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Curriculum Vitae

CV: CV

Education

2018-Present

Ed.D. Dance Education, Leadership and Policy Track

Department of Arts and Humanities, Teacher's College, Columbia University

Arnhold Fellowship Scholarship Recipient

New York, New York

2012

Ed.M. Dance Education with PK-12 Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing in Dance

Program in Dance Education, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University

Dance Education Scholarship Recipient

New Brunswick, New Jersey


2011

B.F.A. Dance Performance

Dance Department, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

New Brunswick, New Jersey

Certifications

2016

Functional Movement Systems (FMS), Certified in Levels 1 and 2

2015

American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum, Certified in

Level 4 and Level 5

2014

American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum, Certified in

Pre-Primary through Level 3

2012

Pk-12 Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing in Dance

PK-12 Experience

2012-Present

Tenured Dance Educator in the Fine and Performing Arts Academy at

Bayonne High School

Bayonne, NJ

  • Created the dance program at Bayonne High School; offering dance to over 100 students in an urban public school district in grades 9-12.

  • Developed a sequence of courses including Dance I, Dance II, and Dance III, and Dance IV that incorporates all facets of dance education including history, technique, performance, creating, and analysis/critique. All students enrolled in dance perform in an original cross-curricular evening length dance concert.

  • Created an after school dance company, Bayonne High School Dance Company, that gives students enrolled in 9th-12th grade in the Bayonne School District, the opportunity to rehearse and perform in an after school environment.

  • Created an after school dance company, Bayonne High School Apprentice Dance Company, that gives students enrolled in 6th-8th grade in the Bayonne School District an opportunity to dance and perform in the high school’s dance show.

  • Enable dance students enrolled in Dance III and IV to produce their own show consisting entirely of student choreographed work and are required to be involved in all aspects of the shows technical production.

  • Developed a Guest Artist Residency for NYC/NJ based choreographers to set work on BHS students, the dances created are performed at Bayonne High School and in off campus venues.

  • Chapter Sponsor of National Honors Society of Dance Arts- Bayonne High School Chapter


2013-Present

Dance Educator/Program Director, Bayonne High School Summer Dance

Intensive

Bayonne, NJ

  • Taught students in 6th-12th grade in the BHS Summer Dance Intensive


2014

Dance Educator, Middlesex County Vo-Tech Summer Intensive

Dunellen, NJ

  • Taught students in 9th-12th grade in the MCVTS Summer Dance Intensive


2012

Dance Educator, Artists Striving to End Poverty

New York City, New York

  • Created and taught a cross-curricular dance program for immigrant refugee students coming to America and entering the NYC Public School system from 27 different countries.


2012

Leave Replacement Teacher, Watchung Hills Regional High School

Watchung, NJ

  • Instructed grades 9-12 in Dance I, Dance II, Advanced Dance, and Creative Movement

  • Implemented units and lessons that aligned with the curriculum in place and the state standards of education.

  • Created rubrics for assessment.

  • Choreographed two pieces on students for their spring dance concert in and for a performance in coordination with Rutgers University.

  • Fulfilled responsibilities of a full time faculty member by attending faculty meetings, serve hallway duty, and attending PLC meetings.

  • Designed and instructed inclusive classrooms for children with learning disabilities.

Businesses Owned

2015-Present

Washington Rock Dance, LLC

Warren, NJ

washingtonrockdance.com

  • Owner of a private dance school with business partners Cleo Mack and Blair Ritchie.


  • Mission statement: At Washington Rock Dance we believe in acknowledging the sincere individuality residing in each and every student of dance. We foster the unique development of our students by providing an opportunity to be creative, understand the field of body mechanics, and discover their personal sense of artistry through the performance of high caliber works. Our developmentally focused training is dedicated to locating a student’s maximum potential while experiencing a smart, inspirational, and fun environment.


  • Created the curriculum of study for the training tracks offered to over 200 students including:

    • Begin- designed for students 1st grade and under utilizing creative movement and foundations of dance.

    • Move- created for students 2nd grade and up looking to dance in a recreational setting and develop an appreciation for dance as an art form.

    • Reach- developed for students 2nd grade and up wanting to study and train on a pre-professional level by participating in the Washington Rock Ballet/Modern Companies and/or Performance Ensemble.


  • Administrate the operation of the school including management of all business related tasks such as:

    • Finances, QuickBooks, teaching staff, and all school events/performances.


  • Artistic Direction:

    • Direct and choreograph a full length production of, The Nutcracker, incorporating our pre-professional ballet company students with professional dancers from companies such as American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Trisha Brown Dance, and various other companies.

    • Choreograph for Washington Rock Dance Performance Ensembles, teach modern technique, ballet technique, and pointe courses that implement aspects of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

    • A portion of the profits from Washington Rock Dance are used to fund professional dance company, Rock Dance Collective.


  • Chapter Sponsor of National Honors Society of Dance Arts- Washington Rock Dance Chapter



2015-Present

BHS Young Dancer Program, 501(c)(3)

Bayonne, NJ

  • Owner and program director.

  • Created a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to offer dance classes at Bayonne High School for the community of Bayonne, NJ.

    • The program currently has over 85 students enrolled and offers classes including Creative Movers, Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Tap. Classes are offered at a subsidized rate for children ages 2-18. All profits from the program go directly into funding the Bayonne High School Dance program.


2016-Present

Rock Dance Collective, 501(c)(3)

Warren, NJ

rockdancecollective.com

  • Owner, Artistic Director, Professional Dancer

  • Created a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dance company along with business partners Cleo Mack and Blair Ritchie.

  • The company is committed to creating sensory experiences in both non-traditional and traditional spaces responding to societal and environmental stimuli.

Higher Education Experience

2018

Dance Educator, Rutgers University

New Brunswick, NJ

  • Guest lecturer for the Masters in Dance Education Graduate Students at Rutgers University


2018

Mentor, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education Cooperating Teacher

for Phase 2, Spring 2018


2016

Dance Educator, DeSales University

Center Valley, PA

  • Taught a Master Class to Dance Majors at DeSales University


2016

Dance Educator, Muhlenberg College

Allentown, PA

  • Taught a Master Class to Dance Majors at Muhlenberg College


2016

Dance Educator, Rutgers University

New Brunswick, NJ

  • Taught choreography from Randy James’s Moonlight Sonata to Dance Majors at Rutgers University


2016

Mentor, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education Mentor for Full-Time

Student Teacher, Fall 2016


2016

Mentor, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education Mentor for Phase 2

Student Teacher, Spring 2016


2015

Mentor, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education Cooperating Teacher

for Phase 2, Fall 2015


2015

Mentor, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education Cooperating Teacher

for Phase 2, Spring 2015


2014

Mentor, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education Cooperating Teacher

for Phase 2, Spring 2014

Performance Experience

2016- Present

Rock Dance Collective

Artistic Director, alongside Cleo Mack and Blair Ritchie

Professional Dancer  

  • Notable Performances/Residencies:

    • INVITED, an immersive evening length dance performance that took place at 100 Grand Street, NYC, premiered in 2018.

    • Late, part of the DanceNOW Festival at Joe’s Pub, premiered in 2017

    • A Watershed Moment, an immersive evening length dance performance taking place on the Raritan River in New Brunswick, NJ, premiered in 2016.

    • CoLab Arts Artist in Residence for the 2016 Gala Performance

    • Silo Guest Artist Residency at Kirkland Farms in 2017

    • Rutgers University Dance Appreciation Guest Artist in 2016, 2017, and 2018


2014-2016

Cleo Mack Dance Project

Professional Dancer

  • Notable Performances/Residencies:

    • This Is Where I Live, part of the DanceNOW Festival at Joe’s Pub and George Street Playhouse NJ Choreographers Showcase, premiered in 2016

    • Oligarchs, part of the Outlet Dance Project Festival at Grounds for Sculpture, premiered in 2015

    • We Have Been Obscured, part of the Outlet Dance Project Festival at Grounds for Sculpture, premiered in 2014

    • Rutgers University Dance Appreciation Guest Artist in 2014, 2015, and 2016


2012-2016

Freelance Dancer

Professional dancer throughout NYC, NJ, Boston, and Philadelphia

  • Kyle Marshall of Kyle Marshall Choreography

  • Robert Mark Burke of Robert Mark Dance

  • Lauren Connolly of Connolly & Co.

  • Kat Sauma of Assembled Hearts

  • Zakiya Atkinson of Zaman Dance Theater Collective


2007-2012

Undergraduate/Graduate Performances

Notable Performances:

  • Performer, DancePlus Spring, Randy James, The Day After Jesus Was Born, Victoria J. Mastrobuono Theater

  • Soloist, Romance and Dance, Randy James, Moonlight Sonata, Canal Studio Theater

  • Performer, Rutgers in New York, Merce Cunningham, Minevent, Joyce Theater

  • Performer, Dance Plus Fall, John Evans, Parts as Yet, Victoria J. Mastrobuono Theater

  • Performer, University Danceworks Tour, Benoit Swan Pouffer, For All of Us

  • Performer, DancePlus Spring, Jeff Friedman, Format I and V, Victoria J. Mastrobuono Theater

Choreography

2018

driP, Bayonne High School evening length dance concert about Jackson Pollock and abstract visual art.

2017

The Onion, piece created for Rutgers Summer Dance Conservatory students.

2017

First Day, piece created for Rutgers Summer Dance Conservatory students.

2017

Mooki, a piece choreographed for the advanced dancers at Bayonne High School for their performance in, Eleven.

2017

Berliner, Bayonne High School evening length dance concert about the Berlin

Wall.

2016

on the verge., a piece choreographed for the advanced dancers at Bayonne High

School for their performance, In Tandem.

2016

Mockingbird, Bayonne High School evening length dance concert about, To Kill A Mockingbird.

2016

Upper Limit Problem, a piece choreographed for the advanced dancers at Bayonne High School for their performance, Unfold, at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York City.

2015

Internal Room, award winning trio choreographed on high school students for Hub City Sounds Dance Festival.

2015

Trouver la Vérité, Bayonne High School evening length dance concert about the

rise and fall of Marie Antoinette.

2014

Chapter 1: Blueprint, Bayonne High School end of year concert featuring 20

dances for students in 9th-12th grade.

2013

Creating the Prologue, Bayonne High School end of year concert featuring 16

dances for students in 9th-12th grade.

Notable Presentations

2017

“CTE Arts Cluster Workshop,” Presented workshop on arts assessments for learning to CTE Visual and Performing Arts teachers, Trenton, NJ

2016

“Individualizing Optimal Alignment for Longevity in Dance Training,” Presented at NDEO Conference, Washington, DC

2015

“Big Concepts through Big Art,” Presented at NDEO Conference, Phoenix, Arizona

2012

“Site-Specific Dance,” Presented at NJAHPERD Conference, Long Branch, NJ

2011

“Concert vs. Commercial Dance,” Presented to Rutgers students, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Honors and Awards

2018

Bayonne High School Dance Receives two Judges Awards at Hudson County Teen Arts.

2017

Bayonne High School Dance Receives a Judges Award at Hudson County Teen

Arts.

2016

Bayonne High School Dance Receives Top Honors at Hudson County Teen Arts

2015

Recipient of the IMTT Grant, $5,000 awarded to teachers for classroom items.

2015-2018

Recipient of the Bayonne Education Foundation Mini Grant, $500 awarded

to teachers in the Bayonne School District for classroom items.

2011

Recipient of a Dance Education Scholarship for Graduate Education, Rutgers University 

Projects

2017

Committee Member, Planned and facilitated CTE Arts Assessments for teacher trainings, Trenton, NJ.


2014-2015

Committee Member, Designed the Performance Assessment Tasks for the NJ Model Curriculum lead by Dale Schmid, Trenton, NJ


2012

Panel Member, Rutgers University

  • Served on search panel for full time faculty member to work in the B.F.A./Ed.M. program at Rutgers University.


2012

Blind Reviewer, Model Curriculum Project, New Jersey Department of Education, Trenton, NJ


2011-Present

Researcher, Concert Dance vs. Commercial Dance, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ


2010

Intern, New Jersey Department of Education, Trenton, NJ

Department of Visual and Performing Arts

  • Helped research, collect and analyze data for the standardized test given to New Jersey Career and Technical High Schools.


2009

Panel Member, Rutgers University

  • Served on search panel for full time faculty member to head the Ed.M. program at Rutgers University.

Affiliations/Memberships

2016-Present

National Honor Society for Dance Arts Bayonne High School Chapter Sponsor


2016-Present

National Honor Society for Dance Arts Washington Rock Dance Sponsor


2009- Present

Member, National Dance Education Organization

2009- Present

Member, Dance New Jersey

Professional Development

2018

Arts Ed Now- Arts Advocacy Presentation, Ocean County, NJ

2018

Blair Ritchie and Cleo Mack, Creating a Mindful Classroom Workshop

2017

Hollie Palmisano, ATC, LAT, Rutgers University, Creative Ideas to Incorporate

Therabands in the Classroom Workshop


2016

Hollie Palmisano, ATC, LAT, Rutgers University, What’s up with Warm Ups: Critical Components Workshop


2015

Bayonne Board of Education, Training Workshop on Reporting Procedures, Affirmative Action, and Child Abuse & Neglect


2014

Hollie Palmisano, ATC, LAT, Rutgers University, Maximizing Dance Performance: Implementing Injury Prevention into Dance Education Workshop

2012

Richard Toda, American Ballet Theater Workshop “What is a Teaching Artist,” New York City, NY


2012

Richard Toda, American Ballet Theater Workshop “National Training Curriculum,”

New Brunswick, NJ

2012

Bartenieff Fundamentals Workshop, “Teaching Dance Skills Through Body Connectivity: What Colleges Really Want Dancers To Know and Do,” New Brunswick, NJ

2012

Graduate School of Education “Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Prevention,” New Brunswick, NJ

2011

American College Dance Festival, Elon, NC

2011

Jacqueline Smith Autard, “Technology in Dance,” New Brunswick, NJ

2011

Teresa Purcell Cone, “Special Populations in Dance,” New Brunswick, NJ

2011

Barbara Angeline, “Critical Thinking in Dance,” New Brunswick, NJ

2011

Faculty/students from National Taipai University, “Indigenous Dance,” New Brunswick, NJ

2011

Circa, “Safe Gymnastic Tools for Students” New Brunswick, NJ

2010

Jacqueline Smith Autard, “Technology in Dance,” New Brunswick, NJ

2010

Dale Schmid, “Department of Education Data Analysis,” Trenton, NJ

2010

American College Dance Festival, Erie, PA

2010

Nikolais/Murray Dance Intensive, New York City, NY

2009

Howard Gardner “Teaching the Creative Mind,” Union Township, NJ

2009

Dale Schmid, “Department of Education Data Analysis,” Trenton, NJ

2009

American College Dance Festival, Abington, PA

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