About Us
Photo by Kiesha Stephens
Based in NYC since 2019, Jon Lehrer started his company in 2007 in Buffalo, NY and has already received critical acclaim nationally and internationally. Under his artistic direction, the company showcases Jon's unique choreography and embodies his definitive style. His extensive background in both the modern and jazz dance idioms fosters choreography that is organic, athletic, artistic, and often humorous, reflecting life experience and the human condition.
The company’s expressive style is based on three main elements of movement - Circularity, 3-Dimensionality, and Momentum - which combine to create a form that is best described as “Organically Athletic”. With creativity, athleticism, and the ability to make new and innovative modern and jazz dance accessible to all audiences, the company has made quite a name for themselves in the dance world. Striking the elusive balance between art and entertainment, Jon Lehrer Dance Company showcases unique choreography and a fun, distinctive style which fuses jazz and modern dance, creating a true spectacle onstage which can be enjoyed by dance experts and novices alike.
JLDC tours extensively, receiving critical acclaim worldwide. Dance Magazine praised “the company took the house not so much by storm as by quantum physics,” and Galerie Ortenau in Offenburg, Germany declared, “Dynamic, Powerful, Elegant – brings an absolute passion for the dance.” JLDC has toured to Europe every two years since 2014, most recently in January 2022. For this latest tour, JLDC created a full evening to the music of Leonard Bernstein, called “Bernstein Celebration”. JLDC was honored and privileged to be one of only a handful of dance companies worldwide given the rights to use Bernstein’s music. From 2012-2016, JLDC toured to Russia, sponsored by the US State Department in order to, as they said, “bring the best in American modern dance to the people of Russia.” These cultural diplomacy tours brought the company to Vladivostok, Anadyr, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Chukotka, and Berezniki.
Jon Lehrer Dance Company is dedicated to maintaining the impact of dance through performance, education, outreach, community involvement, and collaboration. The professional dancers of JLDC work collaboratively towards a common creative goal, while maintaining and developing their own artistic voice. JLDC operates with integrity at all levels, respecting and honoring ideas from constituent groups including dancers, directors, and the public.