Admin Team

Candice Taylor

[Co-Artistic Director]

Candice Taylor, born and raised in Boston Massachusetts. She began her dance training in high school at Boston Arts Academy, where she was trained in Ballet, Modern, Tap, Jazz, and African. She continued her studies at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts. After receiving her bachelor’s she went on to work for Disney Cruise Line as a character performer. In 2017, she moved to New York and since then she has worked with artists such as Bill T. Jones, Sidra Bell, Tweet Boogie and many more. Candice has also done commercial work with Paula Abdul and film work with Comedy Central. Since joining Dancers Unlimited in 2019, she has helped establish collaborative relationships with organizations such as Brooklyn Grange. She enjoys using dance as a way of connecting with humans and communicating and exchanging feelings, ideas, and philosophies.

In 2020, she began Catch A Vibe, which is a pop-up dance improvisation session based in different neighborhoods in New York. It is a safe space that is curated to explore movement through various prompts that are meant to challenge the minds and bodies of the participants. She wishes to continue to use movement as a vessel for cultivating change. Her body is her voice and she feels it is her duty to speak as loud as possible.

Lian Kizner

[Company Manager]

Lian Kizner is a dancer, choreographer, director, and arts administrator who debuted 17 years ago at Studio E in Queens, New York. She graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor's Degree in Dance and Psychology, and shortly after became the Co-Founding Artistic Director of SteLi Dance Company. Lian’s keen eye for character interpretation and direction earned her the Choreography award from Lehman College, before they invited her to choreograph for their department. Invited to multiple virtual performances through 2020, as well as co-producing NoMad Dance Festival in 2021, SteLi Dance Company leverages their platform to both contribute to the creative canon and invest in community equality efforts. Lian’s expertise graces the stage through her distinctive blend of style and the character development achieved through precisely choreographed movement. Since 2019, Lian has been the Administrative Coordinator for Dancers Unlimited and has now claimed the title as Company Manager. Lian has a deep passion for the arts and exploring the beauty of the human experience.

Keala Fung

[Hawaii Coordinator]

Keala has a combined total of 20 years of formal training in classical and contemporary ballet, with a BA in Dance from the University of California, Irvine. She has since explored many other disciplines of dance and movement such as latin partner dances, burlesque, swing, aerial dance, Pilates, barre fitness, and capoeira. She has toured and performed in various Tango, Burlesque, Salsa, and Contemporary dance companies and productions in Los Angeles, Honolulu and NYC. She currently dances for Tau Dance Theater, and teaches and performs burlesque with Honolulu’s Cherry Blossom Cabaret, and freelances as a performing artist. Her favorite thing about being a member of Dancers Unlimited is the exploration of movement in a vast varieties of styles and disciplines, as well as creating meaningful experiences with a fantastic group of humans.

 
Damanique Castro[Intern]Damanique Castro is a student doing her AS in Graphic Design and is the Social Media Marketing intern. Since 2010, she has performed for school events and numerous dance showcases in the Bronx as a self-taught dancer and choreographer. When it comes to working with people, Damanique is incredibly creative and inviting. She's been passionate about graphic design since she was a teenager, and her love of music has encouraged many young women to know what they love and bringing it to life.

Damanique Castro

[Creative Collaborator]

Damanique Castro is a student doing her AS in Graphic Design and is the Social Media Marketing intern. Since 2010, she has performed for school events and numerous dance showcases in the Bronx as a self-taught dancer and choreographer. When it comes to working with people, Damanique is incredibly creative and inviting. She's been passionate about graphic design since she was a teenager, and her love of music has encouraged many young women to know what they love and bringing it to life.

 
Hannah Azouz [Grant Writer]Hannah Azouz uplifts grassroots movements, community resilience, and sustainability efforts through her creative writing outlet of grant writing. Hannah found the need for grant writers during her time working in environme…

Hannah Azouz

[Grant Writer]

Hannah Azouz uplifts grassroots movements, community resilience, and sustainability efforts through her creative writing outlet of grant writing. Hannah found the need for grant writers during her time working in environmental nonprofits, after solidifying her writing skills through her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Earth Science from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Hannah loves to push projects forward from behind the scenes collaborations. Her full heart goes into her work as each client shares their visions, mission, and goals for their organizations. Hannah translates the ideas of her clients onto paper for grant funding opportunities for nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals alike.

 

Milerka Rodriguez

[Development Intern]

Milerka, also known as “Mile” (ME-leh), is an ARTrepreneur from New York. Music, movement, and writing are her expression tools of choice; tools she uses to find balance living as a Dominican-American woman in a complex world. In recent years, she has been on spiritual, self-healing, and decolonization journeys that inform her work and views on life. Dance has always been one of Milerka’s favorite things to do. Unfortunately, she did not have the opportunity to take classes or lessons growing up, nor did she have access to any underground groups to learn from. Instead, she freestyle in her home, taught herself techniques using online videos, and created her own choreographed pieces with friends & classmates. As a dancer, Milerka continues her training in New York City excelling in street styles like: Hip-hop, Vogue, Waacking, and house, as well as other rhythmic styles such as Afrobeat and Dancehall. She has performed throughout the Westchester and NYC areas, as well as internationally at Riu resorts in Jamaica. Milerka has worked with the likes of Excel Garner, Tavia and Tamara of Brukwine, Derek Mitchell, Gigi Torres, Jamal Josef, and Charles Smith. She is also a member of dance companies like Hip Hop Theory The company led by Christina Cruz, and Les Ballet Afrik led by the legendary Omari Wiles. As a teacher, she has taught dance to all ages in public schools and studios like Broadway Dance Center and Peridance Capezio Center, and has taught workshops domestically and internationally for companies like Pizarts and ABT. As a choreographer, she produces original works with positive messages, and a purpose driven agenda.

 

Jennifer Riess

[IT & Mobile App Manager]

Jennifer Riess is our IT & Mobile Apps Manager who got her start in development and design at a coding bootcamp in 2018, and has since taught herself all things web including e-commerce platforms, databases, no code mobile applications and more.

Jennifer found that her interest in design, technology, problem-solving and helping startups and entrepreneurs came together in the field of Web Development.

She loves to help others and continues to research the latest trends, business models, and software to further help her clients with their digital needs.