Nancy Turano

Nancy Turano is a Luna Negra honorary Latina choreographer.  Turano received her B.F.A. in dance from SUNY Purchase. She performed as a principal dancer with Ballet Hispanico of New York and served as rehearsal director for the company and faculty member of the school from 1985-1998. She has also been a member of Buglisi/Foreman Dance and guest artist with Martine Van Hamel’s New Amsterdam Ballet and Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico.

Since 1994, as Artistic Director of NJ Dance Theatre Ensemble, she created 16 original works for the Ensemble and commissioned over 45 cutting-edge repertory pieces by renowned chorographers including Twyla Tharp, David Parsons and Robert Battle to name a few. Turano’s choreography for dance, opera, television and film has been commissioned and presented around the world. Her full-length “Carmen” was filmed for a feature on PBS Channel 13. Her short film “Tango Octogenario” with director David Licata has been featured on PBS Channel 13 and at “New Films/New Directors” series in Lincoln Center, the Tribeca Film Festival, as well as in over 40 film festivals around the world. In Spring 2009, she will premiere “Illuminations” for the Swedish National Ballet School at the Gothenburg Opera House, a new work for Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, and choreograph to an original score for the “Butterfly Project” to premiere at NJPAC. A master teacher, Ms Turano has taught for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Ailey II, Aspen Ballet, National Ballet of Panama, Teatro San Martin in Argentina, Bat-Dor in Israel, Svenska Balett Skolen in Sweden, Celine Dion’s “A New Day,” New York University, and over 30 universities in the US. She was the founding director of the Harkness Youth Ballet at the 92nd Street Y in NYC and is currently on the faculty of the Ailey School.

Turano's Carmen Act I was performed by Luna Negra for the first time in 2001.

"A stunning piece, danced with knocked-out force"
- Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times