Melissa Gerstein and Kimberly Giannelli to celebrate the power of dance as a vehicle to make positive change in our local communities and beyond. Learn more at iHeartDanceNYC.com.

Jointly realized during the height of theater closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, through innovation and sheer determination, iHeartDance kicked off its initiative with a 4-performance series on April 18th to welcome artists back into the spotlight, and an intimate audience to safely bring live dance back to the capital of the dance world: New York City.

Over the last year, the pair has produced seventeen sold out performances, employed over 200 dancers and choreographers, raised significant funds, and welcomed live and virtual audiences across five countries. With COVID-19 cases declining and theaters reopened, the pair have continued their mission to use dance as a vehicle to make significant impact in the community. Most recently, iHeartDance NYC partnered with Ballet and Beyond NYC to raise funds for increased access to dance education in low-income communities and is proud to mobilize the power of the dance community to raise funds for Ukraine during this time of crisis. 

Health and Safety Protocols:
Chelsea Factory will be implementing the following procedures to help ensure the health and safety of our patrons, staff, and artists:

• Proof of COVID-19 vaccination

• Masks worn at all times inside Chelsea Factory

Click here for our full Health and Safety Protocols.