THE PLAYGROUND NYC IS AN ESSENTIAL PLATFORM AND NETWORK FOR PROFESSIONAL AND EMERGING DANCERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS TO CONNECT, EXCHANGE IDEAS, AND GROW IN THEIR CAREERS. THROUGH MOVEMENT BASED SESSIONS LED BY WORLD RENOWNED CHOREOGRAPHERS, THE PLAYGROUND HOSTS WORKSHOPS THAT CREATE AN OPEN ENVIRONMENT AND ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY AND DIALOGUE BETWEEN DANCERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS. 

THE PLAYGROUND NYC IS ACCESSIBLE, FINANCIALLY ACCOMMODATING, AND ARTISTICALLY REWARDING FOR ALL OF ITS PARTICIPANTS, AND ALL ARE WELCOMED AND ENCOURAGED TO ENGAGE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

OUR PLAYGROUND FOUNDERS

ONE SPONTANEOUS HEARTFELT ACT.

LONI LANDON AND GREGORY DOLBASHIAN, BOTH NATIVE OF NEW YORK CITY, CREATED THE PLAYGROUND NYC AS A SPONTANEOUS HEARTFELT ACT. CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF DANCERS COULD EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT CHOREOGRAPHERS WITHOUT HAVING TO SAVE UP NICKELS AND DIMES, THEY INTUITIVELY CALLED THEIR RESPECTIVE CONTACTS, BOOKED SPACE, AND INVITED THE CROWDS. TO THEIR AMAZEMENT, THE PLAYGROUND WAS AN INSTANT SENSATION AND WAS IMMEDIATELY PICKED UP BY HOME4DANCE AND MANHATTAN MOVEMENT CENTER. THE PLAYGROUND NYC CURRENTLY IS PARTNERED WITH THE GIBNEY DANCE ORGANIZATION AND HOLDS MANY OF ITS SESSIONS AT THE NEWLY RENNOVATED 280 BROADWAY SPACE.

LONI LANDON

CO-FOUNDER + CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Loni Landon is a Dancer, Choreographer, and Movement Consultant based in New York City. In addition to creating dances for her own collective Loni Landon Dance Project, her work is commissioned by Dance Companies and Film Director’s across the country. Born and raised in New York City, Landon received her BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School. While a student at the NYC High School of Performing Arts, Landon was a NFAA YoungArts Modern Dance Winner. After Juilliard, Landon performed with Aszure Barton and Artists, Ballet Theater Munich, Tanz Munich Theater, and The Metropolitan Opera. 

Landon is a Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Winner. As a sought after choreographer, her work has been commissioned by The Joyce Theater, Keigwin and Company, BODYTRAFFIC, James Sewell Ballet, Whim Whim, LEVY DANCE, The Juilliard School,, American Dance Institute, Northwest Dance Project, Groundworks Dance Company, Hubbard Street II, BalletX, Ballet Austin, SUNY Purchase, NYU, Boston Conservatory, and Marymount Manhattan College. Her company has performed at The Joyce Theater, Pulse Art Fair, Jacob's Pillow, Insitu Dance Festival, Bryant Park, Beach Sessions in Rockaway Beach and Guggenheim Works and Process Series. 

Landon has won numerous awards including 1st Prize Winner of Ballet Austin’s New American Talent Competition, Northwest Dance Project’s “Pretty Creatives’” Choreographic Competition, Next Commission from CityDance Ensemble, Finalist in the International Solo Tanz Theater Competition in Stuttgart, Germany, Finalist in the Hannover International Choreography Competition and an Emerging Choreographer at Springboard Danse Montreal. 

Landon choreographed the feature film “Saturday Church,” Directed by Damon Cardasis, which premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival. 

Landon was a participant in the New Movement Residency at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation New Directions Choreography Lab made possible through the generous support of the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Other residencies include ITE, NYU, CUNY Dance Initiative, Kaatsbaan, and Stephen Petronio’s new residency center, Crow’s Nest, in collaboration with Dance Lab NY and Dancers Responding to Aids. She has been adjunct faculty at NYU, Barnard, SUNY Purchase and Princeton University. 

Landon is passionate about Entrepreneurship in the Arts and has co-founded THE PLAYGROUND, an initiative designed to give emerging choreographers a place to experiment, while allowing professional dancers to participate affordably. The Playground was recognized by Dance Magazine as a 25 To Watch. As well as four/four presents, a platform that commissions and presents collaborations betweens dancers and musicians.

GREGORY DOLBASHIAN

CO-FOUNDER + CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

GREGORY DOLBASHIAN - Born and raised in New York City Gregory received his dance training at the Alvin Ailey School, then graduated cum laude from SUNY Purchase dance conservatory. He debuted his own company The DASH Ensemble, in December 2010 at The JOYCE SoHo. DASH Ensemble performance credits include The JOYCE Theater, Baryshnikov Arts Center, NYLA, Guggenheim Works and Process Series, Kaatsbaan and Jacob’s Pillow as well as domestic touring all over the U.S. including venues located in Dallas, L.A., and North Carolina. 

Commission credits include festivals, companies and artists such as American Dance Festival, Northwest Dance Project, Cirio Collective, Daniil Smikin’s INTENSIO, Central Park Summer Stage, and Hubbard Street 2. He in tandem with Director of Education  Lindsey Pettus is also the co-founder of The DASH Academy, a dance and education program for developing artists ages 10-18. His collegiate and training program commissions include Juilliard, Point Park, LINES Ballet, NYU Tisch, Princeton University, Troy University, MOVENYC, and SUNY Purchase. Faculty positions have included Broadway Dance Center, Gibney Dance Center, The Martha Graham School, and Peridance Capezio Center. He has conducted multiple masterclasses around the country including Ballet Hispanico, Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, UNCSA, UC Irvine, Mid-Pacific Institute, SUNY Purchase, The Hartt School, and Booker T Washington HSPVA. In addition, Gregory, alongside fellow choreographer Loni Landon, is the co-founder of The PlaygroundNYC, a choreographic initiative that was voted 25 to Watch in 2013 by Dance Magazine.