ANDREW PALERMO
Along with childhood friend Taye Diggs, Andrew is the Co-Founding Artistic Director of dre.dance, a contemporary dance company. With performances around New York City and North America, dre.dance has received multiple commissions, residencies, grants and rave reviews for it’s powerful and compelling works.
One such work, beyond.words, which focuses on the autism spectrum, has led Palermo to be a leader in the field of special needs movement training. These unique classes, entitled Creatively Able, have been taught around the country, both for children with special needs and their caregivers. Palermo is an in demand collaborator in the fields of medicine and computer technology regarding the integration of the arts and special needs issues.
Andrew is the creator/co-author/director/choreographer of Nickel Mines, an interpretation of the 2006 Lancaster, PA Amish schoolhouse shooting. After being developed at UC Irvine and presented at The Duke on 42nd St as part of the 2016 New York Musical Festival, Nickel Mines continues its theatrical trajectory.
Stage choreographic credits include Allegiance (Broadway, Longacre Theatre and The Old Globe), The Other Josh Cohen (Papermill and Soho Playhouse), Kristin Chenoweth/Carnegie Hall, The Frank Loesser Songbook/New York Philharmonic (Lincoln Center), The Mikado (Carnegie Hall), Ace (The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theater of St. Louis), Miss Julie (Geffen Playhouse), Lyrics and Lyricists (92nd St. Y), Bright Lights, Big City (Prince Music Theater), Vices (Theatre Aspen), The Aluminum Show (international tour), For The Record/Paul Thomas Anderson (Rockwell, LA), Aida (Music Theater Wichita), Man of La Mancha (Sacramento Music Circus), The Wild Party (Wichita State University), Spring Awakening, Sweet Smell of Success and Parade (UC Irvine).
Andrew served as director and choreographer for the 125th Teachers College Gala (The Apollo Theatre), Two Gentlemen of Verona (University of Cincinnati/CCM), Hair (Wichita State University) and She Loves Me (Westminster Choir College).
Andrew has choreographed multi-million dollar industrials for Toyota, episodes of Comedy Central’s 'Stella', promos for Tracey Ullman’s 'State of the Union' and commercials for Showtime Network and G-Shock watches.
Andrew is also the Founding Artistic Director of SpringSpace: Broadband Theatre Lab. Co-Founded with Executive Director and Broadway Producer Elliot Masie, SpringSpace provides artistic teams with a focused and fully supported global opportunity to create and hone new work. Located at MASIE Productions Lab in Saratoga Springs, NY, SpringSpace leverages cutting edge technology that digitally brings together creators from around the world.
Andrew is also an Assistant Professor of Drama at University of California Irvine. Classes include dance technique, choreography composition, theatrical creation and audition techniques.
Past life performing highlights include original Broadway companies of Wicked and Annie Get Your Gun (‘Tommy Keeler’, Bernadette Peters revival), as well as How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (Matthew Broderick revival), national/international tours of West Side Story, Michael John LaChiusa’s Little Fish (2nd Stage), numerous regional and concert productions.
KIMBERLY BECKER
Kimberly Becker has spent the last 20 years teaching, leading, advocating and creating programs for children with special needs. Her experience includes public education, special education, nonprofit and outpatient clinic based therapy. During this time, Kimberly developed and/or implemented multiple programs for children diagnosed with disabilities including: Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Outdoor Classroom, Natural Environment Simulation Therapy (NEST), Telemedicine, and auditory aural rehabilitation and cochlear implant mapping.
Kimberly received both her BS and MS in Education from Emporia State University. Additionally, Kimberly completed her certificate in ABA from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.
Over the past several years Kimberly has served on the Kansas Autism Waiver Advisory Board, the Behavior Services Regulatory Board committee for BCBA licensing, Cochlear Implant Alliance State Champion for Kansas, and the CPT code work group for ABA. In 2015 Kimberly, presented to over 400 professionals and parents of children diagnosed with autism in Beijing and Tian Jin, China. Topics included; program administration and design, teaching and implementing strategies such as errorless teaching, discrete trial training, natural environment teaching and visual supports.
Kimberly currently works as an autism specialist for the state of Kansas and resides outside of Wichita, KS with her husband and 4 children.