By Lindsay Osten

NJDTE is thrilled to announce that starting on January 4th 2023, Alexandra Gonzalez will commence her new role as the Associate Artistic Director of NJDTE. Alexandra will work alongside long time award- winning Artistic Director, Nancy Turano who has been at the helm of the organization for 29 years."I have known Alexandra for many years first as a brilliant professional dancer.  I have since had the pleasure to work closely with her for ten years as a member of our ballet faculty and rehearsal director at NJDTE. She is incredibly knowledgeable and professional, as a teacher, rehearsal director, and mentor to our talented dancers.” says Nancy Turano. NJDTE is successful because of the high caliber and dedicated faculty and staff who are consummate professionals who not only provide superior training to our students they are passing on decades of professional experience. “We enjoy a wonderful working relationship with Alexandra. It is evident that she has the capacity to expand to this new role of Associate Artistic Director in our organization." says Executive Director, Barbara Carocci.

Alexandra was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Bogota, Colombia. She began her training with Ana Pavlova under the direction of Ana Consuelo Gomez and Jaime Diaz. At the age of 15, she was awarded a full scholarship to study at the San Francisco Ballet School under the direction of Lola de Avila. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the New World School in Miami, FL. She has danced for a variety of world-renowned companies such as the San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, Thomas Ortiz Dance, The Metropolitan Opera, and the Cedar Lake Ensemble. Since then she has spent 12 years with NJDTE as an incredible ballet teacher as well as rehearsal director. 

​“I look forward to further contributing to Nancy’s vision of bringing professional artists from many different disciplines to give the students a well-rounded dance education. In addition, there will be a focus on elevating the level of training as well as offering challenging and engaging new repertoire and historic classics.” says Gonzalez

BY MAGGIE FAIRLEY

DATES AND RATES:
October 20th, Wednesday 10:00am-11:15am FREE TRIAL CLASS
October 27th, Wednesday 10:00am-11:15am
Rates: $23/for a 5-Class Card and $21/ for a 10-Class Card
For more info please contact info@njdte.org

BY MAGGIE FAIRLEY

With the long-awaited return of our Salsa Masquerade Fundraiser Event, NJDTE is thrilled to welcome NJDTE Alumni Jessica Batten as a Salsa Masquerade Guest Artist along with Rodney Hamilton of Ballet Hispanico!

What role did NJDTE play in your life?
NJDTE is the place where formative relationships developed with my first love and passion, that is dance. I was given opportunities and responsibilities to develop my craft and technical skills. Additionally, it ignited my passion so fiercely that I was mentally, emotionally and physically able to confidently achieve my dreams pursuing dance as my life's mission and career. At NJDTE, I learned discipline, commitment, time management, how to communicate, and other organizational life skills that I apply in every layer of my life today. Most importantly, I learned respect for myself, for those that were leading me, and for the art form. 

Describe what you are currently doing in your professional career?
Currently I am in my sixth year as the Director of Dance at The Putney School, a progressive boarding high school in southern Vermont that focuses on agriculture, sustainability, social justice, and the arts. I am responsible for greatly expanding and managing the program. I teach all technique classes (ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, improvisation) as well as choreograph works and commissioning new works with guest artists.

We are thrilled to have you return to NJDTE as a Guest Artist for the SALSA MASQUERADE. Can you elaborate on your experience with the Hispanic heritage?
My love and admiration for the Hispanic cultures really blossomed while I was a company dancer with Ballet Hispanico in NYC. We were immersed in traditional Latin dances, music, culture, In addition to performing powerful repertoire representing Latin culture we also performed Viva Las Americas!, a educational lecture demonstration created for young people. We had the opportunity to tour all over the world and share the pride of  the expansive Latin cultures and art forms as well as teach Latin Social Dance at many events. This allowed me to understand the heritage and traditions on a deeper level.

Today, I continue to expand upon all I have experienced learn and celebrate the Hispanic/Latinx cultures. I am looking forward to dancing with everyone at NJDTE for this special SALSA MASQUERADE event, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month and with one of my best friends from my time at Ballet Hispanico, Rodney Hamilton.

BY LINDSAY OSTEN

During this year’s 2021 MIP2® summer program, dancers were encouraged to take risks and explore their unique creative voice. Students from all over the country worked with acclaimed faculty including Francois Perron, Kiley Dolaway, Nicole Von Arx, and Sean Lammer. The program provides multiple methods of research in improvisation, process, floorwork, and partnering. MIP2® inspires dancers to further explore their individual voice within these methods.

“Dancers from the top dance schools and universities made connections with their peers during a weekly “en masse” improv crash. They were able to utilize and share their unique approaches to improvisation together in our spacious studios. The students were guided by the guest artist teachers through structured improvisations and focused on collaborative process, which is a necessary skill needed in today’s professional world. ”- says MIP® Program Director, Nancy Turano.

When asked about MIP2® Anna Lopez from George Mason University responded, “We had  time to explore who we are as artists and to grow that image of ourselves further”.

MIP2® dancer Sydney Heldman of Visceral Dance Chicago said, “In the future I will be taking more risks in my dancing. Learning such challenging ways of moving has improved my confidence and shown me that I can do anything I put my mind to.”

​Hear more from our 2021 MIP2® dancers in their interviews below:

BY LEANDRA ACOSTA

The NJDTE Ensemble Dancers have been in the studios all Spring for this year’s “¡BALLI di PRIMAVERA! The Dances of Spring”. They have focused their energy and increased their skills with the tremendous opportunities they have had with Master Teachers from American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispanico and Paul Taylor to name a few. 

The performance will feature the iconic Paul Taylor Work “Cloven Kingdom”, staged by 20-year Paul Taylor Veteran Michelle Fleet as well as works by; Christopher Bloom of Ballet Hispánico, Excerpts of Don Quixote and Paquita staged by Alexandra Gonzalez, NJDTE Rehearsal Director, Parallel staged by Nancy Turano, NJDTE Artistic Director, NJSCA Fellow and Governor Award Winner. "Learning a Masterwork like CLOVEN KINGDOM provides physical insight to Mr. Taylor’s unique movement, detailed musicality, and brilliant patterning in space," says NJDTE Artistic Director Nancy Turano.

“Performing an iconic work like Cloven Kingdom is an honor that few professional dancers, let alone pre-professional students, will have in their careers.
That brings with it a responsibility I do not take lightly.  To have knowledge and insight come directly from longtime Paul Taylor Dance Company artists Michael Trusnovec and Michelle Fleet, who worked directly with Mr. Taylor himself, is a reminder of how closely we are linked to a pioneer of modern dance.” – Maggie Crowe

Anna Pettigrew, NJDTE Senior, had this to say “Regardless of the challenges this has also been a year of focus and growth. We have been fortunate to be able to safely rehearse and dedicate our year to dance. We are so grateful to even be in the studio at all,  we have been pushing ourselves each day because we never know when all of this can be taken away.”

LIVE performances (for parents/guardians only) of ¡Balli di Primavera! are at New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble Studios, 315b Springfield Ave, Summit, NJ.
Saturday, May 1st at 2:00pm & 5:00pm (LIVE) Limited to NJDTE Ensemble Family only
Sunday May 2nd at 3:00pm. (LIVE) Limited to NJDTE Ensemble Family only
Sunday May 2nd at 7:00pm, (VIRTUAL) Open to Public including special  “Behind the Scenes” rehearsal footage!

Tickets for the Virtual Performance are On Sale NOW!
$40 1 Ticket Link per household. No Link Sharing.
Use this link to purchase your tickets:  https://NJDTE.networkforgood.com/events/27852-balli-di-primavera-the-dances-of-spring-virtual-showing
 
For More Information on Paul Taylor American Modern Dance visit: www.ptamd.org.

By Kaitlyn Esposito
 
The feeling of fall is in the air and for NJDTE that means dancers are back in the studios. After a summer of successful programming, NJDTE has found its “new normal” allowing dancers and faculty to return to doing what they love. Looking towards the Fall season, we wanted to check in with NJDTE Faculty and Alumni to understand their “new normal” and get advice to pass along to dancers and the NJDTE community.

MEGAN GUINTA: NJDTE ALUMNA
Megan danced with NJDTE between 2003 and 2009, and is currently a movement instructor teaching GYROTONIC, GYROKINESIS, and Pilates. She believes that “movement is medicine. Gyrotonics and Pilates alleviate pain and stiffness, create equilibrium, build strength, and heal injuries.” Megan shares, “over the past 10 years teaching, I've seen this in my own life and in my clients' lives. As we integrate movement and breath, inflammation is reduced in the body, and the entire system - mind, body, spirit - is soothed.”
 
Like many of us, the past six months have certainly come with some challenges. She shares, “I'm super fortunate, though, that I've built clientele up to this point to carry me through this time. A handful of my clients have been working with me consistently during Covid-19 via zoom (many of them several times per week).  I've also been offering remote group classes for friends, family, and anyone who wants to join!” Megan says that it hasn't been easy, but teaching remotely has had its perks: anyone in the world can join her. She has seen her clients make a lot of progress during this time, and that has certainly lifted her spirits—something we all need right now.

During this time Megan wants others to "be yourself, love yourself, and honor your unique story. No one in the entire world can move the way that you move. It doesn't matter how pointy your feet are, how much turn-out you have, or how high your extension is. I let my own judgments (and comparing myself to others) hold me back when I was younger, but I've learned to love myself better. The relationship you have with yourself is most important, because you live with yourself 24/7. Each of us has something extraordinary to offer the world - so don't hide it.”

Megan’s favorite inspirational quote is "There is a crack in everything; that's how the light gets in” by Leonard Cohen. It reminds her to stop running after perfection as it does not bring happiness and it does not make something more valuable; there is beauty and light in everything if you look for it.

accepted into SUNY Purchase because of the training NJDTE afforded me. Not only that, but I made life-long friends at NJDTE, and I will treasure those relationships forever.”  NJDTE helped shape Megan into the woman she is today. 
Megan wants to share that is she so proud of all the NJDTE dancers. She follows NJDTE on social media and sees the incredible work everyone is doing which brings her so much joy. She comments, “Keep shining, and know that I am here if you ever need support.” She is also happy to discuss Gyrotonic or Pilates if anyone is curious about exploring it as a means of cross-training, or as a profession to supplement your dance career. 
 
Find Megan on Instagram at @megan.guinta or email her at meguinta91@gmail.com. 

SARAH HAMPTON LAPLANTE: NJDTE ALUMNA
Sarah danced with NJDTE between 1990 and 1998, and is currently an acupuncturist and an artist. Her acupuncture practice, Sword Hands is based in Putney, Vermont, and as a performance artist and visual artist, she works under the name Sarah H. Paulson.

Art & Acupuncture:
As an acupuncturist, she is particularly interest in the place where medicine and the arts meet. She says, “Acupuncture addresses the root cause of illness in an individual and works at the level of the body, mind, and spirit. As Taoist Medicine addresses the whole person in both health and illness, all people can benefit from receiving acupuncture treatment.” 
 
Sarah found her way to acupuncture because of physical pain that she wanted assistance with; she had fractured some vertebrae in a performance art piece which made her back constantly hurt. She shares, “Though acupuncture was very effective in helping resolve the pain and some other physical issues, what I really grew to love was the fact that acupuncture seemed so similar to my experience as an artist. Acupuncture is a healing art that works with resonance. Dance, movement, sound, music, painting,

language and many types of performance also work with resonance. An artist or dancer might be able to execute her discipline well, but in the case of mastery, the artist or dancer develops herself in such a way that the movement is able to come through her and resonate in the viewer or audience. She must learn how not to get in the way of a movement that originates from somewhere much deeper than either her mind or body. She becomes an instrument for the true movement of life to be expressed and to be given to another. This takes years, likely even a lifetime of cultivation.”
 
Her patients seek relief from specific symptoms such as insomnia, depression, skin issues, headaches, joint pain, musculoskeletal pain, PMS, asthma, digestive problems, or allergies. Other individuals come in with the sense that something is not quite right or there is a feeling of being stuck such as writer’s block or a lack of inspiration. She shares that “Many patients experience positive results in the realms of addiction, depression, energy levels, or emotional distress (sadness, worry, grief, fear, anger). Often times, patients may find relief from symptoms that are quite subtle and/or are difficult to diagnose from a Western medical perspective.” Acupuncture treatment can also remind the body how it can heal itself, and that living more in sync with the seasons is an excellent way to maintain one's health through seasonal tune-ups.

Sarah believes that many artists (dancers, musicians, writers, painters, etc.) seek a connection with something greater through their art form, but that this level of conversation is not often talked about. She explains, “Acupuncture is a living tradition that is passed from teacher to student, and then given in service to a patient who is looking for assistance. Art has the capacity to exist in the same way: passed from teacher to student and then given to an audience, or maybe even to our world, not through fame but rather through the heart of the artist and the work that comes alive through that artist."
She believes that art has the power to heal. She shares, “Though the depth of this dialogue remains almost untouched in the modern and contemporary art world, I think many of us have had the experience of being truly transformed by seeing a performance, looking at a painting, reading a poem, or hearing a piece of music. To me, Performance, in its sacred form, has the capacity to bring the human being closest to what it means to be human. This gives me hope during a time when we need the arts more than ever.”

NJDTE’s Role in Sarah’s Journey
While at NJDTE, Sarah learned about relationship, movement, power, strength, weakness, friendship, and her own passion. She notes, “On one level, I’ve never had a body made for classical ballet, so that was often painful.  I am not naturally flexible, and I don’t have good turnout.  But it wasn’t always excruciating—there were many moments of great joy! I’ve never lacked discipline or focus or a love of movement, and NJDTE provided a place for me to utilize those aspects of myself.  In many ways, ballet created a foundation from which I eventually differentiated.  I became determined to find my way into uncharted territory within myself, and NJDTE supported this.”
 
She continues, “Some days I thought I was supposed to want to be a professional ballet dancer. For years I took classes and pushed myself in ballet.  And then, one year Nancy Turano invited some contemporary choreographers and dancers to the summer program who opened a whole new door to me. My world was changed when I began improvising and learning about contact improvisation and other less classical or traditional forms from dance artists like Kyle Bukhari and Jodi Melnick. It was new, wild, different than anything I had learned before, and yet, it was the most natural thing for me. I feel lucky that I was young when I was exposed to the downtown dance scene and immediately felt the overlaps between dance/movement and visual art. I realized that I had been waiting for this, and to this day, I feel gratitude to Nancy Turano and NJDTE for knowing that each dancer has an innate form of language within her/him/them, which is waiting to be recognized and cultivated. Every dancer is unique.”

Sarah then went to visual art school and began making performances on her own. She did not at first know what performance art was, but she had become a performance artist without realizing it. She used her background in dance and her love of visual art and installation to choreograph larger scale pieces which led to her work now existing in a place between visual art and dance. She has used movement and video to create durational endurance pieces in which the audience is often free to enter and exit throughout the performance on their own time. She continues to work with both dancers and non-dancers in these performances. She loves when trained and untrained movement can come together and highlight the unique beauty in each. Now, she uses components of acupuncture in my performances, as well.
 
Many NJDTE alum have performed and participated in these performance works.  For example, Sarah’s last large-scale piece was a 10-hour performance called “The Reed Bed” performed in Brooklyn, NY at Grace Exhibition Space. Corey Bliss and Mackenzie Fitzgerald, both NJDTE alumni, were performers in this piece. Samantha Grey, also an NJDTE alumna, performed with Sarah in “Fire in Fire: Prayers for the Ocean,” a 3.5 hour performance in Miami, Florida.
The Impact of COVID-19
Initially, Sarah closed my acupuncture practice in March, an action she never imagined would be called for, especially as a healthcare practitioner. She quickly learned that this action was necessary in order to not be a vector for the spread of the virus, and during that time she was able to connect with the earth at greater depth. She slowed way down; the earth and the acupuncture points are intrinsically linked, so her acupuncture practice deepened without the use of needles. Acupuncture works with the seasons in a person, so she learned from the seasons of the earth.
 
She was in regular contact with patients via phone to remain connected, to hear how they were impacted, and also to share her own personal experiences. Since August, she have resumed one-on-one acupuncture appointments with very specific safety protocols. Though she is wearing a face shield and a mask and look a little strange, she feels wonderful to be working again. 
 
She noted that patients are coming in with serious questions, anxiety, pain, rage, sorrow, grief, and a range of experiences. She comments, “If I am not willing to do the personal work within myself, how can I properly address those with whom I am working?” She has had the privilege of being in deep conversation with both patients and colleagues about how to learn from this time. She says, “Working at the root of another person’s life often includes a level of intimacy, trust, and honesty, but this time is calling for more. People need one another more. Listening is vital.” 
 
This time has encouraged Sarah to reflect and to ask important questions:

• How can we cultivate an existence that does not use hate to protect us from our own shadows?
• In this time where “social distancing” has become the norm, how can we maintain connected to other people and the earth? 
• What are my priorities as an artist and a practitioner? 
• What is it to be human during this time of crisis in humanity and the earth? What do I have to offer?

 
Sarah’s acupuncture teacher recently said, “Think about how contagious this virus is. Love is 100 times more contagious.”  This powerful statement is something Sarah keeps close to her heart.
 
Sarah’s Advice For Dancers

• Let yourself feel your relationship to dance. 
• If you love it, you must do it.  No matter what. If you are born an artist, you must live this.
• Dance comes in many forms. 
• A break from what you love is always important, because you have the chance to determine whether you really can’t live without it.
• This is an unusual time. Use it, if you can. Ask yourself questions. Answer honestly from deep within yourself. Let your passion and longing grow. If you have questions about what you’re doing, ask them. Not everyone knows what she/he/they want. You don’t have to. Each person has their own pacing. Different times call for unexpected responses.  Timing is more mysterious than we are trained to think.
• Explore. Experiment. Let dance speak to you. Dance can exist in more places than you know.
• The arts are sacred. Connect to your passion through your heart rather than a hunger for fame or money. So many things are falling apart right now. Structures that determine success are changing. 
• Let the arts be sacred. Try to remember this in a time when this has been forgotten.
• Not everything you do has to be perfect. Allow yourself to make mistakes. Fall. Trip.  Fall on purpose. Say the wrong thing. Apologize. Be real. Use your weaknesses to learn.  Don’t feel embarrassed for being confused. Stay close to one another. If you’re competitive, use it to challenge yourself, not to hurt others.  
• Let love transform. Find this power inside of creation. 
• Art can unite. Let yourself be a part of this in creative ways.
• There are so many different kinds of artists and people.  I couldn’t possibly give you a blanket statement.  The world is a different place than it was months ago.  Ask yourself what really matters to you.  Especially outside of the studio, you have a chance to come into closer relationship with the sacredness of dance.  Give yourself that freedom.  The world could benefit from this being restored.  Your life is precious.  The body is a holy instrument. The heart is even holier.

 
Learn more about Sarah’s work at www.swordhands.com and www.sarahhpaulson.com.

By Kaitlyn Esposito

In the US, her choreography appeared at the Center for Performance Research (CPR), the Museum of Moving Image, Judson Church, The Wild Project, The 14th Street Y, the Ailey Citigroup Theatre and Sam Houston State University. She was awarded the 2018 STUFFED summer residency at Judson Church and the 2017 Dance Gallery Festival Level UP program. Nicole now creates work under the name NVA & Guests and teaches pop up dance classes on the roof of the Ace Hotel in New York.
 
Visit www.nvonarx.com for more information.

Alexandra Dalli (BFA, NCPT) is originally from Cranford, New Jersey. She began her dance training at the age of three at the Westfield School of Dance and continued at the New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble while participating in Cranford High School’s Dance Academy. At NJDTE, Dalli performed works by Sidra Bell, Adam Barruch, Bradley Shelver, and Nancy Turano. Over the years, she has studied at several summer and winter intensive programs including American Ballet Theater’s Collegiate Summer Intensive, Pre-Movement Invention Project, Joffrey Ballet School’s summer intensive, and 10 Hairy Legs winter and summer intensives. She graduated cum laude in 2018 from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts with a BFA in Dance. At Rutgers she was fortunate enough to perform works by Brian Brooks, Chien-Ying Wang, and Keith Thompson. During her time at Rutgers she completed the Polestar Pilates 450-hour Teacher Training Program and had the opportunity to complete an internship at Polestar Pilates España in Madrid, Spain. She was certified through the Pilates Method Alliance in 2017. Currently, Alexandra assists Polestar Pilates’ NYC Comprehensive Teacher Training as a Mentor-in-Training, teaches group and private Pilates to all ages, and is excited for another year as a faculty member teaching ballet at NJDTE.
 
In addition to teaching ballet, Alex is available for private Pilates lessons on the apparatus at NJDTE. For anyone (dancers or parents) who is looking to get stronger, prevent injury, work on alignment, or simply be introduced to Pilates she would love to help!
 
Contact info@njdte.org or visit www.njdte.org for more information.

BY LEANDRA ACOSTA

In 1969, a group of teachers from the New Jersey Federation for Dance founded the New Jersey Dance Theatre Guild (NJDTG) establishing their own ballet syllabus. Soon after, several charter members of NJDTG met with Dr. Alfredo Corvino to form a ballet company with students from the Guild schools that he would audition, teach, and cast in productions. Maestro Corvino remained NJDTG's Artistic Director for 13 years and had a profound influence on the students and teachers of the Guild.  

​Since its inception, NJDTE has provided pre-professional performance opportunities with internationally renowned choreographers including Sidra Bell, Shannon Gillen, Adam Barruch, Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, Cherice Barton, Loni Landon, Belinda McGuire, Andrea Miller, Kate Skarpetowska, Bradley Shelver, and Artistic Director Nancy Turano. NJDTE dancers have also performed works by master choreographers Twyla Tharp, David Parsons, and Robert Battle. ​ 
​
In 1994, Nancy Turano became the Artistic Director turning NJDTG into the New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble. In that same year, NJDTE took up residence at Drew University in Madison, NJ. Since becoming Artistic Director, Ms. Turano has created innovative training and mentoring programs for dancers and choreographers in the New York City metro area, including MOVEMENT INVENTION PROJECT®, MIP2®, AiR® contemporary choreographic residencies, and INKUBATE®. Then in June 2015, NJDTE moved to its current 9,000 square foot home in Summit, NJ.  

NJDTE now celebrates its 51st Anniversary Season: 51 Years of Excellence in Dance Education. From founding Artistic Director Alfredo Corvino to current Artistic Director Nancy Turano, NJDTE has remained steadfast in its goal of providing dancers pre-professional dance training and forward-thinking programming that empowers its dancers.

How MIP® & MIP2® Alumni and Guest Artists are staying moving and motivated at home
By Kaitlyn Esposito

MIP® alumni, MIP2® alumni, and FORCE MAJEURE FESTIVAL Guest Artists share how they are able to stay dancing and motivated while being home.

During this time, Adam has been teaching his three University classes online: Marymount, Fordham, SUNY Purchase. He has also been offering my own Zoom Dynamic Sequencing Classes as well as teaching choreographic phrase work on Movement For Hope's Instagram account. Adam uses his love for movement exploration to stay motivated, “I want to always understand the vehicle I embody and how it relates to the world around me. I am forever fascinated with the incredible intelligence that underlies life and I try to search constantly how to connect and learn from it.”

One of Adam’s favorite MIP2® memories was, “creating an installation for MIP2® at Reeves Reed Arboretum. I remember creating movement sequences based on elemental energy and it was beautiful to see the dancers moving amongst the landscape of the gardens.”