Luna Negra Names Joanna Naftali as New Executive Director

Posted June 22, 2009 3:54 PM in Press Releases

CHICAGO - Luna Negra Dance Theater (LNDT) announced today the appointment of innovative arts leader and native Chicagoan, Joanna Naftali, as executive director.
Following the announcement in late March of the departure of LNDT’s founder and artistic director, Eduardo Vilaro, the organization’s board of directors began an international search for an artistic director. The board also identified a strong need to hire an experienced executive director to help move the company forward into its promising future.

“Over the past ten years, Luna Negra has become an important cultural organization through its significant growth in its commitment and contribution to the local community in Chicago, its nation-wide presence as a creative high quality company, and as a provider of extensive outreach and educational programming at home and on tour,” said board chairman Jorge Solis. “We are expanding our leadership structure accordingly and we are thrilled to have Joanna join LNDT as our executive director. Her strong artistic background, arts management experience, and financial savvy will serve the organization well.”

Naftali, 33, has extensive experience working within several of the nation’s most prestigious arts institutions, including the Ravinia Festival, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project, and, most recently as Director of Marketing and Communications at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.   “As Luna Negra enters this new era, it is time for new leadership to see it through”, said founder and artistic director Eduardo Vilaro. “Joanna brings passion and experience to both LNDT and the community, and I am especially appreciative of her commitment to institutional growth while maintaining the integrity of the art. Her optimism and energy for the company is contagious.”

With a keen eye toward dynamic partnerships, Naftali looks forward to expanding upon LNDT’s pattern of multi-disciplinary collaboration. “I have watched Luna Negra develop over the last several years and have always been impressed with the company’s excellent artistry and unwavering commitment to its mission. Partnering with artists of all disciplines ultimately deepens the experience for both artists and audiences, and I am excited to grow the company’s collaborative work to connect with an even broader patron base.”  Naftali’s appointment is effective July 13, 2009.

Joanna Naftali - Prior to her new role at Luna Negra Dance Theater, Naftali was director of marketing and communications for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, leading institutional marketing and branding efforts, public relations, cross-institutional partnerships, and programmatic marketing. Naftali also consulted for the Silk Road Project in community partnerships and public relations during their participation in Silk Road Chicago, a year-long collaborative initiative among the Silk Road Project, the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2005, she was granted an arts management fellowship at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, participating in a rigorous curriculum directed by Kennedy Center president Michael Kaiser, and completing practical work in corporate sponsorship, institutional advancement and strategic planning. From 2003-2005 Naftali served as artistic manager for the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, and from 2001-2003 as publicity associate and Brandenburg Ensemble manager for Frank Salomon Associates in New York. A musician by training, she received a Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from Indiana University, pursued professional studies at the Musik-Akademie Der Stadt Basel in Switzerland, and received a Master of Music degree from Yale University.

Luna Negra Dance Theater - currently celebrating its 10th Anniversary - creates, performs, and teaches contemporary dance by Latino choreographers. Since Vilaro founded Luna Negra in 1999, the Company has served as a springboard for Latino contemporary choreographers to give expression to their stories and bring new life to the cultures of their communities. Steering away from stereotypes and folkloric representations, Luna Negra brings to audiences modern Latino expressions with energy, power and passion, reflecting through dance the immense cultural shift that is shaping America in the 21st century. Luna Negra also collaborates with Latino artists of other disciplines, including visual, media artists, musicians and composers which fosters cross-disciplinary explorations and results in richly textured and highly original, contemporary dance theater. The company currently has works in the repertory by choreographers from Argentina, Columbia, Cuba, Mexico, Spain and Venezuela. In addition to performing, Luna Negra conducts extensive outreach and education programs, serving annually over 10,000 students in the Chicago area. Luna Negra Dance Theater’s company includes Javier Amaya, Elise Drew, Ricardo J. Garcia, Louis James Jackson, Rebecca Lemme, Hamilton Nieh, Sarah Rodriguez Roberts, Kirsten Shelton, JP Tenuta, Vanessa Valecillos, and Jessica Alejandra Wyatt.