Lonnie EJ Cooper Named New Executive Director of Rioult Dance NY

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern Dance Company, announces its new Executive Director, Lonnie EJ Cooper. Mr. Cooper spent the last three years producing and managing tours for the USO including Trace Adkins, Avenged Sevenfold and Operation Thriller in Kyrgystan, Qatar, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq, as well as an international tour of the USO/Sesame Street Experience for Military Families. He has called NYC home since 1989 save for a brief hiatus to Colorado where he served as the Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Greeley. While there, Mr. Cooper founded the Greeley Blues Fest, oversaw more than $2 million in public art projects, and managed construction of the Greeley History Museum. He spent the eleven years prior in New York as an actor, manager, and producer. Among the shows he has worked on are National Tours of Fiddler On The Roof, West Side Story, and Ain't' Misbehavin' (with Martha Reeves & The Vandellas); Off-Broadway productions including Women Beware Women, The Countess, and Ourselves Alone; and the Broadway shows Jekyll & Hyde,Blast!, and Victor/Victoria. He has managed the Theatre Row Studios and Theatres in Manhattan and the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley, CO, in addition to serving on the management teams of Red Bull Theater, Paper Mill Playhouse, Blue Man Group, and CAP21. Mr. Cooper holds a degree in Theatre from Michigan State University.

Mr. Cooper says, "I am honored to have been selected as RIOULT Dance NY's new Executive Director, especially as we enter the company's 20th Anniversary Season. It's an exciting opportunity to join a company I have long admired. I look forward to working with everyone towards RIOULT Dance NY's bright future."

RIOULT Dance NY, celebrating its 20th Anniversary in the 2013-2014 Season, fast became an established name in modern dance with a reputation for bringing the sensual, articulate and musical dance works of Pascal Rioult to audiences worldwide. The eleven dancer company, based in New York City, is led by husband-and-wife team Artistic Director/Choreographer Pascal Rioult and Associate Artistic Director Joyce Herring - both former Martha Graham Dance Company principal dancers. With an established repertoire of over 40 dances that expands each year, RIOULT Dance NY presents an annual New York Season and tours nationally and abroad. In addition, in-school arts education and community outreach have been integral to the company since its inception, introducing students and families to the art of modern dance. www.rioult.org