“[A] fantastic cohort of fools””
COMPANY
Hannah Garner
Director, Choreographer, Dancer (she/her)
Hannah, awarded Dance Magazine’s ‘25 to Watch’ in 2020, graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Purchase, earning a BFA in Performance and Composition and a minor in Arts Management. While at Purchase, Hannah performed in works by Adam Barruch, Aszure Barton, Larry Keigwin, Rosalind Newman, Claire Porter, and Nicole Wolcott in addition to one semester dancing abroad at the Beijing Dance Academy. Since graduating, Hannah has worked with Doug Varone, Raja Feather Kelly, Sue Bernhard Danceworks, Megan Williams Dance, and Rovaco Dance Company in venues such as The Joyce Theater, New York City Center, and New York Live Arts. Her work as 2nd Best Dance Company has been commissioned by GroundWorks DanceTheater, Gibney’s ‘dance-mobile’ series, Triskelion Arts, Kizuna Dance, GALLIM x CreateArt, musical artists (Snail Mail, Frankie Cosmos, and Half Waif), the Hartt School, and SUNY Purchase, among others. In addition to her performing work, Hannah finds a creative home in teaching: she is currently on the dance faculty of SUNY Purchase and Gibney Dance Center. She also sits on the Bessie Selection Committee for 2023-2024. Hannah is deeply affected by the weather and how the trains are running. Recent credits for Hannah's choreography, which “tackles topics like death and queer identity through rigorous, inventive movement and wit” (Lauren Wingenroth, Dance Magazine), include residencies at GALLIM and Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, movement direction for Snail Mail band (Valentine European tour, 2022), and a new evening-length production commissioned by Gibney.
Will Noling
Dancer, Rehearsal Director (they/them)
Will is a performer and educator born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. A founding collaborator with 2nd Best, they graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance, having spent a term on exchange at London Contemporary Dance School. Will also serves as Lead Actionist and Partnership Manager for the Hands are for Holding® program at Gibney, facilitating movement workshops for survivors of intimate partner violence and working in NYC schools with young people to promote healthy relationships. Will has also served as an Artistic Associate with Gibney Dance Company, and has performed works by Kyle Abraham, Raja Feather Kelly, Chuck Wilt, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, and Crystal Pite, in venues such as New York Live Arts, Sadler's Wells, and New York City Center. Most recently, Will performed at the Joyce Theater with Doug Varone and Dancers.
Ryan Yamauchi
Dancer, Housewarming Collaborator (he/him)
Ryan was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and began his dance training at the Mid-Pacific Institute School of the Arts. He later moved to New York and received his BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase. Ryan has had the pleasure of dancing with Doug Varone and Dancers, Loni Landon Dance Project, 2nd Best Dance Company, and Sidra Bell Dance New York (Apprentice). He has also performed as a guest dancer with Gibney Dance Company and Santa Barbara Dance Theater. As a choreographer, Ryan has created work for the Mid-Pacific Institute School of the Arts and The Juilliard School.
Courtney Barth
Dancer (she/her/they/them)
Courtney is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, and began her dance training at Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts. She then attended SUNY Purchase where she received her BFA in dance and performed works by Kyle Abraham, Kevin Wynn, Martha Graham and performed as an original cast member of Polaris by Crystal Pite at Sadler’s Wells.Courtney is currently based out of New York City and has worked with Shannon Gillen, Kensaku Shinohara and Loni Landon. She currently works with Doug Varone and Hannah Garner’s 2nd Best Dance Company.
Hsiao-Jou Tang
Dancer (she/her)
Hsiao-Jou was born and raised in Taiwan. In 2008, she graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance. Hsiao-Jou was a company member of Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion (2010-2012) and Doug Varone and Dancers (2012-2019). As a freelance dancer, Hsiao-Jou has had the pleasure of working with John Jasperse, Netta Yerushalmy, Trisha Brown Dance Company, Nancy Bannon, Xan Burley+Alex Springer, Shen Wei Dance Arts, The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Luke Murphy- Attic Projects, and The Pharmacy Project, among others.
GUESTS
pc: Aneva DuBeaux
Céline Maillard
Dancer (she/her)
Céline is a first generation Swiss, Angolan, and Portuguese performing dance artist born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She recently graduated from the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College with a BFA in Dance Performance. While at Purchase, she also studied abroad at Amsterdam University of the Arts in their Expanded Contemporary Dance program. She has performed works by Hannah Garner, Martha Graham, Trisha Brown, Vim Vigor, and Antonin Rioche. She has also attended additional dance training programs with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Hofesh Shechter, B12, and Orsolina28. Céline is very interested in the intersections between dance, theater, text, and film.
pc: Allina Yang
Andrew McShea
Dancer (he/him)
Andrew, originally from Leesburg, VA, began his training in ballet and jazz at the Loudoun School of Ballet. He earned a BFA in Dance from Point Park University, under the direction and mentorship of Rubén Graciani. While in school he performed works by MADBOOTS Dance, Bennyroyce Royon, and George Balanchine. Andrew has worked with DanceWorks Chicago, Gallim Dance, Peter Stathas Dance, and, most recently, Whim W’Him Seattle Contemporary Dance. During his four years with Whim W’Him, Andrew took part in, and performed, new creations by Bret Easterling, Emilie Leriche, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Maurya Kerr, Hannah Garner Joseph Hernandez, FLOCKWorks, Mark Caserta, Rena Butler and many others. He has also shown his own work in Seattle through organizations such as Velocity, CO—, and Cornish College of the Arts. In 2024, Andrew relocated to New York City to begin working as an Artistic Associate with Gibney Company.
pc: Megha Murthy
Taylor Schmuelgen
Grants Consultant (she/her)
Taylor is a Brooklyn based movement artist, arts administrator, and grant writer. She is a fierce advocate for artists and a believer in the ability of the arts to catalyze social and political change. She is curious about where performance belongs (everywhere?) and what it can do for both the people who make it and those who witness it. She is currently the Institutional Advancement Coordinator at The Kitchen and co-producer of THAT SHOW, a multidisciplinary showcase and celebration of early career artists. Taylor is a practitioner of really long walks, waking up early to spend her morning with a good cup of coffee and a book, and trying not to take herself too seriously. She also teaches Pilates. Raised in Austin, Texas, she holds a BFA in Dance with a minor in Arts Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. She uses yee haw unironically, loves breakfast tacos, and makes a decent spicy margarita.
Channce Williams
Dancer, stager (he/him)
Channce is a freelance artist living in New York, born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He is interested in exploring ways of presenting narratives regarding memory, longing, and the accumulation of self via experience. His practice encompasses various elements of performance, poetry, and visual media. He began his training at the Center of Creative Arts and continued his studies at Point Park University, where he received his BFA in Dance in 2020. Throughout his endeavors he has performed both new and restaged works by Kyle Abraham, Hannah Garner (2nd Best Dance Company), Sidra Bell, Martha Nichols, Aszure Barton, and Maxine Doyle, among others. Since graduating he has worked with GroundWorks DanceTheater, Sidra Bell Dance New York, and GALLIM Dance Company, along with a cohort of independent choreographers including Slowdanger, Jaka Pearl Porter, and Demetris Charalambous.
Frequent & Past Collaborators:
Ariel Noltimier Strauss (costume, set, props, design), Alexa Carroll (cinematographer), Eliza Doyle (cinematographer), Ann Noling (director, consultation), Ingrid Holmquist (photographer), Celina Carney (costume), Emily Dean (performer), Keerati Jinakunwiphat (performer), Andrea Farley Shimota (performer), Chelsea Hecht (performer), Taylor Boyland (performer), Imani Simmons (performer), Mitch Christie (performer), Paulina Meneses (performer)
Photos by Ingrid Holmquist,