ERIEL SANTAGADO

Associate Artistic Director

Eriel Santagado, co-founder and Associate Artistic Director of ~mignolo dance~, started dancing at the age of 2 and grew up as a competitive dancer, winning two national titles at American Dance Awards. She recently graduated from the Honors College at Rutgers University with a major in evolutionary anthropology, a minor in dance at Mason Gross School of the Arts, and was a competitive gymnast on the Division 1 gymnastics team. She choreographs and performs alongside her sister, Charly, in numerous dance festivals and has presented at many venues around the tristate area including Triskelion Arts, Suzanne Roberts Theater, HERE Arts Center, Dixon Place, Wild Project, Gibney, and Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning. Find her on Instagram @erielgs.

brian curry

Brian Curry is a singer/songwriter, photographer, videographer, and environmental designer. A a founding member of alt/folk band Cold Weather Company, he has performed in seventeen states (and one strange night in Canada) in support of the group’s four full-length albums. Brian began collaborating with mignolo in the spring of 2020 when he filmed DeEschatology. He has since filmed and photographed multiple projects including Arcadia, Manifested Destiny, mise en abyme, Self-Help, and Soldier Island. He is currently contributing both music and visual content for mignolo’s Visitor Parking, a new immersive piece in an industrial setting. Brian also provided props for multiple projects via his solo creative effort, Haven & Hazard, a multimedia, interdisciplinary arts endeavor seeking to find purpose in his penchant for hoarding and restoring antique trinkets, gizmos and doo-dads.

BAILEY BENOOT

Bailey Benoot is a movement artist and choreographer from Detroit, Michigan. She graduated summa cum laude in 2019 with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Creative Writing at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. She has performed at Dixon Place, Ailey Citigroup Theater, Triskelion Arts, the Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out stage, Judson Church, and the Kennedy Center among other venues. In her collegiate career, she performed works by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Mark Morris, Christian Von Howard, and Chien-Ying Wang. She has premiered her own work at Spoke the Hub’s Winter Follies showcase, the ACDA Northeast Conference, as well as various showcases at Mason Gross School of the Arts. In addition to working as a dancer, Bailey does costume and lighting design for ~mignolo~. Find her on Instagram @unclechilliwhiskers.

NATHAN FORSTER

Since leaving California, Nathan Forster has taken root in New Jersey. After receiving a BA in Theatre from Drew University, Nathan danced for choreographers Nina Haft, Michael J. Lee, Stephanie Beauchamp, Marissa Aucoin, and Loretta Fois; and acquired an AFA in Dance from Raritan Valley Community College. Currently Nathan dances for Mignolo Dance of Metuchen, is the founding artistic director of ReFrame Dance Theatre, and teaches Modern Dance for Mignolo Dance and West Jersey Youth Ballet. Previously, he has been a resident artist with Mignolo Arts, served as a guest artist for Middlesex College, has had his choreography featured at Liberty Hall Dance Festival, and has self produced his own site based projects around NJ. His work has been described as surreal, transformative, and “everything you need in a good gumbo at a fancy restaurant.” Personal goal is to become a redwood and adopt more cats. Find him on Instagram @NathanFoFayfan and @ReFrameDanceTheatre.

MIKAYLA RUSSO

Mikayla Russo is from Howell, New Jersey, and received her BFA in dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts in 2020. She has worked with choreographers such as Stephanie Batten Bland and Shannon Gillen, and has performed repertoire from Bill T. Jones and Yin Yue Dance Company. Find her on Instagram at @mikay.rae.

KAROLINA HOLMSTROM

Karolina Holmstrom, originally from Parsippany, NJ, holds a BFA in dance performance from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2019 and holds a membership with the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. At Rutgers, she worked with choreographers and artists such as Cleo Mack, Netta Yerushalmy, Randy James, David Torres, Blair Ritchie, Pam Tanowitz, Ani Javian, and Lauren Grant of the Mark Morris Dance Group. Her choreographic works have been performed in student concerts at Rutgers and professional showcases in New York and New Jersey. In 2016, she received her 200HR vinyasa yoga teaching certification through Om Factory and now teaches private clients. Karolina currently dances with ~mignolo dance~ and 78moves in both repertory works and dance films. In addition to being a dancer, Karolina is the Executive Director of ~mignolo dance~. Find her on Instagram @karolinah75.