Pentacle’s Career Development programs aim to cultivate the next generation of arts leaders. Pentacle’s Arts Administration Internship Program stands firm in extending a nurturing hand to arts entities and young professionals in New York City. Congratulations to the latest graduates of the Arts Administration Internship Program!
Spring 2023 Cohort – Welcome to the Alumni Network!
For the past three months, we’ve paired 10 incredible up-and-coming arts administration interns with participating performing arts companies–check them out below! We are thrilled to be a part of their career journey and look forward to witnessing their ongoing work in the arts administration field.
Alana Rajah
+ Pentacle
Born in the beautifully diverse, twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Alana Rajah is a Bharatanatyam performer and teacher. She was first introduced to Bharatanatyam at the age of six years in Trinidad but formally commenced her training at the world-renowned Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts, Kalakshetra Foundation, in Tamil Nadu, India where she graduated in 2014. For the past eight years, she has been the Artistic Director at her Non-Profit dance organization, Adavallan Art Academy, where she continues to teach and nurture the performing arts. She believes that individuals would find it easy to lead healthier lives, become better human beings, and more importantly achieve happiness for themselves as this art form can inspire that desire. She has directed and scripted major productions entitled: Omkara (An Auspicious Beginning), Kama (Desire), The Inner Child (Highlighting Mental Health Issues) and Sat Chit Ananda (Truth Consciousness Bliss) and has also worked extensively with The Ministry of Arts & Culture, The Indian High Commission and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Co-Operation in Trinidad and Tobago. She continues to work on educating herself as well as spreading awareness of the Indian Classical Arts in an attempt to highlight its importance and relevance in these modern times.
Alaysia Jourdain
+ Dan Froot & Company
Alaysia Alexis Jourdain is a dancer, actor, choreographer and director. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently a senior studying at SUNY Fredonia in the hopes of obtaining a BA in theater arts as well as a BFA in dance. At school she is learning the basics of dance making and how to become a true artist. Alaysia believes that dance is for all bodies and encourages inclusivity and diversity in every project she participates in. She hopes to continue to become a prominent figure in the dance world so she can prove that dance is for everybody.
Brianna Rivera
+ Dancers Unlimited
Originally from New Jersey, Brianna started her dancing career at the age of three. Following a move to Virginia, Brianna trained at the Dance Academy of Loudoun and Studio Bleu Dance Center where she danced competitively from age seven to seventeen. Her formal training includes Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Musical Theatre, Contemporary/Lyrical, and Acrobatics. In 2010, Brianna was honored to be awarded the Teri and Shari Malone Foundation Award for Dance Excellence. After graduating high school Brianna attended Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA to pursue a career in dance, where she began her training in modern technique. Through the VCU School of the Arts she received her B.F.A in Dance & Choreography; including a Minor in Media Studies in May 2018, under the direction of Dr. Gaynell Sherrod. Throughout her college career, Brianna performed in numerous works created by faculty and guest artists such as: Autumn Proctor Waddell, Dr. Gaynell Sherrod, Eric Rivera, Melanie Richards, Dawn Marie Bazemore, and Helen Simoneau. In addition, she collaborated with her fellow students to create pieces where she was the performer, the choreographer, or both.She has worked with multiple choreographers on projects presented at Dumbo Dance Festival, Fertile Ground, APEX- Peridance, RAW Artists, and Boston Contemporary Dance Festival. Brianna has worked on film sets for, “Honor Amongst Thieves” (movie), “One thing is certain: a dance film”, and on Mr. Chicken’s music video “Never Could”. Brianna is currently a company member of Barkin/Selissen Dance Project, Nuevo Tango Ballet, and continues to reside in NYC.
Jessica Alexander
+ MALACARNE
Jessica is a dancer, administrator, and Pilates instructor currently based in Brooklyn, NY. After studying at Purchase College, SUNY, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Jessica began dancing professionally in New York, San Francisco, and Durham, North Carolina. The joy she felt producing outdoor shows during the pandemic led her to apply for Pentacle’s Internship Program and she is grateful to learn and be supported through the program.
Melike Konur
+ A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
Melike Konur is a musical creative, mother and arts administrator with over 15 years in the music industry as a performer, contractor and as a business owner. She has been a featured guest artist on national TV syndications from FOX’s “Benimle Soyle” to The Turkish Voice. Melike Konur is a mission driven artist that is most passionate about developing socially engaged performing arts programming. Her work in progress for a MA in Arts Management and Entrepreneurship from The New School includes developing a workshop to stage pathway program that is supportive of Black performing artists that M/other and as the executive intern for the socially impactful dance company, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham.
Stephanie Schramm
+ EMERGE125
Stephanie Schramm is a tri-state area artist, mover, creator, administrator, and stage manager. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in May 2022 with a B.A. in dance, a B.A. in psychology and a minor in business. Through her undergraduate and post-graduate work, she has had substantial arts administration experience, most recently for Brooklyn-based dance company, Hivewild as an associate producer for their dance film, a sigh of origin. She is currently an intern for NY-based dance company EMERGE125 through Pentacle’s arts administration internship program. She has stage managed three live dance performances at UMass Amherst and was the assistant stage manager for three of Vanguard Theater Company’s musical theater productions. Stephanie looks forward to continuing her career in arts administration and production management. Long term, Stephanie aims to integrate her passion for movement and body-mind healing by returning to school for dance/movement therapy and obtaining her yoga teacher certification.
Carla Perez
+ LEIMAY (CAVE Organization, Inc.)
Bio unavailable.
Not pictured:
Swati Prasad Pyda + Dance/NYC
Khenya Bridgewater + Alison Clancy
Jill Reitzel + Artichoke Dance Company
Guest Speakers & Companies
10 Performing Arts companies were selected to participate in this tailored, structured internship program, receiving 80 hours of assistance from one of the 2023 Spring Interns. Selected interns attend weekly professional development seminars with Pentacle staff and guest speakers. Interns are matched with artistic entities according to their mutually-defined goals and previous experience.
guest speakers
Conrhonda Baker, Development
Jamie Benson, Integrated Digital Marketing
Miranda Dahl, Event Production
Davalois Fearon, Effective Community Outreach
Sandy Garcia, Booking & Touring
Alex Goleman, Fiscal Reports & Budgeting
Ethan Messere, Grantwriting Do’s & Don’ts
Clarissa Soto Josephs, Nonprofits: Creating An Infrastructure
participating companies
A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham
Alison Clancy
Artichoke Dance Company
Dance/NYC
Dancers Unlimited
Dan Froot & Company
EMERGE 125
LEIMAY (CAVE Organization, Inc.)
MALACARNE
Pentacle
How Can I Apply For An Intern for 2024?
“Having the support of interns with so many of our ongoing administrative tasks really helps the organization to advance. I have met wonderful new talent through this program and hope to participate again in the future.”
–Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre, Fall 2020
Questions may be directed to Brittany Couch at education@pentacle.org.