Artist in Residency

Gina Romero (she/her) is a multifaceted Dominican artist from Lawrence, MA, whose work focuses on sensuality and expresses that through different modes of storytelling. Dancing since the age of 10, she has trained in many styles such as hip-hop, ballet, contemporary, popping, house, African dance styles, jazz, and more in Lawrence, Boston, and Los Angeles.

Gina’s performance and collaboration credits include Pictures in Concrete (MA), Crewnex (MA), KreativMindz (CA), Art UnEarths (MA); and projects with Shaquan Reed, Jaheem Alleyne, Gustavo Polanco, Jeryl Palana, and Ella Wechsler-Matthaei. In her time in Los Angeles, CA, she had the opportunity to perform and work with Kanye West, Stephanie Zelaya, and Refinery29.

Gina recently was an Artist in Residence for the Lawrence Arts Collective for the first half of 2023 and is now the 2023-2024 Dance Lab Resident for the Boston Center for the Arts.

She holds an BA in English from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and is currently submerging herself in training, creating, and performing. Gina is focused on evolving and impacting as many lives as possible with her art.

Jeryl Palana Pilapil-Brown, is a Filipino- American choreographer, dancer and educator. Since graduating from Dean College with her B.A. as a dancer major, she has traveled throughout the states and abroad to Canada, London, Barcelona and Japan to immerse herself in various dance styles; the main ones being contemporary, floorwork, street styles and heels. Jeryl now dedicates her time teaching and sharing with students of all ages throughout New England and is honored to be associate director of the Cambridge Youth Dance Program of Deborah Mason Performing Arts Center. She aims to bring diverse groups of people together through her dance company Art UnEarths and by organizing annual events like “The Hip Hop Exchange” dance festival.

Eliza Malecki, a queer dancer, choreographer, and creative leader hailing from central Massachusetts, brings her quirky and inventive movement style and joy-based practices to her multidisciplinary collaborations. Drawing from contemporary dance, theater, comedy, and everyday experiences, her work exudes a nostalgic charm, evoking warm memories from childhood. She aims to create serious art without taking itself too seriously.

Eliza’s choreographic endeavors have received funding from various organizations and she's been a resident artist at prestigious institutions. As a founding member of The Picnic Sisters, she's explored dance in unique ways. Her recent projects delve into the fusion of dance and fashion, exemplified by her collaboration with stylist Mary O’Keefe on the Traffic Jam fashion show in 2023, with more collaborations in the pipeline for 2024.

In addition to her creative pursuits, Eliza has performed for several dance companies and is deeply involved in arts administration, contributing her talents to various organizations. Beyond the arts, she's a multifaceted individual with diverse experiences ranging from stage management to kayaking, reflecting her vibrant and eclectic nature.