LEADERSHIP

CATERINA RAGO
Artistic Director, Choreographer, Principal Dancer, Producer, Founder of CRDANCE Company and its educational program, Tecniche Di Danza Moderna (TDM).
CRDANCE was founded in 2007 as a company dedicated to respecting and reinventing the history of modern dance. Rago, a native of San Lucido, Italy, joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2009 after completing its Professional Training Program, and has received commissions from Steffi Nossen Dance Foundation, Accademia Nazionale di Danza, Alvin Ailey/Fordham and PeridanceCapezio Dance Center where she is currently on the faculty. Rago also teaches at the Joffrey Ballet School and the Martha Graham School and was named Emerging Choreographer for MET Dance Company (Houston). She restaged Martha Graham’s 1935 work, Panorama for Accademia Nazionale Di Danza at Rome’s Soirees Dans and Karole Armitage’s American Dream for the Ravello Festival and has received recent commissions from Alvin Ailey/Fordham University and Marymount Manhattan College.. Read more

Cheryl Kaplan
Executive Director of CRDANCE Company
Working collaboratively with Caterina Rago and the Company, Kaplan’s focus is to widen the reach of Rago’s choreography and its underlying connection to Italian history and culture to gain a diverse and loyal audience. Kaplan trained in Graham, Cunningham and Ailey techniques, and is the lead educator/teacher and founder of Mobile Studio Lab where she teaches yoga, hiit, weight-bearing and dance-based exercise. Kaplan is the producer of independent feature and short films for Eve Sussman, Rosanne Cash and Laurie Anderson included in major international museum collections, film festivals and theatrical releases. She appears in Alan Berliner’s Oscar nominated HBO film on Edwin Honig. As Executive Producer for Aerospace engineer and artist Bradley Pitts, Kaplan worked with Pitts on zero gravity parabolic flight projects, collaborating with the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center; for his Yearlight project, Kaplan gained museum distribution at MoMA, the Guggenheim and New Museum. Her writing appears in Art in America, Flash Art and BOMB. Kaplan is the author of a forthcoming book on contemporary art and is Executive Producer of an independent feature Film in development. Kaplan received fellowships from the Bogliasco Foundation, Italy, MacDowell Foundation and Royal Academy of Arts, London. On stage, Kaplan can be seen introducing CRDANCE performances at the Martha Graham Theater, City Center and Ailey Studios,and in 2024, at KNJ Peridance Theater for the World Premiere of Caterina Rago’s Alta Marea.

Annalisa Ferrante
TDM Project Coordinatoor
Annalisa Ferrante (she/her) is an Italy-based art organizer with extensive experience in managing international artist residencies and creative projects across Europe. With a background in performing arts and a career as a former professional dancer, she brings a deep understanding of artistic processes and the needs of creative practitioners. Her work focuses on fostering environments that provide long-term support for artists, enabling them to explore, experiment, and develop sustainable practices. Currently, she is managing the art residencies at Villa Lena Foundation in Tuscany, where she oversees artist selection, program development, and the facilitation of public and private events. In this role, she works closely with artists across disciplines, curates creative programming, and establishes partnerships with local and international cultural organizations. Additionally, she coordinates Blank100 Residency, a nomadic artist residency operating between Berlin and Faro, Portugal, supporting artists in a dynamic, process-driven environment. As the Co-Founder of Sol Creative, Annalisa has developed a platform that hosts intimate retreats and events designed for FLINTA creatives. Her work with Sol Creative extends beyond physical gatherings, providing online opportunities for networking, artistic exchange, and mentorship. Passionate about the intersection of arts, community building, and accessibility, Annalisa actively seeks to bridge the gap between artists and the resources they need to thrive. She is particularly interested in developing models of artist support that prioritize sustainability, equity, and meaningful engagement. Through her various roles, she continues to advocate for the transformative power of the arts in fostering dialogue, innovation, and cultural exchange. Since 2016, Annalisa has been the Project Coordinator of Tecniche di Danza Moderna (TDM).