Dawn Cargiulo
|
Dawn Cargiulo Berman studied at the University of the Arts and the Laban Centre for Dance and Movement in London, England, where she received a BA with Honors in Dance Theatre.
She began her professional dance career with Transitions Dance Company, a London based collaborative group where she performed and taught throughout Europe, Japan, and Taiwan. Dawn joined internationally acclaimed MOMIX Dance Company, performing throughout the US and Europe, as well as teaching master classes at the university level. Additionally, she performed with NYC-based companies Neo Labos, Shoestring, and Isadora Dance Legacy and also collaborated with Vienna-based Blue Moon Productions performing in Vienna, Belgium, and NYC. Dawn created and directed the dance program at Mainland Regional High School in Linwood, NJ, for two years and then went on to direct the dance program at Middlesex Vocational and Technical High School. During this time Dawn continued her performance work with Philadelphia-based Junk Dance Company and Scrap Performance Group, creating and performing dance works throughout the Philadelphia area, including the Philadelphia Fringe Festivals and Princeton Arts Council galas. Dawn continues to collaborate with The Hopewell Valley Arts Council, The Princeton Ballet School, Rider University, and The Lawrenceville School. |
Mary Pat Robertson
Coordinator, Ballet
|
Mary Pat Robertson (CORE teacher) is an internationally known dance educator. She is a member of the UNESCO Conseil International de la Danse, and has been cited by the U.S. Congress, the NJ State Council on the Arts, and the Arts Council of Princeton for her work in the field. After an academic education from Wellesley and Stanford, Ms. Robertson pursued advanced training in ballet and modern dance in Manhattan, where she studied with such greats as Merce Cunningham, Twyla Tharp, Lar Lubovitch, and David Howard. After moving to the Princeton area in 1980, Ms. Robertson founded Teamwork Dance, a contemporary dance company well-known for its collaborations with other local arts groups, including Opera Festival of NJ, VOICES, Princeton Pro Musica, and many others.
For 30 years, Ms. Robertson was Director of Princeton Ballet School, for whom she wrote a complete syllabus and created many of its popular programs, including the PLUS program, the Professional Training Program, and the international Trainee program. She has also taught at Princeton, NYU, and Mason-Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, and the Lawrenceville and Peddie Schools. Ms. Robertson has also been a consultant for the Educational Testing Service, NJPAC, and the New York State Council on the Arts, and has been a guest teacher across the US and in Europe. Ms. Robertson is married to Michael Robertson, professor of English at The College of New Jersey. |
Brandon Joshua Jones
|
Brandon J. Jones– is a professional dancer and teacher who has performed internationally, and is currently dancing for the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company. His broad-based training in seven different dance styles led him to great success in dance competitions in his early years of training. Brandon then attended the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University in Pittsburgh on a full artistic merit scholarship, receiving a B.A. in dance. Brandon’s performing career has included appearing in works by choreographers Ron DeJesus of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago; Cleo Mack; Michele DeLaReza and Peter Kope; and NYC choreographers Kim Gibilisco and Obediah Wright. He also toured internationally with dance music artist Crystal Waters, with appearances in Amsterdam, Belgrade, Brisbane, Bucharest, Moscow, Tel Aviv, and Vienna. Since 2012, Brandon has been collaborating with Mod Arts Dance Collective and Tiny Starr Productions Theatre Group, both in New York City. Brandon lives in central NJ and teaches jazz, funk, lyrical, and modern dance. He is also an Adjunct Teaching Artist through NJPAC’s Arts Education Department.
|
Gabriella Proffitt
|
Gabriella Proffitt graduated from University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 2014, with a BFA in dance education, specializing in ballet performance, and a minor in musical theater. Since graduation, she has been performing and teaching throughout the area. Ms. Proffitt is originally from the San Francisco Bay area, where she studied intensively throughout high school, including work with Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Sacramento Ballet School, and as part of the apprentice program at Diablo Ballet in San Diablo. While attaining her degree at University of the Arts, Ms. Proffitt was a peer tutor in ballet, for which she was acknowledged with an Excellence in Tutoring Award and an Outstanding Student Teaching Award. Since graduation, she has taught for Mill Ballet School, Penn Ballet at the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton Ballet School, The Rock School in Philadelphia, and Studio 180 in Paoli, Pa. She has appeared as a dancer with Ballet Fleming in Philadelphia, Ballet 180 in Paoli, and Roxey Ballet in Lambertville. Additional interests are music, alternative somatic modalities, and multidisciplinary collaboration, all of which inform her work as an artist and arts educator. Ms. Proffitt will be appearing as a special guest in the “Draw the Circle Wide” performance of The Pennington Studio in May, and will join the faculty teaching ballet for the 2017-18 season.
|
John Barrella
|
John Barrella is a hip-hop / street dance educator, choreographer, company director and event coordinator from central NJ. John specializes in the instruction of hip-hop dance culture, freestyle and choreography in the styles of locking, popping, breaking, street jazz and more. At the age of 14, John was accepted into the East Brunswick Vocational and Technical High School, under the direction of Dawn Berman, where he spent his four high school years learning modern dance and ballet. Aside from traditional classes, he also attended annual courses in human anatomy, improvisational techniques, teaching dance to children, choreography techniques, musical theatre and theatre.
In college, John studied childhood education and small business management to round out his dance career training. From his early teens, John studied under various hip-hop artists and was recruited into Wildstyle hip-hop crew in 2004. From there, he learned his basic hip-hop techniques and to this day gets his training from sessions with various crews and hip hop artists, as well as regular NYC classes. John is the creator and director of The ReDEF Movement , a set of hip-hop crews that actively showcase and battle in the hip-hop community. Within his crews, and as an individual, John’s work and performances have been featured in and out of state in various NY festivals, half time shows for the NY Liberty and NY Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Monsters of Hip-Hop, Battle for Your Life, Unity 2009, and much more. Recently, John’s crew has won multiple statewide battles and he was a featured dancer in the music video, “HSKT”. Currently , John is owner of hip hop dance convention, “Soul Sessions” and is collaborating with a member of the New York City Breakers for a performance tour on the history of hip-hop. John’s classes are designed to teach aspiring dancers the fundamentals of hip-hop dance as a freestyle art and techniques to master choreography. His goals are to inspire people to be artists and push themselves creatively and positively both in and out of dance no matter what the obstacles are. |
Bridgette Gan
|
Bridgette Gan is a talented and passionate dancer, performer and fitness instructor from Harrisburg PA. Bridgette has been dancing her whole life as a professional and classically trained music theater and opera performer and started teaching Zumba Fitness after becoming certified in 2012. As a music teacher she has taught privately in NJ, Maryland and Florida and worked as a music and drama teacher with Charlie Choo Choo at various Learning Experience daycares throughout NJ. She has taught Zumba in Hoboken, Union City, Rutherford, and Weehawken New Jersey, along with teaching in PA, West Palm Beach Florida and Santa Fe New Mexico. She is certified in both Zumba and STRONG by Zumba, and currently maintains an active following at PEAC fitness, Crunch Hamilton, New Jersey Athletic Club, Rider University and the Newtown Athletic Club. She is thrilled to bring her energy, passion and commitment to fitness, dance and fun to the Pennington Studio!
Bridgette is quickly establishing herself as an exciting upcoming talent. Recently, Ms. Gan made an acclaimed last minute debut for an indisposed Erin Morley as Marie in Palm Beach Opera’s production of La fille du regiment, which critics called “a tour de-force…vocally beautiful and consistent with a rich tone and sparkling high notes.” Ms. Gan’s 2016-2017 season includes a return to Opera Orlando for her role debut of Norina in Don Pasquale, as well as her company and role debut with St. Petersburg Opera as Adina in L’elisir d’amore. In concert she returns to the South Florida Symphony, and was featured at the Newport Music Festival during the summer of 2016. In 2017/2018 Ms. Gan looks forward to returning to both the South Florida Symphony and Opera Orlando as Musetta in La Bohème. Last season Ms. Gan appeared with Opera Orlando as Mademoiselle Silberklang in a double bill of The Impresario and Les mamelles de Tirésias, returned to Palm Beach Opera for her role debut as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, and made her mainstage debut with Santa Fe Opera, creating the role of Lila in the world premiere of Cold Mountain by Jennifer Higdon. In concert she appeared with the Toledo Symphony for their Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration concert, South Florida Symphony for their And the Tony Goes to concert tour, and appeared as a guest artist for Palm Beach Opera’s Opera on the Waterfront concert. Previous seasons include a debut with the Center for Contemporary Opera as Jackie Kennedy in a reading of Chandler Carter’s new opera Bobby, and the soprano soloist in Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Gan was a resident artist with Palm Beach Opera from 2013-2015, where she covered Musetta in La bohème, Yadwiga in the world premiere of Enemies, A Love Story, sang Stella in Les contes d'Hoffmann, and sang Morgana in Palm Beach Opera’s “Opera in One Hour” production of Alcina. Ms. Gan is also an alumna of numerous apprentice programs, including the programs at Santa Fe Opera, Central City Opera, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis, with assignments that included Frasquita in Carmen, the cover of Madame Herz and The Cook in The Impresario/Le Rossignol, the cover of Sandrina in La finta giardiniera, Venus and Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld, Madeline/Isabel in The Face on the Barroom Floor, and Celie in Signor Deluso. Bridgette has also distinguished herself in numerous prestigious vocal competitions throughout the country. She has won prizes from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, Central City Opera, the Licia Albanese-Pucinni Competion, Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition, Opera Index Vocal Competition, Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition, the Philadelphia Orchestra Albert M. Greenfield Competition, the National Opera Association Voice Competition, the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, and was a Grant nominee for the 2015 and 2016 Sara Tucker Award. Ms. Gan completed her Masters in Opera Performance from the Maryland Opera Studio and her Bachelors in Music from Westminster Choir College. She currently studies voice with Ms. Sharon Sweet. |
Elizabeth Sutton
|
Soprano Elizabeth Sutton brings a wealth of experience and a passion for teaching to The Pennington Studio for Dance and Creative Arts. Ms. Sutton is an accomplished and respected Adjunct Assistant Professor of voice at Westminster Choir College of Rider University.
As a teacher, Elizabeth has been working with students of all ages for nearly 20 years. Prior to working at Westminster, she started her teaching career as an Elementary music educator in the Fairfax County Public Schools in Arlington, VA. She worked with students in grades K- 5 as a general music teacher, choral director and helped to develop a program to bring opera into the schools. Upon her move to the northeast, she served on the voice faculty at Sacred Heart University and also maintained a private voice studio in New York City. Since starting at Westminster in 2005, she has spent her summers teaching on the faculties of several youth programs held on the campus of Westminster. These programs include Vocal Institute for both high school and Jr. high school students and Solo Vocal Artist. Her work for these programs include both ensemble and individual vocal instruction as well as courses taught to prepare students for auditioning. As a performer, Elizabeth has performed with opera companies and festivals throughout the United States and Europe including the Caramoor International Music Festival, New Jersey Opera, Opera Cleveland, Skylight Opera Theater, Chautauqua Opera, American International Music School, (A.I.M.S) and Lucca Opera Theater, Italy. In concert appearances, Ms. Sutton has been featured as a soloist with the Huntington Choral Society, Princeton Society of Musical Amateurs, The Princeton Girl’s Choir, the Southern Delaware Chorale Arts Society, New Haven Chorale, Norwalk Chamber Ensemble, the Graz Festival Orchestra, the Lucca Festival Orchestra, the Cincinnati Conservatory Philharmonic, and with The Korean National Arts Society. Elizabeth gives regular faculty recitals in the community and most recently made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2015. Elizabeth brings to her teaching at The Pennington Studio for Dance and Creative Arts a love for singing and a strong sense of interest in each student as an individual. She is experienced in and enjoys teaching both classical and musical theater repertoire. Her teaching will develop a sense of collaboration and confidence between teacher and artist and she will work to produced well- rounded singer/dancer/actors. She hopes to train her students not just to be singers, but complete musicians. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Bowling Green State University a Master of Music in vocal performance from Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and has done doctoral studies at The Hartt School of Music. She lives in Pennington, NJ with her husband and is the delighted mother of 2 daughters. |
