ABOUT

Dzul Dance fuses dance with aerial arts, contortion and acrobatics as a means to communicate indigenous, pre- Hispanic, Mexican and Latin culture as well as create bridges between contemporary art and historical heritage. By transforming bodies into earthbound and airborne forces of nature Dzul breaks physical and cultural boundaries. This daring and unique company connects the ancient and the modern in order to illuminate the vast array of drama and beauty inherent to the natural world and the human condition.

Dzul Dance was founded by Javier Dzul and Robin Taylor Dzul in 2003. Artistic Director Javier Dzul and his culturally diverse company of performers have been presented throughout New York, Mexico, South America, Europe, Canada, Asia and the Virgin Islands garnering reviews along the way that hail Dzul’s “acrobatic wizardry” (Attitude: The Dancer’s Magazine) and his ability to turn his dancers of “remarkable elasticity” into “creatures of the air as well as of the earth” (The New York Times). His choreographies have been described as “electrifying” by Magazine.Art, “sophisticated and eloquent” by Attitude:The Dancers’ Magazine and “beautiful…extremely effective” by The New York Times.

Dzul Dance’s intense physicality and creative appeal have won them invitations nationally and internationally to perform at a variety of venues that include: the United Nations, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, The Explorer's Club, El Museo del Barrio, Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada), Xcaret (Mexico), Gerald W. Lynch Theater, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Saint Mark’s Church, Kaye Playhouse, CUNY Graduate Center, Baruch Performing Arts Center, American Indian Community House, Dixon Place, Teatro Cancun (Mexico) and Reichold Center for the Arts (USVI). International festivals include; Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland), Mexico Now Festival (NYC), Festival Internacional Cervantino (Mexico), Bard College Summerscape, Mazatlán Cultural Festival (Sinaloa, Mexico), The Open Project (France), Festival de Vida y Muerte (Playa del Carmen, Mexico), Festival Indigena de Puebla (Mexico), Gunvor Festival (Switzerland), Festival Internacional del Centro Historico (Campeche, Mexico), Festival del Arte Contemporaneo (Carmen, Mexico), Muestra Internacional de Danza de Oaxaca (Mexico), Festival Santiago de Queretaro (Mexico), National Dance Week (NYC), Dancers’ Responding To AIDS (NYC), Festival Otonos Culturales en Merida (Yucatan, Mexico), Teatro IATI’s Performing Arts Marathon (NYC), Latin Choreographer’s Festival (NYC), and Performing the World.

Dzul has created performances for a number of corporations and production groups that include:

Columbia Productions, Bloomberg, El Financiero, Latin Grammy Week (NYC), Canadian International Bank (Canada), Conde Nast, Mexican Tourism Board (NYC), Pineda Covalin (Mexico), Wild Bird Fund (NYC), Whirl Inc. (Canada), Em Polham (NYC/Korea), NYC Big Events, EZ Paisano (CA) and Xcaret (Mexico).

The Company is also widely supported and promoted by several Hispanic and Mexican organizations including: United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce (Northeast chapter), Adelante: JPMorgan’s Hispanic/ Latino Employee Network, Mexican Board of Tourism, Mexican Cultural Institute of New York, Mano a Mano, Government of the State of Campeche and Campeche Tourism Board.

Dzul has collaborated with a variety of artists. Among them, Artist Rafael Vargas-Suarez, Composer Stephen Barber, Guatemalan composer and musician Sergio Reyes, Columbian singer/songwriter Lucia Pulido, award winning photojournalist Acey Harper, fashion photographer Tim Petersen, Mexican American photographer and videographer Rojelio Rodriguez, internationally acclaimed vocalist Sussan Deyhim, Ecuadorian visual artist Pablo Caviedes, Native American composer Jesse Benevides, sound/image artist Jacob Robinette and award winning filmmaker and human rights activist Rebecca Sommer.

The Company

Artistic Director and Dancers

In the 20 years that Dzul Dance has been performing, the company has been comprised of incredible and diverse artists. Each generation of dancers leaves inspiration for the next, and the company is grateful for the opportunity to build upon the legacy of Dzul Dance. Below is a list of the current company dancers.

Artistic Director

Javier Dzul

Artistic Director Javier Dzul grew up in the jungles of southern Mexico performing Mayan ritual dance until the age of 16. Formal dance training began at the Universidad de Veracruz at which time he also became a principal dancer with Ballet Nacional de Mexico and Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. Javier then received a scholarship to study at Ballet Nacional de Cuba where he remained until 1989. In 1989 Javier was awarded another scholarship by Martha Graham to study at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Since his arrival in New York Javier has worked with numerous dance companies. He performed primarily with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Pearl Lang Dance Theater, Battery Dance Company, Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, American Indian Dance Theater. He has performed as a guest artist with Acroback and Red Sky Productions (Canada). In 1995 Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (FONCA) of Mexico awarded Javier a scholarship to pursue his dance career in the United States. Javier began choreographing and performing his own work in 1999. He established Dzul Dance in 2003.

In 2009 Javier became the founder and director of Compania de Danza Contemporanea y Aerea del Gobierno del Estado de Campeche; a dance and aerial company funded by Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA) of Mexico and the Government of Campeche. That same year the government of Campeche (Yucatan) awarded Javier el Premio de San Fransisco, an outstanding lifetime achievement award, for raising international awareness about Mayan culture.

Javier and his company have been featured by National Public Radio, Univision’s Despierta America, American Latino, Bloomberg TV, NY1 & CUNY TV. They can also be seen in photographer Acey Harper’s Private Acts: the acrobat sublime, published by Rizzoli in September 2010.

Dancer

Ricardo G. Barrett

Ricardo G. Barrett attended the American Musical and Dramatic Arts Academy. He continued his training at the Martha Graham School as a member of Graham 2. He was a member of the second Company for three years and then a dancer with the Martha Graham Company for two years. This is his fourth year with Dzul Dance.

Dancer

Kine Darnell-Swensson

Born in Bergen, Norway, Kine studied at the National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam. She has been in productions with companies such as The Dutch National Ballet and Ajkun Ballet. This is her first season with Dzul Dance.

Company Manager/Dancer/Aerialist

Andrea Dusel

Andrea was born in Wyoming and has been dancing since the age of five. She holds her BA in Dance from UNC Charlotte and her MS in Exercise Science from Pennsylvania Western University. Andrea has been fortunate to perform in beautiful locations around the world, including New York, Mexico, and Copenhagen. This is her fifth season with Dzul Dance.

Dancer

Federico Garcia

Federico is a dancer, performer, and Pilates instructor in the New York City area. Originally from New Mexico, he began studying ballet as a teenager and eventually transitioned into modern and contemporary dance in college. He has been dancing with Dzul Dance for ten years.

Guest Dancer/Aerialist

Itzkan Dzul Barbosa

Itzkan Dzul Barbosa is a former member of NY Theater Ballet and a former dancer with Miami City Ballet. Itzkan has recently joined BalletX for their 23/24 season. She has performed for two seasons with Dzul Dance.

Dancer

Cassandra Punzo

Cassandra began as a gymnast then transitioned to a ballet education at The Nutmeg Conservatory, with further training under the Bolshoi Ballet in NYC and a traineeship with Charlotte Ballet. She has performed with professional classical and contemporary, ballroom, and Graham companies across the US and finally calls NYC her home. She joined Dzul Dance in fall of 2023.