02/02/2026
In preparation for DanceNOW 2026, VCUarts Dance sat down with our guest choreographer, Founder and VCUarts Dance Alumni, Jelani Taylor (BFA ‘19) to discuss his piece Midnight Offering
DanceNOW 2026 will take place February 19-21, 2026 at the Grace Street Theatre at 7:30pm nightly. Tickets available using the Linktree in bio 🔗
Watch the full video on VCU Performing Arts YouTube channel, available in our Linktree
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Video Credits:
Video by Jacqui Ris & Jacob Schwartz
Choreography by Jelani Taylor
Assistant Choreographer Taylor Bonadies
Rehearsal Assistant Kate Lingo
Music by Chet Frierson and C.J. Alicea
Performers include Jemiah Alex, Liesl Berckmueller, Henry Carroll, Abby Clark, Kayden Conover, Cara Cristaldi, Hannah Devenie, Mahari Dow, Zoe Fisher, Laila Gaddist, Ella Garcia, Aiyana Jenkins, Madisyn Littlejohn, Andrea Mendez, Alannah O’Hern, Sophia Pimentel Yoder, Nia Ricks, Aniyah Scott, Ari Stephens, and Ney Wilson.
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About Jelani Taylor:
Jelani Taylor is a dancer, choreographer, and arts administrator from Virginia Beach currently working out of New York City. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of ERA Dance Company and the Coordinator for the Artists of Color Council for Movement Research. Jelani’s choreography has been presented nationally at Inside/Out at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Danspace Project’s Draftwork, the National Dance Society Conference (NDS), and various festivals in Virginia and New York City. He has performed in work by Nathan Trice, Sinclair O’Gaga, and Mariah Lopez. Jelani and ERA Dance Company were artist/company in residence at Norfolk State University and a part of the Digging in Group, Artist Residency program at Green Space Studio. He is currently a 2024/25 Performance Project Fellow at University Settlement. Jelani graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a B.F.A in Dance and Choreography in 2019. While at VCU, Jelani was the recipient of the African American Studies Department’s “Black History in the Making” Award.
