Elliott Ortiz
Artistic Director
He is a Venezuelan-American choreographer and producer with formal education in Theater Management & Producing, and extensive training in ballet, jazz, modern dance, and drama. He has brought years of leadership experience and deep knowledge of producing, staging, promoting dance events to the collective.
He is an instinctive and curious spectator who questions and challenges the contradictions between reality and his own observations. He got attention from critics with his piece Future Imperfect (2005) for D.T.W. (Dance Theater Workshop) in NYC, a dance piece that explored themes of cultural identities, exaggerated control by government, and the contradiction between the idea of "home" and patria / patriotic.
He said: " I come from a hybrid culture shaped by the fusion of Indigenous, Spanish, and African roots; and I'm an existentialist thinker who's inspired by movement in all its forms and how it interacts with time and space. At the core of my dancistic work lies the sociology of the body, —its primal connections, shared humanity, and the tensions of class struggle. My intention is to deconstruct social agreements and reveal our shared human vulnerabilities, inviting the audience to reflect and shape their own interpretations. With a combination of emotions in motion my choreography and staging evoke a poetic dimension of Hispanic dramatism; portraying a harsh world in harsh aesthetic with a sense of reconciliation. Sometimes forcing the audience to question life and their placement in it, not by providing an alternative solution, but by creating a space for exploration where multiple narratives unfold through the dancers’ bodies”.
MEET THE TEAM
Our team of performers, designers, and technical crew bring each project to life with artistry, skill, and heart—collaborating on and off stage to create unforgettable dance-theatrical experiences to audience members.
Pilar Cordova / Production Manager
She has participated in the Arts Management Laboratory at DTW. (Dance Theater Workshop). Her production work includes: Don Pedro Vive, Madre Selva, Un Canto a la verdad Sencilla: Poetry in Concert, Intimate Voices, Rehearsal Space, and short films, in Puerto Rico and New York City. She has worked for several Non-profit institutions as producer and administrator. She founded MEDLAM (Movimiento Escenico para Las Americas) with Elliott and Dance 10 Project in 2007 a performing art festival for Latino artists, and she is President of Wonder Moments (her production company). She has worked for D.10 Project since 2005 as Production Manager.
John McGee / Tech Director / Lights Designer
He made his theater debut at Equity Library Theater. John has worked for Ensemble Studio Theater, Nat Horn Musical Theater, All Starts Project, Inc –Times Square as technical director and for John Lane at Ogunquit Playhouse as master carpenter.
He also has collaborated for Fresh Fruit Performing Arts Festival as Light Designer and Tech Director in NYC; and more recently with Barrio Independent Productions (BIP), El Barrio's Artspace, and other independent productions. While Mr. McGee enjoys designing and building sets and lights, his “true love” is photography (AA from FIT), and he also participated in different exhibitions as photographer. He has collaborated for Dance 10 Project and Elliott since 2005 as Tech Director, Lights Designer and Photographer being one of the key crew members in all productions. John was awarded with a Talia Award as Best Tech Director for his work in Babel: Movements of Contradiction.
Yvanhova Figueroa / Performer / Associated choreographer
She holds a degree from Taller de Danza Caracas as a Modern Dance Performer in 2004. She also holds a BA in Business Administration from Universidad Central de Venezuela. Because she grew up between dancers and in a dance community, she has explored other disciplines such as ballet, tango show (acro-tango), improvisation, modern dance, and dance theater incorporating video art, photography and music. She had the pleasure to work with Ballet Teresa Carreno, TangoXTango, Sinergia Tango, The National Dance Company of Venezuela, Taller Experimental Pisorrojo, Mixed Movement, Palissimo and The Ballet of Connecticut. She has formed a collaboration with independent choreographers like Annette Herwander, Scott Lyon, Lindsey Dietz Marchant, Oliver Steele, Roberto Villanueva and Elliot Ortiz. She owns YvaYoga (YvaYoga.com). She has performed at the Alvin Ailey Theater, Dance New Amsterdam, New York Live Arts, Movement Research, and The Tank among others. She has toured with dance troupes as guest dancer in Chile, Argentina, Canada, Venezuela and The United States. Yva won a L.A.T.A. as Outstanding Dance Performer for Babel in 2025.
MEET THE TEAM
Our team of performers, designers, and technical crew bring each project to life with artistry, skill, and heart—collaborating on and off stage to create unforgettable dance-theatrical experiences to audience members.
Jorge Tagliaferro / Stage Manager
Jorge is a music lover of opera. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Universidad Metropolitana (Venezuela) and has been member of different chorus and theater companies. He worked as Assistant Stage Manager in different theaters in Venezuela. In Miami he worked for The Playground Theater, Teatro Riviera, Hostos Theater as assistant of Carlos Salazar. He was Pablo Cabrera’s assistant for Quien Mato a Hector Lavoe, and then for Raul Carbonell and Fernando Calzadilla. Since 2005 had collaborated as sound designer, stage manager and videographer for Elliott Ortiz and Dance 10 Project’s productions, including Spanish Harlem Dance Fest.
Percy Van Oordt / Make-up Artist / Wardrobe Artisan
This Peruvian born American artist is licensed and experienced in hairstyling and make up artistry working in different salons, special events, Performing Arts shows and photography projects , he got certificates in make-up and hair styling, by different seminars and schools such as Capri cosmetology school, Mac Cosmetics, Tigi, Wella, Redken, and Vidal Sassoon. His passion for his work makes him very happy to enhance the natural beauty of each individual. He has collaborated and worked for D10 Project’s productions since 2007; also as Hair stylist and making also some costumes and/or transforming and adjusting garments for several productions re-creating those costumes several times in real amazing pieces.
Alessia Secli / Performer / Associated Choreographer
Alessia Secli is an Italian performer and choreographer based in New York City. After finishing her training in Milan, Italy. Alessia moved to New York City in order to pursue her dream to work professionally in the performing arts. Alessia starred in the role of Clarisse in the show 5 Paths to Uptown Stories, Mariana in Arepa Coalition and more recently as The Death in Babel Movements of Contradiction all directed by Elliott Ortiz.
Alessia was also recently associate choreographer in the musical Xanadu at The Heights player in Brooklyn. Theatre credits include: Hair, Pippin, A chorus line, Evelyn Evelyn, The Taming of Kate, Someone in the crowd and Yes! Alessia was awarded with L.A.T.A. as Best Dance-theater Performer for her work in Babel in 2025.
