Eisenhower Dance Detroit - NMU Theatre and Dance

Eisenhower Dance Detroit Artistic Director, Stephanie Pizzo, joined the company as a founding member in 1991. At various points in her dance career with EDD, she served as Resident Choreographer, Associate Artistic Director, and Co-Artistic Director. Ms. Pizzo now leads the company into her 7th season as Artistic Director. She focuses on collaborating with the highest quality national and international artists and creating strong ties within the metro Detroit community through the art of dance. Her dance for film work, The Five Tangos, inspired by the music of Astor Piazzolla and created in collaboration with the Detroit Institute of Art and Zazu Creative Studio, was selected as the winner of BEST EXPERIMENTAL film, 2022 Dancecentric Film Festival (Florida); semi-finalist, 2022 Inspired Dance Film Festival (Australia); and featured online in Dance Magazine’s “Friday Film Break.”

Ms. Pizzo also believes in educational programming and youth mentorship as key tools to develop community connection. She works to use the art of contemporary dance both as a means to present beautiful, athletic, and engaging repertory and as a vehicle to reflect on and explore issues of social significance. She has set her choreography at Illinois State University, Texas A & M University, Texas Christian University and Wesleyan University, along with having staged numerous works by Laurie Eisenhower on companies and universities throughout the United States. Her work has been presented in Tel Aviv as part of Eisenhower Dance Detroit’s production of The Light Show, at international dance festivals in Poland, and the Inside/Out Stage at Jacob’s Pillow. A native of Clinton Township, Michigan, Ms. Pizzo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Oakland University. In 2009, she received a Distinguished Alumni or “MaTilDa” award from the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance. She served as a special lecturer in dance at Oakland University for 12 years.

Andrew Cribbett, originally from Thomasboro, Illinois, received a full scholarship to The Washington Ballet in Washington D.C. He then attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts to finish his senior year of high school. He joined Eisenhower Dance Detroit in 2011 and retired as a company dancer and Rehearsal Director in 2021. While dancing with the company, Mr. Cribbett toured nationally and internationally both teaching and performing in venues as far as Tel Aviv, Israel. He also had the great pleasure of performing original works by Nicolo Fonte, Gina Patterson, Darrell Grand Moutrie, Edgar Zendejas, Joshua Peugh, Ron De Jesus, among many others. His choreography has received recognition for Top 12 placement at YAGP for solos, small groups, and ensembles. Over the years, Mr. Cribbett has taught and choreographed for several local studios including The School of Eisenhower Dance Detroit and also trains elite level figure skaters in Junior Ice Dance. He is also pursuing a degree in Nursing concurrent with his role of Assistant Artistic Director.