MARIANA BEKERMAN (Founder/Artistic Director/Choreographer) was born in the Ukraine and emigrated with her family to NYC in 1979. After graduating from LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts, she received her BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1996. While in school, Bekerman danced for Ann Reinking and studied with other well-known choreographers: Parsons Dance, Doug Varone, Bebe Miller, David Dorfman, Sean Curran, Doug Elkins, Shapiro & Smith, Gus Solomons jr, Tere O’ Connor, Elisa King, Deborah Zall, Penny Frank, among others. She also began presenting her own work, which inspired her to pursue the art of choreography. After receiving her degree, Bekerman danced and choreographed for various companies, resorts, choreographers, off-off Broadway plays and music artists. She performed with Pink Inc. Performance Co., Seeddance Company and choreographed “resort-style” shows at an all-inclusive resort near Cancun, Mexico for a year. Upon her return to NYC in 1998, free-lancing as both a dancer and choreographer, she choreographed for The Ballad of Keshanli Ali at Tribeca PA Center, and continued to danced for various New York-based choreographers. Bekerman also danced and choreographed for various music artists, rehearsed with mime teacher Richmond Shepard and danced for an independent film, Altar Dance, directed by Joe Clifford.

In her previous life as a top vogue dancer, Mariana emerged from the underground scene with trophies in hand and a strong movement style that she incorporates into her current choreography. In 2000, she founded MBDC and began to make work that fused eight years of classical training in ballet and modern-jazz with New York City’s club dancing cultures: underground house and vogue, along with references to hip-hop and break dancing. To date, Mariana has choreographed over sixteen original dances for the Mariana Bekerman Dance Company, presented her work at over 30 venues and festivals and self-produced four dance concerts. In addition, she continues to free-lance as a dancer/ choreographer for other artists and productions. Taro is Mariana’s fifth self-produced work in New York City.