Oh, yes! Press as you're landing and keep it held. Once you release to jump you should maintain that momentum. You'll even keep your faster momentum after bonking into a wall, which can help with setting up a few of the leaps more consistently. But if you fall off a platform without jumping, you lose your dash speed.
I can tell this mechanics really needs coyote time. I'll do a quick revision pass later (I need to fix a few errors and frustrations I didn't catch during my own testing) and I might try to sneak that in when I do.