OUR TEAM

Juliette Rafael

Director, Producer, Choreographer

Juliette Rafael is a New York City–based choreographer and dancer originally from Kansas City, MO. Her work has been presented across New York at The Mark O’Donnell Theater (CounterPointe Season 12), Universal Preservation Hall, The KnJ Theater, The Tank, Dixon Place, Ballet Arts, and in the film festivals Oddfest and The Off-Hamptons Film Festival. She was awarded Best Choreographer at Nacre Dance Group’s Sip, Savor & Swirl for her ballet The Sinner and the Saint, and has created additional dance films including Slipping and Life in Plastic. As a performer, Rafael has worked with choreographers including Peter LeBreton Merz, Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye, Gabrielle Lamb, Amy Seiwert, and Devon Carney. She trained with Kansas City Ballet’s Daytime Program and Sacramento Ballet’s Second Company, and holds a BFA in Dance (Ballet/Choreography), summa cum laude, from Marymount Manhattan College, where she received honorable mention for the Ballet Key Award.

Mackenzie Surbey

Co-Director

Mackenzie Surbey is a New York City–based dancer, choreographer, and arts leader, currently serving as Studio Manager at Steps on Broadway. Originally from Westfield, Indiana, Mackenzie is celebrating ten years in NYC. After stepping away from dance for six years, she found her way back to movement through her yoga practice and her work at Theater for the New City, where she served as the Marketing and Development Manager, After-school Movement Instructor, and Assistant Director and Choreographer on various productions. Since 2019, Mackenzie has been active in the NYC arts community, with credits including 92Y, KnJ Theater, Theater for the New City, Tenacious Theatrics, and The Strawberry One-Act Festival. One of her favorite projects was appearing as “Workout Barbie” in Juliette Rafael’s dance film Life in Plastic. Thank you for supporting The New Standard — we’re excited to share new art with you!

Ilya Osachuk

Music Director, Composer

Ilya Osachuk is one of the top new bassists in the North American jazz scene. He seeks to push the boundaries of jazz while simultaneously upholding its tradition and vernacular as a bassist, composer and arranger. Born in Winnipeg Canada, Osachuk quickly established himself as a fixture in Winnipeg’s jazz scene. While living in Winnipeg he regularly worked with the city's top musicians, including Juno Award nominees Erin Propp, Larry Roy, Will Bonness, and Ron Paley. Since relocating to New York City in late 2021, Osachuk has become a fixture of the jazz scene there. He has performed with the likes of Philip Harper, Stacy Dillard, and Bryan Eng at some of the top jazz venues in North America including Birdland, Smalls Jazz Club, Blues Alley, Yoshi’s and The Jazz Bistro. Osachuk’s sound and approach as both bassist and composer has been recognized by his peers and mentors alike. Osachuk has premiered an original composition at The Kennedy Center through the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program, was selected for The Hnatyshyn Foundation’s Ukraine-Heritage – Spirit and Future award, and most recently was named a fellow for the Ravinia Steans Music Institute Program for Jazz. Osachuk graduated from The Juilliard School with a Masters of Music degree in Jazz Studies in 2023. He studied double bass under Ben Wolfe and Gerald Cannon, and composition and arranging under Andy Farber. Before attending Juilliard, Osachuk graduated from the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Performance. In his tenure there he studied with professors Karl Kohut, Jon Gordon, and Meredith Johnson (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra).

2026 Invited Artists

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Bella Joy Mittenthal

Syd Worthy

Choreographer

Bella Joy Mittenthal is a performance artist based in New York City. A 2023 BFA graduate from Marymount Manhattan College where she earned the coveted Golden Key for Choreography, Bella has presented work all around NYC, blending vibrant movement with community-centered storytelling. Mittenthal has taken on assistant/associate roles for choreographers including Mary Ann Lamb, and Mikey Sylvester. As a performer, Mittenthal has worked for names such as Karla Puno Garcia, Dylan Pearce, Mayte Natalio, Susie Meisner, and has made her television debut in the CBS series Elsbeth.Bella’s artistry is defined by its energetic interplay of musicality and narrative, fostering a deeply connective audience experience. Driven by curiosity and collaboration, she draws out both “silver linings” and playful vigor in performance. With an intuitive stage presence and a collaborative ethos, Bella Joy Mittenthal is building a distinctive choreographic voice that intersects movement, musicality, and joyful resilience.

Choreographer

Syd Worthy is a freelance dancer and visual artist. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, now living in NYC. Syd is a recent graduate from Marymount Manhattan College (Spring 2023) where she received her B.F.A in dance with a concentration in choreography. Her dance training extends from primary school to a college level of professional training, studying techniques such as Ballet, Graham, Jazz, Horton, African- Umfundalai Technique, Hip Hop, and more. Syd has also had opportunities to perform works with many professional choreographers in the larger dance world. This includes individuals such as Andrea Miller-GALLIM, Sekou McMiller, Akira Uchida, Rodney Hamilton, William Isaac, Jennifer Freeman, Darshan Singh Bhuller, April Berry , and Katherine Dunham. Currently, Syd is a performing artist in Kyle Marshall’s company KMC, and Gaspard Louis’s company Gaspard & Dancers. She is super excited to explore the depths of her artistry by finding the intersections of dance, art, life and spirituality.

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David Sneider

Coby Petricone-Berg

Composer

David Sneider is a jazz trumpet player, composer and teacher who is a graduate of the Juilliard School. He is the First place winner of both the 2021 Carmine Caruso Competition and the 2019 National Trumpet Competition. The son of a jazz trumpet player and an opera singer, Sneider has been immersed in the New York music scene his whole life. He is a frequent sideman for Dom Salvador, Ulysses Owens and Larry Goldings. Other notable musicians he has shared the stage with include Jerry Weldon, Grant Stewart and Evan Sherman. In 2023, David and his father, John Sneider, co-released an album on Cellar Live entitled "Sneid Remarks", which features their original compositions.

Coby Petricone-Berg is a New York City based saxophonist and composer. After performing his song “June” on NPR Tiny Desk, Coby released his debut EP “Village” on all streaming services in 2022. “Village” pays homage to ideas of family and community, as well as the people and places that shape us. In 2025, he released his debut big band single “Ghost in the Ceiling” , followed by VILLAGE BIG BAND with “All is Well” and “Village”. With his own ensemble and as a sideman, Coby has performed in and around NYC at venues including the Museum of Modern Art, Birdland Jazz Club, Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the David Rubenstein Atrium, the Django, and the inaugural Nyack Jazz Festival. Coby is a graduate of the Juilliard School and studied with Donald Vega, Billy Drummond, Daniel Block, and Bruce Williams. He is currently booking performances playing released and unreleased material and planning his next project.

2026 Dancers
Colleen McKenzie, Griffin Massey, Kiyomi Ruby Davidson, Mark DiIorio, Molly Rumble, Nick Meyers, Niko Heers, Sadie Wheels, Sarah Mack, Selena Lee, Tanner Hutchinson, and guest artists Grady George and Leah Reiter

2026 Band

Alejandra Sofia (piano), Coby Petricone Berg (sax), David Sneider (trumpet), Ilya Osachuk (bass), and Peter Glynn (drums)