Movement Artist, Dance Educator.
EdM, BFA, RYT-200
CHOREOGRAPHY
My artistic interest lies at the intersection of improvisation and dance theatre to create engaging and meaningful work. My process draws heavily upon the connection between dance and the human experience, relating abstract concept to concrete and physical expressions of emotion. My physicality in choreography relies on flow and floorwork to create dynamic movement defined by intricate musicality. My backgrounds in ballet and gymnastics intertwine to produce movement that is highly physical and defines the dancers as communicators of power and strength, while simultaneously juxtaposing their movement language with aspects of comedy as a motif.
"down the rabbit hole" garners its inspiration from diverse media including Alice in Wonderland, and "Five Characters in Search of an Exit," an episode of the classic 1960s series, "The Twilight Zone." The piece juxtaposes the interaction between six dancers, a classical sound score, and pedestrian movement to explore a sense of light comedy and irony through movement.
"down the rabbit hole"
Choreographer: Kerry Zak, in collaboration with the dancers
Performers: Juliana Martino, Jess Michal, Michayla Pannullo, Emily Penkethman, Anne Tantuico, Elena Yasin
Music: “Boléro" by Maurice Ravel, performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Lighting Design: Cara Stine
"In Repair" is a Senior Solo choreographed to reflect a sense of disconnection from reality and numbness as an emotional defense to loss. The sound score was the product of a collaboration with New Jersey artist, Russell Hayden.
"In Repair" (BFA Senior Solo)
Choreographer/Performer: Kerry Zak
Music by Russell Hayden
Lighting Design: Andrea Tempkin
"Dance Me to the End" was created for the Senior Class of 2021 at the Grunin Performing Arts Academy. The piece was taught via Zoom to two separate cohorts as well as virtual students and combined for a final performance in May 2021. The piece melds 4 different influences of Jazz in its movement vocabulary, including theatre/"concert" jazz, contemporary jazz, jazz funk/house, and finally, paying homage to the African roots of Jazz in its penultimate section. The styles are woven together through the common thread of Jazz' instinctive connection to the human spirit and plays upon themes of femininity, dedicated to the composition of an all-female senior class that triumphed in the face of adversity in the educational setting.