Alison Manning

Alison Manning is the former Executive Director and Co-Producer of The Yard on Martha’s Vineyard, working with the organization from 2008-2020 to provide meaningful residency opportunities for national and international dance and performing artists and bringing the performing arts to the Vineyard community. She is founding Co-Artistic Director and Choreographer of DanceTheYard, The Yard’s year-round professional dance company, with choreographic partner and company Co-Artistic Director Jesse Keller Jason. Jesse and Alison’s choreographic body of work has been presented at Jacob’s Pillow, Mass MOCA, The Yard, The Dance Complex, Ohio University, Triskelion Arts, among others.

Alison is a passionate Horton teacher and an avid tap and rhythm dancer and advocate. She discovered her love for the Horton technique as a scholarship student at Jacob’s Pillow, working with the great Milton Myers, and has continued studying with mentors Mr. Myers, Kristina Berger, Karen Gayle and other lauded Horton Teachers through the years. She taught the technique on Faculty at The Yard each summer, and as a guest teaching artist at NYU Steinhardt School, Wesleyan Univeristy, Peridance Capezio Center, and STEPS on Broadway. In addition to teaching, Alison dances and performs with The Bang Group and has worked for The Peggy Spina Tap Company, Xodus Dance Collective, Kinodance company among others. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Modern Dance and Minor in Art History.