Choreography_
Robert Mark Burke

Original Music_
Eric Dietz Mark Sanderlin

Performance_
Derek Crescenti Mary Lyn Graves Sarah Hillmon Sarah Housepian
Erin Love Jared McAboy Allegra Persico Sabatino A. Verlezza

Across six pieces, Robert Mark Dance explores how we carry grief, choose connection and recognize ourselves in one another. Newly commissioned works meet returning repertory in a program shaped by dynamic movement, original music and deeply personal storytelling. Years in the making, these two performances bring together artists whose history, trust and shared curiosity live in every moment onstage.

ARTISTS FIRSTS | ARTIST FORWARD

It’s more than a phrase. It is the philosophy behind how we work.

Every decision begins with one question: What do our artists need to do their best work?
Fair compensation. Professional rehearsal space. Company class. Costumes that fit. Time together.

More than half of the production’s $40,000 budget directly supports artist compensation.

Because extraordinary dance begins long before the curtain rises. It begins with artists who are trusted, respected and supported.

Help us create the conditions where artists can thrive and the work can move forward.

The Artists_

Robert Mark Burke_choreographer
Choreographer and performer Robert Mark Burke (he/him) has worked with 10 Hairy Legs, Megan Williams Dance Projects, Pascal Rioult, among others and is currently a member of the Lucinda Childs Dance Company. Burke has been a guest choreographer and instructor at Marymount Manhattan College, Rutgers University, Montclair State University and Rider University. He has taught professional and collegiate workshops both nationally and internationally, including in South Africa and the Cayman Islands.

As Artistic Director of Robert Mark Dance, Burke has presented his work across the US, including South Orange Performing Arts Center, the wild project, Dixon Place, Paramount Theater (Boston), Hofstra University, Rutgers University, Rider University, Dance New Amsterdam, Jersey City Theater Center and New Jersey Performing Arts Center. His choreographic accolades include the 2015 Dance on the Lawn Emerging Choreographer Grant (under the direction of Charmaine Warren), the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Jersey (New) Moves Fellowship (2015 and 2017), the 2016 CoLab Arts Space Grant, and the 2017 Eryc Taylor Emerging Choreography Grant. In 2020, Robert was awarded the New Jersey State Council of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship in Choreography, which has allowed him to continue working with his dancers virtually during the pandemic. In 2022, Robert Mark Dance presented its first New York Season at Culture Lab LIC in Long Island City, Queens. That same year, Robert Mark Burke and Eric Dietz received an O’Donnell Green Music and Dance Foundation commissioning grant for their collaboration, “Dawned”. @robertmarkburke @robertmarkdance

Eric Dietz_composer
Eric Dietz is a composer, lyricist, and writer working across dance, theater and film.
Dance credits include original scores for Robert Mark Dance’s Dawned* (published as “The Dark Dances”) and Shadow Dance*, RAWdance’s Veneer and Echo (premiering in 2026), Olivia Palacios’s film girl in summer, Derek Crescenti’s Converge (published as “Two Ways Out: Shapes for Piano”), and The Chase Brock Experience’s Come Home*, Dancing in My Head (commissioned by Works & Process at the Guggenheim), The Girl with the Alkaline Eyes* (original scenario and score) and Strange Flower (premiering in 2027). *Works produced with commissioning support from the O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation.
BFA in music composition, Carnegie Mellon University.
ericdietz.com 

Mark Sanderlin_composer
Mark Sanderlin is a multi-disciplinary artist based in New York City. His work has appeared on stage and screen, and everywhere from small cabarets to EDM festivals. As a songwriter, his music has been streamed over 60 million times, and been heard on NBC’s Songland and Netflix’s Lucifer. Most recently, he composed and produced music for the immersive audiobook production of Wait For Me by Amy Jo Burns (Macmillan Audio) starring Broadway’s Patti Murin. Dance works: Out of the void; Into new light (Robert Mark Burke); Petalrosa (Matt Pardo).

Derek Crescenti_dancer
Derek Crescenti is a creative artist whose work is shaped by his experiences performing with choreographers Donald Byrd, Larry Keigwin, Mark Morris, David Parker, and Megan Williams, as well as with the repertory company 10 Hairy Legs. He can currently be found on stage dancing with the companies of Chase Brock, Daniel Gwirtzman, and Robert Mark Burke. Derek is a rehearsal associate and stager for Donald Byrd and Larry Keigwin, and has presented original works at the LVDE SpringUP Dance Festival (PA), Men in Dance Choreographer's Showcase (WA), the Seattle International Dance Festival, and WestFest Top Floor (NYC). Derek holds a BFA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from the University of Washington, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at Montclair State University.

Mary Lyn Graves_dancer
Mary Lyn Graves (she/her) is a dancer and teacher. Her performance credits include Lucinda Childs Dance Company, Megan Williams Dance Projects, and the Mark Morris Dance Group, as well as works by Robert Mark Burke, Joanna Kotze, Thryn Saxon, and Helene Simoneau. From 2012-2018 she danced with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, originating roles in over 25 works and touring across the US and internationally. As a teacher, Mary Lyn specializes in facilitating movement exploration with young dancers. She is a faculty member of Ballet Tech and PS 56 in Brooklyn. A sixth-generation Oklahoman, Mary Lyn is from Tulsa, OK.

Sarah Hillmon_dancer
Sarah Hillmon is a native of Rochester, NY. There, she trained with Garth Fagan, Timothy M. Draper, and the Rochester City Ballet. She graduated with a BFA in Dance from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where she had the privilege of performing works by talented artists including Sidra Bell, Lucinda Childs, Gus Solomons Jr, and Charles Weidman. While in New York, Sarah has worked with artists such as Solange Knowles, and has danced for Lucinda Childs Dance Company, Mark Morris Dance Group, Robert Mark Dance, Suzanne Beahrs Dance, BodyStories, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company and DanceBoissiere. Sarah Hillmon appears courtesy of the Mark Morris Dance Group.

Sarah Housepian_dancer
Originally from Southern California, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from California State University of Fullerton. In New York City, she has engaged with BARE Dance Company (Mike Esperanza), Battery Dance Company, Brian Brooks Moving Company, YY Dance Company (Yin Yue), Michelle Thompson Ulerich, Erica Essner Performance Co-Op, Indelible Dance, 10 Hairy Legs Projects, NOW Dance Project, Shawn Bible Dance Co, Gabrielle Lamb, Spark Movement Collective, Rutkay Ozpinar, Damani Pompey, Dolly Sfeir, Ana Maria Lucaciu, Tsai-Hsi Hung, Christopher Núnez, Tadej Brdnik, and Julia Ehrstrand. She has toured, performed, and conducted workshops in over 20 different countries. 

Erin Love_dancer
Erin Love is originally from Hawaii, where she trained at Honolulu Dance Theater and at Mid Pacific Institute School of the Arts. She earned a BA in History from Whittier College before returning to Hawaii to become a dance educator. Since moving to NYC in 2012 she has been a company member with BARE Dance Company, and working as a freelance artist with several other companies including Robert Mark Dance, Dalit Ahava & Dancers, Shawn Bible Dance Co., Bom Diggs, The Wolfe Project, Metaphors & Similes, and TREES collective.

Jared McAboy_dancer
Jared McAboy, originally from Kent, Washington, holds a BFA in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Since moving to New York in 2013, he has danced professionally for Jennifer Muller/The Works and 10 Hairy Legs, and performed works by José Limón, Larry Keigwin, Megan Williams, Yin Yue, and Chase Brock, among many others. Alongside his performance work with Robert Mark Dance, Jared teaches dance across the Tri-State Area, sharing his expertise in a variety of styles.

Allegra Persico_dancer
Allegra Persico received her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from East Carolina University where she received the “Mavis Ray Award for Achievement in Dance Arts” in 2021. During her time there she performed in works choreographed by Merce Cunningham, Andrea Guajardo, John Dixon, David Ingram, Eimile Davis, and Mackenzie Simons. She also completed Trinity Laban Dance Summer School’s Hofesh Shechter repertory workshop (London, UK) and STRUT Dance’s Crystal Pite Master Workshop (Perth, AU) in 2019. Currently, she is a freelance dance artist in New York.

Sabatino A. Verlezza_executive director_dancer
Sabatino A. Verlezza began his dance training at a young age and earned his BFA in Dance from Kent State University. He joined RIOULT Dance NY in 2012 and went on to build a full career as a professional dancer.

After stepping away from full-time performance in 2020, he transitioned into project management and earned his PMP® certification. He currently serves as Director of Planning & Business Operations at Little Spoon, a modern baby and kids food brand reimagining how families feed their children, from first bottle through the big-kid years.

Sab is thrilled to return to the stage with Robert Mark Dance, performing alongside longtime peers and collaborators while supporting the company’s continued artistic and organizational growth.