about the company

Tiffany Mills and the NYC-based Tiffany Mills Company has created over 20 works performed with a “fearless sense of freedom and exhilaration” (Washington Post). The company was formed in 1995 and incorporated as a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization in 2000. Mills’ process of creation is collaborative, ensemble-based, and multidisciplinary. She collaborates to blur lines between mediums and to discover layered methods of constructing dances (drawn from partnering, improvisation, and somatic modalities).

When meaning emerges from form, Mills takes command of the work, directing the dancers and the precise shape, emotion and character of the choreography. The work often focuses on the vulnerability of being human through investigating themes of communication, connection, relationship, exposure, breakdown, and transformation. Mills celebrates differences amongst the performers. She challenges the audience to be in an active role — to participate, experience, absorb and respond.

Tiffany Mills, Artistic Director and Choreographer

Tiffany Mills is a choreographer and artistic director of the NYC-based Tiffany Mills Company. Mills moved to NYC in 1995, and formed Tiffany Mills Company in 2000, earning praise from The New York Times: “Mills is making a name for herself as a young modern-dance innovator.” Recent highlights: The company celebrated its 15th Anniversary Season at LaMama in their La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival (2016). Prior, the company was selected by BAM, in collaboration with the DeVos Institute of Arts Management (DVIAM) at the Kennedy Center, to participate in the inaugural session of BAM’s Professional Development Program, which culminated in a NYC Season at the BAM Fisher (2013). The company’s past collaborative work has been presented at: PICA’s TBA Festival (OR), Wexner Center (OH), Contemporary Dance Theater/NPN (OH), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Residency (MA), Dance Place (DC), Guggenheim Museum Works & Process Series, Duke on 42nd Street, Symphony Space Dance Sampler, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Dancing in the Streets, Joyce SoHo, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Danspace Project’s City/Dans Series, Dance Theater Workshop Fresh Tracks, PS 122 Avant Garde Arama, Movement Research at Judson Church, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, HERE, and in Russia, Italy, Mexico and Canada.

The company holds an annual winter and summer intensive (2006-present). Mills’ guest teaching includes: Trisha Brown Studios, Dance New Amsterdam, Gibney Dance Center, The Playground, Earthdance (MA), Velocity (WA), Conduit (OR), ACDA, universities nationally, and festivals internationally. Mills has received awards, and residencies: NYU’s Tisch Summer Dance Festival (15), CUNY Dance Initiative Residencies (14-15, 17), BAM/DVIAM PDP (12-13), Joyce’s Mellon Anchor Tenant Program (11-16), Baryshnikov Arts Center Residency (10), Dance New Amsterdam Residency (10), Joyce Residency (07-08), Field Residency (08), LMCC Swing Space Residency (08-09, 12), Bogliasco/Jerome Robbins Foundation Fellowships (Italy 07), Help Desk (05-06), HERE’s Artist Residency (02-03), Dance/NYC Artistic Advisory Board (02-03), ACDFA Adjudicator (04, 07, 16), Tribeca Performing Arts Center/LMCC Space Grant (05-06), University of Oregon Alumni Award & Boekhelheide Creativity Award (05 & 06), Bates Dance Festival Emerging Choreographer Award (98).

Funding includes: Asian Cultural Council, Mertz Gilmore (via La MaMa), Evelyn Sharp, Harkness (via HERE), LMCC/FFCC, DCA, BAC/JPMC, BAC/DCA, BAC/NYSCA, BAC/Destination Brooklyn, Bossak/Heilbron, Sorin Charitable Trust, Puffin, MCAF, Meet the Composer, American Music Center, and New Music USA. Mills hails from Eugene, Oregon (BA University of Oregon, MFA Ohio State University).

Tiffany Mills, Artistic Director and Choreog-rapher

Tiffany Mills is a choreographer and artistic director of the NYC-based Tiffany Mills Company. Mills moved to NYC in 1995, and formed Tiffany Mills Company in 2000, earning praise from The New York Times: “Mills is making a name for herself as a young modern-dance innovator.” Recent highlights: The company celebrated its 15th Anniversary Season at LaMama in their La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival (2016). Prior, the company was selected by BAM, in collaboration with the DeVos Institute of Arts Management (DVIAM) at the Kennedy Center, to participate in the inaugural session of BAM’s Professional Development Program, which culminated in a NYC Season at the BAM Fisher (2013). The company’s past collaborative work has been presented at: PICA’s TBA Festival (OR), Wexner Center (OH), Contemporary Dance Theater/NPN (OH), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Residency (MA), Dance Place (DC), Guggenheim Museum Works & Process Series, Duke on 42nd Street, Symphony Space Dance Sampler, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Dancing in the Streets, Joyce SoHo, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Danspace Project’s City/Dans Series, Dance Theater Workshop Fresh Tracks, PS 122 Avant Garde Arama, Movement Research at Judson Church, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, HERE, and in Russia, Italy, Mexico and Canada.

The company holds an annual winter and summer intensive (2006-present). Mills’ guest teaching includes: Trisha Brown Studios, Dance New Amsterdam, Gibney Dance Center, The Playground, Earthdance (MA), Velocity (WA), Conduit (OR), ACDA, universities nationally, and festivals internationally. Mills has received awards, and residencies: NYU’s Tisch Summer Dance Festival (15), CUNY Dance Initiative Residencies (14-15, 17), BAM/DVIAM PDP (12-13), Joyce’s Mellon Anchor Tenant Program (11-16), Baryshnikov Arts Center Residency (10), Dance New Amsterdam Residency (10), Joyce Residency (07-08), Field Residency (08), LMCC Swing Space Residency (08-09, 12), Bogliasco/Jerome Robbins Foundation Fellowships (Italy 07), Help Desk (05-06), HERE’s Artist Residency (02-03), Dance/NYC Artistic Advisory Board (02-03), ACDFA Adjudicator (04, 07, 16), Tribeca Performing Arts Center/LMCC Space Grant (05-06), University of Oregon Alumni Award & Boekhelheide Creativity Award (05 & 06), Bates Dance Festival Emerging Choreographer Award (98).

Funding includes: Asian Cultural Council, Mertz Gilmore (via La MaMa), Evelyn Sharp, Harkness (via HERE), LMCC/FFCC, DCA, BAC/JPMC, BAC/DCA, BAC/NYSCA, BAC/Destination Brooklyn, Bossak/Heilbron, Sorin Charitable Trust, Puffin, MCAF, Meet the Composer, American Music Center, and New Music USA. Mills hails from Eugene, Oregon (BA University of Oregon, MFA Ohio State University).

Jordan Morley, Dancer

Jordan Morley is a skinny man with a wide imagination. He works in the field of the body, creating performance through dance, video, text and puppetry. His work has been shown around the world. Highlights include REDCAT (Los Angeles, CA), Baryshnikov Arts Center (New York, NY), STUFFED at Judson Church/Bailout Theater (New York, NY), Triskelion Arts (Brooklyn, NY), The Museum of Moving Image (Queens, NY), The Detroit Institute of the Arts (Detroit, MI), and Uferstudios (Berlin, DE). He is a recipient of a New Music USA grant with composer John Glover for their work “Snow”. As a dancer he was a member of the original cast of Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More (London, UK/Boston, MA/New York, NY), and has worked with Kyle Abraham/Abraham In Motion, Keely Garfield, Christopher Williams Dance, Ron De Jesus Dance, Wanda Gala, Mira Kingsley, Alexandria Yalj, Jessica Mitrani, Phantom Limb Puppet Company, and Danielle Desnoyers (Montreal, QC). Currently he is working with Amber Sloan and creating a new music, movement, and neon piece with composer Mary Kouyoumdjian. He joined the Tiffany Mills Company in 2015 and is excited to learn new things and create with the company. www.jordanmorley.com

Kenneth Olguin, Dancer

Kenneth Olguin is a Brooklyn-based dance artist and performer. Olguin joined Tiffany Mills Company in Fall 2015 and performed his first evening length work, After the Feast, with the company at La Mama the following spring. Outside of his time at TMC, he deeply invests himself in the sustainability of dance and art making communities. He currently holds the position of Assistant Technical Director at Abrons Arts Center, while continuing as a freelance theater technician and performer. He graduated from Bennington College in 2014 with a BA concentrating in dance and psychology. In college, Olguin studied under and worked with Gwen Welliver, Kota Yamazaki, and Susan Sgorbati, assisting in the development of new works set on students. Since graduating, Olguin attended American Dance Festival’s summer and winter programs where he worked with such artists as Jack Ferver, Netta Yerushalmy and Rosie Herrera. Moving forward, he hopes to continue to invest in and explore the generous and large dance community in NYC.

Nik Owens, Dancer

Nik Owens is from Altadena, California where he began his movement experience with gymnastics at age three and continued at a competitive level until he was 19. He began dancing at Wesleyan University and graduated with a BA in Dance and a certificate in Environmental Studies. He has worked with Nicholas Leichter, Tania Isaac, Kyle Abraham and has performed works by Vanessa Tamburi, The Dance Exchange, Gierre Godley’s Project 44, Mersiha Mesihovic’s Circuit Debris, Helen Simoneau Danse, Abdul Latif’s D2D/T, Raja Kelly’s thefeath3rtheory, and Bryn Cohn + Artists. Nik currently dances with David Dorfman Dance, and is very excited to be working with Tiffany Mills Company.

Emily Pope, Dancer And Rehearsal Assistant

Emily Pope is a performing artist, teacher, choreographer, and video artist. She is an alumnus of the North Carolina School of the Arts (1991). She received her BFA in Dance Performance/Choreography from The Ohio State University (1997, Summa Cum Laude) and her MFA in Dance/Choreography from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts (2007). She has performed/toured with Malcolm Low, johannes wieland, Gerald Casel, Bridget Moore Dance, Chimaera Physical Theater, BalletMet Ohio, Charleston Ballet Theatre, White Wave Young Soon Kim Dance Company, and Hilary Easton + Co. She currently performs with Tamar Rogoff Performance Projects, Douglas Dunn and Dancers, and Tiffany Mills Company. She created HoverBound Productions in 2006, and her choreography and video work has been produced in New York at The DUMBO Dance Festival, Wave Rising Series, Cool NY Festival, St. Mark’s Church, Mulberry Street Theatre, Chez Bushwick, 3rd Ward, and The TANK. She is extremely excited to be a dancer and rehearsal assistant for the Tiffany Mills Company!

Mei Yamanaka, Dancer

Mei Yamanaka is a dancer and choreographer from Japan. She moved to New York in 2008 and has worked and collaborated with artists including: Mark Dendy Projects, Jennifer Archibald, Katy Pyle, Patricia Noworol Dance Theater, Jody Oberfelder, Dai Jian, Palissimo, Oui Danse, Catherine Galasso, among others. Her work has been seen at Fresh Tracks at New York Live Arts, Movement Research at Judson Church, Under Exposed and Crossing Boundaries at Dixon Place, “Take Roots” Series at Green Space, “Collaborations in Dance Festival” and “Split Bill” Series at Triskelion Arts, Mix Festival at HERE, and more. She was a “Fresh Tracks” residency artist at Dance Theater Workshop (now New York Live Arts) in 2010-2011. She was also a residency artist at Chez Bushwick Artist In Residence: Cycle 1, in 2014 at Chez Bushwick. She joined Tiffany Mills Company in 2013 and is really happy to be part of the Company!!! www.meiyamanaka.com