Selected Student Bios

• Pamela Levy
  Pamela Levy received her early dance training at the Princeton Ballet School under the direction of Audree Estey. At PBS she studied with Dermot Burke, Mary Pat Robertson, Jane Miller Gifford, Sherry Alban and Christine Sarry, and performed with Princeton Ballet II. Pamela continued her studies at Mason Gross School of the Arts - Rutgers University where she received a BFA degree in Dance Performance. Upon graduation Pamela was invited to join the Murray Louis and Nikolais Dance Company with whom she toured as a soloist both nationally and internationally for several years. Pamela has also danced with The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Claudia Gitelman Dance Theater, Don Redlich Dance Company and Simona Bucci's IMAGO Dance Theatre. 
  
  Pamela has taught dance at Marymount Manhattan College, Rutgers University, Community Roots Charter School, The Princeton Ballet School, and was the Artistic Director of the Washington Rock Ballet in Central New Jersey. She currently teaches at the Mark Morris Dance Center and American Ballet Theatre's JKO School. Pamela is a Masters Degree Candidate in Steinhardt's Dance Education/ABT Ballet Pedagogy Track.
  
• Jessica Markiewicz
  Jessica Markiewicz, ABT Ballet Pedagogy Concentration at NYU Steinhardt, is from Severn, MD.  She received her early training from Barbara Willis and Mary Carter at the Carter School of Dance, and later studied at the Ballet Royale Institute of Maryland under Vyacheslav Mesropov.  Jessica has also attended summer programs at The Washington School of Ballet, the Kirov Academy in Washington D.C., and American Ballet Theater.
   
  In 2006, Ms. Markiewicz graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Dance from Goucher College.  Currently, she is a member of Misako Ballet Company in Columbia, MD.  In addition to assisting with the Arundel High School Dance Company and serving as a guest choreographer for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, she also teaches in private studios.
   
  Jessica is an ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT National Training Curriculum.
  
• Estefania Garcia

   

  Estefania Garcia is an MA candidate in Dance Education with a concentration in American Ballet Theatre Ballet Pedagogy at NYU Steinhardt. She is an ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT National Training Curriculum. She received her dance training in Gainesville, Florida at Joni Messler Studio of Dance, with the Gainesville Ballet Theatre, and Santa Fe Community College. She has also attended Washington Ballet School adult classes, and summer intensives at Orlando Ballet and University of South Carolina. She currently teaches at Sun Country Sports Center in Gainesville. Estefania graduated magna cum laude from the University of Florida in 2005 with a BS in Journalism.

• Erika Mero
  Erika Mero began her dance training at Princeton Ballet School.  As a dancer in the Professional Training Program, she studied with Elisabeth Carrol, Septime Webre, Maria Youskevitch, Kyra Nichols, Mary Pat Robertson, Mary Barton and Douglas Martin.  Ms. Mero was a member of American Repertory Ballet Workshop, a pre-professional company of the school.  As a dancer in ARBW, she appeared in the premiere of Graham Lustig's Standstill, and also danced the ballerina role of Swanhilda in Coppelia as a senior in high school.  During these years, she also attended The Juilliard School's summer intensive for two summers.  In 2006, Ms. Mero graduated Cum Laude with a BFA in Dance Performance from SUNY Purchase.  While at Purchase, Ms. Mero appeared in The Nutcracker, Balanchine's Serenade, and as the soloist in Nijinska's Les Noces.
  
  After graduation, Ms. Mero continued teaching at ARB's Princeton Ballet School, where she had started in 2003.  Recent performance work includes two seasons with Stuart Loungway's Terra Firma Dance Theatre, and productions of Romeo et Juliette, Rigoletto and The Merry Widow with Opera New Jersey.  Ms. Mero chose to continue her education here at NYU Steinhardt, in the ABT Ballet Pedagogy Program, to further her knowledge in ballet, and learn ABT's new training curriculum. She hopes to go on to teach in higher education or a conservatory setting when finished with the program as well as continue teaching her own students in Princeton.
  
  
• Clarence McDorman
  Clarence McDorman, ABT Ballet Pedagogy Concentration, received his ballet training at the Ruth Page Foundation School of Dance on talent scholarship. Professional credits include Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet, Ballet Hawaii, Nevada Ballet Theatre, and "Jubilee!" at Bally's Las Vegas. He has been the Ballet Director for Studio One Dance in Las Vegas, guest teacher for Cirque du Soliel's "Mystere", and Ballet Master for the Birmingham Ballet. He has taught advanced ballet for Birmingham Ballet Academy, Birmingham Dance Theatre, and Arkansas Academy of Dance. Choreography includes "Prokofiev Waltzes" for Arkansas Festival Ballet and the musical "Fairy Tales" at WPA Theatre off-Broadway. Currently, he is the ballet coach for American Gymnastics Academy. Clarence holds a BA in Communications from DePaul University. He chose the NYU Steinhardt Dance Education Graduate Program in ABT Pedagogy to enrich and deepen his knowledge of the classical ballet form, to develop a relationship with ABT by becoming a part of their extended network of teachers, and to improve upon his overall skill set as a dance educator. Future career plans are to teach ballet on the university level, to design and direct a private studio pre-professional program, and to help bridge the gap between these two vital worlds of dance education.
• Paige Ricci
  Paige Ricci, ABT Ballet Pedagogy Concentration, began ballet at the age of 13 studying under Kim Pauley and The Charleston Ballet in her hometown of Charleston, WV. She also performed professionally in the company dancing in ballets such as Paquita, Les Sylphides, Raymonda, and Graduation Ball. During this time, Paige attended summer programs such as Point Park College and Boston Ballet. Paige attended Butler University in Indianapolis, IN on a dance scholarship and graduated with a BS in Arts Administration with a Dance Concentration. While at Butler, Paige performed with the Butler Ballet and danced roles such as the Snow Queen in the Nutcracker and the Pas de Six in Napoli and was a guest with Ballet Internationale. Since graduation in 2003, she has been dancing freelance with modern and ballet companies. Paige began teaching in 2005 and has made that her number one priority. She is now attending New York University;'s Steinhardt School program to pursue her Masters in Dance Education in partnership with American Ballet Theatre. She hopes to teach ballet in a professional school and eventually help further ballet training in higher education.
• Kimberly Fiordimondo
  Kimberly Fiordimondo, ABT Ballet Pedagogy Concentration, began her ballet training began at a small youth ballet company in New Jersey. At 16, she joined the International Ballet Theatre in Philadelphia, where she earned the rank of soloist. At IBT, Kimberly was fortunate to dance a variety of classical roles. After dancing with IBT and the Russian Ballet Theatre of Delaware, Kimberly went to train at the Hartford Ballet School. Moving to NYC to attend Marymount Manhattan College, Kimberly was a scholarship student at STEPS, and a freelance dancer. Kimberly's main teachers include; Irina and Sasha Boitsov, Irina Kolpokova, Mikhail Korogodsky, Margarita de Saa, Raymond Lukens, Alla Osipenko, Kirk Peterson, Franco De Vita, Michael Vernon and Nancy Bielski.Graduating from Marymount with a BA in English, Kimberly taught Special Education for six years. She taught ballet at various studios, where she met her friend, coach, and future business partner, Anne Moser. Ms. Moser's style of infusing Pilates into ballet training enabled her to recapture her dancing after years off for an injury. Inspired, Kimberly decided to return to graduate school and pursue her dream of founding her own ballet company. With the infusion of her favorite ballet company, American Ballet Theater and New York University's Steinhardt School, Kimberly knew this was the place she needed to be.
• Nora Cotter

  Nora Elizabeth Cotter, ABT Ballet Pedagogy Concentration, was born in Buffalo, NY, Nora graduated from The North Carolina School of the Arts High School with a concentration in Ballet and as a North Carolina Regents Scholar. After receiving both a Dance and Egan Academic Scholarship, Nora graduated cum laude from Mercyhurst College with a BA in Dance. While at Mercyhurst, Nora studied abroad in Rome, Italy where she studied at Istituto Addestramento Lavoratori dello Spettacolo and John Cabot University. She has attended summer programs at Boston Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, Hungarian National Ballet, and Balletakademien Stockholm.

  Ms. Cotter came to NYU Steinhardt as a direct result of their partnership with American Ballet Theater, offering a Master's Degree in Dance Education with training in ABT's National Curriculum. After graduation, she hopes to teach ballet in a conservatory environment.

• Malerie Bycura
  Malerie Bycura, ABT Ballet Pedagogy Concentration, is very excited to be a part of the first group of students in the ABT Ballet Pedagogy program at NYU Steinhardt. Malerie grew up in Tempe, AZ where she studied the Royal Academy of Dancing ballet syllabus with Mary Moe Adams for 17 years. She is an R.A.D. majors member. She was 1st chair in the Arizona All-State Show Choir her senior year of high school. In the Spring of 2008 Malerie graduated from Wagner College with a B.A. in Musical Theater Performance, with a minor in dance. During her undergraduate work she got the opportunity to intern both at Dance Magazine in Manhattan and Dance/USA in Washington D.C. Malerie has been blessed with several chances to perform, choreograph and teach dance.
• Vanessa Aiken
  Vanessa Aiken is a New Jersey native, having studied multiple dance styles including Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Modern and Character.  Currently in NYU Steinhardt's Dance Education Masters program, she received previous training from the Princeton Dance and Theatre Studio in Princeton, NJ; The Academy of Dance in Hampton Virginia, and most recently performed in a training company with The Virginia Ballet Theatre in Norfolk, VA.  Following her graduation from NYU Steinhardt's program, Vanessa plans to open her own dance studio which will cater heavily to novice adults and provide affordable dance lessons to low-income families.
• Jessica Rizzo

  Jessica Rizzo is a native New Yorker enrolled in NYU Steinhardt's Dance Education Masters program. She is also a cum laude graduate with her BFA in dance performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst 5 College Dance Program.  Jessica, or Jess as she is known, is a Chancellor's Talent Award Scholarship alumni and has been fortunate to have graced stages all over the world and the US.  Favorite works include: The National Tour of Guys and Dolls dancing alongside Maurice Hines, The European Tour of Grease, West Side Story, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, Salute to Dudley Moore at Carnegie Hall, guest dancer with IMPULSE Modern Dance Company as well as lyrical and modern works by Suzi Taylor and Megan Brazil.

  Jess is currently on faculty at New Dance Group in NYC and The D'Valda & Sirico Dance Centre in Fairfield, CT. She can also can be seen in the "how to" teaching segments on the newly celebrated danceteacherweb.com. She has recently taught the cast of Dragone's LA REVE at the Wynn Las Vegas and was privileged to teach at the Queen's Kampala Ballet and Modern Dance School in Kampala, Uganda.

  Jess also serves as choreographer and teacher in the NYC area while conducting master classes and workshops all over the country, specializing in the genres of contemporary and musical theatre. She is a master teacher and adjudicator for various national dance competitions and is the creator of her CARDIO BURLESQUE CLASS for adults.

• Assantwa Green
  Assantwa Green, a first year Dance Education graduate student (DATC PK-12 Dance Teacher Certification - Initial Cert.) at NYU Steinhardt, was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Assantwa grew up with a love of learning culture through dance and by age 12 had already visited five countries in Africa, knowing she wanted to emulate those styles of movement. Assantwa has performed with numerous companies including Visions in Peace where she made her debut performance at Dance Africa. Recently, Assantwa wrote and debuted a children's play, titled Rhythme de Guineé, and she continues to work as a teaching artist throughout various schools.
  
• Alison Rose
  Alison Rose is a native of San Diego, California. She graduated from California State University Long Beach in 2002 with a BFA in dance. After graduation, Alison attended the American Dance Festival on scholarship and then moved to New York City to pursue a professional dance career. From 2002 through 2005, she toured the country performing with Randy James Dance Works. During her time with RJDW she taught dance classes to k-12th grade students in New Jersey. She has also taught master classes at Roger Williams University and Rutgers University. Alison has worked with David Dorfman, Keith Johnson, Monica Bill Barnes and Alexandre Pepelyaev of Russia. Her own choreography has been seen at the Scripps Performing Arts Center in California and Bridge for Dance in New York City. Alison is a teaching artist for Wingspan Arts and a certified personal trainer and triathlete. Her interest in becoming a teaching specialist encouraged her to pursue her master's degree at New York University. In May of 2009, Alison will graduate from NYU Steinhardt with her Masters in Dance Education and her New York State Teaching Credential. She is looking forward to a long and fulfilling career as a dance educator.
• Carol Rakowski
  Carol Rakowski has a background in dance, music, and theater, and received her BA in modern dance from Cornell. Past teachers include Maggie Black, Robert Blankshine, James Waring, Jim May, and Chuck Davis. She has appeared with theater companies and with the Lorraine Havercroft, Annabella Gonzalez, and June Finch dance companies, performing in Syracuse and New York City at many theaters, lofts, public spaces, and schools. Her work has been performed in New York, Syracuse, San Antonio, and at the American Dance Festival. She has taught in private studios, at Cornell and SUNY Oswego, and most recently for seven years as the dance teacher for the Ridgewood NJ Public Schools. She has received grants as an "Artist in the Schools", has given workshops on integrating dance in the classroom, and served on a number of community boards. She is currently pursuing an MA in Dance Education from NYU Steinhardt to strengthen her pedagogy and dance skills, and looks forward to teaching in higher education.
• Tina Curran
  Tina Curran is the newest doctoral student in the Dance Education Program, beginning her studies in fall 2004 toward a Ph.D. She is a dance graduate of Southern Methodist University (MFA) and of The Juilliard School (BFA). She has worked with and performed a broad range of choreographic repertoire including Anna Sokolow, Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, David Parsons, Garth Fagan, George Balanchine, Kenneth MacMillan, Antony Tudor, Gus Giordano and Danny Buraczeski.

  She taught ballet, modern and jazz technique, dance history, Labanotation and Language of Dance on the faculties of Southern Methodist University and the Booker T. Washington High School of the Visual and Performing Arts in Dallas, TX and at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.

  As director of the Language of Dance® Center, USA, Curran conducts certification courses, master classes and residencies nationally and internationally in both academic and professional venues for all age and skill levels. In addition to teaching of Language of Dance, Curran is a co-author, with Ann Hutchinson Guest, of the next edition of the seminal motif text, Your Move: The Language of Dance® Approach to Movement and Dance.

  Through her work as a dance reconstructor, she has restaged and directed several masterworks from Labanotation score and primary source material including The Desperate Heart - Valerie Bettis, Gossip and Life Continues by Finnish choreographer Maggie Grippenberg, L'Apres Midi d'un Faune - Vaslav Nijinsky and How Long, Brethren? - Helen Tamiris. Curran is an associate researcher and co-author, with Christian Matjias, of the George Balanchine Critical Editions, the first of the series featuring Concerto Barocco.

  Curran presents her work at professional conferences in the dance, education and the dance notation fields worldwide.