Our Program

Discipline Coordinators

2012 DISCIPLINE COORDINATORS

Discipline Coordinators (DCs) serve as liaisons between YoungArts and the National Panelists. DCs preside over all adjudication sessions and assist in conducting panel meetings in conjunction with preliminary, intermediate and final adjudication activities. DCs also plan and help to coordinate the final adjudication and enrichment programs of YoungArts Week.

Cinematic Arts

Lucas Leyva, 2005 YoungArts Winner in Writing, is a filmmaker and retired playwright from Miami, FL. Twenty-one of his plays were produced across seven states. His films have screened at the Cannes, Tribeca, and Clermont-Ferrand Film Festivals. He is the founder and Minister of the Interior of the Borscht Film Festival.

Dance

Jerry Opdenaker, has had a 22-year dancing career and has worked as a principal company member for ballet companies such as Pennsylvania Ballet, Kansas City Ballet and Ballet Florida. He has choreographed for Ballet Florida, Ballet Gamonet, the Milwaukee Ballet, McKnight Foundation in Minnesota, Seanik Arts in Miami, Infinite Movement Ever Evolving in California, Art Basel in Miami and the Florida Grand Opera’s production of Lakme. He was a feature choreographer in the documentary entitled Solo 1X2. He also has developed a new company in Palm Beach County, O Dance.

Jazz

Leon Thomas

Music

Adalberto Yanes has written for various mediums including choral and orchestral. He has placed as a finalist in the ASCAP Awards for Emerging Composers and the Fulbright Scholars Program. His music has been performed at various new music festivals such as the Society of Composers, Inc. Regional conferences, The Substropics Festival, the May in Miami Festival and Festival Miami. Also an accomplished singer and choral conductor, he has performed with the Florida Grand Opera Chorus and is a former member of the vocal group Seraphim. Currently, he is the Music Director at Doral Academy Preparatory High School.

Photography

Christopher Bowman, 2007 YoungArts Winner in Photography and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts will be graduating from The Cooper Union in the fall with a degree in fine arts. He is currently the photography chair for the YoungArts Alumni Association as well as a freelance photographer and scholar. His interests include bicycle riding, public transportation, karaoke, as well as a mixture of creative endeavors. His deepest passion, however, is art education, which has led to a continued involvement with YoungArts.

Visual Arts

Loni Johnson is a Visual Artist born and raised in Miami. She has been on the faculty at New World School of the Arts since 2006. She currently is Associate Artistic Director for the Miami-based youth organization Voices United, which empowers young people to use the arts as a tool to bring change and improve their communities.

Theatre

Nicole Mujica is a graduate of the University of Florida where she studied English and Theater. Nicole completed her studies in 2006 with an MEd in secondary education. Nicole is currently a middle school drama teacher in Hialeah, FL. She enjoys participating in Florida theater festivals with her students and directing their annual spring and fall shows.

Voice

Erick R. Lopez has a passion for the arts. He studied musical theater at New World School of the Arts and Miami Dade College and is pursuing a degree from the University of Massachusetts in arts administration. He has numerous major stage credits and many technical theater credits to his name. He also stage managed the weekly improvisation comedy show Laughing Gas. As a vocalist, he was the lead tenor at the First Presbyterian Church of Miami and has sung at numerous city events in and around Miami-Dade County.