Laura Colby, Director

Laura Colby, Director

Colby began her arts administrative career in 1985 as Administrative Director of Mark Haim & Dancers. In the 80’s she also worked for choreographer Patricia Hoffbauer and Nancy Duncan’s CoDanceCo. She served as Company Manager for Neo Labos Dancetheater (Michele Elliman, Artistic Director) from 1993-2000 and was the Founding Company Manager (1997-2003) of Seán Curran Company. Colby formed Elsie Management in 1995 specifically to provide representation to several friends at the annual APAP (Association of Performing Arts Presenters) conference.

Since forming Elsie Management, Colby has represented over twenty-five performing arts touring companies from five continents, coordinating tours to over two hundred global venues. She has served as Project Manager, forming presenter and funding consortiums to support the development, creation, and touring of new works for 500 Clown’s 500 Clown and the Elephant Deal (2007), Jane Comfort and Company’s An American Rendition (2007) and the restaging of Faith Healing (2010), nicholas leichter dance’s Sweetwash (2006), Shawn McConneloug and her orchestra’s SHE Captains (2006), Lingo dancetheater’s Relatively Real (2005), Shapiro & Smith Dance’s ANYTOWN: Stories of America (2005), and Movin’ Spirits Dance Theater’s Brown Butterfly (2003). She has served as Tour Coordinator for ten National Dance Project supported projects including Noche Flamenca, DanceBrazil, Seán Curran Company, Brian Brooks Moving Company, nicholas leichter dance, Ballet Memphis, a canari torsi|Yanira Castro and Korzo producties/André Gingras. Colby has raised commissioning funds from over fifteen performing arts venues and twenty private and public foundations and organizations in support of new works for her clients. She has secured, organized, and produced over thirty showcases in New York City, throughout the United States, and globally for her clients. Colby has secured and produced over twenty New York City seasons at such theaters as The Joyce Theater, The Public Theater, Dance Theater Workshop, Joe’s Pub, the New Victory Theater, Symphony Space, Aaron Davis Hall, Central Park Summerstage, and PS122 for her client roster.

Colby served on the board of NAPAMA (North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents) for six years from 2002-2008, and as its President in 2007 & 2008. Under her direction, NAPAMA’s membership increased 30%; the organization led the field in developing the industry’s first educational sessions on the complex issue of US taxation of foreign artists and touring companies; and NAPAMA secured access to General Liability coverage for its membership through a partnership with Fractured Atlas, among other accomplishments.

In 2001 at the urging of Jon Teeuwissen, Colby founded Dance/USA’s Agents and Artist Representation Council. She served as the Council’s Founding Chair for three years and on the board of Dance/USA for four years. Colby has served on the Advisory Councils of Dance/NYC and Dancers Responding to AIDS (DRA). Colby has been an invited speaker for the Association of Performing Arts Presenter’s Winter Institute, The Joyce Theater Foundation, Southern Arts Federation, Western Arts Alliance, Australia Performing Arts Market, Dance/NYC, Dance Theater Workshop, Florida State University, Fordham University, University of Kansas, and UMass Amherst. In 2002 Colby co-curated Boston’s Dance Straight Up series. By invitation, she was an International Delegate to Australian Performing Arts Market (2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010), the New Zealand International Arts Festival (2010), the Tokyo Performing Arts Market (2003), and the Tanzmesse (2002 & 2004).

Committed to the development of policy for the not-for-profit performing arts field, Colby served on Arts Presenters’ Ethics Task Force (2005), Dance/USA’s Definitions Committee (2004-2005), and directed the updating of NAPAMA’s Ethical Guidelines (2005). She served on the Trustees, Contract Clause, and 25th Anniversary Committees for Dance/USA and the Task Force on Ethics for the Western Arts Alliance. She was the initiating facilitator between Dr. Edward Fishkin, Medical Director at Woodhull Hospital and Medical Center and the performing arts community in the creation of ArtistAccess, the groundbreaking healthcare program for artists and arts workers begun in May, 2005 that has now been launched at other New York City hospitals.

Colby graduated with a BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School in 1984, under the direction of Martha Hill. She was a member of Mark Haim & Dancers, the Limón Dance Company, CoDanceCo, and Seán Curran Company. Colby has also performed with Sara Rudner, Ann Carlson, Patricia Hoffbauer, and Mark Taylor, and has assisted choreographers Ann Carlson and Mark Haim in restagings. She trained extensively with Elizabeth Streb's Ringside Inc, performing as an extra in their 1994 Joyce Theater season, and assisting the company in their Kid Action program. Prior to moving to New York City, Colby attended the University of California at Irvine as a dance major, then under the direction of Eugene Loring. It was at Irvine that Colby created the student organization, START (Support The Arts), as an early fundraising effort. She graduated from Berkeley High School in 1979, where she was first introduced to modern dance as a member of Dance Production, under the direction of Marcia Sigman. She began her early ballet training with Patricia Schuster in Ridgefield, CT, before moving to the Bay Area where she trained as a scholarship student at the San Francisco Ballet from 1975-1978. For three years, she performed with the company in the annual stagings of Lew Christensen’s The Nutcracker, performing the roles of Clara, numerous children’s roles, and as a member of the corps de ballet. Instrumental teachers in her dance training included Alfredo Corvino, Risa Steinberg, and Hector Zaraspe.

An avid cyclist, Colby has ridden her road bike over 3,000 miles for AIDS charities and served as bike support for the 2003 Breast Cancer Walk and the 2005 & 2006 New York City Marathon. A member of the New York Cycle Club, Colby served as a volunteer leader for the club’s spring A19 SIG training program from 2004-2006. Colby has taken up social dancing and dances tango and swing on a regular basis. She lives in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Park Slope with her Yorkie, Woodstock. Her son, Colby Marple, is the Junior Marketing Director for Cycling Sports Group.

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Sabine Dabady, Artist Representative

Sabine Dabady grew up in the bustling "suburbs" of New York City, Brooklyn. With a bit of curiosity and a sense of adventure, she headed down to Nashville, TN to attend Vanderbilt University. During her collegiate years, she was able to study and live in the South of France in Aix-en-Provence where she was met with the opportunity to work with the Ballet Preljocaj. Part of her grueling responsibilities included attending all performances, public rehearsals, and workshops offered by the company. She returned to Vanderbilt where she received the Downing grant to study Art of Haitian Vodou at the Seldon Rodman Collection at Ramapo College, in Mahwah, New Jersey. She graduated with a BA in Art History and French in December 2006. Upon returning to NYC, she sought more opportunities to learn about the dance world by working with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in its development department assisting to prepare institutional grants and produce special events. In April of 2008, Dabady put her French and Creole speaking skills to work with a trip to Haiti, the homeland of her parents. She hopes that she can return again soon.

Anna Amadei, International Artist Representative/Contracts Manager

A native of Italy, Anna Amadei began her dance training at the age of nine. She studied ballet, yoga, jazz and contemporary dance for fifteen years. In 2004, she graduated from the University of Bologna (Italy) with a BA in Communication and an MA in Performing Arts Management. For four years, she was responsible for international relations and tour coordinator for Daniele Cipriani Entertainment, one of the most renewed performance managements of Italy with a special focus on dance. During her tenure with Cipriani, she served as the Italian tour manager for the Martha Graham Dance Company, Limón Dance Company, Susanne Linke and Urs Dietrich, Inaki Urlezaga and Ballet Concierto (from Argentina), Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporaneo, among the others. She was also produced dance events, galas, and special events.

Amadei speaks Italian, English, Spanish and French. She loves to travel and to discover other cultures. At the age of 16 she spent a school year in the United States at Forth Hayes Arts and Academy in Columbus, Ohio. She has traveled for work or for fun throughout Europe, United States, and South America. Amadei continues to study dance and is presently interested in tango.

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